Keep It Together

Epilogue

“You do realize we’re thumbing our noses at tradition, right?” Not that Colt cared one whit. He only cared about one thing, and that was the woman in white coming down the stairs toward him. It wasn’t the same gown she’d worn before, for obvious reasons, not the least of which was the fact that that one was full of shotgun holes and wadded up somewhere. The dress she wore for him now was beautiful and elegant, and it completely fit her personality as there were no outward frills such as lace or ruffles.

“Tradition didn’t seem to work out all that well for me the first time around so…” Chrissie reached the bottom of the staircase and stood in front of him. She was nearly his height in the heels she wore. He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.

“I’m happy, you know.”

“That’s a very good thing. I’m happy too. I…” She walked around him and picked up her purse, her gown swishing around her legs as she walked. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“We could have waited as long as you wanted.”

“I didn’t want to wait, though. I’ve learned that when it comes to you and what I want, it’s best to take immediate action. It’s more fun that way.”

“So the ‘good things come to those who wait’ adage doesn’t apply to us?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm. Then that means I don’t have to wait until tonight to get into your panties?”

“You were into my panties last night and this morning. You can wait a few more hours.”

“But I don’t want to wait. You just said—”

“Oh, shut up. We have an appointment with the pastor outside.”

“Has your mother decided to forgive you for not using the church again?”

“Probably not. She’s likely terrorizing the caterers outside though, keeping herself busy. Russ is going to show up this time, right?”

Colt laughed. “Yes. Thank you for agreeing to him being my best man.”

“Why wouldn’t I? He’s your brother, and it was important to you.”

“It was important, but we would have both understood if it bothered or upset you.”

“I’m in love with you, Colt, not him.”

“But you used to be.”

“Not like this, and it’s been well established that you are the right brother?”

“Oh, I’m definitely the right brother. I was just reminding you that—”

“Don’t think you can hold that over my head forever. I have guns, remember?”

“How can I forget? There’s one in every room of the house. Are you ever going to teach me how to shoot?”

“Yes. But only after we’re married.”

Colt eyed her closely. The staring contest didn’t last long as she dropped her gaze and busied herself with straightening her skirt. “Chrissie, my love?”

“Y-yes, Colt, my love?” she responded. Her voice was all sweetness and innocence, and he didn’t buy it for a second.

“You have a garter on under that dress?”

“Of course. We are observing some traditions. Garter, witnesses, something blue, borrowed, old, new. Ex-fiancé as the best man,” she teased with the last statement. “Why do you ask?”

“What else do you have under it besides the garter?”

“Panties, of course. I’m not walking down the aisle without panties on.”

“Of course. And?”

“N-nothing else.”

Colt advanced on her. “I don’t believe you. Either you lift the skirt of that dress or I do. What else is under it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We have guests arriving and should greet them.” She patted the lapel of his suit jacket and took two steps to the side before he caught her arm.

“You’re lying to me, baby. Not a good way to start off our new life together. Foot up on the bottom stair, please.” He turned her and steered her back to where she’d been. She didn’t struggle, but she did smile up at him, batted her pretty brown eyes, but he wasn’t moved. She was hiding something and he had an idea what it was, but he needed to see it for himself.

“I’m hurt you don’t trust me.”

“I’m hurt you think I don’t trust you.”

“You called me a liar.”

“Prove me wrong.”

“Damn,” she muttered through gritted teeth. She slammed her foot on the bottom step, and he stood behind her, reached around, and slowly dragged the skirt of her wedding dress up. Her legs were smooth, muscled, and would be wrapped around him in a few short hours. But first…

“I knew it. A shotgun wedding? Really, Chrissie? I’m so disappointed.”

“It’s not a shotgun. It’s a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver.”

Colt smiled at the obviousness of the weapon and followed the line of the barrel with the tip of his finger. “I like the blue grip.”

