Chapter Six
Leah
“It’s really not fair how beautiful you are. Aren’t pregnant women supposed to have swollen ankles and look fat and miserable?”
Samantha Crewe stood next to me in my bedroom, her hands on her hips as I fussed in front of the full-length mirror, making last-minute adjustments to the light green dress that was my wedding gown.
I smiled at Sam’s reflection in the mirror. “Maybe they are, and maybe I’ll get there in a month or so, and then you can listen to me moan about it. But for today, I’m happy that my ankles remain unswollen, and I can still see my feet.” I held out one foot in its delicate silvery heel.
“Well, that’ll give me something to look forward to, I guess.” Samantha grinned at me. “Seriously, though, Leah, you are gorgeous.”
I wasn’t going to argue with my new friend, because she was right. But the sparkle I carried with me today didn’t have anything to do with the lovely dress Samantha had dragged me out to buy or the shoes that complemented it. My glow didn’t come from the curls in my blonde hair or the artfully-applied makeup, both courtesy of Kade’s younger sister, Jacey, who was a makeup artist out in California. And although I was thrilled that both Jacey and Kade’s mom Kristi were here today, and although I appreciated that they’d immediately not only accepted me as Kade’s wife—or almost wife—but as one of the family, that wasn’t the reason I radiated loveliness this afternoon.
I was beautiful today because standing in my kitchen, waiting to walk with me down the makeshift aisle in my small backyard, was the only man I’d ever loved. The only man I was ever going to love. Kade Braggs was responsible for every gleam in my eyes, for the roses on my cheeks and for the jaunt in my step. He made me . . . joyous. Ebullient. Loved.
“I hope the decorations are all right.” Samantha lifted the edge of the curtain, peering out into the yard. “Jacey’s more artistic than I am, so I basically followed her lead.”
“I’m sure they’re wonderful.” As Samantha turned around again, I grabbed her hand. “Sam, I just have to say again, thanks so much for doing—all of this. For driving up here and helping us make this happen on such short notice. For all your hard work, and just—for being so nice.”
She smiled and brushed back her chin-length bobbed hair. “It really was my pleasure, Leah. I’ve known Kade for about as long as I’ve known Max, though clearly, I know Max more . . . intimately.” She winked at me, and I blushed a little, which was ridiculous. The very first night she’d been here with me, Samantha had described how she and Max had met, even giving me details about their first night together. I’d had a tough time looking at Max Remington the next day, when he and Kade had joined us for a barbecue. In return, though, she’d pulled a few salient pieces of information out of me as well, under the guise of informing me that this was what girlfriends did. They shared stuff.
“Kade always says you’re the best thing that ever happened to Max,” I said now.
“And he would be right.” She looked out the window again, and I wondered if she could see Max there now, waiting to serve as best man once the service got underway. “But I’m so damn happy that Kade found you. He needed you. And the greatest part of the whole thing is that not only is he getting a wife and a baby, I’m getting a friend who can trip through all the Army crap with me.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure I’ll be much help there. We’ll be like the blind leading the blind.”
“Two wrongs that make a right?” She cocked her head. “I don’t know. Maybe we need to get one of the other guys hooked up with a woman who knows her way around this shit. But not a snooty one. Someone like us, only who’s been around the block when it comes to the Army.”
“Good point. We’ll keep our eyes open.” I nodded as there was a knock at the door. Kade’s mom Kristi poked her head inside.
“Oh, look at how beautiful you are, Leah! Are you ready? The minister’s here, and I think all the guests have arrived, too.” We hadn’t invited many people to this spur-of-the-moment wedding. Kade had asked Max and Samantha to come, of course; they were standing up as our witnesses, though Jacey was also one of my bridesmaids. Another of Kade’s close friends, Shaw Kincaid, had also driven up, along with a few of the other company commanders who worked with them at the battalion. I wasn’t sure I could keep track of all the names yet.
