Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
But as Elodie loops her arm through mine, leading me into Judge Hamilton’s chambers, my nerves settle. When I see Keegan standing in front of the judge in a tux, all of the anxiety simply…falls away. All I see is him. My future.
He turns as if he feels my eyes on him. His flare with heat as they run across me, taking in the flawless makeup, the elegant updo, and the ridiculously expensive wedding dress Samara and Elodie helped me pick.
Samara is holding Lily, leaving my hands free to clutch the bouquet Keegan sent me.
“Jesus,” he rasps, striding across the chamber to me. He immediately pulls me into his arms, burying his face in my throat. “Jesus, Landry baby. You’re glowing. You look like an angel.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, my heart thrilling. I feel like a princess right now, someone light years from the girl I was just a couple of weeks ago. In his arms, with my bouquet in my hand, and the silky dress trailing behind me, I feel like I’m home. Like the last two years were just a bad nightmare, some awful dream that has no sway here.
This is a fairytale. It’s mine, and it’s real.
“I have a present for you.”
I lift my head to look at him, startled. “You already bought me too much, Keegan.” It’s true. Between the dress, shoes, flowers, and jewelry, he’s spent a small fortune on making today perfect.
“I didn’t buy this one, sweetness,” he says, grinning as he reaches out to touch my cheek. “I went to see Dillon today. Everything has been taken care of.”
“You mean…?” My heart stutters and stalls, hope blooming.
“Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what I mean. You aren’t going to jail,” he whispers.
I throw myself into his arms, relief exploding through me. I’ve been so damn anxious about spending the rest of my life behind bars, kept from him and Lily for the choices I made. And now…I won’t. I never have to worry about that again.
Keegan catches me with a chuckle, crushing me up against his chest.
“I’m not going to jail,” I whisper, my voice choked.
“I promised you, didn’t I?”
Yeah, he did. And as I’m quickly coming to learn, Keegan never breaks a promise, not to me. His word is his bond. He says exactly what he means, means precisely what he says, and follows through, regardless of how impossible it seems.
We cling to each other for a long moment before the judge clears his throat. I pull back with my cheeks burning, but the older man just grins at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“We can begin whenever you two are ready,” he says, glancing from me to Keegan.
“What do you say, baby?” Keegan asks. “You ready to be mine now?”
“Yes,” I say, my voice strong and sure. I made my decision in his arms in bed a week ago. So long as he wants me, I’m his. And even if, in some alternate reality, he gets tired of me someday, I’ll still be his. He has every piece of me.
Samara passes Lily to him, and his expression melts when he sees her in the little white dress Elodie found for her. She looks like a baby princess. Not that she notices. She only has eyes for her daddy as she reaches toward his face, babbling.
“My sweet little princess,” he croons, nuzzling her against his cheek. “You look just like your mama, you know that?”
She coos softly, grinning at him.
Keegan tucks her up against his chest, cradling her carefully, and then wraps one strong arm around my waist, leading me toward the judge. Elodie and Samara take their places beside Tate and Coby, who are here to act as our witnesses.
Everyone who has been helping us wanted to be here, but I never dreamed about a big wedding. The only thing I ever wanted was a man who couldn’t live without me, someone who made life new and beautiful. Keegan is so much more than I ever could have expected. How I become his doesn’t really matter to me. It’s not the wedding I’ll remember for the rest of my life, anyway. It’s what the ceremony symbolizes. That he chose me. That he loves me. That hope and happy-ever-after exist even in the darkest, deepest pits of hell.
I don’t hear a word the judge says. I’m too busy staring at Keegan. I think it’s the same for him because he doesn’t take his eyes off me once through the entire brief ceremony. The judge has to clear his throat three times before Keegan even realizes that he’s supposed to repeat after him.
He says his vows with his eyes locked with mine and his voice ringing around me. And I say mine with tears in my eyes and my voice shaking with emotion. But he hears them.