Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) (67 page)

Blinking back tears
as she saw how incredibly sexy he looked in his black tuxedo, Honor bit her
lip.   “I’m here,” she said softly, grabbing his hand tightly in hers.

Zeke’s grip on her
hand tightened as he pulled her toward him until her chest brushed his.  “Hey,
what’s going on?  You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?  Honest to God,
woman, I am not above drugging you at this point.  By hook or by crook, you’re
going to be my wife by nightfall.”

Honor laughed,
shaking her head.  “No, nothing like that.  No second thoughts at all.  In
fact, I’m more anxious than ever to get your ring on my finger.”

“Then why the panic,
baby?” Zeke frowned as his hand moved up and down her back, soothing her.

Looking up, she
wished she could see his eyes when she told him her news, but Harmony was
right.  They really didn’t need any more bad luck in this family.  Licking her
lips, she whispered, “I wanted to see you because I have a wedding gift to give
you and I couldn’t wait for you to have it.”

Zeke smiled.  “I’m
getting the only gift I want today, and it’s one I fully intend to enjoy for a
lifetime.   You.”

Honor sighed as she
reached for one of the hands he had settled on her back and guided it to her
belly.  “Oh, I think there’s one more thing I can give you that you’ll enjoy
for a lifetime,” she shared quietly as she settled his big hand on the slight
curve of her belly.

Zeke’s smile
dissolved as his jaw dropped.  “Honor, are you saying….”

“Yeah,” she
acknowledged softly, watching his face.

“We’re gonna have a
baby,” he breathed.  “You’ve got my baby inside here,” he murmured as his hand
curled around her belly.

“Yeah,” she
whimpered, her eyes stinging.  “You happy?”

“Am I happy?” he
echoed breathlessly.  “Hell, no, I’m not happy.”

“Wh-what?” She
flinched, her blood going cold.

“I’m thrilled,
Honor!” Zeke thundered, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning her around.

Closing her eyes,
Honor felt the tension receding from her body as she relaxed in his arms. 
Smacking his shoulder, she sniffled.  “You scared me!  Put me down before you
hurt your arm again,” she ordered, touching the place where he’d been shot
several weeks ago.

“My arm is fine.  I’m
gonna be a daddy,” he beamed, cupping her face.  “Damn, I really want to see
you,” he complained, pressing a kiss to her parted lips.

“Soon,” Honor said
against his lips.

“Not soon enough,”
Zeke countered before he deepened their kiss. 

Tearing her mouth
from his a long minute later as she heard someone clearing their throat, Honor
glanced over Zeke’s shoulder to find Harmony impatiently waiting for them.

“Sorry to interrupt
you lovebirds, but we’re seriously getting off schedule.  Unless you two want
to get married tomorrow, I suggest we get this show on the road,” Harmony
proclaimed, her voice adamant.

“Yes, captain, my
captain,” Zeke growled, saluting in the direction where her voice had come from
before pressing a last kiss to Honor’s lips.  “See you at the altar, Kitten.”

“See you there,”
Honor returned with a grin as Zeke turned and walked into the nearby plaster.

“Damn,” Zeke grunted
as he rubbed his head. “Was that wall always there?”

“Oh, for heaven’s
sake.  Jake!” Harmony yelled, calling for her husband.  “Get the groom back
downstairs before he gives himself a concussion,” she ordered as Honor giggled.

