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I just stared at her.

Ellie came running over and got down on her
knees.

“Oh my god…oh my god…oh my god. Move your
hand, I want to feel my niece…or nephew!”

Amanda started laughing. Brad’s mother was an
OB, and Amanda had started working for her part time, helping out
on days she didn’t have classes.

“Ells, I hate to tell you this, but you’re
not going to be able to feel the baby yet. Only Ari can at this
early stage.”

Ellie shot Amanda a look that should have
brought Amanda to her knees. “Well, shit, I want to feel it. What
does it feel like?”

“It felt like fluttering or bubbles in my
stomach. You know like when you have gas moving through your
stomach.”

“Oh Christ, how romantic, Ari,” Amanda said
as she rolled her eyes.

“It’s the only way I know how to describe
it.” I reached for my phone and hit Jeff’s number.

“I’ll be right back,” I said as I got up and
headed outside.

“Hey, baby, you having fun?” Jeff asked.

“I miss you,” I said in as much of a
seductive voice as I could.

“Hold on a second.”

I heard Jeff say he was going outside for a
second, and I had to smile.

“Jesus, Ari, only you can make me go hard in
an instant. Want to sneak away and meet somewhere?”

“Yes!”

“Where are you?”

“Maudie’s on Lake Austin Boulevard.”

“Give me fifteen minutes, baby, and I’ll be
there.”

“Okay, hurry, but be careful driving.”

I walked back into the restaurant. The
spilled drink mess had been cleaned up, and the girls were all
eating from a giant piece of chocolate cake.

When I sat down, and all three of them looked
at me.

“He’s coming to get you, isn’t he?” Heather
said with a wink.

Damn, these girls know me
too well.
I just smiled and took a sip of
my water.

“Ugh, you horny-ass bitch. If pregnancy does
this to you, sign me the fuck up,” Amanda said as she smiled at
me.

“Are y’all mad?” I asked.

Amanda let out a sigh and sat back. “I’m
actually kind of relieved. I know I was all wanting a guy to grab
my ass while I danced the night away. Honestly though, with Brad
being at his parents’ lake house, there’s a really good book I want
to read, and I would so love the peace and quiet in the house.”

“I really am so exhausted from finishing up
this semester. All I really want to do is go home and soak in a hot
bath,” Heather said as she winked at me.

Ellie was staring at her cell phone with a
huge-ass grin on her face. When she looked up, we were all staring
at her.

“What does that overly romantic-bastard
husband of yours have planned?”

Ellie smiled. “He said he’s right behind
Jeff, and he wants to take me on a carriage ride downtown.”

“Good god, where did this man come from? I
mean really, he needs to teach a damn class on this shit,” Amanda
said as she fanned herself.

Ellie and Amanda laughed.

Amanda looked down at her phone and grinned.
Heather, you feel like dropping me off at the lake house? Looks
like Brad’s feeling a little lonely.”

Heather giggled as she dug out her keys. “No
problem.” Has everyone left him all alone?”

“I guess so. He said Gunner and Jeff just
left, and Josh was outside on the deck, probably making plans to
leave as well.”

Heather’s smile faded for one brief second
before it she smiled again.

“Okay. Well then, let’s head out, and I’ll
drop you off. Are you girls okay with us leaving you until your men
get here?” Heather asked.

She and Amanda both stood up and started to
hug and kiss Ellie and me.

“We’ll be fine. They’re only a few minutes
away, and we can talk wedding stuff,” Ellie said as she looked over
at me and winked.

***

After Heather and Amanda left, I looked over
at Ellie, who was smiling at me like a damn fool.

“What has you so full of glee, except for the
fact that your hubby is taking you on a carriage ride?”

“You. I’m so glad to see you and Jeff finally
happy.”

I let out a small laugh. “It sure has been a
long bumpy-ass road.”

“Yep.”

I sighed as a wedding detail crossed my
mind.

“Oh shit! I forgot to call Jenny about the
bouquets.” Panicking, I reached for my cell phone.

Ellie reached over and grabbed my hand.

