Cherished (Wanted) (47 page)

The Wedding

I knew my hands were shaking, and I was still trying to recover from what Scott had just said to me. When his voice had cracked, it had been my breaking point, and I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.

Now, it was my turn to try and express to him how much he meant to me, how he made me feel every day of our lives.

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Scott, since the first day you ever smiled at me, I knew my heart would always belong to you. Then, you kissed me, and I really knew I was yours. The road we traveled to get to where we are today was not an easy one. We both took a few wrong turns and had some pretty big hills to climb, but we did it. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are the air that I breathe, the light in my darkness, and the hope of my future. I never in my life imagined that you could make me as happy as you have or make me feel as loved as you do. I love you, and I’ll always love you with every ounce of my being. Thank you for loving me and never giving up on our love.”

I reached up and lightly brushed the tear away that was slowly moving down his cheek.

Everyone let out an, “Aww…”

Scott grabbed my hand and kissed my wrist. “I love you to the moon and back, baby.”

I laughed. “I love you to the moon and back and then to the moon and back again.”

“One-upper,” he whispered.

Everyone laughed.

When the pastor said it was time to kiss the bride, I couldn’t wait to feel his lips on mine. I would never get tired of him kissing me. I longed for his touch twenty-four hours a day.

The kiss was sweet yet passionate.

Before he pulled away, he whispered against my lips, “You look breathtaking in that dress, baby, but damn, I can’t wait to get you out of it.”

I moved my lips to his ear. “Neither can I. Wait till you see what I have underneath the dress.”

He pulled back and looked at me. His eyes became filled with nothing but passion. I had to bite down on my lip to distract myself from the aching pulse between my legs.

The pastor pulled us both out of our trance by announcing us as husband and wife. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Scott Reynolds.”

As we began walking down the aisle, we both stopped and kissed Melody and Scott, Senior. Then, we walked over to my father, Dew, and Aaron. I kissed each of them. I was still upset that my brothers hadn’t wanted to be a part of the wedding party, but I understood their reasons. They had known Scott wanted his friends, and they hadn’t wanted us to have a huge wedding party. I smiled and punched Dewey in the arm. I quickly smiled and said hello to his new girlfriend, Rachael.

As we walked down the aisle, I couldn’t help but feel like I was walking on cloud nine. I never thought the birth of my child could ever be topped, but I did believe this day just tied for first place.

As the night went on, kids ran around on nothing but sugar highs. Games were played, new memories were made, and lots of dancing happened. One by one, the kids crashed throughout the house in beds, sofas, and portable cribs.

I’d never laughed so hard in my life, and being surrounded by our family and friends just made it all the more special. Melody had a blast playing hostess, and Jenny kept everything moving along.

When it came time for the bride-and-groom dance, I started shaking. Scott had left it up to me to pick the song, and I couldn’t pick just one. I had narrowed it down to Mark Wills’s “I Do” and Kenny Chesney’s “Me and You.” I had been stressing about it for two weeks until Ellie and I had gone out for a ride one morning.

She had said, “Play each song by yourself with no one around. Whichever song moves you the most is the right song.”

That evening, I’d asked Scott for a few minutes alone. I’d grabbed my iPod and made my way to the main barn right behind the house. I’d sat there and listened to both songs, and one of them had clearly spoken to me. Every word in it had screamed Scott and me.

I closed my eyes and prayed that he would agree with the song choice. As we made our way to the dance floor, Dewey and Aaron each took turns saying a little something. It mostly consisted of threatening poor Scott with bodily harm if he ever hurt Lauren or me.

Scott had taken it like a trooper, but as he took me in his arms, he said, “Jesus H. Christ…I don’t know who to be more scared of—your father or your brothers.”

I laughed as I kissed him quickly on the lips.

The DJ announced we were about to dance our first dance as a married couple.

I looked into Scott’s eyes and smiled. “I love you, Scott,” I said with a shaky voice.

He placed his hand on the side of my face and brushed his thumb across my cheek. I leaned my head into his hand and closed my eyes. He slowly moved his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me to him for a kiss.

Kenny Chesney’s “Me and You” began playing, and I felt him smile against my lips.

He barely pulled away. “How did you know?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “How did I know, what?”

“The first time I ever heard this song, I thought of you. I thought if we ever got married, this would be our song. I used to have dreams of dancing with you to this song.”

I sucked in a breath of air and began crying as I buried my head into his chest. The way he was running his hand up and down my back while softly singing the words to me only caused me to cry harder.

Any doubts and bad memories I ever had about our relationship completely melted away with every word he sang to me. I had no doubt in my mind that this man would always love and be faithful to both Lauren and me with everything he had.

