A Warrior Wedding (The Protectors #7)(50)

Jill nodded in agreement, excitement mixing with the pain in her stomach.

******

After their goodbyes, Slade picked her up carrying her up the trail toward the house. Her bare feet stuck out from her dress.

“You forgot your shoes.” Slade stopped, ready to turn around.

“No, I didn’t.” Jill wiggled her toes. “I didn’t wear any.”

“At all?” Slade grinned.

“Nope.” Jill kissed his cheek. “You married a true country girl, Slade Buchanan.”

“Have fun you two.” Caroline met them on the path coming from the house. “Everything is set,” she told Slade.

“Thank you, Caroline.” Slade moved to the side letting her pass.

“What’s going on?” Jill frowned at both of them. When they remained silent, Jill knew she wasn’t going to get any answers. “Okay, well, leave everything, Caroline. You’ve done enough and I’ll be back to clean up.”

“I’ve got this, Jill,” Caroline told her. “Now get her out of here, Slade.”

“Caroline.” Jill huffed. “I mean it.”

All Jill heard from Caroline was a laugh. Frowning, she looked up the path and sitting in her parents’ driveway was a sleek black limo, and Slade was heading right for it.

“That’s for us?” Jill asked in awe. She’d never ridden in a limo before.

Slade set her down gently as the driver opened the door. “It’s for you.”

Looking at the driver before getting in, Jill thanked him. Scooting across the seat, her eyes were round as saucers. “It’s beautiful.” She took everything in.

“You’re beautiful,” Slade replied, watching her.

“I’ve never been in a limo before, can ya tell?” She laughed at herself climbing onto Slade’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“If this is the way you show your appreciation, I’ll buy you one.” Slade kissed her softly. “What color would you like?”

“Blue,” Jill answered automatically. “I want a blue limo.”

“Blue to match your hair.” Slade touched her face with a soft caress.

“You know me so well,” Jill teased, pressing her face into his hand.

“I’m learning more and more about you every single day.” Slade’s eyes roamed her face.

“That’s a scary thought.” Jill cringed.

“No, it’s fascinating.” He took her mouth in a gentle kiss that quickly turned into something more intense.

Finally! Jill shouted silently in her mind, but as soon as things were getting hot and she was on the verge of losing her mind in a good way, Slade pulled away from her. “No!” This time the word came out of her mouth and loudly.

Slade chuckled. “Unless you want the driver to get a peek at the action, we need to slow it down.”

Regaining her wits, which took a few minutes, Jill realized they had stopped. Slade tapped on the window, the door opened right away. Slade slid out first, then held his hand out to help Jill. She turned to find a cute little cabin surrounded by trees.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to spend your wedding night at the compound.” Slade led her around the limo and then tipped the driver who had set two small suitcases on the porch.

“It’s perfect, Slade.” Jill beamed. “It’s almost like the one I showed you a while ago, that I loved.”

Slade smiled, took a key out of his pocket and opened the door. Carefully picking her up, he carried her into the cabin and set her down.

Jill stood in the middle of the room just taking everything in. The fireplace was a gorgeous stone and already had a fire crackling. She walked slowly, peeking into another room and gasped. The kitchen was huge and rustic, just like the cabin itself.

“Sid would kill for this kitchen.” Jill laughed, opening doors and soaking up the beauty of the place. Continuing her exploration, she headed upstairs. “It has two nice size bedrooms. The cabin doesn’t look this big on the outside.”

“Did you look out back?” Slade called from downstairs.

Jill came back down the steps, excitement shining from her eyes. She opened the double doors, walked out onto a patio and clapped in delight. “A pool!” Jill spun around, laughing. “Please tell me we can go swimming.”

“We can do whatever you want,” Slade said, without realizing the implication of his words, but Jill heard him loud and clear. “So do you really like it?”

“I absolutely love it, Slade.” Jill wrapped her arms around herself, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. “How long are we staying?”

“For as long as you want.” Slade pulled her to him putting his chin on top of her head. “Because I bought it for you.”

“Excuse me?” Jill pulled away, her nails clawing into his arms. “What did you say?”

“It’s ours, Jill.” Slade chuckled at her open-mouth gape.

“You...you bought me a house?” she said. He nodded, yet she still didn’t believe it.

“I love you.” Slade tilted her chin up. “I would buy you the world if I could.”

“No.” She shook her head, her eyes still wide with shock. “A house is good, but it’s too much.”