“I better stop and get the mail. It’s been a while since I checked it.” I pulled over to the mailbox that sat at the end of the drive. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Would she notice? Would she see what I’d done?
Finally, the wind blew and the wisteria growin’ up the sides of the arch blew. It caught her eye and I watched as her gaze traveled up to the new sign hanging in the middle of the arch.
Her breath caught and her hand flew to her mouth. “Cade?” She looked at me and there were tears in her eyes. “Yes. I love you so much, Cade Walker. Yes.” She threw her arms around my neck and started kissin’ me as hard as she could. She whimpered a little when a pain struck her shoulder and she remembered she had been shot and just got out of the hospital.
“So ya like the new sign, huh?” I laughed.
“Nope...I love the sign.” She smiled that smile…you know the one…the one that always melted my heart.
The sign read:
Walker Ranch
Cade, Suzanna, and Isabella
Suzanna~
So, today was the big day. Cade and I were getting married. The guys had worked on turning the gazebo down by the pond into the dream wedding venue. They’d had a little bit of help from Callie and me. We had to help them with the decorations - they’re men - they had no clue. There were white chairs lining either side of the aisle. The aisle had been created by placing timber-wood down a path to the gazebo. The chairs had turquoise and white bows on the back of them and the gazebo was decked out with turquoise and white tulle. Big bows were strategically placed all around it.
I’d always wanted to get married outside and we couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to say our vows, than in the gazebo Cody had built for Candy.
I don’t remember a time in my life when I’d been happier than I was on that day. Cade made me so happy and I knew he always would. He was funny and sexy and immature and sweet and all of the things that I always dreamed my husband would be. I dreamed my husband would be like Cade, because when I dreamed of my husband, I dreamed of Cade. Made perfect sense, right?
My first wedding had been a joke. I decided not to think about that experience today. Today was all about happiness and the future. Isabella had on a beautiful little yellow dress that she picked out all by herself. Callie was wearing a turquoise dress and Cord had on a gray suit with a turquoise tie. They were gonna look perfect walking down the aisle together.
I promised Cade he wouldn’t have to wear a tie, but he told me he would for me. I told him no way. So he wore a gray suit with a white button down shirt and turquoise vest underneath. He wore his signature Stetson and Ariat boots.
I’d already done the big, fancy white gown, so this time I decided to get something comfortable and something that was more me. Callie and I went into town and visited a small little-known bridal shop. When I walked in the door, the sales clerk walked over to me and said, “I have the perfect dress for you.” Callie and I just laughed, until she walked out with
the
dress.
It was off-white and knee length. It was strapless and the entire thing was covered in a layer of eyelet lace. It was so me. She pegged me the minute I walked in the door. Callie and I still laughed about that.
I’d paired it with my best pair of brown boots and I wore my hair down with a few pieces on the side tucked back with my golden dragonfly clips. The ring, I almost forgot the best part of my ensemble. The ring that Cade had given me meant more to me than any gift I’d ever received. It was the ring that his dad had given his mom. When he slipped that ring on my finger, I cried like a baby. He’ll never admit it, but he teared up a little bit, too.
The ring was in a gold setting. It had a one and a half carat round canary diamond in the middle with several smaller white diamonds around it. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I found myself just staring at it sometimes.
I walked to the end of the aisle and a big, goofy smile spread across my face the minute I saw him. He smiled back and that was it. He had my heart - he always had and he always would.
All of the seats were full. All of our family and friends were here to celebrate our big day.
Isabella walked down the aisle first. She was carrying a little bouquet of white lilies wrapped with a turquoise ribbon. When she got about half way up the aisle, she started running and jumped straight into Cade’s waiting arms. He hugged her and when he tried to put her down she pouted and shook her head no. So, he didn’t put her down. He held onto her as Callie and Cord started down the aisle. Then the music started and it was my turn.
My eyes locked with the man of my dreams who was standing at the end of the aisle, holding my baby girl, and it took everything in me not to do what Isabella had done and run and jump into his arms. But I controlled myself. I slowly meandered down the aisle and to the bottom of the steps of the gazebo. The Pastor was standing on the top step leading into the gazebo.
