“I sat and waited and waited some more while June ran her mouth. Baby, you know how I feel about that voice of hers.” He says it like he was tortured, making me roll my eyes.
“She offered me something to drink. I said no and that if her mom and dad weren’t back in the next five minutes, I was gone. That’s when she fucking lost it. Tried to throw herself at me. I dodged her, and she hit the floor. Hard. Then she started crying.” He studies me for a second, and I can tell there’s more and he doesn’t want to say it.
“What, Cash? Just say it.”
“I just stepped over her and left.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” He mimics my response. “You’re not mad? I thought you’d be pissed I just left her there crying. Last time she started with those tears, you told me to be nice. I thought—”
“That’s what got you so mad?”
“Big fucking part.” He lets out a deep breath. “All I kept thinking was that if you had to listen to some man talk for thirty minutes about how you should marry him, I’d lose it. Then I came around that corner and there’s a man standing on my goddamn porch fucking touching you.” He yells the last part.
I just shake my head and walk over to him, placing my hands on his chest, smiling up at him.
“How can you be smiling? I still want to go back out there and beat the shit out of someone.”
“I’m smiling because you’re so jealous. You’re even jealous for me over you.” I start to laugh because saying it out loud makes it ever funnier.
He just shakes his head.
“We should go get married. I think that might help.” I’m not sure who he’s trying to convince, me or him.
“Sure it will,” I tease.
“Maybe if you were walking around here with a round little belly, that might help, too,” he adds.
“Can we focus on one thing at a time here? The wedding first,” I remind him.
“We get this wedding done and I’m going to be focusing on that real hard.”
“Promises, promises,” I tease.
He leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips.
“This is going to be the fastest wedding this town has ever seen.”
Chapter 10 Cash
I hear the hinges shake on the door as I kick it closed behind us.
“Flip the lock, Mrs. McCallister. We’re going to be needing some privacy.”
Clare giggles in my arms but turns the lock as I asked. I nearly run down the long hallway to our bedroom, so desperate am I to get her in there. I feel like once we are in our room, she’ll be mine and she can’t get away.
Our wedding had to have made history. The fastest I dos in the state of Texas, guaranteed. When the officiant got to the part about asking if anyone objected, I jerked the ring out of his hand and put it on Clare before he could even finish the sentence. I pulled her to me, kissed her on the mouth and said, “We’re done here.”
Clare was laughing the whole time I carried her out of the courthouse, but I was dead serious. I wasn’t giving anyone time to object to anything, and I sure as hell wasn’t waiting any longer to make her mine. The drive back to the ranch was long enough, so as soon as we got back, I carried her from the truck, across the threshold, and into the house.
“Cash, you’re going to hurt yourself running around with me in your arms like this. Calm down. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Baby, I could carry you for the rest of my life and not even break a sweat. You’re so little. You’re going to have to start eating more. You need to put some weight on,” I tell her, making her giggle.
Once inside the bedroom, I kick the door closed behind us and stand Clare up next to the bed. She looked so beautiful today, and I can’t keep my hands to myself any longer. Holding her to me, I look into her eyes and see her bite her lip.
“I’m nervous,” she whispers, and I see the blush hit her cheeks.
“I just want to lie naked with you, baby. I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to do. You’re so tiny, and I’m…” I trail off, not sure what to say.
“Gigantic,” she finishes for me, her eyes going wide as she looks at my body.
“We’ll go slow. And when we can’t do anymore, we’ll stop.” Holding her chin, I make her look back into my eyes so she knows I’m serious. “You know I won’t do anything to hurt you. Slow, baby. Real slow.”
She smiles up at me, and it makes my heart nearly burst with love. That’s what this all is. I’ve been falling for her since the second I saw her in our kitchen. All that wild blonde hair and mouthiness she’d thrown at me like I wasn't three times her size. She wasn't intimidated by me in the least. Where many went running, she’d just rolled her eyes or smacked my chest, calling me a brute. I’m a goner, and I’ve never been happier in my life.
Leaning down, I take her lips and wrap my arms around her waist. Her hands go up and around my neck, and I hold her to me as we just kiss. As always when we connect, the low heat builds to a boiling passion and soon the kiss alone is not enough. Reaching up, I unbutton the lace at the back of her neck and then undo the zipper at her back. The dress falls down softly to her hips, and I hold it there while she leans back from me and steps out of it. She takes off her shoes, leaving her in only white lace panties.
“My God, Clare. You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” I place my hand on my chest to keep my heart from trying to break through. Just looking at her has me weak in the knees and willing to sacrifice my own life for whatever it takes to make her happy. I hope I can be the husband she deserves because she deserves the best in life. And I’ll try until my last breath to be what she needs.