by BJ Harvey
Gilly has blown my hair out into big, soft, and totally wild curls, with April doing my makeup. All that’s left is for us to go downstairs to the waiting limo that Ezra arranged for us, and go to the wedding chapel.
“Are you ready, Ronnie?” April asks, her hands cupping my shoulders as she meets my eyes in the mirror. “You look stunning.”
I do a little curtsy and grin. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”
Her gaze softens. “That’s because you know you deserve this. Jax is one of the good ones.”
“The best,” I whisper. “And I met him because of you.”
She winks and gives me a squeeze before stepping back. “You can thank me by naming your first daughter after me.”
I giggle and turn to face her, then over her shoulder to meet my sister’s eyes as she leans in the bedroom doorway, watching us. “Jax says we’re going to have heathens and divas.”
“Knowing you and what I know of him, I can’t say he’s wrong,” Gilly says, grinning wide. “Let’s go get you married. Ezra is in the living room waiting for us.”
I quirk my brow at her. I have not missed the close proximity between my sister and the guys’ best friend. “Is there something going on there?”
She waves me off—but interestingly, does not confirm or deny.
“Let’s not keep your man waiting,” she says before grinning and walking out of sight. I turn to April and quirk a brow. She just giggles and shakes her head, holding out a small rectangular box in her hand.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“A gift from your hubby-to-be.”
With a gasp, I quickly grab it from her—earning a snort of her laughter—and rip open the wrapping, finding a white velvet jewelry case. With shaking hands, I carefully open the lid to find a small white card on top of a gorgeous gold and sapphire necklace.
“Something blue, something new, I can be the something old, but you can’t borrow my heart, because it will always belong to you. See you soon, beautiful.”
“Wow. Now I see why you’re marrying him,” April teases, peeking over the box to look inside.
“He’s so getting butt stuff tonight,” I say.
Her eyes widen before she bursts out laughing. “TMI!”
I shrug and grin at her while she drapes the necklace around my front and clasps it shut. “Like you haven’t done it.”
Her tell-tale blush says it all.
“See? I knew it.”
“TMI, Ronnie,” she teases, dissolving into giggles. When the laughter dies down, I look myself up and down in the mirror, the reality that all of my dreams are about to come true hitting me.
“But seriously, how did I get so lucky?” I ask her, my eyes burning with tears.
“Don’t you dare cry! You’ll ruin your makeup,” she whispers, her own voice cracking. “But to answer your question, you’re not the only lucky one. You both are. You deserve a man who wants to see you smile and who would put off a trip to Vegas to defend you and make sure you graduated on time. You deserve a man who will forgo sex for months just to chase you and make sure you know he’s as into you as you were into him.” She steps closer and dips her forehead to mine. “You both deserve to be happy and be with someone who wants exactly the same for you. I’ve got that, and you’ve now got that too.”
“I love you, April Williams, soon-to-be Cook,” I whisper roughly, swallowing down the lump in my throat.
“I love you too, Veronica Nelson, soon-to-be Cook.”
A knock on the door behind us breaks the moment. We both turn our heads to find Ezra filling the space, a knowing look in his eyes. “Sorry to interrupt, but we really need to get going if we’re gonna make it in time, and I’ve been warned—okay, under threat of death—that it’s in my best interest to get the bride to the groom.”
I snicker and step back from April. “You know that we’re the kind of women who might just want to see what Jax might do to you?”
His lips twitch. “And you do know I’m the kind of man who is more than willing to throw you over his shoulder to make sure we do get there on time?” He arches his brow, and after a silent ten-second stand-off, I give in with a huff.
“Oh, alright.”
“Good choice,” he says with a triumphant smile. He jerks his chin up before spinning around and walking back into the living area.
I walk over to him and give him a hug, bringing my mouth to his ear. “Did everything go according to plan?” I whisper.
