“So much,” he confirmed. And nothing would ever stop him from loving her with all he was and all he had.
She let out a shaky sigh.
“I can feel it.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
“I still don't know what the big deal is,” Steve muttered, shaking his head.
“Really?” Tessa asked, sticking a hip out and crossing her arms. “You thought wearing board shorts was a good idea?”
His lips twitched as he looked down at his board shorts topped with a very expensive tuxedo jacket, and Lo knew she was going to laugh at his answer even though she should be frowning.
“It's beach day.”
Lo threw her head back and let loose. While it might not seem like the funniest thing Steve had ever said, her heart was too light to be held down by perception.
“You encourage his bad behavior,” Tessa scolded.
Steve lifted his chin at her and she met his fist bump.
“Don't!” Tessa exclaimed. “You'll ruin the bouquet.”
Lo pursed her lips as two blush petals fell to the sand at her feet. “Sorry.”
***
The night before
“I'm scared.”
His body stilled at her words and she held her breath.
“I know,” he said after a beat.
Of course he knew. Wasn't much he didn't know about her at this point. But it was nice how he never pushed her to confess out loud what she was feeling deep inside. His patience made it easier to vocalize it.
“Are you disappointed in me?” she asked, her voice cracking.
Brady sighed. It was a thinking-it-over-sigh.
“No. Not disappointed,” he said, running his fingers into the thickness of her hair and twirling the strands gently. “But...”
***
Steve wrapped an arm around Lo's neck and dangled a bottle in front of her face. “A beer for the bride.”
“No.” Tessa actually put her foot down. She raised her slender size nine and stomped it resolutely in the sand.
“The bride cannot have a beer before I walk her down the aisle.”
Steve frowned at Lo and then at Tessa. “What kind of a father figure are you?”
“I'm a better father than you are an officiant.”
Oh, boy.
“Tessa,” Lo laughed. “I love that you're taking your duties so seriously, but it's really okay. It's not a big deal.” She nodded knowingly at her friend. “We knew what we were getting into when we set this whole thing up.”
Tessa eyed her suspiciously. “You're really happy today...”
Lo's lips quirked up on the side. “It's my wedding day. Shouldn't I be happy?”
***
Lo felt Brady's grip tighten around her fingers as he pulled her out the front door into the night. The wood of the porch was warm under her bare feet, so was the sand that followed next. He grabbed a surfboard from the row against the porch railing and tucked it under one arm.
They stopped where the water lapped along the shoreline. Lo turned her head towards the waved breaking in the distance. Nothing huge, four feet at eight seconds.
Brady set the board down and gathered her in his arms.
“Is that your soul you're trying to protect?” he asked in her ear, his voice rough. “Because I've got it.”
After three months of surgeries and nine months of rehab, she'd been cleared to surf again.
But hadn't.
“Be scared,” he said. “But be free. Take whatever you need from me to make that happen.”
***
“Who gives this woman to be wed?” Steve squinted at the book open on the podium in front of him. “That's some patriarchal bullshit right there. Is that really how it goes?”
Lo's eyes connected with Brady's and she pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Steve being their officiant was her idea. Brady had balked. Okay, balked wasn't a strong enough word.
“Oh my God,” Tessa huffed at her side. “I do. I give this woman.” She faced Lo and despite her disapproving glare, real tears were rolling down her cheeks. It's possible they could have been tears of frustration.
***
4...5...6...7
Lo felt the pull in her belly and swung her body down, paddling so hard her arms burned and her lungs pumped painfully.
But she didn't care.
The moonlight glimmered off the dark water in multiple shades of blue. Sparkling like a diamond carpet laid out for her to ride.
She popped to her feet, the rush of water below her nothing compared to the rush in her blood.
The sea welcomed her back with a forceful shove towards shore, the energy transferring from the water into her board and into her. Right to the center of her.
She tried a turn and curved back, reared up onto the short wall and back down. She saw her exit, knew she wouldn't make it and dove into the water. The cleansing saltwater was still her friend and still the place she was free.
Breaking through the surface and sucking in a deep breath, her eyes tracked to Brady standing on shore.
Okay, not the only place she was free.
***
“Do you, Halo Fredericks, take this man, on this beach, where he ate your stolen tacos, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
***
She'd never know if the strength came from inside of her, or if it came from him. Maybe the distinction didn't matter.