I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. “Scott, I’ve never in my life felt so incredibly loved and cherished. Thank you for making this one of the happiest days of my life.”

The smile that spread across his face caused me to smile.

“Baby, I plan on making you feel that way every day for the rest of your life.”

I placed my hand on the side of his face as he brought his lips down to mine.

Right before he kissed me, I said, “Sounds like a good plan.”

The Honeymoon

“Baby, we have to go.” I tried to pull Jessie away from my mother and Lauren.

“I don’t know. Scott, she’s only three months old! I can’t leave her,” Jessie said with pleading eyes.

“Baby, she’s almost four months old, and yes, you can. She’s in good hands. We are only going to be a few hours away. I promise you, my mother has done this before.”

My mother let out a chuckle and winked at me. “Jessie, you wouldn’t let the boy take you to Hawaii because you said it was too far away. South Padre Island is only a few hours away, and I promise you, I will take extra special care of her.”

Jessie nodded her head and kissed Lauren on the forehead. She turned to Azurdee and gave her a hug.

After kissing Azurdee on the cheek, Jessie said, “Thank you so much for staying at the house while we’re gone. I didn’t have the heart to board the new kitten we just got.”

Azurdee rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh…that’s why Lark is staying there, too?”

I let out a laugh. “He’s only staying for the night, but y’all have the whole house to yourselves.” I winked at her.

The blush that crossed her face was the cutest thing ever.

“Go on back outside, and enjoy the party, Azurdee. I love you, and thank you for everything. It was a beautiful wedding,” Jessie said with one last hug.

“Y’all be careful driving down, and text me when you get there,” Azurdee said.

Jessie and I both nodded.

“Will do. Go party. I think all the kids left with their grandparents, so go have fun,” I said with a smile.

Azurdee smiled. “Yeah, the only ones left are Brad and Amanda with Taylor and Maegan.”

Jessie and Azurdee hugged yet again, and after this time, Azurdee turned and headed back outside.

I took Jessie’s hand and began pulling her through the house and out to my truck.

“Bye, Mom. Take good care of my baby girl,” I called over my shoulder.

“Oh! Mom, remember to make sure to turn on her little music player when you put her down. She loves to go to sleep to music. Oh! And be sure to turn on her Pooh night-light. She sometimes will fight her afternoon nap, but don’t pick her up! She will only cry for like two minutes, and then she’s out.”

I heard my mother laughing.

“Jessie…I have watched this child before, you know. Go enjoy your honeymoon!” she called out.

I opened the door and practically lifted Jessie up into the truck. I quickly shut it and ran around to the other side. I jumped in, started the truck, and took off down my driveway faster than I’d ever had before.

“Damn, why are you driving so fast?” Jessie asked.

I glanced at her quickly. “For fear of you being tempted to jump out of the truck and run back.”

She giggled and shook her head. When she reached for my hand, I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body.

This would never get old.

“So…where are we going?” she asked.

I squeezed her hand. “The Four Seasons.”

She made a little squeak sound. “On Town Lake?”

“Yep,” I said as I popped my P.

“God, I just can’t wait to get out of this dress. I wish you would have just taken it off at home, so I could be comfy.”

I laughed as I brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. “If I had done that, we’d still be at home, and I’d be making passionate love to you, not caring who heard your screams of pleasure.”

“Screams of pleasure? You’re pretty sure about yourself, huh?”

I snapped my head over and looked at her little evil smile. “Baby, I’ve been saving some of my best stuff just for our honeymoon night.”

She let out a laugh as she pulled her hand away. “What? Impossible. I don’t think being with you could be any better than it is.”

I smiled and thought about the little surprise I’d brought along with me. Jessie and I never played in the bedroom, and tonight, that was going to change. Just the idea of tying Jessie up and having my way with her caused my pants to get tighter. Of course, the idea had come from the one girl I’d never thought I’d have a conversation about bondage with—
ever
. But Heather had ended up giving me lots of exciting suggestions.

“What are you up to, Mr. Reynolds? That smile on your face is one I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.”

“You’re gonna have to wait and found out, sweetheart, but I promise you, I’ll make tonight a night you will never forget.”

As I opened the door to the presidential suite on the ninth floor, Jessie let out a, “Oh my god!”

I smiled when I looked around. It was perfect with sliding glass doors all across the back wall and a private balcony.

“The décor in here is beautiful! I love the French country feel of everything,” Jessie said.

I smiled and made my way into the bedroom. With one look at the massive wood headboard, I nodded and made a mental note.
Check that one off the list.

I had made arrangements with the hotel to have the bedroom and bathroom covered in red roses and petals. The smell was amazing. Jessie walked in and threw her hands up to her mouth. Roses were everywhere. If there was counter space, there were bouquets of roses. The bed was covered in rose petals.