Untamed: Heath & Violet (Beg For It 3)

But then I’d had to flip the switch in my brain on over to Crazy Money. An extra invite would in no way stretch the Kavanaugh—and in Ash’s case rockstar—funds. They had money to burn. And Ana had insisted. She was really close to her parents. When she and Ash were in the city, they still managed to have dinner with them every Sunday night. She wanted to invite my mom. So I’d said yes.

The May wedding was held in Ana’s hometown in upstate New York, a small town that still looked like a metropolis compared to Watson, Vermont. No venue big enough to accommodate their 600+ guest list, they’d rented out giant white tents and taken over a field.

“Do you think people can tell what the sculpture is?” Heath’s sister, Gigi appeared by my side looking radiant in pink. She had the slightest hint of red in her hair and somehow it worked perfectly with the rosy color of her dress. I’d opted for a strapless sheath, glimmering and shimmering with pearly beads. I’d never worn anything more fabulous and Heath always made me feel gorgeous, but standing next to Gigi I was truly struck by her beauty. That girl was all kinds of beautiful.

“Well—” I cocked my head to the side, looking at the giant ice sculpture over by the shrimp and oyster bar. I wanted to answer her honestly, but I also didn’t want to offend. “Is it…” I squinted, trying to guess. “The statue of liberty?” It was a wedding in New York. Maybe that was how it tied into the theme?

“Oh no!” Gigi cried out, but stifled a giggle at the same time. “It totally does look like the statue of liberty! You’re right!”

“Is it not supposed to be?”

“No! I asked them to make Ash on stage. You know, like the guitar is in one hand and his fist is up in the air.”

“Oh.” I could kind of see it when she described it. “I thought that was her holding the torch.”

That did it. The two of us collapsed in laughter, cracking up so hard it brought tears to our eyes, which then made us dab at our eye makeup so it wouldn’t smudge. There would be photos!

“Don’t worry, Gigi. It looks awesome, whatever it is.” I knew she’d put hours into wedding planning with Ana, helping out her new sister-in-law.

“Guess that’s one of the good things about an open bar. Everyone’s going to get nice and drunk!” she exclaimed.

“Make that six open bars!” I corrected her. They had three inter-connected tents, each of them lavishly decked out to meet the needs of each and every guest.

“No one will remember a thing,” she declared, satisfied.

Heath came over, wrapping a hand around my waist. He always stayed close, just how I liked it. He’d done a good job standing up with Ash as his best man. The ceremony had lasted about five days, in the Russian Orthodox church where Ana had grown up. But Heath hadn’t flagged. Now he just had to get through the best man’s speech.

“How’re you feeling?” I asked, giving his hand a squeeze.

“I’ll be better in an hour.” He did look slightly pale.

After more milling and congregating and eating and drinking, the head wedding planner gathered the wedding party together and called everyone’s attention. It was Heath’s time to shine. I stood to the side, holding my breath.

Heath took the microphone, looked out over the tent full of guests and began. “To you, this guy here’s a big rockstar.” He pointed at Ash who stood arm in arm with his wife, both smiling ear to ear. “To me, he’s my big brother. Which is even cooler.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time he was done, including tears of laughter after he told a couple of funny stories about Ash raising hell as a kid. Apparently one time he’d managed to set a shed on fire while trying to be like Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar on stage at the Monterey Pop Festival.

“I’ve learned a lot of things from you,” Heath concluded. “First, do not set your guitar on fire in an enclosed, wooden shed.”

“That’s true,” Ash agreed as everyone laughed and clapped.

“And you’ve shown me what really matters in life.” My heart stopped in my chest for a moment as he smiled at Ash and Ana, then looked directly at me. “Once you’ve found the one you love, you never let go.”

He wished them all sorts of happiness and they kissed and everyone cheered, but all I could think of was the look on his face when he said love. He took my breath away. I about threw my arms around him as he walked away from the happy couple, passing the mic to Ana’s maid of honor, whose hair happened to be blue.

Kisses were all I could manage. My heart felt too full for words. I wanted to tell him how I felt about him, how much I loved him. But we were in the middle of his brother’s 600+ closest friends and family.

“Well done, Heath.” His oldest brother Colt came over and clapped him on the back. “Great job.” The two shook hands.

