13. Sadie
Chapter 13
Sadie
“ T hat’s the last one,” Barrett tells me as he finishes driving the nail into the board over my window with a sure stroke.
A cellphone rings, and Zac silences the call without even glancing at it. Zac is Barrett’s brother. He drove him through the night so Barrett could stay on the phone with me. We were on speakerphone the whole time which means Zac heard everything.
But he greeted me with a kind smile the moment Barrett introduced us. He’s spent the morning helping the two of us board up the windows in the apartment and bakery.
“Are you getting back on the road now?” Barrett asks, setting the hammer down on the counter. The town has some clean up ahead of us, but nothing major. Zac can’t stay though because he’s supposed to be at a concert tonight.
“Yep, leaving in five,” he answers. He grabs the broom and sweeps up a few shards of glass that we missed earlier.
Barrett claps him on the back. “Thanks for the help. See you tomorrow.”
He shakes his head. “This is the only break in my schedule for the next two weeks. Stay with your girl. I’ll be fine on the road, singing my heart out. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky, and she’ll be out there in the crowd.”
“I really hope so,” I tell him and give him a hug before wishing him goodbye.
As soon as he’s gone, Barrett tips his head toward my apartment, and I follow him up the stairs. He gestures around my living room. “What’s going with us?”
I frown. My brain feels addled from being up all night and working through the morning to get the shop cleaned up. Now I’ve got a flurry of phone calls to make, including one to my insurance company. “What do you mean?”
“You’re moving in with me,” he says it so casually, like it’s a foregone conclusion.
“Because of the damage?” I ask, surveying the boarded-up windows. The truth is, I’m not worried about them. Courage County is a sleepy small town, and Sheriff Luke is always watching over the residents. I don’t think paint dries on a house without him knowing about it.
“I don’t want to live apart from you. I thought I made that clear last night.”
“Barrett—”
Before I can even finish saying his name, he says, “Shit, I’m doing this out of order.”
He pulls a ring from the pocket of his jeans and drops to his knees. “Marry me, sweet girl. Let me take you on a million adventures, give you beautiful babies, pleasure you a dozen times every day. Let’s build a life together.”
My eyes fill with tears at his impromptu speech. I drop to my knees beside him. “Yes, to all of that. Yes, to the adventures and the babies and the orgasms. Yes, to the life together.”
The smile he gives me lights up the entire building. Maybe even the whole town. He slides the ring on my finger. “I love you, Sadie Maple.”
I stare down at the sparkly diamond. The weight on my finger feels so very right. After years of searching, I know I’ve found the place I belong. “Can we do it now?”
“Are you sure? We can wait and have a big, beautiful wedding in front of the whole town. I want you to have everything you’ve dreamed of.”
My heart fills with gratitude. He wants to make my every dream come true, which only makes me want to marry him more. “You’re what I dreamed of, my big teddy bear. The wedding is just one moment in our story. One perfect, glorious moment to let our family and friends know how much we love each other. I don’t need anything fancy for that. Just you and me, pledging our love to each other.”
He gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “If you want to do it now, nothing will make me prouder than to claim you as my wife.”
I grin at him. “I want to go to bed tonight next to my husband.”
“You have no idea what that thought does to me,” he answers. “I can’t wait to see you wearing my wedding ring.”
With a deep breath, I walk into Linda’s candle shop. Greer is sweeping up glass on one side of the store while Ginger is flitting about, working on one of the displays. Grizz is fussing over her. He keeps insisting she needs to sit down and let him do the work.
Linda is inspecting candles and setting aside ones that weren’t damaged from yesterday’s storm.
I hurry to her, my hands in the pocket of my blue jeans. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
Linda smiles when she sees me and gestures for me to follow her into the inventory room. “What’s up? Is everything okay? I haven’t seen you around lately.”
