Page 45 of Better Together

The judge cleared his throat. Oh no, she’d missed something.

“Miss Taylor, are you ready to proceed?”

“Yes. Yes, please.”

“You’ll need to give your bouquet to your flower girl and take Mr. Walker’s hands.”

Remi did as she was told and shook her head to push her hair over her shoulders. There. She was ready to declare her undying loyalty. What a surprise on a random Tuesday.

The judge pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose and looked down at the Bible he held. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today.”

Remi made the mistake of looking up at Colt. The moment their gazes locked, the game began.

She narrowed her eyes and stared back.I won’t lose this time, Walker.

The seconds ticked by as the judge spoke, but Remi only had eyes for Colt. If he wanted to test the strength of her determination, she’d show him how immovable she could be–in a staring contest and in the decision she’d made to spend the rest of her life with him. Who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of her life with her best friend?

“Now, it’s my understanding that you would like to recite your own vows.”

“What?” Remi’s eyes widened.

Colt blinked as he chuckled, declaring her the winner of the staring contest. “I have vows. Or something I’d like to say.”

Well, this was news. She should be scared or at least wary. Colt was known to say things that riled up her urge to run, and now was not the time for sprinting. The short heels were the first shoes with height she’d worn since Blake and Everly’s wedding, and she’d kicked those off at the beginning of the reception.

Colt cleared his throat and rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands. “Remington Taylor, there are a few things I want to get out in the open. This is real for me. I’ll be your best friend, your biggest supporter, and your family until the day I die, and I’ll never ask for more than you’re willing to give.”

Oh no. This was worse than she’d expected. Colt was waxing poetic, and she was wilting under the harsh fluorescent lights. Sweat slid down her back as the true impact of Colt’s words hit home. He would be the best husband, and she would be a pitiful excuse of a partner.

But what was she willing to give? That was the question. Could she give him her heart? Could she trust him to stand beside her when the extent of her mistakes were laid out on the table? Could she cut the chain on her feelings for him? Could she love him without limits that were dictated by her shame?

Colt squeezed her hands, and she looked back up at him. Could he tell she was panicking on the inside?

“You’re it for me, Remi. I’m sold. I’m all in. And I love you. I always have, and I always will.”

Air. Water. A hole she could hide in. She needed something, but her brain was shutting down in the middle of the onslaught.

Her feet tingled, and every muscle in her body tensed. It was the fight-or-flight instinct kicking in, and the fast feet were winning.

There was a tug on Remi’s dress, and she turned to look down at Abby’s dark eyes. “Say something,” Abby whispered.

A soft chuckle broke the tension in the room, and Remi relaxed a fraction of an inch as she turned her attention back to Colt. The little girl had pulled her out of the freak-out, and she was back in the here and now where her husband-to-be waited patiently for her eloquently worded vows.

Swallowing what felt like razor blades, Remi croaked out a quick, “Thank you.”

The small room was silent, waiting for whatever came next, but there wasn’t more. That was all her jumbled mind could come up with in the moment.

“Is that it?” Abby shouted.

Everyone fell into a fit of laughter. Even Remi chuckled as the hold her anxiety had on her heart eased.

Colt’s eyes were bright with happiness. He didn’t seem the least bit ruffled by her lack of vows.

The judge cleared his throat. “Is that all you’d like to say?”

Remi nodded with much more vigor than the situation required. “Uh-huh.”

Thankfully, the judge moved quickly into the part where she and Colt repeated the promises. Those she could handle, and none of the things asked of her were more than she was willing to give. In all truth, she’d been following most of them already when it came to Colt.

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