He laughed softly. “Tonight, right?” He spoke softly so only I could hear him.
“Yes.” I nodded as I looked over at Reed, who was talking with Zach. When he saw me, he winked and gave me a little wave. My stomach swooped. I was so gone for this man.
Dad patted my back as he stepped away. Would now be a good time? Now, right? I could just do it now with everyone watching and...What if Reed said no? What if he didn’t want to get married? Suddenly, this seemed like a terrible idea. I had the ring, the most beautiful one in the world. The one my father had given my mother. All soft diamonds and red rubies. It was going to look amazing on Reed’s finger. But what if he hated it? Maybe he wanted something else? Maybe I should wait.
“You good, Casanova?” Reed touched my face with the pads of his fingers. “You still in shock?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. It was now or never. I dropped to my knee, and his eyes went wide. I slipped the box from my pocket and flipped it open.
“I love you so much, and all I want to do is keep loving you. I want to see you smile; hear you laugh, and grow old with you. I want to have babies with you. Build a house together with all our children and live happily ever after. I want to win more games, more championships, with you by my side. I want your kisses, your hands; I want you. Reed, will you marry me?”
This was going to be incredibly embarrassing if he said no.
“Oh my God.” Reed’s hand flew up to his mouth. He glanced around as everyone watched, and then he reached out to touch the ring. “It’s beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more gorgeous ring. It’s so perfect.”
“Baby, don’t leave me hanging,” I whispered. The longer I waited, the more nervous I got. What if he didn’t want this?
He launched himself at me, and I nearly fell over. Reed peppered wet kisses against my face before he found my mouth. “Yes, Casanova. I’ll marry you. The answer will always be yes.”
I kissed him back, then I remembered I had to put the ring on his finger. It glittered under the lights and looked like it was made for Reed.
“It was my mother’s,” I told him.
“Are you kidding?” Reed yanked his hand back to stare at it. “Are you sure you want me to have this? Don’t you want to keep it safe where it won’t get ruined or lost. I might—”
I kissed him again to stop him from spiraling. “It belongs to you now, baby. It was actually my dad’s idea. I told him I wanted to propose, and he asked if I wanted to give you my mother’s ring.”
“Oh.” Tears swam in Reed’s eyes, then slipped down his cheeks. He smiled up at my father before he looked at me again. “I’m honored. I promise to take the best care of it.” He grinned before he kissed me again. “I love you.”
I grinned and helped him to his feet. “I love you, too, baby. Forever.”
Reed
Three Years Later
I stared at my reflection in the mirror and tried to see if I looked different. I felt different, like a million bucks actually, but would people notice when they saw me? That I married the love of my life today. That we were going to spend forever making one another happy. With lots of orgasms, kisses and...Wait, no one wanted to see that on my face. I giggled to myself as I leaned forward to make sure my hair was perfect. That the crown Maverick insisted I wear as my something borrowed wasn’t crooked and still in place.
I felt beautiful today. Ezra had made my suit. A white shirt made of silk, a white cummerbund, and black pants that fit like a dream. Ezra had made Cole’s suit, too. An all-black ensemble that clung to his body like a glove. I wanted to take my husband home and climb him like a tree. But right now, our guests were waiting for me.
I was still doing therapy. Only once a week now, but it helped. Megan was amazing. Even Cole had spoken with her after I insisted it might do him some good. I no longer worried about every single thing I put into my mouth. I ran the new studio my mother had opened and loved every second of it. I felt like the best version of myself.
I stepped out of the bathroom and found Cole waiting for me. He leaned against the wall, his head tilted and a smile on his face. When he saw me, he quickly pinned me against the doorframe and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. Then he adjusted the crown on my head and took my hand to lead me out to our guests.
We’d gotten married at Beau and Dean’s house. Neither Cole nor I wanted a huge, fancy wedding, so it was perfect. We said our I do’s outside by the lake while our friends and family looked on. Hazel and Zach both stood up for me, while Cole hadOscar and Tate. We had Rhodes Olson as the ring bearer, and Cole’s little sister, Trish, was our flower girl. Everything went off without a hitch, and we were officially Mr. and Mr. Cole Whitaker.
“How long do we have to stay here?” Cole asked as he guided me down the hall. He grinned when I stopped to stare at him. “What? I want to be inside you, baby. You look hot as hell.” He leaned forward so his lips brushed my ear. “Do you think Mav would let you keep the crown for a little while?”
My cheeks grew warm. “Listen, husband, we will stay until the end of our reception. I only plan on getting married once, and I want to celebrate with our friends and family.”
My eyes grew wide when he once again pinned against the wall. Over the past few years, Cole had worked harder than ever, and he had the body to prove it. His biceps were bigger than my thighs.
“We might be able to leave earlier than I originally thought.”
“Mm, baby, I just want to sink inside that tight, hot hole of yours. Fuck my husband until he can’t move. And then, when we get to Hawaii, I want to do it again and again.” Cole licked the shell of my ear.
I shivered. “Okay, let’s go home. Right now.”
“You two are so cute.” Maverick clapped loudly and grinned when we pulled apart. “While I know you want to consummate your marriage, you have a yard full of people who are waiting to celebrate with you.” He glanced behind him as Ezra appeared. “Right, boo?”