My sister’s abusive ex—my assaulter, showing up to make good on a threat he’d promised years ago, only to be brutally executed by the man I’d fallen for, who apparently didn’t have any issue with murder.
Fuck, why did that sound so hot…
“I think there’s something not right with me.”
“Why would you say that?” Rhylan’s brows knitted as he lifted my chin with a knuckle, my attention being drawn straight to his eyes that softened the moment they locked with mine. “What’s wrong, Wildcat?”
“It’s just—Tiff made a valid point earlier, before you came downstairs… about my mental state… of everything that’s happened between us in such a short span of time.”
Did I need his validation for what I was feeling? Was I finally entering some manic episode? I mean, I did just beat the shit out of a man with a baseball bat with the intent to kill… Ididintend to kill Jaiden.
“Are you saying you don’t believe that what we’re feeling for each other is real?”Yes? No?Had I become conditioned by my abuse? Terrified of believing that every man was just another wolf in sheep’s clothing? And if given the chance, he’d take advantage of me and strip away my control.
“I’ve told you before… I’m damaged—broken, Rhy. No one wants to spend their entire life with someone like me.”The unstable girl with mental issues and unresolved wounds.
It’s why remaining single was always the easier option. Why I only subjected myself to nameless one-night stands. Something Icould walk away from without giving up being in control. But thenhecame along, and I just couldn’t help myself…
“Like any homestead, hearts can be repaired with the right amount of care and love, Dakota. You just haven’t found a man qualified enough to put in the effort... Until now.”
I stirred all night, not out of worry for how I was planning on approaching my sister with the marriage proposition. But because I couldn’t believe that Rhylan was choosing me; wantedme. To be his. Forever.
“You really want to be with me, Cowboy? To put up with all my stubborn bullshit and—”
“All your jagged edges, Wildcat. What’s yours is mine, and I’ll carry it like a badge of honor… You’re perfect just the way you are. Always have been.”
“That sounds like a cheesy line from a rom-com.” I don’t know why I ever questioned Rhylan or doubted his intentions.Hewanted this, asked me to marryhim, and even went so far as to move in overnight without so much as a fuss after I’d said yes... If I were perfect, then what was he?
“It is, but I have so much more to promise you than that.” His arm tightened around my back, and I melted into his words of reassurance.
I pushed aside the lingering remnants of my intrusive thoughts, the ones that made me feel undeserving of a future with Rhylan, rising on my toes, just barely brushing his lips with mine.
“Then I guess I have a test to prepare for; to prove my loyalty and commitment to my husband so he can fulfill all his promises.”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way, darlin’. I’d never miss the opportunity to stand beside my wife.”
His wife.
Yeah, I love the sound of that.
Chapter 26
Rhylan
“Whyareyoudrivingus back to the ranch? Aren’t we getting married today? At the courthouse?” Dakota had started to panic after we’d left the city, and I grinned with my hand on her thigh.
“Oh, we’re getting married, darlin’, but not there. I’ve got a better place in mind. One that would be far more meaningful than repeating some boring vows recited by a county judge.” Of all the steps that I’d already done wrong, this one I was going to do right by taking us back to the same spot where she let me in—to tie the knot, and promise my wife the life she was owed.
“So the dress wasn’t necessary then? You made a big deal about looking the part, and now there won’t be anyone around to even see me?” Crossing her arms with a huff, she settled back in her seat, well aware that I was up to something but unsure ofwhat.
“You’re right, no one will have a chance to admire you in that stunning dress except me, and that's how it should be.” I’dconvinced her to wear an off-white dress she’d shoved into the back of her closet, with ruffled layers that started halfway down her thigh. “I’m not doing this for the attention of others. This moment is for us and our memories.”
Dakota had only worn the dress once; the summer before her college graduation, when she and Tiffany took a vacation to South Padre Island.
When I saw her wearing it on the beach, the wind catching the layers and her hair perfectly, she looked like a fucking goddess; an angel sent from heaven just for me.
I needed her to wear it for this occasion, along with her light brown Ariat boots. Because to close out our private ceremony, I was going to take her back to the house and brand my name on the sides. Just another way to claim her as my own—my wife.
We pulled up and parked in the same spot as before, only this time it was a warm sunny day—not a single cloud in the sky. Her something blue right above our heads.
