Page 74 of Protected Hearts

“Not everything.”

At Oaks’s serious statement, they all looked at him.

“What’s the matter? Are you feeling all right? Let me call the nurse.” Shiloh reached toward the call button, but he stopped her.

Colt eyed him. “What do you mean, brother?”

He shifted his gaze from Colt to Carson and fixed it on Shiloh’s beautiful face. “I want a real wedding. All my friends and family. Hell, even the guys from the airstrip who stalled those bastards who would have taken Shiloh from me.” He studied her lovely face. “And for you to want to really be married to me.”

Tears sprang into her eyes. “Oaks…I know I haven’t known you for very long, but I love you. And I want to be with you.”

His eyes closed on the emotion surging into his chest. He opened them and pulled her close for another tender kiss.

When they eased away from each other again, Colt was shaking his head. “Are you going to be doing that a lot?”

Shiloh issued a soft laugh, and Oaks winced as his own escaped. “Even a chuckle hurts.”

“Willow is the sappiest of us Malones, but she won’t appreciate walking in on you two in the office smooching all the time.” Carson folded his arms, widening his stance as he gave Oaks an I-told-you-so smile.

“Where is Willow? She was here earlier.” Oaks glanced at the closed hospital room door.

“She went home to take care of the mess we all made for her. A lot of paperwork, reports and phone calls.” Colt’s lips twisted in a crooked grin. He loved heaping extra work on Willow more than any of them.

Carson gave Oaks a chin-lift of big-brotherly approval. “So…this time we get the wedding pictures or it never happened. And I’m guessing Shiloh isn’t going to look like a dove.”

She groaned. “Absolutely not!”

Oaks managed a snort of amusement that almost didn’t hurt his side.

“How soon are we talking about these nuptials taking place?” Carson asked.

Staring at Shiloh, Oaks’s chest grew tight with so much emotion. “I need to get out of this place. And time to get a real ring.”

She bestowed a gentle smile on him. “So a couple months?”

“Two weeks.”

“Two weeks!”

“Yup. I’m sure Layne will help us plan a wedding.”

“And how are we funding this, Oaks? Weddings cost a lot.”

“My credit card.”

She gaped at him.

“Honey, in case you didn’t already guess, we have money. It keeps making itself at a rate that’s almost laughable.”

Her expression grew serious. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

He pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed with him. “I know money turned into a scary thing when you were with William. However, Malone money works only for the good. We have a jet to help us do good. To rescue people.”

Her throat worked on a swallow, and she nodded as his words sank in that money in the right hands wasn’t evil, and she could let go of her hang-ups.

She brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Fine…two weeks it is.”

“I have one more condition, love.”

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