“Oh my gosh!” Finlay put her hand over her heart. “Why am I so nervous?” She turned to Gemma, Crystal, and Sarah and said, “Were you nervous when you got married?”
“Yes!” Crystal and Gemma said in unison.
All eyes turned to Sarah. She was so used to calling Lewis her ex, she’d forgotten that most people assumed she had been married. She wasn’t embarrassed not to have been married. In fact, she thanked the heavens above, because it was one less tie she’d had to cut.
“I’ve, um, never been married,” Sarah explained. “We just lived together.”
“I’m sorry. I just assumed…” Finlay said as they moved toward the stairs.
“It’s okay. I don’t like to talk about him anyway.” Grasping for a diversion, she said, “Why did you decide to get married so quickly?”
“Because I love Bullet wholly and completely,” Finlay answered without hesitation. “I want to have his babies and get old and gray together. I want to hold his hand as we leave this life and pass into another. That’s how sure I am about our love. And I’m equally sure that he needs this commitment even more than he needs Tinkerbell, so why would I ask him to wait for it?”
As Sarah followed the girls downstairs, she wondered what it would be like to love someone that much. She would do anything for her children, including putting her life at risk to save them, and now that she’d reconnected with Scott, she thought she might do the same for him. But he was her brother. He’d been there in the thick of the violence from their parents, trying to protect her and Josie, finding a way out that would benefit all of them, and when they’d reconnected after all those years, he’d changed his life to be with them and to try to rebuild their relationship. And even though Josie had shut them out, she knew she’d give her life for her, too.
But falling so deeply in love with a man that she couldn’t imagine a life without him? She wasn’t sure she was capable of healing enough to ever trust her instincts, or someone else, that much.
BONES WAS SURE Bullet was going to break into a sprint, haul his big ass down the aisle, and plow through Bones and everyone else to get to Finlay instead of waiting for the wedding procession to finish. Bear and Crystal had walked down the aisle first, followed by Truman and Gemma. Dixie was walking with Lincoln down the aisle now. Bullet was so close to Truman and Gemma’s babies, he looked as though he was tearing up. Bones held tightly to Kennedy’s hand as he crouched to fix the pink bow around Tinkerbell’s neck, stealing a glance at the most beautiful woman in the yard—in all of Peaceful Harbor as far he was concerned. Sarah sat in a floral dress with Lila on her lap and Bradley beside her. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her—about the three of them—since he’d seen them last. He’d helped Scott with the basement last night, but he’d only gotten to say a quick hello to Sarah before she’d disappeared to put her little ones to bed. He’d wanted to offer to help, but he’d been covered in drywall dust. When she hadn’t appeared later, Scott had said she’d probably fallen asleep with the children. Bones wanted to believe that, but he’d seen how tormented she was when Scott had divulged parts of her past she’d clearly wanted to keep hidden. He wondered if she was avoiding him.
Knowing Sarah wasn’t married had severed the tethers that had kept his emotions in check. If she was embarrassed, that would end today.
Bradley leaned across Sarah’s lap, planting a kiss on his baby sister’s cheek. Lila giggled, and love fell over Sarah’s features like a moment in a movie, sending awareness rippling through Bones. She was really something. She’d been upstairs with the girls for hours doing their hair, and he swore he’d seen her looking out the window, searching for her children at least three times each hour.
“Now, Uncle Boney?” Kennedy bounced in her pink frilly dress, her pretty brown eyes as big as saucers as she tugged on his hand, bringing him back to the moment. A lace headband with large fabric flowers sat crooked on her forehead.
He straightened the headband and handed her a basket the girls had filled with pink roses. He looked her in the eyes as she bounced and said, “Now, sweetheart, but remember, try not to get Tink too excited, okay?”
Kennedy nodded vehemently. “Come on, Tink!” She began skipping down the aisle, throwing rose petals as she shouted, “Look at me, Uncle Beah!”
“Mommy, look at Tink!” Bradley pointed at Tinkerbell. “Hi, Tink! Hi, Kennedy!”
Bradley waved wildly, and Kennedy ran over and put a handful of petals on his lap. Tinkerbell licked Bradley’s face, and everyone laughed.
