I couldn’t wait to get married to Dalton and start our family together. We’re going to build a beautiful life.
I toss the bouquet and spin around. Lauren grabs it, her face lighting up when she does. My friend deserves all the kindness in the world. She’s been going through something heavy lately, but she hasn’t talked to me about it. I know she probably hasn’t mentioned it because of the wedding.
I turn my attention to Dalton while everyone is distracted with Lauren and the bouquet. Bronco’s staring intently at her the way he has been all day.
“I hope he pulls his head out of his ass soon,” I tell Dalton.
Dalton barks out a laugh. “You’re not the only one.”
I give him a smile. “Are you ready to go to your cabin?”
He takes my hand in his and gives my fingers a gentle squeeze. “Our cabin,” he says, correcting me gently.
“Our cabin. Our cabin where we can do dirty things together,” I remind him.
His gaze darkens. “Damn straight.”
We pose for one more round of photographs and get endless hugs before we finally manage to get into Dalton’s truck. Max and Rex are in the cab with us. They keep stepping over me to put their heads out the window, but it’s perfect.
“We’re going to have to get a family vehicle soon,” Dalton says.
I give him a soft smile, already loving the way he’s planning for our future together. “I like the sound of that. I love this messy, imperfect life of ours.”
“I do, too,” he agrees.
Back at our cabin, I can’t help smiling when I see the porch. We finished painting it and added rocking chairs. I added throw pillows, a vase with fresh flowers, and dog beds for our boys.
I can already imagine long summer nights spent in these chairs, talking about our days and sharing our hopes and dreams with each other.
I manage to get out of the truck by myself despite my difficulty navigating in the boot and my dress that made me feel like a princess. I start toward the cabin, but Dalton grunts.
“Absolutely not. We’re doing things the traditional way.” Then he scoops me into his arms and carries me up the steps and across the threshold.
I giggle when he sets me down, remembering the first day he carried me into his cabin.
“I really like this suit,” I tell him. “It makes you look so handsome.”
Heat sparks in his gaze. “Yeah, you like this suit, huh? I can start wearing a suit more often.”
I lean close, whispering in his ear, “I’d like it better on our bedroom floor.”
He laughs and carries me into the bedroom, navigating around boxes of my things. There’s still so much furniture and decor to add to our cabin, but that can wait because right now we need to consummate our marriage.
Rose petals have been sprinkled everywhere. Soft candles light up the space, giving it a gentle glow. There’s the sweet smell of fresh flowers in the air.
“This is perfect,” I breathe out.
“It’s our first night together as man and wife, and I wanted you to know that’s so special to me,” he tells me as he helps me onto the bed.
He gets on his knees and helps me remove the boot, setting it aside gently. He caresses my leg softly before sitting on the bed next to me.
Slowly, he removes all of the bobby pins that kept my elegant updo in place. One by one, he’s careful never to tug too hard. Then his fingers go to the zipper on the back of my dress.
He pulls it down slowly, inch by inch, taking his time to savor every new bit of skin exposed to him. He helps me shrug out of the dress, pausing to hang it carefully in our closet.
He prowls back to the bed. He lets me help him out of his clothes, and this time, it’s my fingers that shake.
“Don’t be nervous,” he says. “I promise I will cherish you forever.”
