RYDER (Slater Brothers 4)(99)

“Branna,” he breathed. “Wow!”

I looked down at my dress then back up to him.

“I can’t believe any of this.”

My friend smiled a big toothy smile. “I can, you told me how brilliant Ryder is to you, and how much he adores you. This proves it.”

I quickly fanned my face with the card with his message on it to keep my tears at bay. And I had to fan faster when music began to play inside what I now knew was a church hall. Ash walked over to me and picked up the beautiful bouquet of peach and white roses from the table and handed them to me.

“That’s our cue, Angel,” he said as I touched the stunning arrangment.

“Our cue?” I repeated.

“It’d be my honour if you’d allow me to give you away, Bran,” he said, his eyes a little glassy.

“Oh, Ash,” I whispered. “Yes. Yes, I would love for you to give me away. I love you!”

“And I love you,” he said, his voice breaking. “You’re my best friend and you deserve every bit of happiness in life. No one deserves it more, Bran.”

“Don’t cry,” I said to myself. “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

“Are you ready?” Ash asked and wiped his eyes with his free hand.

“You have no idea how ready,” I replied, still not wrapping my head around what was happening.

Ash and I began to walk forward, and I gasped when the huge double doors that lead to the stunning church hall opened wide automatically. We stepped forward into the hall, and the first thing I saw were flowers that matched my bouquet were tied in the same stunning arrangement on the end of each bench I passed by as I walked down the aisle.

The next thing I noticed was Bronagh, Aideen, Keela and Alannah were standing to the left of the church altar in matching floor length peach dresses. Bronagh was holding Georgie who was wearing a tiny version of the dress, too.

I shifted my eyes to the right and saw Kane, Alec, Dominic and Damien standing to the right of the altar in matching black suits with peach ties, and Kane was holding Jax who matched the lads with a tiny tailored suit.

Sally, who was sitting on the front row of benches next to her husband, twisted in my direction with a smile in place. All eyes were on me. Especially his. I could feel my skin tingling as his gaze lingered on me. Ryder was in the middle of the altar, wearing a black suit and peach tie like his brothers, as he stood next to the current Parish priest.

“Nanananana!” Jax suddenly shouted.

Without hesitation I said, “Heya, darlin’.”

He was seven months old now, and I claimed he was saying my name because he said it often, probably because there were a lot of N and A letters that he had fun with. The rest of the time he blew spit bubbles, and murmured gibberish.

He was a delight.

“You ready to become Mrs Slater?” Ash murmured to me as we walked.

I sucked in a breath before I said, “Hell yes.”

That made him chuckle under his breath.

We neared the end of the aisle, and for the life of me I couldn’t look away from Ryder. His eyes were trained on me too, and I felt every flick of his gaze caress me.

When we reached the altar, the priest asked Ash a question, and he replied, but I missed it because I was too focused on Ryder. I snapped out of it when he stepped forward and took my hand that Ash was offering him.

“Thanks, Ash,” Ryder said, gratitude in his voice.

“Take care of her,” my friend replied then winked at me before he took a seat on the front bench next to Sally and her husband.

How the hell had she gotten here with Doctor Harris, and how she was dressed up in pretty clothes when I literally saw her an hour ago was beyond me.

I turned my attention to Ryder when he squeezed my hand.

“Ry,” I whispered.

He had tears in his eyes as he said, “You look so beautiful, sweetness.”

Warmth filled my pounding heart when he suddenly dropped to his knee and reached for my left hand, which I gave to him freely.

“What’re doin’?” I asked, my heart pounding against my chest.

“I didn’t do it correctly the first time around, but I want to start off by doing it the right way now.”

Oh, my God.

“There’s no one but you, Bran,” Ryder began, his chest puffed out. “I never thought I’d be the type to settle down and get married until you, quite literally, fell into my life. I never thought I’d want a wife, a family, and someone to love me as much as you do until you smiled in my direction and took my breath away. I never thought, after everything I’ve been through in my life, that someone as beautiful, smart and selfless as you would stick by my side through thick and thin, but you have. I’m not perfect, and I have my flaws, but you love me in spite of that. You have changed me, and my entire life for the better. You love my brothers, like they are your own, and you made us part of your family. You’ve given me purpose. Will you do me the greatest of honour of being my wife?”

It took the might of God and willpower I never knew I had not to burst into tears there and then. I squeezed his hand to the point of pain and said, “Yes!”

Ryder’s shoulders sagged with relief, and I heard practically everyone release a shaky breath. I looked to my family and friends and raised a brow, “You all thought after six years I was lettin’ him out of this church without puttin’ a ring on me finger, really?”