19. Marley
MARLEY
“What do you mean we’re closed today?” I look between Tracy and Brielle, who is failing to hide her smirk. “What’s going on?”
Brielle clears her throat, pulling out a piece of paper. “Marley. Trust us. Love you always, Jax.” Her nose wrinkles. She turns the paper around to see the chicken scratch that is his handwriting. “Why do guys have such atrocious legibility? I think even doctors would struggle to read this.”
My lips twitch, and I cross my arms over my chest. “So something is going on, and I’m supposed to trust you two?”
Tracy nods. “Yes, I’m going to take you to my house. Brielle has graciously loaned her overabundant supply of makeup, hair supplies, and dresses. And we are getting you ready.”
There’s an excited but nervous beat in my pulse. “Ready for what?”
“That’s the surprise,” my sister-in-law says with a wink. “Coop told me where you have a tickle spot in case you decide not to cooperate.”
My lips part. “He did not.”
She grins wider. “Did too.”
I swallow roughly and blow out a steadying breath. “Okay, but I get final say. And if I veto anything, then that’s that.”
Tracy nods. “Of course. We’re not that demanding.”
I snort, letting them lead me to Tracy’s car so we can drive the few minutes to her house.
The ride isn’t as awkward as I imagined it would be, maybe because Brielle fills it with chatter about Cooper’s rodeo events before switching to whatever random shenanigans that are happening at the ranch.
Tracy listens with wild amusement. Thankfully both of them are letting me stew in silence as they guide me inside and make me sit at Tracy’s vanity.
It’s like I’m a doll between two friends as they go about undoing my braid and brushing my hair before Tracy shoos Brielle away so she can focus on makeup.
Reality snaps back into place when Brielle comes back with a large garment bag and slowly unzips it to show me the inside.
“That’s a wedding dress.”
Brielle pouts. “Is it?” She looks it up and down before trying to shove it into my hands. “Just try it on, see how it looks.”
“Brielle, that’s a wedding dress.” My suspicion is through the roof at this point.
I sat through Tracy and her doing my hair and makeup without overthinking it.
But now I have a strong sense of where this is going.
It’s not even about the dress, because it’s beautiful, but that I can see Jax planning an entire wedding surprise without consulting me once.
He’d do it in a heartbeat. And that Tracy and Brielle are involved?
That means he roped in many more people than I’ll ever assume.
She sighs. “Oh my god. If I say it’s not a wedding dress, will you try it on?”
I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms. I already feel a little uncomfortable with my curled hair flowing down my back combined with the feeling of more than one coat of mascara on my eyelashes. It’s giving imposter, making me want to crawl out of my skin.
“Do you not like it?”
I shake my head. “It’s beautiful. It’s something I’d pick out myself.”
“Then why are you arguing? You already know what’s happening. Let’s not kid ourselves anymore.”
My lips twist into a grin. “You know, I’ve always liked you.”
Brielle snorts. “Because I can be a bitch sometimes? Yeah, I know. Now get your perky ass in the dress because we’re running five minutes behind.” She sighs, flopping onto the chair next to the bed. “The one time you can’t say everyone is just early because they are quite literally waiting on you.”
In her usual fashion, she doesn’t even think about excusing herself out of the room as I change.
Something about Brielle is magnetic, demanding the attention of everyone, and you don’t stand a chance at arguing.
Some days I enjoy provoking her, but today…
Today I siphon some of her strength as I slip on the wedding dress and face her.
Her ramblings cease and she looks at me for a long moment before wiping at something in the corner of her eye. “You know Kinsey and I, we used to talk about our dream weddings when we were at the omega academy.”
I raise an eyebrow, laughing a bit. “I never once dreamed of a wedding. It was never on my radar.”
Tracy snorts. “That does not surprise me. I don’t think you would have cared even if you were raised differently.”
I smile at her as Brielle sighs, looking at me dreamily. “Isn’t it funny how life works out? No one would have bet on you getting the first real wedding, but you deserve it the most.”
She stands, moving toward me. “Come on. Trust us one more time.”
They pull me to stand outside Tracy’s house, and then she covers my eyes with her hands. “Let this be a surprise at least.”
