Perfectly Wedded (Perfect Crush #1)

32. Vale

THIRTY-TWO

Vale

“ I t’s only our third try at a honeymoon if you count Vegas,” I say as we get out of the limo—the same one Sloan stole earlier—and head toward the log cabin buried deep in the Carolina woods. After the wedding, I surprised Sloan with an Airbnb tucked just outside Sully’s Beach in a remote spot where the hockey team won’t be able to track us down—at least not if I can help it. Tonight’s our wedding night, and I’ve waited a long time for this moment. After everything we’ve been through, I don’t want any interruptions.

When we open the door, the soft glow of the cabin welcomes us, and the big picture window frames a gorgeous view of the woods. But honestly, the only thing I want to stare at tonight is my wife. Who needs a view when I’ve got the most beautiful distraction right here?

I turn to Sloan and slip my hands around her waist—just as my phone rings in my pocket.

My stomach flips when I see the name on the screen. “It’s Dr. Phillips.” Why would he be calling on the weekend? “Should I answer it?”

“If you don’t, I will,” Sloan says, trying to steal the phone from me .

Guess that’s my cue to answer. “What’s up, Doc?” I say, dropping our bags in the living room. “Don’t tell me you’re working on a Saturday.”

“Not if I can help it, but this was too important. I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

I chuckle. “Well, only our wedding night.” Sloan stifles a laugh as I turn on the speakerphone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” he says, clearly embarrassed. “This is NOT that urgent!”

“As long as it’s good news, you’ve got exactly one minute,” I half joke. I’m counting down the seconds until I can finally have this woman all to myself.

“I thought you’d want to know right away. I just got news that the insurance company approved our appeal. Sloan’s medicine will be fully covered.”

“Are you serious?” I burst out as Sloan claps her hands over her mouth and silently screams.

“Hopefully that was worth the interruption,” he adds.

“We’re both thrilled,” I say with a laugh, throwing my arms around Sloan and lifting her off the ground.

“I’ll let you get to more important matters. Enjoy the rest of your night—and don’t worry, no more calls from me.”

I hang up and turn to Sloan, who’s watching me with a knowing grin.

“I think you were more worried about this than I was,” she says.

I let out a long exhale and rub the back of my neck. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy and healthy. I could do something about the first, but the second was harder.”

“Nothing makes me happier than being with you,” she says, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

“Now, where were we?” I say, nuzzling my nose into the curve of her neck. My lips trail over her skin, leaving a line of kisses across her collarbone .

My phone rings again. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I growl, pulling my phone from my pocket. “It’s Brax. We’re ignoring it.”

“No!” Sloan shouts. “What if it’s about my sister? Or the baby?”

I sigh. “Okay, fine. I’ll give him five minutes, but that’s it.” I turn on the video call, and Brax’s face fills the screen. “This better be important.”

“Don’t blame me,” Brax says. “I was overruled.”

The phone is yanked away, and suddenly Jaz, Tate, and Leo are all there, battling for screen time. “Turn the phone around so I can see your place,” Jaz asks.

Sloan takes the phone and shows off our quaint, one-bedroom cabin, complete with a fireplace and hot tub.

The screen jerks, and Tate’s big mug fills the frame. “I just want to state, for the record, I told them crashing your honeymoon was a terrible idea. But hey, what kind of honeymoon would it be without us barging in?”

“It would be the best day of my life,” I deadpan. “Now, if you’ll excuse us...”

“Hang on a second, I didn’t get my time.” Leo elbows Tate out of the way, giving us an unfortunate close-up of his nose. “I just wanted to give you some wedding night advice.”

“Oh, great,” I mutter. Sloan coughs out a laugh.

“For dudes who need help in the romance department,” Leo says.

“I think I’m fine in that department, thanks,” I reply.

Leo ignores me and goes on, “Some women have told me I’m a magnet for the opposite sex.”

“You know magnets work two ways,” Tate interrupts. “They attract and repel.”

“Shut up, Tate,” Leo snaps. “As I was saying, women need romance. The emotional connection...”

“Go on, this is highly amusing,” Brax says, folding his arms.

