One Night Bride by Marika Ray
29
Esme
“Why must you girls push me like this? You could have given me a whole year to plan this wedding instead of three piddly months. You’re already technically married, you know. What’s a few more months?” Mom kept the complaints coming as she bustled about the room, fussing with Vee’s hair, finding my white leather cowboy boots that had somehow been kicked under the table laden with makeup and hair tools, and barking at the wedding coordinator about why the flowers hadn’t arrived yet.
“Just be glad we’re even doing a wedding,” I reminded her, looking over at Amelia, who ducked her head and focused on breastfeeding Lily. She and Titus had eloped to Vegas. Mom had not been pleased.
But none of her drama could touch me. I was in a bubble of zen that couldn’t be touched by pedestrian things like flowers or guilt trips. There was something beautiful about getting ready for your wedding in the bedroom you grew up in, surrounded by sisters and a lifetime of love. Ready to walk down the aisle to the one man who could make me gladly change my life into something I hadn’t even dared to dream of.
“I have never seen a more beautiful bride,” Julie said, smoothing the skirt that barely trailed behind me on the carpet. The delicate lace on my dress hugged my shape perfectly before fanning out into a mermaid skirt. “And I’ve never been happier to finally get a daughter.”
Remington’s mom smiled at me with such love in her eyes, despite the fact we’d lied to her at the start. Her hair was curled, and she had a silver sheath dress on with a wrap around her shoulders. The woman cleaned up well, that was for sure.
“You’re going to make me ruin my makeup,” I replied, sniffling.
“Don’t you dare!” Vee yelled, running over and fanning my face. She’d spent over an hour applying my makeup. “My cat eye is so dope.”
“English, Vee!” Mom hollered as she took Lily from Amelia and put a burp cloth on her shoulder.
Vee made a funny face and ran to get the door when someone knocked on it. “Flowers are here!”
She passed out the bouquets, ending with mine. I stood holding it in front of the mirror and realized I’d never been more sure of anything in my life. The idea of marriage had put some speed bumps in my road, but once I’d straightened out my business, everything fell right into place. I was still coaching, but my message was now about accepting all parts of yourself and using those talents to build whatever life you wanted.
“Oh Lord, you’re perfect,” Mom said on a sob, shifting back and forth with the baby. Despite the tears, Mom was in heaven. A grandbaby on her shoulder and another daughter about to walk down the aisle.
“Let’s go marry my cowboy, huh?” I grabbed a handful of skirt, hightailed it out of the room and down the stairs while Mom yelled about not ruining my dress.
A peek out the back window of Mom and Dad’s house showed the green lawn filled with friends and family and six straight rows of white wooden chairs. A riot of flowers filled the aisle and the arch that waited at the end of the yard. Wyatt, Ruger, and Killam, Remington’s groomsmen, filed out to stand by the arch. And then there was Remington. The sight of him in a formal black suit and a cowboy hat made me gasp.
“Whoa. That man should model. Seriously,” Vee whispered, her nose nearly plastered to the glass.
I elbowed her in the ribs. “Stop perving over my husband.”
She turned to me and grinned. I returned it, feeling giddy like I hadn’t felt the first time around when I married Remington. Oakley grabbed Vee and ushered her out the door, blowing a kiss over her shoulder at me. Amelia fussed over Lily’s tiny white dress. Lily would walk down the aisle with her daddy—Titus throwing flower petals for her—as our official flower girl. Izzy took my hand and squeezed.
“Proud of you, E,” she said quietly, her eyes already brimming with tears. We had a special bond that only twins had. I knew me getting married was making her feel like we were losing something, but I had to set her straight.
I squeezed her back. “Remember, I’m not going anywhere. You’re just gaining a brother.”
She gave me a watery smile and let go as Dad walked into the room. The chatter between the remaining ladies went silent as he strode across the living room in his gray suit and black boots. He’d even waxed his mustache for the occasion.
“Darlin’.” He held his hand out and I took it, doing a slow spin for him, like he’d been doing for every special occasion over the years when his girls got dressed up. “You’re pretty as a peach.”
The tears hit my eyes, remembering all the times he’d said those exact words to each of us girls, shaping my idea of what a man should be to a woman.
“My girls are everything to me, you know that,” he said gruffly. “When I dreamed about this day, I always envisioned you with a man exactly like Remington. A man able to get you to put down the damn phone and live a little.”
He guffawed at his own joke and I rolled my eyes.
“He’ll be your priority now, but just know I’m always your dad. If he needs a talking to, I’d be happy to set him straight. If he’s not pulling his weight in this marriage, I’ll step in and help you out.” Dad’s voice went rough, and I had to swallow hard to keep it together. “He may love you more than he’s ever loved anyone before, but he’s never been a father. That kind of love outlasts lifetimes. You got me?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice to work properly. Dad leaned in and kissed my cheek, the scent of his aftershave a memory I’d always treasure. Then he held his elbow out, and I tucked my hand in his, lining up to exit the house and walk toward my husband.
Mom walked down the aisle, then Julie and Grant. Next came my bridesmaids: Oakley, Amelia, Izzy, and Vee. Last was Titus, carrying little Lily, who was fast asleep. Leave it to Titus to do a bang-up job scattering the flowers with a flourish. The crowd laughed at his antics and Amelia rolled her eyes. The music changed, and it was my turn.
“You may think you’re marrying me off, but you can’t get rid of me that easily, you know,” I whispered, teasing, but meaning every word.
Dad huffed. “Don’t I know it.”
And then we were stepping out of the house and into the stream of sunlight that lit the backyard. Everyone stood and smiled, cell phones out to capture every single moment. The irony was not lost on me that here, on my biggest day, my cell phone was nowhere in sight. Today was all about Remington and me, creating a future together. I’d remember every moment in my head for as long as I lived.