“Yep,” he says, pulling back with a wide grin on his face. “And message from Jax. He said he’s tempted to tan your ass for spending so much on him but he loved it.” I’d asked Ezra to deliver a wedding present to Jax from me, a rather expensive stainless steel Cartier watch with an inscription underneath. ‘I need a new dream because you’ve made mine all true.’
I burst out laughing, knowing exactly how Jax would’ve said that.
“Are you ready to get married?” April asks as Ezra steps back.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life.”
She smiles. “Then let’s get you married.”
Twenty-five minutes later, the limo pulls into the driveway of the wedding chapel. Gilly and Ezra hop out first before April, and then finally, me.
When I do, I go completely still because standing in the doorway are Jax’s mom and dad.
“Oh my God,” Marcy says, rushing toward me and pulling me into her arms, April and Gilly watching from outside the chapel. “There was no way I was going to miss my baby boy’s wedding.”
I hug her tight, blinking quickly to stop the tears from coming. “I’m so glad you’re both here. It’s the only thing that didn’t seem right. Now, it’s going to be perfect,” I say, beaming at my almost mother-in-law.
She leaves an arm around my waist. “I just want to say, that dress is awesome.”
“As long as I make Jax’s eyes pop out of his skull, then my day will be complete.”
“No, no, my dear Ronnie. The day will only be complete once you’re locked away in your hotel room.”
I stumble before quickly righting myself on my white six-inch Jimmy Choos.
“Oh gosh, don’t fall over until you see my Jaxon. He looks so handsome in there,” Marcy says with a beaming smile.
I turn my head and meet her warm, amused eyes. I think April and I lucked out in the mother-in-law department. Marcy is amazing.
We reach the door where Gilly, April, and Rick are waiting for us.
Jax’s dad steps forward and takes Marcy’s place by my side, dipping down to kiss my cheek. “My son is a lucky son of a—sorry, I mean—”
I giggle and meet his eyes. “You’re right. He totally is a lucky son of a bitch, but then again, I’m a lucky motherfucker to be marrying him too.”
He chuckles and winks at me. “Let’s not tell Ax about this, otherwise we’ll both get hit for that damn swear jar.”
That gets me laughing along with him, mainly because he’s right.
“We’ll meet you inside,” Marcy says, Gilly and April following her.
“You can go with them, Rick. You don’t want to miss out on a seat,” I offer.
“Ronnie, Jax flew us out here so we wouldn’t miss out on the wedding, but he also asked whether I’d walk you down the aisle to him.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, losing my resolve not to cry. That Jax would go to so much effort to make sure this day is perfect for me means everything.
“I told him it would be my honor.”
“Stop it. You’re going to make me cry.”
His eyes crinkle, and I get a glimpse at how Jax might look in thirty years’ time. Newsflash: My future is looking bright.
Rick sweeps his thumb under one eye, and then the other. “Ready to marry my son?” he asks, his own voice rough.
I smirk, butterflies dancing in my stomach as my excitement amps up to maximum levels. I’m about to marry the m
an of my dreams. “You better walk fast, Rick, because I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for your son.”
His lips quirk. “Are you prepared to run?”
I look down at my heels before looking back at Rick. “How about a really quick walk?”
“Deal.”
The minute I hear “Love Somebody” start playing, I know that the world could end tomorrow, and absolutely nothing would be able to wipe the smile off my face. For a moment, I do seriously consider running down the aisle because I want to belong to Jax already, and I want him to be mine. I want his name, his heart, his soul, his today, his tomorrow, and all the days and nights after that. Whatever life throws at us, there’s no other man I’ll ever want by my side to tackle it with.
I look at Rick. “Take me to Jax.”
He presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “Welcome to the family, Ronnie. Now, let’s get you married.”
And with the sound of Maroon 5 in the air, we walk through the doors and around the corner, and that’s when I take in the chapel and the smiling faces of our friends and family shining back at me, and of Gilly and April standing at the front along with Bryant, Co, and Jamie.
When my eyes lock on Jax’s, it’s like everyone else disappears.
