Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3) (37 page)

The other women laughed and Eliza sobered, once more gripping Gracie’s hand.

“He went far too long without seeing the woman he loved,” Eliza whispered. “One can’t blame him for not ever wanting to do it again.”

“She’s going to make me cry,” Ramie muttered in disgust. “Who would have thought our Lizzie was such a romantic?”

A knock sounded on the door, causing the women to jump and then they dissolved into laughter. Eliza sent a sheepish look toward the door and hung back.

“I’ll, uh, let one of you get that. It’ll be Wade, come for Gracie no doubt. He still hasn’t exactly forgiven me for the incident involving his arm, so, uh, I’ll just stay out of his sight for now,” Eliza hedged.

Ramie snorted and she and Ari both opened the door to reveal Wade, who was indeed standing there, an expectant look on his face. Gracie pressed her lips together as her gaze slid over the sling wrapped around his left arm. She glanced sideways to Ari and Ramie, hoping for help. The last thing she wanted to do was even send a half smile in Wade’s direction.

But they were no help. The traitors. Ari actually turned her head and Ramie was making suspicious noises behind the hand covering her mouth.

Wade scowled at all of them, which only caused Ramie and Ari to lose what little control they had left and they burst out laughing.

Traitors.

“So much for their makeup,” Gracie muttered.

“I have no idea what the hell’s so funny anyway,” Wade growled.

Gracie managed to keep a straight face. Barely.

Wade had been pissed when Eliza insisted on being part of the takedown. He’d dressed her and her DSS coworkers down and when that didn’t work, he somehow managed to finagle his way onto the team since in his words none of them had “the goddamn sense God gave a mule.”

Convinced that Eliza was going to get herself killed, Wade had shadowed her every movement, in the process driving Eliza absolutely insane. And in the end, Wade ended up taking a bullet meant for Eliza, hence the bandaged arm and sling. He wasn’t pleased to say the least, nor had he let Eliza forget about it.

“Tell the little coward that she’s going to miss the ceremony if she doesn’t come out of hiding,” Wade said loudly.

He also knew just how to push her buttons.

Gracie exchanged sighs and aggrieved looks with the other women, and Gracie pulled at Wade to get him out of the doorway before the explosion from Eliza that was sure to come.

Once in the vestibule, all ribbing was forgotten and even Eliza came out to hurriedly arrange Gracie’s dress. When all was perfect, the three women lined up in front of Gracie and the doors were opened partway—enough for them to walk through without revealing Gracie behind them to the occupants of the church.

Wade squeezed Gracie’s hand, her arm looped through his, her hand resting on his palm.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Zack is one lucky son of a gun.”

She smiled radiantly up at him, her eyes going moist with a sheen of tears. “Thank you, Wade. For everything.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek and anchored her arm more firmly against his body.

“You ready?” he whispered. “That’s our cue.”

Gracie sucked in a deep breath, squared her shoulders and squeezed his hand.

“Ready,” she said, lifting her head as the doors opened to her future and finally closed on her past.

Zack stood at the front of the church, fingers balled into tight fists as Ramie, Ari and Eliza slowly walked down the aisle and then took their places across from where he stood. Behind him, standing for him, were Beau, Caleb and Dane.

There weren’t many guests in the small church, but all were family. A family that had banded together to ensure that the women they loved never suffered at the hands of such evil again.

As much as Zack had wanted to marry Gracie as soon as humanly possible and to never let her go again, she’d needed time to heal, but most important, Zack refused to have their marriage ceremony until they were certain that every last person responsible for so much pain and death were extinguished.

His and Gracie’s wedding day would be perfect and there would be no worry of retaliation. Their thoughts would only be of each other and the future they’d once mapped every inch of, a future they’d both thought lost to them. But no, it had only been on hold as fate waited for them to find their way back to one another.

The doors opened again as music swelled and filled the sanctuary. Zack’s breath caught when he saw Gracie for the first time in her wedding gown.

She stood beside Wade, her smile as big as the sun, her eyes sparkling with joy. And then Wade slowly began walking her down the aisle.