Jake Robinson, whom I’d met that awful night at the diner, was also out there among the guests. He’d apologized to me more than once for his initial lack of enthusiasm, and since he really was a decent guy, as Kade had assured me, I’d been more than happy to give him a second chance.
One person who was not among our invited guests was Eric Muller. Kade’s roommate for the duration of the course had threatened to report him to their superiors, but apparently, he’d been persuaded not to do it by another officer. I didn’t know the details, but Jake had gleefully whispered to me last night, when all of us had gone out for a sort-of rehearsal dinner, that Kade had told Eric in no uncertain terms what would happen to him if he ever spoke to me again.
“He said that if the mule even looked at you, ever, Kade would pull his eyeballs out through his nose and force feed them to him.” Jake had chuckled. “I’m not entirely sure that it’s anatomically possible, but the dude has some awesome visuals, doesn’t he?”
He did indeed, but I preferred the word pictures he painted for me in the evenings over our dinners together, when he described in minute and intimate detail what he planned to do to me once we’d finished eating and were in bed. Suffice it to say that more often than not, the dinner dishes waited . . . sometimes until the next morning.
Now I turned to Kristi and Samantha, smiling as I retrieved the pink roses Kade had brought me this morning. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
The three of us walked down the hallway to the kitchen. At the sound of my heels on the linoleum, Kade, resplendent in his dress blues, pivoted to face me. His expression when he took in the whole package that was me as a bride—as his bride—was the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen.
“Leah. God, babe, you’re . . . breathtaking.” He reached to draw me nearer and bent his head to kiss me.
“Ah, ah, ah . . . none of that. Save something for the honeymoon.” Samantha giggled. “Come on, you two. Time to get hitched.”
We’d foregone music since the entirety of the aisle would only take a few steps. When the back door opened and Kristi stepped out, the murmuring of our small crowd of guests came to a sudden stop. She took her place at the front of the group, and both Samantha and Jacey moved to stand near the minister.
And then it was our turn. Kade offered his hand, and I slid my fingers between his. Together we made our way down the few stairs, through our friends to the front, where we were flanked by Jacey, Samantha, Max and Shaw. Glancing behind us, I saw only happy faces, including my midwife Gwen, the one person I’d invited for myself. She beamed at me, and I felt her affectionate approval.
“Dearly beloved . . .” The minister began the service.
“My dearly beloved,” Kade murmured in my ear.
“Forever,” I echoed in a whisper.
My almost-husband brushed a light kiss over my cheek as we listened to the eternal words that would join us together as a couple and seal us forever as a family. Between us, within me, our daughter wriggled and kicked, and Kade, feeling her movements against him, smiled into my eyes and repeated the words we’d chosen as our vow.
“Two become one, now and for all time. As long as I live, I belong to you.” He slid the ring onto my left hand. “Ever yours.” He lifted our joined hands and kissed my fingers. “Ever mine.” He laid one hand on the bump that concealed the living evidence of our love for each other.
“Ever ours.”
The End
Hitting the Silk: Career Soldier Book 3
These are the men of the 94th ID. They fight with honor, they defend their nation and their brothers fiercely, and when they love, they do it with single-minded passion.
Once upon a time, Delia Rollins was an Army wife, until the unthinkable happened. Now as a young widow and school teacher, she’s vigilant about protecting her heart. Her number one rule for the future? No more military men in her life. She can’t handle the risk.
Army captain Shaw Kincaid is addicted to taking risks. He lives to challenge himself, whether it’s in physical training or in pushing the safety envelope. But when he meets Delia, he realizes winning her heart might be his most daunting task ever.
No matter how hard Delia works to push Shaw away, she can’t deny the intense chemistry between them . . . or how much she’s growing to actually like him. And for Shaw, the more time he spends with the irresistible Delia, the deeper he falls for her.
For the danger ranger and the gun-shy widow, love may be the riskiest—and the sweetest—leap they ever take.
Hitting the Silk: Career Soldier Book 3 is coming March 28th! You can preorder it .