“She called me earlier. I took care of it.
That’s what the maid of honor does, you know. Don’t worry. It’s all
taken care of, and they’re going to look beautiful.”

“You know I would be lost without you, don’t
you?”

Ellie smiled at me and squeezed my hand. “I
would be lost without you, too. I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too. In case I haven’t told you
in a while, that nose piercing is really adorable on you!”

Ellie threw her head back and laughed. Then,
she stopped laughing and looked at me.

“Oh my god, you’re piercing!”

“Yeah, I know. Dr. Wyatt said I need to have
it out no later than twenty weeks, but I already took it out. I
actually thought Jeff was going to cry when I told him I was taking
it out.”

Ellie let out a giggle and rolled her eyes.
“He really liked it, huh?”

“Oh yeah, he loved it.” I said, moving my
eyebrows up and down.

“Eww. Okay, I don’t need the visual in my
head, thank you very much.”

I looked up and saw Jeff and Gunner walking
toward us. I smiled, and Ellie turned around.

Jeff came up to me, leaned down, and kissed
me. Then took my hand, pulled me up and just turned, leading me
out.

He turned back around and looked at
Gunner.

“You got the bill, right, bro?”

Gunner just laughed. “Y’all have fun!”

CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT

JEFF

The Wedding
Day……

Gunner and I walked around, following Jenny.
Everything was set up and ready to go and I was in awe at how
beautiful everything was. The Mansion at Judges’ Hill really was
the perfect choice for the wedding.

We had the rehearsal dinner here last night,
and Ari had never stopped smiling. Her dad had even pulled me to
the side and finally told me how happy he was we were getting
married. Of course, he had to end it with a threat, saying that not
only did I have to make Ari the happiest woman on earth, but I also
better be the best damn father to his grandchild.

No pressure.

The reception room looked amazing. Ari and
Jenny did an amazing job. I looked around and almost felt like I
couldn’t breathe. In two hours, I was going to marry the girl of my
dreams.

Gunner slapped me on the back, bringing me
out of my thoughts. “Dude, I’m gonna assume by the smile on your
face you’re thinking about your future bride.”

My smile grew as I looked at Gunner and
Jenny. Jenny smiled back and then looked at her watch.

Immediately, she picked up her cell phone and
made a call. “Those flowers were supposed to be here by 9 a.m.
Yeah, you better be on your way.” She hit end and then looked back
up at me.

“No worries. It’s for the reception. Susan
wanted fresh, as in same day fresh, flowers for the tables.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. We walked
out to the courtyard. It looked perfect.

“Okay, so if everything looks good to you,
Jeff, I need to go and check on the bride. I actually just saw her
peeking out the window up-stairs.”

I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning
when Ellie and Heather got to the cottage and practically dragged
Ari away, kicking and screaming. They stayed here last night
because Sue was worried that Ari wouldn’t be here on time.

I scanned the windows until my eyes captured
hers. She smiled and waved at me, and I waved back. Her hair was
pulled up, but I couldn’t really see how it was styled. No matter
what, she looked beautiful. Then, I saw Ellie as she shot me a
dirty look and pulled Ari away from the window.

Gunner laughed as he slapped me yet again on
the back.

“Damn, dude, you’re one lucky son of a bitch.
She looks beautiful.”

I turned and looked at Gunner as we started
to walk back inside. Josh and Brad were talking to Sue and Mark
while Matt was climbing all over Josh. I smiled, knowing my little
buddy was so happy today.

We had told him last night
that Ari had a baby growing in her stomach, and he was full of
questions.
I love that kid so damn
much.
As soon as Matt saw me, he came
running up to me. So I bent down so he could run into my
arms.

“Jeff! Are you going to marry Ari today?”
Matt asked with a huge smile on his face.

Gunner reached over and rubbed his hand on
top of Matt’s head. Matt looked up at Gunner and smiled the biggest
smile ever.

“I’m gonna stand next to you, Gunner, and
help you be the bestest man!” Matt said as he jumped up and down in
my arms.

“I know you are, buddy. I couldn’t do it
without you, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know. That’s what Ari said, too. She
said you would mess it up alone. Gunner, I’ll help you to not mess
it up, so you’re not an assmole like Jeff.”

