Both of her parents stared at her hand intertwined with Max’s. What would they think? Would her mom be upset that she hadn’t been able to help her only daughter plan a big wedding? Would her dad be frustrated that Max hadn’t asked permission to have her hand in marriage?
She swallowed hard and could feel Max watching her.
“T.W., Leah.” Max squeezed Emberly’s hand. “I love your daughter.”
Dad’s smile began to rise again.
“I not only asked her to be my wife during our trip,” Max continued quickly, “but I also suggested that we become man and wife while we were at the cabin.”
Dad’s smile quickly fell away, and he stared with an open mouth at Max.
Emberly forced a smile. “We’re married. Max is my husband.”
Mom’s eyes had widened, but otherwise, she didn’t move.
Emberly held her breath. Tyler, Kinsey, and Wyatt had grown silent, clearly overhearing the conversation. Kade wasclosing up the helicopter, and he paused too, probably waiting for Mom and Dad’s reaction.
“You’re not joking?” Dad spluttered.
“They are not, sir.” Braun stood a short distance away. “I performed the ceremony.”
Dad’s brown eyes came to rest on Emberly’s face again, and he seemed to be looking for something there. “Do you love Max?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” She leaned her head against Max’s arm. “I love Max more than anything.”
Dad shifted and studied Max’s face with the same intensity as before, holding out a hand to Max. “Welcome to the family, son.”
“Thank you.” Max shook her dad’s hand.
Then Dad turned to her and drew her into another hug. “He’s a good man, Emberly. Real good.”
“He is.” She breathed out her relief at her dad’s easy acceptance of the situation.
As Dad released her, Mom grabbed her into a hug too. “Congratulations, honey.”
Emberly clung to her mom. “You’re not too disappointed that I didn’t have a big wedding?”
Mom pulled back but held onto Emberly’s arms. “Not at all. I’m getting to help Kinsey with hers, and I’ll learn to be satisfied with that.”
They chatted more about the simple cabin wedding as they made their way down from the landing pad to the house. Once there, Max asked Kade to take him to the gate so that he could talk to the reporters.
“Are you okay?” she asked as they stood by the back doorway while waiting for Kade.
Max took her hands in his. “I regret the strain my family must have experienced in not knowing about my welfare.”
“I’m sure they would love hearing from you personally.”
“Yes, I am sure they would.”
She held out a hand toward Kade. “Let Max use your phone.”
Within no time, Max was on the phone with his family. He walked a short distance away to have privacy, so she couldn’t hear what he told them. He spoke for only a few moments before returning to her, the worry line in his forehead not as deep.
She wanted to kiss any remaining worry away. In fact, she wanted to kiss him regardless of any reason other than the fact that they hadn’t kissed in a while and she was craving a kiss.
Instead, she took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “What did they say about us being married?”
“I did not tell them.”
