A blush had stained Jorje’s cheeks at Janice’s teasing, but Lana looked proud and in love. He smiled down at her as they took their first steps down the aisle.
They are so cute, but this is taking forever, Addie groaned inwardly, but she knew it was only a matter of minutes.
When Ivan finally led her to the aisle, Addie’s heart leaped the moment her eyes met Cade’s. The cloudless cerulean sky had nothing on the blue of his eyes and his smile put the bright summer sun to shame. He looked so handsome in his black tux and cowboy hat, and the love shining in his eyes—only for her—made her almost giddy.
Cade’s grin never faltered as she made her way to his side and took his warm, calloused hand. He was all she saw. Not the gorgeous flowers in pretty bouquets decorating the aisle and every corner of the backyard. Not the white chairs lined up on the deep green lawn with the big white tulle bows tied around their backs. Not the flower-bedecked cedar arch framing Cade and the minister behind him, and not all their guests in their Sunday best, grinning and teary-eyed as she passed them. Only Cade, smiling at her with love pouring from his sparkling blue eyes as he took both of her hands. Her vision blurred and he gently wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Hey, sweetie,” he murmured. “I hope those are happy tears.”
“The happiest tears ever,” she whispered back.
His smile was both tender and sweet. “Good,” he said, then tucked her hand in his elbow and they turned to the preacher to take their vows.
Epilogue
Cade braced his booted feet against the floor of Cord’s truck and ran frantic fingers through his already messy hair. Damn this snow, he thought as Cord carefully navigated the icy December roadway. If he had known Addie would go into labor this early, he’d never have agreed to help Zack with his troublesome heifer. The anxious, first-time momma had finally given birth, but it had been a long process. The call from Joe Baker with the news that an ambulance had just left their place with Addie inside had come right on the heels of the calf’s birth.
Part of him was glad that Cord had driven them to Zack’s, but another side wished he had his truck. “Can’t you go any faster?”
Cord tossed a glare at him before concentrating on the road again. “Not if you want to get there in one piece. Addie would never forgive me, if I let that happen.”
“I want to get there before it’s all over.”
“She’s in good hands, Cade.”
“Yes, I know that,” Cade snapped, “but I’d still like to be there. She needs me.”
“You need her, you mean.”
Cade glanced at his brother, an angry retort on the tip of his tongue, but the teasing curl of Cord’s lips stopped him, and his irritation drained out in a long sigh. “Yeah, that, too.”
Cord chuckled. “She’s strong, Cade, and the doctors know their stuff. We’ll get there soon and you’ll see, everything’ll be fine.”
“Yeah…” he growled, knowing his brother was right, but not liking the situation in the least. “I just… I want to be a good husband, a good father. I want to be there when my kid enters the world.”
“You are all those things,” Cord said, “and whether you see them all at the moment of birth or not, will not change any of that.” He paused. “Addie seems to think you’re the best husband in the world.”
Cade’s head snapped to the side. “She told you that?”
His brother shrugged. “Not in so many words, but after almost a year together, the way she still looks at you says it all.”
The studded tires crunched over the ice-coated road as Cord maneuvered around a corner, only blocks from the hospital. The roads in town were far better than the outlying ones, but the going was still slower than Cade would’ve liked.
He’d been dreaming about this day since Addie had told him she was pregnant. The memory of that first night on their honeymoon filled his mind. He’d been so afraid that the plans he’d made would let her down, but the nice-sized cabin he’d had built for them in a secluded spot by the river and decorated himself had made her cry.
“Happy tears,” she’d said when she turned to him. “They’re happy tears, I promise. This is just so beautiful.”
Her praise had filled him with pride. He’d installed comfortable furniture, a thick rug in front of the huge river-stone fireplace, and palm plants and flowers everywhere for a touch of the tropics she’d wanted. The edge of the roof, front windows, and deck had all been strung with Christmas lights that twinkled like stars and were almost as bright as Addie’s eyes had been when they first pulled up.
“You did all this for me?” she’d asked, staring up into his eyes.
“For us,” he’d replied, taking her hand in his. “It’s our home away from home. Anytime we want to be alone…with no interruptions.”
Grinning at his innuendo, she’d wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against his. It had taken a while for her to trust him—and herself—again, but she’d finally broken the bonds of anxiety and fear that had kept them from deeper acts of intimacy. He would’ve waited forever, but he was thankful that he hadn’t needed to. She was resilient, his beautiful little wife, and pride for her swelled his chest even as the softness of her breasts, her hardened nipples boring into him, and the promise in her eyes tightened his groin. It had only been one night that they’d spent apart, but it had felt like a year. Desire had flooded his veins like fire and he couldn’t get her inside fast enough.
She had giggled when he swept her up in his arms to carry her over
