by Ashton Cade
Jack chuckles. “You’re my big brother and the only person in our family that gives a damn about anyone else. Of course I still want your help. I just don’t want your money anymore. I’m good… Thanks to you,” he adds, elbowing me.
I don’t know what to say. The extra money would definitely help out around here, especially when Hunter finally quits jumping, but I don’t want my brother to put himself in a difficult position just to do a nice thing.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right without it? We’re managing all right here, practically homesteading.”
He shakes his head, still laughing. “I knew you wouldn’t make it easy. No, I mean it. I don’t want your money. Consider it my wedding gift if you have to.”
“Hey guys? It’s time to get to your places,” Caleb says, from around the corner. I frown. He’s in the wedding party too, doesn’t he care where his husband is? He seems way too calm and collected.
“Uh… Have you seen… everyone else?” I ask. There’s supposed to be me and Hunter, our brothers as our best men, and Tanner and Caleb as the two groomsmen. We were also going to have Dane and Cody, but then the wedding party started to look disproportionate to the guest list. They got groomsmen gifts anyway without having to go through the rehearsal. I think they’re okay with the arrangement.
“They’re on their way,” Caleb says confidently.
“Oh, you’ve heard from them? They’re okay?”
“I mean… I heard from Tanner. He’s definitely on his way,” Caleb says, shrugging, not instilling me with a whole lot of confidence.
“But he didn’t say anything about last night?”
Caleb frowns. “The bachelor party?” He shrugs. “I stayed home with Nina, I don’t know what they got up to. I’m sure they behaved. It’s not like there are a lot of options for drugs and strippers in Gateway,” he teases.
“It’s not drugs and strippers I’m worried about.” It’s bears and rockslides. I know Hunter. If he couldn’t convince his friends to have a chill night at the bar, he probably wanted to go camping. He practically lives outside this time of year, and he knows the dangers, but that doesn’t make him immune to them.
“Come on,” Caleb says, waving me after him. “You don’t want to keep the guests waiting.”
The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I get the feeling he knows more than he’s letting on. My cop instincts are tingling, but I don’t have time to follow up on the lead.
“Come on,” Jack echoes, following after Caleb.
Winnie waits by my side patiently, but I know it’s only a matter of time before someone comes back for me, so I sigh and follow the others out of the barn where we’ll hold the reception after the ceremony… assuming there is a ceremony.
We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. The sun is high in the clear skies, but there’s a gentle breeze blowing down from the mountains keeping us from overheating. The murmurs of the attendees is the predominant sound, but if I listen hard enough I can hear the chickens clucking down the hill. I hear the wind rustling through the trees, I hear birds and insects, the sounds of life all around. I really do love it here. It’s a pretty magical place.
There’s another sound under all the other, natural, ones. A mechanical hum. It gets closer and closer until I peg it for a plane engine.
My eyes go skyward, confused and distracted in equal measure.
The closer the sound of the plane gets, the more attention it gets from our guests, and by the time it’s flying overhead, everyone’s looking up.
One by one, three teeny, tiny specks fall from the plane, parachutes billowing out behind them as they plummet toward the earth. My heart’s in my throat the whole time, unable to tell who’s who at the distance. When they finally reach the ground, they drop their chutes and helmets, and walk toward the wedding in tuxedos like some troupe of international spies. My heart is still in my throat.
Everyone cheers for them as they approach, but I’m such a tangled mess of feelings I don’t even know how to respond. I know I’m grinning ear to ear the moment I see Hunter between the others, but the first thing out of my mouth when he’s standing next to me is, “You asshole.”
He snorts. “You thought I wasn’t coming, didn’t you?”
“I thought you were stranded on the mountain or in a grizzly’s stomach.”
“Told you I’d get you back for my birthday,” he says, grinning.
“Was this Ryder’s idea too?”
“All me,” Hunter says proudly. “He needs the practice jumps anyway, and who knows how many more I’ll get… Forgive me, my love?”
“Only if you agree to marry me right now,” I answer, reaching for his hand.
“Deal,” he agrees, leaning in to kiss me.
Tanner clears his throat loudly. “You’re skipping ahead.”
Everyone laughs, even the people in the crowd. Gateway’s going to talk about this entrance for decades, but I’m already over it. I’m ready to start my life with this amazing man.
Other than the, shall we say, unconventional beginning, our wedding is pretty standard. We opted for a secular service, we kept the guest list small, and we’re hosting the whole thing in our barn. It’s still perfect if you ask me. People are drinking and dancing, having a great time at the reception.
It’s pretty much the perfect day.
“I still can’t believe you tricked me like that,” I mutter, tipsy on champagne, dancing way too close with my new husband for it to be appropriate, but I don’t care. We’re not dancing at Holly’s riling up old-timers. It’s our wedding. We’ll dirty dance if we want to, damn it.
“Hey, it was just payback. We’re even now.”
“Is that a truce?” I ask, my smile uncontrollable.
