Love At First Sight (Southern Bride 1)

“Let’s go ahead and do a vaginal sonogram since you’re pretty early on.” He opened a drawer and took out a gown. “I’ll step out and let the two of you take this all in. Take your time.”

When he walked out the door, I got off the table and started to remove my pants. Rip gently took hold of my arm, causing me to stop and look at him.

“Talk to me, Chloe.”

My chin trembled. “I don’t know if I’m shocked, excited, scared, happy. I mean…I am happy. I think I’ve known, but for some reason I’m terrified suddenly. Is this too soon? We have hardly gotten to even be together.”

He cupped my face within in hands. “Nothing about this changes the way I feel about you. It only makes me love you even more, if that is possible. Chloe, you and I are meant for each other, and if this baby is a part of our journey early on, then I say what an amazing journey we’re starting off on.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, and he kissed it. “If you’re worried about me being upset, I’m fucking over the moon. The thought of our baby growing inside you…”

His voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat while he attempted to get his feelings under control. “I feel like the happiest man on Earth right now. I’m secretly married to the love of my life, we’re having a baby, and the cabinets for the master bathroom are finally done.”

I started to laugh as I placed my hands on my stomach. “Oh wow, we’re having a baby. A baby.”

Rip kissed me. Not a sweet kiss that was meant to reassure me of everything, but a kiss that sent a rush of feelings through my body that screamed how much this man loved me. And just like that…only one emotion ran through me.

Love.

Love for Rip. Love for our child.

What an amazing feeling.

Chloe

I STOOD IN the middle of the chapel and spun around.

Mike and Rip had found pews from an old church and had refinished them. They were stunning. The large chandelier over the altar hung down and captured the light from the sun as it peered into the large picture windows. Even the old antique table I had seen months ago in a store in Waco stood proudly under the large windows.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered to myself as I rubbed my stomach.

I was now eleven weeks pregnant, and according to the book Rip was reading, the baby was the size of a large strawberry. He’d gotten into the habit of asking me how his little berry was doing. Once we found out, we got right to work planning our wedding. No one but Trevor and Scarlett and Alyssa and Mike knew we were already married, and I loved that Rip and I had these two little secrets of ours. Not that I wasn’t excited to tell everyone. I was. The doctor had told us most people wait until the end of the first trimester. Rip and I had decided to wait until the wedding to tell everyone about the baby. The wedding was in three weeks, and we had decided to keep it a small event. Family and close friends. According to my Grammy, though, half of Oak Springs was like family.

“What do you think?”

The sound of Rip’s voice made my entire body come to life. I turned as he walked down the aisle toward me. I couldn’t help but giggle. That would be me in a few short weeks.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, stopping and kissing me.

“Nothing. I was thinking how in a few weeks, I will be walking down the aisle.”

“I can’t wait to marry you,” Rip spoke against my lips as he kissed me.

“Hate to break it to you, but you’re already married to me.”

He smiled. “I can’t wait to marry you again. And put a real ring on your finger. I’m tired of tying things on your finger.”

Holding up my left hand, I glanced at the string Rip had tied on last night. “I sort of like it.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re going to like the band even better. I had a few changes made to it.”

My eyes lifted to his. The wedding set was an heirloom in his family, and I knew it meant so much to him to give it to me. I was honored to wear it.

“Really? Can I see it?”

Rip tossed his head back and laughed. “No! There are some things you will need to wait for.”

I smiled. “We don’t seem to be very good at waiting.”

“That’s because we did it for far too long.”

“Agreed.”

Jonathon made his way over to us, a smile on his face. “The final inspection is under way,” Jonathon said. Rip and I laced our hands together.

“We built a chapel,” Rip said.