Zack hastily wiped at his burning eyes, determined to hold it together and not ruin Gracie’s day. It had touched him and Wade both that Gracie had asked Wade to give her away. No longer did Zack harbor any animosity toward the other man. He’d been a source of support Gracie had desperately needed, and well, he’d also taken a bullet meant for Eliza, which meant that the entire DSS organization owed him their gratitude for saving someone so important and beloved by all.

He shouldn’t have bothered trying to disguise his emotion. As Gracie drew closer to Zack, he saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes and then watched as they traced silently down her cheeks.

Her gaze was locked solely on him, as if they were the only two people in the room. She walked toward him with no hesitation, Wade at her side. But when she reached Zack, she slipped her arm from Wade’s but then took his hand, holding on to it for a long moment as she looked away from Zack for the first time and met Wade’s soft gaze.

“Thank you for being the friend I needed so very much,” she whispered.

To Zack’s shock, he saw a faint glimmer in Wade’s eyes, but then it was gone, leaving Zack to wonder if he’d imagined it.

Wade lifted his hand from Gracie’s grasp and gently cupped her cheek, wiping the thin line of moisture away with his thumb.

“Be happy, Anna-Grace,” Wade said quietly. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek.

Afterward, he let his hand fall and once more curled his fingers around Gracie’s hand, but this time he lifted her hand toward Zack. As Zack slipped his fingers through hers, Wade pinned him with his gaze.

“You are getting a rare and precious gift, Covington. Take care of her.”

“Always,” Zack vowed in a somber voice.

Wade stepped back and then seated himself on the front pew where other members of DSS sat.

Zack knew he and Gracie should turn to the preacher, who was waiting to begin the ceremony. But he couldn’t break the magic of this moment, one he’d dreamed of for so very long.

“I can’t believe you’re standing in front of me in your wedding dress,” Zack whispered, nearly choking on the words. A knot of emotion swelled rapidly in his throat, threatening to render him incapable of any speech. “I love you, Gracie. And never, ever will I forget today.”

Another tear rolled down her cheek, but her smile—God. It was like being enveloped by the sun after a long, harsh winter. And her eyes. Liquid brown. So warm that he’d never feel the cold wrought by complete emptiness.

Unable to help himself, he framed her face in his hands and leaned down to capture her lips in a long, sweet kiss.

Hoots and laughter rose from the others. And then the ribbing began.

“Do you need cue cards there, buddy?” Beau asked from behind him. “I’m pretty sure that part comes
after
‘you may kiss the bride’.”

Zack broke away to glare at all of them. “I’ll kiss my bride any damn time I want to.”

“Amen to that,” Caleb muttered and was greeted by another round of amused laughter.

Beau shrugged. “The man does have a point. I do kiss my bride any damn time I want to.”

Ari blew her husband a kiss from across the aisle.

Zack smiled down at Gracie, whose tears were gone thanks to laughter. She was so radiant that she glowed like a beacon. A ray of sun. His sunshine.

“What do you say we get properly married?” he asked with a grin.

Then to his surprise, Gracie defied ceremony and circumstance as she leaned up on tiptoe and fused her lips to his. All else fled his mind under the sweetness of her kiss. And when she finally pulled away, he was hard-pressed to remember his own name, much less what he was supposed to do next.

Smiling, she tugged him toward the pastor. “This is the part where we both say ‘I do’.”

“I do,” he whispered so only she could hear. “I do, I will, I always will. And
never
will we be parted again.”

THIRTY-SIX

ZACK
stood in the bay window overlooking the ocean and inhaled the salty air in an effort to settle his nerves. It felt as though someone had their fingers wrapped permanently around his neck in a choke hold. For God’s sake, even his palms were sweaty, and his fingers shook when he unrolled them from the tight fists formed at his sides.

He closed his eyes, lifting one of his fists to rub his hand through his hair and then he gripped the back of his neck with his palm, absently massaging as he tried to get himself together.

Gracie had been nervous the moment they got inside their suite. The tension was palpable when she’d excused herself to go change for bed.

