10. Jude
JUDE
“ A re you sure about this, man? I mean, Jess kinda left you high and dry. I don’t think I’d want to go back and talk to her. Especially at the place you were supposed to get married. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“We’ve been together a long time, Jude. You have to give someone a chance to explain their thinking.”
I don’t fucking buy that. I better not see that woman trying to get him back and him going along with it or I swear I will beat my buddy’s ass.
He’d deserve to get busted for that. No woman is worth the hell she put him through.
But my heart throbs in my chest and I rub at it absently. “I can’t believe you actually forgave me. I mean, I hurt Heather. I’m a bastard. You should still want to kick my ass.”
He glares at me, his blue eyes eerily similar to his sister’s. “Do it again and I will.”
“I am gonna stay far away from her from now on.”
He huffs out a breath and I sigh. I don’t think he’s as good with all this as he’s pretending to be and I think he’s lost his mind to be going back to the venue to have some kind of peacemaking session with Jess. That’s nuts.
But we walk in the door and he whistles under his breath and it’s the wedding march. I cringe.
What the hell?
We turn into the large room that was filled with guests earlier and I freeze in my tracks when I see that it’s still filled with guests. I lean over and mutter at Chris. “I think we’re interrupting someone’s wedding.”
He laughs and shoves me. Hard. “Get moving, buddy. She’s waiting.”
I look up to the front of the room and right in front of a smiling, sparkling Elvis is the woman I love. I let my eyes drift down her curvy body, stunned. She looks beautiful. Glorious. A vision in white holding a bouquet of pink and red roses.
Wait…I turn to Chris. “What the hell is going on here?” I hiss under my breath.
He grins cheekily but it doesn’t reach his sad eyes. “I’m doing you a favor, man. If I can’t be with the love of my life, you sure as hell still deserve to be with yours. Go get her, Jude.”
I cock my head at him, my lips tightening. “Are you sure?”
He grins. “For some damn reason, she loves you and you love her. Go…be happy.” His smile fades. “But don’t you ever tell me anything about the bedroom or anything else of the sort or I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
I nod my head. “Noted.” Then I turn to look at the woman I’ve dreamt of my whole life. And she’s smiling and waiting patiently in front of all of our friends and family. Her parents who were devastated when Chris was dumped are happier than I think I’ve ever seen them, her mother crying into her father’s shirt while he pats her back and grins at me.
My parents are glaring daggers at each other but take a quick break to smile at me. They’re still married but hopefully one of these days they’ll give it up and finally go their separate ways before they kill each other.
I smile at everyone and make my way to the front of the room. Heather holds out her hands to me and smiles. “You said you love me.”
I nod my head. “I did. I do.”
“Good.” She gets down on one silken knee and holds out a ring. “I’ve done all the paperwork and everything else we need but there’s just one more thing to do besides the ceremony. Will you marry me, Jude McHenry? Will you make me happier than I’ve ever been in my life and promise to never leave me, even if I piss you off and ignore your advice or argue about how to do something? And will you always love me for the rest of our lives?”
I stop her right there, dropping down to the floor and pulling her close, my lips locked to hers, fighting the need to tangle in her perfect hair and tug her closer. I pull back. “I promise that I will love you to my dying day. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved and you always will be. I want to be there when you wake up in the morning. I want to watch you fall asleep in my arms at night and I want to knock you up and give you so many babies that we’re tripping over all of them every time we move.”
Everyone laughs and she giggles, her cheeks flushing pink. “I think I like the sounds of that. Let’s do this, Mr. McHenry.”
“Absolutely, Mrs. McHenry.”
Elvis clears his throat. “Uh. Not until I marry you she’s not.”
Everyone laughs again and I stand up, pulling her to her feet. “Then let’s do this, Elvis. I’ve got a bride to get all shook up tonight and it’s now or never.”
Heather groans and covers her eyes. “That’s awful.”
But she follows me up to stand in front of the officiant and hands her bouquet to a tiny woman that her brother is glowering at. I lean over and whisper, “who is she?”
She grimaces. “Jess’s little sister. I’m afraid I didn’t tell Chris that she was going to be here but she helped me and I like her.”
I grin. This should be interesting.
Elvis smiles at us. “Sometimes a man meets a woman and he just can’t help falling in love. You can’t stop thinking about her and come what may you know she’s the one. It’s now or never and you hold her tight and ask her to be your only one tonight. If that isn’t love I don’t know what is.”
Music plays in the background and I can’t stop staring into Heather’s gorgeous blue, sparkling eyes, barely believing that we’re here and she loves me. She wants to be mine. Her lips curl up into the little smirk that tells me she’s planning something and my dick jerks in my pants. I hope she’s planning what I’m planning because I’m gonna make love to my new bride all night long. I can almost hear her screaming in my ears and it takes me a second to realize that everyone is staring at me. Including Heather.
“Ummm. I’m sorry. I do?”
Elvis glares at me but his lips twitch. “Is that a question or an answer, son?’
“I do.” I nod my head and Heather grins. I tug her closer as the officiant smiles and says.
“So don’t be cruel and love each other and never let each other go. I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride, un-uh.” The man’s hips rotate and I cringe back but Heather grabs me and smirks. “Kiss me, husband. Don’t be cruel.”
I snort and lean down, my lips finding hers, our kiss tender and long and perfect. Her lips cling to mine and her nails dig into my biceps and I think I’ve never been happier.
Cheers ring out and Heather pulls back, her cheeks flushed and the smile on her full lips so big that it almost reaches her ears. “I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. and Mrs. McHenry for the first time. Congratulations!”
We walk down the aisle and my chest is so puffed out it’s a wonder that I don’t trip over something.
“I love you, Red. I’m gonna make you so fucking happy. I’m sorry I hurt you that first time but I promise never again. We don’t even have to make love tonight. Not until you’re ready. I’m just happy to know that you love me and you want to be with me.”
She glares at me and pulls me over to the vestibule where we’re signing the papers. “You didn’t hurt me that first time…I was so happy I was crying, you idiot. And then I woke up to find you gone. Now that hurt.”
“I promise. I’ll never leave you again.”
“Good. Because we’re married now and I’ll hunt you down this time and make you come home to me.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll always come home to you.”
“Then we’ll be fine. But I can tell you one thing…” She leans over and whispers in my ear, “if you think that we’re not making love tonight, you’re out of your head. I’ve been waiting for you for almost twenty years. I intend to make up for all those times. And soon.”
I throw my head back and laugh, stunned. I’ve got the woman of my dreams and she wants me so much she was willing to throw a surprise wedding with all our friends and family and then threaten me if I didn’t make love to her.
Dreams do come true in Vegas, people! They really do!