Leo frowns. “You might be surprised, but underneath this scowl, I’m quite the romantic. I just don’t show you clowns that side of me.”

“Are you going to use your moves on Victoria?” Sloan asks with a mischievous smile.

“I’m not dating Victoria,” he shoots back. “Just helping her out for the next few months.”

“As her new skating partner,” Jaz adds.

“Figure skating?” I burst out laughing. “Oh man, I cannot wait to see you in a sparkly jumpsuit.”

Leo rolls his eyes. “I’m not competing with her. It’s just for practice. Coach said Victoria needs a temporary skating partner, and I’d be perfect for the job.”

“I thought Coach called it your community service after you lost your temper in a game?” Brax clarifies.

Leo huffs. “Details, details.”

“It doesn’t hurt that she’s hot,” Tate remarks.

Leo gives Tate a death glare. “I can’t help it if she happens to be pretty.”

“What a noble sacrifice,” I mutter.

Leo holds up a finger. “Listen, I knew her back in college. We even dated for a while. She’s the bossiest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Kind of like a female version of you,” Brax says, and we all laugh except for Leo, who’s scowling.

Apparently Leo has met his match in the form of an attractive female figure skater.

“Well, guys, I hate to cut this short...” I stop, then rephrase. “Actually, I don’t hate it at all. I’m quite looking forward to cutting you off.”

Brax laughs. “Yeah, yeah, get back to your wedding night. We’ll see you when the honeymoon’s over.”

“ If we come back,” I add just before turning off the phone. Finally, no more interruptions.

Sloan smiles up at me. “You think you can survive a whole night without your team calling? ”

I grin. “I think I’ll manage.” Then I pull her closer, my voice low. “Besides, according to our marriage rules, I think there’s one more thing we haven’t done.”

“I wonder what that is?” Sloan asks with an innocent smile that tells me she knows exactly what it is.

She wraps her arms around my neck and starts to trail kisses along my jaw, which makes my whole body practically melt.

“As good as that feels,” I say, pulling away slightly, “I don’t want to rush tonight. I’ve waited so long for this.”

A smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “So you’re saying you want to watch a movie first?”

A low laugh rumbles out of me. “I definitely do not want to watch a movie.” I trace the outline of her lips with my thumb. “I want to watch you. Memorize every part of you. Starting with this.”

I leave a soft kiss on her collarbone as I trace the curve of her neck with my knuckles.

“And this.”

Then I move to the side of her neck, sliding my fingers into her hair.

“And this.”

I tease her earlobe with my lips before whispering, “But first, I have another surprise.”

She looks unconvinced. “If any more surprise guests interrupt, I’m going to kick them out... personally .”

I laugh. “No surprise guests tonight. I promise.” Then I take her hand and lead her to the bedroom. “You’ll see.”

Her gaze lands on the bed. Rose petals cover the entire bed, just like in our Cancun honeymoon suite.

Her mouth falls open. “Did you do this?”

“I always remembered that night in Cancun,” I say. “It wasn’t the right time, and we weren’t ready for that step. You had to learn to trust me first.”

“Which was so aggravating and sexy, I could hardly stand it. ”

“It was worth it, if it means I get to have you now,” I say.

Her eyes hold mine. “I’ve replayed the moment in my head more times than I can count.”

I pull her body close to me, feel my heart thrumming against my chest. “So have I.”

She reaches up to kiss me, and I place a finger on her lips, stopping her. “Before we move on, I have one request.”

She looks at me, puzzled. “What is it?”

I take her wrist in my hand, my thumb circling it lightly. “The question game.”

She frowns. “The game we played at the waterfall?”

“We never finished,” I say, my lips kissing each of her wrists.

Her eyes spark. “I think it’s because you were too busy kissing me.”

“Well, you were highly distracting in that swimsuit. I totally lost my train of thought.” I trace my finger across her arm as goose bumps flood her skin. Just thinking about it makes me want to toss these cards aside and skip to the good part. But I’m taking it slow tonight, letting Sloan lead.

