“So, how are you?” Karen asked, giving my braid a motherly touch.
Suddenly, I wanted to spill everything. I wanted to tell her she was going to be a grandma. I wanted to air out all my fears, because I knew she’d understand.
And so I did. I barely paused to take a breath as the words rushed from my mouth, and when I was done, I sagged, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Karen was silent, her eyes wide while her mouth gaped like a fish.
“Well.” I shrugged. “Say something.”
Her loud squeal took me by surprise. I jumped when the noise pierced my eardrums, and then I was being engulfed by an ecstatic woman.
Travis’s mom had hugged me plenty of times—I was used to her affection.
But she’d never hugged me like this.
Jerking from side to side, her spastic motions took me along for the ride. We swayed back and forth together, and I let out a laugh at her over-the-top excitement.
Coming to an abrupt halt, she held me at arm’s length. “You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world. I tell you what—while you’re on your honeymoon, I’m going to do some shopping. When you get back, I’ll have everything you need.”
I placed my hands on her forearms and shook my head. “That’s really nice of you to offer, but… I was kind of hoping we could do that stuff together.”
Her expression softened. “Of course. I’d like that, too. It’ll be more fun that way.”
Nodding, I agreed.
The latch on the door clicked, and my heartrate picked up as it opened. It was like I could sense Travis was near, and I was correct.
The next person who came in was my unbelievably handsome husband-to-be.
Walking toward each other, we met in the middle of the room. His slacks fit his narrow hips, and the white shirt was tucked in. I’d never seen him in such nice clothes. His hair had been trimmed recently, and the shorter cut was slicked back.
My fingers itched to mess it up.
“You look so handsome.” Grinning, I lightly snapped his suspenders. “You clean up well.”
“And you…” Travis seemed lost for words as his eyes perused me from head to toe.
“What do you think?” I preened, spinning in a circle as the lacy hem of my dress swished around my ankles.
I brushed my hand over the light blue sash cinching my waist and let my fingers linger on the sweetheart neckline.
The cream-colored gown was a mashup of modern and old-fashioned. The bodice was formfitting until it hit my hips, then it flowed out. Every inch of silky fabric was covered with a layer of lace.
I’d never felt this beautiful.
“You look exactly the same as the day I met you,” he finished his sentence.
Well, that wasn’t what I’d expected him to say. The first time he saw me, I wasn’t at my best. I was sweaty, hungry, and I’d just sponge-bathed myself in a dingy truck stop bathroom.
Disappointed, my lip jutted out in a pout.
“It’s not a bad thing, baby. When I see you—” Reaching out, he rubbed his thumb over my braid. “—I just see you.”
My lips curled up with a smile. “That’s one of the most romantic things you’ve ever said to me.”
“Unless you’re naked,” he mused thoughtfully, ruining the moment with his dirty mind. “Then I see a whole lot more—”
The sound of someone clearing their throat dragged our attention away.
Oh, yeah. Travis’s mom was still in the room. Awkward.
“I’ll just go out here and make sure no one bothers you.” Karen hustled from the room, and when she opened the door, I could hear Beverly’s commotion still going on out there.
“Brielle, can you get me some water?” she asked, panting.
Craning my neck to see around Travis, I caught sight of Beverly. She’d collapsed in one of the pews and she was clutching her chest. Several people were hovering over her, fanning her with the wedding programs.
“Is she faking a heart attack?” I asked, alarmed.
“Hot flashes,” Travis replied.
“Hot flashes?” I repeated incredulously. “That woman is always cold. I’m surprised she isn’t wearing her housecoat right now.”
I heard her let out a moan right as the door closed again.
Beverly missed her calling as an actress. Because even though I knew it wasn’t real, I wanted to run out there and help her.
“We don’t have much time,” Travis said urgently.
And then his lips were on mine.
I melted for a second before remembering my makeup. Pulling back, I broke the kiss and touched my mouth.
“My lipstick.”
“Fuck your lipstick.”
Hauling me against his hard chest, Travis wrapped his arms around me as he devoured my mouth. His tongue pushed past my lips, and I met him stroke for stroke.
We made out for at least a minute, and when we separated, we were both gasping for air.
“I have to get back out there,” Travis said regretfully, but his tone got lighter when he added, “Ceremony’s starting soon. You ready to be my wife?”
“Been ready for a long time.”
Bending down, he tenderly rubbed his nose down the length of mine before turning away.
“Wait.” I tugged his sleeve. “We need a napkin or something. For your face.” I gestured toward the pink surrounding his mouth.
Slipping a hand into his back pocket, he produced a small cloth. “Hank gave me his lucky handkerchief.”
I took it from him and began wiping the mess off. And because I had zero filter, I admitted, “I told Brielle about the baby.” I cringed. “And your mother. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked you if it was okay first.”
“I thought you wanted to keep it a secret for now?”
“Ugh, I did. It just spewed out. You know how bad I am at secrets.”
Travis chuckled, low and sexy. “Yeah, baby. I figured that might happen.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad? It’s your uterus. If you want to tell the whole world what’s happening in there, I’m fine with it. In fact, I couldn’t be prouder.” He flashed a wicked grin. “I knocked you up. I knocked you up good.”
