Chapter 73

CHAPTER 73

JESS

W hen I'd been a little girl, all I'd wanted was to become a farmer. As I'd grown older, several important things had happened, one of which had been realizing that boys did not, in fact, have cooties.

Once that realization had sunk in, I'd wondered what else I wanted when I grew up. I'd known even then that I'd never want to leave this place. Not Firefly Grove or Merrick Meadows, so all my dreams for the future had involved me living here, doing what I loved most.

With time, as my dreams had evolved and my aspirations had matured, I'd realized that I deeply wanted children and then I'd realized that in order to have them, I needed a guy. In my mind's eye, his face had always been blurred, but I'd known he was handsome.

More importantly, I'd known that he embodied everything I could possibly want in a partner. He would be my best friend and the shoulder I cried on, my pillar of strength, and the one I most loved both laughing and fighting with.

I never thought that I would find that, but as I looked at Slate now, seated under the stars on the field between the barn and the house, chuckling at something my mother had said, I knew to the very center of my being that I had.

What I felt for him transcended all logic and reason. I had no doubt anywhere within me that marrying him, even so soon, had been the absolute best decision I'd ever made. I was completely and utterly convinced that he and I belonged together, and I felt it on a deeper level than I could even describe.

I was on cloud nine, and I couldn't have dreamed of a better wedding or a better man to get married to. The atmosphere on the farm this evening, as it had been all day, was casual and laid back. Seeing as how Slate had proposed less than two months ago, it'd all come together rather quickly, but knowing it was right, I'd wanted it to happen sooner rather than later.

Dad, Austin, and Slate had spent the better part of the last month cleaning out and repairing the barn, as well as constructing a simple wooden structure on the field outside of it. Mom and I had strung up twinkle lights around the beams and we'd draped it with light, breezy white fabric to soften it up a little.

The groomsmen and Tag, my brides man, had built fires in custom-crafted steel firepits that Slate had said he wanted for the garden anyway and had paid a local to construct. Several barbecues were on the go, meat being grilled while several smokers had been hard at work all day for some variety.

Freshly baked breads and farm butter my mom had made stood on tables along the side of the reception, too many salads to count with them. I leaned back in my chair, unable to stop smiling as I breathed it all in.

Country music streamed from the barn, the DJ another local we'd hired. Every vendor we'd used as well as every member of the cleaning crew Slate had employed to help out were local too. I'd been surprised that he hadn't called in any fancy New York City caterers or photographers, but it'd been his idea to hire only locals.

I glanced at him, still not quite able to believe that I now had the title of his wife. Mrs. Merrick-Spieres. I liked the ring of it.

As the music changed and the first strains of our song started playing, Slate stood up, smiling at me as he extended his hand. "May I have this dance?"

I placed my palm in his, only too happy to have a few minutes where I'd get to hold him. He looked so freaking handsome in his new jeans, a white button-down, and a suit jacket, with a neat beard now a permanent fixture on his jaw and hair product a thing of the past, that I'd been wanting to strip him down since I'd first laid eyes on him.

But that would have to wait.

Our guests clapped and cheered as we strode hand in hand to the barn for our first dance as husband and wife. I'd been smiling so much that my cheeks were hurting, but I laughed when Mira and Sophie made an arch with their hands for us to walk under as we re-entered the barn.

The chairs we'd used for the ceremony had been cleared out to turn the space into a massive dance floor. Just as the iconic Keith Urban started singing I Wanna Love Somebody Like You , Slate spun me in a slow circle and pulled me back to him.

He slid his arms around my waist, pushing me around the barn to the familiar tune of one of my favorite songs, and I rested my head on his shoulder, one of my hands in his and the other at the nape of his neck.

"How're you doing?" he asked as we danced, his lips moving against my ear. "You holding up okay?"

"Better than ever," I assured him, lifting my head to look into his eyes for a beat so he could see that I really meant it. "I love you, Slate. Thank you for working so damn hard to pull all this together in time. I know it would've been easier to just rent a venue."

"Just because something is easy doesn't make it right," he responded, those golden brown eyes shining with warmth under the twinkle lights that we'd strung up in here as well.

I'd have preferred if they could've been real fireflies, but this was the best way I'd been able to come up with to emulate the magic of that night we'd had in the back fields when I'd first shown them to him.

