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“Sawyer!” Lana squealed as I crawled into the window of my mother’s sitting room. “You are not supposed to see me before the wedding. It’s bad luck,” the frown in her eyes didn’t mask the excited tone in her voice.
I closed the window behind me then turned around to take in the sight of my incredibly gorgeous bride. Her long red hair had been curled causing ringlets to cascaded loosely down her back. The white dress she wore was simple and elegant. It also hugged her every curve and my mind instantly went to later tonight when I would be the lucky man taking it off.
Closing the distance between us, I placed a hand possessively on her hip and pulled her up against me careful not to wrinkle her dress or my shirt. Not that I cared but I knew she would. “It’s my wedding day. I’m making new rules. Besides, the not seeing the bride thing sucks. I couldn’t go another minute without seeing those pretty eyes.”
Her stern expression instantly melted and she smiled up at me. “A girl can’t exactly argue with that logic,” she purred and stood on her tip- toes to press her lips gently against mine. One small sweet peck before she moved back. “We can’t mess up my makeup. Ash spent over an hour on it. She’ll be upset if we smudge anything.”
Ash was the last concern on my mind. Right now, I just wanted my wife. Pausing, I stared down at her and let that one word sink in… wife. Lana would be my wife in an hour’s time. How had I managed this? God knows I don’t deserve her.
Reaching out I tucked a lone curl behind her ear and gently ran my thumb over the diamond teardrop earrings I’d bought her for her birthday last year. She was the most precious thing in my life and once I’d almost let her slip right through my fingers.
“Sawyer, you have to go,” she urged placing her hands on my chest and pushing me gently.
“I’m going. But first,” I paused and reached into my pocket and pulled out a letter that I’d kept close for five years. “I want to read you something.”
Lana’s eyes found the familiar letter in my hand and she frowned. I knew she recognized it. She’d written it after all. But she didn’t know I still had it tucked safely away all these years.
“What are you doing with that letter?” she asked nervously. I knew it didn’t hold fond memories for her. She’d been hurting and broken when she’d written the words I’d memorized.
“The day I read this letter, I changed. Completely. Not because I’d finally realized that I was in love with you. Not because I had caused you pain. I changed because I knew in that moment that you had become my number one. Nothing else mattered if I didn’t have you.”
I started to say more but Lana grabbed the lapels of my tuxedo and pulled me down to her. All thoughts of her makeup were gone as her soft lips pressed hungrily against mine. One tiny swipe of her tongue against my bottom lip and I decided I wasn’t real concerned about wrinkling our clothes.
Lana
“What’re y’all doing?” Ashton’s horrified voice broke me out of my needy haze. I quickly stepped back from Sawyer’s arms and spun around to face my maid-of-honor.
“We uh, well, we were, uh,” I stammered nervously.
“They were sucking face,” Catherine announced as she flounced into the room smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Sawyer chuckled at his little sister’s remark and I had to fight to keep from grinning. Ashton didn’t look at all amused by the situation.
“You’ve messed up your lip stick. Sawyer get out of here before I go get your Mama!” Ashton scolded and stalked toward me looking like a fairy princess in her pale pink dress and head full of bouncing blonde curls.
“Relax Ash. I’m leaving. I just needed to see my girl. You know, make sure she was still going to come walking down that aisle to make me the luckiest man on the damn planet.”
“I think I may puke,” Catherine chimed in from her perch on the settee.
Catherine and Cade hadn’t been around the summer Sawyer and I got together. They’d gone to spend six weeks with their grandmother. It had been an adjustment getting to know Sawyer’s large family. It had always just been me and my parents and then my dad had left and it had just been me and mom.
“She will make it down the aisle. I promise. Now go!” Ashton demanded and Sawyer winked at me before turning and leaving the room via the door this time.
“I swear you two are so difficult. The rules are–“
“I’m marrying Sawyer, Ashton. Let’s not worry about the rules.” I interrupted her. The frustrated frown disappeared and a small smile took its place.
“I’m so happy for you two,” she replied as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Don’t make me cry. You’ve already gotta fix my lipstick. You don’t want to have to fix my eyes too, do you?”
Shaking her head Ashton grabbed my hand and led me over to the chair where I’d sat for over an hour while she fixed my face the first time. “I’m going to fix you up this time and you keep those lips off Sawyer until you say ‘I do’.”
White lights covered every tree branch in the Vincent’s backyard. A hundred white chairs were lined up with simple white bows tied on the back of each one. Pink roses petals covered the path in front of me leading to Sawyer. The song Forever by Ben Harper began playing over the speakers. That was my que. I smiled up at my uncle as he held his arm out for me to take.
“I can’t believe I’m giving both you girls away to a Vincent Boy in one years time.” He chuckled softly. I turned my gaze back to the arbor covered in white lights where Sawyer stood waiting on me. His dark hair curled around the white collar of his shirt. His beautiful green eyes twinkled with pleasure as they centered on me. He was waiting for me. It was time for us to start our forever.