I had to give Gunner credit for not laughing.
Matt had quickly learned that we all laughed when he said assmole,
so he said it all the time now. Unfortunately, when he said it, he
was usually saying I was the assmole. That seemed to please Mark…a
lot.

“Ari said that huh?” Gunner asked.

Matt nodded with a huge smile on his
face.

Sue walked up to us, reaching out of Matt.
“Matt, come on babe, we need to let the boys finish getting dressed
and ready, and you need to get into your new clothes that we bought
just for today.”

Matt turned back at me, smiling as he hugged
me. “I’m so glad you’re going to be my brother. I love you,
Jeff.”

With that, he ran over to Josh and hugged his
leg. Josh leaned down and returned the hug as he glanced at me.
Josh had really taken to Matt. Ari had told me that Josh had even
started stopping by the house, so he could play video games with
Matt because I had not been able to since we moved.

Gunner let out a sigh and looked at me. I
took one last look around the giant ballroom that had been turned
into a winter wonderland. I sucked in a deep breath.

Holy fuck, I’m getting married.

“Gun, were you scared?”

Gunner smiled at me.

“Let’s go for a walk outside.”

Once we got outside, I felt
like I could breathe again. The day was beautiful, and I was so
thankful. With an outdoor wedding, we had all feared having bad
weather.
Ya never know what the weather in
Austin is going to be like in December.

Gunner and I sat down on two chairs and
didn’t talk for about five minutes.

“How much do you love Ari, Jeff?”

I snapped my head over at
him and just stared at him.
What the fuck
kind of question is that?

“I love her more than life
itself. I wouldn’t be able to breathe without her. I
wouldn’t
want
to
breathe without her. It amazes me that she can just look at me from
across a room, and I have to catch my breath. The sound of her
voice just about brings me to my knees. Her smile… damn, her
smile….makes me want to keep her happy every second of the day just
so I can see that smile.”

Gunner let out a gruff laugh. “That pretty
much sums up how I feel about your sister.”

Then, he slapped me on the back again and
stood up. “You ready to marry the love of your life?”

I looked up at him and smiled. The sense of
calm that swept over my body was unreal. I loved Gunner like a
brother. The fact that he just eased my panic without even saying a
damn word just showed me how lucky I was to have him in my life…
and in my sister’s life.

I stood up and slapped the living shit out of
his back. “Let’s do this thing!”

“Fuck! Why the hell did you hit me so hard,
you bastard?”

“Because you’ve been doing it to me for days
now. Payback, bro.”

Jenny came walking up to us. I could tell by
the look on her face that we were about to be told to go get
ready.

“Alright, guys, show-time in less than two
hours. Let’s go. Ari wants to take a walk around before she gets
dressed. So help me, Jeff, if you look out a window and see her,
I’ll break both your legs.”

“Wow, does Aaron know you have this side to
you, Jen?” I asked.

“Yes, yes, he does. Now, let’s go.”

I looked up one more time before I walked in,
and there Ari was, smiling down at me. I waved to her, and she
waved back.

In less than two hours, she would be forever
mine.

CHAPTER
FORTY-NINE

ARI

I had walked up to the
window to see Jeff and Gunner sitting down in the court yard. For a
few minutes, it’d looked like they weren’t talking.
Is Jeff nervous? Maybe he was having second
thoughts. Oh shit.

Just then, I felt that fluttery feeling
again. I put my hand to my stomach and smiled. It was the three of
us now. For some reason, thoughts of Rebecca popped into my head.
Things could have turned out so differently if that baby had been
Jeff’s.

“He loves you so much. You know that, right?”
Ellie said from behind me.

I smiled as I watched Jeff and Gunner
together. They both loved each other just like Ellie and I loved
each other. I turned to look at my best friend. She was also
smiling while she looked down at Gunner and Jeff.

“Thank you, Ellie.”

Ellie glanced over at me, still smiling. “For
what?”

“Just being you.”

Ellie turned and brought me in for a hug.
“It’s about fucking time this is happening. Now, we just need to
work on dysfunctional couple number three.”