Page 206 of Summer Heat
“You’re a sniper. I understand how important your weapon is to you.”
He stepped closer to her, needing to press against her. “I still had your ring, and you were my best friend. You were my life, my whole world. I graduated college, and before I knew it, I had a rifle that kept me alive. That I chanted about day in, day out. My best friend. My life.”
Nic started to say something, but he took her index finger in his and smoothed it over the trigger. “I didn’t know what to do with your ring after you were gone. And this gun was with me everywhere. This is what I did: the trigger’s gold plated. I couldn’t get Roman’s tattoo. I couldn’t scream from the rooftop that the woman I loved was gone. But I could have this with me, no matter where in the world I was.”
“Cash…”
He looked at her in the dark, trying to make out her features and read her mind. “The Creed goes on to say My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. It just fit. You’d always been with me. And somehow, thinking about us together in spirit, trenched out in the hellholes and kill zones I’d been sent to, it was nice to know you were in my foxhole. And Nicola Beatrice became… Miss Betty.”
She paused, then her voice was strong and powerful. “I love you, Cash. And I love that you did that.”
“Miss Betty kept me sane. Safe. I talked to her. Trusted her. She defended my life, my country. But it was always you, and I’ve always loved you.”
Nicola palmed his face. She drew him in for a kiss that warmed his soul, reinvigorating his belief that no woman on the planet was more perfect than her.
He placed the rifle back in its case and put it away. Crickets chirped, and a night owl sang. Taking care to remember every moment, he turned back to her, and a smile curled his lips.
“I love you, Nic. But gun, or no gun, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I loved you years ago, I loved you when you were gone from me, and I love you still. Always have and always will.” He slipped a ring out of his pocket and took her left hand in his, sliding it onto her finger. “I’ve grown up with you, fallen in love with you, and I want to marry you. I hope to God you want the same thing.” He cupped her face in his hands. “What do you say, sweet girl? Think Nicola Garrison could be more than just a name on paper?”
A smile so bright he didn’t need the sun blossomed across her face. “Of course I want to marry you. That’s my dream come true. I’ve wanted to since the first day I met you.”
With her in his arms, with those words, life was perfect. She softened into his embrace, pushing into his kiss. This was more than a dream come true. This was his woman, his life, molding into what it should’ve been.
“It’s a new house, but if you don’t like it, it’s on the auction block tomorrow.”
“I love it.”
“Good. Though I do have a lot of rooms that need to be christened.”
“I’m pretty sure you have a big new car that hasn’t been…” She pulled him toward the passenger door, giggling.
“Hot damn, I love you, woman.”
EPILOGUE
Somehow Cash should’ve known that sporting a tux was part of the deal. Can’t have a wedding without a tux. Well, you can. But that’s not what Nicola wanted, and what she wanted today was priority number one. The tux could be considered mission critical.
He tugged at the black silk bowtie. Not his style. And standing in front of God and everyone, grinning like an asshole, it made him more than a little self-conscious.
The church doors flew open. The dramatic organ notes bounced off the cathedral ceiling, filling the room with the powerful processional they’d chosen. The most gorgeous vision of beauty and white lace emerged, rendering him love-struck all over again.
Yeah, for Nicola he could sport a bowtie and monkey suit. Hell, he’d do a top hat and a cane. Anything to get to, “I do.”
The walk down the aisle was almost too much. How the hell was he this lucky? The only thing Cash wanted was Nicola in his arms. But her slow procession had a payoff. Her hand landed in his, and everything felt perfect.
The preacher droned on, talking to the filled church pews. Cash wasn’t listening, totally entranced by his bride. Love swelled, thumping loudly throughout his body, and an excited constriction struck his throat. The only thing he had to do, other than stare at Nicola, was recite his vows. He’d easily agreed to write them without thinking over the consequence of that decision. Could he put into words his dreams of the future? His promises to take care of her, partner with her? Hell, worship her for the rest of their lives?
And then the preacher’s eyes were upon him. Show time. Cash unfolded the paper with his neatly printed vows. If he thought his smile couldn’t get any bigger, he was wrong. And then it was just them. He saw no one else in the church besides Nicola Garrison, his soon-to-be wife.
Nothing he wrote would do justice to what he wanted to say. Screw it. Crumbling up the paper with his vows, he shoved it back into his pocket and clasped her hands in his.
“Hey, sweet girl.” He thumbed the tops of her knuckles.
“Hi,” she whispered, smiling. “I love you.”
God, did he love this woman. Needed her too. And no pre-written vows, no matter how authentic, could encapsulate how he felt in this moment. Cash cleared his throat, pressed her knuckles to his lips in a kiss, and breathed out.
“Nic, my farthest reaching memory is you. My farthest reaching dream is this: marrying you. Promising my love, honor, and faithfulness until I take my last breath… Whether that’s from old age or from my enemy’s bullet, whether we’re on opposite sides of the world or working in the trenches together, know that you are my best friend, my truest love, the center of my existence. Every day I have with you is a gift.
