Wanted (77 page)

“Holy fuck
…
…
she is beautiful.
” Jeff said at the same time he
released all the air he sucked in. I
had to agree, Ari looked breath
taking.

Then I saw her. Gramps had his arm around her and they started to walk. Our eyes met and I couldn’t breath
e
. Oh. My.
God.
She looked……beautiful. Like a princess. She was looking me up and down checking me out and man did I like it. It looked like she was about to stumble and Gramps had to hold her up. She looked back up at me and I smiled even more at the
thought that I just made her wea
k in the knees.

Th
en she giggled. I raised my eye
brow at her wondering what she thought was so funny and she giggled more.
If I didn’
t know any better it looked like for a moment she was starting to walk faster. Then Gramps laughed and whispered something to her.

It took forever for her to walk up to me. Once she got there and Gramps placed he
r
hand in mine that familiar shot of electricity took off in my body. We stepped up to the altar and I leaned over to do just what Gramps told me to do.

“You look so beautiful Ellie; you take my breath away sweetheart. I love you.”

She looked at me and her eyes filled
with tears as she smiled at me.

“Drew
, I love you too.”
Her voice was cracking and I knew she was having a hard time talking. I squeezed her hand and we both turned to Preacher Roberts. I smile
d as the thought occurred to me for the first time that day.

Another first………

CHAPTE
R SIXTY ONE

E
llie……

“The ceremony was beautiful da
rling. Just beautiful! And you…
…
y
ou are the most precious thing I have ever seen!” Aunt Lacy said to me as she kept pulling me in for a hug and then pushing me out again to do a once over. I was starting to feel sick from th
e constant pushing and pulling.

I was finally able to break free from her and tried to sne
ak over to grab some sweet tea.

“ELL
IE!”

SHIT!
Dammi
t
! I was just five
feet from my sweet tea! I turned around to see Shannon and James standing there. Oh I still felt so bad about everything that happened. Gunner actually missed their wedding because of the car accid
ent. I felt my face burning up.

Shannon leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Don’t you even think a
bout it Ellie! I know what you’
re doing and you will not feel guilty do you hear me?!”

I smiled as she pulled away a
nd gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Have you met my sisters yet?” Shannon said as she put her arm in mine and led me away from my sweet tea. I looked around for Gunner. Where the hell was he?

Then I sp
otted him. He was playing horse shoes
with a few of the younger kids. He looked up at me and we smiled at each other. I just wanted to leave…
..
.start our lives together, that and I really wanted some fucking sweet tea! If I had to talk to another person and thank them for comi
ng I think I was going to hurl.

Shannon introduced me to her two sisters, Lynda and Clare. We talked for a bit and then I slowly started to make my way back to the sweet tea. I saw it…
…
oh thank god my mouth was so dry!

Just as I was about to reach for a mason jar and fill it up with nice cold sweet ice tea that only Emma can make….
.
.I was stopped again by someone saying my name.
Mother fucker…
..
.now I was going to go off on someone.

“Ellie?”

“Mom?”

Wait….what?

I turned around to see a woman standing in front of me. I instantly recognized her from the picture
s
in Gunner’s bedroom. Gunner was standing behind her and she slowly turned around to look at him. She ran into his arms as he pic
ked her up and spun her around.

“DREW! Oh Drew! I’ve missed you so much. I’
m so sorry baby boy, so sorry!”

OH. MY. GOD…
..
.I looked aroun
d for Gunner’s father but didn’
t see him. Bastard! I wonder if she had just gotten there. That made me feel sad if she had, she missed a beautiful ceremony.

“Mom…
…
why didn’t you let me know you were coming? Did you just get here?”

“No Drew, I was here for the cere
mony. It was beautiful. You look
so handsome Drew and look at you such a man now; you’re not my little boy……. Oh my…
.
..” She started to cry as Gunn
er drew her back into his arms.

My heart was hurting. To think of all the time she missed out becau
se of Gunner’s stubborn father.

“Mom please
don’t
cry. You don’t know how happy you made me by coming. Thank you so much.”

“Drew
, your father would not come I’
m sorry. He did tell me to congratulate you though.” She said with such sadness in her voice.

Gunner laughed. “Sure he did mom! I don’t want to talk about him. I want to introduce you to my wife.”

I sucked in a breat
h of air. Oh god I loved hearing
him
say that!

“Mom, may I introduce to you my wife, Mrs. Ellie Mathews. Ellie sweetheart this is my mother Grace Mathews.
”

I reached my hand out to shake hers but she came up to me and hugged me. More like squeezed the shit out of me. She pulled back and loo
ked me up and down.

“So beautiful!
You’
re such a beautiful girl!”

“Thank you Mrs. Mathews.”

