Wylde

by Sawyer Bennett

  Aaron and I weren’t sure what to wear, but given the impromptu nature of whatever this is, plus the fact Tacker and Nora are extremely laid-back people, we dressed casually. I chose a floral-print maxi dress in pink, peach, and yellow while Aaron’s in navy shorts and a red and white Hawaiian-print shirt. We totally clash with each other, but we don’t care.

  Dressed equally as casually are Dominik and Willow, Erik and Blue, Legend and Pepper, and Dax and Regan. I’m completely astonished to see Brooke and Bishop, since they are technically on their honeymoon and figured they would want to stay in bed.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Tacker’s booming voice says just as we near the gathered group. Everyone turns his way. He and Nora are walking hand in hand up the knoll, and they are followed by the same minister who performed yesterday’s ceremony.

  “Yup,” Aaron murmurs from the side of his mouth. “They’re getting married.”

  Of that, there’s no doubt. The minister totally gives it away.

  There are hugs given out as soon as they reach us, both Tacker and Nora taking a few moments with each guest to thank us for coming on such short notice.

  What isn’t said but is clear is this group is close. They share bonds that traverse the team dynamics, venturing into almost unexplainable depths.

  Nora reaches out, and I take her hands. I get a squeeze and a brilliant smile. “I’m so glad you’re here to share this with us.”

  “I’m so honored,” I reply, humbled to so easily be accepted into this group. Granted, it’s my association with Aaron that got the invite, but after our pedi date that first day, I know these women will continue to be good friends. I would say even if Aaron and I don’t work out, they’ll still be a part of my life.

  Of course, the thought of Aaron and I not working out causes a sharp, stabbing pain in the center of my chest, which tells me I’m in deep with him already. Amazing how quickly life can change.

  Eventually, the minister manages to break up the group love and calls for us to gather around him. Rather than the wedding couple facing us, Tacker and Nora choose to stand with us… their friends gathered at their backs and sides, facing the pastor. The morning sun is bright, periodically faded by bright fluffy clouds overhead. A salty sea breeze tickles my face.

  It couldn’t be a more beautiful day or setting for a wedding. Even though it’s the same exact spot we were in yesterday for a wedding, this feels so different.

  It’s intimate and spiritual. The love passing between Nora and Tacker as they gaze at each other is almost magical. I realize I’m witnessing something so special I may never see it again.

  The minister merely welcomes this private gathering, assuring us the paper legalities have all been handled. “So my part is rather limited this morning. My understanding is the couple merely wishes to exchange the vows they’ve written, so… Nora, would you like to begin?”

  Nora nods, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Tacker. She’s wearing a simple off-the-shoulder dress in mint green with a subtle cream floral pattern around the hem. It flutters around her tanned legs, her loose hair swirling about her shoulders. The breeze blows a few tendrils into her face. She pushes them behind her ears as she starts her vows.

  “Tacker… there was a time in my life where I didn’t believe in love, miracles, God, or humanity. While I managed to stumble out of that dark place long ago, there was still always a bit of shadow hanging over me. Perhaps it was just that my true purpose was unknown, but all I know is from the minute you came into my life, nothing has ever been clearer. You’re what I’ve been waiting for. You’re the reward I get for all the bad I had to go through. You’re my destiny, and you’re well worth any pain I’ve been through to get here. I’m honored to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  I don’t know Nora’s back story, but she clearly has one. Within her words, I could feel something terrible must have happened, just as I could feel Tacker has healed up every bit of that. And from what little I know about their situation—the fact that Nora was his counselor—I thought it would have been reversed.

  Tacker has a sheen of wetness in his eyes, which he doesn’t even bother trying to blink away. He just smiles at Nora as if she’s the most glorious thing he’s ever beheld, mouthing the words, “I love you,” to her in response.

  The minister says, “Tacker… your vows.”

