With Me In Seattle: Bundle Two (92 page)

“Absolutely.”

Sam, Brynna, Stacy and Nic all file into the bathroom to primp. The rest of us went to our respective rooms earlier to change into something nicer than jeans and tank tops, although I’m beginning to think it wasn’t necessary.

Not if the bride’s wearing leather pants.

Lucy sits beside me and takes my hand in hers companionably. “How are you, darling girl?”

“I’m great. This weekend has been a blast.”

“It sure sounds like it,” she says with a chuckle. “I’m glad. You all needed it. A little play time is good for the soul.”

“It is.” I smile at the kind woman beside me. “Were you shocked when Luke called?”

“Between you and me? No.” She cranes her neck to see into the bathroom. The noise is echoing in the vast space as the girls chirp and giggle.

“I’m surprised it took this long,” Meg adds as she falls into a deep-cushioned couch and sips her soda.

“Sam’s stubborn,” Nat says. “I knew it would happen eventually, but I thought he’d have to work at it a little harder.”

“I’m just thankful that Elvis isn’t officiating,” Jules says as she reapplies her lip gloss. “Are you almost done in there?” she calls into the bathroom.

“Coming!” Stacy calls back.

“Okay, who wants to place bets on who cries first during the ceremony?” Meg asks.

“Neither are going to cry,” I reply with a smirk. “They’re both too badass for that.”

“Have you ever heard the song “Sunshine”?” Meg asks. “Leo wrote that for her. They wrote those vows together. There will be waterworks.”

“I’m not betting against that,” Nat replies.

“Me neither,” Jules agrees.

“He wrote “Sunshine for her”?” I ask with a sappy grin on my face as Meg nods. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Still wanna bet?”

“Hell no.”

“We have to go!” Nat yells back to the bathroom.

“I’m ready!” Sam comes walking down the hallway on her high red shoes, those black pants hugging her every curve and that white lacy tank is absolutely stunning, showing off her pierced navel.

Her hair looks messy in a classy, rocker way and her blue eyes are shining above blood-red painted lips.

“You’re magnificent,” I whisper and feel my eyes fill with tears. “Oh, Sam.”

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Lucy sniffs as she stands to hug Sam. “You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Come on,” Meg says with a sniff. “Let’s put my brother out of his misery and get you two hitched.”

Sam smiles triumphantly. “Let’s do it.”

***

This might be the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever seen. And it’s in Vegas.

Amazing.

This particular wedding chapel offers an outdoor garden option. It’s evening, just past sunset. We are sitting in ornate white iron chairs facing an arbor, covered in white twinkling lights.

“You’re gorgeous,” Mark whispers in my ear.

“Wait till you see your sister,” I reply with a smile.

“It’s a different kind of gorgeous,” he says and brushes his knuckle down my cheek. “You take my breath away, M.”

I take his hand in mine and kiss his palm softly.

We’re all here. All of the Montgomery siblings and their significant others. Nat and Luke, Mark and I. Jax and Logan. Even Leo’s band and their families are here, smiling and anxious to get this show started.

Leo, dressed in black ripped jeans and a black button-down shirt rolled on his forearms, escorts Lucy down the aisle to her seat, kisses her cheek and joins the justice of the peace on the small stage. The song “Sunshine” begins to play, signaling that we should all stand and turn to watch Sam, dressed in her unconventional wedding attire, walk down the aisle with her dad. Neil is smiling at his daughter proudly, clasping her hand tightly in his own, and I can’t help but remember that my daddy will never walk me down the aisle. Mark won’t escort my mama to her seat. Tiff won’t stand by my side as I pledge myself to the man I love with my whole heart.

Will they know anyway? Will they be with me? Can they see how happy he makes me?

I inhale deeply as Mark wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my head before whispering, “It’s okay, M. Just breathe through it.”

How does he always know?

I feel his chest move against my back in a long, deep breath and I do as he asks, taking a cleansing breath and refocusing on the here and now.

Sam’s carrying a small bouquet of tiger lilies, her eyes are pinned to Leo’s. I glance over at the groom to find him watching his bride, his jaw dropped in awe and love and everything in me goes soft at the romantic moment.

