Page 122 of Stone Vows

I look up at the heavens, thanking God for this man. My doctor. My savior. The man I want Ellie to grow up with. The man I want to grow old with.

I can’t speak. I’m overcome with emotion. All I can do is hold up my hand and sign,“Yes.”

Chapter Fifty-seven

Dancing in Kyle’s arms feels unreal. The way his hands run up and down my back. The way they pull me closely against him. The way he rubs tiny circles on the exposed flesh of my shoulders. I feel like it’s all a dream. A dream from which I hope I never awaken.

On the drive to the reception, we had decided not to tell anyone. This is Piper and Mason’s day, not ours. But who are we kidding? With the way we’ve been dancing all night, we’re not fooling anybody.

Caden asks to cut in and dance with me. I laugh when Kyle hesitates. He doesn’t want to take his hands off me. But he acquiesces. After all, Caden is my brother.

“I’m glad you could make the reception,” I tell Caden as he spins me around. “How was the game? Did you win?”

He pastes on a big smile. “Five to four,” he says proudly. “I hit a double in the bottom of the ninth to drive in the winning run.”

I harden my hold on him. “That’s great! I’m so proud of you. I wish . . . I wish Mom were here to see what a success you are. Even if she wasn’t the best mom, she still would have been proud of you, kid.”

“You’re all the family I need, Lexi. We’ve got each other’s backs now. I promise I’ll never let anything bad happen to you again.”

“I’ll always be here for you too, you know. I’m not going anywhere,” I say.

He cocks his head, looking at me sideways. “I thought you were moving to Maple Creek to live with your boss.”

“Nope.” I can’t help the large smile that travels up my face. I sneak a glance over at Kyle, who is watching me intently.

Caden follows my gaze. “Well, I’ll be damned. It’s about time Kyle came to his senses. I knew it was only a matter of time.” He leans down to kiss me on the cheek. “I’m happy for you, sis.”

“Hey, now.” Kyle walks up and steals me away from my brother. “I’m the only one who’s going to be kissing her tonight.”

Caden extends his hand and Kyle shakes it. They nod at each other in that way only males can understand. And I’m not sure, but I think volumes were just spoken between them.

“You told him,” Kyle says with a raised brow after Caden walks away.

“He’s my brother.”

“It’s fine. I told Chad and Ethan, too.” He gives me an innocent shrug of his shoulders as his mouth curves indulgently.

An hour later, after the cake has been cut, I tell Kyle I simply have to sit down. I’m exhausted and my feet are killing me. I haven’t worn heels since the day I ran away from Grant. I always had to wear heels for him. He insisted on it. It’s one of the reasons why I haven’t bought any since. Well, until now. And the heels are high and the shoes are new—a deadly combination.

Kyle checks his phone for the time. “Ellie will be getting tired and hungry,” he says. “We’ve been here for hours. We’ve done our duty. Why don’t we pick up Ellie from the daycare and head out?”

I love how we’ve only officially been together for four hours, yet he can already read my mind.

We say our goodbyes to the bride and groom and their entourage and then head down the hall to where a daycare had been set up for small children. We find Ellie asleep on one of the babysitters. I gently pick her up as Kyle gets out his wallet to tip them.

I smile. They probably think we’re a family.

I look up at Kyle and he winks at me. Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s thinking the very same thing.

We walk past the security guards who are just inside the front door. Kyle takes Ellie from me and lets me hold onto his elbow as I navigate the many front steps in my ridiculously-high heels.

When we reach the base of the stairs, he nods to a bench by the front walk. “You and Ellie sit here. The car is a half-mile away.” He leans down and kisses Ellie on the head before he gives me a warm peck on the lips.

“Thank you,” I say, taking him up on his offer.

Almost instantly, Ellie lays her head on my shoulder and falls back to sleep. I gently rub her back, letting my tired eyes close as I daydream about what tonight has in store. What tomorrow will bring. What the rest of my life will be like with Kyle Stone in it.

“Well lookie fuckin’ here,” a low, gravelly voice rumbles out of the darkness, sending shivers of familiarity up and down my spine.

---