The Gideon Affair (41 page)

“Shh,” he mocked. “Keep it down. If he looks into the hallway and sees me lurking by your door, I’m liable to get my ass kicked.”

“You have a point. Are you going to look in on him now?”

“Yep. He’s next on my day-of-wedding checklist. Want me to tell him anything?”

She thought for a moment. “Yeah. You tell him I’m still waiting on that bonus check and that he better make it good.”

“Oh, honey. You look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Dad. It means a lot that you like it.”

“You look a lot like your mom did when we got married. It’s the smile, I think.”

“Where is she? I thought she’d be here by now.”

“Oh, she’s running around outside with Edward’s mom. They want everything to be perfect for you, but I’m sure she’ll be along any moment. You nervous?”

Why did everyone ask? No, she wasn’t nervous. She’d probably never felt so serene.

A loud racket startled them from their father-daughter moment and they ran to the window to see what was going on. At first she couldn’t pinpoint where the loud noise was coming from and then she saw it. A helicopter. Down by the river. Flying foolishly low.

A sliver of unease was the first thing to crack her composure. This couldn’t be happening. Could it?

Raised voices could be heard. Sounded like Steven and Marshall yelling. Then her mom and Miriam joined in followed by a voice she didn’t recognize. Maybe the Justice of the Peace.

“Dad, I have a funny feeling about this. Go and find out what’s happening, would you?”

“I’m on it, princess.” He stepped close and kissed her on the forehead. “You stay put. I’ll come back and tell you what I find out.”

And then he dashed away leaving her alone in her beautiful dress while Gideon Shaw managed to intrude on their special day.

“I don’t care what the fuck anyone says. Give me my shotgun. This is private property. I’m going to go out there and rip off a few rounds. Maybe those buggers will think twice about screwing with a Banning.”

Ah, jeez. “Dad, Dad, calm down. No one is going to rip off a few rounds, okay?” He made a point to stink eye his brother to show he was serious. “Look, why don’t you give Jerry a call? Maybe Mr. Mayor can pull some strings and get the airspace cleared.”

“That’s a good idea, son. Where’s my phone?” he boomed as his hands checked every pocket. “Where’s my goddamn phone?”

Rose and his mother came running from nowhere screeching like banshees. “Is that the press? How in the world did they find you? Why today?”

Just friggin’ great. Two angry women in fancy clothes. Kicking Gideon Shaw’s ass felt like a real possibility. All he wanted to do was marry Paige and now they had a three-ring circus on their hands.

While his father jumped on calling his influential friend once his phone was located, Edward also grabbed his phone and, on instinct, called Mickey.

“Who knows where we are?” he grated roughly into the phone when M answered. “Did someone leak our plans? The fucking press is here in a goddamn helicopter. What’s going on?”

By the time he hung up, Edward just felt screwed. While they were off in their isolated, private world pretending nothing else existed outside Wyoming, all the news outlets were reporting that the Sexiest Man in America was tying the knot this weekend to the collective dismay of women around the world.

No, really. That happened.

How had the news gotten out? It was a domino line of random things all tipping at the same time. The kid he took the selfie with. Well, he told everyone and posted the pic online. The picture was full of location clues. Right then and there, the whole world knew their general whereabouts.

Then, the waitress from the diner where he met his dad’s friends blabbed on her Facebook page about a Gideon Shaw sighting. Any enterprising reporter would have no problem figuring out the whole story after that.

Shit.

“Jerry’s going to get that asshole out of the sky. Don’t ask how. He said give him about half an hour, maybe forty minutes, and the coast would be clear.”

Mark came bounding down the stairs asking for an explanation. He said Paige was watching from her window and wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Marsh pushed Edward aside with a stern frown and told him to go sit down and relax. That he’d handle everything. He could only hope that Jerry could rescue the day. Either that or Paige and he got married in the living room.

By the time the coast was clear and everyone had calmed down, there was no reason to delay any longer. After a last look in the mirror, she smiled broadly at her parents and hugged them both.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You’re radiant, honey. I guess marrying that man is a good thing, after all. He sure does love you and nothing makes your dad and me happier than seeing you so full of joy.”

The three of them walked arm in arm, her dad on one side and her mom on the other, making their way from her bedroom to the porch where Marsh was waiting for them.

“You got this, sir?” he asked her dad.

“Indeed I do, Marshall. Thanks for all your help today. We’re going to walk Paige down to the river now, okay?”

