“Wise words,” Wade said, and picked a splinter of wood from the fence. “So, how long did it take you to figure out you could just walk out of the rehab?” He smiled at Levi.
“I’ll admit, I had help. I gave this sexy nurse so much trouble, she let it slip I could just walk out if I wanted to.” He shook his head. “I was so messed up that night, I thought you committed me, I didn’t know I signed the damn papers myself.”
“Levi, I know your back is hurtin’ after that bull threw ya’, and you can’t do what you love, but the pain meds…” Wade locked eyes with him. “You can’t hide from life behind drugs. Life throws you curves, and you just have to readjust, but you don’t let it beat you.”
“I’m trying. I don’t know how I’m goin’ to thank you for savin’ me that night.”
Wade patted his back. “Be my best man.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Levi’s face scrunched and he turned to face his older brother. “You ain’t gonna make me wear one of them monkey suits, are you?”
“Brother, I’ll put on any damn thing she wants me to, and so will you.”
Chapter 30
With All My Heart
Carly looked in the full-length mirror, her eyes watering at her reflection. “It’s beautiful.”
“Don’t do that.” Tracy reached around her and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “You’ll smudge yourself.”
“Thanks.” Today was her wedding day, and Carly felt the bright light burning inside her growing into a bubble that would burst any minute. Betty, the shop owner, had given Carly permission to dress for her big day inside the bridal shop, since Carly had planned to be out of her hometown right after she kissed her groom. She sat in the chair at the dressing table and breathed deeply.
Wade had told her to take her time, but she wanted to marry him as soon as possible. And two weeks after he put the ring on her finger, was the quickest date she could plan. She’d make sure she was bound to him in every possible way. She smiled as his image filtered into her mind. After each confirmed plan she made, he’d ask if she was sure, with a concerned look on his face as if he wasn’t giving her enough.
“Oh, honey…” Tracy ran her fingers over the back of her sweep train. “If that man isn’t already in love, he sure as hell will fall when he sees you in this dress.”
“You think so?” Carly tilted her head and stared in the mirror. The doubt in her tone still lingered. Wade told her every day he loved her, but getting it to sink into her head proved to be a challenge. He was a dream come true, and her dreams never came true. Something was always there, lingering. She met Tracy’s gaze in the mirror. “We’ve only known each other a couple of months… no one’s even mentioned it or warned me off.”
“The two of you have a connection, honey. Everyone can see it. You two were meant for each other.” Tracy bent, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m goin’ next door for a soda. You want somethin’?”
“No. I already feel like I’m gonna toss my cookies. I don’t want anything sittin’ in my stomach.” She watched Tracy walk out of the back room and then returned her gaze to the mirror. The dress was stunning. Its satin V neck stopped low just below her breasts and accented them well. The cape sleeves were perfect for the end of summer. The satin flowed from her waist to the floor with cascading organza ruffles. And the back was sexy, opening all the way to her waist with tiny lace up strings that rested just below her shoulder blades. It almost looked like a sexy nighty. Tracy had clipped her hair back at the sides, and curled the back so it hung in soft locks. She placed her mother’s earrings in her lobes before pressing her palm to her stomach in an attempt to stop her nerves from swirling. She prayed Wade would like everything—even if it was simple—it’s all she needed.
“Fuck, babe, you should’ve picked that dress for our wedding.”
Carly was on her feet in a heartbeat, knocking over the chair. “Chet?” She backed up until her legs met the table. Her eyes darted around the room in a panic. He stepped toward her in quick strides. Picking up the chair with his right hand, he tapped a gun against his thigh with the other.
“Sit.” He used the gun as a pointer and aimed it at the chair’s seat.
She shook her head.
A disturbing smile crossed his face. He tapped the top of the chair with the weapon. “I’m only sayin’ it one more time. Sit.” His crazed eyes followed her as she slid down the desk, turned, and sat in the chair. She met his gaze in the mirror, and took in his disheveled clothes. His hair was messy, and the faint odor of liquor blew out on his breath. He stared at her so long her skin crawled. “Open the top drawer.”
