Page 172 of Wild Blades

Clearing my throat, I stare down at the words and begin reading them out loud, which is not something I saw myself doing today. “My beautiful Kali.” I look up and discover she’s already crying, and do my best to hold in the emotions that are bubbling in my chest. “From the minute you walked into my life, I knew you were someone truly special. Someone who challenged me to be a better man, someone who saw what otherscouldn’t see within me, and someone who truly believed in me. The day you stood opposite me in the boardroom was the day I knew the true meaning of beauty. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. And it was on that day that I finally knew the meaning of the word besotted, which is what I have been with you since that very first day. Before you, my life felt empty. Before you, there was no me, because without you, I don’t feel whole. You’ve seen me at my worst. You’ve seen all the ugly parts of my life, but your beautiful heart and soul cancel all of those things out because none of those things matter when I’m with you. In you, I found ‘the one’, my soulmate, my forever.” I slowly fold my letter in half. “I’m not allowed to read any of the other parts.” I step forward and take her hand while the guests chuckle and I hear a few sniffs from people crying.

“Get used to it, this is what happens when you get married.” I think it’s Ash who says that, pulling more laughter out of the room.

“I’m not finished.” I’m flying by the seat of my pants for the next part, but it’s what I want to say. “I promise to love you through good times and the bad. I promise to bring you breakfast in bed every morning, and heat the bed up for you before you get in it at night.” She laughs through her tears because she hates a cold bed. “I promise to be there for you and our baby, always and treasure you both every second of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every month, of every year, for the rest of our lives. And I’m going to teach you how to skate if it’s the last thing I do, I promise.”

“And him?” She lays her hand on her belly.

“Him?”

“It’s a feeling.”

“And him. I promise. My heart chooses you, Kali.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Wade

“Does my dress look okay?” she asks for the sixth time.

Holding out my hand for her to take to walk up the stairs into Marcus and Nicki’s home, I reassure her she looks great. “Yes. Now stop fussing.”

“I’m the size of a hippo.”

“Well, if that’s what hippos look like these days, then it’s sexy.”

“I feel like I might explode. And I need to pee.”

“Again? You and Lola are in competition with one another.”

“You don’t know what it’s like. He’s using my bladder as a punching bag.”

Kali has not handled pregnancy well. She’s grumpy most of the time, which makes me laugh, which makes her grumpier. She’s put on twenty pounds.

Having not been able to keep anything down because she suffered from horrific morning sickness in the beginning, she’s now over it and hungry all the time, and even more beautiful, which I didn’t think was possible, and I can’t get enough of her.

And vice versa.

She’s horny twenty-four seven, calls me every hour to find out when I’m coming home and sometimes, she just shows up at the rink. Because she has a car now, which I bought her.

She’s insatiable.

And I love it.

The day after we were married, I moved into her house fully and now Lola lives rent free in my house across the street, which she loves.

When we found out we were expecting a boy, which I’m sure Kali used her spooky goddess powers to know, I spent hours buying matching sneakers for the three of us.

I’m going to be one of those influencer dads who buys matching outfits and shows them off to everyone on social media, posing, and looking like a dick, but I don’t care.

I want to share my little family with everyone.

“Look at my ankles. They look like sausages.” She gasps in horror.

“They look fine. You should stop wearing those high heels though. I keep telling you it’s not good for the baby or your back.”

“It’s a sad day for fashion if I have to stop wearing heels. Take that back Wade Edwards.”

“Stop moaning, Mrs. Edwards.”

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