“It’s custom-made.” Her breath was coming a little shallow now. Colt left the gun and traced his way around the white satin-and-lace garter. The muscles in her thigh trembled in response to his touch.

“I’m not leaving you at the altar,” he murmured into her hair.

“I know.”

“And it’s not because I’m afraid you’ll hold me at gunpoint.” He gripped her thigh tight and squeezed before lowering her dress down over her leg again. “I love you. Letting you go was the best dumb-ass decision my brother ever made. Now,” he said as he stood and looped her arm through the crook he made in his, “let’s talk about…” His words fell away when he got a look at Chrissie’s father coming up the front walk. “What’s that your dad is carrying?”

Chrissie looked across Colt’s body and, casually replied, “That would be a shotgun.”

* * * *

She was getting married to the man of her dreams or rather, the man from her dreams. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and there were no doubts, no uncertainties, no cold feet. There was nothing but love and desire.

There was definitely a whole lot of desire.

“You sure about this, punkin?”

Chrissie never took her eyes off Colt, who was standing at the edge of her lawn at the proverbial altar. His eyes sought her out and smiled when he caught her staring. She couldn’t help herself. He made her happy, and she made him happy. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sure about this.” She honestly couldn’t remember a time she’d been surer about anything.

“He’s a good man.”

“He is.” She knew Colt to be an awesome man. She couldn’t imagine a better one for her. He didn’t encourage her to quit her lowly retail job but instead encouraged her side job of engraving. He seemed to like that she had an artistic side and that she liked being domestic in her own home. She valued some traditions, and she wanted to start new ones.

“Did he ever tell you that he used to call and ask me about you?”

She did look away from Colt then and met her father’s steady brown gaze. “Yes. I couldn’t really understand why, but I’m glad he did. How many times did he do it?”

“Oh I don’t know. Enough to let me know he genuinely cared about my little girl. You made some kind of impression on that young man. I hope he treats you right.”

“Is that why you brought the shotgun, Daddy?”

“Is that why you’re wearing a piece in your garter, Daughter?”

Chrissie feigned a little shock but giggled just the same. “How’d you know?”

“You’re walking a little different. I remember when you went around wearing hip holsters for a couple of weeks as a kid. The weight distribution when you walked was off.”

“I should’ve known you’d catch on.”

“I don’t miss anything when it comes to you.”

“Christina.”

Chrissie straightened and closed her eyes. A bit of déjà vu clicked in her head at the sound of her mother’s voice. It was close to this time on her last wedding day that she’d been told to hold her head high and rein in her feelings. She didn’t have to do that this time. Her groom was present and was just a few seconds’ walk from where she stood on her back porch, waiting to be escorted and handed over to him. She had nothing to fear today, nothing to dread.

She turned. “Yes, Mama?”

Her mother’s gaze lingered over Chrissie’s gown before meeting her eyes. She opened her arms, and Chrissie rushed into them for a quick, tight hug. “You need to hitch yourself to that man, young lady. I told you he needed the love of a good woman, and I know you needed the love of a good man. He’s the one, and he’s waiting,” she was told.

“Yes, Mama.”

“And Christina? Tell your father to put that gun down. He’s not going to need it today.”

* * * *

“You really did marry me.”

Chrissie and Colt were seated at a small table, sharing a piece of cookie cake. They hadn’t given people and vendors much time at all to get things ready, and true to his word, he’d given Chrissie a cake made with cookies. The cake part itself was simple vanilla. The filling was made of Corners Cookies cookie filling with bits of cookie mixed in. The whole thing was frosted with vanilla buttercream, and each layer was dotted with cookies.

Colt fed his new bride a bite of cake, which she greedily took off his fork. “Of course I really married you. I was never not going to marry you.”

“I was never not going to marry you either. So we’re even and you’re stuck with me.”

“That’s all I wanted out of this whole thing. To be stuck with you.”

“I, umm… I have a confession to make.”