I close the door, so we’re alone. “I haven’t been around a lot because I consider you a friend, and I didn’t know how to tell you that I think your son is hot.” My cheeks flame as soon as I admit that. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”
She chuckles. “There’s nothing to feel awkward about. I’m glad that Barrett found someone so sweet and kind.”
A weight that was on my shoulders rolls off, and I tug my hand from my pocket. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that. He asked me to marry him, and I’d really like to hold the wedding today.”
Linda whoops and hollers. “Congratulations! I’m so happy that Barrett has a girl like you to call his own.”
My eyes fill with tears. “You’re really happy about this?”
Linda says, “I just got myself a lifetime supply of donuts. I’m over the moon.”
I’m laughing and crying at the same time, happy tears and delighted giggles. I was so worried she’d be angry with me. “There’s just one more thing.”
“I’m not sure my heart can handle more news,” she says, her own eyes filling with tears.
“It’s just that I don’t have a family. Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve always thought that I would have liked my mom to have been just like you. So would you consider walking me down the aisle?”
“I would be proud to walk down that aisle with you and give you away. Now, come here. Give me a hug.” As she wraps her arms around me, she whispers, “I’m so excited to have a new daughter.”
“You look beautiful,” Ginger tries to apply a coat of lipstick to my face. She tears up again, which she’s been doing ever since she started on my makeup. We all know it’s pregnancy hormones.
“Let me help her,” Dotty says and takes the lipstick from her. She applies it and offers me a tissue to blot with while Evie fastens a pearl necklace around my throat. Lizzy does my hair in an elegant updo twist.
I’m wearing a dress from Sew Cute, a boutique store in town that caters to curvy girls like me. Even though Mallory didn’t have something in stock that was exactly my size, she helped me find a dress that she could quickly alter.
My vintage inspired wedding dress is tea length with a full skirt. The deep V-neck emphasizes my amazing cleavage, and the lace cap sleeves are delicate and feminine. I finished the look with a pair of white kitten heels and a birdcage wedding veil.
We’re exchanging our vows at the Courage County wedding chapel, which thankfully wasn’t damaged in the storm. Inside the chapel, there’s a wall of framed pictures with couples celebrating their happy unions. They say this place is magical, that everyone who gets married here stays together forever.
“Are you ready?” Linda rolls into the room just as I’m surveying my appearance one last time.
I give her a brief nod, my heart overflowing with gratitude for my friends and Barrett’s family. The only one not in attendance today is Zac. He left already, but he sent his congratulations through a video.
Linda pushes her chair forward and holds out her arm. “I’m so happy you’re part of my family.”
I smile at her as I croak out, “So am I.”
The other girls have already slipped out of the room to take their places. As the music begins to swell from the organ, all I can feel is gratitude and love. This big, filthy cowboy fills my heart with so much joy. He’s given me more than his love and his affection. He’s given me a family.
I watch spellbound as my bridesmaids make their way down the aisle. I can’t believe that this is my life. That I get to marry the handsome cowboy standing at the altar. His gaze hasn’t left me since the moment he saw me. Coco and Skip are with him, waiting for me at the altar.
When it’s our turn, I match my stride to Linda’s motorized wheelchair as the two of us move down the aisle together. We reach the front, and she gestures me close, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek before putting my hand in Barrett’s.
“Take good care of her,” she murmurs.
“Always,” he promises.
While our friends and family watch, Barrett and I repeat our vows. The moment he slips the ring on my finger, joy washes over me in waves.
He promised he would gather all the broken pieces of my heart until I was whole again, and he’s done just that. His love is wrapping around my heart and healing all of the achy, hurting places. Because of him, I know that love is good to me.
“You’re my forever,” I whisper as I slip the ring on his finger.
The pastor announces that it’s time to kiss the bride, Barrett slides his hand to the back of my neck. “I love you, sweet girl.”
Then he’s putting his mouth against mine, devouring me in a sensual kiss that has me blushing. He’s no purple alien, but this cowboy sure can kiss.