Her blue eyes flashed with intrigue as she considered his statement. “Your dad and I have already booked our trip to Belize for after Christmas.”
Mr. Maxwell pinned a loving gaze on each of his sons. “If it makes you more comfortable to pay us, then we’ll accept that. But your mom and I will decide on a monthly number. Fair enough?”
Kade and the triplets glanced at each other, while Lizzie and I raised our eyebrows. Jessie appeared indifferent. Between her nursing job and the recording contract with my dad, she was in a good financial situation. Kross had his boxing, which garnered him a good salary. As far as Kelton and Lizzie, they were both in college, trying to work and study.
The brothers nodded at one another. Then Kade spoke. “We agree.”
Their parents radiated with happiness.
Then everyone dove into the meal, piling food onto their plates.
Our lives were coming together. So I shouldn’t worry about how we were going to pay rent or a mortgage, at least not at that moment. So I unfolded my napkin, set it on my lap, and started in with our wedding plans. It was a perfect time to share with the family more details of where and when Kade and I would get married.
But as I opened my mouth to tell them the date, Lizzie spoke up. “Lacey, please tell us you and Kade set a date.”
Everyone busied themselves with passing food or taking sips from their drinks.
Kade kissed me on the head. “We have. The date is set for the first Saturday in June.”
“We want to get married down by the lake,” I added. The area was big enough for a hundred guests or so.
Mrs. Maxwell buttered her bread. “Well, we were hoping you wanted a big wedding. We would like to invite some of our relatives on both sides of the family.”
Kross whispered under his breath, “Keep it small.”
I didn’t want small. I was only getting married one time, and I wanted all my family and friends and the Maxwells’ family and friends to celebrate our union.
“It’s going to be a huge wedding,” I said with so much giddiness in my voice, I could probably fill up the dining room.
Jessie and Lizzie squealed.
Ruby returned. “I heard a big wedding.”
Mrs. Maxwell smiled, and my heart opened up.
Raven clapped. “Can I be the flower girl?”
“Of course. We were going to ask you.” I grabbed my glass of water.
“Yay,” Raven cooed.
Kade made as though he was kissing my ear. “You just made my mom the happiest mom on the planet. Thank you.”
She was my mom too, or about to be. I loved her and every Maxwell hard, and I would do anything for them.
On that note, we talked, laughed, and ate.
It was time to marry the man who’d rocked my world that first day I met him in the high school parking lot.
Chapter Sixteen
Lacey
People scurried around the backyard of the Maxwells, setting up tables and chairs. The five large tents and the wooden platforms had been installed yesterday.
Soft music pumped out of the speakers on the makeshift stage that Kody, Jessie, and their band-mate, Jake, would occupy during the reception.
I couldn’t believe that my big wedding day was here. A floral scent floated in the air. The florist was setting vases of red and white roses on each table.
I swung my gaze from one side of the yard to the other. The florist’s assistant was clipping the heads off colorful carnations down by the lake and tossing them on the water. Kade and I wanted the lake to be our backdrop, so I’d decided that flowers floating on the surface would be a pretty scene for our special day.
Past the floating flowers, the water glistened beneath the morning sun. A slight chill hung in the air, which was unusual for June, but I welcomed it. I’d been running around like a madwoman with all the planning and preparations.
Becca’s voice trickled down from the garage. “Yeah, Mom. I will.” She came up alongside me, pocketing her phone. “The transformation is amazing. I mean, this place has always been beautiful, but right now it’s breathtaking.”
I nudged her with my shoulder. “It’s everything I dreamed about.” Night after night, I’d lain in bed, thinking about my dress, the bridesmaid dresses, songs, flowers, vows, the weather, the food, and everything else that went into planning a wedding. Thankfully, Becca, Mrs. Maxwell, and Lizzie helped tremendously. I couldn’t ask Ruby since she was dealing with a nine-month-old and Raven, and Jessie was handling the DJ duties.
