Chapter 8
Eight
Adam
I don’t tell Rebekah that all my brothers are going to be at the courthouse because it may stress her out.
So she’s shocked when we step inside. It’s a small space.
Maple Creek doesn’t have enough population to warrant anything larger.
Filling this room with me and my five brothers is tight.
In addition, there’s Judge Henderson, Mrs. Olsen—his secretary—and Rebekah.
Rebekah squeezes my hand with her small fingers. Harder than I would think her capable.
Like me, my brothers all have suits on. They know how to clean up when it’s important. This is one of those times.
Each of them greets Rebekah, holding out a hand. There’s a round of, “you probably don’t remember me, but I’m Adrian…Aaric…Aaron…Andrew.”
Asher is last. He takes my girl’s hand in his, looks her in the eyes, and says, “I’m very sorry about this morning. Please forgive me. I tend to act first and ask questions later.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers softly. Her face is bright red.
I’m glad Asher apologized. He can be abrasive. It’s often for good reason. He’s mistrustful. We all understand, and deep down we’re all grateful he has taken on the role of guarding our property, even if sometimes he’s over-the-top about it.
The judge beams as he approaches my girl. “Rebekah. It’s been a long time. You look so lovely.” He turns toward me. “Shall we get started?”
Mrs. Olsen smiles at Rebekah next. “So pretty, dear. You have your mother’s eyes. The blue is stunning.”
Mrs. Olsen is right. Rebekah’s eyes would make anyone do a double-take. I get to stare into them for the rest of my life. I’m beaming with pride as I guide her so that we’re standing in front of the judge.
She’s trembling with nerves. I can’t blame her. I’ve rushed her. That’s putting it mildly, but I didn’t want to take any chances that her father would try to get between us. After we’re married, she’ll fully be my responsibility. Hopefully, he will back off. He won’t have a choice.
Rebekah is a grown woman. She can marry and leave her childhood home if she wants. And based on the way she’s smiling at me, I’d say she wants this as badly as I do.
I barely hear a word Judge Henderson says as I stand facing my bride, her small hands in mine. I rub the backs of her knuckles with my thumbs, trying to calm her.
I suspect marrying me isn’t even close to the reason she’s so stressed.
She’s worried about what I will do to her after.
The truth is, I would never do anything she wasn’t ready for.
I will not press her to take me into her body until she’s ready.
It’s enough to know that she’s mine now. No one else will ever have her.
When she’s in my bed tonight, I will breathe easier knowing she’s safe. She’ll be where she belongs. It was fast, but it was inevitable, and once I realized the danger she could be in if I let her go home, there was no way I would allow it.
As soon as I suggested marriage, I knew it was the right thing.
My heart settled. I also surmised she was incredibly concerned about appearances and propriety.
So here we are. This is the best solution.
But what happens in our bed is no one else’s business but ours.
No one needs to know when we consummate our union.
One of my brothers suddenly chuckles and nudges me.
I startle and glance at the judge. He lifts his brows.
“You’re supposed to say ‘I do,’” Aaric murmurs.
I smile broadly. “I do.”
Rebekah is a bit pale. I hope I didn’t scare her with my hesitance. I’m so mesmerized by her that I’m struggling to pay attention to anyone else and what’s going on around me.
When prompted, Rebekah also says, “I do.”
My heart is racing as the judge finishes the ceremony. She’s mine. She’s really mine.
“You may kiss the bride.”
I watch her expression closely as I ease her into my arms. With one hand at the small of her back, I cup her face with the other and lower my lips to hers.
My girl sighs into my mouth as she kisses me back. Her hands come to my waist, and she rises onto her toes.
I need more. I need her closer. She’s too short. So I bend, wrap my arms around her, and lift her off the floor, putting us eye-to-eye. “Let’s try that again.”
This time, as I kiss her, she holds my face, her fingers in my beard. She kisses me back with more passion than I expected.
I love her. We haven’t said it yet, but I do. Call me crazy. I don’t care. I love Rebekah Sharp… Rebekah Gallant.
We don’t have rings, which I hate, but it couldn’t be helped. We’ll get them as soon as possible. I want her to have something she loves, not something I picked up in this tiny town.
