Chapter 17
Seventeen
CAITLIN
Have you ever wanted something so much that you could taste it? That was what this moment felt like—like biting into something so sweet, so intoxicating, that it coated every inch of her soul. Lying beside Jason, wrapped in the solid warmth of him, feeling the steady rhythm of his breath against her skin, Caitlin felt like she was dreaming. And that dream? It had always been him.
Only now, the dream was alive, breathing, unfolding into something more. Something terrifying.
Jason had proposed in the quiet, hushed hours of the morning when the world was still soft around the edges and her heart was too fragile to fight back. He had poured everything out to her, raw and unfiltered, promising that she was his home, that she was coming with him—always. And then, like he had been born to do it, he had slipped a ring onto her finger. A real, tangible symbol of something permanent.
It was everything she had ever wanted.
And yet, she was waiting for the inevitable crash. The part where the universe laughed in her face and yanked it all away. Wasn’t that how it always went? And she was waiting for the mental crash that was sure to come.
Wasn’t that how it always went?
You won the lottery – and got in a car crash on the way to get your check. If you wanted to survive a tornado, you needed to be wearing lingerie, put curlers in your hair, remove your dentures (if applicable), or ‘Donald-Duck-it’… because a news crew would find you for an interview. It was like a guaranteed thing in the south.
Grab your purse and insurance cards? You’re a goner.
Wouldn’t be seen in public like this? Man, you are gonna make it, and the internet is gonna watch your video – don’t forget to ‘like, share, and subscribe!’ because you have just become click-bait.
You get too comfortable, and the rug gets pulled out from under you - every single time. And now, lying here in Jason’s arms, wearing his ring, hearing his whispered promises of forever, she couldn’t shake the gnawing, anxious voice in the back of her head. The one that told her it wasn’t real, that she was just some passing fancy. That eventually, he’d wake up and wonder what the heck he had been thinking.
She needed to give him space.
A way out.
If Jason had a flaw, it was that he was loyal to a fault. If he made a promise, he kept it—even if it cost him. And she didn’t want to be a mistake. A regret. Something he looked back on and wished he had done differently.
She had spent too many years watching Matthew do the same thing—jump in, swear he was all in, only to backpedal and pretend it had never happened. The only thing Matthew had ever stayed true to, was the one person he refused to talk about.
And then there was Luke—sweet, thoughtful Luke, who would probably fall head-over-heels for the first woman who gave him the time of day. He was a mix of both of them, caught somewhere between Jason’s fierce protectiveness and Matthew’s restless unpredictability.
The Baird brothers were a mystery—a complicated, tangled mess of loyalty and secrets. And now, here she was, slipping right into the middle of it.
“What are you thinking?”
Jason’s voice was a low whisper beside her, his breath warm against her skin. Caitlin turned slightly, finding his eyes still heavy with sleep but sharp, assessing.
“Nothing,” she lied, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
Jason didn’t buy it for a second.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said, a slow, knowing smile pulling at his lips. “I can read you like a book.”
She arched a brow, forcing a smirk she didn’t feel. “Okay, hotshot, what am I thinking?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“You’re scared. Waiting for something to go wrong.”
The words landed like a punch, knocking the air from her lungs. She blinked rapidly, looking away, but it didn’t matter. He had already seen it.
“No, I’m not.”
“Catnip…”
“Jason, don’t.”
His hand found hers, strong and sure, the ring on her finger pressing against his skin.
“Sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice soft but unyielding. “Our ‘something wrong’ already happened. And we made it. We made it.” His fingers tightened around hers. “I meant it when I said our forever starts now.”
Her heart twisted painfully, torn between wanting to believe him and needing to protect herself. “Stop,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I’m trying to be gracious. To give you an out if you’ve made a mistake or?—”
“To heck with gracious,” Jason interrupted, heat flashing in his eyes. “I’m done being gracious. Done doing everything that’s expected of me. I’m grabbing life with both hands, and the rest of the world can be darned.”
She stared at him, stunned into silence.