Watching the man she
loved being led out the door by her brother-in-law, Honor couldn’t wait to
begin this exciting new chapter of her life.  Looking at her eldest sister, she
smiled widely.  “Okay, Harmony.  Let’s get me married.”

~~~***~~~

The McKinnon
Family Barn – 4:00 pm

Honor

“Well, my baby,” Aunt
Orla said, “The time has come.  You ready for this?” the elderly woman asked as
she stood outside the barn with her niece.

Staring at the woman
that had loved and cherished her like a daughter for over a decade, Honor’s
eyes became glassy with tears as she nodded.

“Oh, now, no tears,
my girl,” Aunt Orla chided.  “This is a happy moment.  Isn’t it, Jethro?” she
asked her white-haired husband.

“Eh?” Jethro
grimaced, cupping a hand to his ear.

“I said, it’s a happy
time, isn’t it?” Aunt Orla repeated, raising her voice.

“Well, don’t tell her
she’s gonna have a crappy time, Orla,” Jethro rebuked his wife with a frown. 
“That’s just mean.  Marriage is a wonderful thing, darlin’,” he assured his
niece with a loving smile, putting his wrinkled hand over hers.

Honor couldn’t help
her laugh.  If looks could kill, the glare Aunt Orla shot her Uncle Jethro
should have vaporized him. 

“Crazy old fool. 
Good thing he’s carryin’ a lead pipe in his pants or I woulda got shed of him
years ago,” Orla grumbled, pursing her lips.

Honor’s jaw dropped. 
She really shouldn’t be shocked by anything her aunt said or did at this point,
but just when she thought she’d heard it all from the old woman, her auntie
surprised her. 

“Alright, Honor
Grace, I’m gonna share a little bit of hard earned advice while your sister
finishes prancin’ down the aisle,” she declared.

Peeking around the
barn door to see Patience slowly advancing down the makeshift aisle through the
center of the barn, Honor nodded as she looked back to her elderly aunt and
uncle.  “Okay, but hurry, Auntie.  She’s almost to the end.  If we miss our cue
to move, Harmony is liable to kill us all!”

Orla lifted her hands
to adjust the lace veil shielding Honor’s face and chuckled.  “Just remember,
sugar, marriage can be summed up with three rules.  First, when there’s a
choice to be made, always choose love.  Second, remember that forgiveness may
be divine, but angry sex is also awesome.  And third, and this may be the most
important rule…when on your knees, aim to please.”

Dumbstruck by her
aunt’s so-called words of wisdom, Honor could only stare at the duo that had
been her only parental figures since her teens, and she wondered
how
she’d
managed to turn out so normal.  “I…I’ll bear all that in mind, Auntie,” Honor
murmured as the Wedding March began.   And with her aunt and uncle on either
side of her, Honor began to walk toward her future.

~~~***~~~

The McKinnon
Family Barn – 4:00 pm

Zeke

Grinning so hard his
face hurt, Zeke slowly walked to his place at the altar, nodding respectfully
to Pastor Wilcox.  Nervously tugging at his bow tie, he scanned over the
audience.  From his vantage point, it appeared that half the town had shown up
to watch him marry the woman of his dreams.  And now, that very woman was
currently nurturing a bona fide miracle in her womb.  His miracle.  Both of
them.

Yeah, every folding
chair was filled and in the back of the barn on either side of the aisle,
people stood, waiting to witness a Paradise town daughter marry their Sheriff. 
It was one of the reasons he loved this community so much.  Whether in tragedy
or in triumph, they would always come together for one of their own.

Luckily, today was
one of the triumphant days.  One that Zeke felt he’d waited his entire life to
enjoy.

“Man, you gotta
relax,” Zeke heard his brother chuckle as he shifted on his feet again, eagerly
waiting for the ceremony to start.  “You’re dancin’ around like you got ants in
your pants.”

“You’d be excited,
too, if in just a few minutes the love of your life was gonna walk down that
aisle toward you,” Zeke remarked softly as he kept his eyes glued to the back
of the barn where he knew Honor would enter.  

“If you say so,” Ice
murmured, his eyes catching Maggie’s bright green gaze as the wedding music
began.

Zeke grinned as he
watched Patience appear at the back of the barn and slowly begin her march down
the aisle.  When she reached the altar, she paused, winking at Zeke.  “Well,
you’re finally gonna officially be one of us, Sheriff.  You excited to join the
insanity that is the McKinnon clan?  You know you can’t keep our crazy in a
cage, right?” she asked.

Staring at the
McKinnon sister who’d probably been his strongest advocate over the years, Zeke
smiled.  “As long as all that crazy comes with my Honor attached to it, I’ll
cope, darlin’,” he murmured, bending to brush a kiss against her cheek.

Patience was still
laughing when she moved into position and the Wedding March began.