Speaking of Raven, I couldn’t wait to see her in her red-and-white dress. The color scheme I’d chosen was red for the bridesmaid dresses except Becca’s. Her dress would be black. The men were wearing black tuxedos. Raven’s dress was designed with a sleeveless white bodice, a red skirt that fell to her knees, and a satin black band that separated the top from the skirt. With her black hair, the color ensemble was perfect.
“I love the boathouse,” Becca said, drawing me back to the present.
The wooden structure looked like a small house with a deck on one side. Red roses intertwined with baby’s breath were woven into the deck’s rail.
“I feel like we stepped into another world,” I muttered, more to myself.
“So, have you seen the inside of the boathouse?” Becca asked.
I gave her a sidelong glance. Her chin was jutted forward, and she had a smirk that said I was going to love it. “I thought it was off-limits.” Kelton had warned that if I even climbed one step, he would throw me in the lake.
I didn’t think he would, or for that matter, I didn’t think Kade would let him. But he had been dead serious when he’d delivered that message to me.
Becca lifted a T-shirt-clad shoulder. “So? I would’ve peeked.” She giggled.
“Have you seen inside?” I asked.
She shook her head, her black ponytail swinging behind her. “Kelton would cut off my legs. He can be scary when he’s determined to do something.”
“I would hate to go up against him in court,” I added.
Glasses clinked as workers held them upside down by the long stems, walking around to place the wine goblets on the tables.
I checked my phone. I’d been waiting all morning for Kade to reply to a text I’d sent as soon as I’d woken up that morning. “Kade and the boys should be back at my house by now.” A tinge of concern edged my tone.
Becca positioned herself in front of me then grabbed the sides of my arms. “It’s time to wake up Jen, Heather, and Peggy if they’re not up already.”
The girls had commandeered the Maxwell house, while the men in the wedding party had gone to Boston for a couple of days. They’d been due back in Ashford the night before. My dad had invited them to crash at his house.
I lifted my phone. “Let me call Kade one more time.”
Becca huffed. “Kade is fine. He’s probably hung over from all the partying he and Hunt and the rest of the groomsmen did last night.”
Not Kade. He wasn’t a party animal. His idea of fun was spending a quiet night with a few beers and hanging out with his brothers and his best friend, Hunt.
Becca knitted her dark eyebrows. “You’re not still worried about a relapse of his tumor, are you?”
I angled my head. “Considering his latest MRI came back clean, no. But I can worry about my man.”
My phone chirped.
Becca narrowed her eyes. “If that’s Kade, you have two minutes to chat. We have hair and makeup, and we need to get those bridesmaids out of bed.”
I showed her my screen as my phone kept ringing. “It’s my agent. Hi, Tara.” Tara Bannister was one of a handful of female sports agents in the industry. She’d been talking to several baseball teams on my behalf, although she hadn’t had much luck in securing a meeting with any of them until last week. She’d said she might have something brewing.
“Are you ready for your big day?” Tara’s voice was deep for a woman.
“As I’ll ever be.” My
exasperated tone wasn’t that convincing. “So you’re still coming to the wedding?”
She let out a hearty laugh. “I wouldn’t miss it. I’m calling to ask if I can bring a friend since I only checked one guest on the invitation.”
“Sure,” I said. “So, any news from the Red Sox?” With the season already in full swing, I wasn’t holding out hope that a team would sign me. But two weeks ago, the Sox had lost their relief pitcher for the season to an injury, and they’d called up another pitcher from one of their farm teams, which meant the Sox could have an open pitching position.
Despite hoping, I had to be realistic about my chances. The Dodgers had opened my eyes to how difficult it was going to be for me as a female to play in the major leagues. Tara was convinced that the day would come when the big leagues would sign a female, but probably not as fast as we both wanted to see me pitch in a major league game.
“I’m still waiting for a call back,” Tara said. “It’s your big day. Don’t worry about baseball or anything else except saying ‘I do’ to that gorgeous man of yours.”
