Chapter Thirty-Six
Declan
The sound of Cassie’s tears broke my heart. Seeing Steven’s hands on her had made me snap. I would have killed him, or at least kept going until he was unconscious. It was Cassie’s plea that pulled me back from the darkness.
She was right. He wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth the possible jail time. He wasn’t worth missing one more minute of Wyllie’s life.
Nothing was worth that. Nothing was worth being away from Cassie and Wyllie, for even a second. Not my pride. Not my ego.
Yeah, Cassie had lied. She’d made a mistake. We all made mistakes. The greatest one I ever made? Leaving her alone in Seaside.
I grasped her fingers. “Stop apologizing, Cassie. You did what you needed to do for you. You did what was best for you, so that you could be the best mom to our son.” And she was. She was a remarkable mother. I had so much more I wanted to say to her, apologies I wanted to make, but her mother came barging into the room.
“What is going on? Why is Steven dripping blood all over my carpet?”
Brice walked over to her and put his hands on her arms. “Mom, everything is fine. Steven deserved what he got.” Brice stared down at Steven crumpled on the floor. “Well, he deserves to die…but it’s all over now.”
Mrs. Huntington looked from me to Cassie, studying her daughter for a few seconds.
“Get Steven out of here,” I told Brice. “Use the back door. Then tell your father that he needs to have one of his surgeons investigated. Alcohol, drugs, I don’t care what you tell him.” Brice smiled as he shoved Steven out the door.
Mrs. Huntington whirled around, hands on her hips. “And what is Declan doing in here? It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.”
As if that was more important than what had happened with Steven. Totally Mrs. Huntington.
“It’s okay, Cassie hasn’t put on her dress yet. No harm, no foul.” I turned to Cassie, taking her face in my hands. “Get dressed, princess, I’ll see you downstairs.” She nodded with a small smile and I kissed her forehead before leaving the room.
***
After I cleaned myself up I took my place at the makeshift altar by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the formal living room. Brice was standing beside me and Wyllie was clinging to my leg. The rest of the guests were milling around, socializing and gossiping.
The house was decorated to perfection, like always. There was garland draped on everything and a massive decorated pine tree in every room. Only this year, there were red and white roses too. On the stairs, on the mantel, on all the end tables and credenzas.
I waited patiently while the wedding march started to play, and I grinned when I heard a murmur go through the crowd. My heart was beating out of my chest and my hands still itched to be around Steven’s throat. That asshole had almost cost me the two most precious things in my life.
A man walked up and stood next to me, Bible in hand. I did a double take before leaning over to Brice and whispered, “Dude, what the hell is Reverend Nowlin doing here? I thought you hired an actor?”
Brice rolled his eyes. “Don’t say ‘hell’ and ‘Reverend’ in the same sentence. What’s wrong with you? And I know I let all the cussing go when it was about that douche bag Steven. But you owe five dollars to the jar.”
The guests let out a collective gasp, which had to mean Cassie was coming down the stairs.
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? I can’t lie to Reverend Nowlin. I’ve known him my whole life.”
“So don’t lie.” Brice winked then stood straight and tall.
That conniving jackass.
“Brice. What about the documents you had forged?” I was afraid to hear his answer. “The ones I signed yesterday?”
“You mean to apply for your marriage license?”
I took a deep breath. “Yes.”
He shrugged. “Not so forged.”
Why did I expect anything else? Brice had been pulling the strings with this fake marriage from the get-go.
I had two options here: Freak out, and keep acting like an indecisive asshole. Or. Man up. Marry the love of my life—for real—and live happily ever after.
The crowd separated and I finally got to see Cassie in her dress. She looked breathtaking. Classically beautiful. I was the luckiest man alive. Well, Wyllie and I. My eyes filled with tears when Cassie’s dad patted me on the back and placed her hand in mine.
Option two it was.
Cassie smiled then leaned down and gave Wyllie a peck on the cheek. When she straightened, her eyes went to Reverend Nowlin and got as big as saucers. She looked at me then back at him. I winked.
And then got down on one knee.
What better time to propose to your fake fiancée than at the altar of your real wedding?
“I love you, Cassie. I’ve loved you my whole damn life. I can’t imagine a world where you aren’t in it. Where I can’t see you and Wyllie every day. I wasn’t there in the beginning, but I want to be there every day from now on. Until the end.
“Will you marry me?”
With tears in her yes, she cleared her throat and said, “Yes. A million times yes.”
Brice leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Proposal or not, five bucks to the jar.”