Floyd slung an arm over her shoulder. “We only want you to be happy, Scarlett, and that rock-n-roll fella makes you happy. Any fool can see that.”
“Yes, well, leaving him was the biggest mistake I’ve made through all of this. I left because I thought I was protecting him. The problem with that genius plan is that I need him so much it hurts. So even if it’s selfish, I’m going to get him back.”
“That’s good to hear.” Gavin pulled open the screen door and strode inside.
“Gavin.” She knocked her chair over trying to get to her feet. Hope jackhammered her heart. Maybe she could fix this. “Let’s go outside so we can talk.”
“I don’t think so, Red. I need the witness of our families to make sure you don’t run again.”
She gulped down a riptide of emotion. “Our families?”
Jack walked in carrying Aiden, Luanne right behind him, with Kristy pulling up the rear. The kitchen burst at the seams with family.
“Give me that baby,” Honey said.
Luanne crossed her arms over her chest. “Good luck, Honey. Jack won’t give him up, believe me I’ve tried.”
“Honey? I’m Jack Avery. Would you like to hold Aiden?”
“Hey.” Luanne swatted his arm.
“I sure would, you good-looking thing.”
Luanne gagged.
Jack smirked.
Aiden squealed, “Scawit!”
“Sweetheart, I’m Joyce,” Joyce said to Kristy.
“Hello, I’m Kristy.”
Floyd slapped Gavin on the back. “Son, it’s good to have you back.”
“Thank you, sir,” he said without taking his gaze from Scarlett. “I need to ask you a question.”
“Yes?”
“May I marry your daughter, again?”
Her entire body vibrated with happiness.
“Do you love her, boy?”
“Boy, boy, boy!” Aiden yelled.
“Yes. I love her very much.”
Her father’s grin split his face from ear to ear. “Scarlett, darlin’, do you want to marry this fellow again?”
“Again, and again, and again.” She could barely see his smiling face through the curtain of tears in her eyes. “I love you too.”
Gavin prowled toward her. When his warm hands cupped her face, the chaos of the room fell away and it was just the two of them.
“I do love you, Scarlett. I’m so sorry for the terrible things I said. Can you ever forgive me?” His gray cashmere eyes pleaded for forgiveness.
Her arms went around his neck. “I’ve already forgiven you. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I should never have left you. I’m yours. You’re stuck with me, rock star.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Forever?”
“Forever.”
He kissed her, and she kissed him, and they made promises to each other surrounded by the nutty, messy, unpredictable family they both loved.
Epilogue
The sweet smell of roses, lavender, and honeysuckle from her bouquet floated around Scarlett. If love had a smell this would be it. She stood under a vine-covered arbor with her rock star, who wore a beautiful tux that fit him perfectly. Never one to bend to convention, he’d left the collar open, revealing her favorite tattoo of Aiden’s name at the base of his neck.
Though they’d been married several months, this was the official ceremony. At least according to Honey, who had the whole thing planned down to when and how Gavin would remove her garter—after the cake and with his teeth.
Jack stood next to Gavin looking drop-dead gorgeous, which only pissed off Luanne. She hadn’t stopped griping about it all night.
Their family and friends were gathered in chairs draped in white and tied with red satin ribbons, on the side lawn of the farm. The trees were filled with twinkle lights and white paper lanterns, and fireflies danced just above the ground. It was a far cry from a Las Vegas wedding chapel, and her pastor, Brother Randy, was much more dignified than the Whitney Houston impersonator who’d done the honors in Vegas.
Shame.
In the last several months she’d learned to embrace the outrageous and let go of normal—because there really was no such thing as normal, and normal was boring. And if she could say one thing about life with her new husband, it was never boring.
He was about to go into the studio to record his first album for Honey Child Records, the label he and Jack started in Zachsville, even though Jack refused to live in town, choosing instead to live in Austin, where all the cool people are, according to him.
She’d warmed up to Jack over the last couple of months, but given that Luanne so openly hated him, it was good he was an hour away for his own safety.
Brother Randy addressed the audience. “The couple has elected to recite their own vows tonight. Gavin.”
An adorable bead of sweat broke out on her husband’s brow. He was nervous. This rock god, who had sung in front of millions of people, was nervous about saying his vows in front of sixty people. It made her love him even more.
“Scarlett, before I met you I lived in a very lonely world, a world of shadows and sadness, a world where I only existed. I never knew my life could be filled with so much light and love. You’ve done that.” He looked at her in that way that always stole her heart. Like he couldn’t quite believe she was real. “You breathe sunshine into my life. You amaze me every day with the way you adore our son and me. I love your beautiful heart, and I promise to guard it forever. I love you. I choose you, for always.” He kissed her hands and wiped a tear from her cheek.
The pastor nodded. “Scarlett.”
She took a minute to compose herself. She had to get this right, it was too important to mess up. “Gavin, I’ve always tried to live my life the safest way possible. I do the right things, I obey the law, I never break the rules, I return library books on time.” The audience chuckled. “But I’ve found that love changes things. It has a way of narrowing down what’s important and what isn’t, and what I know now is… You are the most important thing in my life, and I would lie, cheat, steal, and break every rule to get to you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep your heart safe and to prove my love for you. You are everything I never knew I needed, and all I will ever want.”