And then I drop Rick’s arm, kick off my expensive Jimmy Choos, and I run towards my future.
Jax
Ezra warned me. Then April and Gilly warned me. Even Mom walked up to me, gave me a hug, kissed my cheek, and whispered that I was about to lose it.
I’ve seen Ronnie dressed up and dressed in nothing but a smile. I’ve seen her go up against her ice-cold parents and bend down to talk to Ax with all the love and warmth in the world.
But nothing could ever prepare me for this—the moment I first lock eyes with her in a chapel. Her wild gold curls, gorgeous smile, and the sapphire necklace around her nape are what get me first.
Then my eyes drift down to her obscenely short, white-glitter cocktail dress that looks painted on, the fabric clinging to her curves in the same way my tongue will be doing later.
Then she drops Dad’s arm, ditches her sexy-as-hell heels and starts running toward me, jumping into my arms at the last minute. Thank God I catch her, hooking an arm around her back and one behind her knees as her mouth slams down on mine. I spin her around, both of us laughing, as is everyone else in the small room, even Elvis.
When I finally ease her back onto her bare feet, I don’t let her go and she doesn’t move away. If anything, she gets closer. Starting off as I plan to carry on.
“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Elvis says, hip thrusts and all.
“Are you ready to get married?” he asks in his impressive Elvis voice.
Ronnie and I both nod furiously, and a united chuckle fills the room.
“It’s now or never,” he sings, and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes. Luckily, I’m too far gone and can’t bring myself to look away from the woman plastered to my front.
Her lips twitch, and a little snort escapes her mouth. I grin and shake my head at her, loving the gleam in her eye and the carefree air she has about her. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life enjoying everything that makes up Ronnie Nelson—soon to be Cook. I can’t actually say I hear what Elvis says after that until Bryant nudges my leg with his foot.
“Do you, Jaxon Cook, take Veronica Nelson to be your lawful wedded wife, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
I open my mouth to answer but before I can, he continues. “Or if you leave the toilet seat up and she falls into it in the middle of the night?”
Say what?
“For the times when she has PMS and is a nightmare to be around?”
In all fairness, that is totally accurate. She’s hell on wheels at that time of the month.
“And do you grant her permission to kick you out of bed when you forget any birthday or anniversary, and/or start snoring?”
It’s then that I narrow my eyes at a giggling Ronnie, her eyes dancing with glee. Shaking my head, I don’t hesitate in giving my answer. “I do.”
Elvis repeats the vows again for Ronnie—with added lines about loving me despite my smelly socks and my grumpy artistic temperament, and then she says those two magic words: “I do.”
Then, not giving a fuck what tradition dictates—because I’ve never been one to follow the rules and neither has she—I wrap my hand around Ronnie’s back, bend her backward, and kiss the life out of her.
She meets me stroke for stroke, her lips meshing with mine like matching puzzle pieces meeting their mates. Nothing else exists except the woman in my arms—my wife—and the fact that she is mine. I hear clapping and cheering, laughing, and even a low rumbling chuckle from Elvis himself.
When Ronnie and I finally come up for air, we still stay wrapped up in each other. The only words breaking through my happiness bubble are those of the King himself. “It’s with ‘A Big Hunk O’ Love’ that I wish you well and now pronounce you husband and wife. I hope you have ‘A Little Less Conversation’ tonight, and there’s a lot of ‘Burning Love’ behind closed doors.” Ronnie and I turn our heads to look at him as he chuckles. “You’ve already done it, but let’s do it officially. You may now kiss the bride,” he says.
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” I mutter, tangling my fingers in those crazy golden curls of hers. I breathe her scent of summer nights and peaches. I slowly lower my head and brush my lips against hers, once, then again, before her hand snakes out, wrapping around the back of my neck. Sensing her frustration, I grin against her mouth. A low growl rumbles in her chest before she deepens the kiss, spearing her tongue into my mouth with purpose, and then—like always when it’s us—it’s on.
