Page 151 of Duke
I watch, pulse pounding, as Duke pulls his brother in for a hug. His eyes are misty too.
These men may be rough-and-tumble cowboys, but they’re total softies at heart.
I go still at another flutter, low in my belly.
Mollie, who’s seated beside me in the front row, puts a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
I can barely hear her over the cacophony of joy that surrounds us.
“Mol, I think I just felt the baby move.”
Her face splits into a smile. “Did it feel like bubbles? Or someone was using a paintbrush to tickle your stomach from the inside?”
“Yes.”
“Friend, that is your sweet baby.” Now Mollie’s wrapping me in a hug. So many hugs happening. “Isn’t it the coolest feeling?”
“It makes me want to laugh.” I give her a squeeze before letting her go.
“So laugh. You deserve it after months of nonstop nausea.”
I was one of the unlucky moms-to-be whose first-trimester symptoms lasted well into my second trimester. I’mfinallyfeeling like myself again at nineteen and a half weeks.
Mollie, meanwhile, has popped in a big way. She’s due in the fall, and her dress stretches over her adorable baby bump.
She’s also hot all the time, especially now that we’re in the thick of summer. Wyatt and Sally originally planned to get married on the ranch in the spring, but thanks to some delays in projects around the property, they had to push it back to August.
Luckily we got a rare, moderately warm evening after a big line of storms moved through earlier this morning. Still, Mollie and I are sweating bullets.
“Thank God they gave these out.” Mollie nods at the straw fan she’s currently whipping in front of her face. “I’m looking forward to getting in that air-conditioned tent.”
The ceremony took place in one of the pastures by the New House. Wyatt and Sally’s wedding planner set up a huge Sperry tent behind it for the reception, complete with farm tables for supper—Sally’s request—and a spot for the cigar roller Wyatt hired to make cigars for the poker they’ll be playing at special tables set up beside the bar.
The bride and groom are all smiles as they process back down the aisle. Sally looks absolutely radiant in a classic A-line gown and the custom Bellamy Brooks boots we designed for her. They’re yellow, her favorite color, and stitched with her and Wyatt’s initials.
The rest of the Rivers brothers process behind them. Duke stops to hold out his arm to me.
“Beautiful ceremony.” I curl my hand into the crook of his elbow.
He tucks his arm against his side, holding me close. “Cash really fell apart there.”
We start walking toward the tent. “Hey. He was in his feelings. To be honest, I am too. There’s lots of love in the air tonight. Also…I think I felt the baby move.”
Duke goes still, eyes flying wide. “You serious?”
“Hell yeah, I’m serious.” I take his hand and put it on my stomach. “You’re not going to be able to feel it from the outside for a while. But it felt like butterfly wings. Or a tickle.”
One side of his mouth quirks up. “Wanna give me a tickle later?”
“Can you not be horny for five seconds?”
We may have had morning sex earlier. Twice. And I would’ve snuck in a quickie if we’d had time after lunch. But Sally invited me, Mollie, and Ava to get our hair and makeup done with her,so I was too busy drinking nonalcoholic sparkling cider to get, er, busy with my boyfriend.
“Absolutely not. That’s a double negative, right?” Duke pretends to think on this for a second. “Whatever the case, I cannot not be horny. Not when you’re around.”
I give him a nudge, and we start walking again. “Nice boots, by the way.”
Duke is wearing a pair of our City Boots. All the Rivers boys are. We had five matching pairs custom made in navy blue leather for today to match their navy blue suits. They topped it all off with brown Stetsons.