“Jason…”
“Now, I just need to know,” he continued, holding her gaze with a quiet intensity that made her breath hitch. “Do you love me? Do you want to marry me? And can you think of a good excuse…” He hesitated just long enough to let a mischievous spark dance in his eyes. “For going into the ER with a snakebite and coming out pregnant with my kid?”
Caitlin choked. “JASON EDWARD BAIRD!” and burst out laughing wildly at his rambunctious side that was starting to reveal itself the more comfortable he got with their relationship.
His grin was wicked. “I know, right? I can’t think of a good reason either. That was a heckuva snake.”
“I nearly died and you’re making jokes?.”
“Vicious trouser snake.”
“Oh my gosh—stop.”
Her horrified gasp was drowned out by laughter—wild, breathless laughter that made her stomach ache. Jason was grinning at her, all devilish charm and roguish teasing, and suddenly, the fear—the anxiety that had been suffocating her—began to loosen its grip.
“You’re a mess,” she told him, shaking her head.
“You still have to marry me.”
“I don’t have to do any such thing.”
His smirk softened. “Do you want to?”
She swallowed hard, the teasing falling away as the weight of the question settled between them. Then, gently, she reached up, brushing her fingers through his hair, letting them linger against the rough line of his jaw.
“More than anything,” she whispered.
Jason exhaled like he had been holding his breath for years.
“Pregnant, huh?” she teased, her voice barely above a murmur.
His grin returned, slow and lazy. “I think maybe we’re both done waiting for our lives to begin. And I know I’d love to chase a little girl with pigtails and big green eyes—teach her how to swim in the creek, how to pick up a crawdad, let her pet the baby chickens…”
“One of those barefoot Baird kids who run around like wild animals?”
“One can only hope,” he said solemnly, then gave her that devilish grin again. “And I knew you were interested.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “So when’s this happening in your mind? A week? A month?”
“Nah—today.”
Caitlin’s heart nearly stopped. “What?!”
“I texted my family and told them to be here at eleven with the pastor.”
She gaped at him. “You did what?”
Jason chuckled, completely unbothered. “Can’t have people thinking our kids were born on the wrong side of the bed. Can you imagine the scandal? Yonder is a small town, after all.”
She stared at him, still processing. Then, slowly, she smiled.
“Where did this guy come from?” she murmured, half in awe.
Jason’s expression softened, his fingers tracing the inside of her wrist. “He’s always been here,” he said quietly. “Struggling to get out. I’m just glad you see me—the real me—and love me regardless.”
Her throat tightened. “Oh, I do,” she whispered. “I really, really do.”
His thumb brushed over her knuckles, his touch reverent. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Catnip,” he murmured. “But don’t ever scare me like that again.”
She laced her fingers through his. “I promise.”
* * *
The doctor arrived shortly after ten a.m., making his rounds just as Caitlin pushed away the remnants of whatever had passed for breakfast on her tray. The eggs had been rubbery, the toast dry, but she hadn’t really been focused on food anyway. Jason, however, had been watching her like a hawk—his gaze flicking from her face to the doctor’s clipboard as the man rattled off medical jargon about lingering effects from the bite.
Jason, ever the protector, was already shifting in his seat, bristling. “Side effects? What kind of side effects?”
The doctor sighed, flipping a page. “A little pain, maybe some soreness for a few more days. The prescription should help with that.”
Jason's frown deepened. His fingers tightened on the edge of her hospital bed, and Caitlin could see the wheels turning in his mind, running calculations, weighing consequences. He wasn’t just worried about her comfort—he was already thinking ahead, likely wondering what this meant for their night, their first night together as husband and wife.
Their eyes met.
A silent conversation passed between them in that instant—one that made her cheeks heat, one that promised there would be a very real discussion about this later, when they weren’t in the middle of a hospital room with a doctor present.
But before Jason could say anything—before she could say anything—the door swung open.
His family poured into the room in a flurry of movement and noise, bringing with them the kind of unfiltered chaos only Bairds seemed to carry. Caitlin barely had time to process the sudden arrival before her gaze landed on him —the man standing just slightly apart from the group, holding a Bible, watching her with one raised eyebrow and an unmistakable smirk.
And wearing a Flyboys T-shirt.
He was the pastor?
