Jesse kissed his daughter’s cheek and whispered something in her ear that had her chin trembling even more.
The minister cleared his throat. “Who gives this woman to this man?”
“Not giving her to anyone,” Jesse growled at the man.
Lucy bit her lip to keep from laughing, but no one else seemed to have the ability to keep from doing so, including me. The old man’s face turned red with embarrassment and probably a little fear too. “Um…” He glanced past Jesse to Layla, as if he were hoping she would save him from her scary-as-fuck husband.
“I’m letting my daughter marry her soul mate, dude. Plain and simple. Not giving her away.”
The old man cleared his throat. “Er…yes, right.”
Lucy looked at her dad, taking pity on the minster, effortlessly pulling his attention back to her. “Thanks, Daddy. I think we’ve got it from here.”
He winked down at her. “Sure, Lu.”
Jesse took his seat, and the minister breathed a loud sigh of relief that had those close enough to hear it snickering. “Dearly beloved,” he began. “We are gathered here today…”
--
If I never had to pose for a camera again in my life, it would be too soon. Santana was a demon as she took picture after picture of the wedding party, the parents of the bride and groom, and countless pictures of just Lucy and me. Meanwhile, all the guests went on to First Bass where the reception was already starting without us.
All I wanted was to get Lucy alone. To have an hour just to ourselves so I could show her exactly how amazing I thought she looked today.
And to ask her what the fuck was wrong.
From the moment the minister had pronounced us husband and wife and I’d finally gotten to kiss her, I could tell there was something going on. She was tense and a little scatterbrained. On top of that, I could see she wasn’t feeling well. At times, she looked a little green even under all that makeup. Sweat had started to bead on her upper lip and forehead, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the heat that was steadily climbing.
As some of the others started to move away, talking about which cars they were taking to the reception, I pulled her closer and lowered my head. To Santana who was still snapping away on her camera, it looked like I was kissing Lucy’s neck. “Are you okay?”
Her hands skimmed under my tux jacket and tangled in the fabric of my dress shirt. “I haven’t eaten much today. My stomach has been sour.”
“Again?” Concerned, I stroked my right hand down her back, making her lean into me more. “That’s like the third day in a row, sweetness.”
“It’s okay. I’m not sick or anything.” She leaned her forehead against my chest. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
I caught her chin and tipped her head back so I could see her eyes. “What is it?” I whispered, almost scared of what she was going to say. She was only supposed to be happy today. All her tears, they were supposed to be happy ones. I wasn’t going to let her feel stressed today. I wasn’t going to let our marriage start off with her thinking of anything but how amazing the rest of our lives were going to be. “Tell me.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she seemed to go over in her mind what to say. Then she smiled, and the power of her happiness behind that simple little smile nearly knocked me on my ass. “I’m pregnant.”
The jolt of those words hit me like a ton of bricks. My gaze was trapped with hers so I could see this wasn’t a joke. “Really?”
Pregnant?
I was going to be a father.
That…was… Fuck! That was the best thing she’d told me since she’d said yes to marrying me.
She laughed. “Yes, really. I found out this morning. Are…are you happy?”
Tears clogged my throat, burning my eyes and making it nearly impossible to see her. “This is…fuck… This is perfect, Lu. Yes, I’m happy. I… I can’t… There are no words.” At least, none that would make sense to her or even me. There wasn’t a single word in any language that could express to her how happy I was right then. “This is the best day of my life,” I whispered against her lips. “You have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do.” She cupped my jaw, her eyes like smoky quartz in her happiness. “But I’m a little scared too.”
“Don’t be. I’m right here. I’ll take care of you both.” I touched a shaking hand to her stomach, completely oblivious to anyone or anything. “I’ll love and protect you for the rest of our lives, Lu.”
“Holy hell, these are some of the best pictures I’ve ever taken of a bride and groom,” Santana squealed, causing us both to jerk in reaction. Everyone had disappeared for a little while, and we were surprised to realize we weren’t the only two people in the world, after all. “I can’t wait for you two to see these.”
Lucy’s nose scrunched up as she grinned at me. “You ready to celebrate now, Mr. Cutter?”