Trees thought Matt was missing out, but he just shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  All the men congregated in the kitchen. The remnants of last night’s cigar-and-booze fest had been cleared away. They all chowed down on coffee and donuts and some bacon that Kane and Zy nuked. His brothers opted for java with an ibuprofen chaser. Then after showers all around, they were off to the church, tuxedos in protective bags.

  Two hours before the ceremony, Trees was ready and pacing the floor impatiently, Laila’s simple wedding band jingling in his pocket, burning a hole.

  Trees texted her. Let’s get married now.

  She sent back a laughing-crying emoji. No, my love. Two o’clock. I am still getting ready.

  You’re beautiful as you are. I just want you to be mine.

  Very soon.She sent him a heart and a kiss emoji, then followed with another text. Then tonight, you are mine.

  Amen to that.

  Since returning from Mexico and finally getting free of the cartel, Laila had blossomed. Sure, she’d missed her sister when Valeria had decided to take Jorge and return to St. Louis. But that had prompted Laila to come out of her shell and make friends, first with Tessa, then with some of the other wives.

  She had also taken in the briefcase of money Federico Chavez had handed her and funded causes like drug rehab centers, women’s shelters, and counseling for cartel victims. The only funds she had used for herself were for college, which she would start after the baby was born. Laila wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do with her degree, except help children who had been the victims of assholes like the Ramos brothers.

  Trees thanked God every day that Laila’s personal nightmare was over. Sure, he’d put Hector six feet under while helping Zy and Tessa rescue Hallie from her abductors—and thankfully the little girl didn’t remember anything. But Victor had been another matter.

  A few days after leaving Victor to Chavez’s dubious mercy, his corpse had turned up, horribly mutilated. Laila had breathed a sigh of relief. News reports had expressed horror about the brutal torture Victor Ramos had endured, but Trees considered it karma. Laila hadn’t been able to look at the pictures, but Trees had, and he was still convinced that, despite Victor having all the dangling parts of his body severed before death, that he’d still had gotten off easier. After all, Victor had suffered for mere days. Laila had endured six long years.

  His phone buzzed again. I love you. Laila sent more heart emojis.

  I love you, too. He wasn’t much for emojis, but he sent a heart back, along with an eggplant, a honey pot, and water droplets. Their wedding night was coming up, after all.

  She sent another laughing-crying emoji.

  Trees checked his watch again and almost groaned. Fuck, it was taking forever to marry this woman.

  Finally Nash and Wade showed up at the church with his parents and sisters. He was not only grateful to see his family but damn glad to have something to take his mind off his impatience.

  “Hey, Mom and Dad. Wow, Kellyanne and Wren, you’ve both grown up.” He opened the door wide for them, marveling. Wren had been little more than a baby last time he’d seen her. “Thanks for coming early.”

  “Do we need to talk you off a ledge?” Kellyanne teased.

  “No. I just… This needs to hurry up.”

  His mother laughed, her eyes seemingly brighter now that her hair had gone silvery. “We’re so thrilled for you, son. And you look so handsome in your tuxedo.”

  He had worn a monkey suit a handful of times in his life, and rental shops always had fits when he walked in, but he’d had to admit he’d cleaned up pretty well. “Thanks.”

  His dad hugged him, then clapped his shoulder. “You ready for marriage and all it comes with?”

  “I am. Laila and I are beyond excited.” He’d tell them they were about to be grandparents again later. He already knew they’d be thrilled.

  “Lots of compromising…” his dad said so cheerfully, he obviously loved married life.

  “I’m learning that. Laila has already seen fit to redecorate the house to make it ‘homier.’” Trees grudgingly admitted he loved everything about it. Barney especially appreciated sleeping indoors more, the upgrade in his food, and the extra love. She was going to make an amazing mother.

  “Seriously, you look so happy.” Kellyanne kissed his cheek.

  “Congratulations.” Wren did the same.

  He hugged them all, then his family filed out and took their seats.

  Time flew in a blur of activity then. Everyone was busy, except his brothers, who slumped in the corner and tried to sleep off their hangovers. The reverend came in, and they shook hands. Then Zy took Laila’s ring and slipped it into his pocket before they all headed to the altar.

  Finally, Laila was almost his.

  The little white church was full of flowers and cheer as music started. Hallie and Jorge toddled down the aisle together, dressed so cutely their guests oohed and laughed. Tessa’s daughter threw pink rose petals, smiled like the ham she was, dancing to the altar. Jorge followed in his little tux, ring pillow in hand, looking deer-in-the-headlights as he headed to the front, where Kata and Tara Edgington waited for them both with pieces of candy and high-fives.

  Once the children were settled in the front row, Kimber walked down the aisle in a delicate V-neck dress in a shade somewhere between pink and beige. Tessa glided to the front of the church, dressed similarly, except her gown was draped across one shoulder, leaving the other bare. A glance at his best friend told Trees that Zy only had eyes for his wife, and their love for each other was palpable. Finally, Valeria made her way to the altar in a strapless dress of the same color, holding a bouquet of soft summer flowers—and finally looking at peace.