I smiled at her reference to Kade. I was marrying the hottest man in the world, and baseball could wait.
Besides, despite not playing ball, I was extremely happy with my life at the moment. Kade and I were designing our home on the lake, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell’s extraordinary wedding gift. Kade and his dad had worked out a deal on a mortgage payment. We would start out at a low monthly rate while Kade and I got on our feet. In the meantime, my soon-to-be husband and I were living at my dad’s house. He wasn’t charging us a dime to stay there, which gave us a chance to get our jobs and finances in order.
Becca crossed her arms over her chest, staring daggers at me.
“I got to run, Tara. I’ll see you at the wedding.”
After we said our goodbyes, Becca hooked her arm in mine. “Anything outside the wedding can wait. Give me your phone.” She held out her free hand.
Reluctantly, I gave it to her. I didn’t want to argue. She’d been the one person who was responsible for getting me to my big day without me pulling out my hair. We’d had several mishaps along the way too. The latest one had been the cake. The gal we hired had backed out at the last minute, like a week ago. So Becca, Mrs. Maxwell, and I had searched for a new one. But as it turned out, Kody had raised his hand to make the cake. He’d always been the one to bake cookies and other mouthwatering desserts.
We’d arched our eyebrows pretty high when he’d offered. Becca had protested at first, so Kody had baked a red velvet cake that was to die for. Kade and I didn’t have any preferences on the type of cake. We just needed to have one to feed about a hundred guests.
Speaking of guests, family and mostly friends on all sides had accepted the invitation. Out of a hundred and thirty on the list, thirty had declined, including Tyler, who I’d invited.
“Do you know why Tyler isn’t coming? Have you talked to him?” I asked as we made our way up to the Maxwell house. I’d always considered him a good friend. But before I sent the invitation, I’d asked Becca if she would be upset, and her response had been not at all.
She climbed up to the back deck ahead of me. “No and no.” She sounded disappointed he wasn’t coming.
When I reached the top step, I asked, “You still love him, don’t you?”
Settling against the deck rail, she got this faraway look in her eyes. “I broke up with him.”
I stood across from her, next to one of the high-back resin chairs. “That’s not what I asked you.”
A crease dented her forehead. “I caught him kissing another girl.”
I reared back. “While he was dating you?” That was so unlike the Tyler I knew. Then again, the last time I’d seen Tyler was New Year’s Eve two years ago, or maybe three. I couldn’t remember. He and Becca had shown up at Rumors when Zeal played that night.
She sighed. “Yeah. I surprised him one weekend just before his graduation from Florida State.” She fixated on the wooden planks we were standing on. “I showed up at a party, and lo and behold, he had his lips locked around some football cheerleader who’d been after him since he arrived on campus. I know it’s shocking to hear that Tyler cheated on me, but he’s different, Lace.” She broke her stare. “In fact, he’s not that sweet guy you knew in high school. I think his football stardom went to his head. Girls swarm all over him.”
I imagine they did. Tyler was handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes and broad shoulders. Girls in high school had drooled over him.
I inclined my head. “You’re leaving something out.”
“We shouldn’t be talking about Tyler. There’s much to do before you walk down the red carpet. Besides, this is your day.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to listen to my best friend. You’ll feel better to get it off your chest. I know you’ve been holding in your feelings since you came home from college.”
“I do love him.” She got quiet for a beat. “But I’m an idiot for crushing on him since we were in grade school. It hurts, Lace, to have strong feelings for someone, but they don’t have the same for you.”
My heart broke for her. I could say there were other men out there or that she was beautiful and men should have been dropping to their knees for her, but she was still hurting. I could definitely see the pain in her eyes.
So I hugged her. “I’m sorry for all you’ve been through, and I wasn’t there for you.”
She gave me a squeeze. “Enough about Tyler and me. He and I will never be anyway, and I’m coming to terms with that. Right now”—she pointed to the slider—“let’s go wake up some girls.”
