Текст книги "Shaken, Not Stirred"
Автор книги: Sawyer Bennett
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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
Chapter 28
Tenn
I can’t decide if I’m going to spank Casey first when I see her, or fuck her first. Maybe spank her while I fuck her and kill two birds with one stone.
But truth be told, I feel so terrible that she’s clearly hurting and confused, I’m probably just going to hug the shit out of her until she forgives me for being so distant the past few days. I was a dumbass for even thinking a text would suffice after we hadn’t talked in three days.
My shame turned into panic when Casey wouldn’t respond to my “brat” statement. Then I called her and got her voice mail. Four calls and four messages later without a peep from her, and I went apeshit.
Despite Woolf pitching a fit, I booked the next flight out of Jackson.
“We got shit to iron out,” Woolf yelled at me as I packed a small bag.
“I’ll be back in two days,” I assured him. “Our shit won’t be any more wrinkled in that time frame.”
Jackson to Detroit, Detroit to Raleigh, and the longest fucking three-hour drive of my life from Raleigh to Nags Head.
I stopped at The Last Call, because I came upon it first. Although I didn’t see Casey’s Jeep, I still went inside and thank fuck… Hunter was there. It only took one look at my face and about twenty seconds, and he had me filled in on what was now called the infamous Casey Shattered Phone incident.
He assured me that she was at her house, having gotten gloriously drunk with Gabby last night, and was refusing to come in to work today because and he quoted, “I don’t fucking feel like working with a broken heart.”
I couldn’t help the grin I leveled at Hunter before I sprinted out of the bar and jumped back in my rental to make the short drive to Casey’s house.
It’s fully dark by the time I get there and I’m on the brink of absolute exhaustion, but something about the warm lights winking from her living room windows invigorates me.
Because this is truly my home.
Because Casey is inside.
I leave my bag in the car, almost too tired to carry it, but grab the envelope that I stuffed down into the outer pocket before I left. I put it my back jeans pocket, eager to show it to Casey.
Despite my fatigue, I end up trotting the staircase and bang firmly on her door as soon as I hit the top. Her soft footsteps pad closer and then the door opens.
And my heart leaps in absolute recognition of its other half.
Her eyes go wide when she sees me but that’s all I see because then I have her in my arms, pulling her against me tightly. “I’m going to spank you, then fuck you, but I’m going to kiss you hello first,” I say to her just before slamming my mouth on hers.
I expect a fight.
I expect angry and jilted Casey.
Instead, she throws her arms around my neck, and she’s the one that proceeds to kiss the fuck out of me. She kisses me so damn good my knees almost buckle, so I lock them hard and, just for good measure, drop my hands to grip hard onto her ass.
She gives me a tiny taste of tongue, but then it’s gone all too fast as she pulls back. “I’m so sorry,” she blurts out, and then she starts to ramble. “I was pissed. But then I threw my phone, and your number… I didn’t know what it was, so it turned into a night of wine and Will Ferrell, and I felt even shittier today, and…”
She stops… seems to be at a loss of words. Her gaze drifts away from me, and she nibbles on her lower lip.
“Casey?” I say softly to get those beautiful eyes back on me.
They slide back and they look a bit clearer… more confident. She smiles and says, “I’m just really glad you’re here.”
“Me too, Goldie,” I assure her. “And I’m sorry I was such a lousy communicator. I should have never ignored you for three days. I don’t have any excuse other than to tell you things started happening really fast and my head was just fucking spinning with it all.”
Her hand comes up, and she places soft fingers over my lips to hush me. “Don’t,” she says gently.
“I have so much to tell you,” I say as her fingers fall away.
“Later,” she says as she takes my hand and starts leading me toward the bedroom. “First… you promised a spanking and a fucking. Then we can talk.”
Christ above, I silently pray as I follow her back. Thank you for bringing this woman into my life.
Unfortunately, exhaustion got the better of me and after I heated Casey’s ass up, I fucked myself into a coma, promptly falling asleep after I had the mother lode of all orgasms.
When I awoke, Casey was gone from the bed and the sun was streaming through the windows. I rolled off the mattress, pulled my jeans on, and promptly found a message written in lipstick on her bathroom mirror that said, “Down on the beach.” Not even bothering with a shirt or shoes, I make my way over to the public beach access and find her sitting in the sand with a cup of coffee.
