Say I'm Yours

by Michaels, Corinne

  Presley’s hand flies to her mouth before dropping. “We’ll worry about that later, I knew Cooper would always wonder if you guys would work, and I thought you’d always regret not trying to see if there was life beyond Trent. If you hadn’t dated Coop, you never would have known for sure. And Trent would’ve kept thinkin’ he could act like an idiot and you’d take it.”

  “But what about Coop?”

  “I think we both know who Cooper likes, but he would never let himself go there. Not as long as he thought there was a chance with you and him.”

  I sit back and try to think who she’s talking about. There’s only one girl he ever asked out when we were kids. I remember him telling me about it, but I can’t remember who. He just mentioned a blonde girl who stole his heart. There are only a few blonde girls we went to school with. One of them is . . .

  “Emily?” I ask when it hits me.

  She smiles.

  “Our Emily? If he likes her why the hell would he ever try to date me?”

  “Because you were safe. Because Emily scares the shit out of him.” She laughs. “He’s a good guy, but his life is here. He can’t leave the farm, even with him and Wyatt and Zach talkin’ about becoming more of partners. Imagine allowin’ himself to love a girl outside of Bell Buckle!”

  I’m not sure what to say. Emily made a few comments about him, but I always brushed them off because that’s Em. She says whatever she wants.

  “Wow.” I shake my head with a smile. “So, you had this big plan to get me to date Cooper, not fall in love with him, and end up marryin’ Trent?”

  Presley slaps my leg and grins. “I had a plan to get Trent to see his way out of his ass. You to see that your heart will always be Trent’s, and for Cooper to figure out he needs to take risks. I did good, right?”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. “Yes, our mamas would be proud.”

  “Now, enough about all that. You’re gettin’ married, and we need to get you ready!”

  “We?”

  The door opens and Angie comes through. She’s wearing the same pale yellow as Presley.

  “You guys!”

  “Emily is about fifteen minutes out. That gives us enough time to get your makeup done and get started on your hair.” Angie walks over and touches my arm. “I’m so happy for you. We’re all sisters!”

  I’ve always been a part of this family, but it hits me . . . I’m going to be a Hennington.

  Mrs. Trent Hennington.

  Chapter 23

  O ne by one , my friends head into the hospital room. Rhett got his transfusion very early this morning, but the doctor explained he could not handle being out of bed. So, this was the only way we could ensure he’d be present.

  I don’t feel anything but complete joy. I’m going to marry Trent in front of our family and friends.

  Presley braided my hair and then pinned it up. Angie found a pretty white short dress that I forgot I had. It was buried in the back of my closet, but it’s perfect. It comes right above my knees and we swapped out the dark brown belt for a yellow scarf I had.

  Emily arrived a little bit after we started and changed into a yellow skirt I had. I have my matron of honor, Presley, and my two bridesmaids. Trent asked Rhett to be his best man and Zach and Wyatt are his groomsmen. We have a full bridal party, a reverend who works at the hospital to marry us, and everyone who matters ready to see us say “I do.”

  Daddy holds my hand outside the room and turns to look at me. “You okay, Daddy?”

  He smiles, and his eyes fill with tears. “I’m givin’ my last little girl away.”

  “I’m not goin’ anywhere.” I kiss his cheek. “I’m right here.”

  “Trent’s a good man. He loves you and he’ll take care of you.”

  I don’t doubt that anymore. Trent has shown that he’s changed. He changed before I even knew, but I was too hurt to see. I know that we’ll always have our challenges, but with him by my side, I know we’ll endure.

  “I love him, too.”

  “Then take care of each other. Marriage is hard, and lovin’ someone for all their faults isn’t always easy, but it’s always the right choice. You’ll have days where you want to walk away and then times when you’ll hope the day will never end. It’s a give and take, and sometimes . . . you have to shoulder the burdens for both of you. But you and Trent are strong enough to do that for each other.” Daddy touches the side of my cheek. “Your strength will be what gets you through the muck.”