She passes her flowers to her mom when she hugs and kisses her before joining Leo on the small stage. He takes Sam’s hands in his and whispers something down at her that makes her cheeks blush and her smile widen.

“Family and friends,” the tall man begins as we reclaim our seats. Mark wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. “It’s my pleasure to officiate this special occasion. Samantha and Leo have asked that we make this quick, and I have to say, unconventional.”

“Imagine that,” Will says with a chuckle. We all smile and nod.

“This very special couple has decided to exchange rings as they recite their vows to each other. Samantha, please recite your vows to Leo.”

Sam clears her throat and pulls a ring out of her bra, holding it up for all of us to see.

“Best storage system ever,” Leo murmurs softly, making Sam laugh. She takes a deep breath, reaches for Leo’s hand and looks up into his eyes solemnly.

“I promise you, Leo, until my very last breath, to fight for life, for joy, for us. To never take your actions, words and kindness for granted, and to keep leaving you secret notes when we are away from each other.” Leo grins as Sam slips his ring on his finger and continues speaking.

“I vow to grow with you and not apart, to make my accomplishments, ours, and your challenges, mine. I will always love you deeply and honestly, as your equal and your partner. I fiercely want to grow old with you; so we can sit on our front porch on a warm summer’s eve, so we can hold our frail hands together and laugh, so I can simply be with you, and know that I am home. I was born to tell you I love you, to be your wife, to be with you, forsaking all others, for the rest of my life.”

I watch through tear-filled eyes as Leo swallows hard, takes a ring from his pocket and looks deeply into Sam’s eyes.

“I promise you, Samantha, my sunshine, until my very last breath, to fight for life, for joy, for us. To never take your actions, words and kindness for granted, and to write you love songs as often as possible.” Sam bites her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay, and failing.

“I vow to grow with you and not apart, to make my accomplishments, ours, and your challenges, mine. I will always love you deeply and honestly, as your equal and your partner. I fiercely want to grow old with you; so we can sit on our front porch on a warm summer’s eve, so I can hold you in my arms, so I can simply be with you, and know that I am home. I was born to tell you I love you, to be your husband, to be with you, forsaking all others, for the rest of my life.”

With the ring firmly on Sam’s hand, he raises it to his lips and presses a kiss on her finger. Mark hands me a tissue and kisses my cheek as the officiant steps forward to speak.

“By the powers vested in me by the state of Nevada, it’s my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

“Whoop!” Mark exclaims as we all clap and whistle as Leo bends Sam backwards and kisses her breathless.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Nash!”

“We did it!” Sam exclaims and throws her hand up to Leo for a high-five, which he happily obliges, then pulls her back in for a long, soft kiss.

“That was amazing,” I whisper as tears continue to roll down my cheeks. “He has such a way with words.”

“Told you,” Meg says as she mops up her own face.

“Let’s go eat,” Will says, but holds his hands up as if in surrender. “To celebrate. We all need to celebrate.”

“You all go,” Neil says and hugs his wife close to his side, and it’s in this moment, watching Neil cuddle his wife, kiss her tenderly on her temple as she continues to silently cry, that I realize I have this man to thank for the man Mark has become. What a wonderful example of what it is to be a good husband.

A good man.

“We need to get back to the babies,” Neil finishes.

“Oh, stay just a little while longer,” Natalie says with wide eyes. “The kids are fine.”

Lucy shakes her head and hugs her new son-in-law tightly, then cups Sam’s face in her hands and kisses her cheeks. “We want you all to celebrate. We’ll have a party for the whole family after you’re home. Have fun tonight. Enjoy yourselves.”

“I am proud of you, baby girl,” Neil says and plants his lips on Sam’s forehead as he hugs her. “Have fun.”

“Let’s go celebrate!” Brynna announces, clapping her hands.

“Drinks are on Luke,” Sam says sassily, smacking her brother on his arm. “He’s loaded.”

“So are you,” he reminds her.

“I’m the bride. I’m not paying for anything.”

***

“Why are you sitting over here all alone?” Logan asks as he joins me at the table in the corner of the semi-quiet bar we found off the strip. The music isn’t too loud, the drinks are decent and there are enough pool tables to go around our lively bunch.

