Page 96 of Until Then

NOAH

“Would you calm down.” Rees shoves my shoulder and helps me adjust the crooked lily pinned to my lapel.

“I can’t help it. I’m about to split out of my skin. Is this what you were like?”

My brother laughs. “Yes. You were there, remember?”

True enough. Rees was always fidgeting on his wedding day. I could hardly keep him still while we waited. I get it now. There’s a constant hum of nerves and excitement I can’t shake.

We’re here. Two years after my wildfire and I made our little agreement to date all to save face, she’s about to be mine for good.

I knew the day I fought over that blueberry scone life would never be the same.

Lined behind me is Rees, the guys in the band, a few ball players, Carter, and Tyrell. It’s hard to choose a handful of people when there are too many who’ve had our backs from the beginning.

Two years and I hardly recognize my life anymore.

Sweet Cream Ranch is never empty. It’s my haven. With Milton and Justin, we figured out the best way to have Veterans and first responders come for a week of activities with theirfamilies. Rees and his band got involved, as I anticipated. They linked the non-profit information to their annual concert for the first responders in Las Vegas.

Our first week was last year. The ranch hosted nearly a hundred families.

We’ve been working on building more cabins and guest houses to accommodate next year’s crowd. Alice hugged me until I couldn’t breathe, thanking me for helping bring her husband’s dream to reality.

It wasn’t all me. I footed a lot of the bill to construct the space, but Hayley and her family are the experts on how to run a week on a ranch.

We’ve started to turn the tides on the financial trials of Sweet Cream Ranch. Carter leases three acres for his new parkour arena. There’s an agreement for another twelve acres for TV and movie studios to use for their stunt arenas. Some is used for practice, others have shot scenes out there.

The kids in the outreach program love the days we practice stunts. It’s all pretty tame for the kids, but they’ve all grown to love Carter and his team’s wild, ride or die, attitudes.

My favorite part of it all is Hayley.

Obviously.

I moved out of my condo a year ago and shoved my way into her ranch house—our ranch house. There’s no way I’ll ever get enough of Hayley Foster as the first sight of my mornings, and the last of my nights.

A few months later, I asked her to be my wife over a blueberry scone in the same café where it all began.

There are still days where the weight of darker thoughts take hold, but I don’t try to power through it all alone anymore. Rees still gets our bat signal, but Hayley is always there to remind me it’s all worth it.

Life, together, is so worth it.

Music plays softly. Sighs and murmurs of adorable adorations follow. Jude holds Ever Knight’s hand. Together they walk down the aisle. Jude holding rings on a satin pillow, Ever tossing little lily blossoms across the grass.

My nephew beams up at me and Rees when he reaches us.

I’m quick to sign athank you,and Rees tells his son to be ready for the signal to hand over the rings.

When everyone stands in their seats, my breath hitches. From the back of Alice’s house, doors open. Hayley and her uncles step out. One man on either side.

Between them is my reason for breathing.

She’s . . . incredible.

I choke on a knot of emotion. Rees claps me on the shoulder.

Her hair is curled and down, red locks in the sunset. The dress is killing me in the best ways. A low neckline, a cinched waist, and a skirt that practically sparkles in the sunlight.

Tears glisten in her eyes. Good, because I can barely see her through my own. A few cameras click with photos—photographers we hired, of course. We kept the wedding incredibly private, and everyone here did the same.

---