Page 32 of Big Rowdy Cowboy

He stops kissing me, a big grin stretching across his face. “Shit, I was supposed to wait for the performance, but I can’t wait another minute.” He reaches into the pocket of his black suitcoat and pulls out a ring box. “I love you, Dotty. The first moment I saw you, I glimpsed heaven, and it’s not because you hit me with your car. But because I saw my whole future in front of me. Make me the happiest cowboy on earth, and marry me.”

I sob his name. This is the happiest night of my life. I never imagined that when I started fake dating Zac Maple that it would turn into the real thing. But this love and passion between us burns so bright, and I know it always will.

“I’m taking that as a yes,” he whispers as he slips the ring on my finger.

I throw my arms around him and kiss him again. This cowboy is big and rowdy, and he belongs to me. We’re going to get married and start a family. We’ll raise our babies on his farm and then we’ll grow old together, laughing and loving our way through life.

Chapter 18

Zac

“Are you sure you have every exit and entrance covered?” I ask Gray again. He’s the owner of the Everafter Lodge here in Sweetheart, North Carolina. It’s a popular wedding destination, and I reserved it this weekend.

When I asked my girl what she wanted for Christmas, she told me the only thing she wanted was to become Mrs. Zac Maple. It took some planning and a hefty donation to Gray’s favorite charity, but we were able to get the last wedding of the year. I love that when the clock strikes midnight and announces a new year, I’ll be a married man.

“Every exit and entrance is covered. No paparazzi are getting in here,” Gray reassures me.

“And she’s not running away, though maybe she should,” Jasper jokes from his place in the groom’s suite. He’s one of my best men. He and my three brothers.

“Ante up,” Barrett says, dealing a fresh round of cards to the table. I’m too agitated to sit around playing a game. My woman is across the hall and in a matter of minutes, she’s going to become my wife. Who has the patience to sit at a time like this?

“Jasper can’t. He’s out of poker chips,” Evie’s little brother says.

“How about my good leg? This particular model is worth a little over ten grand with all the upgrades,” Jasper says.

“The rest of us don’t need a spare leg,” Noah says, and the guys get into a discussion about which one of them needs a spare brain.

While they bicker, I send a quick text to my girl. She doesn’t respond to my message, though, so I call her instead.

“Stop calling her!” Thea answers Dotty’s phone. “You’re driving us all nuts.”

“Where is she? Put my wife on the phone right now, or I’m coming in there and throwing her over my shoulder and—”

“Sheesh, calm down, caveman,” Dotty’s soft voice coming on the line instantly calms my racing heart. I still have anxiety sometimes when I haven’t heard from her in a few hours. “I just stepped away.”

It feels like every time I turn around lately, she’s in the bathroom. Maybe I’ll make a doctor’s appointment for her when we get back to town. Hell, maybe I’ll demand Cash drive out to my cabin to treat my wife. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. “Are you OK?”

“Do you have any idea how much trouble it is trying to pee while you’re wearing a wedding dress?”

“No.” The word comes out like a question because I’m not sure what the right answer here is. Nine times out of ten, the correct answer is to kiss her until she’s forgotten whatever I’ve done to annoy her. The other one time, the answer is to give her chocolate and a heating pad. I can’t do any of that stuff over the phone.

“Well, it’s really annoying,” she sniffs. “And we shouldn’t be fighting on our wedding day!”

She’s been doing this lately, crying for reasons I can’t even understand. Two days ago, there was an ad on TV for teddy bears, and she started bawling her eyes out. Still don’t knowwhat that one was about, but I held her for a really long time after that and stroked her hair.

“I can’t wait to see you in your dress. You always look beautiful, but I bet you’re even prettier than the sun today,” I tell her softly, soothing her. Weddings are stressful, and I know I wasn’t any help. She and my mom planned most of the day’s events and decorations. All I had to do was show up in my suit.

“I’m very pretty today,” she confirms, and her voice is no longer wobbling.

“Why don’t you send me a picture of it?” I’ve been dying to see what she looks like in her dress. She’s been secretive about it. All I know is she got it from the Sew Cute boutique in town.

“Nice try,” Thea is back on the phone. “Listen, we only need fifteen more minutes. If you’d stop calling her, you might actually get married before the new year starts.”

I hear Dotty laughing softly in the background, and the simple sound fills my soul with joy. I didn’t know it was possible for my heart to feel this big. “Have my woman at the altar in fifteen, or I will come and drag her down that aisle myself.”

Dotty

I breathe a sigh of relief that I feel like I finally emptied my bladder. I thought I was getting a bladder infection. But I saw Dr. Cash yesterday and he confirmed I don’t have an infection at all. What I have is a twelve-week baby growing inside of me.

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