Not to mention, there aren’t many people in here tonight, so the celebrity members of our group don’t have to worry about being approached.

“I’m just watching,” I reply with a smile and sip my drink. Mark is currently bent over a pool table, his back to me, making me drool. Dear God, what that man does to a pair of slacks!

“I’ve never seen anything like this group,” Logan says with a laugh.

“I’m pretty new to it too. They’re fun and welcoming…”

“And overwhelming,” he finishes. I lean back and study the man next to me. His brown hair is messy, his green eyes lit with happiness and humor.

“I like you.” I hold my glass up to clink with his. “I’m glad Jax found you.”

“I like you too, gorgeous,” he replies and tips his glass to mine. “And it was me that found Jax.”

“Really?” I lean on my elbow and give him my undivided attention. “He never told me how you met.”

“In the grocery store.”

“Seriously? Picking guys up in the frozen pizza section works?”

“I believe it was over the bananas,” he says and sips his beer. “I don’t know, he looked up at me and something in me just clicked.”

He’s watching Jax across the room chatting with Natalie and Jules. I can hear them laughing. I don’t reply, I simply wait for him to continue.

“I’ve had a different experience than Jax,” Logan says and takes another swig of his beer. “My family is awesome. I never came out to my parents, they just always knew and accepted me for me.”

“I’m happy for that,” I murmur.

“Me too.” He clears his throat and shifts in his seat. “I know that Jax’s experience has been the opposite of mine, and to be honest with you, Mer, I want to hunt down his family and kick their asses.”

“Get in line.”

“I don’t understand how you turn away someone as awesome as he is.”

I follow his gaze to watch Jax tuck Nat’s hair behind her ear. “He has an easy way about him,” I say. “He’s physically affectionate. Always has been. Like that, right there, when he tucked Nat’s hair behind her ear?”

Logan nods.

“He’s always doing stuff like that to people he knows and feels comfortable with.”

“It took him until the second date before he’d let me hold his hand,” Logan says with a rueful shake of his head.

“That’s because he was trying to figure out if he could trust you or not.” I bite my lip, unsure how much to say to this man who clearly loves my best friend very much. “Does he know you love him?”

“Yes.” He sighs and swigs his beer.

“And Jax?”

“He feels the same.” My heartbeat speeds up at the pure joy on Logan’s face.

“Oh my.” I sigh wistfully. “It’s finally happened for him.”

“And for me. Although I never had the issues with my family that Jax did with his, I’ve been selective about who I choose to have a relationship with. I’ve never told a man that I love him before.”

“I’m so happy for you.” I rub his arm soothingly, then lean in and kiss his cheek. “So happy for both of you.”

“Mer, you need to know, I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

I bite my lip as the tears fill my eyes. My gaze finds Jax again across the room. He’s laughing and gesturing with his hands as he tells the girls a story. He’s my friend, but more than that, he’s my brother.

“Today is the day for wedding talk,” I murmur with a soft smile.

“You don’t think it’s too soon?”

“I think it’s wonderful.”

“You do? I need to know you’re okay with it.” Logan rubs his fingers over his mouth. They tremble slightly. “You’re his family, Mer. Your opinion matters.”

“I love Jax with all my heart,” I answer honestly. “He’s one of the best men I know. But you know what, Logan? I think you’re one of the best men I know too. You’re lucky to have each other.”

He lets out a gusty breath, as though he’s been holding it during the whole conversation. “Thank you.”

“I want to be in the wedding.”

“We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chapter Twenty

“You wanna talk about what the hell crawled up your ass and died before or after class?” Jax asks as he leans against my desk and crosses his arms over his chest. Little girls are filing in for their after-school ballet class, chattering and laughing, excited for class.

“I’m fine,” I reply with a sigh.

Except, I’m not fine.

“We’ve been home for two days and you’ve been damn moody,” he mutters then pushes his fingers through his hair. “Are you and Mark fighting?”

“No, we’re great.” It’s not a lie. Mark and I have been fantastic.

“Something is wrong, KitKat.” He tilts my head back to look me in the eyes. “If everything with Mr. Hot Tamale is so great, why do you look so sad?”