Saving Paige, page 11
“Another picture to go on the wall,” my mom said, looking down at her phone. She swiped at her cheeks. “You two make the most beautiful family.” She hugged Paige again. “You’re glowing so beautifully, sweetie.”
“Hell yeah, she is,” I agreed. “She’s my sunshine.”
I was rewarded with one of my fiancée’s beautiful blushes.
Epilogue
I blew out an anxious breath and looked nervously at my wrist. I had two more minutes before I needed to take my place at the altar to wait for my beautiful bride to come down the wedding aisle to me.
A year and a half later, Kaylyn was now six, and she only got prettier with each day that passed. Lillian was a year old now, and she had blonde hair and blue eyes just like her mother, and she was toddling around, grabbing everything she didn’t need to.
Hell, I was just thankful that Lillian was a hell of a lot calmer than Kaylyn.
At six, Kaylyn was still energetic. And she and Jimmie were the worst damn pair when they got together. He had to be the best, yet worst, uncle I’d ever known of.
“You ready for this?” Jimmie asked me as he adjusted my tie. “Stop messing with your suit,” he reprimanded.
“Take a deep breath,” Byron told me, holding Millie—his daughter—on his hip.
“What if I fuck up the vows?” I asked.
Byron shook his head at me. “You’re confident, Dylan. Paige is even more nervous than you. You need to be confident enough for both of you. She’s going to be drawing off of your calmness to make it through this,” he reminded me.
I nodded, drawing in another deep breath. “Get to the altar,” Jimmie instructed. “Breathe. Paige looks absolutely breathtaking, bro. Focus on that,” he told me, his tone serious, not at all teasing like it normally was when he talked about how gorgeous my bride-to-be was.
I nodded, leaving the room to head out to the altar. I leaned over and kissed my mom’s cheek before I took my spot, linking my hands together in front of me as the DJ began playing “Let’s Get Married” by Jagged Edge. I watched as Winter came down the aisle on Byron’s arm wearing a deep purple dress that slid along the floor. Byron smiled down at her, whispering something to her that made her blush.
I rolled my eyes. Byron couldn’t even keep it in his pants long enough to make it through my damn wedding.
“I love you,” he whispered to her before they parted, and they each took their respective places.
Jimmie came down the aisle holding Millie on his hip. Paige wanted her as a bridesmaid, as strange as it had been, but Paige didn’t have any other female friends to be a bridesmaid, and she wanted me to be able to have both of my best friends at my side at our wedding.
Millie was giggling as she waved at everyone. “Fuck, she’s breaking hearts already,” Byron whispered from behind me.
“It only gets worse,” I whispered back. Hell, just two nights ago, Kaylyn had told me she had a fucking boyfriend. I almost had a heart attack. She was six! Boys were still supposed to have cooties.
Jimmie set Millie down, pointing to Winter. With a squeal, she took off for her mom who lifted her onto her hip, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. Jimmie took his spot beside Byron.
Lillian squealed from out in the crowd as she clapped her hands. I grinned at her, blowing her a kiss. She squealed and clapped her hands together again, grinning widely at me.
God, that little girl had me wrapped around her tiny finger.
Kaylyn came through the doors, a beautiful pink dress on that poofed out at her waist. Her hair was done up with small curls falling around her face. She looked like the beautiful princess she always dreamed of being, and it made my eyes tear up.
“Fuck,” I whispered, my voice strangled. “She’s not supposed to grow up.”
Byron chuckled. “Wait until you see Paige.”
Kaylyn grinned at me as she reached the end of the aisle. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You look like a princess, munchkin.”
She beamed up at me. “Really?”
I nodded. “Go stand next to Auntie Winter. The queen has to come out now.”
She nodded eagerly as she rushed off to stand next to Winter. Winter grabbed her hand as I turned my attention back to the door, waiting on my bride.
My breath left me on a whoosh as Paige stepped out on my dad’s arm. She was wearing a strapless white ball-gown style wedding dress with yellow sequins dotted across the dress.
My sunshine.
Tears swam in my eyes as I stared at her. Her makeup was kept to a minimum, her beautiful eyes shining with tears as she furiously blinked them to keep them from falling onto her cheeks.
Tiny little sunflowers were in her hair, and she was holding a bouquet of sunflowers and red roses. Her nails were done yellow, as was her eyeshadow.
“Fuck,” I choked out as a tear slipped down my cheek. The sight of her almost brought me to my knees.