“I think you’re the one responsible.” Colt pointed at me, then gave me a surprisingly friendly hug. I’d met him a couple of times over the past few months as he helped out in building Heath’s business. He hadn’t exactly rubbed me the wrong way, but I’d never felt real warmth from him. He was always all business all the time, the consummate CEO, giving orders and taking names in impeccably tailored dark pinstripe suits. But now he looked truly happy.

“I’m so proud of you,” he added, looking back at Health with honest big brother pride.

“Thanks.”

“Now I’ve got a couple new ideas I want to talk with you about.” Colt switched tracks, just like that, getting his all-business hat on again. “We’re going micro to macro. Local to global. I want to hook you up with some people in Indonesia I’ve been talking to.”

“Hold on there, Baron.” Heath took a step back. “Let’s keep this party polite.”

Colt paused, recognizing his brother didn’t want to talk shop. “That’s Baron of Warwick to you, big guy.” He winked at me. He could certainly turn on the charm when he wanted to. With those crystal blue eyes and that chiseled jaw, I was sure he had his pick of women clawing at each other to spend time with him. Whether any of them got close to him, now that was another matter. I didn’t see Colt opening up easily. That was a trait the Kavanaugh brothers had in common.

Even Heath’s half-brother, Declan, seemed to share it. I’d been introduced to him and his pretty little wife Kara earlier in the evening. She’d brimmed with enthusiasm and excitement about being out at the party, but Declan had seemed more guarded. Until she’d mentioned their baby, just 20 months old. He’d beamed, the proud papa, as she’d scrolled through her phone showing us a whole bunch of adorable baby photos. That I hadn’t minded a bit. But talking business at the wedding? I’d pass if I could.

“All right, I’ll give it a rest. For now,” Colt agreed. “But you—” He pointed at me. Heath instinctively pulled me closer. I loved how protective he was. “I want to talk to you, too. That Love Your Local show you’re planning is brilliant. I want to set up a meeting for you with a guy I know.”

“Sounds great.” I meant it, too. I was all fired up about this show the Explore Channel wanted to pilot, featuring the best of the best of local gems all over the country. And I’d love to get Colt’s vast network to help grow it. But not at the party. Just then, I wanted to be with my man.

“OK, then.” Heath signaled that the conversation was over, but Colt was already off and shaking hands with someone else he knew. Highly Networked. Same as High Net Worth. Colt was that guy.

My guy, though? He knew how to slow down, take his time and focus on his woman. We enjoyed some amazing food and wine together, chatting more with his lovely sister Gigi. As the night progressed, Ash took the stage and dedicated a few classic crooner love songs to his new wife. With Sinatra in play, Heath led me onto the dance floor. There under the lights, his hands around my waist, mine up on his shoulders, I never wanted the evening to end. We moved in sync, completely in tune with each other.

I didn’t know how to explain it, but we just clicked. I could still remember my initial struggles, telling myself Heath wasn’t my type.

How ridiculous that all seemed now. I’d had so much noise in my head, telling me the type of person I should be and the type of guy I should be with, that I couldn’t even listen to my own heart. But now it beat true and strong, for Heath. My mountain man who made me feel so safe and cherished and hot and bothered and laughing and relaxed all at once.

I felt rather than saw him spot someone over my shoulder.

“Violet, I know I introduced you earlier,” he said, pulling slightly away. “But would you mind if we went over to talk with my grandmother a little more? I’d really like you two to get to know each other.”

“Of course!” Who could resist a man who loved his grandmother? Especially when the man in question looked so big and huge and strong he could rip a tree out by the roots with his bare hands, yet still had a soft side. Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more, I’d find my heart expanding.

“Heathcliff!” She gave her grandson a warm yet refined hug. She looked the ultimate picture of elegance, with perfectly erect posture and delicate features, her rose-and-silver dress making her look like a bloom in a winter garden.

“And Violet.” She turned to me and gave me a smile, clasping my hand between her two. “So you’re the beauty who’s tamed the beast.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” I blushed.

“Well, you certainly are a beauty, my dear.” She beamed at me, and I suddenly felt like a princess with the queen mother bestowing her praise. “But I suppose you’re right.” She surveyed Heath, who even to an objective observer had to appear drop-dead gorgeous. All six-foot-five muscled inches of him in a perfectly tailored tux, plus those intense dark eyes and thick black hair. Yum yummy with a side of yum.

“He’s not tamed, is he?” She winked at me. “You’ve cleaned him up a bit, but he’s still a wild woodsman.”