“Yes, you did.” Snickering, I shook my head and handed the dirty handkerchief back to him. “I’ll be seeing you very soon, Mr. Hawkins.”
Travis’s eyes flared with a possessive glint when I said his last name, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was—in less than an hour, I’d be Mrs. Hawkins.
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the sight of Angel walking down the aisle.
I’d been dreaming of this day for a year. I’d pictured it in my mind a thousand times.
Even though I’d already seen Angel in her dress, she still almost knocked me on my ass. I swayed, weak in the knees as she appeared in the doorway.
She was stunning.
Radiant light shone behind her through the stained-glass windows. She turned toward Ernie. The two exchanged a few quiet words before she straightened his bowtie and put her arm in his.
This was the best moment of my life. Out of all the good times we’d had together, this one topped them all. And watching her tear-filled eyes go to mine… indescribable emotion filled my chest.
Everything and everyone else fell away. Right now, it was just her and me.
I didn’t see Hank and Brielle coming toward me, or Colton guiding Beverly behind them. I didn’t see Ava tossing blue petals onto the white runner, or the packed pews on both sides of the aisle.
All our friends and family disappeared.
“This Year’s Love” by David Gray played through the speakers as Angel took measured steps toward me.
Toward our life together.
I didn’t even realize I was crying until a single tear fell from my eye. I wiped it away and sent her a smile.
When she finally made it to me, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She passed her bouquet
to Beverly, and Ernie placed her hands in mine.
I bent down to run my nose over hers.
The pastor started speaking, going on about love and commitment. I probably should’ve been paying attention, but I couldn’t stop staring at Angel.
Sunlight beamed from the tall windows around us, and it almost looked like she was glowing. Little wisps of blond hair framed her face. Dark mascara made her blue eyes appear larger, pink blush highlighted her cheeks, and she’d reapplied her lip gloss.
“Uh, Travis?”
My eyes went to the pastor. “What?”
Chuckles rang out through the crowd, and I shot our audience a smirk and a shrug. Couldn’t blame a guy for ogling his gorgeous bride.
“The vows,” the pastor urged with a patient smile.
Oh. Right.
Angel bit her bottom lip, and I knew she was holding in a giggle.
Straightening my shoulders, I drew in a deep breath as I tried to remember the vows I’d memorized.
“Angel, before I met you, I thought I had everything I needed. But I was wrong. All it took was a ride in my semi and a few weeks with you to show me I didn’t know what true happiness was.”
A smile tugged at my lips when I remembered those first weeks we spent together. How uncertain we were about the future. How everything was so new—from falling in love to making love. How I almost had to let her go, because I just wanted her to be happy.
Good thing her happiness required me.
“You’re the most loveable person I’ve ever known, and I fall in love with you a little more every day,” I continued. “You’ve shown me that love is endless. Infinite. Thank you for being my first, my forever, and everything in between.”
Now it was her turn. She took a deep breath.
“Travis, when I say you’re my hero, I mean that quite literally.” Her voice came out quiet, and I was glad. These words weren’t for anyone else. They were just for me. “It all started about a year ago on the side of a highway. I was too hopeful, too naïve, and too trusting for my own good. I’m still all of those things, but you taught me that my greatest weaknesses are also my greatest strengths. It’s still hard for me to believe my biggest faults are the things you love most about me, but I’m so lucky to have someone love me for everything I am. You’ve given me a home, a family, and a future. And I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you for it.”
God, I wanted to kiss her so bad. Would it be terrible if I just snuck one in real quick?
Colton nudged me and dropped the rings into my hand.
Impatient, I went through the motions, following instructions as I shoved the sparkling diamond onto Angel’s finger.
Finally—fucking finally—the pastor said the best words in the world: “You may now kiss the bride.”
Cupping Angel’s face, I gazed into her sparkling eyes as my lips descended on hers.
She tried to pull back after a soft peck, but I wasn’t having any of that.
A small sound left her when my palm slipped to the nape of her neck and my tongue swiped over the seam of her soft lips. I could taste her vanilla lip gloss, candy mints, and her.
Her body relaxed against me as she gave in for a brief second.
Muscle memory took over as our mouths melded. We’d spent so much time doing this. We’d had thousands upon thousands of kisses in the last year.
The meaning behind this one was special, though. It was another first for us. The first kiss as husband and wife.
This time, when Angel pushed at my chest, I let her go. Our lips separated with an audible smooching sound, and she blushed bright red as all the onlookers clapped.
I gave her a sheepish grin. Had to slip a little tongue in there.
Grasping her hand, we faced the crowd and the pastor spoke behind us.
“I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins, husband and wife.”
I stand corrected.
Those were the best words in the world.
Travis put his hand over mine as we cut the three-tiered cake together. As the knife sliced through layers of white buttercream frosting, my stomach growled.
Did I mention I was starving?
Maybe this baby had a sweet tooth, because savory foods weren’t appealing to me. I’d choked down a couple bites of the pork barbeque sandwiches we’d had for lunch, but it wasn’t satisfying.
