Deadly Ever After (Hardy Brothers Security Book 6) (22 page)

“Get in the truck, Mandy.”

Grady let himself into his brother’s apartment shortly before nine the next morning. He was nervous about facing off with James, but he wasn’t going to let the situation fester. They had to talk about it.

He stood in the doorway between the living room and bedroom, watching the duo sleep for a few moments. He was relieved to see Mandy was wearing a shirt. He had a feeling neither one of them were feeling overly amorous the previous evening, and he was thankful for that. This conversation would be a lot worse if they were naked.

James opened his eyes, never moving his arm from around Mandy’s back. Her head was resting on his chest, and in sleep she looked like an angel.

Grady gulped. “I … .”

James held his finger to his lips and motioned down to Mandy. “Don’t wake her up,” he said, his voice low.

“Did she sleep okay?”

“She woke up a few times,” James said. “It wasn’t too bad.”

“How about you?”

“Are you asking if I had nightmares about a madman killing the woman I love as she tried to sacrifice herself to save me?”

“Yes.”

“I had a few,” James said.

Grady flicked his eyes around the room for a few seconds, finally focusing back on his brother. “I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t fix this,” James said. “You sent the woman I love – the woman I cannot live without – to act as bait. I know what you were trying to do, but what if I had done the same thing with Sophie?”

“I’d beat the crap out you,” Grady admitted.

James widened his eyes, sending a silent message to his brother.

“Will that make you feel better?” Grady asked. “If you want to beat me up, come on. Let’s get it over with.”

“You want me to beat you up on my wedding day?”

“I want you to forgive me.”

“I’m not sure I can right now.”

“What did you want me to do?” Grady asked. “I couldn’t stand there and do nothing.”

“You didn’t have to send her out there,” James said. “I trusted you with her life. I never thought, not even for a moment, that you would let her walk out that door. I knew she was safe in there. I knew you would take care of her. That was what kept me going on that driveway.”

“I … .”

“And then she just came waltzing out of that house,” James said. “I thought you just didn’t know what was going on. I never thought she walked out of there with your knowledge, let alone with your blessing.”

“I’m sorry,” Grady offered lamely.

“That doesn’t fix this,” James said. “I think you should go.”

“James,” Grady pleaded.

“Go.”

Mandy stirred. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Go back to sleep,” James ordered.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Mandy said, sitting up. She pushed her tousled blonde hair out of her face and fixed Grady with a wan smile. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine,” Grady said, averting his eyes from her steady gaze.

“Yeah, you look it,” Mandy said, shifting her legs over the edge of the bed and sliding to her feet. “Do you want some coffee?”

“He’s leaving,” James said, climbing out of the bed on the opposite side.

“No, he’s not,” Mandy said.

“Mandy, do you have any idea what he did yesterday? He put you in danger!”

“I put myself in danger,” Mandy countered. “It was my idea.”

James was flabbergasted. “What?”

“Grady told me no,” Mandy said. “I appreciate him taking this all on himself in an effort to keep you from screaming at me on our wedding day, but I’m the one who created this situation. It’s my fault.”

“This was your idea?”

“Grady was going to sneak out through the back door and try to get a clear shot,” Mandy said. “I’m the one who decided to go outside as a distraction. Grady couldn’t have stopped me. There was no stopping me. I wasn’t going to leave you out there. I love you too much for that. If you died out there, I would have died, too. Grady was saving both of us. Now, who wants coffee?”

“You’re unbelievable,” James said, running his hand through his hair. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just accept it, sweetie,” Mandy said. “Um, Grady, I actually have something I want to talk to you about. I’m glad you came here this morning.”

“You do?”

“I do,” Mandy said, moving into the kitchen and pulling the coffee tin out of the cupboard. “Now, feel free to say no, I know this is last minute, but I was kind of hoping you would walk me down the aisle today.”

