by Erin Rylie
There were tears in her eyes, but she shrugged. “I suppose so. You did already buy the ring.”
He slid the ring back on her finger and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to the bed. Before he tossed her down, with every intention of ravishing her, she slapped him on the ass and yelled at him.
“You’re going to wrinkle my dress, you giant caveman!”
Instead of throwing her down and having his way with her, he slid her down his body gently, his hands resting on her hips.
“Fine. I’ll just wrinkle it later. I love you, Becky Petrov.”
“I love you, too, Reese Waters.”
He shook his head and laughed. “I don’t think that’s how it works; I keep my last name.”
“Then how will people know you’re mine?”
“Anyone who sees us together will know that I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”
She kissed him, and after ten years, he finally felt at home.
Epilogue
As they waited for the beginning strains of the song to fill the reception hall, Reese cringed. “Fuck, I hate this song.”
Rafe nodded his agreement, and Carlos turned to point accusatory fingers at both of them. “You both love this song. Even if you don’t, it’s my fucking wedding day, so you get to lie and tell me it’s your favorite song in the whole damn universe.”
In unison, Reese and Rafe sighed and said, “It’s our favorite song in the whole damn universe.”
When Carlos had turned back around, waiting for the music to start and cue him for his grand entrance, Rafe whispered, “I should have known he’d be a bridezilla.”
“I heard that!” Carlos yelled before dancing into the reception hall. Rafe and Reese reluctantly followed, mouthing the words to “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers as they did so. As loath as he was to admit it, the dance that Carlos had planned for them was a pretty decent workout, and the song was catchy as hell. He and Rafe were the back-up dancers as Carlos serenaded his bride, walking around her in circles for the first few lines of the song before falling to his knees in front of her chair and singing the chorus.
As he did so, Reese and Rafe stood behind him, shaking their hips and clapping their hands. He searched the room quickly for his little family and found Becky and Ryker both laughing hysterically as Becky recorded his dance with her phone. He would literally never live this down. The next three minutes felt like an eternity as he danced and realized that every single one of their coworkers was also filming the most embarrassing moment in his life. Knowing Rafe’s luck, the stupid video would go viral.
When the song was finally over, Kelsey stood up and cheered, leaping into Carlos’s arms and kissing him soundly. He had to admit that his ridiculous friend had met his perfect match. He got off the dance floor as quickly as he could and snatched the phone out of Becky’s hand before she could hide it from him.
“I’m deleting this damn video.”
“Dad, you’re too late. She just hit the button to upload it to Facebook.”
No matter how many times Ryker said it, Reese would never get over the rush he felt when his son called him Dad. He bent down to speak to Ryker quietly enough that Becky couldn’t hear their conversation.
“I’m going to distract your mom later and you’re going to steal her phone and delete it, deal?”
“If I do, will you buy me a new LEGO set? I want the Death Star one.”
He groaned. That damn set was selling for around five hundred dollars these days. “How about I buy you the Star Wars destroyer instead?”
His son contemplated the arrangement before sticking his hand out to shake on it. The contact was firm and brief, but Ryker had initiated it and met his eyes for a moment, so Reese counted that as a victory.
“You’re a terrible dancer, Petrov,” Carlos said jovially as he sauntered over with his wife on his arm.
“If it wasn’t your wedding day, I would punch you.”
“Technically, I don’t think we can kick his ass until after his honeymoon. We don’t want to ruin his vacation pictures,” Rafe piped up. The man had a point. After Ramirez got back from his honeymoon, though, all bets were off. The three of them had taken up jujitsu recently, and Reese had every intention of pinning Carlos in a head lock and making it hurt.
“Ladies, look at how well trained they all are. We’ve taught them so well—no fighting when there are Instagram-worthy pictures to be taken.”
This came from Sophie, who had joined their little group with her small daughter, Ella. The little girl tottered right over to her dad and patted his leg until he picked her up. He looked around at his small group of friends and wondered how he’d gone from being a complete loner in Dallas, to having a tight knit group of friends and a small family that he loved more than life itself. He was a lucky man.
When the DJ announced that it was time for the bride and groom’s first dance, Kelsey cursed. “Do I even want to know what you picked for our song?” she asked her husband.
“Wait, why the hell would you let Carlos pick your wedding song?” Rafe asked incredulously. Reese had to agree, it seemed like a recipe for disaster. The man was almost sure to pick a Jonas Brothers song or something equally ridiculous.
