Page 63 of Defending What is Mine

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jack: Present—June

Sam rests her head against my shoulder and squeezes my hand as we walk to her car. “I don’t know why, but I’m getting nervous.”

“Why would you be nervous? You’ve come with me to every Wilde family meal since I’ve been home.”

“I don’t know,” she sighs. “I mean, I love your mom and your brothers and everyone. And they’ve always made me feel welcome.” She looks up anxiously. “More than welcome. Like, I’m more than just ‘Jack’s girlfriend.’ But being made to feel like more than your girlfriend and announcing to everyone that I am more than your girlfriend are two drastically different things.”

When we reach her car, I nudge her with my hip. “Who’s driving?”

Sam offers me the keys while putting on her best pouty face. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” I walk her to the passenger side and pull open her door. “What you said… Why should anyone have a problem with you being more than just my girlfriend?”

“I don’t know.” Sam slides into her seat and smiles weakly. “Maybe they’ll think we’re moving too fast…?”

I nod as I consider the statement, then push the door closed and hustle around to the driver’s side. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?” I ask as I start the car.

“Yeah, that’s it. I’m sorry, Jack. I know I should have said something sooner; I just didn’t know how to tell you. But I think this is all a big mistake. I just…I’ve been so busy with work and getting engaged and house shopping.” Sam playfully smacks my leg. “No! Of course not, silly. I’m just saying, from the outside looking in…I could see how a person might think that.”

When we reach the stop sign at the edge of Sam’s neighborhood, I turn to her. “Hey? Remember before I left, what I said? My heart has belonged to you every day since. And if you ask me, I say we’re moving too slow.”

“Too slow?” Sam laughs. “How do you come up with that?”

“I can call the ranch and give Gabe or Hank a lame excuse for why we can’t make it. Then we can head down to Denver and be in Vegas by tonight. Why wait?”

Sam rolls her eyes. “Nice try, Wilde. I don’t care how smooth you are, you’re not conning me out of my wedding day.”

I can’t help but smile as I inch the car forward, checking for traffic. When it’s clear, I cut the wheel and give it some gas. “For one thing, it’s not like I didn’t mean what I said.” I clear my throat. “And for another, it’s not your wedding I’m trying to avoid. It’s this funny little rumor I’ve been hearing whispers of. Something about a double wedding nightmare with Hank and Mol that I’d like to avoid.”

“Hey? Nightmare? Really? And what’s so bad about Mollie?”

“Mollie? Nothing. She’s wonderful. Hell, if it wasn’t for her, I might have never met you. It’s not Mollie that makes the idea sound so terrible.” It’s the images of Hank trying to convince me that we should get matching camo-patterned tuxes, or sleeveless tuxes, or that we should ride off on our honeymoons on ATVs.

* * *

Sam: Present—June

Clink, clink. “Excuse me...” Hank taps a butter knife against his glass. Clink. “Could I have everyone’s attention?” He glances at Mollie with a knowing smile who then glances at me, excited anxiety oozing out of her. “I have an announcement.”

Before I can turn to Jack, his fingers twine through mine under the table. He gives my hand a quick squeeze then drops his napkin on his plate and stands with his brother. “Uh, Hank... This isn’t what we talked about.”

Unphased, Hank continues. “Don’t worry, man. I got this,” he says with an affirmative nod while hoisting his glass. “Anyway…” Hank scans the faces surrounding the table. “As I was saying, there comes a time in a man’s life where he reaches a fork in the road.” When his eyes reach Gabe he stops and clears his throat. “This is a metaphor, dummy…so try and stay with me,” he says with a chuckle. “If he’s lucky enough, that fork in the road offers him an opportunity. A choice. Between the future he’s always imagined for himself. A future he thought he wanted. And something more.” I watch, speechless, as he turns his attention to Mollie and it feels like the rest of us begin fading to black. “Something, that maybe he never imagined in his wildest dreams.”

“Like flying home from halfway across the world to be with your ailing brother and meeting the girl of your dreams because of it.” The sound of Jack’s voice surprises me and brings the room back into focus. Still standing, he looks so confident, so sure of who he is. It’s one of the things I admire so much about him. Even if I only had one outfit in my closet to choose from, I’d be quietly second guessing my decision half the night. Jack just trusts his gut and I love that about him.

Hank chimes back in, raising his glass again to reclaim the limelight from his brother. “Yep. Or like, realizing that the pretty face at the local diner, a girl you’ve secretly had a crush on, has so much more to offer than hot coffee and a slice of your favorite pie.”

Jack nods, easily taking the attention away from Hank again. “That fork in the road is where a man has to decide for himself what he wants out of his life. Will he grab that woman and pull her close? Will he hold onto her like his life depends on it? Is he ready to put her first in all things, if it means never having to let go of her again? That decision may be the most important of his entire life. Because if it’s the right girl, he knows deep down that even one day without her is too long.”

Hank impatiently clears his throat. “Yeah, uh…exactly. Thanks, bro, for weirdly injecting yourself into my speech like that.” He turns back to Mollie and his smile is born of love, pure and simple. “Recently I found myself at that fork in the road. And I’m happy to report that I was smart enough to ask her to be my wife…and she said yes.”

While everyone else raises their glass, cheering their congratulations, Marie scrambles out of her seat at the head of the table and rushes to hug Hank and Mollie. Meanwhile, Jack looks back at me with a heavily furrowed brow and mouths, “so much for sticking to the plan.”

After excitement of the moment passes and the rest of the family settles back into the meal, Mollie attempts to get my attention by whispering at me from across the table. “Sam? Sam, have you convinced Jack about the you-know-what yet?”

I know exactly what she’s talking about, but decide to play dumb. Jack isn’t completely sold on a double wedding and after Hank having already deviated from the plan tonight, I don’t want to throw another curveball his way. I whisper back that now’s not the time, and all the excited energy seems to overwhelm my wonderful cousin, causing her to forget to use her whisper voice.

“I’m just so excited, I can’t stop thinking about how amazing a double wedding will be.” She grins widely as the room falls silent.

If ever there was a time in my life to test the theory about hearing a pin drop, this would be the time.

Forks fall to plates. Mouths hang open. Marie seemingly forgets how to blink as she slowly looks from Mollie to Hank, then to Jack, and finally to me.

“A double wedding?” she asks at last.

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