Page 202 of The Reason I Married Him
Aubree:Hattie keeps tearing up, especially when she helped me into Cassidy’s dress. And Ryland, well, he’s just casually observing. Hasn’t said much other than to ask me if you were going to make me happy.
Wyatt:What did you say?
Aubree:I said the most happy, because you were giving me land for my hand.
Wyatt:And don’t you forget it . . . wench.
Aubree:Wench?
Wyatt:Trying something new. Did it fall flat?
Aubree:Very.
Wyatt:Noted. I’ll stick with babe. Oh, Laurel is beckoning me. Time to head to the farm. See you down the aisle, babe.
Aubree:See you down the aisle . . . ass clencher.
Wyatt:**Clutches heart** You woo me with your romance.
I shifton my feet as Mac makes her way down the aisle in a poofy white dress with Chewy Charles tucked under her arm. She chucks—yes, chucks,not tosses—flower petals at the people lining the aisleway, sitting on hay bales. Ryland, from the side,tries to “dance mom” her—aka, show her what to do—but she completely ignores him as Hayes nails an instrumental version of one of his songs. Don’t ask me the title. I can’t freaking think of it at the moment because Aubree appears at the end of the aisle, Hattie joining her on one side and Ryland on the other.
My heart stutters in my chest as I take in my bride.
Her simple white dress frames her torso but flares at her hips. The long sleeves hang off her shoulders, showing off her long, elegant neck. Her hair is loosely pulled back with a few curly tendrils framing her face while a cute crown of flowers sits on the top of her head.
She’s . . . fuck, she’s easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s walking toward me, ready to commit to me. Ready to be mine.
And I swear to myself, at this moment, as her eyes stay fixed on mine, I will never do anything to hurt her. I will protect this woman with everything I have in me. She’s my responsibility now, and I’ll be damned if anything happens to her.
Hayes wraps up the music just as Aubree reaches me. I offer Ryland a handshake and Hattie a hug before I take Aubree’s hand in mine. Leaning in close, I whisper so only she can hear me. “You look so beautiful, Aubree. You . . . you took my breath away.”
When I pull away, her eyes smile up at me as we turn toward Ethel, our officiant. It was a requirement, as was the locomotive parked off to the side that we could take pictures on. The people on the hay bales, mainly proprietors around town, are people Ethel found worthy enough to be here, as well as Brody, Maggie, Abel, and Echo.
The barn is decked out in mums, spanning from cranberry to orange to yellow. The tractor has been pulled to the front of the opening and decorated in mums as well as hay bales, offering a pretty backdrop for pictures. There are bulbed lights strungthroughout, which doesn’t make much sense to me because it’s a morning wedding, but I wasn’t going to argue with Maggie. The town really came together to make this wedding happen, which is a testament to the Rowleys and the way they’ve impacted this community. I know I joke about winning Almond Bay over with my charm, but I’m not the reason all these people are here. Aubree is.
They want to see her happiness.
I don’t blame them.
I want to see it too.
I don’t pay much attention to what Ethel says because I’m mainly fixated on Aubree and the way she keeps looking up at me. How there is a slight tremor in her hand, and how even though she’s strong as hell, meeting me up here at the end of this aisle, I know deep down, she’s scared.
That’s why I squeeze her hand tight.
It’s why I look her in the eyes when I say our vows.
It’s why when I place her ring on her finger, I make it clear that this is a promise I never plan on breaking.
And when Ethel announces us as husband and wife, I step in close to her, grip the back of her head, and seal that promise with a kiss. A kiss that garners a loud cheer from the attendees.
When I pull away, she smiles up at me, and then together, we walk down the aisle, hand in hand as Mr. and Mrs. Preston.
“Oh my God,”Aubree whispers to me as we finally have a moment to ourselves.
Pictures took about an hour, which felt weird, given the circumstances, then we were ushered into our first dance, where Hayes played music for us and Ethel sang. I swayed back andforth with Aubree in my arms, watching her look around and attempt to smile at everyone taking pictures.
In all honesty, she’s been a big trooper through all of this.