  Tacker releases Nora’s hands and gives an apologetic cough as he reaches into his front pant pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

  When he unfurls it, I see it’s actually several pieces of paper, but they’re small… the size of the stationery on the desk in our room.

  Holding it up for all to see, he gives Nora a sheepish grin. “I stayed up last night after you went to sleep to play around with some words. I didn’t feel like I could memorize it all, and I’m not that great at speaking spontaneously the way you are… so I hope you’ll indulge me just reading this.”

  No one says a word. While Tacker is making light of the situation, it’s a heavy moment as the man who had been through hell and back with his first love is going to start a new life with his next.

  He takes a second, scanning over his words before he takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I am not sure if I understand what true love is or if it’s just a made-up ideal. I don’t know if I believe in soul mates or if we’re meant to only be with one certain person. I think it might be different for everyone, so I can only speak to what’s in my heart. I can only tell you, sweet Nora, how I feel about you. The rest of the world will just have to accept it.”

  A tiny rumble of laughter rolls through our group. Nora has already started to freely cry. Tacker notices, too, and he gives her a reassuring wink. She smiles back through more tears.

  “What I do know is I think I was supposed to go through stuff in order to get to you. If you believe in things like destiny and preordination, I think you were my end goal all along, but I’m pretty sure everything before you was meant to help structure me into the man I am today. I think you were meant to be there for me, to help me on the final leg of a journey I thought would kill me one day, but it was really just a test. A trial. A means to an end, with you waiting for me on the other side of the finish line. I don’t say those things to make light of what I shared with MJ, because what we had was real. You know that, because we’ve talked endlessly about it. But clearly, I had a different purpose. You had a different purpose. We were put in each other’s paths for a reason. I could go on and on about what that reason might be, but I honestly don’t care. All I care about is you being mine. You love me, I love you, and we are going to be together for the rest of our lives.”

  Tacker looks up from the papers. He shoves them back in his pocket, obviously having finished what he wrote. But he’s not done. He takes Nora by the hands again, tugging to pull her in close. “What I wrote may seem silly or like a stupid attempt to be philosophical, but what I need you to ultimately take away from this is I love you more than anything in this world. The only way I could possibly be happier than I am right now will be the instant we’re officially pronounced husband and wife.”

  Nora laughs, tears spilling down her face. Tacker tips his head to the minister, a pointed look on his face. Smiling, the minister says, “Then… by the power vested in me, I pronounce Tacker Hall and Nora Wayne, legally and spiritually, husband and wife. You now may kiss—”

  The preacher can’t even get the words out before Tacker grabs Nora, dips her low, and plants a long, searing kiss on her.

  Everyone erupts into cheers, and I feel wetness on my cheeks. I dash the happy tears with the back of my hand, but not before Aaron catches me. His arm comes around my shoulder and he pulls me into his side, giving me an affectionate squeeze.

  CHAPTER 20

  Wylde

  “Why am I so nervous?” Clarke whispers from beside me.

  I look down at her, hands wringing together nervously while her gaze darts all around her store. This is a change—the
standing in place and radiating anxiety—from the frantic dashing around she’d been doing for the past half hour as she tried to make sure everything was perfect for Pepper’s book signing.

  We’ve been back from the Virgin Islands for a full week now, and we’ve settled into a routine. Clarke is back at her store, hard at work for six days a week while on the seventh, she works from home. I loiter as much as she’ll tolerate, snagging whatever free time she has in between hanging out with my dudes, amping up my workouts, and generally enjoying the off-season.

  Generally enjoying Clarke, really.

  I can’t figure out the why of it—or even how she and I are working out—but we are. Each day, we get a little bit closer.

  Each day, I realize I can’t imagine her not being in my life.

  I’ve stopped the internal musings I’d found myself doing just a week ago, where I’d qualified every thought about Clarke with an “if we make it” mentality.

  Now it’s not a question of if… It’s more of a question of who and when.