  “Thank you for bein’ my Daddy.”

  “Oh, baby girl,” he says before he kisses my cheek. “It has been my honor.”

  I wipe the tear and try to fan my cheeks. “I don’t want to cry already.” I let out a nervous laugh.

  “Well, let’s get you to the man waitin’ for you.”

  “Okay.” I nod.

  We start walking, and I hold on tight to the man who’s always held me up. He’s been the best father a girl could ask for. He loved my sister and I with every part of him. I think about what it was like for him to lose Scarlett. I think about how my sister’s story mirrors Macie Hennington’s. I wish she were here today, and it breaks my heart she didn’t have a man like Trent.

  He would never do what his father did to his mother. He fights for women who are in relationships like that. Trent wouldn’t raise his hands in anger, he’s a protector. Learning about the type of man he came from was hard for him. Knowing that his own father tried to kill him and possibly his mother isn’t something he’s accepting of. But if anything, it showed him how much he’s like Rhett. How much he truly is a Hennington, because he’s Rhett’s son.

  Daddy and I step through the doorway and Trent stands next to his father’s bed. I walk toward him with tears in my eyes. His blond hair is pushed back the way I love it, he has on khakis with a blue button-up shirt, and has a yellow rose in his hand. His eyes don’t move from mine as I move closer.

  My father takes my hand and puts it in Trent’s. “Be good to her,” he says.

  “I will,” Trent promises.

  My father kisses my cheek and moves over to stand behind my mother.

  Rhett clears his throat. “Can I say somethin’ before we start?”

  “Of course,” I say quickly.

  “Grace,” he says as his voice trembles. “You’ve been my daughter in my heart for a long time. I’ve never seen someone love another with such conviction. I want to thank you.”

  I release Trent’s hand and move over to the side of Rhett’s bed. “Thank you for raising the man I love.”

  “Thank you for loving the man I raised.”

  I kiss his cheek, and he touches my hand before looking at Trent. “Marry that girl before she runs out of here.”

  “You got it, Pop.”

  The Reverend smiles at both of us and begins the ceremony. They’re words that have been spoken a million times, but they sound different to me. I listen to him talk about love and acceptance, and I gaze at Trent. We’ve come so far. Our relationship has changed and grown in so many ways. Two years ago, he never would’ve opened up to me. He would’ve kept it in and suffered. Our relationship felt like it was always teetering on the precipice of disaster. Now, I have nothing but hope for where we’ll go. We’ve learned that we’re stronger together than we are apart.

  We turn to face each other, and I say the words I’ve waited to recite for a long time. My eyes fill with tears and my voice trembles. “I, Grace Louise Rooney, take you, Trent Milton Hennington, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part.”

  Trent squeezes my hands, and he clears his throat. My heart pounds as he repeats the same pledge to me. “I, Trent Milton Hennington, take you, Grace Louise Rooney, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part. And long after that.”

  I smile through the tea
rs and everyone chuckles.

  “I think after a lifetime with you, she should get a free pass,” Wyatt jokes.

  “Because you’re a walk in the park?” Angie tosses in.

  “Can I kiss her now?” Trent asks The Reverend.

  “By the power vested in me by the state of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  “Kiss me, wife,” Trent says as he tugs me against him.

  “Whatever you say, husband.”

  Our lips touch, and I throw my arms around his neck. I hold on as he kisses me with so much love, I can’t feel the ground. Standing in a hospital room while surrounded by family, I just married my best friend.

  I walk around and hug everyone, thanking them for being there as happy tears find their way past my eyelashes. Doctor Halpern urges us all to leave and let Rhett get some sleep. He’s had a very exciting morning, and even though there are a dozen people in his room, his eyes are heavy with sleep.

  We head to a small break room that the nurses were nice enough to let us borrow for a few hours. There isn’t any music or decorations, but there is food. Sort of. We have jello, milk, and I don’t even know what kind of pie that’s supposed to be on the table.

