Summer Ever After (Wildflowers #10)

Prologue

B eth clutched her bouquet tightly as she and Ian sprinted towards the waiting limo, laughter erupting from both of them while a shower of birdseed rained down like confetti.

Her bouquet, a romantic mix of ivory peonies, pale pink garden roses, soft ranunculus, and sprigs of rosemary, was wrapped in a silk ribbon embroidered with her new initials.

The petals trembled with every joyful step, their scent a soothing blend of floral and herb that clung to the warm summer air.

All around them, their loved ones filled the path with cheers and smiles, some tossing seeds with gleeful abandon, others reaching for one last photo.

Someone called out, “Don’t forget to breathe!” while one of the groomsmen pretended to weep dramatically.

Ian’s cousin Lilith, one of Beth’s bridesmaids, waved wildly as she dodged a handful of flying seed herself.

Beth glanced behind them one last time at the ceremony archway, which had been wrapped in eucalyptus, baby’s breath, and white roses and now framed the golden-hour skyline.

Twinkle lights had been strung along all the chairs and trees of the ceremony area, and they began to glow as dusk crept in, casting a magical haze over the entire scene.

Beth’s dress sparkled with motion, the delicate lace overlay fluttering around her legs while her satin heels thudded lightly on the stone path.

Tiny buttons ran down her back. She had long ago removed her veil, before all of the dancing at their reception.

Her shorter dark hair had been swept into a romantic twist and was pinned to the base of her neck with a pearl comb.

When they reached the limo, she waited while Ian opened the door with a flourish, then she turned back one last time to look at the faces of everyone gathered there.

There were only a handful of people that she knew personally.

She’d been allowed to invite two of her high school friends, her distant cousin, and her mother.

She’d missed her father all day, had dreamed in the years since his death about what it would have been like if he could have been there for her.

Now, with birdseed clinging to her hair and her cheeks aching from smiling so much, her heart had never felt so still.

She was Bethany Lynn Thorne.

She was Mrs. Ian Thorne.

She was really married. Married.

And most importantly, finally free.

Free from the control.

Free from the anger.

Free from the abuse.

She and her husband would be on their way to the airport, where they would fly first class to some beautiful surprise honeymoon that Ian had planned.

She was riding in the back of the limo, with her new husband. She held in a squeal of pleasure.

Then Ian leaned over the leather seat towards her for a kiss.

She closed her eyes, ready for the soft, sexy move, but the kiss didn’t come. She opened her eyes and looked into his sexy green ones. It was one of the things that had first drawn her to him. That and his sexy blonde hair, chiseled abs, his sexy smile, and the way he looked in his police uniform.

“Happy?” he asked as his eyes ran over her face.

“Very. You?” she asked, beaming at him.

He was still running his eyes over her as if trying to figure something out. Seconds ticked by in silence.

She opened her mouth to ask him if something was wrong when he spoke.

“Who was that you were dancing with?”

She stilled. “Who?” She shook her head slightly, not understanding. She’d danced with a lot of people over the past two hours. Some had even tucked money into her palm during the cash dances.

He’d danced with a lot of people too. It was sort of the whole idea of the day. Celebration.

“During the song when I was dancing with my mother,” Ian said, slowly taking the flowers from her fingers and tossing them haphazardly in the seat next to him.

She frowned slightly. “I… I’m not sure.” She tried to remember who she’d been dancing with and could only remember a dark-haired man, maybe one of his fellow police officers? “I thought?—”

The slap wasn’t hard. She’d had harder ones over the past few years. It was, however, surprising. Ian had, in the past eight months that she’d known him, never lifted a finger to her, or even his voice.

Her hand covered the sting as tears threatened to ruin her makeup.

“Who?” Ian asked again, completely calm.

She shook her head again. “I thought he was one of your friends, maybe another cop. I didn’t get his name,” she said, eager to please.

She’d been raised knowing just what to say or do in order to stop someone from getting too angry.

He gently took the hand that had been covering her face. He brushed his lips across her knuckles gently.

“Baby, I’m not the kind of man who likes to share his wife.

” His eyes locked with hers and then something changed in him right before her eyes.

He softened and was back to the Ian she knew and had fallen in love with.

“We are going to have the best time on our honeymoon.” He smiled as if he hadn’t just slapped her.

“Maybe, by the time we get back in three weeks”—his hand moved down to her stomach, still holding her fingers laced with his own—“we’ll already be starting our family. ”