Her eyes dragged up like she was walking to a guillotine, and damn, okay, wouldn’t make the mistake of kissing her again. Or at least—not after this kiss coming up.

“We’ll figure this all out, okay? We can do this.”

She smiled softly. “Okay.”

Emmersyn spoke her vows, sounding a lot more confident and aware than she looked earlier, and then we were sliding a matching gold band on to my finger I once believed would never wear a ring again.

And then the minister was declaring us husband and wife, announcing we could kiss.

“We can skip this part,” I whispered, leaning in and cupping her cheeks. No one would know if I kissed her or not if I bent her over and put my back to the crowd. The photographers we’d hired for the event would hopefully catch just enough to throw Lincoln into a tailspin.

“It’s okay,” she whispered back as I moved closer. “We’ve got this.”

I admired the hell out of a woman with confidence despite her fear.

“Hell yeah, we do.” I slid my hand to her back, bent her backward into a dip, and then I pressed my lips to the corner of hers as she clung to me, laughing in surprise.

“I won’t kiss you again unless you ask for it,” I said, moving my lips to her ear and then bringing her back to my feet. “But if you ever want it, I’ll be ready.”

Her jaw dropped, pink filled her cheeks, and then she shook her head, laughing.

“You’re something else, Kane Andrews.”

I held her against me while we smiled and lifted our free arms in a faux celebration. “That’s husband to you, wife.”

“Oh my gosh. My feet are so sore I won’t be able to walk tomorrow,” Heather groaned as she collapsed into the chair next to me.

I was fucking beat. Besides the game and then the ceremony and now the party where we all decided it’d be more fun if we celebrated our win instead of a sham of a wedding that’d make at minimum, the bride and groom uncomfortable, I needed a half hour in a sauna, a gallon of water, and to sleep for twelve hours.

“Hell of a surprise you pulled off, showing up here like this.”

“It hurts me you think I’d miss it. Besides, Lincoln would never believe I wouldn’t be here.” True. Odd how I hadn’t even considered my parents and sister being here. I just figured since this wasn’t real, they wouldn’t come.

“I’m glad you’re here. Mom and Dad are really okay with this?”

They left the party earlier, claiming the time change exhausted them and they needed sleep. They’d been kind to Emmersyn and me, although my dad took one look at the cut on her cheekbone and threatened to kill Lincoln himself.

“I think they’re more worried. About both of you.”

“Nothing to be worried about.”

“No? Because I think you like her.”

“Of course I like Mom.”