Boomer's Saving Grace: Mercy Springs Heroes Series Book 2

by Bliss Carter

  Grace and Jaxson began walking toward where Walker stood with Birdie. Canon in D played in the background from sound speakers. Walker stood, looking toward Grace and Jaxson with so much love and joy that it took her breath away. He was wearing a pair of khaki dress pants and a navy-blue blazer, white dress shirt and a super hero tie. As Grace stopped in front of him, she saw that he was also wearing a pair of fake, black rimmed glasses that reminded her of Clark Kent. When Jaxson and Grace stood in front of Walker, Jaxson picked up Walker’s hand and linked it with his mama’s. When they were holding hands, Jaxson spoke up and almost brought Grace to her knees with tears.

  “Daddy, I’m putting my mama’s hand in yours because this is where she is supposed to be. Auntie B and I talked this week and she said that a marriage is when two people decide that they want to belong to each other and love each other. And I want that because that means I get to be a part of it. I love both of you and know that you make my mama happy. So, take her hand and then turn to face each other. I’m gonna be over here with Auntie B to get things started.” Jaxson took off and ran over to where Birdie stood in her leather superhero outfit, with a book in her hand.

  Grace sniffed back tears and looked up at Walker, seeing that he was just as moved as she was. Then Walker did the most hilarious thing ever. He loosened his tie, and took off his glasses. Grace was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened in understanding. In front of the crowd, Walker took the two sides of his white shirt and ripped it apart, buttons flying everywhere. Beneath his shirt and tie was Superman’s outfit, the S logo defined in the blue, red and yellow colors, framed by the edges of the dress shirt. It was perfect. Grace couldn’t have picked a more perfect way to start the wedding. Her Superman had arrived to save her and Jaxson! Boomer’s saving Grace…again.

  Birdie began the ceremony with reading from scripture about love. She then turned to Jaxson and nodded to him. Grace and Walker noticed there were four glass containers on a table to the side. One was a larger container than the others. The other three were filled with a different type of candy. Jaxson began talking to them and Grace soon understood.

  “Mama, daddy...I wanted to do something like Auntie B had talked to me about. She called it the unmity candle. Wait. What?” Jaxson turned to Birdie as she whispered something to him. “Oh, it’s a unity candle. Got it. Anyway, I didn’t want a candle since we have firefighters here and they’d want to put it out, so instead, I wanted us to each take our favorite candy and pour it together into one candy jar so it mixes together. And that new jar of candy will be saying to us and anyone else that all three of us are now a family of different candies, but we all can live in the same jar together and love each other. Not that M&Ms and Reese’s Pieces love each other. Their candy. They can’t love. Well, I don’t think so. But peanut butter is pretty cool, so you never…huh?” Jaxson stopped as Birdie nudged him and whispered for him to continue. “Oh, yeah, anyway, back to the candy. So, we’re going to each pour our candies into the jar at the same time and each promise to love one another, take care of each other and always be sweet to each other, just like the candy. Ready?”

  Grace and Walker grinned at each other and then at Jaxson, ready to mix their candies together. Grace picked up her jar of peanut M&Ms. Walker picked up his jar of Reese’s Pieces and Jaxson picked up his jar of chocolate covered peanuts. They each made the promises that Jaxson talked about and poured their candies together into one jar. After they finished Jaxson said, “See? All three of these candies have peanuts in them. So that makes us all nuts. And we’re nuts together. Get it?” Jaxson began giggling at that and the whole backyard crew began laughing hard. When it quieted down, Walker and Grace turned back to Birdie, who was ready to move on to the next part.

  Birdie said in a quiet, reverent voice, “Today begins a new adventure for three people who mean the world to everyone here. We aren’t family to you by blood. But we are family by choice. We’ve seen you meet, become friends and build something together over the past few years. Grace is a strong, take charge single mom, who just needed her Superman to lift her up and give strength to her when she needed it. It soon became evident to all of us that Walker fit that need. It took Grace a little longer to figure that out. Walker is a strong, take charge man and cop, who just needed someone to love, take care of and be Superman for. It was evident to him from day one that Grace and Jaxson answered that need. So, Grace is dependent on Walker. Walker is dependent on Grace. And Jaxson is dependent on both of y’all."

