The Chase (26 page)

Evan’s eyes went from his sister to her. “What do you mean? You think you might be?”

Oh, Lord. Her cheeks were feeling a little warm again. “No, no, of course not. I’m definitely not.” Well, she supposed she didn’t know that one hundred percent, but she was on the pill, so what were the odds? It was too frightening to even contemplate, really. She’d just impulsively asked Evan to marry her, but the thought of starting a family made her brain freeze. It was one thing to fantasize about the picket fence and babies, another altogether to actually take that gigantic step.

“Oh, okay.”

Damned if he didn’t look a little disappointed. A warning bell went off in the back of Kendall’s mind, that maybe they should discuss what they wanted in terms of the future, but she didn’t want to ruin the mood. This was a moment to celebrate, to be certain.

She had broken the pattern of worrying herself into inaction and she needed to stick by her decision. She wanted to marry Evan. There was no doubt.

Looking up at him, at the tender expression on his handsome face, she realized she wanted that more than anything else.

And there was no time like the present to make it a reality.

 

 

EVAN
stood at the front of the chapel fidgeting with some nerves, but mostly excitement. The venue wasn’t the stuff bridal dreams were made of, but Kendall hadn’t seemed to mind the indoor arbor and the plastic flowers. He certainly didn’t care. They could have been married in that dirty old barn and he would have been happy.

“Do you have the ring?” he asked Elec for the third time.

His brother patted his pocket. “I have it. Relax.”

In the interest of not offending anyone in Kendall’s family or any of their friends, they had kept it simple. The only people with them were Elec and Tamara, who were acting as witnesses. Other than that, it was just the minister, or whatever he was, and a female staff member taking pictures for them. It was some kind of package deal that Elec had figured out and paid for.

Evan had to say he owed his brother big-time, because he wasn’t sure he could even read words on paper at the moment, he was so agitated. But in a good way.

“I can’t relax. I’m getting married.”

“Just take a deep breath. You’re going to end up screeching at the girl if you don’t calm down.”

“I’m not going to screech. When have I ever screeched?” Evan was about to tell his brother how stupid that was, when he saw Kendall appear at the back of the chapel, under the fake arbor with fake flowers.

He’d seen her not ten minutes ago, and for hours earlier, wearing the same simple black-and-white dress she’d had on for Easter. He’d driven her over here himself after securing their marriage license. Yet somehow, seeing her standing there, as a bride, his bride, overwhelmed him. God, she was beautiful, her blond hair pinned straight and falling over her shoulders. She was wearing a little bit of makeup, something she didn’t normally do, and her cheeks were flushed, eyes bright with excitement and love.

That she wanted to marry him, now, humbled him and thrilled him. Evan didn’t necessarily think he’d done amazing things with his life, in fact, outside of his career, he had to say he hadn’t done much worthy of praise. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he just hadn’t done as much as he could have. But being secure in a relationship with Kendall, knowing he had someone to come home to at the end of the day, it just made him want to strive to be a better man. He had influence and he wanted to use it. He wanted to be worthy of this scrappy woman who had fought so hard for all of her success.

“You okay?” Elec murmured to him.

Evan shook his head. “Yeah. More than okay.” He couldn’t take his eyes off his bride as she slowly walked down the aisle, looking a little shy. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Definitely.”

“I’m pretty damn lucky.” He went still, all his excited jitters gone. His mind, body, heart, and soul all went quiet with the certainty of what he was doing. He loved Kendall, always had, always would. Now he was going to make her his wife.

When she got to the front, she paused, like she wasn’t sure where she was supposed to go, but she was smiling at him, a big, wide open grin.

He moved in alongside her. “You’re supposed to stand next to me, you know. Like you like me.”

“Shush,” she told him, elbowing him with another smile.

Evan took her hand in his and squeezed it. He knew that wasn’t standard wedding protocol, but hell, they were already doing everything their way, what difference did a little hand holding make? He just wanted to feel her grip in his.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here”—the overweight and bearded minister glanced at his watch—“this evening to join Evan Roscoe Monroe and Kendall Carolina Holbrook in marriage.”

Those words hit Evan with the impact of a head-on crash at Talladega. Only while both things were equally as intense, the result was totally different. Happiness swelled in him, and the subsequent words the minister spoke were lost as he just savored this pure moment of love and joy.

“Do you, Evan, take Kendall to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.” Evan only hesitated for a second before he said, “Can I say something here?”

The minister nodded. “Of course.”

He turned to Kendall, who was staring at him blankly, like she wasn’t sure what was going to come out of his mouth. Hell, he wasn’t entirely sure himself, but he knew a simple “I do” just wasn’t enough to express how he felt. “Kendall, you know me, and I’ve always thought writing your own vows was well, kind of corny. And obviously I didn’t write any ahead of time since we just decided to get married tonight, but I want to say something to you.”

She smiled and took both of his hands in hers. “Okay.”

“I just want you to know that in a lot of ways I’ve been lost the last ten years. You and me, back in the day, maybe we were too young, but we were always meant to be together, and when I didn’t have that direction, when I didn’t have you, I spent a lot of time wandering around trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with my personal life. A life without you didn’t make sense. When Tuesday asked me at that wine bar what it was about you that I’d fallen in love with, I told her it was your smile, your laughter. That was an answer that barely skims the surface. I don’t have enough time to describe all the wonderful things about you, but I love that you don’t do anything halfway . . . when you do something you do it one hundred and ten percent. With your driving, with your friendships, with me.” Evan took a deep breath, aware that he was never going to be able to say everything he wanted to. “I don’t have the pretty words, the right words, to describe how I’m feeling, but just know that I’ll always love you. For better or for worse, through failed sponsorships and lousy finishes, through endless miles on the road and champagne celebrations, I’ll love you.”