“I lost a bet and now our song for the rest of our lives will probably be some Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus monstrosity.”
“Again, what bet could possibly be worth risking your wedding song?” Sophie asked.
“Oh, big talk coming from the woman who didn’t even have a formal wedding,” Kelsey retorted.
Carlos’s chest puffed out. “She bet me that I couldn’t make her come—” Before he could finish his sentence, Kelsey dragged him away. He turned and mouthed five times, one night over his shoulder before following her to the center of the dance floor.
Reese had expected to hear some pop song filling the reception hall, and was pleasantly surprised when the couple started dancing to “Stand by Me.” He saw the shocked look that Kelsey gave her new husband before pulling him down for a kiss. Their first dance wasn’t showy—in fact, they hardly even moved, instead swaying to the song with their eyes closed and their foreheads touching.
Carlos was a lot of things, but nobody would ever be able to accuse him of being an unloving husband. His love for Kelsey was as undeniable as Reese’s own love for the future Mrs. Petrov. He and Becky had left her engagement ring at home, not wanting to steal the spotlight from their friends, but he couldn’t wait to share the news with them. He already knew that Carlos would demand the honor of best man, and admitted to himself that he would allow it.
When the song was about halfway over, Kelsey pulled away from Carlos to wave their group of friends onto the dance floor. Reese pulled Becky into his arms and held her tightly as they danced, whispering words of love in her ear. He saw Rafe and Sophie dancing nearby, their daughter held between them as they did so.
Becky looked around, watching them dance amongst their friends, and then glanced at the table where Ryker was talking to Kelsey and Carlos’s son, James. Though there was an age gap between the two boys, they were becoming fast friends.
“We are so lucky,” she whispered, echoing his thought from earlier.
Surrounded by their friends, knowing that his future held a life with Becky and Ryker, he had to agree.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you to everyone who loved and supported the Houston's Finest series. I'm so sad to say goodbye to these characters, but I have a whole new series full of characters I think you'll love. Read on for the synopsis for the first book in my next series!
Coming Soon
RUCK MY LIFE: A sports rom com coming soon!
Add to your TBR here!
Let me make something clear right off the bat—I’m a fucking catch.
I know what you’re thinking, “Oh great, another cocky athlete, how original.” That’s not what this is about though, I’m humble as hell—just ask me. I have brown hair an
d dark eyes you can lose yourself in, dimples, fantastic biceps, and that little ‘vee’ thing going on with my hip bones. Add in the fact that Im loaded thanks to my dad inventing some stupid kitchen appliance, and I am definite boyfriend material. What girl wouldn’t want a piece of this action? Michelle Leroux, that’s who.
I, Camden Charles Campbell—my parents love alliteration, so sue me—am heartbroken. And it’s disgusting.
Maybe going to Vegas over winter break wasn’t my best idea. Getting drunk and forgetting about Michelle seemed like a great plan at the time. It was all going so well for me until I met her. Copious amounts of alcohol, a quickie Vegas marriage certificate, and some cheap wedding bands later, I found myself married.
Now again, I know what you’re thinking. “Big deal, Cam. Get an annulment.”
Well asshole, I would, if she’d left her contact information. An email address, a PO box address…I’m not picky. But she ghosted me. I was almost positive I’d never see her again, until I walked into my Comparative Lit class on the first day of the Spring semester and spotted the newest professor on staff.
My fucking wife. Fuck my life.
Add to your TBR here!
About the Author
Erin Rylie is a Montana born, Texas raised New Jersey transplant with a degree in hospitality. At 29 years old, she decided it was finally time for to pursue her real passion in life - writing. She’s been writing princess stories and LOTR fan-fiction since she was in middle school, so the transition into romance has been fun! When she’s not writing, she is reading (fantasy, sci-fi and romance are her favorite genres) or working. She is currently obsessed with Brooklyn Nine Nine which should tell you all you need to know about her sense of humor. Finally, she is 100% an old cat lady. Her cats, Socks and Kaz are little weirdos and she loves them more than most people.
Find my website here
Books By Erin Rylie
HOUSTON’S FINEST SERIES
Hating to Love You
Needing to Love You
Wanting to Love You
Coming Soon
Ruck My Life
Ruck Me Up
Newsletter
If you’d like to stay updated with all my new releases, sales, cover reveals, and announcements, please subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss a thing!
SUBSCRIBE HERE