  Birdie continued, "I know neither of you wrote your own vows, wanting to keep the ceremony simple, but your family and friends here all wrote down thoughts about your love for each other and put them in a wooden box for you to hold on to for years to come. Every anniversary, you are to open this box and re-read these affirmations to each other as a reminder of how others see your love and how you should see how strong you are together. I’m going to read some of them now.”

  “Francie writes…Seeing the bond that has formed between you two over these past few years has opened my eyes to how a relationship is built on a solid foundation of friendship and need. You inspire me every day in opening myself up to others around me and not to be afraid to take what I want, including love.”

  “Killian writes…I am not one to be poetic about emotions, especially when it comes to love. I’ve never encountered it myself, but after seeing you two together, I definitely have a picture in my head of what it’s supposed to be. Especially with how Walker and Jaxson are together. I never understood what it meant when someone said that family isn’t always based on DNA. I now understand that it’s about love. That’s Walker and Jaxson. And how all of us fit together. Like Walker said recently, misfits that fit.” Birdie cleared her throat after finishing Killian’s statement.

  “Kresley writes…I knew two years ago, when watching how Walker’s eyes lit up and then glazed over at seeing Grace for the first time, that we would eventually be here, on their wedding day. They both fought the good fight, lying to themselves about just wanting friendship. They just didn’t know that they were building a strong foundation. Love grew tall and strong from that friendship. And now, they have forever in front of them, raising Mr. Jaxson and any future children into wonderful human beings. I love you all, very much.”

  “The last one that I’ll read is from Cade, Big Sexy…Walker and Grace, when I came to Mercy Springs, I was coming to ease my stress, get back to my roots. I didn’t plan on finding love, true love and now becoming a father and husband. But even beyond that, I went from having hardly any family to now having an abundance of family. I have gained a wife, sisters, and brothers to call my own. You both welcomed me into your lives, the life of your child, with no concerns, no questions. Only love. And that’s what you two have together. Only love. It took Boomer awhile to finally get his ass in gear to go get his woman, but when he did, he meant it. And Grace, being as stubborn as you are, it took you a little while to finally realize that it’s okay to let others in to help you. It really does take a village sometimes. And you have the best village anywhere to help love you, love Jaxson, love Walker and make sure y’all succeed. I’ll be around to keep you in line. Big Sexy, aka Sasquatch is always ready to be boss.”

  Grace and Walker were doing a little crying, and a lot of laughing at hearing the messages from their friends and family. It was all so sweet and funny, too. Just the way Grace wanted their special day to be. Birdie asked Jaxson to hand her the two rings he had been keeping in one of his many pockets on his costume. She passed them on to the couple and indicated that it was time for them to each pledge themselves, ending with the promise of their wedding ring being put on their ring fingers.

  Grace went first. She slid the platinum ring onto Walker’s large finger, holding his hand tight and looking into his beautiful hazel green eyes. “Walker, please take this ring I give to you as a promise of love, laughter, understanding and devotion. I promise to always listen first, not to make assumptions, value your opini
on and raise Jaxson with you by my side. I love you with all of my heart and today marks the beginning of forever.” She squeezed his fingers and gave him her most beautiful smile.

  Walker cleared his throat, sliding the wedding band to match her diamond ring onto her finger. “Grace, please take this ring I give to you as a promise to protect, love and adore you and Jaxson, all the days of my life. I promise to give freely, laugh often and love fiercely. I’ll even promise to let you win arguments from time to time. I vow that I will be the best father I can possibly be to Jaxson and help you raise him to be an outstanding man one day. I love you both more than I could have ever imagined and will fight to make sure you are always by my side, forever.”

  Birdie announced to the couple and the crowd, “by the power given to me by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Walker, you may kiss your bride.”

  Walker took Grace into his arms, bent her over his arm in dramatic fashion, and kissed her passionately. His mouth devours hers for long moments, taking her breath away. When he brought her back upright, Grace swore stars danced behind her eyelids. She hugged him tight and said lovingly, “Welcome home Walker. Welcome home.” He kissed her on her nose and winked at her.