Gone are public decency and moral decorum. My sole purpose in that moment is to pour all of my feelings—my love, joy, and pride because I now get to call her my wife—into that kiss.
When the kiss ends, we ease back but neither one of us moves away, our mouths still touching, our eyes locked on one another.
“Love you, Ken.”
“Love you, Barbie,” I say with a grin. “Wanna blow this joint?”
Her eyes widen, her brows sky high.
“I meant leave, but I like your way of thinking. Let’s go investigate further.”
And then with a quick wave to our friends and family, and to the sound of raucous applause, Ronnie and I run down the aisle together, laughing the entire way.
Funnily enough, it makes the moment perfectly ours, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Jax
Three weeks later
When we put the final finishing touch on the no-longer-pink lady, everyone close to us is there. There’s Abi, Cade, Harry, and Abi’s huge—I mean, I’m actually in pain for her looking at that thing—pregnant belly. Gilly and a random younger guy we’ve never met before are there, but he seems a few cans short of a six-pack and very much a “dude” this and a “bro” that kind of kid, much to the ire of Ezra for some unknown reason.
Then there’s Co and his EMT partner Skye, Ronnie and myself, and Mom and Dad. Jamie, April, Betty, and Axel round out the group, the last of which has still not said a single word to me since we got back from Vegas three weeks ago. I well and truly lost the favorite uncle crown the day I married Axel’s Ronnie, and that kid is proving he can hold a mean grudge. Both April and Ronnie—though laughing at the time—have assured me that he’ll get over it and will come around, but he’s also got a mean streak. This is proven by the fact that he’s now clinging to Bryant’s hand and looking at me with a filthy sneer like I’m the worst uncle on Earth.
Admittedly, I kind of miss the little guy’s adoration. Lucky for me, I’ve got my wife’s instead. I’d never admit that though. She’d have my balls ripped off and in her purse before I’d even begged her not to. My wife is fierce, and I dig that about her. She’s ambitious, and that
is hot as hell.
Ronnie is the most caring, loving, thoughtful woman I’ve ever met. Just this morning, she woke me up with her mouth around my cock and didn’t stop until I was seeing stars and thanking Jesus.
Despite—as she says—not starting her life until she was twenty-nine, she’s not wasting any time. She makes sure every day is not wasted.
And I’m the lucky son of a bitch who gets to say she’s mine.
I rise up on the small step ladder in front of me and screw the last bulb in to the last light fitting—out of nearly fifty in the entire house—and with a loud cheer filling the air, the Dream House project is done.
Getting back down, I turn to find my wife biting her lip as if trying to stop herself from laughing. Then I see Axel with his arms wrapped around her hips, and a shit-eating smirk on his face.
I close the distance between us and lean in to kiss Ronnie but a low grumble from a certain eight-year-old stops me in my tracks. Then Ronnie loses it, dropping her forehead to my shoulder as she bursts out laughing.
Shifting to her side, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and look down at my disgruntled nephew. “Hey Ax.”
“Ugh,” he says, glaring at me. “Why are you touching my Ronnie?”
I open my mouth to say something but Ronnie bends down, giving me pause.
“What’s wrong, Ax?” she asks.
“Mommy said that me and Gran are going to give her away to Jamie at the wedding.”
She nods. “That’s right.”
“But I didn’t get to give you away.”
Damn. This kid feels everything.
Ronnie puts her hands on Axel’s shoulders and looks him dead in the eye. “Ax, you can’t give me away because you’re stuck with me. Forever.”
His little face brightens instantly. “Really?”
“Of course. There’s no way you’re ever getting rid of me.”
“That’s good, because Cohen said I might have to punch Jax in the nuts to save you from him.”
My head snaps up toward my soon-to-be-a-eunuch baby brother. Ronnie’s snort and subsequent giggle cuts through that thought. When I look back down, Axel’s wide smirk as he looks between my junk and Ronnie’s face has my hands instinctively moving to protect myself.