James stilled, glancing between his brother and fiancée curiously. Mandy was focused on the coffee, and he had a feeling it was because she was too scared to look Grady in the eye in case he declined.

“You want me to walk you down the aisle?” Grady was surprised.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Mandy said. “I thought I might ask Judge MacIntosh, but that just didn’t seem right. I wanted it to be someone who has known me for a long time, someone who has taken care of me when times have been really tough.”

“How is that me?”

“Aren’t you the one who was there after James slept with me and bolted in the middle of the night?”

James groaned. “I’m so glad
that
was brought up on our wedding day.”

“Sorry, baby,” Mandy said.

“You want me to walk you down the aisle because of that?”

“Weren’t you also the one who talked me down from the ledge when I left James because I thought he didn’t love me after the explosion?”

“Well,” Grady hedged.

“You told me something that day that has stuck with me,” Mandy said.

“What?” James asked, shifting uncomfortably.

“He told me that you and I were already living our happily ever after, we just didn’t know it yet,” she replied. “He told me that if I got out of my own head, I would realize that you really did love me.”

“I seem to remember telling you that myself,” James grumbled.

“Yes, but it meant more coming from him,” Mandy said, hitting the percolate button on the coffee machine. “The way I see it, without Grady, we might not have made it to this day. And, if he hadn’t been there yesterday, we definitely wouldn’t have made it to this day. We had one shot at getting us both out of there, and Grady is the one who took it. He saved us.”

James cleared his throat. “Fine,” he said. “I’m not mad at Grady anymore. Are you happy?”

“Give him a hug.”

James rolled his eyes, turning to his brother. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have figured another way out.”

“There was no other way,” Mandy said. “Now hug.”

The brothers embraced, stiffly at first, and then they gave in to the gesture. When they pulled away, both of their faces were flushed with embarrassment.

“So, Grady, what do you say?” Mandy asked, finally meeting his eyes.

There was no way he could say no to her. “It would be my honor.”

“WE
have to hurry,” Mandy said, glancing at James as she brushed her damp hair away from her face. “That shower took longer than it should have. We probably shouldn’t have done it together. Somewhere, your mom’s head is imploding.”

“It was worth it,” James said, a lazy grin on his face. “I feel very relaxed.”

“We have to get over to the house,” Mandy said. “Ally is going to freak out if she doesn’t get to do my hair.”

“I have something for you first,” James said, handing her the small jewelry box.

“What is this?”

“It’s your wedding gift,” James said, shifting nervously on the couch.

“Aren’t you my wedding gift?”

“You’re cute,” James said. “Open it.”

“Only if you open this,” Mandy said, tossing a bigger box onto his lap.

“What’s this?” James asked.

“It’s your wedding gift.”

“I thought you were my wedding gift.”

“Open it!”

“You open yours first.”

Mandy sighed, but she sat down on the couch next to him and flipped the top of the box off. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw the necklace. It was simple. The lines were straight, and the shark charm was adorable. Before she realized what was happening, she was crying.

“Oh, don’t cry,” James said. “You can pick something else out. I’m sorry. I thought you would like it.”

“I do like it, you idiot,” Mandy said, brushing the tears away from her face. “It’s just so sweet.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“It’s my wedding day,” Mandy replied. “I have a feeling I’m going to be crying a lot. It’s an emotional day.” She reached into the box, flipping the charm over. The lone word on the back tipped her from sniffles to outright bawling. “I love you.”

“Oh, jeez,” James said, wrapping her in his arms. “I love you. Please don’t cry.”

“I’ll try. Open your gift.”

James arched an eyebrow. “Not until you stop crying.”

“Open it!”

“You have no patience whatsoever.”

James unwrapped the box, peering inside curiously. The watch was simple, and yet elegant. “This is beautiful, baby.” He pulled the watch out of the box and flipped it over so he could read the inscription.

When he finally found the courage to lift his head, his eyes were swimming with his own set of tears. “You’re my everything, too, baby.”