  Hearing Birdie say to the crowd, “May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Walker Collins”, they both turned to the crowd and held up their joined hands. “We did it y’all! Now let’s party!” Grace yelled. Cheers were heard across the back yard.

  Jaxson hurried over to them and hugged them, bouncing around, excited. Grace dropped down to his level and looked him in the eye. “Jaxson, I want to tell you how wonderful of a job you and Auntie B did marrying me and daddy. I loved your candy idea and it meant the world to us. I love you.” Walker, squatting down next to his wife, had put his hand on Jaxson’s shoulder and squeezed, agreeing with Grace and grinning at his son.

  “I had fun marrying you and daddy. Maybe Auntie B and I can do it again, make some money!” Grace and Walker laughed hard at that. “Hey mama, can I change into regular clothes and start on the slide again?”

  “Sure baby, go ahead. Mama and daddy are going to hang out and talk to the grown-ups. I’ll let you know when it’s time to eat, okay?” His answer was a high five before he zoomed into the house.

  Birdie walked up to them and she got a hug from each. “Well, how did I do Boomer? Not one sarcastic comment came out of my mouth.” Birdie smirked up at Walker, popping him on his chest. Both of them thanked her for making their day special.

  “Well, miracles do still happen sometimes Bird Pie,” Killian said from behind her as he walked up to the group. “I’m proud of you Birdie. You did a great job putting the wedding together. I didn’t know you had such restraint from reigning in the sass.” Killian put his hand on Birdie’s back and patted her there. “Now, would you do me a small favor?”

  “Well, it all depends on what the favor is. And thank you for the compliment. I didn’t know you could be nice Killie.” Birdie looked up at Killian with wide eyes. “Now what’s the favor my Scottish brute?”

  “For the love of God, will you please go and change clothes? Because you’re killin’ me woman. Absolutely killin’ me in that outfit. Geez. I can’t handle it another second, bonnie. Honestly. I can’t.” Killian looked fierce as he begged Birdie.

  Birdie’s eyes went only wider at seeing this side of Killian. She was speechless, not sure what to say. “Bonnie? Who the hell is Bonnie?”

  Killian looked panicked for a second, then boldly looked her up and down, saying, “Bonnie. It’s a Scottish word that means beautiful. Meaning you. So please go change.” He abruptly turned around and walked away back to the crowd of guests.

  Birdie looked to Grace with wide eyes. “Did he just call me beautiful?” she asked, sounding disbelieving.

  Walker spoke softly, saying to Birdie, “Yeah, he did. And he meant it. Just go with it, Birdie. Don’t think too much about it. Just enjoy it. But I’d go change if I were you. Otherwise, I really think Killian’s going to put a garbage bag over you to hide that outfit.” Walker chuckled as Birdie abruptly took off for the inside of the house to change.

  Grace looped her arms around Walker’s neck, looking over to Jaxson sliding down the inflatable slides, over and over. “I love you Walker. How do you like my wedding dress?” She pushed back from him so he could see the dress better.

  “Beautiful baby. Just beautiful. I don’t think I could have pictured you any more beautiful than you look at this moment. But you’ll look even better when you’re out of it later tonight.” Walker winked at Grace. He felt her run her hands over his Superman costume underneath his shirt. “Did you like my surprise?”

  Grace purred as she ran her fingertips over his chest. “Oh yeah, I loved it. You looked especially sexy with the Clark Kent glasses on. But when you ripped that shirt apart and I saw my Superman, it was all I could do not to jump on you.” She winked at her husband. “You know, this ties in with your wedding present. Remember when we talked about tattoos and you wanting one, but didn’t know what you wanted to put on your arm?”

  Walker looked confused. “Yeah?”

  “Well, you have an appointment tomorrow with a reputable tattoo shop in Atlanta. You’re being gifted with the Superman symbol on your bicep, with a heart at the bottom with our wedding date on it. Because you are my Superman baby. Is that okay?” Grace looked a little worried about her present, shyly looking up at Walker with a question on her face.

