Noah picked up his wife and set her down in the grass. He helped Faith next.
Matt jumped out, feeling embarrassed. He looked at Holly. Holly was wearing a pretty pink sundress, but her best accessory was the diamond ring he had put on her finger last week. After all the hell they had been through, he was not letting her go, and he didn’t want a long engagement. He wanted Holly tied to him legally, and she had agreed to a small wedding in his backyard with family and friends.
He got out of the bouncy house and pulled her into his arms, biting her earlobe lightly. She was still laughing at his predicament.
“It’s not nice to laugh at your husband.” He pouted, making her laugh harder.
“You should have seen your face.” She hugged him and kissed his chin. “One week of marriage and already I catch you with another woman.”
He pushed her bangs out of her face, feeling strong emotions wash over him. “Never.”
She smiled back and placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was a light touch, but he felt it deep.
“My mom and Ted are here. They want to say hi. My mom thinks I made a great choice, marrying you.” She dragged him away. He had met her mother and step-father at the wedding and got along with them. It was a worry off his shoulders. People were starting to arrive for the celebration, and she waved at Jasmine and Drake. Alicia was pushing her nephew on a swing.
Matt still secretly worried about Novak lurking around. It had been just over a month since he’d kidnapped Holly. His two cohorts were in jail, but Novak had gotten away. Although they had seen no sign of him, Matt knew they were all concerned he could come back. It was possible he could be waiting for things to cool down. Noah had everyone on alert, just in case.
Liam was fine now, and was talking to Ted. He had been mad that they took Holly like that from her own house. He had been a key witness in helping to put Gilbert Munoz away. Matt didn’t want to think about all of that. He was going to enjoy this day with his wife and her family and friends.
* * * *
Holly sat on a bench with Matt. The party was in full swing, with kids running everywhere. She had laughed when Matt told her he was standing still because he thought he might step on a kid accidently. Holly had assured her husband they moved much too fast for that. Husband. She liked the sound of that word. She was Holly Smith now. It brought a thrill to her.
She looked around the yard at her family and friends, laughing and talking. Finally, she felt like happily-ever-after could be real. She leaned against her husband, and he put his hand around her shoulder and kissed her forehead.
“Tired?” he wanted to know. He always took such good care of her and she loved having his attention. People commented on how much she glowed and wanted to know if she was pregnant. She would laugh and tell them no, it wasn’t a shotgun wedding. She was just happy.
She shook her head. “Just happy.”
He smiled tenderly at her. “And that makes me happy.”
Her heart swelled with love. Maybe someday she could convince him to have children. For now, she wanted to enjoy her life with her own sexy deputy. After the long, painful road
it had taken to get here, she would appreciate every moment. No longer would she be without her love.
THE END