When he started to speak, he asked Cade to put Isabella down. Isabella cried, “No. I wanna stay here and watch my momma marry my daddy.”
That was the first time she’d called Cade that and it hit him like a ton of bricks. I’ve never seen anyone smile so big in my life.
“What’d you call me, Izzy B?” he asked.
“Daddy…I can call you that now, wight?” she asked, looking all confused.
“Of course you can, sweetheart. You’ve just made me the happiest man in the whole wide world.”
“Ahem?” I asked quietly with a smile.
“Oh, you
and
your momma have just made me the happiest man in the whole wide world.” He wrapped his free arm around me. “Is that better, hon?”
“It’ll do for now,” I whispered.
The Pastor smiled as he leaned down toward us. “Are we ready to start this thing?” We nodded.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here this evening to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Life isn’t easy and these two have sure seen their share of hard times. But through the power of their love for each other, they’ve made it through. They’ve already went through some of the trials and tribulations that us old married folk go through.” He chuckled and looked around me to his wife.
“They’ve made their way through it and now are ready to push on with the rest of their lives. Cade here gave me specific orders to make this quick, so here goes. Cade Walker, do you take Suzanna Mallory to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, cherish, and honor her for the rest of your life?”
Cade put his hand in mine. Looking deep into my eyes, he answered, “I do.”
The Pastor turned to me. “And do you Suzanna Mallory take Cade Walker to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, cherish, and honor him for all the rest of your life?”
“I do.” Cade and I were still staring into each others eyes.
“I’ve got a couple things to add before we’re done here,” Cade said as he shot me that damn smirk. “I have a few more promises I need to make.” He handed Isabella to Cord and he took both of my hands in his. “I promise to always be there for you. I promise to try my damnedest not to fu…screw up. I promise to never throw you in the pond again, without your permission of course. I promise to never leave you naked in said pond after I’ve thrown you in…oh, hold up. That would be a promise for you to make.” Everyone laughed. Then he finished with, “I promise to be the kinda man that you and Izzy B deserve. I promise to always protect you and love you because my heart picked you.”
He took his hand and wiped a tear from my cheek. “That was beautiful, cowboy. How am I supposed to top that?” Our guests all laughed again.
“Mr. Walker, I have a few promises for you too. I promise to always tell you what’s going on with me…always. I promise to never keep secrets. I promise to
try
not to ever leave you naked in the pond after you’ve thrown me in, without my permission of course.” He chuckled. “I promise to always have pop-tarts on hand for you to have for breakfast. But, the biggest promise I can make you is this, I promise to love you for the rest of my life and when we are rocking on the front porch watching our grandkids play, I promise to remind you of this day and all of these promises we’ve made and point out to you how lucky we are that we made it and our marriage lasted forever, because I know in my heart that we are forever. I know this because my heart picked you, too.”
“Well, if ya’ll are done, we’ll move on to the good part,” Pastor Baker chuckled.
“It gets better?” I asked with a grin.
“There’s a kiss comin’ up here soon, hon,” Cade said with a wink. “Before we move on to that I have one more thing I need to do.”
He turned around and took Isabella outta Cord’s arms. He sat her down in front of us. “Izzy B, I love you so, so much. I wanted to give you this today. It was my momma’s and I know that she would want you to have it. My daddy gave it to her when I was born.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful golden locket. It was heart shaped with filigree patterns etched into it. He clasped it around her neck.
Isabella jumped into his arms. “Thanks, Daddy! I wub it so much. I pwomise I’ll take good care of it.”
“I know you will, sweetheart. Why don’t you open it up and look inside?” She snapped it open and on one side was a picture of Cody and Candy when Cade was born, on the other side was a picture of Cade, Isabella, and I standing right here in this spot in front of the gazebo.
I couldn’t help it. Damn that man. He’d made me a blubbering mess on my wedding day, but truth be known, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
~Epilogue~
One Year Later
Cade~
“Cade Walker, I’m going to kick your ass.” Suzy Q hadn’t stopped screamin’ at me for the last two hours. Apparently this was somehow all my fault.
