Page 88 of If You Loved Me

“I know,” I groaned, letting my hands fall to the curve of her ass. The marigold satin dress she wore should have been illegal. I spent most of the night having to readjust my dick in my pants to make sure our friends didn’t notice the raging hard-on I had.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, cowboy.” She winked at me before slipping out of my arms.

“Hey! What about my goodnight kiss?”

“You’ll get one tomorrow.” She smirked. “It’ll make you miss me more.”

“My wicked little vixen.”

“Always.” Sarah winked again before disappearing up the steps and through the door to Johnny and Willow’s house.

She was right. For the rest of the night, even with the distraction of my boys and good whiskey, all I thought about was her.

Chapter 38

Sarah

Everything was perfect. A light sprinkle of snow came down last night and the pine trees around Johnny and Willow’s cabin had a thin dusting of white while the beautiful deep green of the pine needles shone through. The bright sun kept the cold temperature bearable.

I’d helped Stephanie unload their wedding cake onto the display table earlier this morning before I was swept away to spend hours getting our nails, hair, and makeup done by a group of experts Willow had flown in from Nashville.

Bubbles from the champagne I drank were giving me an airy feeling in my mind, or maybe it was just the sensation of being surrounded by so much love.

“I’m almost ready!” Willow called through the door of their bathroom while I waited in their bedroom.

“Okay!” I took another sip of champagne, cherishing the moment we were in together. My two best friends were getting married today. They’d fought through countlessobstacles and over a decade of separation to get here. Love always had a way of winning if we were willing to fight for it.

The door behind me creaked open. I turned around and tears immediately burned my eyes. “Oh my gosh. Willow!” I whispered, bringing a shaking hand to cover my trembling lips.

Her face fell in a heap of emotions. “No, no, no!” Setting my champagne flute on the bedside table, I made my way to her. The fabric of my gown swished across the hardwood floors.

“No, crying.” I snagged a tissue from the box we’d been carrying around with us all day and handed it to her. “Your makeup is too perfect to ruin it this early.”

She dabbed the corners of her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. Yes, you’re right.” Blinking a few times to keep the tears at bay, she finally looked at me again. Taking her hands in mine, I gave them a squeeze.

“If there were any two people in the world who deserved to have a day like this, it’s you and Johnny. Willow, you have shown me that despite your biggest fears, love is worth fighting for. Today, we all get to celebrate what you and Johnny fought for.”

She sniffled. “You’re going to make me cry again.”

Carefully, I took the tissue from her and ran it gently under her eyes to gather the stray tears that built up. “Are you ready to go marry your man?”

She nodded, unable to form words. I could see she wasbarely holding on and I needed to get her down the aisle before she totally lost it.

“Alright, let me make sure the coast is clear.” I opened the door and found the rest of the cabin to be completely silent.

“We’re good to go.” I turned back to Willow and gave her a big hug. “It’s time.”

“Okay,” she managed to say. I took her hand in mine and we walked out the door of their bedroom to the back door of the cabin.

With a final hug, I whispered, “I’ll see you out there. I love you, Willow.”

She held me tighter. “I love you too, Sarah.”

I left Willow to stand with the door cracked so she could hear the music for her cue. When I stepped onto the back deck, my breath caught when my gaze landed on Ranger. His shoulder length black curls were shining under the brim of his black cowboy hat. A baby blue long sleeve shirt peeked through the deep brown of his sports coat, bringing out the hue of his eyes. Every curve of his muscular thighs were accentuated with the grip of his blue jeans.

He looked delicious and I wanted a bite.

But the music started. The cue for me to walk down the aisle. So, I wrapped my fingers around the small bouquet of flowers that were waiting for me on the deck’s railing, I squared my shoulders and made my way down the aisle. The rose petals outlining the aisle glimmered in the sunlight. Mrs. Sheehan, their officiant, gave me a warm smile as I neared the end.

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