All in all, the small town mentality had definitely been at work in moving the timeline for this marriage up from quick to warp speed. We’d picked out the rings at Kohl’s with Wes’s suit. So matter of fac
t and simple. Like we’d been picking out earrings, for God’s sake.
No jewelry store with gleaming glass cases full of sparkly jewels. Nope, just picking a band that came in both our sizes. Column C in the main case right under the religious crosses.
How was this my life?
“Honey, that school is good, but it is definitely behind the times. You could find another job.”
I stopped pacing. “I love my job.”
How could I tell my mom I wasn’t sure if my possible baby daddy was marrying me only for social propriety? As it was, there was a hint of disappointment living her eyes because I was pregnant. Oh, and the father might be one of two men.
I was officially a statistic.
I was supposed to be the good Ford sister. Considering my sister had skipped out of the room as if I’d given her a lottery ticket, I was pretty sure there had been a few conversations between my family I hadn’t been privy to.
So far, this was definitely not shaping up to be the wedding of my dreams.
But he is the man of your dreams.
That didn’t seem wholly logical either, but he was. I mean, he was a little—a lot—pushy and he was a bit of a steamroller personality-wise. I was learning more about that aspect of him since we’d agreed to do this crazy thing.
He and August had me packed up and moved into his house while I was working. I’d gone from independent for the first time in my life to a near wife and mother in under two months. Part of me wanted to push back and tell him to hold up, but a tiny piece of me was glad I had one less thing to stress about.
The fact that he’d replaced his own bed with the one he bought me was one of those little things that made up for the pushy barbarian he turned into. And why I was so conflicted.
Dare was all action and limited words.
All the things he had been doing were to make my life easier. So what if it wasn’t the most romantic thing in the world? A lot of women dealt with men who were far more careless and apt to trample on their feelings.
I listened to fellow teachers talk about their husbands every day.
I glanced over at Ally as she tucked a blanket around her little boy. Okay, so Ally and Sage weren’t the women I should be looking at for non-romantic men. Seth and Oliver were the kind of guys who believed in grand gestures. They were very much the “I love you so much, I’ll shout it from the rooftops” sort of men.
But they weren’t the norm.
So what if Dare was quieter about it? Actions were the important part. The way he stepped up to help without asking questions. The way he held me like I was the most precious thing in the world at night. And no, he didn’t flip me over and fuck the crap out of me like he couldn’t stand not to be inside me anymore.
It wasn’t the end of the world.
He was a caretaker. A gruff one, but a caretaker nonetheless.
I smoothed my hand down the skirt of my white dress. Kinleigh’s Attic had been a treasure trove of amazing clothes. And I’d found my makeshift wedding dress in the back of the store with the help of her, Ally, and Sage. Kinleigh had even altered it for me on the spot.
The silk and lace was perfect. The one bit of romance I’d allowed myself in this whole shindig. I might’ve been walking down an aisle in a courthouse, but I was going to look spectacular, dammit.
And maybe, just maybe, I’d catch a glimpse of that fiery Dare one more time.
My mother handed me the small bouquet I’d ordered. The happy faces of the sunflowers and scattered baby roses made everything feel just a little bit more real.
“Are you sure, baby?” My mother’s eyes matched mine. There were a few more tears in hers. I didn’t even feel the prick of tears in mine. As if this was happening to someone else and I was just a stand-in. Bride on page thirty-seven of a play. “If this isn’t what you want, we’ll move you home and help you take care of the baby. I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped.”
Sage got herself up off the couch. “Girl, you gotta stop being so morose about this. You have a super hot guy who wants to play house with you. And he wants to put a ring on it. And the way he looks at you? It’s not just because he is feeling altruistic. All right?” She blew out a breath and rubbed the side of her belly. “Man, this little girl is trying out for soccer practice for sure.”
Ally hopped up. “You should be sitting down.”
“I’m tired of sitting. I’m also tired of everyone making excuses for Kelsey to leave.”