Page 112 of Zone Protection

“Lead the way, son.”

We step off the trailer and move toward the arbor at the end of the aisle. My brothers and my boys are huddled around each other when we get there, so I hand Lainey to my dad and go stand with them.

“What’re y’all doing over here?”

I see Liam pouring whiskey into red shot cups and passing them around. When he gets to Austin, I swipe it out of his hand.

“Mama would kill you, and I can’t have you ruin Emma’s day.”

“That’s not fair. Ace and Aston get to have one, but I don’t?”

“Settle down, Austin. You’re only fifteen. You don’t have enough hair on your chest to appreciate the taste of this fine bottle of whiskey.”

“Says the brother only four years older than me. You shouldn’t be drinking either, Aid. This is some bullshit right here.”

“All right, Griffs, hush up. This isn’t about you. It’s about Archie.” Liam hands me a shot. “Okay, boys, let’s gather round.”

“Hey, that’s my line.” I smirk.

“Yeah, but I’m taking the reins today.” He lifts his cup, and everyone in the circle follows suit. “I’m not as good at these as you are, but I’ll take a stab at it.” He clears his throat. “May you always walk in sunshine and never want for more. May good fortune and peace always be at your door. May the love and friendship you have guide you whenever you’re in doubt. And may the good luck that’s with you never run out. Here’s to you, my friend and brother. We couldn’t be happier that you locked this girl down with a baby.”

Everyone laughs.

“Cheers to Archie and Emma!”

“Cheers!” rings around the circle, and we all take our shots.

“I love y’all, and I couldn’t ask for better friends and brothers to be standing up here with me today. Come on now. Bring it in.”

I open my arms wide, and we all wrap our arms around each other. We pull apart when we hear the other tractor coming up the hill.

“Showtime, Arch.” Aiden pats me on the back, and we all move to stand by the arbor.

In my gray suit and my best white cowboy hat and my best boots, I wait for my girl. The pastor steps up and stands behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I look over at my mama, Dad, and Lainey and wink. My mom is bouncing Lainey on her lap, which means she’s probably getting a little restless or hungry. My baby girl doesn’t like to sit too long. She’s always moving. I can’t imagine what she’ll be like when she actually takes off. Trouble.

I see more of my family, some of my old teammates,including Bo Callaway, and some of my new teammates. I give a few waves and smiles.

But then the music starts to play, and I see Emma’s bridesmaids—Livi, Peyton, Mia, and Charlie—step off the tractor, but they’re blocking my view of her. Then I see her mom, and then her dad. Finally, there she is. Emma holds her dad’s hand as she steps down. When she looks up, our eyes meet, and her smile is so wide. I nearly run down the aisle to grab her.

She decided to have both of her parents walk her down the aisle. Their relationship has gotten much closer since Lainey was born. And then when they moved down to be closer to us and help with the baby, my family just kind of scooped them up into our crazy brood.

When she reaches the end of the aisle, I walk up to her and her parents, and I reach for her hands. “Hey, darlin’.”

“Hey, Arch.” Her smile is wide, and her eyes are shining.

She looks as happy as I feel. Then she looks over at my parents with our baby girl and squeezes my hands.

The pastor starts speaking, but I can’t hear anything he says. I’m completely locked in on my beautiful bride. She’s wearing a cream-colored lace dress that just seems to flow down her body. It dips a little low between her breasts, and it’s sleeveless, and there’s a strap that hangs loosely along her shoulder. She’s absolutely gorgeous in it, and I can’t wait to take it off her later.

“You look good enough to eat, babe.” Emma squeezes my hands.

“Darlin’, I can’t wait to get you in the shack tonight. While that dress is gorgeous on you, I’m dying to get you out of it.”

I can’t help but lean in and kiss her. She tastes like cinnamon.

We pull back when Lainey lets out a giggle and claps her hands. The guests all laugh, and Emma and I both look over to see our happy baby girl. Emma gives her a little wave, which makes Lainey bounce up and down on my mama’s legs.

“Okay, friends. Let’s get this started. We’re gathered here today to celebrate the love between Archie and Emma. As I’vespent time with these two, I can honestly say the love I feel from them is pure and the kind that never ends.” He opens the book in his hands. “They’ve asked that we not take too long to get to ‘the good part.’ Archie, Emma, I see you’re already holding hands, so you’re moving things along for me.”

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