Chapter 25
Maverick
The thing about the people who travel the rodeo circuit?
They’re like a second family. As soon as word got out that Cooper’s pack—I had to swallow that irritation—was looking to get married, people came out in droves to help.
Within a few hours, we had a decent reception set up and a candid ceremony spot.
One of the riders is able to legally ordain people.
A few of the wives were able to scrap together a look for Brielle and were more than thrilled to pay for a bridal salon while the rest of us got as dressed up as we could in nice jeans and button-ups.
Colt stands next to me, clapping my shoulder. “I never took you for a shotgun wedding.”
I roll my eyes. “You missed all the excitement earlier. You’d have seen why we’re jumping the gun.
” It’s the easy answer, deflective almost, to hold back how nervous I actually am.
I would marry Brielle any day, how I feel about her is that strong, but the urgency of it all makes it feel a little less romantic, and I don’t know how to resolve that.
I never want her to doubt my love for her and my commitment to our pack.
He hums. “Heard something about it. Need me to give the lawyer a call?”
Shrugging, I pull on my cuffs again. “Possibly. We won’t know until he’s out of the hospital, and that’s if he knows where to look.” My stomach clenches thinking about that bastard’s hands on our omega, and I hope Duke did kill him, even if it causes a headache of a legal battle.
“We heading home as soon as y’all seal the deal?”
“Whatever Brielle wants. If she wants to hole up in that hotel room all night, so be it.” Hell, she could want to spend the night in the back of my truck again, and I would take the back pain all night long.
Colt snorts. “She doesn’t know you’ve patched up the ranch house, does she?”
My tongue pokes at my cheek, and I shake my head.
“Haven’t had a chance, and fuck, man. What am I supposed to do?
Ask Duke and Cooper to move in as well? She’s not going to want them in the cabins.
” I suppress a groan about how much my life has changed, that Duke and Cooper are going to be my equals soon.
Brielle will run the show, but they’re her alphas as much as I am.
Jealousy stings a bit, but the more time I spend with them, the less it hurts.
We exchange a look, and he sighs. “It’s gonna be a tough transition, but the rest of the ranch will understand. At the end of the day, our packs and our omegas mean everything. Men getting up in their feelings because you might give Duke and Cooper special treatment is just noise. Ignore it.”
I nod, cracking my neck to the side. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I just… I kind of get it now.”
“Get what?”
“Why my father never cared to bring a woman home. He didn’t fight my mom leaving, and he mourned Kinsey’s mom silently. Maybe he was saving himself the politics of it all.”
Colt frowns, glancing over the crowd that’s setting up the ceremony, his eyes lingering on a smiling Kinsey as she hurries past, arms full of something and heading back to the hotel room. “I love your father, but I think he was a coward.”
I blow out a breath, ignoring the inkling of anger and letting the truth settle in my chest. “Yeah?” I ask, the word coming out like a soft whisper.
“Yeah, Mav. I think your father was so afraid of rejection, or maybe he was even a little jaded, that he chose to be alone instead.”
I’m silent, because I don’t disagree, but he’s still my father.
It hurts to think of him alone in the nursing home.
We tried to have him in the ranch house with an on-call nurse, but after months of us bickering I shifted to the nursing home for both of our sanities.
He didn’t want to accept the reality of his limited mobility, and it made it harder for me to take full control of the ranch with him lingering in the shadows to doubt every call I made. “Yeah, maybe.”
Colt snorts. “No. There’s not an ounce of doubt in me that if Kinsey left town, I’d be following her right out. Your father says her mother was the biggest loss of his life, but not enough to do anything about it. We’ve seen the books, Mav. He could have done something if he wanted.”
He's not wrong. My father runs the ranch like a well-oiled machine. It’s why I work so hard to keep his legacy and why we’re able to leave it running without us overseeing the ranch hands for a few weeks without worrying.
It only took me one night with Brielle to realize that she was mine and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
She hasn’t spoken about it, but every time I get a hint of her scent, I know we’re a match.
I don’t need her to confirm what I’m confident on, and I would follow her wherever she goes as well.
Colt grunts, seeing what we both feel on my face.
We have omegas we would do anything for.
Buck walks up to us with a grin. “Found someone who got their ordination license.”
I raise an eyebrow. “No shit?”
“Riley got it done on a bet.”
Colt shakes his head because one of the well-known barrel racers would do that type of shit. Though, it doesn’t completely surprise me. At least the women are smart enough to not bet on things that can harm themselves, unlike what the boys do half the time.
“Well, if she’s willing, I’d be more than honored if she’d marry my pack,” I say, lifting my hat to tuck some of my hair back before glancing at the tall, lanky woman walking toward us. I know her name more than her as a person; most of us know those who are talented among the rodeo circuit.
She gives me a friendly wave as she stands beside Buck. “I hope you don’t mind. I lent Brielle my prize dress, so I’m going to be marrying you in jeans.”
I smile back. “Not at all. I don’t think any of us were expecting to be able to pull this off.”
Buck nods. “Just have to stop by the courthouse before you leave, and it’s all good.”
“We made good progress on getting the tents set up for a reception,” Riley adds, and then shrugs. “Honestly not half bad.”
Warmth spreads in my chest, and I hold out my hand to shake both of theirs. “I’m grateful for everything everyone was able to accomplish. Now, let’s get married.”