“Sit, Tink!” Bones snapped, and Tinkerbell plopped to her bottom beside Kennedy.
Sarah cringed, her cheeks flushing as she leaned closer to Kennedy and said, “Thank you, sweetheart. You’d better keep walking.”
“Fust I have to give baby Lila some!” Kennedy tossed rose petals into the air, and they floated down over Lila. Lila grabbed at them, causing collective awws and laughter to erupt around them.
Lila and Bradley played with the rose petals. Sarah smiled shyly, hugging her babies. It took all of Bones’s restraint not to go to her.
“Come on, Tink!” Kennedy barreled back into the aisle and skipped all the way down to Bullet. “You’re getting mawied, Uncle Bullet! I love you!” She threw her arms around Bullet’s legs and then she ran to Gemma.
Tinkerbell barked, looking nervously between Bullet and Kennedy. Bullet patted his thigh, and Tinkerbell settled in beside him.
Bones couldn’t stop smiling. This—family, friends, happiness—was everything good in the world. He glanced at Sarah again, and he knew she belonged in this picture, too.
Bradley was sitting sideways on the chair at the end of the aisle, watching him as he offered his arms to Penny and Isabel. Sarah had one arm around Lila, the other around Bradley. She lifted her head, and their eyes caught. For an unguarded second, she looked at him like she desired him, and in that split second his insides flamed. She dropped her gaze, and her hair blocked his view. But that sexy look was already etched into his mind. And damn, that was a look he wanted to see a hell of a lot more.
He and the women began walking down the aisle.
“Hi, Bones!” Bradley waved.
Bones winked at him.
“Bradley,” Sarah whispered, but Bradley pushed to his feet and ran toward Bones.
Bones scooped him into his arms with a big-ass smile and said, “Hey, B-boy. You want in on the action?”
More laughter rang out as Bradley hugged Bones around his neck, nodding. Bones glanced at Sarah, who looked mortified. He winked at her and mouthed, It’s okay. Then he said to Bradley, “You’ve got to hold this pretty lady’s hand, okay?”
Bradley nodded as Bones shifted him onto his hip. Bradley put his hand out for Penny to hold, beaming with joy, but it was the way Sarah was looking at Bones, with a mix of astonishment, embarrassment, and something much deeper and more alluring that had his heart thundering as they made their way down the aisle. He heard his father, who went by the biker name Biggs for his six-five stature, chuckling.
“Sorry, dude,” Bones said to Bullet as he took his place beside him with Bradley in his arms. Bradley buried his face in Bones’s neck in delayed embarrassment.
Bullet chuckled. “It’s all good, bro. It’s how it should be.”
The “Wedding March” played, and Finlay appeared at the end of the aisle on her mother’s arm. Nothing could have pulled Bullet’s attention from his beautiful bride, just as nothing could divert Bones’s attention from Sarah.
The ceremony was heartfelt, but Bones missed much of it. He was too focused on Bradley’s head resting on his shoulder and Sarah trying her best to look like she wasn’t watching them. He never lost track of her for a second, not after the ceremony when a mass of friends and family converged on the wedding party for congratulatory embraces and not as Hawk, the photographer, gathered them together for pictures. Bones got a kick out of the fact that Bradley would be in them. Sarah anxiously bounced Lila on her hip, looking lik
e she wanted to plow through the crowd and relieve him of her son, but also like she didn’t want to cause any more distractions. When Hawk finished, Bones took a moment to speak with him and Bullet. Then, as everyone else headed for the reception tent, Bones blazed a path toward Sarah.
Her brows knitted, and an apologetic smile lifted her lips as he came to her side.
“Mommy! I was in pictures! Did you see?” Bradley asked excitedly.
“Yes, baby,” she said to Bradley with a forced smile. Then to Bones she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do, and now Bullet’s pictures are ruined, and—”
“No apologies necessary, and they aren’t ruined. They’re even better than they would have been.” Bones draped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her toward Hawk, who was standing near the wedding arch looking at them through the lens of his camera. Did Sarah look as exquisite to Hawk as she did to Bones? He would love to see her through the eye of a lens, close up, catching every twitch and quiver of her beautiful face. Did Hawk notice the sweet curve of her belly, or the way she touched it often, like she needed her baby to know she was thinking about it? Or the way she kept stealing glances at Bones? Did he catch sight of the birthmark on her left wrist? Would he get a picture of her smile at the very moment when it reached her eyes?