Her face tilts up to me when I reach her side, and her soft smile fills my heart as I plop down beside her. She leans over and grazes my jaw with her lips. “Sleep good?”
“Yeah,” I say as I run my fingers through my hair. “Guess I was more tired than I thought.”
She turns her face back to the ocean, but I continue to stare at her a moment.
So fucking beautiful. So fucking mine.
I reach out, take her coffee, and help myself to a sip. I can’t help but grimace over the creamy sweetness that hits my tongue, so I push the cup back into her hands.
“So what’s going on, Tenn?” she asks with an impish smile. “You don’t write… you don’t call. What’s a girl to think?”
My hand goes to the back of her head, threading my fingers through her hair and turning her face to me. I stick my nose right alongside hers and kiss the corner of her mouth. “The girl… she knows, without a doubt, that I love her.”
She presses her forehead against mine and says, “I do know that and I love you too. But if you ever go three days again without talking to me—”
“I don’t intend to go three more minutes without you by my side,” I tell her earnestly as I give her another kiss and release my hold on her.
“So what’s been going on?” she asks quietly.
I take a deep breath and wrap my arms around my knees. “It’s been a mess… trying to figure things out. The corporate attorneys really started pushing Woolf and me hard to take the company public. That was the reason for going to Chicago.”
“But,” she prompts me along.
“But we’re not going to,” I tell her. “We thought about it hard and honestly… we were really close to doing it, but then something happened.”
She turns to look at me with curious eyes. I merely reach into my back pocket and take the envelope out. Unfolding it, I hand it to her.
“Just before we were getting ready to walk into the meeting with the board of the investment bank, my dad’s personal attorney, Bob Stoops, handed this to Woolf and me. He said it was a letter my dad had written to us, and he had specifically asked this attorney not to give it to us until at least one month after his death. However, Bob, who was also very good personal friends with my dad, felt like it was more important we read it before going into that meeting, so he sort of made a command decision to deliver it a little early.”
Casey looks down at the envelope and then back to me with uncertainty. I give a nod toward her hands and say, “Read it.”
She opens the envelope and pulls out two sheets of paper that bore my father’s last words to his sons in his neat but rustic penmanship. I read along over her shoulder.
Dear Tenn and Woolf:
It is my hope that as you read this, I can offer you both some words of wisdom and encouragement that perhaps I didn’t have the fortitude to tell you when I was alive. I know I put a lot of pressure on you both to follow in my footsteps, but truly, I don’t ever want that to have been the biggest disservice I may have done to my sons.
I’ve asked Bob to give this to you after I die, but it’s my hope that you can figure things out on your own so I’ve asked him to wait at least a month to deliver it. If for some reason you are faltering or unsure of what to do, please take these words for what they are… merely a way for me to be a father first and foremost and not a businessman.
Tenn… my oldest son… you will never really know the pride you have brought to me. You may not be the exact chip off the old block I had envisioned, but you have surpassed what I could have ever hoped for in a son. You served our country in such a way as to humble me, and you gave me a beautiful granddaughter who I hope is more like you than me any day of the week. I know my dreams aren’t your dreams, and so the one thing I want you to know… no matter what… you follow your heart.
Woolf… my youngest son… you are a chip off the old block, and it is in you that I pin all of my hopes and dreams for the future of our family. I know that may seem like a lot of pressure, but I have absolute faith and trust in your abilities. I know you may feel lost and afraid over everything that is facing you, but this is when you lean on your brother for support, and you surround yourself with good people to help you along the way.
Whatever you both decide to do, know that your mother and I will be looking down on both of you with love, pride, and complete satisfaction that we raised our children right.
Love,
Dad
My eyes mist up again as I read the letter. I’ve only read it about twenty times since I opened it a few days ago, and each time, the impact of his words momentarily stuns me. I guess I never gave my dad enough credit for being just a dad.
His words had such an impact on Woolf and me as we read them that we walked into the meeting with the investment bank, politely listened to what they had to say, and then just as politely declined their help. Neither one of us had a fucking clue what to do, but fueled by our father’s words, we knew we’d figure it out.
Casey gives a little sniffle, and I watch as she blinks back tears. She folds the letter up, puts it back in the envelope, and lays it down on the sand between her feet. Leaning forward, she turns her face and lays her cheek on her knees to look at me.
“What does that all mean?” she asks.
