In February, the month after Joy Patrice was born, Aberdeen finally walked down the aisle into Creed’s waiting arms.
Only it wasn’t that simple.
First, he had to convince her that baby weight was no excuse not to marry him. Then he had to tell her that getting married at Rancho Diablo on Valentine’s Day during the coldest month of the year was a swell idea—red was a great color for bridesmaid’s gowns. She only had one attendant and that was Diane, but still, it took some doing. Aberdeen kept talking about waiting until springtime, when she’d lost some weight, when Joy would be a little older, when the weather would be warmer—but he wasn’t about to let her weasel out of marrying him for any reason.
He’d nearly lost her before. If he’d learned anything, it was that he had to do a lot of talking with this woman. So talk he did.
And today, a day that dawned clear and sunny, he didn’t relax until Aberdeen finally said, “I do.” And even then, he asked her to say it again, which made her and the guests laugh.
Judah said later he’d never seen such a desperate case. Jonas told Judah he’d better hush, because one day it might be him begging some poor woman to marry him. Sam said he thought it was romantic, if a bit weinie, of his brother to go down on bended knee and promise to love and adore Aberdeen for the rest of their lives, and Rafe said his twin had finally showed some depth of character and soul. Pete said he didn’t care as long as they hurried up and cut the cake because he was starving. Keeping up with the demands of three little girls kept his appetite fired up.
Valentine’s Day was a perfect day to catch his bride, in Creed’s opinion. When they were finally declared husband and wife, he swept Aberdeen off her feet and carried her back down the aisle, intent on putting her right into the waiting limousine.
He intended to spend their week-long honeymoon in Bermuda making love to her constantly, and as far as he was concerned, the honeymoon began now.
“Wait,” Aberdeen said, laughing, “Creed, put me down. We have guests. There’s cake to cut.”
“Oh.” He put her down, reluctantly. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, though.”
She took him over to the three-tiered cake. “I know. But there are some duties required—”
“Cut fast,” he told her, and she made a face at him.
“We have to dance, and tell everybody thank you for coming,” she said. “Creed, we just can’t desert our guests. And there’s Joy. I feel so guilty about leaving her. Don’t you think we should wait for our honeymoon until—”
“That’s it,” he said, “here’s the knife. Cut the cake, take a bite and let’s shazaam before you get cold feet. I know you too well, parson, and I worked too hard to get you.” He put cake into her mouth, waved at the applauding guests, let the photographer snap a few more photos of them, and then went over to Aunt Fiona who was holding Joy in her arms.
“This is a great party, Aunt,” he said.
“But you’re leaving.”
He kissed her cheek. “Yes, we are. My bride wants me all to herself. Mrs. Callahan is demanding like that.”
“Creed,” Aberdeen said, laughing, as she bent to kiss Fiona’s cheek, and then reached up to kiss Burke’s.
“It’s all right,” Fiona said. “I’ve succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, so I just want to say welcome to the family, Aberdeen. And congratulations on catching Creed. I never thought I’d live to see the day, did you, Burke?”
Burke shook Creed’s hand. “The limo has all your items in it, and is waiting for your call.”
“Thanks for everything,” Creed said, and kissed his aunt goodbye. Then he bent to kiss his baby’s head. “Joy, you be sweet to your family. Aunt Diane is going to take very good care of you.”
“Yes, I am.” Diane closed her sister in her arms. “Congratulations, sis,” she said, “I’m going to be as good an aunt to your daughter as you were to mine. I can never thank you enough for giving me time to figure out my life.”
Aberdeen smiled. “I knew you would.”
Johnny nodded. “I’m going to practice my uncle skills. I can’t wait. Seems like I’ve been waiting months for this, and now I’ve got four babies to uncle. It’s pretty cool.”
“Yes,” Creed said, prouder about new fatherhood than about winning all his rodeo buckles. “All these new women in my life. Who would have ever thought it?”
“I would,” Fiona murmured to Burke, who hugged her as she gazed at her growing family. “I always knew he had it in him.”
“I always knew I had it in me,” Creed said to Aberdeen, and she kissed him.
“Let’s go, cowboy,” she said, for his ears only. “I’ve got a special gift to give you in the limo. Because I’m pretty sure you said I wasn’t having you until I made an honest man of you, and now I have.”
“Hot dang,” Creed said. “I’m already there, my love.”
They waved goodbye to their guests under a shower of pink paper hearts, and, as Creed helped his bride run to the white limo in her long, lacy gown, he caught sight of the black mustangs running, tossing their manes and pounding their hooves, free and wild, as they chased the spirits in the wind.
Enchanted.