Chapter Twenty
Who was the idiot who thought that getting married the day of another important formal event was a good idea?
Disgusted with her own nerves, Mal tried not to explode as Vicki and her assistant fluffed and prodded her into her new gown. It felt like she’d been standing here in Vicki’s workshop for hours.
“Usually this would be a quick fitting,” Vicki said around a mouthful of sharp pins. “But we’re identifying issues and fixing them in one fell swoop. I’m sorry, I know it must be frustrating to stand here, unable to move without getting poked. Luckily I got pretty close since I’ve sewn for you before.”
“It’ll be worth it,” Mal grumbled. “My frustration is with myself not you.”
“I can sympathize.” Vicki stood and stepped back, tilting her head as she walked around Mal, examining the dress from all angles. “I’ve got some news to break and I’m so nervous about it that I’m nauseated.”
“Oh?” Interested piqued, Mal lasered in on her. Vicki had been back together with Elias for a couple of months now. Not to mention her young man. The ring on her finger promised commitment for all to see. Other news that might be difficult to break… “Could it be the news itself that has you nauseated?”
Pale, Vicki looked away, avoiding her gaze. “How do you tell someone life altering news that they may not welcome?”
Mal reached out and pulled the other woman into a hug. “You ask for help. You trust that love is enough.”
“And if it isn’t?”
Mal blew out a long breath, answering the question for herself too. “Then it wasn’t the kind of love you need.”
Vicki hugged her, finally meeting her gaze. “Do you have the kind of love you need with Colby?”
Mal nodded, her eyes filling with tears at the thought. But it was happy tears. “Baby Jesus in a manger. I hate to cry. So sappy.”
“You’re a beautiful sap.”
“Thanks, but it’s your magic. All I’m doing is standing here. So…?” She didn’t ask outright, in case she didn’t want her assistant to know. The woman had stepped over to the machine to sew a finishing hem on the veil.
Vicki nodded. “I screwed up my pills. It wasn’t planned. At all.”
Mal hugged her again. “Congrats, honey. I’m sorry for throwing this huge dress project at you with so little notice. I’m sure it’s been overwhelming.”
“Honestly, it was exactly the distraction I needed. It got me out of my head worrying and kept me busy. I haven’t felt too badly yet, just a little tired. Elias hasn’t even noticed, though Jesse keeps looking at me worriedly and asking if everything’s okay.”
“I know they’ve been working hard on the cartel thing, and now Colby’s leaving him holding the bag.”
“Even if he wasn’t working eighty hours a week, I still don’t think he’d notice,” Vicki said, her mouth turning down in a brittle frown. “And don’t you dare worry one second about Colby leaving. Be glad. We are, really. Even Elias. He’s been worried about the kid, as he calls him, a long time.”
“Then Elias needs to get his head out of his ass and pay attention to what’s going on in his household.”
Vicki snorted. “I’m tempted not to say anything at all and see how long it takes him to notice. My luck, though, I’d be at the hospital calling him to come get us and bring us home.”
She laughed, but it quickly turned to tears. Mal drew her back into a hug again, rubbing her back, as she’d done for her that night in the hospital.
“It’s stupid, but I’m so worried that he’ll hate me and the baby because he won’t be sure it’s his. And we can’t be sure, honestly, not without a DNA test, and then what does that say to Jesse? That his baby might not mean as much to me as Elias’s? Oh, God, Mal, what am I going to do?”
Mal squeezed her tighter, rocking her gently with her body. “The first thing you need to do is to take care of yourself right now. Stress and worry aren’t good for you. And second, I suspect that Elias may not be as opposed to Jesse as you might think he is.”
Vicki looked up at her through her tears. “It was really hard for him to accept Jesse from the beginning. We broke up over it for a bit. Hours, maybe, but that’s when we heard the cop was killed and I literally thought he was dead. I thought I’d lost him forever, and he’d left hating my guts.”
“His pride might have been speaking louder than his heart then. But I saw his heart talking at the hospital. Give him a chance, hon. I think his heart will speak louder than his pride this time around.”
“And if not?”
“Then kick his ass out and marry Jesse. He’s fully devoted to you, of that I have no doubt. But honestly, give Elias a chance. I think he’s going to surprise you this time.”
Sniffing, Vicki wiped her cheeks. “I hope so. Look at me, sobbing all over your lace on your special day.”
“Sob away, honey. That’s what friends are for.”
The assistant brought the ridiculously long swath of lacy, airy material back. It didn’t look like much. Just a huge rectangle of material. But with a few pins and twists, they stepped back and Mal could tell by the look on their faces that she looked good. Damned good.
Holding her breath, she slowly turned around and faced the full-length mirror Vicki had set up in her workroom.