“No, please Ellie sweetheart, call me Grace. Thank you so much Ellie for making my Drew so happy. I can see by the way he looks at you how happy and in love he is with you.”
She said to me with a smile.

I smiled back at her. She really was a beautiful woman and I could see
so much of her in Gunne
r now that I saw her in person.

“Thank you Grace. I f
eel the same way about him. He’s the most amazing man I’
ve ever met.”

Gunner walked around his mom and took me into his arms and leaned down and kissed me. Before he pulled all the way away from my lips he smiled.

“Do you want some sweet tea baby?”

I had to let out a giggle. I wonder if he had seen my many failed attempts to get that tea!

“God yes!”

Gunner let
me go and I watched as he poured
me a glass of tea. I turned back t
o look at Grace and she was
smiling
at us
with a big ole smile on her face. I really was so happy she made it and I know it meant so much to Gunner. I just
wished his dad would have come.

“Mom, you remember how good Grams tea is, you want some?”

Grace laughed and shook her head no. “Drew I just spent nearly an hour in Emma’s kitchen with her. She filled me u
p with three glasses of tea! I’
m good honey thank you.”

Grace and I took a seat at one of the tables and talked for ever. She told me stories about Gunner when he was little, how he got into trouble in high school with fighting for a bit. It was like she was trying to make up for the lost time we had to get to know each other
before I became her daughter in-
law. She raved on and on about Emma, told me to learn as much from her as I could if I wa
s going to be a rancher’s wife.

J
enny walked up to us and said Gunner and I
really needed to have
our first dance.
We had both been so busy walking around and talking to everyone that the DJ and band just started up without us. I nodded and got up and followed Jenny into the barn. Gunner
was talking to Jack, the DJ. I’
m guess
ing
he w
as telling him what song to play
.
I saw Jack nod
yes
to
Gunner and smile
.
Gunner pretty much left
all the wedding decisions
up to me except for the song
he wanted for our first dance
. I had no problem with that since he had a pretty damn good track record with songs!

Gunner walked up to me and held out his hand. Jack announced that we were FINALLY having our first dance.
Everyone whooped and hollered.

“Will you please do me the honor Mrs. Mathews?” Gunner said as he kissed the back of my left hand and started to walk me to the middl
e of the barn.

A
s he pulled me into his arms he leaned down and wh
ispered against
my ear.
His warm breath sent the butterflies into flight in my stomach and I felt a shiver run through my entire body.

“Don’
t ever f
orget how I feel about you; never
,
ever forget
sweetheart.
I will
always
want you and only you
. I would be lost without you
Ellie; I love you more than life itself
…..”

Then he leaned down and kissed me so passionately I felt
the love pouring from his body straight into mine
.

Then the song started. Oh my god…….

“
Wanted
”
by Hunter Hayes.

Gunner never let up on his kiss even when the song started. I felt the tears rolling down my face
and
Gunner grabbed onto me and held me tighter as I was slowly starting to sink
down
. I’m not sure how long he kissed me for but I starte
d to sob. He pulled his lips away from mine
and smiled down at me.
He reached up and wiped away at the endless tears running down my face.

“Happy tears baby?”

I couldn’t find my voice. I loved him so much and he just made the most wonderful day so much more special. I didn’t think it could get any better bu
t again he showed me different.

I could barely talk but somehow I managed to speak.

“Yes Gunner, they are very happy tears. I love you so much.
Th
…thank…um…….” I started to cry again. He pulled me into him and held me close as he
started to sing the song to me so softly and sweetly.

I never wanted this moment to end. I never in my life felt so loved and wanted as I did at this very moment. I would love this man with everything I had in me for the rest of my life. I would do everything in my power to make him just as happy as he has made me.

I
looked
up
at him and
smiled as he smiled down to me.

“Drew….
.
.it’
s another first.”

He looked at me confused. “What is baby?”

“This…
…
this feeling
…
…it’
s a first for me.”

“Tell me Ellie.”

“I have never in my life…
.
.
ever
felt so
completely
loved and……
..
wanted.”

Gunner leaned down and captured my mouth ag
ain with his. It was perfect
.

No,
It was…
…..heaven……

Evening had already com
e and the lights in the trees w
ere turne
d on by someone. Probably Jenny by the way that poor girl
was running all over the place.

Gunner
and I were both exhausted. I had never danced so much in my entire
life, a
te so much and laughed so much. It was all coming to an end.

“So are you going to ch
ange or stay in that dress?” Ari
a
sked with a wiggle of her eyes.

Gunner walked over
and whispered
in my ear
for me to keep the
dress on. He wanted to slowly peel it
off of
at the hotel in Austin.

“I guess I’
m keeping the dress on!”