Kendall was glad her earlier tears seemed to have vanished, because if ever there was a moment to cry, this was it. Evan was standing in front of her, looking absolutely gorgeous in his blue blazer and white shirt, his brown eyes filled with love and certainty, as he spoke words of total commitment. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was. She had screwed up bad when they were young, and yet he’d essentially given her a second chance without hesitation or mistrust.

“And I just want to say thank you,” she told him. “For understanding that I was young and stupid and maybe needier than I ever realized. Thank you for leaping back into this relationship with me, and for agreeing to marry me.”

He grinned at her pronouncement. “No need to thank me.”

But Kendall held his hands tighter. “I’m serious. I tend to shut people out, and when I offer to let them back in, most people don’t want to be, with good reason. You never hesitated, and if I didn’t already love you, I would love you for that alone. I love your sense of humor, your easygoing personality, your unconditional affection and love. You have a good heart. A good soul.” She grinned. “Not to mention your biceps are pretty amazing.”

“Sexist,” he murmured. “I could never get away with naming body parts in our wedding ceremony.”

“We ladies need to take double standards that work in our favor whenever we can.” Kendall stroked his hands with her thumbs. “But seriously, I am just so in love with you, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”

She turned to the minister. “I guess I should officially say ‘I do.’”

He nodded.

So she said, “I do.”

Then even before they were instructed, they were both leaning in for a kiss. It curled Kendall’s toes, seared her heart, and shattered her ability to think.

“You need to put the rings on,” the minister told them.

“Oh. Right.” Kendall broke away from Evan, but stayed close to him, eyes still locked on his, not wanting to put any space between them. “Remember I will get you a better one than this,” she said as she took the silver band they’d bought at Walmart on the way over from Elec’s. She slid it on his finger.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s what it stands for, not the ring itself.”

Then he pulled a ring out of the box Elec was holding and put it on her finger. Kendall looked down at it, amazed that it was ten years old, surprised at how pretty and delicate it was. She had braced herself for something gaudy, given Evan’s age at the time. But it was lovely, a silver band with a princess-cut diamond. Simple, sweet, stunning.

He slid it on her finger and they were married.

Kendall was aware that around her Tamara and Elec and the minister were offering congratulations, but she couldn’t do anything more than grin and nod, her focus on Evan.

They were married.

How crazy was that?

KENDALL
let out a startled yelp when Evan lifted her legs out from under her at the door to their hotel room. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked him.

He didn’t think it took a genius to figure it out, and Kendall was pretty damn smart. She was just fussing, which he had noted over the last ten years, she liked to do. “I’m carrying you over the threshold.”

Evan looked down at his grinning wife. His wife. Even as her ass started to sink and he bounced her to get a better position, he couldn’t help but just stare at her as she smiled up at him. They were married.

“I thought you were supposed to do that at home, not a hotel.”

“There are rules on it?” Evan wasn’t big on rules. Pulling the key card out of his pocket, he realized he should have opened the door first, then picked her up. This romantic crap was complicated.

But this was their wedding night and he intended to persevere.

“Wait, where are we going to live?” Kendall’s eyes went wide. “We have two condos and two motor homes. Which ones are we keeping?”

Evan shrugged, more concerned with holding her one-armed while he crammed the key into the slot then with whose house they were going to live in. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

“One should be yours and one should be mine. To be fair.” She was biting her lip. “Do we have to let go one of our motor home drivers? I’d hate to do that. I don’t have a lot of furniture in my condo, so maybe we should move into yours.”

Had he mentioned he didn’t care? He just wanted to enjoy the moment.

“What do you think?” she insisted.

“I think that sounds fine.” Evan shoved the door open and walked quickly to get her inside before it slammed shut on them. The overnight bags they had packed he left hastily in the hallway, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“You left the bags in the hallway.”

Damn. “I know.”

“Someone is going to steal them.”

Evan set her down on the bed. “Kendall.”

“What?” She looked past him to the door, clearly worried about the bags.

“Do you hear that?” he asked her.

She cocked her head. “Hear what?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s just you and me in the hotel room tonight, our wedding night. There are no condos, no worries, no nothing. Just you and me.”

Her eyes softened. “You’re right.”

Then, because he knew her and loved her, he went for the bags, dumping them at the foot of the bed.

The corner of her mouth turned up and she smiled shyly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now forget all that other stuff and let me make love to you the way a man does his wife.” Evan yanked on his tie, loosening it.

Her breath caught. “Oh? And how is that?”

“All night long.” Evan balled up his tie and tossed it on top of the bags she’d been so concerned about.

He loved the way she looked, resting on her elbows, ankles crossed as her legs dangled off the bed. Her dress flowed over her thighs, her hair down over her shoulders. Evan could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Kendall in a dress, and he had to admit, he liked it. It brought to the forefront all those soft and feminine curves she had. Of course, he thought she was just as hot in a racing suit, but here, right now, on their wedding night, he appreciated the dress.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, kicking off his shoes. “The most beautiful bride ever.”

She smiled, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t even look like a bride, but thank you.”

“You look like a bride to me.” Evan reached down and pulled her shoes off her tiny feet and set them carefully by the suitcases. “But are you sorry we didn’t have a traditional wedding?”

“Of course not. I proposed, remember? And you know, I’m not exactly a traditional kind of girl.”

Evan climbed onto the bed with her, sliding his hand up the smooth skin of her calf. “I noticed. Just one of the many things I love about you.”

She leaned closer to him, a grin on her face. “Do you love me?”

Evan paused, his throat suddenly tight. There was no way to express what he felt. “I love you beyond measure.”