Holding You (31 page)

“What?” Rachel and Colt said at the same time. Colt pushed me away from Rachel. “Baby, I really think you and I need to talk.”

Leaning in I kissed Colt on the lips softly but quickly. “Colt, I’m just happy about Mia being pregnant. I thought you were, too?”

Biting on my lower lip, I tired like hell to keep in my laughter. Taking a peek at Rachel, I saw the confused look on her face.

“Wait. What?” Colt said as relief washed over his face. Then he smiled. A really big smile that made my stomach flip. “Mia’s pregnant?”

Smiling, I nodded my head and said, “Yep. My mom confirmed it this morning.”

Pulling me into a hug and lifting me up, Colt spun me around. “Sweetheart, this is wonderful!”

Setting me back down, Colt placed his hands on the sides of my face as his thumbs brushed across my skin leaving a fiery wake in their path. “Lauren, I’m so damn proud of you.” Leaning in closer, his lips brushed against my neck as he moved them up to my ear and whispered, “And you totally had me second-guessing our decision about no more condoms.”

The moment his lips touched mine, I forgot everything and everyone. My hands reached up and held onto his arms as my knees wobbled. Colt’s tongue danced in perfect harmony with mine as he deepened the kiss with a moan.

Rachel cleared her throat. “Um. Hello, you know I’m still standing here.”

Colt pulled his lips back and whispered, “I love you so much.”

Looking into his eyes I was lost within the moment we shared. Lost in his beautiful blue eyes that seemed to sparkle when he smiled. Lost in his blissful love.

“Take me to our spot, Colt,” I said, barely above a whisper. Before I knew it, Colt was carrying me to his truck and we were on our way to our secret spot where we spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“OKAY, IT LOOKS
like I’m gonna have to be the one to say this. Alex is bridezilla. There. I said it.”

Everyone turned and looked at Taylor. Raising her eyebrows and dropping her mouth open she asked, “Am I wrong?”

Maegan started laughing. “Hell no you’re not wrong, baby sister. You’re just the only one brave enough to say it out loud.”

Shaking my head, I turned back around and finished putting the flowers in Grace’s hair. “Cut her some slack, y’all. She’s been really stressed. Weren’t you stressed with your wedding, Libby?”

Libby chuckled. “It all happened too fast for me to get stressed.” Libby twisted Maegan’s hair up and began putting bobby pins in. “God, Meg, I’d kill to have your hair.”

Maegan rolled her eyes. “I hate my hair. I wish Tay had gotten the auburn hair and I got the brown.”

“Dye it,” I said as I placed the last flower in Grace’s hair.

Turning, I looked at Maegan. “Seriously, why don’t you just change the color then?”

Maegan started chewing on her lower lip. “You think?”

Grace leaned forward and put more lipstick on. “Hell yeah, you should! Shake things up a little. Maybe it will throw the little bitches off at your school, too.”

We all started laughing. Then someone knocked on the door and we fell silent. “It’s her!” Taylor whispered as she moved away from the door with a look of fear on her face.

Brushing Taylor off with my hand, I moved to the door. Opening the door, my mouth fell open. Alex stood in the hallway. “Alex? Honey, are you okay?” She was just standing there, looking lost. Very lost. Reaching for her hand I looked up and down the hallway before I pulled her into the guestroom. We were in Gunner and Ellie’s house since the wedding was right outside in their backyard practically.

“Alex, sweetie, what’s wrong?” Libby asked as she walked up to Alex and led her over to the desk chair. We all gathered around Alex.

“She doesn’t look like she’s been crying,” Taylor said in a whisper.

Maegan leaned down and waved her hand in front of Alex then snapped her around to look at us. “She’s in shock.”

Grace dropped down to the floor. “Alex. Did something happen?”

Oh no. What if Will changed his mind? I’m going to kick his ass if he changed his mind. Why would he change his mind though? No, he didn’t change his mind. Oh my glitter! He cheated! No. No. He didn’t cheat.

Kneeling down next to Alex, I noticed she was clutching something in her hand. Her hair was fixed, her makeup was done and all she had to do was get dressed. We all had the same matching robes on and had been in the guest room getting the finishing touches done to our hair when Alex quickly jumped up and raced out of the bedroom screaming she needed air.

Placing my hand on her clenched fist, Alex jumped and looked at me. “Alex, you’re scaring us sweetie, please tell us what’s wrong,” I said as I moved my hand up to the side of her face. A single tear fell and rolled down her cheek as Alex held up what was in her hand. I heard Grace and Libby gasp as Taylor and Maegan both said, “Oh shit.”

Glancing down, I saw what Alex was holding. Placing my hand over my mouth, I whispered, “Oh. My. Glitter.”

KNOCKING ON THE
door, I opened it slightly. Will was standing at the window looking out. “Will? It’s time.”

Turning, he gave me a smile and walked toward me stopping halfway across the room. “Colt. I’m marrying your sister.”

Giving him a smile, I nodded my head. “I know. I’ve gotta say I’m impressed my father hasn’t come up and threatened you in some form.”

Will’s smile faded. “Oh, he has. Twice.”

Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head. “Do you love her, Will?”

Closing his eyes he sighed. “More than anything, Colt. More than anything.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to be worried about.” Walking into the room, I headed over to Will. “She loves you, Will. Y’all were meant to be together. Just always take care of her and please don’t ever hurt her.” Looking down I let out a deep breath before looking back into Will’s eyes. “Cause if you do, I’ll tie you up by your balls and hang you from a rafter in the barn. Then I’ll take a baseball bat to you and hit you like a piñata filled with Reese’s peanut butter cups. You know how I like my Reese’s.”