  Who will be brave enough to first make the assertion to the other that what we have between us is special, real, and meant to last?

  I mean… I’ve done that, internally at least. I’ve accepted the fact I am no longer the team’s playboy, and that I never want to go back to that lifestyle. I simply want what I have with Clarke, and I hope to continue building on it. I can’t even imagine there being another woman who excites me as much or makes me as happy as she does.

  But I am dealing with a woman who, despite the fact she’s now wringing her hands and looking for reassurance, still proves to be a little prickly when it comes to issues of trust. This past week alone, she’s clearly been put off when I’m recognized while we are out. It’s not that she doesn’t trust me to handle a situation, because she’s seen just how protective of her I can be when people horn in on our privacy. But she just doesn’t like the fame by association that comes with being by my side.

  It’s something, however, I have great hopes will get better with time.

  Reaching out, I take Clarke’s hands in mine. “You’re going to be fine. This is going to be a great success. I promise.”

  “How can you promise?” she asks harshly, an edge of hysteria in her voice. She glances over to the table that’s been set up for Pepper—who is currently in the bathroom touching up her makeup before we open the doors—and then fearfully regards me. “What was I even thinking by asking someone like Pepper to come to my little bookstore? I mean, sure… I invited my entire customer list, but most don’t buy children’s books. What if no one shows up? Pepper is going to hate me and—”

  There’s no other intervention that works quite as well on a distraught woman than a searing kiss meant to distract. This is accomplished with one hand behind her neck, the other on her lower back so she’s drawn in tight, and all of my focus and dedication on kissing her properly.

  Veronica, who is behind the cash register, snickers. Over this past week, I’ve come to realize she takes great amusement in watching me fluster her friend. One day, when I was helping stock shelves, she confided that she thinks I’m just the saving grace her bestie needed in her life and she wanted me to know—confidentially, of course—that her loyalties were now solely with me if Clarke ever got squirrely and tried to end this relationship.

  I’m not sure how that makes me feel. On one hand, it’s nice knowing Clarke’s best friend thinks I’m good for her and will work with me to make sure Clarke knows that, too. But on the other, she has to feel there’s room for worry by making that proclamation, which means she must have some doubts as to whether Clarke has sticking power with me.

  Regardless, I refuse to dwell on future what-ifs. Instead, I focus on kissing my girl senseless.

  When I decide she’s discombobulated enough to no longer concentrate solely on her anxiety, I let her up for air. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she murmurs, “Well… that was nice.”

  Still with my hand at her neck, I pull her in close, placing my lips at her ear where I whisper low enough it remains private. “I can certainly take you back to your office for a few minutes before we open those doors and distract you in another way. Guaranteed to mellow you out a bit if you’ll let me.”

  Clarke gasps at the thought, but she immediately pushes me back, muttering harshly. “No way. People would know.”

  “No one would know,” I assure her, but then dart a glance at Veronica. Okay, she’d know, but whatever.

  Pepper comes out of the small hallway that leads down to the men and women’s bathrooms. She’s a striking woman in her own right. Not to my particular taste, but I get why Legend is nuts about her. She has the most amazing light blue eyes, which seem to shimmer against the crop of almost blue-black bangs that cut over her forehead. She wears her glossy hair in a short bob, and she has sort of a schoolgirl-rocker vibe going on with her outfit. In a red wraparound dress with white polka dots and black Doc Martens, she’d used a leather choker with silver spikes around her neck to tie it all together.

  She heads over to Clarke and me with a relaxed smile. It starts to turn into a frown as she takes in Clarke, who is practically radiating with nervous anxiety.

  “Are you okay?” she asks Clarke, clearly concerned.

  “I’m just terrified this is going to be a bust,” Clarke answers truthfully.

  “No way,” Pepper assures her with a careless wave of her hand. “But even if it is, we’ll have a great time hanging out. Your store is absolutely charming. I’ve told several people to come by, so it will be fine.”

