My entire body aches as I start to come to. I’m not sure where I am at first. This doesn’t feel like a dirt floor under me. I hear a beeping sound that I wish someone would just turn off because I have the worst headache of my life.

My eyelids are so dry they stick to my eyeballs as I force them open. The first thing I see is a dark ceiling. Then, managing to turn my head a bit, I see her curled up in a chair, fast asleep. My girl is here. And if she’s sleeping, I must have been out for a while.

“Hey,” I say, but my voice only croaks.

It’s enough to wake her though. She sits, then stands quickly. “Ryder? Are you really awake?”

I try for a smile, but it hurts too damn much.

She bursts into tears and starts smiling and shaking. “You’re awake! You’re really awake! You can’t imagine how many times I thought you were finally coming to but it was my imagination. Are you okay? Can you talk? Do you need anything?” She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re alive.”

Then her face falls. “Wait. Do you remember me?”

I know I shouldn’t, but a moment like this really only comes once in a guy’s life. I nod my head a little. “Sure, I do. You’re the sexy nurse the guys hired to cheer me up.”

When tears fill her eyes, I know I’ve gone too far. “Julia, of course I know who you are. You’re the girl I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.”

Julia gives me an exasperated look. “That’s not funny!” she says, but she laughs anyway. “I’d slap you if you had any part of you that wasn’t broken.”

“How about you kiss me, instead?”

She leans down and gives me a long, sweet kiss, her tears falling on my cheeks. When she pulls back, I say, “One question though. Who am I?”

“Asshole.”

“That’s a strange name. Did my parents not like me very much?”

“They may have, but I’m not sure if I do.” She grins.

“One more question. Did I win?”

* * *

“Do you, Ryder Graham West, take Julia Helen Rutherford to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to honor her, love her, and cherish her in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, forsaking all others, until death do you part?” The preacher asks.

“I do.” I smile down at her in her white lace dress, as the gentle breeze blows a piece of her hair in front of her eyes. Reaching up, I tuck the curl behind her ear so nothing’s in my way when it’s time to kiss her. She’s absolutely breathtaking in the late day sun, and I know that I’m the happiest man on the planet. Because she’s mine and she always will be.

“Do you, Julia Helen Rutherford, take Ryder Graham West to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to honor him, love him, and cherish him in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”

“I do.” Her voice comes out strong and clear even though her eyes are filling with tears.

I think about how she’s already loved me during worse and sicker. She’s been through hell and back with me in our short time of knowing each other. Three weeks in the hospital. Four months of physical therapy. Quitting her job to look after me and be by my side through it all. Giving up her life and moving to Montana for me. I get a lump in my throat as I smile down at her.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the preacher announces. “Ryder you may—”

I don’t wait for him to finish. I don’t need anyone’s permission to kiss my wife. I lift my hands to her face and give her a kiss worthy of the occasion. It says this is forever. It says I’ll be here for her no matter what. It says I’m going to be wanting kids right away.

Our family and friends stand and clap. When we pull apart, we face them and hold up our joined hands together in victory. I take a second to look around at the view before we run down a carpet of rose petals that cover the grass.

We’re in a grassy field that sits at the top of our ranch, just below the mountains. We’ve been given the perfect early summer day to start our new life together, with a warm sun and just the slightest breeze to keep the men from sweating in our suits.

As we make our way down the aisle, I think about how lucky I am to be alive and to be healing so well. I think about how lucky I am to have a million bucks in the bank so I can spoil my bride. I think about how lucky I am that I found the perfect woman to spend my life with. I think about the wedding night and how I can’t wait to get the guests out of here.

“We did it!” she says, turning to me with a huge smile.

I swoop her up in my arms. “We sure did.”

* * *

It’s after eleven in the evening when the last of our guests pull out of the driveway. She stands in front of me, her body pressed against mine as we wave goodbye. “Thank God. I thought they’d never leave,” she says, turning to me.

I pick her up under her knees and carry her toward the door.

“Ryder, are you sure—”

“I’m fine, darlin’. You don’t have to keep asking.”

“Okay. I’ll stop.”

I push the door open with my foot, then cross the threshold with her in my arms, right where she should be. Kicking the door shut behind me, I take her straight to our bedroom. She gasps when she sees my surprise for her. I’ve lit candles around the room, sprinkled rose petals, and replaced the old bedding with brand new crisp white linens that cost me a small fortune. But, the look on her face makes it all worth it.

“My husband is so romantic.”

I gently set her down on the floor. “He’s also horny as all hell. How do I get you out of this dress?”

She turns and points over her shoulder to what looks like a thousand tiny cloth buttons. “That’s how.”

I get straight to work. After a few minutes, I ask her if she couldn’t have found one with a zipper instead.

“I could have, but I needed to get you back.”

“For what?”

“For pretending you didn’t know who I was.” She looks over her shoulder at me with a grin.

“In the hospital?”

“Yup.”

“That was six months ago.” I laugh. “You’re not going to hold all your grudges this long, are you?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” I ask, getting down to the last few buttons.

“On whether you manage to make me forget what I was mad about in the first place.”

“And exactly how do I do that?”

“You’ll figure it out,” she says, as I finally get to the last button. I reach up and slide the lace dress off her shoulders and onto the floor.

Spinning her to me, I kiss her hard on the mouth. She parts her lips, letting me slide my tongue inside. Grabbing her ass with both hands, I pull her to me, pressing her against me. As soon as she lets out that little moan, I pull back. “This is how, isn’t it?”

“This is how to what?”

“To make you forget you’re mad.”

“Well, I forgot what we were talking about, so I’d say you may be on to something.”

It doesn’t take long before we’re both naked. I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist, locking her feet behind my back. Our kisses become urgent and I can feel how wet she is for me already. I position her so my cock can find it’s way inside her tight pussy, then in one long, hard thrust, we’re joined together as man and wife.

I lift and lower her over me, filling her and feeling her tighten her muscles around my thick cock. She starts to pant and I know she’s close to coming, but I’m not going to let her yet. I stop moving and hold her still. “Not yet. I’m going to take my time tonight.”

Wiggling her hips in frustration, she gives me a little pouty look.

I chuckle as I set her down on the bed. Lowering myself onto my knees, I spread her legs wide and kiss my way up her thighs. “I’m going to make you come at least three times tonight.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Yes, Mrs. West. It’s a promise.” I lower my mouth to her sweet, little pussy and tease her with my tongue. “Now, lay back and enjoy the show.”