  Then the music changed again. Everyone rose. Trees held his breath, his heart chugging wildly.

  The most beautiful bride ever walked toward him, a vision in dark curls, white lace, and a smile of radiant joy. She beamed with love. He could feel it in the way she looked at him as she approached, one graceful step at a time, never taking her eyes off his.

  God, he felt so humbled, his devotion for his bride so thick it almost choked him.

  Finally, Laila stood before him, fitting her hands into his, trusting him with her body, her heart, and the rest of her life.

  In front of their friends and family, he vowed to love, honor, and cherish her, forsaking all others for the rest of his life. Trees didn’t think that would be hard. He was already doing it happily.

  Laila spoke the same words in return, tearing up as she bound her future to his.

  They exchanged rings. He was gratified that Laila’s fit her finger perfectly, and he was touched to find her hand shaking as she slid the titanium band onto his finger while swearing she would love him until the end of time.

  Then finally, the minister told Trees to kiss his bride.

  “About damn time,” he murmured for her ears alone.

  Through her happy tears, she smiled, and Trees swore he’d do whatever he could to put that smile of pure joy on her face every day.

  Their lips clung. He breathed her in as he soaked in the moment—his first as her husband. The rightness of that hit him in the heart, and in some ways, Trees felt as if he was just starting his life.

  Then he took her hand and ushered her back down the aisle. He’d love to keep running straight to their tricked-out honeymoon suite he’d booked at a posh hotel in Baton Rouge before they left for a week at a cabin on the lake where he’d spent summers as a kid. She wanted to know more about his childhood while he taught her to fish. He was dying to show her all about cuffs, blindfolds, and clamps while he reminded her how to scream.

  First, they had to make it through the reception.

  After an amazing toast from Zy that made everyone both laugh and cry, Valeria followed with a moving speech about her sister’s tenacity in the face of adversity and the strength of Trees’s love for her against all odds. There was clapping, crying, and hugs all around.

  Dancing followed, first Trees leading his gorgeous wife onto the floor for a slow love song. He held her and kissed her and thanked God again for bringing Laila into his life and making it so much better.

  At the end, he took her lips again to the sound of their guests clapping. “Can we leave now?”

  She sent him a chiding grin. “We have not even cut our cake.”

  “I can live without cake. I don’t think I can live without you, wife.”

  Her smile glowed with love. “I cannot live without you, either, husband. But you must be patient because I am not skipping our cake.”

  They ceded the dance floor to their guests. Brea and Pierce Walker slipped in to congratulate them with hugs. The birth of their son, Ryker, three weeks ago, had been joyous but exhausting. Brea was still recovering—and having new-mom jitters about leaving their son for long, even with her dad and stepmom.

  Trees shook hands with the sniper.

  Pierce’s answering smile was genuine. “How’s it feel to be married?”

  “Amazing.”

  “It is.” He took his wife’s hand and kissed her fingers. “Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you.”

  They hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye, but over the last couple of months…they were getting there. Trees would forever owe the man for saving Laila’s life. “You, too. Hope you’re enjoying fatherhood.”

  “I am. It’s a lot, but…wow. It’s a love you can’t even comprehend. You’ll see someday.”

  Sooner than someday, but Trees kept that to himself for now.

  “Look.” Laila pointed across the room discreetly to the familiar guy not actually wearing his cowboy hat today.

  Despite Matt’s insistence otherwise, he had approached Madison, who was dressed in a flattering pastel purple dress. The cowboy was flirting hardcore and showing off those dimples. She didn’t look immune.

  “Good for them.” He grinned.

  “Fingers crossed,” Laila whispered as the two made it onto the dance floor, where Matt spun Madison into his arms and held tight. “They are both good people who deserve to be happy.”

  “I don’t think they need luck.” Even across the room, he could feel their chemistry.

  Tessa sidled up to them then. “You’re seeing this, right?”

  Trees smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I tried to tell him.”

  “Me, too. But I think he’s on board now.”

  “I think you’re right,” she drawled, then laughed and kissed Zy like a newlywed should.

  The deejay called him and Laila up to the front to cut their cake. The photographer took a billion pictures, and Trees nearly lost his mind with impatience, but his wife slid a bite of the sweet dessert onto his tongue, and he groaned as the flavor exploded in his mouth. He did the same to her, then they heeded the clinking of forks against glasses and kissed.

  “Speech. Speech. Speech!” the crowd chanted.

  Reluctantly, he pulled away from Laila’s lips and wrapped his arm around her as Zy brought him the mic. “Thank you, everyone, for coming today to celebrate my wedding to the most amazing woman, the one God put on this planet just for me. Probably because she’s the only one who can put up with me.”

  Their guests laughed, and Laila shook her head, mouthing, I love you.

  Trees pressed a peck to her lips again. If he took the kiss any deeper, he would only get lost in her sweetness, so he pulled back. “When people ask where we first met, I say an alley. When they ask where we first fell in love, I admit it’s an RV. Our courtship wasn’t glamorous, and nothing has been easy. But there’s no one I want to do life with other than you, Laila Scott. I love you, now and always.”