“Hmmm.” His voice was low, filled with dry amusement as he rocked back on his heels. “I did not have this on my bingo card this year.”
Jason gave her a wary look. Caitlin blinked, then turned sharply to Matthew, her expression screaming What-in-the-actual-heck, dude?
Matthew threw up his hands, grinning like a cat caught in a cream barrel. “I’m innocent!” he hissed, loud enough for everyone to hear, though his eyes twinkled with obvious mischief.
Derek cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Caitlin—I don’t think you’ve ever met Joshua Parr,” he said, nodding toward the pastor. “Goes by Paradox. Jason’s met him at one or two of the barbecue’s over at Flyboys. He’s one of the instructors next door… and a very good friend.”
Joshua—Paradox—gave them both a brief nod before lifting his Bible in one hand, flipping it open, and then promptly rolling his eyes as a small square of yellow paper fluttered out.
A sticky note.
“What?” The entire room echoed in unison.
Paradox sighed dramatically. “Alpo—eh, Hunter Petersen—left you a note.”
Jason groaned, already looking unimpressed. “Let me guess – land?”
Paradox merely shrugged and crumpled the sticky note in his fist. “Message delivered.”
Jason exhaled, rubbing his temple. “Message received. The answer is no. I’m not selling him any property—unless it’s a condition of you marrying us, and then I’d actually consider it.”
A chorus of exaggerated awwws rang through the room.
Caitlin, Toni, Luke, Matthew, and Becca all turned to Jason with identical expressions of disbelief and amusement.
Paradox, however, was unimpressed. He leveled Jason with a look, lifting his chin ever so slightly in a way that managed to be both superior and exasperated. “Keep that suggestion to yourself,” he said loftily. “Marriage is a sacrament, not conditional on anything—especially not real estate transactions.” He gave a haughty sniff. “And a sticky note? Really? The man could have at least called. ”
“Paradox,” Derek interjected, clearly trying to reel things back in before they got too far off track. “If you don’t mind, brother?”
Paradox sighed but nodded, opening his Bible with exaggerated solemnity. “It’s my joy.”
And just like that, the room shifted.
The teasing, the banter, the sharp quips—they all faded into the background as Paradox began to speak. His voice was strong and steady, filling the small hospital room with words that carried weight. Jason’s hands found Caitlin’s, his grip warm and sure as he held her fingers between his own, his thumb tracing slow circles against her skin.
Her heart swelled.
She couldn’t stop looking at him—at the man who had barged into her life like a whirlwind and refused to leave, at the man who made her feel safe and wanted and loved in a way she had never thought possible.
Paradox’s voice rose.
“Do you, Jason Edward Baird, take Caitlin for your wife—to have and to hold?—”
Jason cut him off.
“Don’t say it,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “Yes, I want her as mine, but no sickness, no death, and no parting. ” His voice was firm, unwavering, filled with raw honesty. “She’s everything I could ever want in a partner, a wife, a soulmate—so yeah, we’re not even discussing those things. Not here. Not now. Not ever.”
Silence.
Caitlin’s throat tightened, emotion burning in her chest. She turned her gaze to Paradox, pleading.
“Same,” she said softly, then with more conviction. “Can we take that part out of mine, too? No more sickness. No more goodbyes. Just happiness, love, and laughter until we find each other again in the next life.”
Paradox stared at them both for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
“It’s your marriage,” he said simply, but there was something in his expression—something that looked suspiciously like approval.
He straightened.
“Then, by the state of Texas and the grace of God, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
He barely got the words out before Jason was moving.
Caitlin barely had time to react before Jason’s hands were cupping her face, his lips pressing against hers in a kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing—just warmth, just love, just the undeniable certainty that this was exactly where they were meant to be.
He kissed her like it was the only thing that mattered in the world.
She melted into him, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, savoring the way he felt —solid, real, hers.
Someone cleared their throat.
No one paid attention.
Jason finally pulled back just enough to whisper against her lips, his voice barely more than a breath.
“I love you, Catnip.”
Caitlin smiled, happiness flooding through her like sunlight breaking through clouds.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
And nothing else mattered.