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His eyes checked me out in a strictly professional manner. When he seemed satisfied, he grunted and turned. “Let’s go.”
To my surprise, he held out his arm for me. “Are you going to walk me down the aisle?”
“Do you have someone else to do it?”
I was so shocked at his offer that I almost didn’t move. When his gaze snapped to mine, I quickly grabbed his arm and followed his quick footsteps. By the pace he was walking, you’d think this wedding was on a timer. Technically, it was, but that didn’t really matter right now.
As we walked around the OPS building, I saw a crowd gathered under the tree in the distance. Almost everyone was here, and while it would have been nice to have everyone, that was nearly impossible with our schedules. The closer we got, the faster I walked. It was very unlike me to rush toward something like a wedding. I had never been that girl. I didn’t dream about wedding dresses or flowers. I didn’t envision my boyfriend getting down on one knee and proposing. Mydaydreams mostly consisted of my favorite guns and a good pair of cargo pants.
But then again, I’d never had a man like Duke in my life before. He was strong enough to let me be the dominant partner, but knew how to take control when I needed him to. He balanced me, making me just soft enough to accept that life didn’t have to always be about the next job, and that it was okay to let a man into my heart.
I sucked in a breath, stopping for just a moment.
“Everything okay?” Johnny asked. I saw him frown as his eyes lingered on my face. “What’s going on? Why are you crying?”
“What?” I swiped at my cheeks, surprised when the tips of my fingers came away wet. “Oh my God! What is this?”
“Tears,” he said as if I was stupid.
“I know that, but…Ugh, he’s turned me into a girl!”
“And that’s a bad thing,” Johnny said hesitantly.
My gaze snapped to his and a scowl appeared on my face. “Do I look like the type of woman who gets sappy over finding a man that she wants to spend forever with?”
He was silent for a moment, and then he leaned in close, even though there was no one around to hear him. “If you tell anyone this, I will fucking gut you.”
When I didn’t immediately respond, his lips tightened in anger or something. I rolled my eyes, holding out my pinky for him. “I swear.”
He clutched my pinky around his own finger, squeezing tight. “When I was on the run with Tahlia, I thought she was going to die. She was injured and had an infection that was spreading faster than I could get her treatment. It wasn’t looking good and…” He heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes. “I cried.”
“Sorry, what?”
“I cried,” he snapped. “I had fallen for this woman in a matter of five seconds. The moment I saw her, that was it. She wasn’t just an infatuation to me. And when I thought I was going to lose her, it hit me how horrible my life would be without her. I fucking cried.”
I would have laughed at the indignation on his face, but it was so sweet. If a strong and rugged man like Johnny could feel theseemotions and admit that he was just as human as everyone else, why shouldn’t I?
“So, you’re saying it’s okay to cry.”
“I’m saying that when you love someone, it doesn’t fucking matter what anyone else thinks. You’re not crying because you lost a game of poker or because your feet swelled. You love Duke, and knowing that you’re finally getting to spend your life with him is a big deal. I’m saying, embrace it.”
I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around the gruff man, feeling him pat my back awkwardly for just a moment. Not wanting to get on his bad side, I stepped back and smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Whatever. Just do this shit so we can hit the road.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a mock salute.
“Don’t fucking salute me,” he grumbled, grabbing my arm and linking it back with his.
The rest of the walk to the “altar” was hurried. Now that I knew I wasn’t insane for feeling this way, I was rushing to get up there and make Duke mine. Except, there was no minister. Johnny handed me off to Duke, then shocked me when he stepped around us and stood in front.
“Um…what are you doing?”
“Do I have to explain everything to you today?”
For the second time today, I stood completely flabbergasted as I stared at the man in the cowboy hat. “You’re a romantic.”