“Sweetheart, just breathe. It’s gonna be over soon.” I was tryin’ to help, but the grip she had on my hand was ‘bout to bring this cowboy to his knees.
“Soon? You think that’s what I want to hear right now? Soon?” She was pissed. I felt bad for her, but what was I supposed to do?
“Hon, I don’t know what else to say. I love ya…does that help?”
“HELL NO!” she screamed as the doctor came into the room.
“Well, Mrs. Walker, I can see this is going rather well,” Dr. Hurd said with a grin. That grin might get his ass killed. Mrs. Walker was not in a grinnin’ mood.
“I need drugs. Like right now. I don’t understand why I wasn’t given drugs. I think we may need to sue someone, cowboy.” That was the first time she had called me that all day. I had been called lots of other colorful names, but that was the first time she’d used her nickname for me.
“Now, Mrs. Walker we explained this to you. It was a little too late to give you the epidural when you got here. We are just going to have to do this the not so easy way.”
“We?” She looked over at me and roughly pulled my head down closer to hers. “
We?
Is he fucking kidding me? Is there a baby coming out of his nether regions? I’m just asking…because I don’t think there is.” Suzy Q was not even jokin’…I think she would’ve kicked that doctor’s ass if I hadn’t been there to hold her back.
“Hon, breathe. I love you.” I was tryin’ to be sympathetic, but what the hell did I know about childbirth? I’d seen lots of animals bein’ birthed, but to quote some movie, “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies.”
I couldn’t stand to see my Suzy Q hurtin’ like that. I was thinkin’ I might have to kick that doctor’s ass for her.
The doctor was lookin’ down there to see how the baby was. He said, “I can see the head, Mrs. Walker. Let’s push that baby out of there. I want you to take a deep breath and then push.”
The screamin’ was so loud that I didn’t know what the hell was happenin’. I was afraid she was dyin’. But a couple of screams later, I heard the most amazin’ sound I’d ever heard…
“WAAAHHHH!”
That was the sound of our son. He was a big boy, just like his daddy. He weighed nine pounds and eight ounces and was twenty-one inches long. No wonder Suzy Q was screamin’. How the hell did somethin’ that big, come outta somethin’ so little?
Damn.
Women are definitely the stronger sex. I ain’t ashamed to admit it. I sure as hell couldn’t imagine doin’ that.
When I first saw my son, I ain’t gonna lie, the boy scared me shitless. He had bright fire red hair and big green eyes. The doctor laid him across Suzy Q’s chest and she started to cry. I may have had a tear in my eye, too. He was just so damn perfect.
I couldn’t help but think of Clay when I looked down at my newborn son. It broke my heart that he would never get to meet him.
“He’s got your eyes. Thank God, he got your beautiful green eyes. But…” Suzy Q peered up at me through those long beautiful eyelashes.
“But what, hon?”
“Well, I just feel bad for every girl in the world because those eyes of his are gonna mesmerize them.”
“Ya think so, huh?” I asked with a smile as big as Texas on my face.
“Honey, I know so. I know because yours did the exact same thing to me when I was nine years old. Cowboy?”
“Yeah, darlin’.”
“We got a problem.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“He’s not a Cameron.”
“I know that, hon. I told ya we weren’t namin’ him that. That’s a pansy ass name.”
“I know you said that, but you didn’t ever come up with anything better, did you?”
“I kinda did.” I replied with a grin.
“Really? Okay, cowboy. Let’s hear it. What name do you want to give our beautiful little boy?”
“Wow, no pressure, huh?” I laughed. “I’d like to name him after two of my favorite people.”
“Well, this should be interesting,” Suzy Q said, as she raised an eyebrow at me.
“How about Caden Clay Walker?” Has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?”
She looked down at our son lyin’ on her chest and then back up to me. “It’s perfect…absolutely perfect.”
“I know, I surprise myself sometimes too.” She smacked me on the arm before she leaned up and kissed my lips.