“Mom, I don’t—”
“You tell me you don’t need Benji Paxton and I will smack you. Don’t lie to me, honey. Can you see your life without him?” she snapped and Lucy’s eyes went wide.
Lucy looked to Avery, but she laughed as she looked away. “Don’t look at me.”
“I mean, shit, Mom. Yeah, I can’t see my life without him now, but it’s because I want him. Not ’cause I need him.”
“Same thing,” she decided and Lucy scoffed.
Crazy woman.
“I think it’s great. He’s wonderful for you, and I can’t wait to see y’all grow,” Claire said, sending her a grin. “I’m just happy you’re happy.”
“Me too,” Baylor and Avery said at the same time, flashing grins at each other as her mom started to tear up.
“Well, we all know how I feel. Don’t let that man go, Lucy Lane. Don’t you dare let that man go.”
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Lucy nodded. “No plans for it.”
She watched as Angie pulled Ashlyn down the aisle in a wagon, and a tear rolled down Lucy’s face while she stood with her three brothers and their mother between them outside the venue. Autumn held on to Jude and Lucy, while Jace held on to Lucy and Jayden to Jude. It was really freaking sweet, but she knew they looked silly as hell.
“So Lucy’s next, huh?” Jayden said, and she flashed him a dark look.
“No way, Benji won’t marry her. He’s only staying ’cause he’s scared of her,” Jude quipped and Lucy rolled her eyes.
“He’ll probably figure out that she doesn’t know how to cook and he’ll run,” Jace added, grinning, but when she looked at him, he looked away. “Or, I mean, he’ll be lucky to marry our amazing, beautiful sister.”
“Pussy,” Jude whispered at him, and their mom smacked him.
“Jude! We are in a church.”
“We are in a barn on church grounds, Mom.”
“God can still hear you, boy,” she snapped as her grip on them went tighter. “Now, shut up. I’m nervous.”
“Nervous?” Lucy asked, confused. “I thought you wanted this?”
“If you don’t, Mom, I can cause a distraction. Jayden will get you out of here—no wait, Jace will. And we’ll have Jayden tell River while Lucy grabs the kids,” Jude decided and everyone nodded, while Lucy was convinced she was related to idiots.
“Are you crazy? I am in love with that man,” Autumn declared and all four of them gagged, on cue, simultaneously. Lucy was quite impressed. “We are doing this. I’m just worried he won’t like my dress or something.”
“What? You’re gorgeous,” Jude said.
“Prettiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life,” Lucy agreed.
“He’s a lucky dude, Mom. You’re beautiful,” Jayden said.
“What they all said. I’d say you’re hot, Mom, but that’s kinda gross,” Jace said simply and they all shook their heads. But like they wanted, their mom smiled.
Holding on to them, she cleared her throat before saying, “I just want you four to know I love you. So damn much. And I’m so proud of the people you have become. I hate that it’s not your father, but, well, he didn’t want me. But River does, and he’s such a great guy. So thank you for walking me down the aisle, and thank you for loving and supporting me,” she said. And of course, Lucy started to cry.
“Is Lucy crying?” Jude asked.
“She knows how to do that?” Jayden asked as the boys gawked at him.
“Man, Lucy, are you pregnant?” Jace asked and she threw her hands up.
“No, assholes. I’m happy for our fucking mom, okay?” she snapped just as the door to the barn opened.
Everyone, including Pastor Dwayne, looked at them with wide eyes. Like always, because it was just her luck, Lucy wanted to die.
Cracking up beside her, Jace said, “God sure heard that.”
Kill me now.
With a bright red face, Lucy’s eyes met Benji’s as he sat with Angie in his lap, and a grin covered his handsome face. He was wearing a dark blue suit, a rose-colored bow tie, and he hadn’t shaved since Tuesday. She knew this because she was living with the man and waking up every morning to that face. It was glorious, and she knew she couldn’t be happier.
That was until he mouthed, “You’re fucking hot.”
That made her grin.
Big.
When her mom started down the aisle, Lucy’s gaze went to River.
He was a bubbling mess of tears, and that only made Lucy cry harder.
“Coach is crying,” Jace whispered. “I’m scared.”
“Shut up,” Lucy snapped, wiping her face.
“You guys are a bunch of babies. It’s a wedding, not a funeral,” Jude called over and Jayden scoffed.
“Dude, you cried at your wedding,” Jayden accused.
“Did not!”
“Good Lord, you guys bicker about everything. Shut up, I’m trying to get married,” their mom barked and all four of them snapped their mouths shut, fighting back their laughter. It felt like when they were kids, but they weren’t kids anymore. They were four different personalities, all grown-up, paving their own ways. For once, Lucy didn’t feel like she was missing out on anything.