I locked gazes with Remington, who mouthed “I love you.” Dad had to practically pull me back to keep me from sprinting down the aisle. Right before we got to the end of the aisle, Remington had to swipe his wrist across his eyes. My big cowboy was a crybaby after all.
Dad kissed my cheek again and pressed my hand into Remington’s. Dad sat down next to Mom and held out his handkerchief to her. Izzy took the bouquet from my hand and Pastor Murphy began the ceremony.
We purposely kept the ceremony short, having been down this road once before, but made sure we spoke our own vows. We’d spent weeks writing them to get them perfect. I hadn’t seen what he wrote yet, and I was dying to hear the words.
Remington held my hands and couldn’t stop smiling as he said his vows. “I’m just a simple rancher, so I don’t have the beautiful words you deserve. What I do have is my whole heart that’s been yours since the day I saw you in Tahoe. I don’t always do things right, but I promise to keep trying. I promise to make you laugh when you’re taking life too seriously. I promise to keep surprising you—though not like that first surprise.” He winked, and I blushed, wondering if he meant the surprise trip to the bathroom in Tahoe or finding out we’d gotten married.
“I promise to keep supporting you in whatever capacity you need. I also promise to stay the heck out of your way and let you do your thing.” The audience laughed at that one. “I promise to let you fly, as long as I can be right there beside you to watch you do great things. I love you, Esme Waldo. Now and forever.”
He pulled my hands up to his face and kissed the backs of both of them. Ever my gentleman. Pastor Murphy turned to me and my heart started pounding. Anything I could say would pale in comparison to all of that.
“For a cowboy who doesn’t have words, they sure pack a punch!” Again, the audience laughed and I had to focus on Remington’s eyes to get the words out I’d practiced over and over again. “I won’t lie. The first thing that drew me to you was the way you fill out a pair of Levi’s. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Then I discovered what a gentleman you were, and it reminded me of the greatest man I know: my dad.” I heard Mom cry harder into his handkerchief.
“Then we went through some troubles that had me disliking you very much. You annoyed me on purpose, it seemed. You brought me to Wyoming to meet your family, and I was a fish out of water. Your family welcomed me with open arms and I got my first glimpse of the real Remington Roth. A man with honor, integrity, and a wicked sense of humor. You think of others first always, a trait I admire and wish I was more like. You love without limits or conditions. You naturally like to control the situation, but you let me fly in all directions because you simply love me. Only the most confident of leaders would be able to deal with that kind of wife. For those reasons and so many more I get to discover as we grow old together, I love you.”
“Let’s exchange the rings, a symbol of your unending love for each other,” Pastor Murphy continued.
Izzy handed me the ring I’d special ordered for Remington with some help from his father. I slid it on his finger.
“With this ring made from wood collected from Roth River Ranch and Tungsten metal that can’t be destroyed, I thee wed.”
Remington stared down at the ring, the strip of brown wood through the center making his eyes tear back up. Ruger handed him my ring, reminding him he still needed to make his own vow. He slipped it on my finger, a simple band of diamonds that probably cost a fortune, knowing Remington.
“With this ring of precious gems, but none as precious as you, I thee wed.”
He smiled at me and I grinned back just as big. It was official now that we’d said our vows in front of family.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Pastor Murphy declared. “You can kiss your wife.” He slapped Remington on the back.
My husband didn’t wait a second, his hand coming up to cup my face and the other dipping low enough on my back to make my dad see red. And then his lips were on mine and all thoughts of anything else flew away, leaving only Remington and me. He pulled away too soon, coming back again for another quick kiss, and finished by resting his forehead against mine, staring right into my eyes.
“I love you, ’Me,” he said for my ears only.
“And I love you, Remy.”
A couple wolf whistles from my bridesmaids—thanks to Vee and Amelia—broke us out of our own bubble. Remington grabbed my hand, Izzy handed me the bouquet, and we danced back down the aisle to I Want Crazy by Hunter Hayes.
Ignoring the rest of the wedding party following us down the aisle, Remington pulled me to the side of the house, right below the window to my upstairs bedroom, the same one I’d climbed out of several times in my teen years. He pushed me against the wall and claimed my mouth like his eyes had told me he wanted to during the ceremony, tongues dueling when we couldn’t get enough of each other.
“You’re single, I’m single,” I heard Vee say over the last chorus of the song.
“Mm, mhm,” I said against Remington’s mouth.
He pulled away reluctantly, his forehead pressed to mine again as he tried to pull himself together. I leaned around him to see Vee with her hands on Ruger’s chest, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. Ruger tugged on the collar of his shirt, looking around frantically.
“My sister is flirting with your brother,” I whispered to Remington.
“He can handle it,” he said back through clenched teeth.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. This is Vee we’re talking about.”
“Honeypoo, it’s our wedding day. I say we do whatever the hell we want and let all the adults sort out their own shit.”
I stroked my palm across his cheek, sucking in a quick breath of air when he pressed his very impressive erection against my stomach. “I like that idea, but we may regret that decision later. This is Hell after all. A lot of shit can go down in a day.”
Remington didn’t seem to care, though. He bent down, picked me up, and threw me over his shoulder, hauling me through the house and up to my bedroom. It was like he didn’t even hear the whoops of laughter or feel the stares from everyone watching us go.
“Remy! They think we’re going up to my room to…you know!” I beat my fists against his very lovely ass.
He set me down on the bed and pinned me in with his thick arms, his blue eyes dangerously hot. “And they’d be fucking right.”
Being a bride for one night wasn’t enough for me. Not with Remington and those blue eyes that stole my breath. I’d get married every single day if it ended with Remington’s hands all over me. We were a little late for all the family photos, but I had a pretty blush on my cheeks that didn’t come from makeup.