Holding his breath as
he waited for Honor to appear, Zeke felt his chest tighten as she suddenly
walked into view.  “Dear God, she’s a vision,” he breathed, watching as she
began to glide down the aisle to where he stood.  Clothed in a frothy white
confection of a dress that clung to her every curve, his hands already itched
to strip it off her.

Too eager to wait for
her to reach him, Zeke defied convention once again and began walking toward
her, his arm outstretched and he could see her smile widen behind the veil as
her footsteps quickened.  Watching as her aunt released one arm, Zeke’s chest
only loosened when Honor placed her hand in his.

“You know, I’m
supposed to come to you,” Honor whispered when his hand grasped hers. 
“Harmony’s gonna kill you,” she noted as she and the rest of the congregation
chuckled.

“Totally worth the
risk,” he assured her as she moved to his side and they finished walking down
the aisle together with Jethro and Orla following behind them.

From there, the short
ceremony passed in a blur.  They exchanged their vows with soft, but heartfelt
voices filled with the love they had for each other.  Honor’s hand had shaken
when she’d lifted it between them to receive the symbol of his love for her,
and he hadn’t been able to resist pressing his lips to the back of her hand
before sliding his gold band on her finger.  A minute later, his hand hadn’t
been much steadier when she’d pushed a wide gold band over his knuckle. 
Seconds later, there wasn’t a dry eye inside the barn when their lifelong
Pastor pronounced them man and wife.

And when Zeke was
finally
given permission to kiss his bride, he wasn’t ashamed of the twin tears that
rolled down his cheeks as he pulled back Honor’s lace veil.  “You’re finally
mine.  Always only ever mine,” he whispered as his lips descended to cover hers
in the sweetest kiss he’d ever experienced in his life.

“Ladies and Gentlemen
of Paradise County,” the sonorous voice of the good Pastor Adam Wilcox
announced, “It’s with extreme pleasure that I give to you Sheriff and Mrs.
Ezekiel Monroe!”

Taking Honor’s hand
in his as they turned to face the gathered applauding congregation, he grinned
as he finally was able to put a name to this feeling surging though his body.

Then he recognized it
for what it was.

This was what utter
completion felt like

~~~***
~~~

The McKinnon
Family Barn – 6:00 pm

Honor

Two hours later,
Honor felt like she was floating on air.  She was in the arms of the only man
she’d ever love, dancing the first dance of her wedding with her husband while
the band began playing her favorite song, I Can’t Help Falling in Love with
You.

It was a fitting
choice since she’d really had no choice at all in falling for Zeke.  He’d been
everything to her.  Her friend.  Her confident.  Her protector.  Her lover. 
And now, at long last, her husband.

She couldn’t help
wondering if she was glowing.  Heaven knew, she felt like she was radiating
sheer happiness as she stood in the circle of Zeke’s arms, swaying against him
as the music played.  Her life was finally
good
.  Like really, really
good.    She loved and was loved with a bone deep intensity that was obvious to
anyone that looked at them.  Deep in her womb, the product of their love grew. 
And for once, there was no dark cloud hanging over her head or the head of
anybody she loved.

This had to be what
perfection felt like, didn’t it?

Looking around at all
the faces of their friends and family, Honor tilted her head back to look at
her husband.  “I love you so much,” she whispered.  “How much longer do we have
to stay here?” she asked, anxious to get her husband alone and begin a private
celebration that belonged only to them. 

Zeke chuckled.  “You
ready to get the honeymoon started, Mrs. Monroe?”

“I’m ready to be
alone with my husband,” she replied, resting her chin against his broad chest. 

“It’s our day, baby. 
You wanna go, we’ll go,” Zeke offered, dropping a kiss to her upturned nose.

Honor sighed.  “No. 
I love you, but I have a feeling Harmony would find a witch to put a voodoo
curse on us if we slipped out before we cut the wedding cake.”

Zeke’s eyes
twinkled.  “I think we’ll all be glad to see the end of the wedding whirlwind
that is your sister.  Especially her husband,” he said, with a nod to where
Jake danced with his wife.