  “I love it, angel. I’m not one for lots of tattoos and this one is perfect because it’s your idea and is special to both of us. I can’t wait. Thank you, Gracie.” Walker leaned down and kissed her lovingly. Suddenly, they were surrounded by Gertie, Francie, Kresley and regular-clothes wearing Birdie, all talking at once about how beautiful everything turned out to be. Walker wandered over to Cade and the guys and let the girls talk excitedly.

  ∞∞∞

  “Finally married, Boomer! How are you feeling?” Cade asked, pounding Walker on the back with a big hand.

  “At peace,” he said with a shrug. “I finally got her. Forever, man. Forever.” He looked sheepish, thinking his friends were going to razz him. None did. They all seemed genuinely happy for him and Grace. “I wish Ash could be here. Anyone heard anything from him?” Walker looked around at the men.

  “Not a word. I have no clue what’s going on or if he’s okay. This radio silence is not like him at all. I don’t get it. I know he had to have had his reasons for leaving like he did. I don’t think he would have abandoned us, abandoned Francie without saying anything unless something is very wrong.” Killian ran his hands through his hair, agitated thinking about his friend.

  “The only thing I know is what he said to the chief and I when he asked for the time off. He said he would be back and I believe him. Whatever the reason was, it had to be important. We’re all just going to have to be patient. And be supportive of Francie. She’s going to need reminding that Ash is a good guy and he had to have had a really important reason to do this. She looks really down and tired today, doesn’t she?” Braxton looked over at Francie, frowning at her depressed face. “I think I’ll talk with Gertie to see what Francie is thinking, how she’s doing. I know it’s not fair to her. None of this is fair to her. I just hope she has it in her to not give up on him. He told me some things before he left, how he’s feeling about her. It’s serious. And I know he wouldn’t ghost her. I just know it.”

  “Well, whatever the reasons are, we can speculate on them until the cows come home, but it doesn’t help Francie now. She’s the most pragmatic out of all of those girls. So, she’ll analyze, think it through and then if she gets fed up, she’ll be done. Ash won’t have a chance to come back from this unless he has an extraordinary reason. Let’s hope that’s true.” Cade stated, beginning to clean the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs.

  “Well, I’m going in to change out of my Superman costume and get in some regular clothes. And Killian, you can breathe easier knowing Birdi
e is finally out of the leather.” Walker grinned at his friend, barely side stepping the punch he tried to land to his chest. He walked inside the house, heading for he and Grace’s bedroom to change.

  “Yeah, that leather was about to give you a heart attack or a permanent erection. Either way, it would have eventually killed you. You about ready to claim her?” Cade assessed Killian with sharp eyes, laughter lingering in the background. Killian just snorted at that, not saying anything.

  “Well, I’m ready to claim Gertie, but she’s still locked down tight. I see glimpses of her letting me in more and more. But it’s slower than what I want. I think I’m going to have to go big with something to get her attention. What that will be, I don’t know yet. If you have any ideas, y’all need to let me know.” Braxton looked forlorn as he looked across the yard to Gertie. She caught his eye and smiled slightly, waving with her hand. Braxton smiled and waved back, then turned to Cade and stated, “See, that’s what I’m talking about. Glimpses. I just need to crack open the window more.”

  “I’ll help in any way I can, bro. You know that. I’ve got your back.” Cade told Braxton as he patted his back. Killian just grunted, but slugged Braxton’s shoulder in support.

  ∞∞∞

  Across the yard, the women were talking over each other, laughing and teasing. Kresley tried to tell Grace that she would be glad to have “the talk” with her before her wedding night. This caused Grace to roll her eyes dramatically and say she knew it was like riding a bike, and that you never forget.

  Kresley snorted loudly, saying “Yeah, well just remember the bike’s been locked up in the shop for seven years. Got to be some rusty parts in there that need some help.” The girls laughed at this and Grace scowled at Kres.

  “Oh, so you’re the sex expert now that you’re married? Huh?” Grace, hands on her hips, tried to hold in her laughter, but failed miserably.