  This is what I get for tasking Zach and Wyatt with food. It’s not as if Wyatt’s wife owns the bakery in town.

  Idiots.

  Mrs. Hennington enters the room and heads straight to me. There are tears in her eyes that match my own. “Oh, honey, don’t cry.” She squeezes me in her arms. “You were always my daughter. Even before you loved my son.”

  Things between his mother and Trent have remained a little tense. He’s managed to forgive his father, but he’s still holding anger toward her. I, on the other hand, want to hug her. She’s the survival story my sister wasn’t. She fought through abuse, found real love, and gave me my husband.

  Her eyes travel to where Trent is standing, talking to my parents.

  “You know he’ll come around,” I say as I glance at him.

  She waves her hand. “Oh, I know. He’s a stubborn ass, but he needs to be mad at someone, and I’ll be it for now. You know what you got yourself into with marryin’ a Hennington?”

  “I think I have a good idea.” I smile.

  “I’m glad he has you, honey.”

  “I hope I have a sliver of the love you and Rhett have.”

  Her eyes turn sad as she looks back at the door. “I don’t know how I’ll live without him. I’ve spent my entire life takin’ care of him. I thought I was prepared, but lookin’ at him today, so weak.” She sighs. “I know that I’ll never be ready to live in a world without him.”

  “Did the transfusion help?” I ask with a little hope.

  She shakes her head. “It’s like putting bubble gum on a slashed tire. It’s been a lot of patchin’ holes and there’s nothing more we can try.”

  “But he looked better today.”

  Mrs. Hennington’s voice is filled with despair. “It’s temporary, sugar. He looked better because he’d gotten the blood his body needed, but in a few hours, he’ll be back to the way he was. This was probably the last transfusion he’ll do. He doesn’t want to prolong the process.” A tear falls down her face and she wipes it away. “I’m so sorry I’m talkin’ about this, it’s your weddin’ day.”

  “Mrs. H.,” I touch her arm. “I don’t know what to say.”

  She touches my face. “First, you call me mama like my other daughters do. Second, you be happy today. Because if you saw the smile on my husband’s face, you would know it was because of you and Trent. He’s wanted to be at his boy’s weddings. And after what occurred the other day, to be his best man, I know it gives him great peace.”

  Trent walks over and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “Mama,” he says with restraint.

  Macie smiles at her son and touches her throat. “I’m so happy for you, Trent.”

  “I’m glad Dad got to see this.”

  “He is too, honey.”

  “Trent,” I look at him from over my shoulder, “why don’t you talk to your mother for a bit? I’m going to talk to my new brothers.”

  They need to work this out. There’s no better time to put your crap aside than at a wedding. His grin tells me he knows exactly what I’m doing. He kisses me, and I extricate myself from his hold.

  Wyatt holds his arm open, and I lean in. “Who knew it would take this long to be officially family?” He smiles down. “I’m happy for you.”

  I wrap my arms around one of my oldest friends and squeeze. “Thank you. For everything.”

  Wyatt has been there through it all. He’s given me more advice than he’s probably ever wanted to and wiped a lot of tears, but he never judged me. “Listen, there’s no give backs on that one. You bought him, so you have to fix whatever is defective.”

  I laugh and slap his back. “Is that so?”

  “Well, we’ll of course be happy to kick him around if he needs it,” Wyatt says as he looks to Zach for confirmation, which comes in the form of a nod and smile.

  “Good to know.” I kiss Wyatt’s cheek and continue to talk to everyone.

  It may not be a real wedding setting, but you’d never know it. Everyone talks, eats crappy hospital food, and smiles. This is one of the times I’m grateful for all the meddling and crazy small-town living. We don’t worry about the little things. It’s the people in my life that matter. They’re the foundation of the house I’m building in life. When things go bad, I know if I fall, I’ll be okay.