Laughing, he winked at her and said, “I’m all set. Meet you at the church.”

After he had left her, Dad turned and said, “I’ve never been prouder of you, Paige. Going out and chasing down your dream was about the bravest thing you could have done. And now look at you. Marrying your friend and joining our two families. This is a great day. Thank you, honey. Walking my only daughter down the aisle is one of those moments a dad dreams about from the moment a pink bundle of love is put in his arms for the first time.”

“Oh, Daddy.” She was trying really hard not to tear up. Her mother was the one to get them past the emotional moment.

“Let’s go, then. Time to go get us a son, Mark!” she crowed with genuine affection.

For Paige, nothing could have been better.

T
hey’d been married under a rustic cross bar arch that his dad, brother, and new father-in-law had constructed on a patch of flat green surrounded by trees down by the river.

A twin to the crossbar gate at the head of the property, this one was draped with long swaths of gauzy lace, pulled aside, and tied to the support poles with enormous ribbons. A small wood centerpiece, constructed in his dad’s workshop, served as a sort of altar. With the river flowing by, the sun shining overhead, and the love of all present, Paige and he became husband and wife.

That was eighteen months ago, almost to the day.

Thinking about the wedding was one of Edward’s favorite daydreams. His go-to in quiet moments when he couldn’t resist the allure of revisiting what had been a day he’d remember with his last breaths.

When Marsh had come to take him down to the river, he’d had an attack of nerves that surprised them both. Not about getting married. He worried that he’d rushed Paige. Possibly even sandbagged her into marrying him. Anxiety over how they were marrying made it worse. Five people, them, and a justice. What if she had always dreamed of a big, lavish wedding? Was he robbing her of something? Something more than the career he’d started to obsess that he’d derailed her from.

Marsh had set him straight pretty quick. By the time he’d stood at the cross bar, waiting for the arrival of his bride, he was ready to take the biggest step of his life, overwhelmed with love for the people by his side.

His dad. There were no words—simply the best father and finest human being in the world. His mom. Sheesh. She’d been all lit up looking like a bride herself. She too was the absolute best, and he thanked his lucky stars for her. And Marshall. His bro. The one and only, the original. Having him there had rounded the circle, made him complete, and once Paige was his wife, that circle would expand and hopefully someday down the road, stretch even further with a couple of kids.

He’d had a couple of moments to take it all in. The scenery. The vibe. It was fucking perfect. The sun shining, the sound from the river. The wooden arch, hard and a little beat up softened by the soft filmy lace.
A little like them
, he’d thought.

And then she’d come down the path, stepping through the trees with her parents on either side and something tilted and wobbled, either him or the Earth. She was so beautiful it took his breath away.

Style challenged as he was, Edward had no idea how to describe her dress except to say it was pure Paige. Instead of a traditional white gown, she’d chosen a dusty pink so pale it was almost white dress that had a Boho-Gypsy flair, perfect for the occasion.

Her hair was half up, half down—he’d remembered thinking she looked very sexy—with flowers instead of a veil. She’d carried a large bouquet, a gift from her parents, that they’d learned later was made of the same flowers her mother carried when she married as well as some from Miriam. His new wife had lost it in spectacular fashion when her mom dropped that little nugget. Women. Go figure.

He’d also chosen wisely with his attire, proud that this one was all him. No one had stepped in to lend a hand, which was practically a first. The only outside help he got was a color cue from Mark so he could pick a tie color. Standing there in a smart dress shirt, slacks, vest, and tie, he knew he’d hit his mark when she smiled at his tie and he’d realized it coordinated perfectly with the flowers she carried.

The justice had been a pro, and though he wished that time would have slowed to allow him to extract every scintilla of memory and emotion possible from the actual marriage ceremony, it was one and done in less than twenty minutes.

They were officially and forevermore Mr. and Mrs. Banning. Standing proudly before their families, her hand slipped through his arm with the shiny new wedding band visible on her finger, and he couldn’t have imagined a better moment.

Afterward, they’d had a mind-blowing dinner, also by the river, somehow pulled off by their moms. Once they were stuffed and more than halfway to a serious champagne buzz, Marsh had fired up the monster sound system in his truck, which was conveniently parked nearby. He had announced it was time for the bride and groom to share a dance. Paige had laughed. Edward had wondered what he was up to but when Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” came booming from the stereo, he wanted to kiss his brother for his genius. All in all, it was an epic day.