“I thought you were in jail.”
“Open the fuckin’ top drawer!” His hands tightened on the chair’s top rail. With a shaky hand, she reached for the knob and did as he demanded. “Take out a piece of paper, and grab that pen.” He pointed again with the gun. “Money bought me a quick trial, and wouldn’t you know, the girl didn’t want to press charges after all.”
“Imagine that.” She placed the store’s stationary in front of her and laid the pen on top of it. “Money can’t buy you everything, Chet.” She stiffened at the look in his eyes.
“I heard that before from someone you know.” He teetered back and forth as if struggling with something. Then his red-stained eyes bored into hers, and he tapped the gun against his head. “All I ever wanted was for you to love me.” He sniffled and shook off his backslide into insanity.
“Chet.”
“Shut up. Shut the fuck up.” He tapped the gun against his head again and closed his eyes before continuing. “We’re goin’ on a trip, but in order to do that, I need those two assholes that guard you like a queen off my back.” He pointed the gun toward the paper. “Write: Dear Wade.”
She stared at him. His cheese had completely slid off his cracker. The man had lost it. If he wanted to take her somewhere, they’d have to leave the building. Once they were outside, she’d have more space to run. She picked up the pen and wrote, Dear Wade.
“Good.” He sniffled again, and his eyes watered. “Now write: I can’t do this, I’m leavin’ you.”
Her response was instantaneous. She flattened the pen on the table. “I won’t write that.” She watched him teeter on the edge; he pulled on the back of the chair and rocked back and forth.
“Write it!”
“No.” She challenged his gaze. Fear choked her, but she couldn’t do it, even when he was waving a gun in her face. As it had been her whole life, she resigned that her dream wasn’t coming true. Her breath hitched, and her head tilted sideways as he pressed the tip of the gun against her temple.
“Write it! Write it!” He pressed the metal in deeper with each word.
“I can’t.” A tear dropped on the paper.
“If you don’t write it, I’m gonna blow your fuckin’ head off.”
“Make sure you have more than one bullet in that gun.” Wade’s deep voice resonated behind her.
“You’ll need at least three.” Levi stepped out from behind Wade, holding a pistol at his side.
With frantic eyes, Chet swung the gun toward Wade. He moved it back and forth between the brothers before placing it back to Carly’s temple. “You’re gonna let us leave, or… I’ll kill her.”
Wade’s unwavering stance gave nothing away. He stayed silent and stared at Chet through narrowed eyes. With a quick glance to Levi, they both started to move. Levi sidestepped to the right, Wade to the left.
“What are you doin’?” Chet pulled the gun from her temple and waved it between the men approaching him. “Don’t move.”
“C’mon.” Wade beckoned Chet toward him with a wave of his hand. “I’m the one you really want to hurt.”
Carly’s blood was rushing through her veins so quick, her heartbeat sounded in her ears. This couldn’t be happening. She prayed Chet would put the gun back on her, but when he turned and pointed it straight at Wade, her stomach dropped into her toes.
&n
bsp; “That’s right. I took her away from you.”
“You fuckin’ asshole.” Chet stepped forward, and pointed the gun toward Wade’s chest.
Carly didn’t realize she’d screamed until Levi’s hand came over her mouth, and she felt the vibration of the sound on his skin. Chet turned toward her scream, and aimed at her. With a confused look, his eyes moved between the empty chair and where she stood in Levi’s arms.
“I took her virginity, Chet.”
Carly’s body sagged when Chet closed the gap between him and Wade with quick strides and shoved the gun against Wade’s chest, right against the heart she loved so deeply. He pulled the lever back. Levi tugged her toward the exit, and something inside her snapped. A foreign feeling of desperation and loss hung inevitably over her heart. She pulled forward in Levi’s arms, trying to get to Wade.
“Please… God, no. Chet, I’ll go with you.”
Both men looked at her.