  Chapter 24

  ~ Fourteen months later ~

  “T he rules are simple ,” Wyatt stands on the table as he goes over the rules of the Rhett Hennington Annual Family Competition. “We have seven events. The family with the most points at the end, brings home the trophy.”

  Trent pulls me close and clears his throat. “Grace and I got this in the bag.”

  “Dream on.” Zach cracks his neck. “The boys and I are going to make you all cry like little—”

  “Hey now!” Mrs. Hennington steps forward. “Your daddy would not like any trash talkin’.”

  “Did you know Dad at all?” Wyatt asks. “He talked more shit than a toilet.”

  “Wyatt Hennington, you do not curse around your mama!” She scolds him. “Your father prided himself on raisin’ men. Act like it.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He drops his head but looks over at Angie and winks.

  We’ve been spending the last six months planning and getting ready for today. It’s been one year since we said goodbye to Rhett. A year of adjusting and finding ways through life without him. Trent took it hard, but instead of running away, he leaned on his family.

  After a while, Macie asked the girls to think of a way to honor Rhett that would keep the family together.

  It didn’t take long for us to come up with an extended version of their yearly fishing expedition. Plus, the boys never turn away a chance to compete.

  “Now,” Mama hoists Felicity in her arms, “your daughter is watchin’ you, Wyatt. She wouldn’t like it very much if her father lost, would she?”

  Wyatt looks at my beautiful niece and smiles. “No, and she’ll never see it happen. Daddy’s bringin’ home that trophy.”

  “Not so fast, little brother.” Trent walks forward. “Don’t go counting your chickens before they hatch.”

  “Boys, boys, boys.” Presley steps in the middle. “Are we gonna stand around all day or are we going to compete? Because this family is bringing that singin’ bass home.”

  “That’s right.” Zach throws his arm around his wife.

  God, this is going to be a shit show.

  The last two months Trent has started Operation Kick Their Ass, which has entailed training days. He’s woken me at the ass crack of dawn to go fishing, water balloon tosses, three legged races, and all kinds of other crap. I finally put my foot down the other day when he tried to get me up at five in the morning for a three-mile conditioning run.

  I do
n’t run.

  Not unless something is chasing me, and even then, I might just let it eat me.

  “Cooper,” Wyatt calls, “you know the rules?”

  “Yup.” He gives an evil grin. “I can’t wait. I’ll be in charge of makin’ sure none of you cheat. First event . . . shooting.”

  I don’t know how this event got put on the list, but the boys demanded it. There are three teams: me and Trent, Angie and Wyatt, and Zach and Presley. Any of the offspring can compete in one event each. Since Presley and Zach are the only ones with children old enough to compete, we know they’re going to use that to their advantage. Felicity is turning a year old in two weeks so we don’t have to worry about her yet.

  We walk over to the shooting area.

  “All right,” Cooper claps his hands, “this event is for the girls.”

  “What?” I yell. “No, that makes no sense!”

  He grins and lifts the paper in the air. “It’s the rules I got here.”

  Wyatt and Zach laugh. “I’m so glad we didn’t tell Trent about that rule.”

  “Assholes,” Trent grumbles. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m a cop, I’m highly trained on weapons and you’re my wife . . . you got this.”

  “How does your being trained on guns mean I’ve got this?”

  I don’t like shooting. I’d only gone once with my father, and I never agreed to go again. I’m not sure what he thinks he’s going to teach me in a few minutes. But the way that Angie and Presley are grinning, it seems they’ve done a lot of practice.

  I glare at them both. “I thought we were family! What happened to all that solidarity crap y’all were spewing?”

  “We are family and all that, but Zach promised me a trip if we win.” She shrugs.

  Angie gives an apologetic smile. “And Wyatt bribed me with a full month of getting up with Felicity.”

  I shake my head at them both. “Traitors.”

  “Wait a minute,” Angie says, leaning in close. “You have been off in honeymoon world while Pres and I have been babysitting.”