I feel exposed out in the open, but I can give her this. The gallop of horse hooves down the paved street as my heart moves in double time. Tears already wanting to well in my eyes. I know what it is before Brielle moves her hands.
I watch as Mr. Carter pulls up to the end of Tracy’s driveway, a giant grin on his face, sitting on top of the driving bench seat of his carriage.
He stops, and the carriage door swings open as a large body unfolds from the back.
It takes immense effort to hold in the emotions clawing up my throat as my brother walks toward me in a suit.
“I’m here to escort the bride,” he says, his own eyes a little red around the edges. He glances at Brielle, winking at her, before holding out his hand for me to take.
I let him lead me to the carriage and I climb inside, pleasantly surprised by how nice it looks.
Cooper gets the door locked up again before sitting across from me.
We stare at each other for a moment, the rocking of the uneven carriage making it a little comical.
I shake my head, laughing under my breath.
“I can’t believe you guys did this.”
Cooper smiles. “Jax was convinced that if it wasn’t dropped in your lap, you’d find every excuse in the book to avoid planning a wedding.”
My tongue drags along my lips, and I shrug. “I mean we’re already married, so…”
“And no one knows. Hell, half the town didn’t even remember you guys together. You two were in your tiny bubble for no one to see.”
It was safer that way. If no one knew, then no one could ruin it.
At least, that’s what was easiest to believe.
Maybe a part of me wanted to selfishly keep Jax to myself and not share him with anyone out of fear of any judgment.
Everyone knew who my mother was and what she did, but the Hardwicks were far from that.
They were the ideal picture of a perfect family.
Parents with solid jobs and contributing members of society, their child a non-troublemaker with a kind smile.
I think the only mark against them—which I don’t count because I love it—is that now Jax looks like a bad boy with his full sleeves of tattoos. So unlike the golden boy of our teens.
“It was easier that way. Less chance of anyone messing it up,” I admit to him.
My brother stares at me. “Mom messing it up?”
Emotion curls in my chest and I shrug. “Maybe? I don’t know. I always felt like anything good in life was going to get taken away from us if I wanted it too badly.”
He gives me a broken smile. “That why you never accepted my help? Thought if you did, something would go wrong?”
A breathless laugh escapes me. “No, I just wanted my baby brother to focus on himself for once. I worried about you enough. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Cooper sighs. “I’ll always worry about you. Maybe a little less with Jax, but you’ll always be my family.”
I reach over, giving his hand a squeeze, and then lean back to look out the window and see where we’re headed.
“Is this…” I can’t even finish my question because the answer is obvious.
I haven’t come back to this house since the day I signed the lease on my own apartment, and I knew Copper was settled at Levi’s ranch.
I assumed eventually someone would scoop it up when my mom stopped paying property taxes, but I couldn’t bring myself to check.
“I bought it. It didn’t feel right letting strangers buy it up.”
I swallow down the emotion balling in my throat. “Why? It was never really home.”
Cooper shakes his head. “It was. It was our home. The one where you had to pick lice out of my hair twice, the home where you had to drag my ass to shower when I was stinking up the place, the one where we made makeshift beds on the couch when we had the flu. Marley, our home is where we grew together, and that was here. With you.”
I carefully wipe the tears clinging to my lashes and wave my hand at him. “Stop, you're going to ruin my makeup.”
He snickers. “Not a phrase I thought I’d ever hear from you.”
I look back at the house. “You bought it?”
He nods. “And I’ll transfer the deed to you because I don’t know if you know this, but Jax said your dad built it.”
I suck in a breath. “No wonder she wouldn’t leave.
” Our mom fought so hard to keep the house, not letting us sell it and a few times taking my saved money to pay the taxes directly.
It used to make me mad, not only because it was the one bill she seemed not to trust me to pay, but because we could have easily saved money moving elsewhere, and she hindered that ability.
By the time we pull into the driveway of the house, there’s a new appreciation for it in my heart.
Not only because it looks like someone has painted it a brand new color, and even changed the shade of the front door, but because maybe at one time, this was a place of love.
That my parents had built it for their future before it all went downhill.
“You see the photos?” Cooper asks.