She hadn’t been too sure about the color at first. It wasn’t white, which was a travesty in the South, and the off-color ecru seemed… Old. Not a good old, but musty and stained by age. But against her skin, the antique color took on a hint of soft yellow that made her skin glow.
The old fashioned cut hugged her body and then flared out in a gentle fall to the floor. Lace and ruffles and teeny tiny buttons and a bodice so tight and small it looked like she wore a corset. The dress stepped off a late Victorian fashion plate. The veil floated around her head, softening the strength in her broad shoulders and muscular arms that she’d honed over the years as a Mistress. She almost looked…
Delicate. It would have pissed her off, if she didn’t love it. In a million years, she’d never guessed that she’d feel this kind of magic and hope and wonder from a single dress, even though it was a one-of-a-kind dress that had been for her.
“Oh my God.”
“You got that right,” Vicki said, her voice soft with awe. “Colby’s going to have to pick himself up off the floor when he sees you.”
Now that’d be a sight she’d like to see. Her soldier boy. On the floor. Preferably naked, tied up, waiting for her. Probably not for the actual wedding ceremony though.
Vicki held out a bouquet of yellow roses. “Ready?”
Fuck yeah. The Mistress of Dallas is getting hitched.
When she saw him standing in the front of the room waiting for her, Mal was the one that had to pick herself off the floor. Dressed in his navy dress uniform for the Policeman’s Ball tonight, her soldier boy looked good enough to eat. He took one look at her in her dress, and his eyes went fierce. He snatched her hand and pulled her to his side, braced for battle. Like he’d take on every drug cartel in town with his bare hands just to keep her right there beside him.
Their friends and family stood around them. Victor and Shiloh; Vicki, Elias, and Jesse; Mama; and Colby’s parents, both of his married sisters and their husbands, Amelia, and his other sister.
They’d asked for a few modifications to the exchange of vows. Mal swore to love and honor Colby, but as he repeated the oath back to her, he slipped in obey, just for her. Even with his family there. Elias smirked and the justice’s eyes went wide as he choked back a laugh. The man had probably married hundreds of couples over the years, but she guessed he’d never had a man swear to obey the woman. The ring went on her finger, his grip on her fingers too hard, but she didn’t mind. Not when his eyes blazed with so much emotion.
“I pronounce you husband and wife. You,” the justice looked at Mal, his eyes twinkling, “May kiss your husband.”
So he’d caught the way the wind blew with their oath changes. Smart man. Mal reached up and gripped Colby’s neck, digging her fingers in as hard as he was gripping her hand. Yeah, his eyes went smoky and his shoulders relaxed under her grip. She might get him into a collar yet. But it didn’t matter to her either way, because he was hers, now. They had a lifetime to play Mistress games.
It was over so quickly. Their lives changed forever in the span of fifteen minutes. Colby kissed his mother’s cheek and promised to come by the ranch as soon as they got back from their honeymoon. She handed him a covered dish. “I thought you might not have a wedding cake, so I made your favorite.”
Blackberry cobbler. Colby choked back a laugh and gave her another kiss. Oh yeah. They were going to have fun with that later.
Victor gave Mal a hug and told her to take all the time she wanted. They both knew time was precious with the new season preparations in full swing, but he trusted her to figure out the best way to handle it. Mal gave Vicki a lingering hug and shot a hard look at Elias. “Take care of her.”
He struggled a moment between surprise and aggression, his shoulders tensing up for a fight, but he wrapped an arm around Vicki’s shoulders and drew her close. “Always.”
We’ll see about that, Mal thought as the three headed home.
“Ready?” Colby asked her, still clutching her hand like she’d disappear if he let go.
At her nod, they walked outside to her car. The sun was setting, the sky a glorious canvas of pink and purple, but it was the man opening the car door for her that took her breath away. The driver’s door. Even now as her new husband, he wasn’t presumptuous. She stepped closer, slipping an arm around his waist as she leaned into the hard shelter of his body. “I love you, Mr. Wade.”
“I love you, Mrs. Wade.” His pressed his cheek to hers, his breath soft and warm on her skin. “You didn’t have to take my name.”
“I know. I wanted to.”
“I’m tempted to ask you to skip the ball so we can head to the shore this very moment.”
They’d found an out of the way cabin in Galveston for the honeymoon. She couldn’t wait to roll him around in some sand, but he was supposed to get an award tonight after being wounded. “You’re not missing it, so get that gorgeous butt in the car.”
“Five minutes, and then we’re leaving.”
“You have to stay longer than that,” she replied after he got in and shut the passenger door. He grimaced, probably envisioning hours of standing around watching people dance, when they could be alone together. “At least ten minutes.”
He flashed a cocky smile at her. “Deal.”