“It’s still complicated, and I’m still going to have to be involved somewhat in the family business, but it also means that I’m going to still pursue my dreams.”
“Would those dreams include me?” she asks hesitantly, and I can’t let her go another moment with any doubts.
Reaching out, I pull her over to me, lowering my legs to the sand and situating her on my lap so she straddles me. My hands go to her perfect face and kiss those perfect fucking lips.
“My dad said something really important in that letter,” I tell her. “He told Woolf to surround himself with good people.”
She nods, not really understanding.
“The main reason the corporate attorneys wanted us to consider going public was to alleviate management duties on us. It was just shifting the burden, so to speak.”
“Because they didn’t trust you and Woolf?” she asks.
I shrug my shoulders. “Maybe, but we understood that. We don’t have much business experience. But then we started thinking… let’s take Dad’s advice and bring in good people to help us rather than do it all ourselves. I mean, my dad did everything, sure, but that didn’t mean we had to.”
“So you’re going to hire people?”
“In a nutshell,” I tell her as my hands go to her lower back where I rub at her gently. “For each enterprise, we’re going to put a business manager and CFO in place, and they’ll report to Woolf and me. And we’ve talked Bob into coming on board with us full time to act as our personal attorney and advisor. He knows more about my dad’s business holdings and the way they operate than anyone does. Woolf is going to run the ranch himself though. That’s where his passion is and he’s got a good grasp on it.”
“What about you? What’s your role?” she asks, and I don’t miss a slight tone of fear in her voice.
“I’m going to help Woolf oversee things, but if you’ll still have me, I’m going to do it remotely from here. When I get things settled down, I’m going to open the bike shop. But I think… for the first year or so, I’m going to have to travel back and forth quite a bit. Live there part of the time.”
Casey starts worrying at her lower lip, lowering her eyes shyly. When she finally raises them, I see a hint of determination though. “And what about us? Will this be a long-distance type thing?”
I smile at her, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. “Did you not hear the part where I said I’m not going another three minutes without you by my side?”
She nods, her eyes hopeful yet still guarded. “Spell it out for me.”
“It means I want you by my side, whether it’s here in Nags Head or in Wyoming. I’m not going to be separated from you, and if you don’t want to live in Wyoming, then I’ll just tell Woolf he’s going to have to go it alone from the start. I mean it, Casey… you are far more important to me than the Jennings fortune. I’m not giving you up.”
“I’ll go,” she says quickly and throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. “Wherever you go, I’m there.”
“It’s only temporary,” I assure her as I squeeze her to me. “Our real home will be here.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she says softly with her lips near my ear. “As long as I’m with you.”
“God, I love you so much,” I tell her and don’t give her a chance to reciprocate because I kiss her hard and deep, sealing her promise to stay by my side.
She pushes back on me, causing my lips to falter. When I stare into her earnest eyes, she says, “I love you, Tenn. And I am so thankful for you because I would have never known this feeling if it weren’t for you. You’ve taught me so much… shown me so much. My eyes have never been as wide open as they are right now, and my heart has never felt this damn good in my entire life. You are my everything, and I would follow you to the ends of the earth.”
My throat turns dry and something pricks at my eyes, but I manage to croak out. “Baby… going to make you so fucking happy.”
She gives me that bright, Casey Markham smile, and leans in to press her lips against my neck.
“Going to marry you too,” I tell her boldly, expecting that might shock the shit out of her. Instead, I can feel her smile against my skin.
“And I wouldn’t be averse to knocking you up quickly with a kid or two,” I press forward, and she actually moans against my neck.
Fucking moans over me telling her I want to impregnate her.
“We’d make some pretty babies,” I murmur as my hand comes up to cup the back of her head and hold her against me tighter.
“I’ve been told that recently,” she whispers as her tongue comes out to taste me right at my jaw line. “But we have to be married first.”
“Say the word and I’m there. We can hop a plane to Vegas right now and throw your birth control pills away.”
Casey giggles and leans back to look at me. She gives a serious shake of her head. “The ranch. I want to get married on the bank of Snake River… your favorite place in the world.”
“Second favorite,” I remind her. “You’re my favorite place.”
“And I only want our family and close friends there,” she continues. “And we have to work on getting custody of Zoey. She has to be with us permanently, okay?”
