She didn't give him time to finish the sentence. She raised up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. Simultaneously, her arms slipped around his neck, pulling his head closer.
It had been months since his lips had touched hers, but it was unlike any kiss they'd ever shared. It was powerful and unyielding and took his breath away. He grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her tight and she pushed her fingers into his hair, pulling away to smile at him adoringly.
“Okay, let's do this then. No more running from each other.” She ran a finger along his jaw and kissed the side of his mouth.
“I'm only running to you from now on,” he promised.
She lowered her mouth to his again. The sweet surrender was enough to make him tremble. Nothing in his life had felt this right, this perfect. He didn't think he could ever be without her again.
“Marry me,” he said against her lips, opening his eyes when she pulled away.
“What?” She looked confused, and her face scrunched into a frown.
He set her back on her feet and reached a hand into his pocket.
“It's small and it was super cheap. But I worked late nights at the garage and hauled garbage for an entire summer just to buy it.” He held up the tiny diamond ring he had planned on giving her years ago. It was still a symbol for everything he felt for her. That had never gone away.
“It was in my pocket the night I left town.” He gave her a crooked grin and got down on one knee. Her eyes went wide and she brought both hands up to cover her mouth.
“I'm crazy in love with you, Lucy Newton. And I'm going to ask you one more time... you wanna do something reckless?”
She dropped her hands to her sides, revealing the smile he loved. “Absolutely.”
He grinned and slipped the ring on her finger. It was finally where he had always hoped it would end up. She kissed him again and he nearly lost his breath. But he pushed her back slightly, needing to tell her the rest of his idea.
“I have a Harley here.”
“Are you asking me to go for a ride?” she interrupted slyly, running her fingers through his hair and making him shiver.
“Sort of.” He cleared his throat, chuckled nervously and looked away.
“Blake,” she confronted him, turning his face back to hers, “what?”
“It's about a fifty hour drive to Vegas...” he began, watching her eyes as understanding dawned. “I don't want to be without you another night, Lucky. I've wasted enough of our time.”
Her smile grew wide and she pulled him to his feet, her eyes dancing. “Well then, I guess we better get going.”
Blake chuckled to himself as they quickly descended the steps of the fire escape.
Yep, this reckless, haphazard, insane beauty was his. Forever.
***
Lucy had spent two days flying across the country on the back of a Harley with her arms around the wildest and most intense man she had ever known. She hung on tight to that man born in a prairie storm, who rumbled with thunder and made her shake to her core. And she didn't second-guess her decision once. It was the sanest, most logical choice she'd ever made. They were better together. Always had been, always would be.
The wedding ceremony conducted with Elvis nearby was perfect and ridiculous. Exactly like them. She wore jeans and his blue Underdog tee. He dressed more formally, all in black, even his jeans.
When they called their parents to tell them what they had done, they had similar reactions. Karen laughed so hard she couldn't breathe, and Triny had simply said it was about time.
Blake had gotten them a suite in Caesar's Palace where they began their love anew. Savoring the time they had now, and making up for the time they had lost.
Lucy lay tangled in the sheets, tracing the words along his side that held her name. He had dozed off hours before, but she couldn't sleep. She didn't want to. She wanted to enjoy every second she had with this man. The words made sense to her now. They weren't saying that she had wounded him, they were saying that he was forever marked by her. And that was a beautiful thought.
“I love you,” she whispered to him, gently kissing the ink on his side and resting her head on his chest. “And I'm never letting you go.”
Epilogue
Oklahoma Sky
Blake straightened Carl's bow-tie one more time while trying to calm him down.
“You're sure you have the rings?” Carl asked David for the tenth time.
“Yes, I am sure,” David reassured him, patting his pocket and rolling his eyes.
Blake chuckled and squeezed his friend's shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine. Weddings are a breeze.”
“Easy for you to say, you ran off to Vegas.” Carl faced the mirror again.
“You could have done the same. If I recall, your bride suggested that exact thing.”
“You know her mom woulda killed me,” Carl said distractedly. “Is the bow-tie stupid? Maybe I should have gone with something else.”
“No, bow-ties are cool,” Harrison said, handing him a glass of water. “Do you want to go over your vows again?”
“There's no time.” Carl swallowed audibly and Blake held back a laugh. Poor guy was a wreck.
The door opened and Lucy slipped inside. Blake took in her perfect beauty and his breath caught. He hadn't seen her since she'd left for the salon with the other girls. Her dark hair was gathered in a knot at her neck, small wisps framing her face. The dark purple dress looked amazing against her flawless skin, coming to land just above her knee. He smiled when he saw she had worn flats, always the rebel.
“The preacher is ready for y'all.” She winked at her husband, and he predicted that he'd be making out with his stunning wife on the dance floor later.
“He's a pastor. Geez, Lucy, you can be so southern sometimes.” Sway snickered from his chair in the corner. He stood up and readjusted his pants none too subtly. No one would ever describe Sway as discreet. “I can't believe Carl is going to be your brother-in-law,” he directed at Harrison.
“Tell me about it,” Harrison sighed, and shoved his hands in the pockets of his tux.