  “I just don’t want to let you down,” Clarke admits glumly.

  I settle my arm around Clarke, intent on drawing her in for a hug. I want to ease her fears, but I can’t. We’ll have to let this play out.

  Before I can even curl my fingers around her waist, someone knocks on the front door of the bookstore, which we’ve yet to unlock. I glance at the clock, realizing it’s already nine.

  It’s showtime.

  Clarke makes a distressed sound in her throat and my gaze jumps to her. She’s staring out the glass door and windows at the front of the shop. When I turn that way, a rush of giddiness sweeps through me as I see a long line of people waiting to get in.

  Seems the little social media outreach me and some of my teammates conducted worked. I move to the door while Clarke scrambles alongside Pepper to sit at the table. Clarke had ordered a huge shipment of Pepper’s most popular children’s book, The Grand Adventures of Penelope and Bert. Clarke’s going to be ringing up books at the table with her mobile device. Veronica’s going to cover the register for regular shoppers who might be so generous as to buy something else while here.

  I put my hand to the lock, glancing over my shoulder at Clarke and Pepper. “You two ready?”

  “Ready,” Pepper says with a sound nod of confidence. Clarke looks like she’s ready to throw up, but for a completely different reason now. She’s no longer worried about no one showing up. Instead, she’s now freaking out about taking care of the people amassed outside.

  I give her a wink and unlock the door, pulling it wide open. As I stand there, people stream in. I look out the window and down the street. Holy shit… the line’s down to the end of the block, and it disappears down the side.

  Maybe the boys and I were a little too effusive in our posts yesterday. I had reached out to Tacker, Dax, and Erik and asked if they would share about the book signing on their social media accounts. I didn’t bother asking Bishop, who is still back in the Virgin Islands on his honeymoon. I also didn’t ask Dominik, because he runs multibillion-dollar businesses and has better things to do. And I certainly didn’t need to ask Legend, who had already been posting everywhere about his wife’s book signing. But between Tacker, Dax, Erik, and me, we have a social media reach well into the hundreds of thousands, many of whom are here in the Phoenix area. It was my hope we’d interest more than a handful of people to come out, but, turns out, many seem inspired to check out Clar
ke’s store and Pepper’s books.

  I may have gotten a little personal in my post. On my Instagram, I’d posted a selfie I’d taken of Clarke and me together on the beach at the resort last week. We were leaning in toward each other from our beach chairs, both with big silly grins on our faces. We were sunkissed and carefree looking, but, just before I snapped the picture, I had turned to look at her. My expression could only be described as adoring while Clarke stared right into the camera with a wide smile.

  On my post, I’d typed, Me and my girl in St. John last week. Come by and check out her store, Clarke’s Corner. I’d then put that Pepper would be signing her children’s books there, and tagged both Pepper and Legend’s accounts. I couldn’t tag Clarke as she doesn’t have any social media, and I can’t say I blame her. I think she realized that what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her, and it’s better to just not look at that stuff.

  Regardless, I don’t regret my actions since it’s evident Pepper’s book signing is going to be a huge success while Clarke is going to amass a lot of new customers.

  Legend shows up within a few moments of the doors opening, giving Pepper a quick apology for being late. He ran into some traffic issues while dropping Charlie off at her grandparents. He ended up sitting at the table with Pepper and Clarke, sometimes joining Pepper in a picture if a fan requested it. But, for the most part, I’m impressed the people genuinely seem to be here for the author and the bookstore.

  I help direct shoppers around the store, having become intimately familiar with where everything is located over the last several weeks of hanging out and helping on occasion. Veronica stays busy at the register. Many customers buy knickknacks or other books after getting their books signed by Pepper.

  The signing itself is only supposed to last from nine to twelve, but there is no stopping the influx of people that keep arriving. Pepper generously stays until two. We actually had to cut the line off and lock the doors at one-thirty to stop more people from coming in.