Page 1 of Romancing Rayne

1

Rayne

“You may kiss your bride.”

At the officiant’s declaration, the room erupted, the cheers and whooping a startling contrast to the solemn silence while we exchanged our vows.

Ghost didn’t move, and his smile faded.

“Ghost, kiss me,” I whispered.

“Not yet, Rayne.” Pure love shone in his eyes. “I’ll never forget this moment. How beautiful you look in your dress. Us promising our lives to each other. None of it. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”

“Kiss me,” I urged, needing to feel his lips on mine.

“With pleasure.”

I vaguely heard Truck and Mary being presented as husband and wife for the second time. But between the magic of Ghost’s kiss and the crowds’ renewed cheers, I was lost in my husband.

Husband.

He pulled back, turned us toward our friends, and waited for Truck to finish devouring Mary. We did it. The silly marriage pact Mary and I had made all those years ago had finally come to fruition. Ghost’s hand tightened around mine, and I knew he was just as happy for our friends as I was. Though, I wished Truck would hurry up; I had a surprise for Ghost, and it was burning a hole in my pocket.

By the time we made our way down the aisle toward the exit of the church, I was nearly jogging. Ghost, Truck, Beatle, and Blade had said they wanted the biggest celebration our town had ever seen, but I had no idea they’d meant something this large. The church had been standing room only, filled with scores of people I’d never met. I looked out over the sea of uniforms; Navy and Army seemed to fill most the room, however I’d bet I’d find police, fire, and some Texas Rangers among the crowd as well. It was a beautiful testament to how well respected the team was.

“In a hurry?” Ghost chuckled when I tugged on his hand after he’d stopped to say hello to Wolf and Caroline.

“My feet hurt,” I lied.

With a nod, he lifted me in his arms and continued to the waiting limo.

“Put me down.”

“Not a chance.”

He placed me in the back seat and arranged my dress, making me thankful I hadn’t worn one of those huge, puffy, frilly dresses some brides dream of, opting, instead, for something simple and elegant, and it had cool, hidden pockets—perfect for holding my surprise.

We pulled away from the curb, and suddenly I was nervous. I was being silly; I knew Ghost would be happy, but now I was questioning the timing.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” he started.

“A few times, yes. Ghost?”

“Yeah, Princess?”

“Thank you.”

“I hope today was everything you dreamed it would be,” he said.

I thought back and tried to remember a time I’d ever been this happy and found I couldn’t. I was right where I was supposed to be, and not a moment too soon.

“How could it not be? I married the man of my dreams, my super-secret spy.”

Ghost chuckled, and I continued, “Thank you for waiting, for being so patient. Thank you for loving me and wanting to share your life with me.”

There had been days I’d felt horrible for making Ghost wait for us to get married. But after today, I knew in the marrow of my bones, everything happened for a reason.

“There’s no place I’d rather be than by your side.”