I tilt my head, overwhelmed by the capacity of her heart. “Sure, baby. We’ll get started on that real soon.”
“And Tenn?” she says with sparkling eyes and joy practically pouring off her.
“Yeah, baby?”
“It’s going to be physically impossible for you to make me any happier than I am right at this moment,” she says assuredly, linking her fingers through mine. “You’ve given this girl more than she could have ever hoped for.”
“Oh, Goldie,” I tell her in a low warning voice. “I’m just going to have to prove you wrong about that.”
“Bring it on, baby,” she says before leaning in to kiss me. “Bring it on.”
Epilogue
Tenn
Mention marriage and babies to Casey Markham just once, and it’s all over.
Four weeks to the day since I mentioned wanting to marry her while we sat out on the beach facing the Atlantic Ocean, and I’m now about half an hour from making it a reality.
While I had to get on a plane the very next day and get back to Wyoming, Casey stayed behind and put her mother and Gabby to work planning the wedding with her. Since she already had the venue picked out—and that would be on the shores of a river in Wyoming—she was able to do pretty much everything else on the internet.
A few days later, she had no hesitation picking the date and sent it to me in a simple text. July 30th. Our wedding. Be there.
Later, she told me that it had to be done then because Zoey would have to be back in North Carolina a few weeks after to start school, and Casey had decided she wanted Zoey to go on our honeymoon with us. That came in the next text.
Zoey and I want to go to New York City for our honeymoon. Cool?
Of course, I texted back that it was cool. Whatever the hell she wanted, as long as she remained gung ho to tie herself to me. And even though I’m swamped with shit that needs to get done with my father’s estate, I told Woolf to plan on me being gone for at least a week in August.
Casey and I decided that it would be best to move for custody of Zoey once I established permanent residency in North Carolina, so for the time being, she was going to stay with Brianna until I could get the ranch under control. I didn’t have it in me to take on that fight while trying to pour all of my energy into getting myself out from under the Jennings family business. But once I was free from it, there was no doubt that Zoey was going to be with Casey and me.
I finish buttoning up the white western shirt with black stitching and put on a bolo tie with a pewter buckle that Casey gave me. It has the Double J logo stamped into the metal. I have no clue what Casey is wearing to the wedding and she told me that she didn’t care what I wore, so I chose a western theme since she gave me the bolo, went with a white shirt because it’s a wedding, and then chose a pair of dark denim jeans, a black belt, and boots.
Grabbing my black Stetson off the dresser, I leave my room and head over to Woolf’s side of the house to get him. He’s my best man, of course, and I have strict instructions from Casey that we are to be riverside at least ten minutes before the ceremony is to start. Which means I don’t have much time to get our asses on our ATVs and head that way.
Woolf’s bedroom door is ajar so I push it open. “Come on, dude… got a woman to marry.”
“Just a second,” he groans, and then my eyes take in Woolf standing there with his head thrown back and his hands gripping onto a woman’s head while she deep throats him from a kneeling position.
“Fuck,” I mutter, quickly turning on my heel and exiting the room, slamming the door shut behind me.
And just my luck, the closed door isn’t enough to diminish Woolf’s roar of release as she finishes him off. I lean back against the wall and jam my hands down into my pockets, waiting for my brother to zip up and get his ass out here so we can meet my bride down by the river.
Fucker. I can’t believe he’s in there getting a blow job on the second most important day of my life, the first being the day Zoey was born. And yeah… maybe that’s a little bit of jealousy on my part since my girl gives the best head ever and I had to sleep apart from her last night. Casey insisted on staying at a hotel in Jackson with her crew because she wanted to preserve some wedding traditions.
The door suddenly flies open and Carlie Payton stumbles out, giggling at something Woolf says with her lips all puffy and red. I hadn’t recognized the waitress from over at The Shady Pine bar when she was blowing my brother, but I nod a greeting at her.
“Hey Tenn,” she says breathlessly, and then turns to accept a deep kiss from Woolf, who practically bends her in half.
“That was amazing, baby,” he says just before releasing her. Giving her a quick pat on her ass, he turns her around and pushes her toward the hallway.
“We still on for some tag-teaming at Scandalous tomorrow?” she asks as she walks backward away from him.
“Yup,” he says with a charming grin, his eyes raking up and down her body. “Looking forward to it.”
She blows him a kiss followed by a husky laugh and spins away.
