Page 74 of Lead Me Knot

“That’s how you make me feel.”

I’m not sure how to handle all this romance. Every word he says is more swoony than the last. “How will I ever return to our normal every day when you’re spoiling me like this. I’m going to be rotten to the core after all this sweetness.”

He chuckles as a section of his hair falls over his forehead. I like his hair ruffled. I like a little stubble coating his jaw and when his shirts have a few wrinkles. It’s life taking hold. But I won’t complain about how he looks today. My jaw dropped wide open when the car came around the corner and I saw him standing there, waiting for me. Looking that good should be a crime, and I’m just the gal to take him into custody. But do I deserve all this like it’s a real wedding?

I imagined something low-key. We’d just go to the courthouse and get this taken care of. Instead, I have a cushion-cut diamond the size of a small blueberry on my finger and a band wrapped in platinum with diamonds all the way around. I think my car cost less. Actually, I know it did. I’ve never seen something this expensive, much less worn it on my finger.

I’m just a country girl who grew up with a single mom barely making ends meet. Baylor has handed me the keys to his kingdom, making me feel like a princess.

When I’m righted, I spot a photographer taking our picture like we’re celebrities. “Someone’s taking photos of us.”

He looks back over his shoulder and then at me again. “It’s the photographer I hired to capture our special day.” My mouth opens and closes again, my thoughts jumbling from one surprise to the next. When I glance at the photographer again, he waves at me. I wave back before returning my gaze to Baylor, who says, “You only get married once.”

The photographer is forgotten as my mind stumbles through the “only get married once” response. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue, but I find myself holding on to it like a life preserver. Otherwise, I’ll start to question what we’re doing. And that’s the last thing I want to do when I’ve not felt this happyin forever.

I want to live out this fantasy to the fullest before reality sinks in again. Standing next to him, I lean my head on his shoulder as we face the photographer. Our hands are clasped with the bouquet hanging down at my side in the other. “You really did think of everything.”

Letting new love and the joy of the day win, we pose all over—walking down the sidewalk, me laying my head on his lap when we sit on a park bench and vice versa, and strolling through the nearest park with blooming flowers. I was so embarrassed at first, but these are fun for us, so I release my inhibitions and enjoy the process.

I even laugh so hard while eating a hot dog that I almost choke. And then that makes me laugh even harder.

Does cloud ten exist? Nine will never capture this feeling adequately.

When we return to his apartment, he swoops me into his arms and even carries me over the threshold. “I don’t think you’ve missed a detail,” I say, protected and safe in his arms.

He kicks the door closed and kisses my cheek as soon as my feet land on the ground. Embracing him, I’m not ready to be apart and lean toward leading him into the bedroom to end the day wrapped up in each other. “Did you have a good day?” His voice doesn’t hold the familiar confidence he carries in life. It’s not boisterous like it is when he’s hanging out with Tagger. It’s not even laid-back like he sounds with his family.

There’s a shyness to it, an uncertainty in his tone. He’s quieter and more reserved. I can see both the boy I knew growing up and the man he is now, needing me to reassure him. I slide my hands over his shoulders and around his neck. My heels are high but still not enough to where I can reach his lips without a lift. I kiss him and then again. Soft and slow. Gentle andcaring, hoping I can give him what he’s coveting most.Love.“It’s been the best day of my life.”

His arms are so strong when he holds me to him. There’s no escaping that I’m the life preserver he needs. “Mine, too.”

Taking his hand, I lead him into the living room and dip the bouquet back into the vase. “What do we do now?” I ask, open to the possibilities ahead to decide on my own. “We can make love.” He smirks in response. “Or eat something?” That smirk gets smirkier as expected. “Watch a movie and cuddle together on the couch, or something super New Yorky and sneak up to the rooftop to stare at the stars.”

He rubs his chin as if this is a life-and-death decision. I’m thinking we’ll be doing all of them at some point in the night, so why decide? “Do you have a frontrunner?”

“All of it sounds magical if it involves you.”

“Listen to my wife laying on the charm.”

A girlhood dream comes back to me, one I had pushed down so far that I’d forgotten until now. “I don’t think there’s much I can contribute to make this wedding day any more perfect than it already is, but if I had one more wish, it would be to have a first dance with my husband.”

With his eyes locked on mine, he shakes off his jacket and loosens his tie. He means business of the sex appeal kind. I don’t typically have a suit fetish, but I’m finding it hard to hide how attracted I am to this man. A heaving chest and a stare that tells him to take me straight to the bedroom might be a dead giveaway. He challenges my telltale signs with one of his own—lowering his chin, his bright blues are shadowed by seduction. Under that gaze, I’d let him do anything to me. And if he rolls up those sleeves, I’m done for.Died and gone to heaven.

He leaves me practically panting for more,the jerk,and turns to pick up a remote from a wooden bowl onthe coffee table. Music filters through the space from invisible speakers in just a few clicks. The music sets a mood for romance, making me wonder if he always has this playlist queued or if he set this up for us as well. He remembered everything else, so I feel he also prepared for this aspect.

Taking me into his arms, he asks, “May I have this dance, Mrs. Greene?”

I’m glad he’s holding on to my waist, or I’d be mush at his feet. Greene is not a name I ever thought I’d be despite feeling so a part of their family. But to hear it from his lips with the title hooked on the front, I get overwhelmed with emotion.

I lean against him, listening to his heartbeat and hoping he didn’t see me lose it over the enormity of being his, a Greene by all intents and purposes, and married to him. It’s so much all at once to take in.

Baylor rubs my back and whispers into my hair, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t,” I say, keeping my cheek against his chest. “It’s been an amazing day, perfect in every way possible. Thank you.” I know that probably won’t placate him. He’s starting to know me too well for that, but how do I protect myself? I love him—solid, real, and in all senses—but I don’t want my heart to get broken. Which is where this is destined to lead. We didn’t get married for love, but we’ve landed in the middle of it. “This feels real, Baylor.”

I’m starting to hate how much I love the feel of his hand on my shoulder and the way his touch shoots through my entire body. I have no control when it comes to him. He holds all the cards and the winning hand when it comes to me. Closing my eyes, I try to pacify my concerns.

He leans in and kisses the curve of my neck, whispering against my skin, “It’s whatever we want it to be.”

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