“Mhmm.”
His hand reaches over to squeeze my knee. “Too much? Jax was a little afraid it would spook you.”
My eyebrows furrow and I look over at my brother. “Is it a little creepy to have all the photos out for everyone to see? Uh, yeah. But it’s for one day…It’s for my wedding.”
He grins at me. “Right. See, I knew you were reasonable about some things.”
I roll my eyes and blow out a breath. I’m really getting married in front of whoever in town shows up. Such a public spectacle, and so unlike me and Jax.
“Ready?”
Everything is a blur. I don’t remember who we saw or talked to as Cooper led me out of the carriage and around the back.
There were people; I do remember that. But suddenly I blink, and clarity rings back in.
I’m at the end of a long aisle, my elbow ?tucked into Cooper’s, a bouquet in my trembling hands, and Jax waits patiently under a large flowered structure with twinkling lights above us.
“This doesn’t feel real,” I whisper.
Cooper nudges me. “Believe me, we all have the bruises and aches to show for us scraping all this together.”
My lips twitch. “Thank you.”
Music starts to play, the classic wedding march, and everyone stands to turn and stare at me.
Cooper leans down. “Don’t have to thank me. We would all do this again. You being happy makes me happy. Now let’s go make him my brother for real.”
It takes everything in me to not let the tears fall as he walks me down the path dusted with petals. I nearly crumple when I hear his sniffling at my side and see Jax’s red lined eyes as we get closer. The only two men in my life on the verge of crying, and I’m supposed to stay strong?
We stop right at the end of the aisle, and Cooper shifts away so my hand falls from his elbow. He leans over and kisses my temple, gently tugging the flowers from my hold.
“Chase your happiness, Marley. You deserve it more than anyone else.”
I swallow to suppress the emotion wrecking havoc inside me and nod at my little brother before he steps away to sit in the front row.
Jax holds out his hand, and I don’t hesitate to grab on to it as he guides me to stand across from him.
Everything else is tuned out as we stare at each other.
His hand squeezes mine with a soft smile tilting on his face.
My nose prickles with the urge to cry, but I blink it away.
If I start now, I won’t stop, and I want this moment between us.
Jax looks away from me and clears his throat. I turn to the pastor, registering that he had asked him something. When I look back to my soon-to-be husband, he’s grabbing a ring out of a box that the pastor is holding, and then Jax faces me again.
“I choose you, not just for this moment, but for every moment that has passed and that will follow. I promise to always stay with you in the quiet days and the stormy ones, to love you with patience, and to comfort you when the world feels heavy. You are my home, my heart, and my everything.” Jax’s voice cracks, and he swallows harshly before nodding for the pastor to continue.
I have to stifle my smile and tears because knowing Jax, that was the simple version of whatever he wrote for his vows.
The man has every ounce of romance in his bones while I might only have a drop.
I hold out my hand for him to slip on a ring that I don’t look at; it doesn’t matter to me.
It’s from him, so I’m sure it’s perfect.
Jax squeezes my hand, and I reach over, grabbing the solid wedding band for him.
I don’t have to say anything. I’m sure he doesn’t expect me to.
I’ve never been one for public affection, and that’s what fuels me to look up at him and tell him the words I’ve pored over in my head.
Things I wish I told him before when I thought we had forever and I ripped it away from us.
“I love you, Jax Hardwick. I’ve always loved you for as long as I knew what love was.
I love the way you laugh when I’m being snappy, as if you find my attitude charming, the way you reach for my hand without thinking or hesitation, the way you’ve taken care of me far longer than you should’ve ever had to and made it seem as simple as breathing.
I promise to keep choosing you, every single day—even when it’s hard and I doubt myself.
Even when it’s messy, especially then, because I will start to overthink everything.
I promise you forever, and I mean it.” I take a deep breath and forget the rest of my vows as I stare at the man who holds my heart.
He smiles, tears streaking down his cheeks, and steps forward, cupping my face.
We’re lost in our own world for a few moments until he leans down and kisses me, soul deep.
The cheers ringing out fade away as I wrap my arm around his neck and melt into him.
It’s just me and him. It’s always been just me and him.