Taken Hard (The Hard Boys 2)

“I need you to come with me,” James said.

“Is she not coming?”

“Lilly is here, but she … she won’t come down the aisle until she has talked to you. Edward and she arrived on time, but she wants to talk to you.”

Caleb checked the time, and he didn’t understand why they hadn’t come and gotten him.

Leaving his position, Rome and James followed right behind him.

“We’ll be right back,” James said.

His heart raced as he made his way toward Lilly’s rooms. Eliza, Edward, Jane, and his father were all outside of her room.

“We’ll give you some time, son,” Theodore asked.

Everyone but his two brothers left. Even when their father gave him a stern look, they refused to leave him.

He knocked at the door.

“Caleb?” Lilly asked.

“It’s me, baby.” He went to push open the door, but she stopped it.

“No, you can’t see me. Er, you know how we said we didn’t really want a perfect wedding and so long as we’re both together that was all that mattered?” Lilly asked.

“All I care about is you, Lilly. What’s the matter? Baby, talk to me.”

Lilly let out a sob. “I can’t cry. Eliza did such a good job with my makeup.”

“You’re starting to worry me here. Do you not want to marry me?” Caleb didn’t want his brothers to hear her answer, but they wouldn’t leave. In truth, he needed them. If she rejected him now, he didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it.

“Yes, of course, I do. I want to marry you. I’ve looked forward to this day for so long.”

He smiled, and his brothers breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then, why are you still in your room?”

The door opened slightly, and her hand appeared, offering him something.

He took it and she closed the door.

Staring down at it, he saw it was a pregnancy test. “Lilly, I don’t know what this means unless you tell me what the lines are for.”

“It means I’m pregnant, Caleb. Three months. We’re going to be parents. I’m walking down the aisle pregnant.”

“No one needs to know that.”

“It’s not just about the pregnancy. Damn it. I had the perfect dress, Caleb, but someone at the shop ruined it.” She let out a sob. “I won’t cry. I won’t cry.”

“I don’t care what you look like, Lilly. I want you. The woman I love. The mother of my babies.”

“But it looks a mess.”

“Let me see,” he said. “I’ll repeat it, Lilly. I don’t care what you look like. Today is going to be the best day of my life, regardless of what your dress looks like. You could be in a potato sack and I’ll still love you.”

She was silent for several moments.

Caleb just wanted to marry her.

“Okay, but don’t laugh.”

She opened the door and then allowed it to go a little wider until he finally got to see her.

She looked beautiful. The white veil rested behind her head. Her long raven hair hung around her in curves, but he saw the problem.

The dress was a pale pink.

“Er, what happened?”

“The lady at the store put down the wrong instructions. I was waiting to see if she had one in my size, but she doesn’t.” Her lips wobbled. “I look ugly.”

“No,” he said, closing the distance between them. “There’s no way you could look ugly. Don’t even for a second believe you can.” He pressed his head against hers. “Does this dress mean so much to you?”

“Well, no, I wanted to look beautiful for you.”

“A dress is not going to make you look beautiful to me, Lilly.” He smiled at her. “No, that’s going to come straight from you. You’re who I’m marrying, not a dress.”

“You don’t think I look silly?”

“Lilly, to me, you could never look silly.” He kissed her lips and he groaned. “I’d hoped the next time I kissed you, it would be as my wife.”

“You look beautiful,” Rome said.

“You really do, and if anyone says anything, point us in their direction. We’ll put them straight.” This came from James.

At that moment, Caleb was thankful for his brothers. “The only person I want to marry is you, Lilly. Not your dress, not anything else. Do you think you can make it to the altar with me?”

Tears filled her eyes, and she quickly wafted them away, putting her hands up and shaking them back and forth repeatedly. “I’ve got this. I want to marry you.”

He took her hand in his, and they walked to where her father and the rest of his family were waiting.

“We’re ready.” He kissed Lilly’s cheek.

His mother and Aunt Betty shooed him away. With his brothers at his back, he took his position back at the altar and waited for his wife.

The music started, and he counted to ten, turning around to see his woman, the love of his life, as she walked toward him.