Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (29 page)

A
S
I stand here waiting for the music to announce the entrance of my bride, butterflies invade my stomach. I don’t think it’s so much nerves as it is excitement. I’m so ready to make Holly my wife. I have no doubts that this is the right thing. That she’s the perfect woman for me. No doubt that we were made for each other.

I turn to my left and look at my bandmates, my best friends, who are beside me. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I never would’ve been able to get my life together enough to allow myself to give in to my feelings for Holly.

When the music starts to play, my chest tightens in anticipation. I feel like this is the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life. When she walks into view, all the pieces of my shattered heart suddenly begin falling back into their proper place. My heart finally feels whole again. The sight of her gliding down the aisle, arm in arm, with a very proud Beasley, steals my breath away. She’s absolutely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. What did I do in my life to deserve this angelic woman?

She looks a little nervous, but when her eyes meet mine, a bright, beautiful smile graces her face. A smile that causes my knees to go weak. Kyle notices and grabs my shoulder. He leans over and whispers in my ear, “How did two bums like us get so damn lucky?”

“I was just thinking the very same thing,” I whisper back, still unable to take my eyes off the beauty walking toward me. Everyone is completely silent and in total awe of Holly. Then, Angel lets out a whistle, breaking through the silence and causing everyone to laugh, including Holly. When I look over at him, he just shrugs his shoulders and gives me his signature wink. What an ass.

When Beasley and Holly reach me, he places her hand in mine and kisses her cheek. “I love you like a son, but I also love her like a daughter. So, if you hurt her in any way, you’ll have me to deal with,” Beasley threatens, loud enough for the handful of people attending to hear. He then smiles at me and takes his seat.

“Hi, handsome,” Holly says as she leans in so close, our noses are touching.

I rub my nose against hers. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” I tell her. She crushes her lips to mine, making everything around us fade away.

The pastor clears his throat. “I’ll chalk that up to those pregnancy hormones I hear so much about,” he jokes, causing yet another round of laughter from our friends. Holly gives him a sheepish look and backs away a little bit, still keeping her hands in mine. The pastor starts the ceremony but I can’t take my eyes off Holly. It’s still hard for me to believe how much this redheaded spitfire has changed my life. The last time I remember being this happy was when I was a little boy. Back before my dad changed and became so angry all the time. I’m going to be a husband and soon a father. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I’m doing my best at both.

“Dude, you’re up,” Kyle whispers and nudges me. I can feel my face heat from embarrassment. I glance over at Kyle with a quizzical expression on my face.

“Your vows, dumbass,” Angel whispers loudly. Again, bringing about laughter from everyone. At this rate, people will think this is a standup comedy act, not a wedding ceremony. With every eye on me, the nervousness begins to set in. I pull the folded piece of paper out of my jacket pocket and fumble, trying to get it open. Quickly scanning over what I’ve written, I decide it’s not as good as I had thought. Crumbling it up into a ball, I throw it over my shoulder.

“Holly, you crashed into my life.”

“Literally. You knocked him right on his ass,” Angel throws in. When I glare at him, trying to tell him to shut the fuck up, he shrugs his shoulders. “Well, that’s what happened,” he grumbles.

“You were like a hurricane blowing in and turning me upside down. I never wanted to fall in love. To be a husband or even a father. That was, until I met you. All of a sudden, you made me want all of these things and more. I didn’t think I could love someone as much as I do you. Nor did I think I’d ever truly be happy again. So, thank you. Thank you for loving me, trusting in me, and most of all, for making me the happiest man alive,” I say, getting a little choked up with the immense emotions I feel at this moment. Amber passes a tissue to a tearful Holly. She softly dabs at her eyes, careful not to smudge her make-up. It takes her a minute to get herself together. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she starts to speak.

“How am I supposed to top that?” she says with a giggle. “People say everything happens for a reason, but I could never understand what kind of reason would require me going through so much pain and misery. Until now. The day I crashed into you, it all became so clear. We were destined to meet so we could put each other back together. You have healed my broken soul. You’ve given me things I’d never thought possible. True love, trust, and most of all, the constant feeling of being safe. You’ve given me the chance to have a family. To be a wife and a mother. My whole life, I hoped and prayed for the life you’re giving me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that, but I promise to spend the rest of our lives showing you how much I love you and how much you mean to me,” she says as tears stream down her cheeks.