Not wanting to move too fast or shove himself in her face from the start, instead of stripping down—as one might have done when about to embark on his wedding night—he kept his boxers and socks on.

He glanced ruefully down at his sock-covered feet and shook his head, a light chuckle escaping. Socks? Really? The boxers were understandable. The socks were just a result of his own nerves. He quickly toed out of them and kicked them underneath the chair by the window.

He had to get his shit straight before he completely lost it and ruined the night for him and Gracie before it even began. This would be more difficult for Gracie than it ever would be for him. But at the same time, what if he made the wrong move? What if he ended up traumatizing her? The last thing in the world he wanted was for their wedding night to be a disaster because he made some boneheaded move or by him simply not knowing the right thing to do at the right time.

The latter was the more distinct possibility. He felt clumsy and inept, just like the virgin he would have—and should have—been for Gracie. He broke his promise to her but she’d kept her promise to him.

Tonight Gracie would give herself to him and only him. The knowledge that he was the first and only man who would be given such a precious gift nearly brought him to his knees. He was humbled and . . . ashamed.

“Zack?”

Gracie’s wavering voice reached him, and he turned swiftly around, cursing the fact that he’d been so caught up in his deep shame that he’d failed to hear Gracie come out of the bathroom. He should have been there waiting for her, to reassure her instead of her having to be so vulnerable by, in essence, making the first move.

All the breath left his body in a long exhale when his gaze fell over her. His mouth went dry and his heart sped up until he could feel the hard thud against his chest.

She was wearing a white silk, lacy gown that fell in waves down her body to swirl at her feet. Only the tips of her dainty toes peeked out from beneath the hem. Bright pink. He wanted to kiss each and every one of those sweet toes. Just as he wanted to kiss and touch every inch of her satiny skin.

But the bodice. Good Lord, but that was a gown destined to give a man heart failure. He was standing, speechless, staring at her like a prepubescent boy seeing naked pictures of a woman for the first time.

The neckline plunged in a deep V between her breasts, all the way to the indention of her belly button. The material clung strategically to her breasts so they weren’t bared, but the lace was sheer and he could see the shadow of her nipples. He could see their shape puckering against the gown.

Her lips trembled as they formed a smile, and he finally kicked himself into gear so he didn’t remain there gawking at her like a moron for the entire night.

He had to form the words twice, because his first effort to speak just didn’t happen.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said in a hoarse voice roughened by emotion.

She blushed but her eyes lit up and sparkled, her smile widening at his reaction.

“I’m afraid to touch you,” he admitted. “I’m so afraid that if I touch you, I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream. The most wonderful dream of my life, but just a dream nonetheless.”

She moved forward when again it should have been him going to her. Giving her reassurance, love and comfort. Her fingers slid down his arms until they caught and tangled with his, and it was then he felt her trembling and his heart softened. His entire body caved in.

He gathered her hands in between his and gently squeezed as he absorbed the image, the angel, standing before him. Tears burned his eyelids and he tried to swallow them back.

Tonight was not a night for tears. Or sadness. Or regret. Or even shame. Tonight was the night of his dreams. Of all the dreams he’d ever dreamed all rolled together in one wonderful, living, breathing moment.

And yet, he couldn’t quite keep one thing from creeping into his mind and casting shade on all his joy.

“I’m sorry, Gracie,” he choked out.

She looked baffled. She cocked her head to the side and tightened her hold on his hands as if offering him reassurance.

“I didn’t keep my promise to you.”

He had to look away as a single tear burned its way down the cheek he now hid.

“I promised you that you would be my first. That I would come to you as untouched as you were. You are giving me the most precious gift a man can ever hope to receive. You’re honoring me as the first man you’re allowing to make love to you. And I can’t even say you’re the second or third woman I’ve been with.”

He closed his eyes, causing more liquid to slide down his face.

“Zack,” she whispered. She gripped his hands tighter. “Zack, look at me please.”

He slowly turned his head to meet her gaze and saw mirroring tears and emotion in her eyes.