“Just don’t hurt him.” Desperation laced her voice. “I’ll go with you… but you need to know I’ll never leave him. Whatever you do to me, he’ll always be in my heart—my soul.” She choked on a sob, and tears fell in streams. “I’ll always think of him. There’s nothin’ you can do to me to erase him. I’ll always belong to him.” She watched tears slide down Chet’s cheeks, and he seemed too struggle with her words. “And if you kill him… if you take him away from me, then you take half of me too.”
No one in the room moved. Chet stared at her and then looked around the room, a resolution set in his gaze. “You. You really love him?”
“With all my heart.”
He stepped back from Wade and placed the gun to his own temple.
“Fuck.” Wade moved fast, and swept her into his arms. He turned her body away from Chet and tucked her head into his chest. She felt Levi at her back and she was abruptly pulled into a Dawson sandwich.
POP!
The loud sound deafened her. A low ring started strumming against her inner ear. Levi backed away from her, but Wade held her tight.
“I got you, darlin’.” He kissed the top of her head.
She felt his torso twist to the right, then the left before he sighed.
“Keep your head to my chest. Don’t look, baby.” He scooted her out of the room, shielding her from an image that would probably scar her for life from the bleak sound of Wade’s voice.
When they reached the front door, a crowd had gathered outside along with the sheriff. Tracy ran to her, throwing her arms around her.
“When I came back from gettin’ my soda, the door was locked. Betty was in the diner with me, we had no idea. I called Wade right away.” She squeezed Carly tight. “Thank God he was around the corner.”
“You were around the corner?” Her brows pulled together. “You’re very early.”
“Luckily.” A mixture of emotion swirled around his fervent gaze as his eyes narrowed. A tense vibe rolled off him in waves strong enough to push her back. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“If a man ever holds a gun to your head again, do what he says until the gun isn’t pointed at you.”
“I couldn’t do it, Wade.” She watched his eyes water.
“He had a gun. To your head.”
“I won’t do it, ever.”
“We don’t have to do this today. If it’s too much.”
“Too much for who?” She reached up and cupped his face, her thumb stroking his cheek.
“I need a minute.” He spun without warning and entered the diner.
Wade shut the small bathroom door and locked it. Fear had him leaving the hotel early to get to Carly. She was a flight risk, in his mind, anyway. He knew she cared, he’d felt her love, but the feeling she’d leave still haunted him. He wrapped his hands around the white porcelain sink and lowered his head. His chest constricted, and he couldn’t breathe. He tightened his grip, exhaled a heavy breath, and rocked back and forth. He’d almost lost her. He knew the look in Chet’s eyes, and knew he was going to pull the trigger on someone. Better him than her, and he did everything to get Chet to point the gun at him.
He fell to his knee and prayed to anyone who was listening in the solitude of the bathroom. “Please… if that ever happens again, take me out of this world. Don’t allow her to be hurt. She deserves to fly. If you need a soul, take mine.”
His heart rate escalated as the scene replayed in his mind. Carly’s words hit him hard. It was a declaration of love that out shone anything in his past. All doubt was stripped away from him, and he felt complete, loved, and even cherished. If someone asked him to put it into words, he couldn’t beyond saying she was his everything.
He pulled himself to his feet, feeling whole for the first time in his life. He walked out to join the others. The coroner had arrived. Chet’s mother was on an ambulance gurney. Uncontrollable sobs shook the woman’s body. He felt sympathetic. There were no winners in this situation, only heartache. He needed to touch Carly. When he reached his woman, he slid his hand on her bare back to ground himself. “You okay?”
“That man was unstable.”
“You think?” Tracy added.
“Would I be an awful person if I still got married today?” She searched Wade’s eyes.
“You don’t have an awful bone in your body, darlin’.”
“I’m not wearin’ this thing twice.” Levi came up behind them, a bottle of Coke tipped at his lips.
“Y’all do look handsome.” Carly scanned them from hat brim to boot tip.
“Yeah… you do look purdy, brother,” Levi said, and puckered his lips to Wade. “How’s about a kiss?”