I puffed out my chest. “I’ll only go in if I can call Kade.” I had to hear his voice, and I was dying to find out about his time with Hunt and the guys.
She shook her pretty head but gave me my phone just the same. “Five minutes.” Then she sashayed into the house.
I couldn’t open my screen and tap his name in my favorites fast enough. When the line connected and his sexy morning voice came over the line, I hung my head.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “I hear you’re marrying some dude who is head over heels in love with you.”
I beamed as bright as the sun. “He’s okay,” I teased.
“Baby, you better give me more than that, or else I’ll be the one throwing you in the lake.”
“Promise. We can skinny-dip tonight.”
“How did you know that was on my list?” he asked so seriously.
“Great minds.” I didn’t know a thing. Our first night married would be spent in the boathouse before we headed off to Belize for our honeymoon, a wedding gift from my dad. Kade’s parents had taken a vacation to Belize recently, and since Mrs. M. had spoken nonstop about the trip and shown us tons of pictures, I was hooked. “So how did your time go with Hunt?”
He chuckled. “Are you asking if we went all stripper-and-lap-dancing style?”
I growled a tad.
“Chill,” he said through a laugh. “We did do something, but I’m not going to tell you.”
Breathe, girl. He’s just messing with you. But I didn’t have the willpower to listen to the voice in my head. “Kade Maxwell, I swear if I find pictures of some girl on you or hear stories from your brothers or Hunt, I will kick you in the balls. And don’t think I won’t. Remember that day in high school in the janitor’s closet when you tried to maul me.”
He let out a belly laugh. “Baby, that was one of the best days of my life.” His tone was dead serious. “Relax. Nothing of the sort happened. So are you ready to marry me?”
I went silent on purpose. If he was jerking my chain, then two could play that game.
“Lace.” My name off his lips was sexy, but his tone screamed with a warning.
I sighed so heavily that I almost choked. Kade wouldn’t allow any girl to touch him. But he would have to explain his night in detail later. “More than ready to tie the knot with the guy who sets me on
fire,” I said in a soft and serious tone. “I’m more than ready to make babies. More than ready to make love until the sun comes up or goes down. And more than ready to spend the rest of my life with you.”
The line went silent as tears pricked my eyes. The emotions were starting, and I hoped I wouldn’t be a blubbering mess through my vows.
“Kade.”
“I’m here, baby. You just opened up my heart so fucking much. I can’t wait to marry you.”
My heart beat crazy wild, and the next four hours were going to tick by in slow motion.
Chapter Seventeen
Kade
Kody, Kross, Kelton, and I held hands as we stood around Karen’s memorial in a silent prayer. Forty-five minutes and counting until I married the woman of my dreams. A faint hum of music echoed from across the lake, where guests were arriving and ushers were seating them. The sun was almost high in the sky as it edged the top of the tree line that spanned the glassy lake.
My heart rammed so hard against my chest for so many reasons. I felt as though this day was my defining moment. My family and I had struggled since my sister’s death. My mom had been in a mental health facility. Kody had lost his high school sweetheart to a motorcycle accident. Then he ended up almost dying himself from a brutal beating by my high school enemy, Greg Sullivan. I’d done a stint in jail when Kross and Kody took revenge on Sullivan. Then Lacey had been kidnapped and almost stabbed to death by some thug her estranged, fucked-up grandfather had hired, all to find the missing coordinates to buried money.
Despite all the bad in our lives, the last few years had slowly turned around with Mom coming home to live for good. Kelton had found the love of his life. Kross had not only found the girl he’d had feelings for since high school but had also learned he had a beautiful daughter, Raven. She certainly had been an eye-opener for all of us, and I couldn’t imagine our family without her. Then Kody. Man, I hadn’t thought my brother would get over the past. He’d mourned for his girl, Mandy, for so long until he’d met Jessie Ryan over a year ago.
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