Page 91 of Hale
She grins at me—bright and beautiful. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Jealous of that fucker? Hell no.” I grunt because even though I’m twice his size and my cock is no doubt bigger, it still bugs me she needs to see him.
“I promise it will be fine. And then I want to go to Eureka Springs.”
“You do realize that’s in Arkansas,” I say with a huff.
“Yep.”
“Four and a half hours south.”
“I know where it’s at,” she sasses.
Goddamn it’s wonderful hearing the real Rylie again. I thought I lost her. These past two months helping her find herself have been trying. She’s been frustrated at not being able to do simple tasks like dress and fix her hair. Luckily, she has me. And I know how to shave her legs for her, too.
“Lake of the Ozarks is only an hour and a half away,” I complain.
She laughs. “Just go with it, Hudson.”
With a smile that exactly matches hers, because we’re siblings and all, I do as she wishes. She’s practically jumping out of her skin when we pull into Travis’s driveway. When she starts fishing through her wallet and pulls out a wad of cash, unease skitters through me.
“Where’d you get all that money?” I demand.
She scrunches her nose up as she frowns. “Aunt Becky gave me money for my graduation.”
“And why are you about to give it to Travis of all fucking people?”
She turns her head and parts her lips. “You’ll see. Wait here.”
I press a kiss to her pouty mouth and watch her climb out of the truck. Today she’s wearing a simple white dress with sandals. Her dark hair is down and hangs in smooth chocolate waves. She’s gone for about five minutes and then she comes bounding down the stairs with a huge grin on her face, a yellow envelope in her hand.
“To Eureka Springs,” she says as she buckles in beside me.
As we drive, I wrap my arm around her and hug her to my side. “What’s in Eureka Springs anyway?”
She rests her head on me. “It’s where Mom and Dad got married. I always wanted to get married there too.”
Guilt sluices through me. Some things I’ll never be able to give her. “Ry—”
“I worked it all out, Hudson. Don’t worry.”
She seems so happy and sure of herself. I’ll be damned if I rain on her parade. “What’s in the envelope, heathen?”
“Everything we need to change our future.”
Turns out, everything we needed was a new fake ID, birth certificate, and social security card. Heather Miller. The woman I legally married—or illegally depending on how you look at it—in a whimsical forest in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
“Tell me you’re happy,” she says as we walk up to the treehouse cabin hidden in a thicket of trees. “Please tell me you’re okay with this.”
I hook her waist with my arm and pull her against me. Not even an hour ago, I pledged my loyalty and love to her until death do us part. The ordained minister was an old man with bifocals an inch thick and who could hardly hear a thing. He didn’t correct us when I vowed to Rylienot Heatherthat I’d love her through sickness, especially through sickness. Being allowed to say my vows to her meant the world to me. And seeing the happiness shining in her wide brown eyes meant she loved it too.
“I’m so happy,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head. “Now let’s go check out this place you secretly booked usingmycredit card.”
She laughs as we climb the steps. It’s high up in the trees. Such a cool fucking place nestled in the middle of nowhere. When we get to the top, she unlocks the door, but I don’t let her enter the cabin.
“Not yet, wife,” I growl.
She squeals when I scoop her into my arms and carry her over the threshold. “You’re so romantic, husband.”