"A venue wouldn't have been the same, my love," he murmured, perfectly capturing my own thoughts. "I'd have married you anytime and anywhere, but this farm holds your history and our future. It's where we fell in love and where we're going to build our life together. No venue would've been able to hold a candle to that."

I smiled, toying with the ends of his dark hair as I stared up into his eyes, wondering how I'd gotten so lucky. "I can't wait for us to start building that life together."

He grinned, leaning forward to whisper against my ear. "Well, you're in luck then. Tonight, I'm going to put our first baby in you."

I blushed. Hard. My cheeks erupted and I felt the heat all the way to my hair. "Shush. Don't talk like that in front of all of our friends and family."

Most had filtered in from outside to watch our dance and several couples had even joined us, but Slate just chuckled and pulled me closer. "Maybe you shouldn't look so sexy and I wouldn't have to."

Sighing as I shook my head at my husband, I turned my face to his and kissed him, gently, but meaningfully. Our guests cheered and I blushed again, but I smiled as I pressed another kiss to his lips, not really caring that so many people were watching us right now.

After discussing the matter, Slate and I had decided that we wanted to start trying for a baby soon, and I hadn't told him yet, but I'd had the implant removed. I wasn't na?ve. I knew that didn't mean that I'd get pregnant right away, but I'd figured it was the first step and I'd taken it.

We were both ready and this was what we wanted. Now we just had to wait and see.

As our song ended, my dad's face suddenly appeared in my field of vision and he offered me his hand. "It's our turn now, I believe."

Slate sighed loudly but grinned as he clapped my dad on the back. "I'll be over there with Logan when you're done. We need to cut the cake."

I nodded, placing my hand in my father's and smiling at him as he started pushing me around the dance floor. "Are you having fun, Daddy?"

His eyes brimmed with tears as he nodded at me, the smile not having left his face all day either. "I'm so proud of you, my baby."

"Thanks, Daddy." I felt tears pressing at the backs of my own eyes all of a sudden and I laughed, trying my best to blink them away. "You did most of the work, though. You shouldn't be proud of me for any of this."

"Well, you said yes," he teased. "That's not what I was talking about, though."

Looking deep into my eyes, his brow furrowed with emotion and he swallowed hard, but he pushed through. "I want you to know that I was never disappointed that you were going to be carrying on the Merrick legacy instead of your brother. It's been bugging me that you might think our reaction when Austin told us he was going to school to study finance was because we didn't want it to be you."

I blinked rapidly. "Oh. No, I didn't think you didn't want it to be me. I just know it was supposed to have been him."

Dad's head shook slowly. "It wasn't because of that either. He just gave us a shock, honey, but moreover, farming is a tough life. I know now that you were born to do it, but we were scared you'd feel trapped here. That you wouldn't want this life either. It's not for everyone."

"No, but it is for me."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "We know that now. I just wanted to clear it all up. You're starting a new chapter of your life today and we want you to know that we've never been prouder, but we were never disappointed or afraid of leaving the farm to you. Austin just took us by surprise and we were afraid for ourselves. All that negativity never had anything to do with you."

"Thanks, Daddy," I murmured, realizing as he said the words how much I'd needed to hear them. I'd always known this was where I belonged, but all this time, somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd worried that my parents doubted me and that they wished Austin would come back.

Sighing as relief trickled through me, allowing all sorts of old knots to unwind, I rested my head against his, but it seemed he wasn't done yet. "We're so happy that you found such a good man. He's even turning into an alright farmer these days. May you two have a long and happy life together, my baby girl. I never thought I'd be okay with you falling in love, but I've got to admit, Slate has made it easy to accept."

I chuckled. "Oh, please. You love him more than you love me and Austin."

Dad laughed, shrugging as he winked at me. "It's hard not to love a man who makes your daughter so happy."

"I am happy," I murmured. "I never would've seen the goodness in Slate if you hadn't been the role model in my life showing me what a truly good man is, Daddy. I hope you know that."

As our song ended, Dad smiled and kissed my cheek. "I love you, baby. Have a good time tonight, okay?"

"Thanks, Daddy. You too."

The DJ faded the song into an upbeat pop song and Slate and I invited everyone onto the dance floor to join us to get the party going. I joined a circle Mira, Logan, Sophie, Tag, and Slate had formed, and I cuddled baby Beau, laughing with my friends and feeling absolutely fulfilled by my life.

I was so unbelievably excited to see what came next. Although if Slate got his way, I already knew what was coming and I couldn't say I'd be disappointed in the least if that was what happened.