“Knock it off.” Wade shoved him back, careful not to mess up the suit. They were simple black suits. They bought new black boots, and it was a good excuse to buy a new black, Stetson cowboy hat.
Wade twisted his wrist and looked at his watch. “Where right on time.” Bending down, he placed a kiss on Carly’s cheek. “You still want me?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. Little Billy Ray might still be available.”
“Smart ass.”
“You gonna kiss me on the lips?”
“When you say: I do.” He backed up, and tilted the brim of his hat. “See you at the altar.”
“Bet I can get one before that.”
“You’re on, Miss Scarlett…”
Chapter 31
A Silent Wife
The altar was the massive oak tree her mama was buried under. White strips of satin decorated the tree and blew in the wind. She walked toward Wade, a simple cluster of wild flowers in her hands, their stems tied with an emerald ribbon to match Wade’s eyes.
Wade had asked her several times if she was sure she wanted to walk down the aisle alone and she had assured him she wouldn’t be alone. She smiled as she passed her mama’s grave. No. She’d never feel alone again.
She stopped next to Tracy, and turned to face Wade. Levi stood next to him, and she thought she saw his eyes mist, but maybe it was her watery vision distorting what she saw. The pastor was from another county, and he began the service promptly. Wade had taken care of this part. After the time she’d had with church going folks, she wanted nothing to do with this process. She smiled at her husband-to-be and tried to focus on the words.
“The grace of a wife will charm her husband, her accomplishments will make him stronger. A silent wife is a gift from the Lord—”
“Wait.” Carly stuck her hand out, and the clergyman’s eyes widened. Her tone was a little harsher than she intended. Was that a smothered grin Wade was hiding? What about this was funny? She looked at him. “If you think I’m gonna be a silent wife, you have another thing comin’.”
“This is why I asked you to come with me.”
“Excuse me…” the pastor interrupted. “I don’t think you understand the meanin’ behind the words. “It means a man can confide in his wife, and take comfort in her silence. The rest says, ‘no price can be put on a well-trained character’.”
“Only a fool would ask you to be silent.” Wade winked, and she melted.
“Just… go to the next one.” She smiled at the pastor, and he continued.
She missed everything he said because the intense stare coming from Wade pulled her in like the moon’s gravitational pull. She was lost to him, hopelessly and unreservedly in love. She heard the words he repeated from the pastor in the recess of her mind. His lips formed the most alluring ‘I do’ she’d ever seen.
The pastor turned to her, and she forgot everything. She’d chosen to say her own vows, and they were gone, wisped out of her head with one steady emerald gaze. “I forgot what I was gonna say.” She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her tone.
“Darlin’, you said more than enough earlier today. I’ll take those words, and keep them in my heart forever.”
She smiled. “Well, I have to say somethin’.”
“Repeat after me…” The pastor began, and she followed. “…to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part.”
She ran her tongue over her teeth and stared at Wade’s grin. “I’m not obeyin’.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and flattened her against his chest.
“Kiss me.”
She leaned into him without reserve. Cupping his face, she pressed her lips to his. He held her tighter against him, and placed his mouth by her ear. “See... obeyin’ isn’t that bad, and the only obeyin’ I want you to do is in the bedroom.” His breath blew hot in her ear and decorated her flesh with bumps. “This dress is drivin’ me insane. Hurry up and say I do, so I can take you out of it.”
They turned toward the pastor’s throaty sound.
“Sorry,” Carly said, and smoothed down the front of her gown, noting the hunger in Wade’s eyes as they followed her hand’s movement. “I do.”
The pastor shook his head and announced, “You may kiss the bride, again.” Wade’s fingers skated across her cheek. His movements were slow, and deliberate. He paused just above her lips, hovering there. She melted into him. His eyes held hers, and the anticipation of the kiss burned inside her. When he settled his lips onto hers, her moan was improper for a wedding, but she didn’t care. There was no way she could hold it back. He had kissed her like this on purpose, because she could feel him fighting a grin she knew would be wicked. He kissed her thoroughly and like he had all the time in the world. She’d never felt more cherished.
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