“You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” she asked, exasperated. She heard the whack and felt the sting. She gasped and turned around to glare at him. He knew she hated it when he smacked her ass in public. He, on the other hand, saw nothing wrong with it. He locked the door and rushed to her before she had a chance to say anything. He picked her up around the waist as he carried her the ten feet to the driveway.
Her arms wrapped around his neck. God, he was insufferable, but she loved this man. Her arms tightened around him and she placed her mouth to his ear. “You keep smacking my ass like that and we are going to be more than just a little late,” she teased with a giggle.
He opened the door and tossed her on the seat. He kissed her hard before pulling back. “If I knew Roxanne wouldn’t cut off my balls, we would bail on this fucking party and I’d have you naked in our bed, bare ass up before you could even fucking blink.” He winked at her before closing the door. Yeah, she loved this man.
Stone answered his phone while getting into the car. “What?”
Pause.
“Yeah I know but I’m running late as hell. It has to wait until tomorrow.”
Another long pause.
Sadie peeked over to see him looking out the front window. He let out a heavy breath and his lips twisted. He was pissed and by the looks of it, it wouldn’t wait until tomorrow.
“Fuck.” The door flew open and closed quickly with a loud slam. Sighing, she watched him walk back into their house.
This was a common routine. It was business and he never talked business in front of her or to her. She had told him she didn’t mind but he refused to discuss any part of his work with her. Stone said their home life was their family life, which didn’t touch his business. She knew it was his way of protecting her. John and Roxanne kept her as informed as she could be when he was out on a job. He’d call or text and they’d talk about everything except the job. It used to bother her until he explained why one night when they were cuddled in bed together.
“What I do, all of it, it’s my job, but it’s not who I am. I believe in what I do, I’m good at but it’s not who I am.” He pulled her tighter into his body. “But here, with you, that’s who I am, Sadie.” His hand reached down to her stomach. “And someday this house will be filled with our kids, and you and them, that’s who I’ll be,” he whispered. She never asked him again. That answer was all Sadie needed.
The last six months had been great but not without a transition period. It has been an adjustment. They fought and argued and then had incredible make-up sex. She might have even started a few fights on purpose just to have make-up sex. What could she say, it was hot! They had to learn to deal with and accept one another’s quirks. He’d come to accept that she left most cabinets and drawers slightly open. It was a strange habit of hers, she hadn’t even realized she had done it. But he just sighed and closed them. She no longer bitched when he didn’t put the seat down or hang up his wet towel in the bathroom. She just hung it up and remembered to always check the seat. Love was all about compromise.
And compromise was something Sadie learned all about when she started planning their wedding. Well, actually Roxanne was planning the wedding with help from Emory. Sadie just got to okay all of it. Mostly.
Originally, she wanted to elope, which had the whole family freaking out at Easter dinner.
“What? Why would you elope? Oh God, are you preggers?” Roxanne screeched.
Gasping, Sadie flushed from embarrassment. “Of course not!”
“Sweetheart, I love Vegas as much as anyone but you can’t get married by Elvis,” Ethan said, his tone laced in humor.
“Hell no, you can’t elope, this wedding needs a fucking epic party!” This came from Bogs, who had since proved that every event needed an “epic fucking party.”
“Don’t you want a big wedding and dress and all that girlie shit?” Stone asked with sincere concern. She looked away when she shook her head.
“Why not?” he asked, putting his finger under her chin and forcing her to look at him.
“I don’t have any idea how to plan a wedding,” she quietly said.
“I’ll help you,” Roxanne exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat. She rushed over to her side, grabbed her hand, and sat in the empty chair.
“Me too, girl,” Emory added, bouncing in her seat at the table.
“But I don’t have any family or friends who’ll come. There won’t be anyone to sit on my side of the church,” she rebutted. It would be so awkward to have all the guests sitting on Stone’s side and none on hers.
It was a lame excuse but accurate. When she did go back to Cedar Bluff to tie up loose ends it didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped. Her mom had been furious that she was leaving her. The irony of it made her laugh. She hollered and screamed. She called Sadie ungrateful and eventually got nasty, calling her a whore for chasing after a man. Sadie practically had to pull Stone out of the trailer after the last comment. He swore he would never hit a woman but told her he knew a few women who would have no problem putting her in her place.
“That’s not true, babe. Pearl would come, and maybe Melinda. Hell, my aunts and uncles like you more than me anyway, they’ll probably want to sit on your side.” He snorted and wrapped his arm around her.
“Miss Trudy, too!” Ethan chimed in with a wink and a smile.
“I’ll sit on your