And she was worried she couldn’t top what I said? She just blew me out of the water. The fact that I’m standing here in front of all these people crying like a little bitch proves it. I don’t care. Let the guys make fun of me. No more hiding my feelings. I love this woman. I love that I can make her feel the same way I do, thanks to her.

The pastor is talking, but I’m no longer paying attention. I’m lost in Holly’s eyes. Both of us saying so much to each other without uttering a single word. It’s all in her eyes. Kyle nudges me and hands me a ring.

“I do,” I blurt out, causing a huge eruption of laughter. I’m puzzled as to what was so funny.

“We’re not quite there yet, son. Almost,” the pastor says with a smile. I look over at Kyle, who rolls his eyes at me and smiles. He’s been in my shoes, so he gets it. When I look at Angel, he just mouths, “dumbass”. Typical Angel. He’ll see. One day, he’s going to meet a woman who turns his brain to mush. The only thing he’ll be able to think about will be her. I can’t wait for that day to arrive, because I’m going to razz his ass about it constantly.

The rest of the ceremony goes smoothly. When the pastor announces it’s time to kiss my bride, I don’t waste any time. I take her in my arms and crash my lips to hers. This is our first kiss as husband and wife. I know it sounds crazy, but this kiss feels different. It’s more intense. Just a preview of what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life.

F
INALLY
, P
AUL
and I are able to sit. My poor feet ache from holding up my rather large belly. I didn’t think that photographer would ever finish taking pictures. Even my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Not that it has been an effort to smile. I can’t imagine being happier than I am right now. So far, this day has been amazing. More incredible than I could’ve ever imagined.

“What has you smiling so big?” Paul questions, leaning in close to my ear. He brushes his lips against the sensitive spot behind my ear, causing me to break out in goose bumps. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I wonder if anyone would even notice if the two of us left. I sure wouldn’t mind getting the honeymoon started. That kiss at the end of the ceremony was amazing. It felt different than all the other kisses we’ve shared. It was more passionate. More demanding. More intense. I want to find out if everything between us has gotten better.

“I was just wondering if we could sneak out of here without anyone noticing,” I tell him honestly, causing him to laugh. “What’s so funny? I’m serious. I can’t wait to get home to bed.”

“Me, too. I’m exhausted. Sleep sounds really good,” Paul says, feigning sleepiness, making me want to slap the fake yawn right off his face.

“Don’t even think about leaving yet,” Amber scolds, pointing her finger at us both. “You still need to have your first dance, cut the cake, and throw the bouquet. When all that is done, you can leave.”

Her no nonsense tone makes me laugh. When she shoots me a “don’t fuck with me” look, I cover my mouth with my hand to try to control my giggles. I’m usually the bossy party planning bitch. It’s really funny seeing Amber in that roll. I have to admit, she’s pretty good at it. Maybe I’ve rubbed off on her a bit. As if on cue, here comes Angel to throw out his smartass remarks.

“Holly, what have you done to the normally sweet and quiet little Amber? She sounds more like you,” Angel teases. He slaps Paul on the back and bends down to kiss my cheek. He then does the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Slowly, his hand lands on my swollen belly. As it gently glides along, a look of awe comes over his face. Suddenly, the baby kicks right against his hand, causing Angel to jump. He doesn’t take his hand away as he stares at my belly, waiting to see if it happens again. I glance over to Paul and when our eyes meet, a huge smile crosses his face. The baby kicks once more and Angel grins wide. Slowly, he looks up at me with an amazed expression on his face.

“Sorry. I just wanted to say hi, but feeling her kick was unbelievable. I never realized how incredible that would be,” he says, looking from me to Paul and back again.

“You can say hi to her anytime you want to. After all, she is your niece,” I encourage.

“Uncle Angel, huh? Doesn’t sound too bad. I suppose we all are like a bunch of misfit puzzle pieces that by some miracle seem to fit perfectly together,” he says with a far off look in his eyes. Almost as if he’s lost somewhere else in this moment. Deep in thought maybe? His past haunts him, but he’s tightlipped about it. Maybe someday we’ll be able to get him to open up, but today is not that day.

Amber places her hands on her hips as she begins to tap her foot. No doubt she’s waiting impatiently for our reassurance that we’ll stay and perform the duties she feels are necessary. It’s not that I don’t want to do all of the usual wedding reception tradition, but I’ve done all this once before. Had the so-called perfect fairy tale wedding. That marriage didn’t work out so well. I don’t need all of the pomp and circumstance, I just need Paul.