Chad jimmied his index finger between the tight collar of his shirt and his neck. What was it about bow ties that they never allowed enough room for a good, thick swallow? The kind of swallow that went along with slick palms and a hammering heartbeat?
“It’s only natural, mate. You know, the nervousness. Hell, it ain’t every day a man signs away his life.”
Squinting against the noon sunlight, Chad grimaced at Jack Stokes, the only one who had followed him out of the church and onto the front steps where he’d chosen to wait until everything was ready. His uncle Nash was inside, as was—surprise of surprises—his father, decked out in full military regalia. He hadn’t known quite what to say when his old man virtually marched down the aisle, his cap tucked neatly under his arm, and offered him a hearty handshake.
Still, Chad couldn’t focus on any of these facts for more than a fleeting moment. Not when he was due to marry Hannah in ten minutes.
“What would you know about getting married, Jack?” he asked the Australian.
Stokes pulled at his own tie, that and a crisp white shirt his only concessions to the formal event. He seemed genuinely puzzled when Chad had gestured to his old creased brown leather jacket, jeans and trademark dusty hat. “Yeah, well, I might just know more than you think I do on that particular topic, Hogan.” He flashed a grin. “But I don’t think it’s a story you want to hear on your wedding day.”
Chad glanced toward the closed church doors. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I have a story or two of my own I don’t particularly want to share right now, either.”
In the past two months since returning to New York City from Houston the weather had shifted from late summer to fall. He’d hung up his bounty hunter hat to open Seekers with Hannah. He’d also come to learn exactly what having a growing baby girl in his life meant, from soothing small hurts to keeping Bonny from following their new puppy’s lead and trying to drink from the toilet. Rather than finding everything achingly familiar, he’d instead found it all refreshingly, redeemingly new.
Then there was Hannah…. He didn’t think it was possible to love her more than he already had. Oh, how wrong he’d been. Every morning, before he even opened his eyes, he reveled in the feel of her body pressing into his. Enjoyed breathing in the scent of her wild hair. Got a kick out of watching her burn the latest of her burn-proof dinners, after which he’d pitch in and they’d come up with something together. And with each and every tick of the clock he felt his heart fill with even more love for this woman who had coaxed him back from the brink and showed him how to live again. Who had taken two single people and an eight-month-old baby and made them into a family with all the fixings, including Sunday mass—followed by dinner with his uncle Nash and her uncle Vincent and their extended families—and meat loaf Mondays. And no matter how hard they worked to get their new business off the ground, they always returned to their apartment at the end of the day and did things—family things—with Bonny that transformed the house into a real home. Even now the windows sported pumpkin decals and on their door hung an autumn wreath. And the refrigerator was covered with hideous attempts at art by a now ten-month-old Bonny.
Chad caught himself tugging at his collar again. Then why was it the prospect of making everything official made him nervous? “You know, Jack, I have a theory on men’s resistance to com…” His words trailed off as he turned to find the ex-fellow bounty hunter, now prized employee of Seekers, had gone back into the church, leaving him standing alone on the steps.
So much for male bonding.
Glancing at his watch, Chad surmised that it wasn’t so much his fear of commitment, or even of his past anymore, that made him anxious about getting married. It was the prospect of change.
“And what a load of horse crap that is, too,” he mimicked what Hannah would probably have to say on his theory, then grinned.
Ten more minutes…
He slid his hand into his pocket and took out the ring he’d picked out for Hannah. Snapping open the box, he stared down at the simple platinum band, wondering for the fifth time if she’d find it too plain.
The church door opened behind him. Chad bobbled the ring box, nearly sending it flying down the steps.
A familiar baby’s giggle tugged at his heartstrings as he turned toward the door. There stood Hannah, covered from head to foot in fluffy, intricate lace, holding a squirming and undeniably restless Bonny. Chad’s breath caught in his throat. He’d never seen Hannah look so beautiful. Or so nervous.
Bonny lunged for him. He took the little munchkin, noticing the spiky dampness of her lashes. Obviously she hadn’t been all sweetness and cream inside. She immediately went to work on his bow tie, nearly choking him.
“You know, it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” Hannah said, a smile playing at the sides of her mouth.
Chad scanned her face. Every sweet freckle stood out in relief against her white skin. “Hannah, I think we’ve had enough bad luck to last us a lifetime.” He looked at her dress and his throat grew tight in a way that had nothing to do with Bonny’s attempts to strangle him. “You, um, weren’t thinking of running out on me, were you?”
The hint of a smile turned into shining reality. “Not on your life.”
“Good.”
She cocked her head slightly to the side, nearly toppling the gauzy veil covering her red hair. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it’s not too late to back out, you know. I don’t want you to feel that you have to marry me or anything.”
Chad freed one of his hands then slid his fingers along the satiny ridge of her jawline. Was it possible for one woman to be so incredibly soft? “Baby, I want to marry you more than anything in the world.”
In that one moment, every ounce of nervousness vanished, leaving him feeling confident and sure—and so much in love with the two women in his life he thought his heart might crack his rib cage.
He brushed his mouth against Hannah’s and nearly groaned when she instinctively leaned into him.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted. “Again.”
Her face turned the most charming shade of red as her gaze darted everywhere except at his face.
“I didn’t know…I mean I wasn’t sure….” She tooka deep breath. “I bought three home pregnancy tests this morning. Every last one of them came up positive.” She stared at him for long moments. “Well, aren’t you going to say something?”
“Sure,” he murmured. “I love you.” He kissed her again. Then again. Tangling his tongue with hers until he felt her anxiety melt away and until she was kissing him back.
It wasn’t until Bonny gave a robust squeal that Chad remembered exactly where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. Then he took his bride’s hand in his, tucked his daughter a little more snugly against his side and went into the church to reconfirm publicly what he already knew in his heart. That he and Hannah and Bonny and the child they would soon have were a family in every sense of the word.