41. Tucker

“Tucker Owen Donahue! How dare you not give me adequate notice of your wedding! My hair is a mess but there’s no way Doris could fit me in when you only gave me an hour to get here!” Gran swats at my chest as soon as I”m close enough for her to reach.

“I”m sorry, Gran.” I chuckle as I tug her into a hug. “When Skylar told Pastor Barren she wanted to get married as soon as possible, I figured it was better to lock her down before she could run again.”

“Silly boy, that girl isn”t going anywhere this time. Riley’s already like a daughter to her. You two are practically inseparable and she’s carrying your son. And she’s the best principal this sleepy old town has ever seen. If she left now, half of Maple Springs would be on a manhunt for her.” Gran pats my cheek, just like she’s been doing since I was a kid.

Leslie flies through the door in a long wine-colored dress and frantically searches the area.

“She’s upstairs. Second door on the right.”

“Thanks, Tucker!” She calls over her shoulder, already rushing up the stairs.

“That girl is adorable and sweet as can be.” Ma stares after her. “Colton needs to find someone like her.”

“Are you gonna play matchmaker?” I arch a brow.

“If he doesn’t stop sleeping around I will.”

I open my mouth to defend him, but she shakes her head. She isn”t stupid. I’m sure she sees what he’s doing.

“I”m not that old, Tuck. I know what he does. The girls of this town flock to him because of that uniform. They’ve kept their distance a little bit more since Skylar returned, but as soon as they all see she belongs to you and not him, they’ll all be back. He needs someone like Leslie.”

“I think you need to talk to him about that and not me, Gran.”

Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants for the tenth time in as many minutes, I nervously wait for my bride to come down the aisle.

Music plays from a speaker next to me and Leslie begins walking down the aisle.

“Holy shit,” Colton groans from next to me. “Do you think she’d go out for dinner with me?”

“If you go anywhere near her, you better be planning on dating her long term. If you hurt her, Skylar will murder you.” I smile at Leslie as she takes her spot at the front of our makeshift altar, at the base of the tree Skylar and I used to climb as kids. Skylar insisted on getting married in the backyard of her parent’s home. She said she didn’t want a church wedding and I agreed because I don’t care how we do it. I just want her to be my wife.

“She’d go to prison if she killed the sheriff.”

“And who’s going to investigate? Also, I”m fairly certain she’s smart enough to hide a body. Remember when she did that project in high school about how a pig can eat an entire body? Your body would be gone long before anyone came to question the sweet pregnant elementary school principal.”

“I”m a little nervous that you already know how to dispose of a body.”

“It’s always a good idea to be prepared.” I shrug a shoulder, turning my attention back to the aisle right as Skylar comes around the corner.

Leslie must have helped her with her hair and make-up. She’s stunning, even more so than usual. A lace wedding dress hugs every curve of her body, showing off the tiny baby bump she has. She’s like a dream come true, everything I ever hoped of.

“Damn,” I whisper like a prayer. “Thank you, Lord. This woman is all mine.”

“Can we save the eye fucking for after the wedding?” Colt elbows me in the ribs.

“Daddy! Look at how pretty Mommy is!” Riley tugs on my hand.

I glance down at my daughter as the first tear trickles down my cheek. I never imagined Riley would have a mother, let alone Skylar as her mom.

“She’s gorgeous. We’re lucky to have her in our lives.”

“I can”t believe you’re all mine,” I breathe against her neck, holding her as close to me as I can.

“Me either. It feels like I”m living in a dream.”

“Mommy! Can we get a cupcake?” Riley tugs on Skylar’s hand.

Skylar’s attention snaps to me, her eyes wide and nervous.

“Uhh, sure. Can you give me a second to talk to Daddy?”

“Yup! I’ll go get Uncle Colt to steal me some cookies too!” Riley bounces away with a smile on her face.

“Tucker, I didn’t-”

“I know. She referred to you as mommy the second you appeared at the end of the aisle, I didn’t correct her.”

“Why?”

“Well, aren’t you her mom now?”

“Technically, no.”

“Then let’s change that.” I grin.

“You want me to adopt her?” Her eyes widen even more.

“Yes. You’re more of a mother to her than Malory ever was. If something happened to me, I’d love knowing she still belonged to you… unless you don’t want to adopt her.”

“Of course I want to! I love that little girl!”

“Good. We can figure out what we need to do this week. For now, let’s go get our daughter and son some cupcakes!”