Chapter 16
CASSIDY
“What?” I whispered.
The last thing I expected today was to get married.
Mr. Wilder patted me on the shoulder and went back outside along with Buck and Colt.
I was alone in the kitchen once again with Hayes.
“Marry me,” he said.
“You hate me.”
He shook his head, moved toward me. Eyes sharp, intent. “I love you.”
I sniffed. “How can you love me? I tricked your family.”
“You hid.”
“I kept a secret.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“You’re mad.”
He shrugged. “Was. I understand now what you did and why. One day you’re going to tell me all of it. What your father did. Your brothers. I’m gonna spank your ass for it later, so be ready, ‘cause there won’t be secrets between us.”
“But–”
“You want the spanking now?” He wasn’t yelling. He was quiet. Calm.
I shook my head. “No, but I don’t understand.”
“What part of I love you is confusing?”
“You can’t love me.”
He kept getting closer and I held up my hands to ward him off. All it did was give him easier access to them to hold.
“I watched you for weeks,” he admitted. “Did you know that?”
I licked my lips. “Yes.”
“That’s ‘cause you watched me right back. I wanted you from the first time I saw you, but I thought you were too young.”
“I am.”
“Not for me. You need someone to take care of you. Protect you. Spank your ass when needed. I think you do need a Daddy.”
I gasped.
“But I want to be your husband instead. I want to be Mr. Wilder to your Mrs. Wilder.”
“But–”
“Do you love me?”
“It’s happening so fast,” I said.
“Do you?”
“Hayes?”
“Princess.” He squeezed my hands. “Do you love me?”
“Yes!” I cried.
I’d never seen him smile like this before. “My family is big on saying ‘I love you’ ‘cause we’re like that. Ma texts it to me all the time. Pops, you just saw him, he says it and he shows it. So I’ve said it a bunch, to a bunch of people because we’re a big ass family.”
He reached out and swiped my damp cheek.
“But I’ve never said it to a woman before,” he admitted. “Only you, Cassidy Trout. Will you marry me and become Cassidy Wilder?”
“You can’t marry me just to change my name.”
“I was marrying you, whatever your last name. I was just going to give you a little time. Maybe a week.”
That made me smile, even just a little. “A week?”
“You’re marrying me today. Now.”
My eyes widened. “Now?”
“Now.”
“I can’t marry you now!”
“Colt’s a Justice of the Peace. He married Trig and Ellie. Everyone’s here. It’s happening.”
“Hayes.”
“Do you love me? Do you want to be with me?” he asked.
I remembered what Katie had said. Just feel, don’t think. “Yes.”
My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t help but smile. I did want to be with Hayes. I did love him. Was this crazy? Definitely. But he and I didn’t seem to do anything normally.
His gaze raked me over. “There’s just one thing to do before we go out there.”
“What?”
He set his hand out in front of him, palm up. “Hand over those panties.”
My cheeks heated. My pussy clenched. I had a Pavlovian response to him, getting hot and horny when he lowered his voice like that. I could say my safeword and I’d be able to keep them, but he knew what I needed and I trusted him.
If I could trust him with my body, I could trust him with my heart.
So when we went outside and Colt officiated our impromptu wedding, with the entire Wilder clan in attendance, I wasn’t wearing any panties.