“What the fuck is tag-teaming? And what the hell is Scandalous?” I ask him as I push away from the door and follow him down the hallway while he refastens his belt. He’s wearing a mint-green western shirt along with his ratty, old, brown Stetson, but at least he’s washed and pressed. He loves that fucking hat more than life itself so I don’t say anything.
“It’s just a private club over in Driggs,” he says vaguely and then completely changes the subject on me. “You have the rings?”
My heart lurches for a second, and then I remember I had put them in my back pocket. I reach back and pull out a simple, platinum wedding band that I bought last week along with another platinum ring flashing with diamonds. Three to be exact.
The center one is a cushion cut and weighs in at just over two carats. There are two trillion diamonds, one on each side of the center diamond, and total carat weight came in at just under four carats total.
This is Casey’s engagement ring that she insisted she didn’t want or need, but I couldn’t fucking help myself. She should have something nearly as perfect as she is on her hand and for the third time in my life, I dipped into my trust fund.
So fucking worth it and I can’t wait to see her face when I put it on her finger. Granted, it will go on maybe a second before the wedding band goes on, making it the shortest engagement in history, but Casey is the one that hurried this whole wedding along so it’s all good.
As I hand the rings to Woolf, we make our way out of the house and over to the garage, deciding to drive the Gator down to the river.
In just under fifteen minutes, I’m going to make Casey Markham mine forever.
Casey
I figured I’d have butterflies in my stomach or my hands would be sweating, but I actually feel a sense of immeasurable peace within me as the wagon rocks back and forth as we head down to the river.
Tenn has no idea how I’m arriving to the wedding. He hasn’t asked for any details but even if he did, I wouldn’t tell him. I’m going to enjoy seeing the look on his face. I can imagine what it must look like now as he stands down at the river with only Woolf, Kyle, Bob Stoops, and the minister. I can’t help the small giggle that escapes imagining the look of confusion on his face that no one else is there.
But when I decided I wanted to get married in Tenn’s second favorite place in the world—the first being me—I knew it would be important to have my family and friends with me. And when I mean with me, I mean with me.
So I arranged to have this wagon pulled by two of the ranch horses take my crew down to the wedding site. For me, it symbolizes that they are all giving me away to Tenn.
Probably very gladly.
I’m so lucky that they were all just able to drop everything in their lives to travel out here to watch me get married. My mom and dad, of course, being the most important part of the equation. While they were a little shocked over the speed with which I decided to move, they’ve been fully supportive. Truth be told, I think they had given up hope for me so they are actually quite excited I want to get married.
My brothers, as well, would never have missed this. Apparently, I must have inspired Gabby and Hunter with the rashness of my actions because just last week, they decided to elope down to South Carolina to get married. They went by themselves, and even stopped at the ever fun but completely cheesy South of the Border, which sits on the North Carolina/South Carolina state line and ate tacos and drank a beer for their “honeymoon.” It was completely outrageous, yet I wouldn’t have expected anything different from them.
The wagon is filled with those people most important to me. My parents, Hunter and Gabby, Brody and Alyssa, Gavin and Savannah, and Wyatt and Andrea, who have finally decided their wedding will be next summer in the Outer Banks. And clearly… something is in the air because apparently Gavin must have finally gotten inspired to make Savannah an honest woman. Last night, he got down on bended knee at the Million Dollar Cowboy bar and proposed to her in front of about five hundred strangers. And shit… her engagement ring was so big I was afraid she’d topple over. It’s so shiny that her daughter Clare is right this very moment plucking at it with her little pudgy hands while she sits on Savannah’s lap.
Oh, man… I can’t wait to have one of those. Two actually… a boy and a girl, and I hope they both look like Tenn, although he tells me he hopes they look like me.
Sweet man.
As our wagon exits the dense forest and hits the field laced with wildflowers and sagebrush, I finally get my first look at Tenn standing on the river’s edge along with Woolf to one side and Kyle and Bob to the other, the minister just a few feet back. The smile on his face is bright as he takes in the huge wagon filled with the North Carolina crew, and he just shakes his head in amusement.
There’s no wedding march, only the sound of the rolling river and the wind softly rustling through the treetops. It’s absolutely perfect.
