Page 30 of Troubled Water
“More than I thought possible.” Feeling the peace settle deep in my chest. “You?”
“More than I ever believed I could be,” he says, his voice low, throbbing. “This is just our beginning.”
“What’s been your biggest surprise so far?”
“How stunning you were coming down the aisle to me. Jesus, B. I almost had a heart attack.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh? I thought for sure the biggest surprise was hiring a fourteen-year-old DJ.”
Parker chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest, and I can’t help but snuggle closer to feel it vibrate against my body. “Next to marrying you, hiring Austyn’s the best decision we made.”
I agreed, and we continued to dance for hours before mingling together and separately. But even as the excitement continues to buzz around me, I feel a pang deep in my chest when I spy my father on the fringes of the crowd talking with Libby and Cal. My mother should’ve been here. She should’ve been in the room with me, helping me dress, adjusting my veil, dabbing the tears of joy from my cheeks when I received Parker’s letter before the ceremony. Instead, while I’m grateful for Libby’s and my sister’s presence, there is an emptiness that couldn’t be filled. In all the time since she’s been gone, I’ve never felt her absence more than I did today.
Taking a deep breath, I shake off the sadness. Today is about joy, about love—about the life Parker and I have committed to building together. Mama would’ve wanted me to focus on that.
Before I can move, I feel a strong arm slip around me. His lips graze my neck. “Happy, B?”
“Very. You?”
“You’re my wife. That’s all I need.” Leaning back against him, I let him absorb my weight as we take in the family we’ve made. I know he, too, is missing the presence of his parents today. We honored them during the ceremony by lighting a candle for each of them in floating water before we spoke our vows. He looked so handsome in his tux, his usually sharp and intense features softening when he caught sight of my father escorting me down the aisle. He didn’t look like the man willing and able to order people into countless dangers or who’d faced enemies himself. Parker just looked like a man who would move heaven and earth to love me forever.
The music begins to play softly, the signal that it is time for me to throw the bouquet before our last dance. We make our way to the center of the dance floor, me holding my bouquet—a mix of sunflowers, irises, and roses. Even as I take my place, I only have eyes for Parker. Standing at the end of the dance floor, his gaze locks on mine, and the moment our eyes meet, my heart trembles with possibilities.
This was right.
Our love is everything.
I feel tears prick from the overwhelming joy of knowing that this man—this brave, strong, stubborn man—is mine. And I am his.
Even as the DJ calls everyone forward, I recall his vows—short, sweet, and simple. The minister spoke of love and loyalty, of standing by one another through thick and thin. But all Icould focus on was Parker’s hand in mine, the way his thumb brushed against my skin.
When it was time for our vows, Parker cleared his throat, looking down at me with those piercing eyes that had always made me feel like he saw right through to my soul. His voice was deep and a little raspy, “Bethany, I always knew I was lucky as well as blessed. Not because of what I’ve done, or what I’ve survived, but because all the roads I took led me to stand here today. At the end, I’d crawl through a desert, fly through any skies, and swim through any troubled waters to be able to call you my wife. I promise you, from this day forward, I’ll always be by your side. Whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together. Till death do us part.”
Tears blurred my vision as I whispered, “I love you.”
In the moment under the Texas sky, with my friends and family surrounding us, I knew that no matter what life threw at us—whether it was danger, heartache, or joy—we would face it together.
Holding his heated gaze, I release my bouquet, uncaring who catches it. All I care about is boarding the private plane Parker arranged to take us to Bali to the little hut over the ocean, where I plan on wearing little to no clothing over the next ten days.
Judging by the expression on his face, he’s in total agreement with that plan.
26
“Got a problem, Fox?” I taunt.
“Just something in my eye, sir. I just need a moment.”
I really want to bust her balls about thinking I wasn’t a romantic, but her next question brings me back into focus. “It’s been ten years since you and your wife married. No children?”
“No, not yet.”
“Do you want them?”
“We both do, eventually.”
“Are you waiting for a reason?”
I’m waiting to see if the one she’s carrying survived its father shooting its mother last night, I think grimly. “Timing. It all comes down to timing.”
