Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
I put my hands on each side of her face, and she’s looking up at me with wide eyes. Her face has healed, but I can still see the remnants of the bruises. “Yes, Maddy, I want to marry you. I can’t imagine not having you by my side. I know what you think you saw, but I promise I’m not interested in any woman but you. I’ll never put you in another position like that. I love you. Please don’t leave me.” The more I say, the tighter I hold her, but she doesn’t seem to care. She’s smiling up at me, and in that smile, I know everything is going to be okay.
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Okay. I want all that too. But the next time some woman thinks it’s okay for her to put her hands on you, I’m not running. I’m taking care of it. I’ve loved you for a lifetime, it feels like. And I’m not letting anything come between us again.”
I wrap my arms around her. “Sounds good to me, honey.”
Epilogue
Iron
Nine Months Later
Maddy is so stubborn. Since the fight with Crater, I’ve tried over and over to get her to say yes to being my wife. I want her tied to me forever. But she seems to think I really don’t want to be tied down and continues to tell me no when I ask her.
Somehow she thinks if we have a signed piece of paper between us that says we belong to each other, it will “smother me.” Her words, not mine.
So I’m taking it out of her hands. She’s eight and a half months pregnant. I have her father at the clubhouse. We’ve got her pastor from her dad’s church to perform the ceremony. All my brothers and their ol’ ladies are there. I’m not taking no for an answer.
I had her get all dressed up with a new dress I bought her last week. I’ve used the excuse that Avery, Sniper’s wife, wants to talk to her about something so we need to stop in at the clubhouse before we go to her dad’s house for dinner.
“I don’t understand. I just had lunch with Avery two days ago. She never mentioned stopping by here. What did she say she needed?” Maddy asks me.
I swear this woman. Any other time if I tell her we’re stopping at the clubhouse she doesn’t even question it. Now, when I’m trying to plan a surprise, it’s twenty questions. “I don’t know, honey. Sniper said they were planning one of the kids’ birthday parties, so maybe it’s something about that.”
I help her from the car, and she moans and groans. She’s worried about how much weight she’s gained, but to me she’s as beautiful as ever. And I tell her so. “You look beautiful, honey.”
She snarls at me, “I look like a beached whale.”
“I love you,” I tell her. I’ve learned when she gets in moods like this, the only way to make it better is to make sure she knows I love her.
Her face and voice soften. “I love you too.”
“Let’s go.” I put my arm around her and walk with her to the door. I open it and stand back, ushering her in.
As we walk in, everyone yells, “Surprise!”
She grabs my arm in panic. I place my arm around her shoulders, expecting her stubborn streak to show when she sees all the wedding decorations. But the look on her face stops me. “What’s wrong?”
“My water just broke!”
I look down. Sure enough, water is everywhere.
I raise my hands for silence.
“Everyone. This has to be fast. Then we’re going to the hospital. Pastor, we’re not moving from this spot. Will you marry us right here?”
“Marry us?” Maddy exclaims, looking around at all the faces and then back to me. Her dad and the preacher walk over to us, but Maddy is staring up at me, confused.