“Whatever, I can't believe I'm marrying into this band permanently.” Carl smoothed the front of his coat and took another deep breath.
“You ready to do this?” Blake asked, hoping Carl didn't throw up.
The nervous groom didn't respond and Lucy stepped in front of him, giving him a serious stare.
“Who are you marrying today?” she asked, all business.
Carl's face relaxed visibly. A smile spread across his face and he clapped Lucy on the shoulder like she was one of the guys. “My best friend.” His anxiety vanished and he strode confidently out the door.
Blake reached his hand toward Lucy's.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered in her ear as he led her out the door. “Promise to save me a dance.”
“You can have all my dances.” She quickly kissed his cheek and smiled at him impishly before they joined the rest of the procession at the back of the church.
Carl went to stand in his place at the front of the church while the rest of the men lined up with their appointed bridesmaids. David Warren, Carl's best friend and best-selling author, offered his arm to Harrison's baby sister, Greta, the Maid of Honor. After them came Harrison and one of Miranda's friends that Blake couldn't remember, then Blake and Lucy, then Luke and Lenny, then Sway and Mike with two more bridesmaids he couldn't put names to.
Lucy had protested briefly when Miranda had first asked her to be a bridesmaid, but Blake explained that the O'Neil's had been his home away from home. They included him in all family events and holidays, and she was part of that family now too. So Lucy happily accepted, but refused to wear the high heels that the other girls were wearing.
Blake looked down at Greta's feet as she parted ways with David at the altar. She and Lucy had the same shoes on. He wondered who had led the rebellion on that one. More than once over t
he years, Greta had reminded him of Lucy. They had a similar build and bone structure. Dark hair, loud laugh, infectious personality, and hatred of conforming to the norm. But where Lucy's eyes were the color of melted dark chocolate, Greta's were a striking blue. Completely different from her brother and sister's brown ones. It had set her apart, and she often spoke of the recessive but powerful blue-eyed gene that gave her super powers.
While Miranda and Harrison were cautious and sensitive creatures, Greta was a wild child. In fact, she had just flown in from California the night before, barely in time for the rehearsal dinner. She had slid into her seat across from Lucy, and you'd think the two had known each other for years.
The wedding march began and Blake watched Miranda come down the aisle with her father. He stole a glance at the groom and saw that Carl's face was relaxed and happy. He wasn't the brusque and hard road manager today. No, today he was very much in love.
The vows made Lucy cry, as expected, and Blake winked at her from across the aisle. She shook her head at him as she dabbed at her happy tears. Damn, he loved that woman.
He looked over his shoulder at Luke, Mike and Sway, wondering what the next adventure would be in their lives.
The band was on an indefinite hiatus as their lives began to grow and move in separate directions. Lenny was competing again, Harrison and Mike were working on a solo project, Lucy had officially signed to Double Blind Records, and Sway was going on tour with a band he had admired his entire life. At one time, that would have made Blake nervous. But not anymore. As a band, they were great. As friends, they were even better.
Blake whooped loudly and David whistled when Carl and Miranda were pronounced man and wife and Carl laid a big wet one on her. That meant they could get to the reception and he could take off his tie. Not really known for his posh dress code, Blake had agreed to the tux simply because Miranda was practically his sister. But the sooner he got out of it, the better.
They had to take two limos to fit the entire wedding party and Blake only kind of had to pretend to have to keep Lucy on his lap.
“Are you guys going to take an official honeymoon?” Lenny asked, sitting directly across from them towards the front of the elegant car.
Blake nuzzled his face into the space next to Lucy's neck as she tried to push him away. “Everyday is an official honeymoon.” His nose grazed her jaw lightly. “At least it is for me.”
Lucy grinned and shook her head. “We're taking some time off as we get the house fixed up.”
Blake had given her grandparents' house to her for a wedding gift. She'd cried, not surprisingly. They had gutted the interior and were having renovations done, with brand new pretty-much-everything installed. It was so much bigger and better than he had ever dreamed it could be.
“I love that you guys just ran off and got married. That's something that I would like to do someday. But I don't know if mom would go for it,” Greta spoke up from a couple people away.
“From you? She's probably been expecting it since the day you were born,” Blake joked.
“True story,” Greta responded dryly. “I just think it's so cool how you knew exactly what you wanted and went for it. I'm adding that to my list of things that inspire me.”
“You want me? I'm currently available,” Sway said from beside her.
“Oh Sway, we've been over this before. I like my men like I like my Olympic swimmers: with Olympic swimmers' bodies,” Greta responded with feigned sweetness.
Sway grinned, not even offended. “Well, maybe you can at least keep me company on the dance floor for awhile.”
“Of course, love. Which girlfriend are we hiding from tonight?”
The car had stopped and the rest of the wedding party was starting to exit, so Blake didn't catch Sway's reply. He had his hands full trying to pretend that he was helping Lucy get the skirt of her dress decent when in actuality he was enjoying how smooth her thighs felt in his hands.
“Easy, tiger.” She gave him a light slap to the back of his hand and he growled. “We have plenty of time for that later.”