He didn’t wait for Brother Randy to give him permission, he grabbed her, his mouth crashed down on hers, and like every other time he kissed her like this, she lost her mind. Her lips opened for him and their tongues played together, until she was panting and boneless.
Brother Randy coughed.
“Get a room,” Jack and Luanne said in unison.
Honey whooped from the front row.
She reluctantly pulled back. With swollen lips and triumphant eyes, he smiled down at her, and she knew she’d never run from this rock star again.
There’s More!
Can’t get enough of Scarlett and Gavin?
Check out this extra epilogue. It involves a naked trip to the barn, a hot rock star, and the Baptist preacher!
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Running With a Sweet Talker
Brides on the Run Book Two
For Chris
You are everything a hero should be.
I love you.
Chapter 1
Jack Avery stared at the scene before him while sucking on a cherry lollipop his godson Aiden had given him. His third-floor window gave him the perfect vantage point to observe the bride sprinting a serpentine pattern across the lawn of the wedding venue. Luanne Price was beautiful, brilliant, and surprisingly agile in a banana-cream-pie dress as she leaped over a fallen log in her path.
“What are you up to, tough girl?”
Not his business.
She’d already caused him enough distraction. Why he found a woman who gave him so much shit attractive, he’d never know. But something about her smart mouth lit him up like a Roman candle. This woman intrigued him. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Lately, the beautiful and docile wome
n he dated had begun to bore him to death. They paled in comparison to the feisty pixie who had just scurried behind the flower-covered altar. “What the hell?”
Why did her every move fascinate him?
Stupid, Jack.
He was ten kinds of crazy to even contemplate getting involved with her for any reason. Thankfully, in a little more than an hour she’d be someone else’s problem.
That was the reason he was here today. To see Luanne tie the knot. It would be tough to watch, but then it would be real, and she’d be off limits. He didn’t fool around with married women. Ever. His mama would come back from the grave and slap him into next week if he ever did.
He leaned closer to the window of the suite and watched as she hiked up her dress and ran out of sight to avoid a couple of waiters. The glimpse of tan leg she gifted him with ignited images of all the things he’d never get to do with her. Another man would have that privilege.
Jealousy tore at his insides. The irrational urge to beat his chest and bellow mine concerned him. Luanne wasn’t his. She barely gave him the time of day. And when they did converse, she bloodied him with her words. In spite of that, he fantasized about arguments with her that ended with the two of them sweaty and naked. It was damned inconvenient…and dangerous, considering he’d probably end up dead after such an encounter.
But what a way to go.
Gavin Bain sauntered into the room. “Hey, man. Where’s my kid?”
Jack’s friend was his number one client and the hottest thing in music right now. He looked every bit the badass rock star, even in a thousand-dollar suit and tie.
Jack pulled the sucker from his mouth with a pop. “He’s out siphoning gas from cars in the parking lot.”
“Good. The boy needs to learn life skills.”
Gavin wasn’t fooling him for a second. He may seem casual about his toddler son, but nothing could be farther from the truth. That three-year-old, and Scarlett, Gavin’s wife, were his whole world. “He went down for a nap about thirty minutes ago.”
Another flash of white caught Jack’s eye as Luanne threw herself against the trunk of a huge oak tree. She quickly poked her head out and then jerked it back like a CIA operative on a recon mission.
Seriously, what was she doing?
The answer came in a brain-scorching lightning strike.
“Hot damn, she’s running,” he mumbled.
“Jack?”
“Huh? What?” He couldn’t tear his gaze from the runaway bride. Especially when she dropped to the ground and belly-crawled through the flower bushes.
“I said I can stay with Aiden until the sitter gets here if you have something else to do.” Gavin’s brow wrinkled. “What’s so interesting out there?”
“Yeah. Great. Gotta go.” He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the sofa and barreled for the door.
Gavin chuckled. “Okay. Don’t let me stop you.”
He wouldn’t.
He was on a mission
He had a bride to catch.
The prick of twigs poking into Luanne Price’s arms as she shimmied on her belly through the azalea bushes was only a slight annoyance. What were a few scrapes compared to the gaping wound in her heart? She needed to put that away and concentrate on escape. A few more precious inches and she’d be at the parking lot and home free. Army-crawling through the shrubbery wasn’t how she’d pictured leaving her wedding, but desperate times and all.
The thought of dear old Dad and his devil’s deal with her fiancé spurred her forward. If she could get to her car, she could run and not look back. Thank goodness she had put a hide-a-key under the back bumper, just in case. Ironic that fleeing her own wedding would be her just in case.
Her manicured fingers clawed the soil as she pulled herself along the ground. A tiny twinge of guilt dogged her. This dress looked like a cake topper and wasn’t her style at all, but it had cost five thousand dollars, and she was ruining it in her escape. But guilt evaporated when she saw a break in the bushes. One last surge and she’d be free.