Rebekah smiles broadly as I lower her to the floor. Everyone congratulates us. My brothers pat me on the back, but each of them hugs my girl and welcomes her into the family, including Asher. He might not agree with me rushing into this, but he’ll get over it. In time, he’ll see that I was right.
Aaric and Adrian take off before us. I’ve asked them to help me out with something, so they need a head start.
It takes a while to sign the marriage certificate and make everything official, and then we’re back outside, and I’m lifting my girl into the truck. I buckle her in before I close the door and round to my side.
She faces me, her cheeks adorably pink, chewing on her bottom lip. “Am I dreaming?”
I take her hand and bring it to my lips to kiss her knuckles. “If so, I hope we never wake up.”
“You’re my husband…”
“You’re my wife.” It sounds exactly perfect rolling off my tongue. If anyone had told me when I woke up this morning that I would get married today, I would have thought they had a few screws loose. And yet, here we are.
“You said you wanted to marry me a decade ago. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I’m here now, sweetheart. I’ll be by your side for the rest of our lives.”
She doesn’t stop grinning. “I think we should go back to your house. I’d like you to kiss me again.”
“We can do that, but it’s our house now, not mine,” I say as I start the engine. The entire trip up the mountain, I keep my hand on hers, and fifteen minutes later, we’re home.
The lights are on inside, but no one’s truck is in the drive, so I know my brothers have accomplished their mission and left. I owe them.
After rounding the truck to open my girl’s door, I swoop her into my arms and cradle her against my chest.
She giggles. “What are you doing?”
“A man is supposed to carry his bride over the threshold into the house after their wedding.”
Her laughter continues, making me so happy. When she tips her head back, I swallow the raging lust burning inside me. She’s just so fucking sexy, especially when her neck is exposed, her long curls hanging toward the ground. She has no idea how gorgeous she is or how she affects me.
I don’t want to scare her, so I’ll do my best to keep my erection out of her line of sight. What I want to do is slowly remove every piece of clothing she’s wearing, lay her on our bed, spread her open, and lick every inch of her body until she’s writhing and crying out my name.
It’s going to be tough to control myself, but I’ll manage. Somehow. Rebekah’s needs come before mine. Always.
Easily holding her with one hand, I open the door with the other and carry her across the threshold. The inside makes me smile. Aaric and Adrian have knocked it out of the park. I’m not sure how they managed this in less than an hour, but they did.
The lights are dimmed. There are candles lit and strategically placed around the room.
Fire makes all of us nervous, understandably, so I’m sure my brothers are close by.
Even though every home we’ve constructed on this mountain has an automatic sprinkler system built into the ceilings, none of us would ever leave a house unattended with candles burning.
I’m equally certain Asher is going to guard my house tonight as though the two of us are royalty in need of private security. There’s no telling what Rebekah’s father might do, so I’ll sleep better knowing my brother has our backs.
There’s a bowl of strawberries and a bottle of champagne chilling on ice on the kitchen table. The oven light is on, and I know there’s a roast inside.
Two dozen roses are strategically placed in small vases all around the great room. That feat was probably the most difficult. The town florist doesn’t always have that many roses on hand.
“Adam…” Her voice is breathy as she looks around. “How…?”
“I sent two of my brothers ahead to make this place special for you.”
“It’s… I can’t believe you arranged all this. You didn’t have to. It’s amazing, but it’s so expensive. You shouldn’t have spent this much money on me. It doesn’t change how much I love you.”
Rebekah gasps and lifts a hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes bug out.
I carry her to the counter and set her on her bottom before cupping her face. “I love you, too, sweetheart. And I’ll move mountains for you. All of them, if you need me to.”
She blushes as she stares at me, licking her lips.
After making sure she’s steady, I step back, remove my suit jacket, drape it over a stool, and return to her. “Let me tell you something. It’s important.”
Her smile smooths out as her brow creases.
“My brothers and I have a lot of money. More than we could ever possibly need or spend.”
She gasps. “Why?”
“Our parents developed a GPS application when they were young. Before any of us were born. They patented it, and we will benefit from the royalties for the rest of our lives. It’s the reason they moved out here and bought this land in the first place.
They didn’t want to raise a family with all the fame and bullshit that comes with having that level of success.
So they invested their money, moved off the grid, and raised us kids away from the nonsense. ”
“I don’t even know what the thing is you said they invented.”