This time, Chrissie offered him a bite of the cake, and he took it. It was delicious. He couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed cake so much. “Oh yeah? What?”

“I used to dream about you.”

Damn, that was sexy information. “Did you now? And what kind of dreams did you have of me?”

“Several of the sexual variety.”

Colt laughed and had to take a swallow of his champagne. She would never fail to surprise him and keep him on his toes. Their first night together she had come prepared to have sex with him. Now on their wedding day she told him that she’d had sexual dreams about him. She wasn’t afraid to be open with him, to reveal things about herself with him. “I’m so very f*cking lucky to have you.”

“Why? Because I dreamed about you?”

“Not just that, but yeah, now that I know, that’s definitely part of it. Everything you are and everything you want to be. You didn’t let your broken heart rule you. You’re amazing to me.” He reached for her, and she met him halfway. Their kiss was sweet and tender, and there was underlying passion he couldn’t wait to get lost in.

“So you wanted me just as much?”

“Would seem so.”

“And how has the reality stacked up against those dreams?”

“Not too shabby.”

“Hey, you two.”

Colt looked up to see his brother approaching. He stood and held out his hand for a shake with Russ.

“I think I’m going to head out. You might not have work tomorrow but some of us still do.”

“Thank you for standing up with me today, Russ. It meant a lot to me.”

“I wouldn’t have missed the chance.”

Chrissie stood as well. Colt wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into the front of his body. “It wouldn’t have been right without you here, Russ. You are, after all, the reason…”

“I’m not exactly the reason, but I know what you mean. You’re happy together. Happier than I think you were with me.”

Colt let Chrissie go so she could hug Amber. “It was so nice of you to make the trip. Again. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“I’m just glad there was a wedding this time. You seem so perfect together.”

“They do,” Russ agreed. “Maybe you do owe me a great big thank-you.”

“I wouldn’t go there if I were you, Russ,” Colt advised. He slanted a glance in Chrissie’s direction, and Russ quirked a brow in question. “She’s packin’.”

“You brought a gun to your wedding?” Amber asked in surprise. “Why would you do that?”

Chrissie shrugged. “Given what happened the last time, I figured it was a good idea to come prepared.”

Colt laughed and pulled his new wife into his arms once again. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

“I love you too.”

They stood together, connected and close, and wished their guests a good evening and thanked them all personally for coming, for sharing in their wedding day. There was no honeymoon planned just yet, but being with her was already a trip and a half.

They would live in her house and make it their home. He would keep the penthouse in Houston where his company was headquartered, but where she was was where he wanted and needed to be. Sleeping away from her had been murder for those ten days after he left Savannah in June. He wouldn’t do that to himself again, and given her confirmation that the reality of him wasn’t “too shabby” compared to the him in her dreams, he didn’t want to do that to her either.

“So, do I get to undress you when I get you in the house?”

“Not completely.”

Colt tilted his head down to look at her. “No?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

She crooked her finger for him to lower his head. “Because I’m wearing very naughty panties, and you’re gonna love them,” she whispered.

“How naughty?” he whispered back. There were all sorts of things going through his head at all the different ways panties could be naughty. The woman could bring him to his knees with just the talk of her panties.

“Crotchless.”

And his knees nearly buckled. “Dear God,” he breathed.

“White lace and crotchless with little ribbons crisscrossing the back.”

“Stop it. Right now. Stop teasing me when you know I can’t get to you.”

“Oh, but teasing you is so much fun.”

“Teasing me is going to earn you a spanking.”

“A spanking? Really? I’m armed and dangerous. You really think you could come close to raising your hand to me?”

“Not only do I think I could, but I think if I’m buried deep inside your very delectable bottom, you’d not only be helpless to stop me from spanking you, you’d welcome it, and then beg for more.” He was right, and they both knew it.

“Well,” she said, smiling up at him, “maybe our wedding night is the right night for you to try it.”

“Oh, I think it definitely is.”