Page 17 of The Rogue

Chapter Five

The knot in Rue’s stomach refused to go away. It was with her from the time she woke up on the day of her wedding, all the way on the drive to the church, and it persisted.

Which was weird because everything was in its place. There was nothing to be nervous about. It had ended up that she hadn’t actually seen Asher, and that was causing her a little bit of anxiety. But his flight had been delayed, and then she had her bachelorette party, and there was a point where it really was bad luck to see each other, and as much as she didn’t believe in that, it was the tradition of all of it. Justice had been right about that.

But it had been a couple of months since she’d last been with him, and yeah, it just felt... funny to be marrying him after that much distance. But that was just the way of it with the military.

It was excitement, really. She remembered reading one time that excitement and anxiety were actually the same physical sensation in the body and it was up to your brain to interpret what you were actually experiencing. So then she decided on excitement. Because it was her wedding day after all. She dressed and did her makeup, her hair a simple style that she could manageon her own. She enjoyed the silence and the solitude. It was, she supposed, one of the perks of not having a big wedding party. Her man of honor was off helping set up. And he didn’t have to text her for her to know that.

Not that he ever texted.

She heard a knock on the door and she opened it. It was Justice, looking incredible in his tux. They stood there and looked at each other, her in her dress, him in the tux.

“You’re beautiful,” he said finally.

“You’re not so bad yourself, cowboy.”

It just felt an especially grown-up thing to do, getting married. Especially right now that she was looking at her childhood best friend. The one who had been there for her through so much. Everything. No one understood her the way that Justice did. He was unique in that regard.

“How is everything looking?”

“We’re good to go,” he said. “Guests haven’t started arriving yet, but the sanctuary’s looking perfect, we’ve got all the flowers set out. I know the reception venue is handling all of that. So... you have absolutely nothing left to worry about.”

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. She was suddenly aware of how small the space was.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“When Arizona got married she was a little bit... I don’t know.Sadreally isn’t the word. I think we’ve all accepted the limitations of our parents. It’s been a long time. We’re grown. We get it. But I think there aremoments like this where you just feel real conscious of what all is and isn’t right. It is not right that your mom isn’t here with you helping you get ready. It’s not right that your grandma’s gone. It’s not right that your dad isn’t here to give you away. I guess even more so that your mom and dad aren’t the kind of parents that should be here. Because if they were here they would just be making the wedding worse.”

“That is the truth,” she said. “I really am okay.” She meant it. The people that mattered would be here. And she couldn’t complain about that.

“I have something for you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Because when you get married you need something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, right?”

“Oh my goodness. Where did you even learn that, Justice King?”

“It’s cowboy wisdom. Everybody knows it. I figure you got quite a few new things. But you don’t have family here. I have something for you. You can borrow it. Because that’s an important bit. You have to be borrowing it. So I need it back in like thirty years. Okay?”

He reached into his pocket and he took out a necklace. It had a blue sapphire in the center, and the middle was clearly aged.

“What is this?”

“The King family is one messed-up legacy after another. But it all started with my great-great-great-great-great grandfather Elias King, and his wife, Sadie. They came out West for a chance at a better life. I don’t know that they had one. But what I do know is that we’re stillhere. Trying. This belonged to her. She brought it with her from Missouri. And I believe it came over on the crossing from England some fifty years before.”

Her jaw dropped. “You can’t give me a family heirloom.”

“I’m loaning it to you. Because it took my family on this journey. The journey to a better life. And all I know is I’m living a better one than my parents did. It’s a reminder. To keep being on the journey.”

Her hands were shaking so much that she almost didn’t even want to pick it up. Didn’t want him to see.

“I’ll put it on you,” he said.

He lifted the necklace and undid the clasp, then lifted it, leaning in. Her breath caught, her heart thundering hard. His eyes never left hers as he brought the chain around her neck and slowly clasped it, letting the gem fall between her breasts. She felt them suddenly. She was just very aware she had them. Heavy, sensitive. His eyes drifted down to the jewel, and it made her feel unbearably... aware. Of her skin. Of her fingertips. Of the way he smelled.

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