As she pulled the board out of the water and met him on the sand, the smile that split her face actually hurt. It hurt so good, all the way to her heart. He wrapped her in his arms and swung her around.
“More miracles,” he said in her ear, voice rough with emotion.
He set her down and she pressed her hand over his heart, feeling the thunder beneath it.
***
“And do you, Brady Samson, take this woman, who forgave you for eating those tacos, to be your lawfully wedded wife? You know, for the longest time I thought it was awfully wedded wife—”
“I do,” Brady said, his jaw twitching slightly under the skin.
Lo bit down on her bottom lip.
***
Brady
Brady held his soon-to-be-wife under the light of a brilliant full moon and breathed the peaceful breath of a man who'd just won a major battle.
Seeing her out there, remembering what it felt like to soar... A weight had lifted from him. A heaviness that had been pressing against his chest for a year.
Having the doctor declare “all is well” was not the same as Lo feeling free.
So he'd taken a chance, on the night before their wedding. He led her to the water and released her back into the wild where she'd been born.
***
“I now pronounce you—wait,” Steve leaned over the podium. “There's cake and stuff, right?”
Lo's body shook with laughter as Brady glared at his friend. “Yeah, Steve. There's cake.”
“Great.” Steve righted himself and cleared his throat. “I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Brady took hold of his gorgeous miracle, his lips crushing hers in a kiss that hopefully expressed how excited he was for their future.
They had all they would ever need.
Freedom, love, and adventure.
THE END
If you enjoyed this book, or any of Heidi's other books, or perhaps you liked a photo of a hippo she posted once, or maybe you happened to notice she likes the same food as you do (this is easy because she loves all the food all the time), then please consider leaving a review expressing your enjoyment on any platform of your choosing.
**Heidi does not condone the defacing of public property, but she is otherwise flattered.
Acknowledgments
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” - Amy Poehler
Scott Colby and the people I have met and continue
to meet through you. You make me try harder, remind me who I am, make me believe in a better way to do things. Thank you. Thank you for giving so much of yourself to the world. You're changing it.
My trusty group of betas who have yet to file a restraining order. Thank you for dealing with my random crazy and keeping me laughing and grounded.
Jamie. I love you and your amazing family. Thank you for the neverending laughter and encouragement.
Jo. You're a treasure. Your wisdom and support have meant more than you. I'm running out of words to tell you how important you are. So go back and read the ones I have written for you at the back of all the other books. In fact, just print them out and put them on your mirror so I can tell you everyday.
Bria. Thank you for helping me look less stupid. The read-throughs and the feedback and the notes. I truly don't know how I would have finished this thing without your insight.
AJ. Thank you for being the best little brother I could hope for. Your humor has made the Soaring Bird guys much more realistic.
Charles. You're amazing. Thank you for the late night dissection of characters and their motives. Thank you for the days of coffee and headaches and foot rubs. I keep writing these stories about these amazing men and their amazing love because I have to tell the world it's out there. I know it because I have it.
God. Thank you for the dream. And the people. And the love.
About the Author
Heidi Hutchinson was born in South Dakota and raised the exact right distance away from the Black Hills. She had an overactive imagination very early on, and wasted no time in getting most of her friends in trouble due to her unrealistic and completely ridiculous ideas. Seeing as she was so lazy and also afraid people would think she was bonkers, she didn't write down any of the story lines that played out in her daydreams.
During her high school years, she took pen to paper and filled more notebooks than she is proud of with angsty, depressing, self-deprecating poetry. This led to her writing down more things: notes, ideas, character bios, plot twists that had no plot yet to twist. After years of cleaning up her own scraps of imagination with nothing solid to hold on to, she sat down and wrote the story that had been in her head the longest. Fueled by coffee and her unwavering and perfectly normal devotion to Dave Grohl, she discovered a writer living inside of her.
She still lives in the Midwest, though not as close to the Black Hills as she would prefer, with her alarmingly handsome husband and their fearless child. They eat more pizza than God intended and she listens to her music the same way she lives: loudly.
Other titles by Heidi Hutchinson
Double Blind Study Series:
Learn to Fly
In Your Honor
Tectonic
Deepest Blues
The Hope That Starts
Brand New Sky
Into the Night We Shine
Soaring Bird Series:
Like the Back of My Halo
In Cold Mud Series:
Stubborn Hearts
Crossover with Bria Quinlin:
Things That Shine (October 2016)
www.heidih.net
Like the Back of My Halo Page 29