“Yeah, but I hate waiting,” he whispered roughly in her ear. She bit down on her bottom lip as she smiled at him. He loved driving her crazy.
The hotel where the reception was held was dressed up deluxe. Fancy tables, fancy waiters, fancy lights. Blake was a little disconcerted when he realized he had to sit at the head table where everyone could see him and he couldn't make out with Lucy in private. He didn't mind the audience so much, but she had something against it.
The food was good, the music was safe. Blake was starting to get bored and was considering hauling Lucy into an elevator just to get a little action when David stood up to give his best man speech.
***
David stood, his aging face showing a hint of amusement at what he had written down on his napkin several minutes ago.
Carl had asked him to give a best man’s speech and even though David was no good at public speaking, he decided to wing it.
Caroline had urged him to prepare and plan, to make a really nice toast to the happy couple, but every time David had sat down to write something, nothing ever really came out right. He had managed to procrastinate just up until the point when everyone was finding their seats and then he knew, it was show time.
So David wrote down the only things that he could think of, and most of them now painted the picture of a bromance that stretched states wide.
He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.
“You know, I always liked M.” He looked over at the bride and smiled. “Although I didn’t think she liked me very much, not in the beginning. But I’d like to think I won her over.” He winked and Miranda shook her head, laughing at the joke.
“I’d like to say that I wasn’t the reason for why Miranda and Carl met, but let's be honest, Carl needed help with his grades and I just didn’t care about such trivial things. I was more interested in… well, not going to class, and of course, Carl was a very good friend, so he stuck by my decision.
“Good thing Miranda was there, to make a proper student outta him.” David chuckled at his own joke and rubbed his jaw.
“But things weren’t always like that with Carl. Before Miranda, he could be a right ass if you let him, and even when you didn’t. He was mean, he smoked, he drank, he did things that would make even a sailor blush. I know he made me blush all the time.
“It was Carl who told me that he wasn’t the settlin’ type, right before he threw a cherry bomb into the toilet at the country club and ran away. Naturally, I thought that’s how he would always respond to marriage proposals, not just mine, but here we are.
“From the time we were just little whipper-snappers, we were inseparable. It was only after he took up with this little band, you might have heard of them, Double Blind Study, did our lives diverge. He ran off with a rock band, and I stayed here at home, holding down the fort.
“Because that’s what you do when you love someone. You let them follow their dreams, because they’re bound to come back, and if they don’t—at least you’ll have a rather bitter section of your best man speech at their wedding.”
David laughed at his own joke again and looked at Carl this time, who was trying not to smile through his scowl.
“But all humor aside, Carl is the best friend a guy could have. He’s a busy devil, so you better be ready for fast phone calls, but when you need him, he’s there. He’s more perceptive than people give him credit for, and I don’t know if it's because of that brow or his height. He was there for me when my parents died, and he always made sure I knew I was making a huge mistake whenever I dated a lady he didn’t approve of.
“He looked out for me because he cared about me, and now I couldn’t be more happy to say, it looks like he’s got someone to look out for him, full-time.
“So watch him, M, and don’t let him get near any musicians, he collects them like lost puppies and pretty soon, if they get a van, he’ll run. You lock that down.”
David paused, realizing he had run out of steam, out of thought, and a part of him panicked, but he held it together. “That’s all. Speech over. Goodnight.”
He sat down and looked over at the Maid of Honor. It was her turn in the hot seat now.
***
Not to be outdone, Greta reached for the mic and cleared her throat into it loudly.
“When I came into this world, Miranda had already been here for a solid twelve years. So, needless to say, she had a lot of wisdom to impart. And you better believe I paid attention! Usually after the fact, though. There is not one bad decision in my past that I cannot attribute the fixing of to Miranda.
“What I remember the most is how loving she was. Indulging in our brother's very questionable choices in friends. She would drive them to and from band practice, pack them sandwiches because she didn't want them to skip any meals, and listen to countless hours of jam sessions while she studied and still managed to get straight As all through high school and college. She volunteered every summer with Habitat for Humanity and would begin the school year with blisters, sunburn and usually a broken bone. And of course, she would bring home every stray animal she found, nurse it back to health and then find it a good family. Which brings me to Carl. He was the puppy who would never leave.
“I'll never forget the first time he followed her home. She was a tutor at the university while working towards her degree... in whatever she does to help people... And there was this very rough and frowny man sitting at the table with her. Apparently he needed help in one of his classes, and he'd been assigned to Miranda. He talked back, was sarcastic and had to take several breaks to go out and smoke. I liked him right away. Miranda did what Miranda always does, and she never lost faith or patience. And eventually, Carl passed that class and immediately asked Ran out on a date.
“When Carl ran off with rock stars, I thought for sure she would move on to a classier and more deserving guy. But that goes to show she still had so much to teach me. Because love doesn't follow the logical progression of time. It doesn't get old or weary. It doesn't quietly slip out the door one night while you're sleeping, leaving you free to love someone new. It's the fire that keeps you warm, it's the light that keeps you hoping, it's the star that guides you home.
In Your Honor Page 37