“Bones…” Sarah said shakily, her eyes darting to the few guests still making their way toward the reception tent. “Where are we going?”
“How long has it been since you had pictures taken of you and the kids?”
Confusion riddled her brow. “Um…?”
“That’s what I thought.” He hadn’t seen any pictures of her and the kids at her place, not even a stray picture hanging on their refrigerator, like Truman and Gemma had. Hell, like he had of Lincoln and Kennedy on his own fridge. Her phone was probably full of them, but he was sure she didn’t have a photo printer.
“Bones, no,” she said as Hawk lowered his camera and raised his chin in greeting. “He doesn’t have to do this. You’re going to make him miss Bullet and Finlay’s first dance.”
“No, he won’t, Mommy,” Bradley chimed in. “Bones asked Bullet to wait for us.”
“Oh gosh, Bones…? Please tell me you didn’t.” Her beautiful eyes pleaded for it not to be true.
“I can’t lie to you, darlin’. Lies make me twitchy.” He glanced at Hawk, who was wearing mustard-colored pants and brown leather suspenders with a white dress shirt. His eyeglasses had multicolored frames, and though he had a few tats and a thick beard, his light-brown hair was shorn tight on the sides and longer on top, brushed back in a trendy style. Hawk was a highly-sought-after photographer and worked with magazines as well as individuals. He had made a name for himself when he published a photo spread of two A-list celebrities and their three children a few years back, and he was about as down to earth as a guy could get. “Hawk Pennington, this is Sarah Beckley and her daughter, Lila. You’ve already met Bradley.”
Bradley waved.
Hawk nodded with a friendly smile. “Now I see why Bones asked me to hang back. You have a beautiful family.”
“Thank you. But you really don’t have to take pictures,” she said.
“Pictures are my life.” Hawk glanced at Bones and said, “How about if we get the kids comfortable first. Bones, why don’t you carry Bradley beneath the arch with Sarah and Lila?”
Sarah’s brows knitted again, as if she was puzzling a way out of this. Bones put a hand on her lower back and leaned in closer, whispering, “Relax and enjoy the spotlight, darlin’. If not for yourself, do it for your kids. Show them how special they are.”
There must have been magic in his words, because the smile they brought nearly dropped him to his knees.
“Okay,” she relented, nervously shifting from foot to foot beneath the arch. “Thank you. This was really unnecessary, but very thoughtful.”
Hawk moved around them, taking pictures, and Bones tried to distract Sarah enough for her to relax. He tickled Lila’s chin, earning a heart-melting giggle. “This pretty little lady has a big birthday coming up. Consider it your birthday present.”
“It’s almost Lila’s birthday, not Mommy’s,” Bradley said.
“Yes, but your mommy gave birth to your sister. So really, it’s her birthday, too.” He knew that was too confusing for him, so he said, “Just nod and say ‘good idea.’”
Bradley did just that.
“You guys look great,” Hawk said as he stepped in close, peering through the lens of the camera. “Bones, how about putting Bradley down.”
“Ready, B-boy?”
Bradley nodded, and Bones lowered his feet to the ground. Then he stepped away, and unease crawled over Sarah’s face. That troubled look drew him right back. “How about if I hold Lila and you get a few pictures with Bradley?”
Bones took Lila to the grass and sat down with her, watching as Sarah moved behind Bradley, bringing him against her legs, and she bent to kiss the top of his head. She did that a lot, like she needed to love him up every chance she got. She crouched beside him, gazing into his eyes as Hawk took several pictures, moving as swiftly and silently as the wind. Bones could see he was capturing everything, and his chest felt full knowing Sarah would have these pictures to cherish forever.
“Bradley, why don’t you take your mama onto the grass?” Hawk suggested.