Her eyelids flutter as she inches closer to me. “If you do that again, we’re never going to start—let alone finish—this game.” She pulls away gently, giving me a look that says I’m dangerous.

“One final round of the question game. You either answer or lose a point. Whoever gets the most points gets to initiate our first kiss tonight.”

She looks me over skeptically. “What’s your game, MacPherson? You could just kiss me now. I won’t stop you.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Impatient, are we?”

Her cheeks flush lightly. “Maybe a little.”

“Sloan, I want to savor tonight with you—for as long as possible.” I pull out three cards from my pocket, handing her a card. She skims over the question. “You can’t ask this.” She turns the card around. “ What did Jaz’s note from the honeymoon say—the one you kept hidden? ”

I lift an eyebrow. “I figured if you couldn’t tell me then, it must be important.”

She bites her lip. “You really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.” A slow grin spreads across my face. “But if you want to lose the game, I wouldn’t hate that either.”

“You sneaky thing,” she says with a smirk. “Jaz’s advice was something I needed to hear, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. The first part of her note said to always say yes when you asked me to do something, even if it scared me... or involved putting on a swimsuit. That’s why I agreed to all those dates on our honeymoon.” She pauses for a beat. “But the second part was harder. She told me not to be afraid to tell you the truth, even if it was something difficult. That night in the hot tub, when I finally said you’re the one I wanted to be with, was me admitting the truth I’d been avoiding for too long. I’d learned that trust is earned, not given easily. And you were incredibly patient, helping me say yes to things I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

I lean in closer. “Being patient—waiting for you—may have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Sloan smirks. “Now who’s the impatient one?”

I hold up my card. “It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t answer a question.” Then I turn the card around so she can see it. “ What is the one rule we haven’t broken? ”

“You already know the answer,” she protests.

“I do, but where’s the fun if we don’t make it official? The only rule we haven’t broken is the one we’re about to shatter tonight — like an Olympic record.”

She steps closer, her eyes saying yes as my body feels that pull, but I hold up a hand. “Not until we’ve finished the game.”

Her eyes ask—no, beg me to kiss her, but I don’t give in, even though I want to. “Last question is yours.” I nod toward the lone card.

“I have a feeling you’ve got something up your sleeve,” she says, eyeing me warily. She reads it, then looks up at me, puzzled. “You’re letting me win?”

I smirk. “You forgot. In this game, everyone wins.”

She reads the card slowly. “ Is there anything Vale wouldn’t do for Sloan? ” Then she shakes her head. “I already know the answer. You’d do anything for me. The fact that you married me in Vegas—and risked your reputation. You even delayed your NHL dreams for me.”

“I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat,” I say softly. “You were always worth whatever I was giving up.” I cup her face with my hands, tip her chin toward me.

“Then I win?” she asks with a gleeful smile, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Not quite,” I say, watching her closely. “There’s one thing I wouldn’t do for you—and I need to tell you now.”

“Now?” She frowns. “You couldn’t say it later, at a more convenient time?”

“Absolutely not,” I say with a grin, sitting on the bed so I can have her full attention. “The one thing I won’t do—the one thing I’ll never consider—is setting an end date for our marriage. The first time you asked, I was livid that you’d even think I’d agree to it. Because even back then, I already knew what I know now: I want you, I’ve always wanted you. I’ve waited my whole life to make you mine. That’s the one thing you can’t ask, the one thing I’ll refuse—every single time.”

She takes it in, pressing her body closer to mine. “Does this mean the game is over and we can finally move things along? Because in case you didn’t notice, I’m okay with losing this game.”

Something sparks in my chest. The way she’s looking at me from under her dark lashes makes me want to surrender everything to her. I’m at her feet now, completely hers.

I wrap my arms around her waist and tip my face to hers. “As long as you answer one question for me: Are you ready to be my wife? Because tonight, you lead. I’m yours, if you’ll have me. ”

Even though I won the game, I’m letting her make the first move, because that’s what marriage is. Giving more than you take, making life glorious and beautiful in the most unexpected ways.

She doesn’t answer. She leaps without looking back. She launches herself into my arms, an unspoken yes, I love you. Again and again.