“Oh, don’t you start crying. I’ll never be able to stop.”

James pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. “Let’s go and get hitched.”

The sight of Mandy walking down the aisle toward him, her face beaming, was a moment James knew he would never forget.

She was radiant. He knew he would never see anything that beautiful again in his entire life, and he didn’t want to. All he needed was that memory etched in his mind forever. Nothing would ever make him that happy again.

When Grady handed her off to him, James was positive he saw tears in his brother’s eyes. After joining their hands together, Grady stepped into the line of groomsmen so he could finish his second wedding task. Things between the brothers were back to normal, and they were both relieved.

“The bride and groom have written their own vows,” the minister said. “They would now like to recite them to each other. Ms. Avery, you’re first.”

Mandy smiled, fighting to keep control of her emotions as she began to speak.

“I fell in love with James Hardy when I was fourteen years old. He was the big man on campus then, and I was a lowly middle-schooler. Despite all that, he always found the time to talk to me. When it would snow, he’d make sure I got a ride home. When it was dark, he’d make sure I didn’t walk home alone. When I was excited about something, he’d listen to me babble on about books and movies, even if he didn’t care.

“I knew when I was fourteen that I wanted to marry James,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think he felt the same way about me. That would have been illegal.”

The crowd laughed appreciatively.

“When we met up again ten years later, I wasn’t sure what to think. The second I saw him – I mean the second I saw him – I thought I would swoon right there. It seems those feelings I had as a teenager were still present, and they were stronger than ever.

“We’ve had a hard road,” Mandy said. “Sometimes it’s been bumpy, and sometimes I’ve worried that there would be a fork and he’d opt to go the other way. He’s never once failed me, though. He’s never once made me believe that I couldn’t have everything I’ve ever wanted.

“The funny thing is, the one thing I’ve always wanted is him,” she said. “He’s all I want, and I’m finally getting my everything. I love you so much that it overwhelms me. I don’t care what happens down the road. I don’t care where the road takes us. I just want you with me. Forever.”

James swallowed hard, tamping down his tears.

“Mr. Hardy?” The minister smiled at James indulgently.

“You’re wrong about me not loving you back then,” he said. “I’ve always loved you. Sure, it was in a different way back then, but it was still strong. I think I’ve always been waiting for you. You weren’t ready back then – obviously – and I wasn’t either. Life kept us on track to find each other when the time was right.

“I never knew it was possible to love someone as much as I love you,” he said. “I thought that love was the stuff of romance novels, and daydreaming school girls. What I feel for you is beyond words, it’s beyond understanding, and it’s beyond measure. You complete me. You make me feel … whole. You are my everything.

“I promise to give you the best life,” he said. “I promise to give you everything your heart desires. I promise to be by your side forever. I will never leave you. I will never stop loving you. I will never need anything but you. There is no me without you.

“You are my whole heart, baby,” James said, his voice cracking. “I couldn’t love anything more than I love you, and from now until forever, I will always be with you.”

The sounds of sniffles filled the air, and only a few were coming from the bride.

“Well, I guess we’ve made the bride wait long enough to get her man,” the minister teased. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

James reached for Mandy, frowning when the minister didn’t say the words he was waiting for.

“Oh,” he said. “You may kiss your bride.”

James lowered his mouth to hers, giving her the kiss of her life as he wrapped her in his love.

“Yay!” Ally jumped up and down, clapping enthusiastically. “Finally!”

The kiss broke, but their eye contact didn’t.

“So,” Mandy said. “Where are we going on our honeymoon?”

James grinned. “It’s still a surprise.”

“But … .”

“Oh, no,” James said, wagging his finger in her face. “We still have dinner, and cake, and dancing. I’m not telling you where we’re going until we’re at the airport.”

“You’re so mean,” Mandy pouted.

“I love you … wife.”

“I love you, too. I still want to know where we’re going.”

“Soon. Now kiss me again.”

Mandy did as she was told. Happily ever after was finally here.