  Guests aahed and wiped their tears while he sent Laila a questioning glance. Did she want to share their baby news with everyone else yet?

  She gave him a little shake of her head. It was their special secret, just for them…just for a bit longer.

  He nodded in agreement, then they sealed their love and their special day with a kiss that convinced him all over again that they belonged together forever.

  Epilogue

  July

  10 p.m.

  Three years later

  Matt Montgomery cursed as he stared out the window at the pouring rain. He’d lived here for three years and there were still things he didn’t understand about this goddamn state. Like swamps everywhere, hungry gators, and a community who spoke a version of French that sounded nothing like the language he’d learned in high school. As if that wasn’t head-scratching enough, now he had to contend with a summer rain that lasted for days and felt like a hot, sticky blanket.

  Why did he still live here? Right, because he liked the people and the Southern hospitality. He loved his job.

  And you keep hoping she’ll come home…

  With a curse, he turned away and paced the house he’d been renting since deciding not to return to Wyoming. He had no business thinking of Madison Archer. Or rather, Madison Archer-Pershing. It had been three years since Trees and Laila’s wedding, when he’d spent that absolutely mind-blowing weekend in a hotel suite, sharing champagne, cheese fries, laughs, and great sex with her. Now, she was very much married to some bigwig senator’s grandson. She’d moved out of the bayou and moved up to the world of wealth and influence—two things he could never give her.

  That realization was the big turd on top of a giant shit sundae.

  His phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket, praying it was work. He could use a little adrenaline and action to take his mind off Madison and spice up his night.

  Instead, it was a text message from Casey, his latest friend-with-benefits. As usual, she didn’t beat around the bush.

  Rain turns me on. Let’s fuck.

  Normally, he would. In fact, since news of Madison’s engagement to Senator Winston Pershing’s grandson, Todd, had splashed across newscasts and social media, Matt hadn’t turned many offers down. A hookup at a bar here and a sexy neighbor sleepover there? Why not? A blind date? A flight attendant? A random hookup at a grocery store? Check, check, and check. Hell, even a former client, a gym pal’s little sister, and an ex’s best friend. He’d totally been game. When he’d met Casey at a community food festival and they’d gotten to talking about mutual acquaintances, she’d pointed out he’d already fucked two of her friends. They’d apparently left with smiles, and she wanted some of that for herself. At the time, it had seemed perfect.

  Two weeks later, he wasn’t interested anymore.

  Why not? Dude, she isn’t coming back. Move the fuck on.

  Good advice, especially since he was pretty sure he’d soon be hearing about Madison having kids with that stuffy blue blood. God, he was a stupid ass, because the thought of her in bed with the entitled prick made Matt homicidal. He really should get laid.

  He just didn’t want to, not by Casey. Not by anyone else he could think of.

  Just Madison.

  How the fuck had she ruined him in forty-eight hours?

  Matt sighed, grabbed a beer, downed half of it, then headed back to the window. She was out there, somewhere. Probably at some pompous, ten-thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraiser, rubbing elbows with people who would look down on him for making a living by his gun.

  Fuck them. And fuck her. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to fuck Casey tonight.

  Retrieving his phone, he started to tap out a response when he suddenly heard a tap at his window that startled the hell out of him. He reared back, then saw a face on the other side of the glass. Ball cap, sunglasses, baggy T-shirt plastered to a slight frame. No distinguishing features or tattoos. At first glance, it looked like a teenage boy. But the face had a softness… Smooth, fair skin, gracefully arched brows, and a delicately sloped jaw.

  Why the fuck would the kid be out in the pouring rain after ten o’clock at night? Hell, why would he avoid the covered porch, rather than knock on the front door?

  The kid wouldn’t…unless there was trouble.

  Matt unlocked the window and raised it a fraction, aware of his gun a mere split second from his grasp.

  “Yeah?”

  “Matt?”

  That voice. Not a boy at all. Definitely a woman.

  One he knew.

  No, that was impossible. It couldn’t be… But a second glance had him rethinking his assessment.

  Holy shit.

  His heart slammed against his chest. “Madison?”

  She gave him a shaky nod, then looked behind her as if she expected the bogeyman to jump her. “Yes. I’m sorry to barge in—”

  “You’re not.” If she was here, if she was hiding in his bushes and disguising herself as she approached his house late at night in the rain, there was something terribly wrong. “What’s going on?”

  “I-I need help, and I didn’t know anyone else I could trust.” She swallowed, and he saw the abject terror on her face. “My husband is trying to kill me.”

  Start the next Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire adventure. A lover abandoned, a man determined, a passion that can’t be denied… Don’t miss Matt and Madison reuniting with all their pent-up sizzle after three long years!

  WICKED AS SECRETS

  Matt and Madison, Part One

  Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire, Book 7

  By Shayla Black

  Click to Learn More!

  (available in eBook, print, and audio)

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  Continue the thrilling Wicked Lovers: Soldiers for Hire journey!

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