She laughed softly as she reached me. I instantly took her hands in my own, staring at her as she stood in front of me. “You’re so beautiful,” I whispered. “A true queen.”
She grinned at me as a tear slipped from her eye.
I held Paige’s hand in my own as I waited for Kaylyn to silence the room. She was supposed to introduce us to everyone as Mr. and Mrs. Bowen, and she had begged me to be the one to do it.
Hell, I think my little girl was more excited for me and Paige to be married than we were ourselves, and that said something.
“Hello!” Kaylyn finally screamed at the top of her lung. “Can everyone please shut up?!” she yelled.
“Fucking Jimmie,” I swore.
Paige laughed softly. “Of course,” she agreed. “Who else would tell her to say that?”
“Thank you!” Kaylyn called out sweetly. “It is my honor as the princess of my kingdom to announce my mom and dad.” The doors opened, revealing me and Paige. “Everyone, the king and queen!” Kaylyn yelled, throwing her arms out towards us.
The room erupted in cheers as I grinned down at my princess. “What happened to Mr. and Mrs. Bowen?” I teasingly asked my little girl.
She rolled her eyes. “It was too boring,” she told me bluntly.
I barked out a laugh as I kissed her forehead. “Well, come on, princess. This king wants to cut the cake so he can smash it in your mom’s face.”
“I swear, Dylan, if you smash that cake in my face—"
I cut her off as I grabbed a handful of cake and rubbed it in her face. Everyone erupted in laughter as she screamed my name. I rolled my lips into my mouth, my shoulders shaking as I silently laughed. She grabbed the napkin Winter held out to her and wiped her face, her eyes narrowed at me.
Then, she grabbed the entire top tier of the cake and smashed it over my head.
I grinned at her. “Oh, you’ve done it now,” I warned her.
“Dylan—" she screeched with laughter. I threw her over my shoulder and grabbed a handful of cake and smashed it all over her back.
“Food fight!” Kaylyn yelled.
“No!” I shouted.
Too late. Kaylyn and Jimmie grabbed the rest of the cake and tossed it on me and Paige.
I nuzzled my neck into Paige’s neck. We were finally in clean clothes, and we were dancing to a George Strait song, quietly swaying to the lyrics. And she smelled like wedding cake. I wanted to devour her.
“You were the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen in my life,” I said softly, pressing a kiss to her neck.
“You cried,” she whispered.
I nodded. “I will forever remember the moment I laid my eyes on you. You looked like the true queen of my daughter’s kingdom.”
Paige tightened her arms around me. “I have to admit that I loved Kaylyn’s way of introducing us, even if it was a bit unexpected.”
I laughed softly. “What can I say? My baby girl has a flair for the dramatic.”
The music suddenly changed from slow-dance songs to hip-hop songs, and I looked up, narrowing my eyes at Jimmie as he and Kaylyn high-fived.
“My Type” by Saweetie suddenly blared through the speakers. Paige squealed as she and Winter dashed onto the dance floor with all my female cousins. The girls started dancing and twerking on the floor. “Got to admit, I’ll probably thank Jimmie for this later,” Byron said as he moved to stand next to me, his eyes locked on Winter who was laughing and dancing with Paige.
I laughed. “Yeah, me, too,” I admitted. I gaped as my cousins, my wife, and Winter suddenly started cheering as my mom got on the dance floor and started dancing with them.
“My mom can twerk?” I asked. I was a bit disgusted, not going to lie. I really didn’t need to see this shit.
My dad grinned as he stood on the other side of me. “Damn, your mom still has the moves.”
“Dad, that’s disgusting,” I deadpanned. Byron roared with laughter.
I watched as Kaylyn got on the dance floor with Paige and Winter, dancing with them. I sighed. “They’re corrupting my princess,” I grumbled.
Byron laughed. “Your daughter was already corrupted,” he reminded me. “Look who her uncles are.”
I barked out a laugh. “Yeah, thanks for the reminder.”
Paige moved over to me and turned her back to me, dancing against me. I groaned softly, placing my hands on her hips as I moved with her, grinding my hips against her ass.
I leaned forward so my lips were at her ear. “You better have some of these moves in bed later tonight,” I whispered in her ear.
She shot me a wicked smirk over her shoulder. “Guess it’s a good thing I wore my best lingerie set,” she teasingly whispered, moving away from me as she winked at me. “Here’s a hint—they’re yellow.”
Fuck.
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