Chapter Ten Andres
Holy. Shit.
We were really doing this.
The second Ellie agreed to my demands, I put this whole thing into motion. I planned everything. The whole wedding.
Yeah, Ellie had a say, but she seemed content to just say I do in a courthouse.
Not me. I knew this was the only time I was ever getting married. I didn’t want to run away and elope. I wanted to celebrate it.
To celebrate her.
Maybe it was backwards to start out this way. But Ellie Maxwell, soon to be Ramirez, was mine.
From the second I saw her, I’d claimed her. Even if only in my mind.
I knew Ellie Maxwell was made for me.
The one time I made love to her was stamped inside my brain. That experience was unforgettable.
Yeah, I claimed Ellie with my body. And I couldn’t fucking wait to do it again.
But first, right now, before our friends and family, I was going to claim her with words. Announcing my vow to her, promising before God and the whole fucking universe that this woman was mine.
She is mine.
And I meant to keep her.
Okay, so I was a little fucking obsessed.
But this was something I wanted so damn badly, I could taste it. All my life, I’d had to work for what I wanted.
And I was willing to work to get Ellie.
Marrying her was just another step in my plan. Because I didn’t only want her to wear my ring on her finger. I wanted it wrapped around her heart.
I wanted to fill her mind, to encompass her thoughts, the way she filled mine day in and day out.
I wanted to pleasure her body every fucking night. To fill her with my seed. To make her come like no one else ever had.
I wanted to imprint myself on her very fucking soul.
When Ellie was around, everything else was second. She had all my attention. All my focus.
But I knew she needed me to tone it down. It wasn’t like I could just tell her I was borderline fucking nuts when it came to her.
She had no idea the things I would do. The blood I would spill. The bridges I’d burn. And the lives I would fucking shatter all for the sake of her and Sammy.
To keep them safe, I’d push all kinds of boundaries. There wasn’t a damn thing I’d consider too much or too far. Not for them.
But being around her the last couple of days and not touching her? That was fucking rough. More than that. It was hell.
Pure. Hell.
“Easy, cousin. She’s coming,” Adrik murmured, and I exhaled.
He was right. I needed to take it easy. After the stress of the last few days, that was easier said than done.
Lucky for me, I had a wedding to plan, her father’s business to vet, and her piece of shit ex to fuck with to keep me busy.
The wedding planning was surprisingly fun. Knowing how she loved Halloween above all other holidays, I planned our big day around it.
I’d heard her say it at one of the Sourdough Sunday lunches Adrik had hosted at his and Sofia’s place.
So, I sent her a bunch of gowns to choose from, hired the best event planner, and asked Meredith and Josef to host.
I even had my tailor make Sammy a tux that matched mine, except for the rocket backpack, which, looking at it now, might have made a cool addition to my getup.
Hundreds of Gerbera daisies with dark, leafy green accents and mossy fronds, also Ellie’s favorite, decorated the chairs and the espresso-stained wooden arch where I waited for her.
My mom smiled at me with tears in her eyes. They were the same blue-gray as mine. I knew she worried about me, and I hoped this would settle some of her fears.
I’d expected more of an objection from her since she’d never even met my bride, but she trusted me to make good decisions. Plus, the prospect of having a built-in grandson was just icing on the cake.
“Oh! I’m gonna ask him to call me Nana, think that’ll be okay?” she asked when I told her.
“I think it will be great, Mom. Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked.
“For being amazing and accepting all this,” I told her honestly.
“Andy boy, I trust you to know what you’re doing. Now, tell me about my new grandson!”
I glanced down at Sammy, offering a proud smile to the boy who was about to become my boy.
Pride filled me, and another emotion so strong, I had to blink to stop it rolling down my face.
It felt like I was born to be that child’s father.
He smiled back, and the tightness around my heart eased. I winked, then I lifted my gaze.
Slowly.
I knew she would be beautiful.
Had thought so the first time I laid eyes on her.
But seeing sweet Ellie Maxwell draped in layer after layer of sheer black lace was more than I’d ever hoped for.
Her pale skin practically glowed in that dress. Her hair was a little longer now, almost touching her pretty shoulders in glossy curls.
The sides and front were pinned back in some complicated twist, and she had a flower in her hair.
Fuck.
She looked amazing.
The perfect blend of innocent and decadent. Black lace and sheer layers of fabric wrapped around her lovingly. Casting shadows as she walked, I hummed appreciatively as hints of soft, pale skin flashed with every move my sweet Lupina made.
Goddamn.
She was stunning, Just like I knew she would be.
Other girls might be right for pristine white and red roses. But Ellie was different.
She was special.
A cut apart from the rest. A veritable goddess decked out in midnight colored fabric.
Ellie was mine. And that was all that mattered.
I held my hand out towards her, waiting for the moment her skin touched mine.
Ellie bent down first, kissing Sammy on the cheek. Then she straightened her back and faced me.
Powerful, courageous, warrior woman. My woman.
Next, she placed her soft hand in mine, and I felt the triumph of it sing through my soul.
“Dearly beloved,” Deacon McDonough began.