Bradley took Sarah’s hand and led her away from the arch as Hawk took pictures. Bradley plunked down in the grass, and Sarah sat beside him without a care about getting her dress dirty. Why did that speak so loudly to Bones? Lila crawled over to them, and Hawk captured one beautiful moment after the next, while Bones stood nearby, watching. Bradley picked up a leaf from the grass, and he handed it to Sarah. Within a few minutes, Sarah was so lost in enjoying her children, she sat with her legs tucked elegantly beside her, interacting with her children as if she’d forgotten about Hawk altogether.
Lila pulled herself up, clinging to the sleeve of Sarah’s dress and smiling at her big brother. She glanced in Bones’s direction, babbling, “Babababa…”
“Hey there, pretty little lady,” Bones said.
“Bababa…” Lila’s free hand opened and closed, as if she could draw Bones to her with the motion. “Baba!”
In the next second, Lila let go of Sarah’s sleeve and took a step toward Bones, still babbling, grabby fingers reaching for him. It took another two steps before Bones—and Sarah, based on her reaction—realized what was happening, and then their eyes connected. Sarah gasped, tears instantly welling as her baby girl took another wobbly step forward.
“Are you getting this?” Bones asked in a hushed voice to Hawk. “Please tell me you’re getting every damn step.”
“Dude, I’m a pro. I don’t miss anything,” Hawk said, camera at his eye.
Bones went down on one knee, stretching his hands out toward Lila, afraid if he moved closer she’d topple to her bottom. “Come on, baby girl. You’ve got this.”
Adrenaline coursed through his veins with her every step. Sarah wrapped her arm around Bradley, whispering in his ear, Bones assumed to keep him from scaring Lila. Lila wobbled forward, then back, and Bones froze. She plopped onto her bottom, eyes wide. They all cheered, rushing toward Sarah’s magnificent little girl.
Hawk never stopped taking pictures.
Sarah picked up Lila, hugging and kissing her, all of them laughing and commending Lila at the same time. “What a smart girl you are. Good job, baby! You walked!” She lifted watery eyes to Bones, speaking a little softer as she said, “You walked to Bones.”
“She walked to you, Bones!” Bradley chimed in.
“She sure did.” And it was incredible. He’d never felt so much pride, and she wasn’t even his child. He lifted Bradley into his arms and couldn’t resist hugging the three of them.
As he gazed into Sarah’s happy eyes, she said, “She walked to you. That was amazing.”
“She let me in,” he said truthfully. “If I’m lucky, her mama will, too.�
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Chapter Five
HOW WAS SARAH going to survive this day? First Bones acted like it was the most natural thing in the world to carry her son down the aisle. Then her daughter took her first steps—toward the man who put pictures of her family above his own brother’s first wedding dance. Sarah had so many emotions zooming around inside her, she felt a little dizzy. She stole a glance at Bones, carrying Lila and telling her little girl how smart and strong she was and asking her what she was going to surprise them with next. She’d never met a man like him before. He made her want to shake him silly to wake him from his misguided affections and ask what the heck he was doing wasting his time with her. She was only going to get bigger, and in a few months she’d have another mouth to feed. One that would keep her up at night and would definitely leave behind even more stretch marks and probably ten extra pounds.
“Sarah!” Gemma called out, rushing toward them with Dixie at her heels. “I saw Lila walk! I came out to see where you guys were and holy cow! She walked! You must be so excited!”
“A little too excited,” she said honestly.
Bones slid her a smoldering look. Either that or her hormones were playing tricks on her again.
“There’s no such thing as too excited,” he said in a seductive voice that made Gemma’s eyes goes wide.
Nope. No hormonal tricks.
Dixie chuckled. “Geez, Bones. Is a baby walking some kind of aphrodisiac?”
“No, but look at that smile.” Bones winked at Sarah. “That’s one hell of a turn-on.”
“Ohmygosh,” Sarah said softly, shifting her eyes to the ground.
Bradley tugged at Sarah’s dress. “I’m thirsty.”
“Why don’t I take him in for some lemonade so you can visit with the girls,” Bones offered.
“You don’t have to do that.” Sarah went for Bradley’s hand, but he was already reaching for Bones. “At least give me Lila.”
As Bones transferred Lila to her arms, he said, “Careful. She’s wiggling like crazy. I think she’s anxious to get her feet on the ground again.” He touched the tip of Lila’s nose and said, “Right, peanut?”
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