Fool for You (Southern Bride 7)

“How was she when you saw her?” I asked Noah in a whispered voice.

“Landon, she was fine! I mean, she seemed nervous, but aren’t all brides supposed to be?”

I nodded and looked down at the folded note Emmerson had given me as a gift. Noah and my father thought it was going to be a watch or something like that. When I pulled out the old note, they both looked confused as hell. I cried like a goddamn baby when I opened it and read it.

Slowly, I opened the note once again and read the writing of a young boy to the girl he was madly in love with.

Emme,

Someday I’m going to marry you. And when I do, you need to give me back this piece of paper so the preacher man knows your answer when he asks.

Mark yes if you want to marry me. Mark no if you don’t want to. But I hope you mark yes.

Love,

Landon

The paper was faded, the words hard to read, but there were two check marks next to yes. An older one, and one that had been written recently. I had forgotten all about the note, and the fact that she had kept it made me want to ball up while I cried like a baby.

Noah must have seen me reading the note because he moved closer and whispered, “For the love of God, man! Put that note in your pocket before you start to cry again and I have to revoke your man card!”

With a chuckle, I folded it back up and slipped it into my pocket. When the music started playing, I drew in a deep breath and turned around.

Hailey was the first to walk down the grand steps, and she took my breath away. She was stunning. I stole a quick glance over at Jack and smiled. The poor bastard had it written all over his face. He may not know it yet, but he was in love with my sister. She winked at him as she walked by and took her place across from me.

Then the music changed, and I saw Emmerson slowly make her way down the steps. When she fully appeared, I nearly felt my legs buckle out from under me.

“She’s so beautiful,” I said softly, trying to remember the right way to breathe.

“Yes, she is,” Noah said from next to me. “You’re a damn lucky man, Landon.”

All I could do was nod as I watched her make her way to me. It was such a short distance, yet it felt like an eternity before she and Malcolm stopped in front of the altar. I didn’t hear anything the preacher said, because all I could do was look into those blue eyes that seemed to sparkle like diamonds.

Malcolm said something and Emmerson turned to face him. He kissed her on the cheek and then placed her hand in mine.

“I wouldn’t trust her with any other man but you, Landon. I trust that you will make my daughter happy and love her as fiercely as her mother and I do.”

I swallowed hard. “I’ll love her until the day I die, sir. With everything I have.”

Malcolm nodded and then quickly turned and walked over to sit next to Paislie, who was wiping tears from her face.

I held Emmerson’s hand and together we walked a few steps closer to the preacher. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Everything about her was breathtaking. The gown that hugged her amazing body like a glove, the way her face lit up when the light touched it a certain way. How her eyes seemed to be catching the flickering candles. And that smile…my God, that smile had always been my weakness. Yet, there was something so different about her. She seemed to have floated down those steps and the aisle, and now that she stood here before me, all I wanted to do was tell her how much I loved her. How much I needed her.

We faced one another, and I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “You look beautiful.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “And you look handsome.”

“I love you, Emme.”

Tears built in her eyes as the preacher started to speak. Emmerson held up her finger, motioning for him to wait. Then she leaned in and placed her mouth at my ear.

“Um, Landon?” Emmerson whispered softly. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you.”

My eyes widened, and I drew back to look at her and then at the preacher, who seemed just as lost as I was.

“Right now, Emme?” I asked.

She nodded. “Right now.”

I quickly glanced at the small group of family and close friends who all stared up at us with smiles on their faces.

I focused back on Emmerson. “Okay, what did you need to tell me?”

With a deep inhale, she moved back to my ear, and the warmth of her breath caused my body to shake. “I’m pregnant.”