Will’s mouth dropped open as he stared at me. “What in the hell is it with this family and wanting to hang me up by my balls in the barn? Your father and Luke have already bestowed the same threat on me today.”

Placing my hand on his shoulder, I laughed. “Great minds think alike. Come on, let’s gets down there so you can marry my sister.”

By the time I finally got Will downstairs and out where he needed to be, the wedding was about to start. Glancing around, I smiled as I looked at everything. Alex had spent hours going through our parents’ wedding photos and had set up her wedding almost the same. Everyone was sitting on square bales of hay as white lights hung from the trees. One of my favorite things Alex and Will did was take pictures from our parents’ weddings and framed them in small white frames that hung from the tree and adorned the tables. Alex said she felt like it was good luck and I had to agree with her.

Will was rocking back and forth as he rubbed his hands up and down his pants. “Will, you’re gonna rub a hole in your damn pants before she even gets here. Calm the hell down,” Luke said to Will.

Pastor Roberts cleared his throat. “Boys, let’s not do this again. I did it with your fathers. Please, no repeats.”

Will, Luke and I all turned and looked at him. “What?” Will asked confused.

“Who is the best man, son?” Pastor Roberts asked Will.

Looking between us, Will said, “Both. I couldn’t pick one.”

Letting out a sigh, Pastor Roberts pointed to Luke and me. “Who has the ring?”

I turned to Luke and he turned to me. “Luke’s got the ring.”

Luke’s mouth dropped open and I instantly knew we were both fucked. “Me? I don’t have the ring. It’s your sister.”

Staring at him like he was insane, I whispered, “She’s your cousin!”

Luke laughed. “Dude, sister trumps cousin every time.”

Pushing Luke on his shoulder, I whispered, “Go to hell. You had the ring last night, dude.”

“Boys,” Pastor Roberts whispered.

“No, Colt, you had the ring last night and then gave it to . . .”

Will stood there staring at us as he held the ring in his hand. Grabbing it from his hand I shoved it in my pocket. “Bastard, you scared the piss out of me.”

Pastor Roberts sighed. “Lord, give me strength to make it through another one.”

Looking at Pastor Roberts, I leaned over, “Sir, are you feeling okay?”

Luke leaned over and asked, “Hey, where did you decide to take Alex for the honeymoon? Cause I still owe Libby a decent honeymoon, so don’t be one upping me!”

Lifting his fingers to his temple Pastor Roberts let out a moan as I asked him again. “Pastor Roberts? Are you feeling okay?”

Nodding his head, he gave me a weak smile as he said under his breath, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

The music started playing and we all turned and looked at the house. Smiling, I watched as Libby carried Mireya down the aisle. Mireya was nine months old now and she was having fun throwing rose petals everywhere.

“My God. She’s beautiful. They’re both beautiful,” Luke said from behind me. As Libby walked down the aisle, she smiled at Luke the whole time.

Will cleared his throat. “I’m taking Alex to Belize.”

“What the fuck?” Luke yelled out as everyone turned and looked at all of us. Smiling, I pointed behind me to Luke as Will chuckled. Libby narrowed her eyes at Luke and shook her head.

Next was Taylor, followed by Maegan. Smiling, I watched the girls all walk down the aisle and take their places. Will had asked a few of his college buddies to be in the wedding also to round out the numbers. Pulling my eyes from the girls, I glanced back to the house. Walking out was Lauren. Sucking in a breath of air, my mouth dropped open as I took her in. Her blonde hair was pulled up with red roses scattered throughout it. Her dress was a light-blue and hung straight down. It fit her curvy body like a glove.

“Motherfucker,” I whispered as I watched her slowly smile at me. Luke leaned over and said, “I think Pastor Roberts is about to pass out if one of us swears again, dude.”

Ignoring Luke, I had to force myself not to meet Lauren halfway down the aisle. Her beauty literally took my breath away. As she walked up, she gave me a wink and it felt as if the world shook. I reached out and grabbed a hold of Will who chuckled.

The music changed to the wedding march and everyone turned to watch Alex walk down the aisle. It took every ounce of strength I had to pull my eyes off of Lauren.

The moment I saw my sister, my heart felt as if it was about to jump out of my chest. Peeking over to Will, I watched him wipe a tear away as he watched Alex walk down the aisle on my father’s arm.

“She looks beautiful,” Luke and I both said at once. My father and Alex stopped at the altar and Pastor Roberts asked who was giving Alex away.

“I do, her father, the man who will always be number one in her life. Oh, and her mother.” Everyone laughed, including Alex.

Alex reached up and kissed my father. “Daddy, I do love you so very much.”

Placing Alex’s hand in Will’s, my father smiled, wiped a tear away and went to sit down next to my mother who was full-on crying.

Will smiled at Alex and leaned in and said, “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Alex began crying as she reached up and kissed Will as everyone clapped. Pastor Roberts cleared his throat and began to speak. “Seems the couple is jumping ahead.”

Alex and Will turned to face the Pastor. “It’s hard for me to believe that I stood under this very same tree and married Alex’s mother and father.”

Alex rocked back and forth and I knew she only did that when she was nervous. She had done it for as long as I could remember. Will kept looking at her and at one point he leaned over and asked if she was okay.

Glancing over to Lauren, she looked white as a ghost. Her eyes caught mine and I mouthed,
what’s wrong?

Her eyes widened and she mouthed back,
it’s big. Huge.

Oh shit. Swallowing hard, I turned to my dad. He must have noticed the same thing I did.

Pastor Roberts was about to start with the vows when Alex turned and faced Will. The only thing anyone heard was five girls all whispering, “Oh shit.”