“Truce,” he agrees, leaning in to kiss me. We dance close until the song changes, and we decide to get a drink. Holly’s running our open bar, keeping the drinks flowing and the party going.
“Have you seen my Ryder?” Hunter asks me, frowning once he’s got a drink in hand.
“Can’t say I have. Haven’t been looking for him either,” I admit, sliding my hand over his hip for emphasis.
He smirks, but it doesn’t erase his concerned look.
“What’s up?”
“He was acting weird before the jump,” Hunter says, biting his bottom lip. “It’s probably nothing…”
“What do you think it is?”
He sighs, looking mildly annoyed at me. “You’re not supposed to know me that well.”
“Au contraire, considering you’re now shackled with me for life, I think I’m supposed to know you precisely that well.”
He huffs, rolling his eyes, but his shoulders relax a little. He might be annoyed that I’m right, but he knows I am.
“He and Tanner were making some jokes about the open bar and I mentioned that Holly asked if she could bring a plus one…”
“Finn?” I ask. I’m not really familiar with Finn Cannady other than the fact that he’s Holly’s son and he spent some serious time overseas. Holly doesn’t talk about him a lot, from what I’ve heard they’re really close and him being away has been extremely hard on her. “He’s back?”
“That was Ryder’s reaction too,” Hunter says, scanning the crowd with pursed lips. “They had a thing you know… Before Finn left. Ryder’s been acting like he’s dating someone for a while though, I thought at least. Maybe I was reading it wrong, because he did not react like a guy with a boyfriend.”
“No?”
Hunter shakes his head. “I don’t think he ever got over Finn, but if Finn’s back, Ryder might be leaving again.”
I frown. “I thought he was training with you guys? You think he’ll give that up?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter admits. “I hope not. I don’t know what went down between them, but it was a long time ago. I really hope Ryder doesn’t let his past screw up his future.”
I pull him close, kissing him with everything I’ve got. He’s got such a big heart. He cares for
so many people—animals too—and there’s no bounds to it. Even on his wedding day, he’s worried about his brother’s broken heart.
He’s practically a saint, cruel wedding-day pranks notwithstanding. And he’s all mine.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” I ask, one hand sliding down to rest on his ass.
“I love you too.”
“Ryder’s going to be fine with you there to guide him. He’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but he listens to you.”
Hunter nods. “He’s smart too. He’s given me some pretty good relationship advice with you, believe it or not.”
“Guess I owe him another thanks then,” I tease. “Let’s dance some more first.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He smiles, slips his hand in mine, and lets me lead him out into the crowd of our friends and family members. So many people here are folks from around Gateway who’ve touched our lives in one way or another, all of them happy for us, supportive of our union. It’s more than I ever expected from our little backwoods town, but it’s incredible.
The last year has taught me more than any other period in my life. It’s taught me that home is where you make it, family can be of your own choosing, and love is always worth the work. I’ve learned how to accept help from others, to respect my own limitations, and that there are more important things than being invincible.
Like being alive.
I nearly didn’t make it this far, but I was given a second chance at life, and I’m determined to make the most of it, every minute, every day, with Hunter at my side.
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Only a sexy firefighter like Dane could smoke me out of the closet...
Eli:
I've always been a bit of a f@ckup. With relationships, jobs, college, I can't seem to get anything right. I've been running from my mistakes my whole life. When hot firefighter Dane stops me in my tracks, I'm not sure what to do. Not only is he one of my best friends here in Gateway, Alaska, but he is one of the sexiest men I've ever seen. There's no way he'd like a closeted ex-manwhore like me who hasn't had sex with anyone but myself in a year.
So when he asks me out, I almost start running again. But something about the way he accepts me for who I am almost makes me want to show my real self to everyone in my life. It makes me want to have Dane on my arm in public, shameless, even proud, in front of them all.
Can I stop hiding and leave the old me in the ashes without losing everyone in my life? Will Dane smoke me out once and for all?
Smoking Out is a 11k word bonus novelette in Ashton Cade's The Wilds series. It's offered as a free bonus book exclusively for newsletter subscribers.
Also by Ashton Cade
AUDIOBOOKS
Rainier Family Series
Hearts of Snow Lake
PRINT AND EBOOKS:
Rainier Family Series:
Letting Go
Breaking In
Burning Up
Moving On
Running Off
Wrapping Up
Hearts of Snow Lake:
Motorcycles and Macarons
Sidearms and Spareribs
Piñatas and Paintbrushes
Trifles and Treasures
Stethoscopes and Spirits
Six-packs and Snowshoes
Daiquiris and Dreams
Gravy and Gratitude
Stockings and Sugarplums
The Wilds:
Smoke Show
Blowing Smoke
About the Author
Ashton Cade loves reading MM love stories so much, she decided to start writing her own. That way she never has to worry about running out of hot men to fantasize about. Other loves include butter tarts, cats, and anything that enhances the reading experience. Fuzzy blankets. A glass of wine. You get it.
To stay up-to-date on her latest releases, sign up for her author newsletter, get a free book, and be sure to follow her on Amazon.
