Protecting My Hart (Protectors Series Book 1) (30 page)

“Sly…de?” I choke out. Tears blurring my vision.

“They don’t make a ring that matches your beauty but this one comes close. Tesoro, will you marry me today?”

“I-I don’t need…I…will...” I take a breath to try to calm my racing heart. His eyes look deep into mine, and I know not to argue. It won’t do me any good. He knows I would never expect something like this, which is why he’s giving it to me. He wants me to have it; he wants me to feel special. “Yes, of course I will,” I rasp before I lean up and claim his lips.

“Tu es mi Tesoro, mi preciosa belleza, mi amor. I love you, Hart, and now everyone will know you’re mine.”

“There is no one else I would rather belong to.” I smile at him.

“Good girl for not protesting your ring.” He grins widely at me.

“Would it have done me any good?”

“Nope. It’s my right to spoil you, so get used to it. I have five years to make up for and an entire life time ahead of us to enjoy treating you like a queen. Besides, my queen deserves to have this beautiful ring upon her beautiful hand.”

“It’s gorgeous, Slyde, it really is, and I love it, but you know you didn’t have to get it.”

“I know, but I wanted to, and you need an engagement ring. Besides it will match your wedding ring.” He smirks before giving me another kiss and climbing out of bed.

It’s just after lunch time when Leia gets to the house declaring that Slyde get whatever he needs out of our room because that is now becoming the bridal room and she needs to get me ready. Slyde laughs but does what he is told and Leia pulls me into the bedroom.

“You do realize that you are going to have to teach me how to do that.” I laugh and state to Leia.

“Do what?” she asks.

“Get those bad-ass men out there to do what you tell them.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, you will pick it up no problem. They will do just about anything you tell them to do as long as there is no danger. If they are in protective mode, forget it, you might as well be speaking a foreign language, but any other time they will listen. They know who is really in charge.”

“If you say so.” I laugh.

“Trust me, honey, you’ll be doing it soon enough. Now, let’s get you ready to walk down the aisle.” She smiles at me.

Several hours, lots of laughs, and a can of hairspray later, Leia declares I’m ready. She quickly does her hair and makeup, slips on her dress, and leaves to make sure the guys are ready and all is set. She comes back with Ethan who is dressed in grey suit pants and a white shirt. Slyde took him shopping, promising that he would look great, and he wasn’t wrong.

“Momma, you look beautiful!” he exclaims.

“Thank you, baby boy. You look very handsome and so grown up.”

“Daddy said I look sharp!”

“Well he was right, you look very sharp!”

“Are we ready to start, Auntie Leia?”

“We are, sweetie. Do you remember what to do when the song changes?”

“Yep. I got this.”

Leia bursts out laughing, and I can’t contain my laughter at his remark. “You have been spending way too much time with your uncles.” Leia laughs and leaves a kiss on his cheek.

The three of us walk through the house to the back door. I can see outside there are lights all over the backyard. They weren’t there before. My gaze catches Leia.

“I didn’t do it alone. It was his idea, I just helped with the design.” She winks, blows me a kiss and walks to the front. Slyde is standing under a large white arch that is also lit up. He is wearing black pants, and a black shirt with the top two buttons undone.
Damn, he has never looked sexier. It’s gonna be a miracle if I make it through our ceremony let alone down the aisle.

The music changes and Ethan takes my hand. “C’mon, Momma, it’s time for you to get married.” He smiles up at me, and I smile back at him before my eyes return to the arch and Slyde. His gaze catches mine and holds it while I walk toward him with my son by my side. When we reach the front, Ethan takes my hand and puts it in Slyde’s. My breath catches because I never told him to do that. Ethan smiles at me, blows me a kiss, and stands next to me.

Hartley looks absolutely stunning. Fuckin’ takes my breath away. Ethan remembered to put Hartley’s hand in mine, and I know it surprised her.

“I love you,”
I mouth and her smile widens and mouths it back just as Ken begins.

“Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for joining us today to witness the beginning of the marriage between Hartley and Slyde. Love is not something we can control. We can’t control who we love and how much. All we can control is how we express it. Marriage is the ultimate expression. To share with your family and friends what one person or two means to you, to promise yourself to a future, a family, is the most honest form of expression. Slyde, would you like to go first?”

“Tesoro, the first moment I saw you I knew I was a goner. I fell deeper in love with you every second we got to spend together. I hate that we spent five years of our lives when we weren’t together and I missed being there for you. I promise you today that I will spend the rest of my life making up those five years to you. I promise that you will never have to be alone again. I promise to always be here for you, for our son. Thank you for giving me our family.” I lean in and give her a soft kiss. I turn to get the ring from Beamer. Turning back to Hart, I smile as I slip off her engagement ring and slip on her wedding band and then the engagement ring. “I promise to keep you safe, take care of you, to make you happy, and to love you for the rest of our lives. I give you my heart mi amor. Te amo, mi precioso Tesoro. Tu eres mia eternamente.”

“Hartley, do you have something to say to Slyde?” Ken prompts.

Hartley has tears streaming down her face, but she’s smiling so wide. “Just give me a second to catch control of my breathing,” she half-laughs half-cries.

