Page 273 of Bossy Hero

Bring this. I have something borrowed, blue, and new. We needed something old (aside from us).

I’ll have to tell her I kept this note because it was the night I carved out the rest of my life. The night I decided to form Redleg. And the night I started to fall in love with her.

In a way, I created Redleg because of Maddie. And soon, I’ll leave it for her.

Five minutes later, I exit my office with the receipt tucked into the pocket of my crisp linen shirt. Lionheart waits in the hallway, holding a single blue rosebud. It matches the one pinned to his shirt. A boutonniere.

Without speaking, he dips his chin and approaches. He removes the pin and attaches it to my shirt.

“Thank you,” I tell him, my voice thick with emotion. “Does this mean I’m forgiven for dating your mother behind your back?”

He retreats a step, then returns to straighten the rose. His smile quirks into a sneaky grin. “It took a lot of restraint not to jab you with this needle.”

We share a laugh.

He clasps my shoulder and looks into my eyes. “I know she asked you not to tell me. I get it. She’s hard to tell no. Especially when you love her.”

“She sure is.”

Gradually, his grin splays across his entire face. “Thanks for loving her.”

“No thanks needed. Loving her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“What do you say?” He tips his head down the hall. “You ready to become my stepdad?”

“No.”

He slants his head and arches his brows to the sky.

“I’m ready to become your father. I promise I’ll do a better job than the one you had.”

“Fucker,” he mutters under his breath as he slams into me with a tight hug. He thumps his giant lion paw against my back hard enough to make me cough. “Love you.”

I pat his cheek when he pulls away. “I love you too.”

A few seconds later, he leads me into the conference room. My jaw drops.

No clue how they did it, but the room has been transformed into something barely recognizable.

White twinkle lights hang from the ceiling, and the table is shoved against the long wall like it was during the holiday party. There’s an aisle running through the center of the room, with about fifteen office chairs on both sides.

I chuckle when I see what’s displayed at the end of the aisle. In lieu of an altar, they used the projector to display a photo of a beachfront wedding arch on the wall.

It’s perfect.

Nothing fancy or over-the-top. But memorable all the same. And surrounded by the people who mean the most to us.

My groomsmen meander around the room, chatting with the Redleg employees and other familiar faces filling the chairs on both sides of the aisle.

I wave at Detective Salgado, who’s seated in the back row. My eyes catch on a popcorn machine behind her in the corner.

For the show. Ha.Well played, Sammy.

Sawyer heads right for Leo and me. “You ready for this, Big Al?” His voice is refreshingly accent-free, which I’ll assume is his wedding gift to me.

I flash a grin. “I’ve been ready.”

He gives me a knowing look. “Relatable.”

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