Rowdy (A Taboo Short) (7 page)

Rowdy

E
ighteen months later

Shit, I was doing this, really actually fucking doing this. I stared at myself in the mirror, the guy looking back at me looking scared as shit.

I breathed out, closing my eyes and willing myself to calm the hell down. It wasn’t like I was about to go out and fight to the death, although I had a hell of a lot of adrenaline pumping through my veins right now, as if my body was preparing itself.

There was a knock on the door and I opened my eyes, looking at myself one last time before turning and shouting out, “Come in.”

Eric stepped through the door, his tux making his huge body look ... refined. I’d only ever seen him in street clothes or workout attire. Hell, did I look like that to him?

He eyed me up and down and then gave a nod.

“Can’t say seeing you in a tux isn’t weird as hell.”

I grinned, feeling a little lighter.

A year and a half ago I’d told the man in front of me that I loved his little girl, that she was everything to me. But what transpired after that hadn’t been what I’d expected.

I thought there would be a fight, blood drawn, fists thrown. I wouldn’t have fought Eric, and would have just let him go to town on me.

But Eric had stood, walked around his desk, and surprising the fuck out of me, had pulled me into a tight hug. I’d been stiff as fuck, not sure what was going on. But the words he’d told me that day had stayed with me. They would stay with me forever.

“You’re like family, son,” he said and pulled back, looking right in my eyes. “Does she love you back?”

I nodded.

He grinned. “There isn’t a better man I’d want my little girl to be with.”

I snapped back to the present and exhaled. “I’m scared as fuck, man. I’m afraid I’ll screw everything up, that I’m not good enough for her—”

Eric chuckled, cutting me off. “Yeah, kind of goes with the territory, Rowdy. I was the same way with Cass’s mother.”

That made me feel better.

“You having second thoughts?” Eric asked, his brows low, seriousness covering his face.

“Fuck no,” I said instantly.

Eric laughed again. “Good. That’s real good, son.” He came up to me and clapped me on the back. “You ready to do this, because I know Cass is.”

Now it was my turn to grin. “I think I’ve been ready for this moment my entire life.”

We left the dressing room, and once I was standing on the podium, Cocky standing beside me, my Best Man, my best friend, I blew out a stream of breath slowly. Violet was on the other side of us, Cassandra’s Maid of Honor.

And then the music started, and there she was dressed in white lace.

The love of my life.

The one woman I would die for.

My soon to be wife.

Yeah, this was good, really fucking good.

And as I stared into her eyes as she came forward, I knew without a doubt this was exactly where I was supposed to be in my life. Cassandra was who I was supposed to be with.

The End

More information on Sam Crescent and Jenika Snow’s CSP titles can be found below:

www.CrescentSnowPublishing.com

––––––––