“I have one more thing to say.” I kiss her hands and then kneel down to face my son. “Ethan, I know that there is a lot of stuff that is going on that you don’t understand. I know that some bad stuff has happened to you and to Momma. I made a promise to you the first night we met, and I want you to know that I am going to make that same promise to you every day. I will take care of you, and I will keep you safe, little man. I hope that what you do understand is that we are a family. I’m always going to be here for you. Anything you ever want or need you can always come talk to me about it. I am so proud that I get to be your daddy.” Ethan launches himself to me, and I wrap him in a tight hug. “I have something for you.” I reach into my pocket and take out my grandfather’s pocket watch. “This was given to me by my daddy. He got it from his daddy. Now I’m giving it to you. This is very special and has been in the Cardoane family for a very, very, long time. I’m giving it to you to take care of and to keep it safe so that one day you can give it to your son. I love you, my son.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” Ethan whispers back.

When I stand back up, Hart is crying harder and I can hear the sniffles of the other women here.

“Hartley?” Ken prompts.

“Great, you really want me to follow that?” she states, and I hear several chuckles that match mine.

Taking her hands in mine I whisper, “Breathe, Tesoro, just breathe.” She does, inhaling deep and letting it go. Her hands squeeze mine.

“Slyde.” Her voice starts out shaky. “Words have not been invented yet to describe how much you mean to me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you would become my reality. You have always been a fantasy, too good to ever be true, at least for me. My life hasn’t been easy, but you know that. You are the one person who ever saw me. Being with you, around you, before was so easy and felt so right, I just didn’t know it at the time. All I knew was fear and evil. You were everything good. I didn’t know what to do with that. I only knew how I felt and that scared the shit out of me. Since the night you found me again, I have been able to breathe, to sleep and while what I feel still scares the shit out of me, I know it’s good. Being with you is as easy as breathing. You have taken away the fear, given me a home, a family, a place to feel safe. You love my son, our son. There is nothing more I could ever ask for.” Leia steps up to hand her my ring. She turns back to me and slides the black metal band on my hand. “Slyde, you are my every dream come true, I promise to take care of you, to make you happy and to love you for the rest of our lives. I give you my heart, my love, my soul. Te amo, my hero.”

I can’t stop myself and I seal my lips to hers, kissing her deeply, vaguely keeping in mind that we have an audience.

“Ahem.” Ken clears his throat. “I haven’t gotten to that part yet.” He laughs.

“Sorry.” I grin. “But seriously, can you blame me?” Everyone laughs including Hartley.

“Slyde, do you take Hartley to be your lawfully-wedded wife, to honor her, love her, and cherish her. Do you promise to forsake all others, to be true to her, stand by her side in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

“Hartley, do you take Slyde to be your lawfully-wedded husband, to honor him, love him and cherish him. Do you promise to forsake all others, to be true to him, stand by his side in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” The smiles on both our faces are so big and if we dared to notice our faces might be hurting.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. Slyde, you may kiss your bride. Again.”

I need no further invitation. Pulling her into my arms I seal our lips gently, then dip her low and kiss her hard. She melts, and I grin. Hartley is now my wife.
Hell fuckin’ yes. This is seriously the best day of my life.

I can feel his grin, and I know it’s because one, we are married, and two, because of my body’s reaction to his kiss. I’d be perfectly OK if everybody left right now, then I could spend the rest of my night naked in bed with my sexy-as-sin husband. Just that thought sends a wanton chill through my body.

“Later, Tesoro,” he whispers against my lips.

“OK,” I breathe out.

“You keep lookin’ at me like that, and I’ll be forced to make them all go home now.”

“I’d be OK with that,” I whisper back.

He chuckles and kisses me softly again. “Fuck, I love you.” His smile is so wide, the butterflies are going crazy. He brings me back upright and we become surrounded by our family and friends who offer their congratulations.

I meet Tasha, Mack’s wife, and their daughter Tonya. She is a beautiful young girl; I’d say about nine years old. I also meet Mandy, who is Kash’s girlfriend, well for the week, I’m told. According to Leia, Kash doesn’t do long-term relationships, never lasting more than a month. She also said that the girls know what to expect and that he doesn’t hide who he is. That, I know, is completely true. He would never mislead people, and he does treat them with respect. He’s a good-looking man, and the ladies definitely swoon over him, so I have absolutely no problem seeing Kash as a ladies’ man.

Music begins to play and Slyde, Ethan, and I are pulled away for pictures. I’m really excited to see these; they will be our first official family pictures. Several more pictures are taken, pictures of Slyde and me, Ethan and me, Ethan and Slyde, Kash and Beamer. Pictures of me, with Ethan, Kash, and Beamer. Pictures of Leia and me. Pictures of everyone together. So. Many. Pictures. But I have been unable to wipe the smile off my face, and I really don’t care how many pictures have been taken.

Dinner is being catered, Slyde insisted, and we decided on roasted Italian chicken, pasta, mashed potatoes, a salad bar, and fruit salad—all served buffet-style. There is a long table set up in the back yard as well, which is where we all sit. The dinner is fantastic and the company and conversations are enjoyable. I’m learning a lot about the guys’ earlier years. Tasha tells me the story of how she and Mack met, how she did not like him at all in the beginning, but that he was determined to win her over. I really like her and it’s been nice to see Mack relaxed; he really isn’t a bad guy, just incredibly focused. Tasha tells me that she enjoys seeing him relaxed like this as well.