My mouth watered when the smell of sugary goodness invaded my nose. I felt like I could eat the entire top tier all by myself. We were supposed to save it, though. At least, that’s what Karen said. Something about tradition—freezing the top of the cake and eating it a year later on our anniversary.
Kinda sounded like food poisoning to me.
I made a mental note to pack up that portion of the cake and take it with us on our honeymoon. You know, for snacks. Everyone needed snacks on a road trip.
Another trick of the trade Karen taught me? Never buy an official wedding cake. It was seriously ten times more expensive than just getting a few plain cakes from a bakery, then stacking them. Karen was a wizard when it came to staying under a budget. She knew how to cut corners without sacrificing quality.
I smiled when I looked at the pair of otters embracing on the top. It was a Christmas ornament we’d removed the hook from. Boom. Wedding cake topper for six bucks.
“Open up.” Travis held out a fork to me, and I eyed the tiny chunk of cake he’d scooped up.
“I’m going to need a bigger bite than that,” I said seriously, and he barked out a laugh before going back to the plate to stab a larger hunk.
“Better?”
Grinning, I opened my mouth. Sweet icing exploded on my taste buds. I moaned as I pulled back, making sure to get as much of the dessert off the prongs as possible. Desire flared in Travis’s eyes at the sound.
“Das sho good,” I garbled out.
An amused smirk quirked up on my handsome husband’s mouth, and one of his dimples popped. “My turn.”
I fed him a bite—a good sized one—and when he licked his lips, I understood the heated look he gave me. There was something sensual about feeding each other, even if it was in front of all our family, friends, and neighbors.
Cheers erupted from the round tables filling the Tolson Community Building, and I was reminded again that we weren’t alone. Someone started clinking their fork against their champagne glass, and others promptly joined in.
“Guess that means we have to kiss again.” Travis sighed, feigning disappointment as he gave me an ornery grin.
I made sure to keep the kiss short this time. PDA was expected on a wedding day, but personally, I’d prefer to not suck face while we had an audience.
Leaning close to my ear, Travis whispered, “Can we get out of here soon?”
Yes.
Not that I didn’t enjoy the celebration, but I was ready to have Travis to myself.
The reception was almost over. We’d already had our first dance and lunch had been served. After everyone ate cake, it would be time for the parade.
Then after the parade, we’d be dropping the semi off at Hank’s and trading it out for Travis’s truck. It was already packed with our suitcase and other traveling necessities.
Bring on the honeymoon.
Laughing, I honked the horn of the eighteen-wheeler as we inched down Main Street. My candy bucket was almost empty, and happy children lined the road behind us. I tossed another handful out the driver’s side window and waved at all the parade attendants.
So many familiar faces smiled back at me, and many people made use of the wedding bubbles that’d been passed out at Hank’s garage.
With one hand on the steering wheel, Travis adjusted my position on his lap, making sure to keep my lacy skirt out of the way of his feet.
He looked so wonderfully disheveled.
He’d shed the jacket and tie as soon as we left the reception. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up on his muscular forearms. Several buttons had been undone—by me, of course—and I could see
a dusting of chest hair. The light-brown strands on his head were a mess, sticking up at weird angles—also my handiwork.
As we took a left turn to loop back to the auto shop, butterflies took flight in my stomach.
We were so close to being alone.
“You excited for our trip, baby?” Travis spoke loudly over the rumbling engine.
I nodded before planting a kiss on his cheek. Rough stubble scraped my lips and I couldn’t help nuzzling the side of his face some more. Moving down, I licked his neck and sucked some of his sensitive flesh into my mouth.
“Fuck,” he cursed quietly, his hand tightening on my hip. “Can’t wait for tonight.”
“Me, too.”
Our wedding night destination was undetermined. We were heading east, eventually planning to arrive in Maine so I could show Travis my home state. But all our plans along the way were going to be spontaneous.
The back of the shop came into view, and I was hopping with excitement when we finally put the semi in park.
Travis groaned, anchoring me to his lap by wrapping his arms around my waist. “Wait.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Unless you want everyone to see the massive hard-on I’ve got right now, quit bouncing like that and give me a few minutes to calm down.”
“Oh.” I giggled.
Sometimes I forgot how much I affected him. Although I shouldn’t have been surprised. The feeling was mutual. My body was just a lot better at hiding it than his.
Just to screw with him, I wiggled some more. I could feel the hard bulge in his pants under my left butt cheek.
He grunted.
I laughed.
Hank and the rest of the gang gathered outside the back of the garage, waiting for us to get out.
Sending them an innocent smile through the windshield, I waved. “I guess we should get out there.”
“Easy for you to say.” Travis’s palm slid up my stomach, and the tip of his finger grazed the underside of my breast. “You’re going to pay for this later.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Willpower wasn’t Travis’s strong suit—at least, not when it came to me. Whenever we teased each other, he always broke first. But if there was ever a time to have mercy on him, it was now. The sooner we got on the road, the sooner we could celebrate, just the two of us.
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 76