Once clear of the greenery, she inspected the damage to the dress. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too much the worse for wear. She quickly forgot about her dress when the sound of the wedding quartet warming up reached her ears. Damn! It was time to move.
She crouched low and used the other cars as cover as she duckwalked to her little red Corvette. But her elation at seeing her baby was short-lived when she noticed it was blocked in on all four sides. How would she get out of here? Walking wasn’t an option if for no other reason than Jimmy Choo did not make walking shoes. The rhinestone-encrusted beauties she wore were made to be admired, not for functionality.
She peeked over the hood of her car to make sure she hadn’t been discovered. With every beat of her heart, her blood pressure ticked up another notch. At this rate, she’d be leaving here in an ambulance.
Calm the hell down, Luanne.
Whistling and the masculine tap, tap, tap of shoes on asphalt caught her attention, and she dropped out of sight. Her butt hit the hard, warm pavement with a thud. The July Texas sun beat down on her bare shoulder as she huddled as close to the front tire of her car as possible. She prayed whoever it was would walk by without noticing her.
The whistling and tapping stopped. “Luanne Price, fancy meeting you here.”
She cursed the escape gods. Of all the people to see her in this humiliating state, Jack Avery was the absolute worse. Well, he wouldn’t rattle her. No matter how fine he looked in that black suit and gold tie that set off his whiskey eyes. Damn him and his McDreamy good looks.
She smoothed her short hair from her sweaty face. “Hello, Jack.”
“Car trouble?” He pushed back the sides of his jacket and slid his hands into the front pockets of his pants.
“I noticed one of my tires was low when I got out of the car earlier. It’s been buggin’ me all morning, so I came to check on it.” She made a show of inspecting the tire. What the hell was she supposed to be looking for? The only thing she knew about cars was how to turn them on and how to drive fast.
He leaned a hip against the driver’s door. “Yeah, I can see how that would consume your thoughts. Why let a pesky thing like a wedding get in the way of good car maintenance?”
“Exactly.” His accessing stare unnerved her. She went back to inspecting the tire and tried to ignore him. “Well, it was good to see you, Jack.”
Take the hint, Jack-ass, and go away.
He didn’t.
Paper crinkled and a red lollipop appeared in front of her face. “Want one?”
She pushed his hand aside. “No, thank you.”
“Aiden gave me these damn things, and I can’t stop eating them.”
Against her will and better judgment, she followed the motion of his tongue as he licked the sucker.
“They’re nothing but pure sugar.”
Lick.
“Probably all kinds of bad for you.
Lick.
“But I’m addicted.”
Lick.
“I seem to be having trouble with impulse control lately.” He winked. “Know what I mean?”
“Um…no.” Sweat beaded on her upper lip. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. “Tire looks fine. I guess I better get back inside, the wedding starts in a bit.” She gave him her best pageant smile.
“Yeah.” He turned his face to the sun. “Beautiful day for a wedding.”
He wouldn’t take the hint and leave. Or maybe he was calling her bluff. Well, two could play that game. “Yes, it is.”
He straightened and buttoned his jacket. “May I escort you back inside?”
“No. I’m going to sit a bit longer and enjoy the sunshine.” She waved him off with a flick of her hand. “You go on ahead and have a good time.” She smashed down the skirt of her dress that poofed around her face. The thing had enough volume to float a boat.
“The sun is nice. I think I’ll stay and enjoy it with you.” He turned, rested his butt on the
car and crossed his arms over his chest.
Why wouldn’t he leave? She ventured a look in his direction and couldn’t help but appreciate the sight. The sexy dimple in his chin had probably been the undoing of many women—that and the devil’s glint in his mischievous expression. As much as it chapped her behind, she was no exception. She tried and failed to settle the butterflies whipping around in her stomach, but it was no use.
Since the day she’d met his arrogant ass, she’d done everything she knew to get beyond her unhealthy attraction to him. He was the exact kind of man who could break her, and she didn’t touch those men with a ten-foot pole.
As if her thoughts drew his gaze, their eyes locked. Her body ignored the siren going off in her head. Every part of her that should be ignoring him saluted and reported for duty.
“You have a little something there.” He pointed toward her head.
Her hand flew to her hair, and she patted her head. “Where?”
“Here.” His fingers gently pulled a sprig of grass from behind her ear. A tremor ran down her neck when he lightly brushed her earlobe with his fingers.
“Thanks,” she breathed.
A sly smirk appeared on his face. “No problem.”
Jerk. He knew he got to her, and it rankled. “I want to look my best for Doug.” She gave him a tight-lipped smirk.
“Uh-huh. Then you might want to wipe that smudge of tire grease from your upper lip.” He waggled his finger in her face.
She slapped it away and wiped her mouth. “Go away, Jack.”
“I think I’ll stay for the fireworks.” He popped the lollipop back into his mouth.
“Fireworks? There aren’t going to be any fireworks.” Not that her father hadn’t tried.
He grinned around the sucker. “Oh, I think there will be when everyone figures out the bride’s bolted.”
“I’m not running.” She so totally was.
“Please. I know a runner when I see one.” He surveyed the area around them. “It doesn’t look like you’re going to get very far, Thumbelina.”
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