The driver stops the wagon as instructed about twenty feet from the groom’s party and everyone unloads. The men jump down first and are handed the babies, then they help their women down in gallant fashion. I left it up to everyone what they wanted to wear, and in trying to keep with the western setting, I’m happy to say everyone doesn’t look even slightly out of place in their cowboy hats and boots.
When everyone has gotten down, that leaves two women in the wagon.
Zoey and me.
I hold my hand out to her, and she places hers in mine. She smiles at me and says, “Ready to do this?”
“I was born ready,” I tell her.
“Do I have to call you mom?” she asks with a mischievous grin.
“I’ll smack you around if you do,” I tell her seriously, and then we both stand up and walk to the edge of the wagon. Brody helps me down while Hunter helps Zoey.
And then we all arrange ourselves exactly as I had envisioned it. Zoey and I holding hands tightly with our other hands holding matching bouquets of miniature white roses and fragrant clippings of wild sagebrush. The rest of my crew forms a large semicircle around me and after I take a deep breath, I take the first step toward Tenn.
As a pair, Zoey and I walk together.
As a group, my family and friends surround me, each of them sharing in my joy.
Every person around me taking part in the ritual of giving me away to the man I love.
We all walk together down a makeshift wildflower aisle of black-eyed Susans, cow grass, and fairy slippers, with the peppery-sweet scent of sagebrush teasing our noses. The Teton Mountains tower behind Tenn majestically and the dancing river sings to me.
This may possibly be the most perfect moment in the history of moments.
And wow… Tenn looks so impossibly handsome, my heart swells with pride that this is my man. Even with his Stetson on, I can see the clear blue of his sparkling eyes as they are pinned on me. He’s wearing the bolo tie I had made for him with the Double J ranch logo, and while I definitely love him in his Harley t-shirts and shit-kicker boots, he makes a fucking fine ass cowboy as well.
Tenn’s eyes roam over me slowly as I get closer. He’s taking in the cream-colored sundress with spaghetti straps I had bought to match my cream-colored Stetson, and because hey… it’s my wedding… I bought a pair of cream-colored boots to match. The only hint of color on me is in the lilac-colored ribbon that’s tied to the ends of the braids I put in my hair, along with little sprigs of baby’s breath.
Before I can reach my groom, he steps away from his group to meet me. As if planned, my group halts their progress and within a few steps, it’s just Tenn and me standing in front of each other.
“Hey,” I whisper.
“Hey, Goldie,” he says huskily as his eyes roam down and then up my body. “You look gorgeous in your wedding white.”
I give a soft laugh and lean in a bit closer to him. “This is actually cream. I couldn’t go with pure white because… hello… I’m marrying you and there’s not a virginal bone you’ve left untapped in my body.”
Tenn’s bright, white teeth explode from behind his lips as he laughs. “Consider me educated on wedding colors then.”
We stare at each other, completely oblivious to the other souls around us. Completely uncaring that there’s a wedding waiting on us.
“So, what did you do last night?” I ask him curiously.
“Couldn’t sleep because I was missing you too much.” And, there goes the butterflies in my stomach. “What did you do?”
“I got a little tipsy and tattooed your name on my ass,” I tell him sincerely.
His eyebrows disappear under the brow of his hat and his mouth hangs open slightly. “You’re kidding?”
“Yup, kidding,” I tell him. “It’s actually here on my wrist.”
His hand jets out and turns my hand palm up, taking in the delicate cursive writing of his name on my skin. I remember he told me once that he intended to ink my name somewhere prominent on his body because it didn’t get any more permanent than that. I figured I should do the same, although I didn’t have it in me to get anything big because… well, that shit hurts and I wanted it over as soon as possible.
Tenn lifts my arm and brings my wrist to his mouth, where he places a light kiss on it. “I love it, baby,” he says softly.
My cheeks turn a little pink over the adoration in his voice. We stare at each other some more, both of us getting lost in each other. Oh… his eyes. The most beautiful thing ever invented. Perhaps my favorite place in the world.
A coughing sound from behind Tenn has me blinking slightly, and I lean to the left to peek around his shoulder. The minister smiles at me kindly and says, “Are you two ready to get going?”
I give him a smile, nodding my head and then pulling back to look up at Tenn. “You ready?”
Tenn takes my hand and turns his body to face the minister. He tucks my arm in his and starts walking me across the pebbled shore of the river. “I’ve been ready for you my whole life, Goldie. Let’s go do this.”
