Incandescent

“I’ll have to make an appointment with the specialist; the scarring might be an issue,” I tell him. I don’t know how much of an issue, but the skin might not be able to stretch. His finger comes down and traces the scar, his face morphing into anger.

“I hate they did this. That he did this.” He moves down my body to kiss the ugliness. I hate when he does this, but there is no stopping him. “Gu

“I know, Nix, and I don’t hold that anger anymore.” I look down at him. “It’s over. Zane is dead. Gu

“I am happy, and I’ll never stop making sure you’re happy, baby,” he tells me, and I know he will. He’s Nix Knight: the man does what he says he’s going to do.

Epilogue

Nix

I roll up on my bike feeling a nervous energy stir through me.

“You ready for this?” Beau asks beside me. The fucker looks ridiculous in his nut-hugging slacks, wearing his cut and riding his bike.

“How the fuck we end up here?” I ask, laughing as the rest of the boys pull up next to us. The whole crew’s wearing suits, their cuts replacing the jacket.

“You’re the fucker who fell in love, asshole,” Sy grumbles beside me.

“Yeah, well, the suit wasn’t my fuckin’ idea,” I tell them, but they just shake their head knowing I’d do anything for her.

“You right, boss man?” Jesse asks, watching me quietly.

“Yep. Wanted this fucking months ago,” I tell them, knowing it’s true. I didn’t care how I got here or how long it took me, I wanted this day.

“You might have wanted this day, but you look like you’re about to puke,” Beau laughs beside me.

He’s right. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me. I’m Nix Knight. I don’t get nervous. But fuck. I am. Today is one of the most important days of my life. Today, I make Kadence my wife.

Kadence

“Keep still or I won’t be able to get it right.” Holly swats my hand away, while still holding the curling iron close to my scalp.

“Don’t burn me, Holly,” I complain.

“I won’t if you stop moving,” she argues back.

“I can’t help it. I'm nervous. I feel like I could spend the day on the toilet.” Her insane laughter fills the room, and the sound heals a little of the pain I hold for her in losing her child. It’s been four months since that night, and even though the same fu

A knock at the door has me jumping in my chair.

“Keep it together, Kadence.” Holly laughs at how nervous I am. My dad walks in looking handsome in his suit. He wasn’t impressed when mom and I picked it out for him, but I could see behind his eyes that he would be secretly proud to wear it for his daughter's wedding day.

“You’re late,” he croaks, quickly turning away from me.

“Are you crying, Mr. Turner?” Holly calls out.

I smile at her jab, but I feel slightly sorry for my dad. I've never seen him cry. “Are you okay, Dad?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got something in my eye,” he explains as Holly snorts behind me.

“We are almost ready, Daddy,” I tell him, using the name I know that he loves to hear.

“Done,” Holly declares, moving away from me. I stand from the chair and walk to look into the full-length mirror. Shit. I draw in a breath. The floor-length ivory gown sits snug against my body, a small band of crystals cinching my waist in. The sweetheart neckline is covered in a sheen of beaded lace, cut off in a capped sleeve. My dark hair is woven up into a low updo, leaving soft curls falling around my face. The ivory-netted headpiece that Holly just secured in covers half my face, the crisscross pattern sitting two inches over my left eye.

“I love it, Holly.” I turn to look at her and catch the last look of pain cross her face. “Are you okay?” I ask, walking to her.

“I’m okay, Kadence.” She wipes the lone tear away. “You look breathtaking.” She pulls me in for a short hug and then steps back smiling at me. I know she’s happy for me.

“I love you, Holly.”

“I love you, too. Okay, let me just grab your bouquet and mine, and let's get this shindig started.” She leaves through the co

“Are you okay, Daddy?” I look over at him, still trying to keep his tears at bay.

“Fuck no! My baby girl’s getting married, and by God, you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.” He walks up to me, engulfing me in his strong embrace.

“Dad, don’t make me cry. I'll mess up my makeup."

“Don’t even care. You’ll still be beautiful.” I fight the urge to tell him he’s just like Nix. I'm sure he’s already aware of that. “Jesus, Kadence, you’re breakin' my heart here. I feel like I’m losing a piece of me.” A sneaky tear escapes, but this time I don’t even care.

“You’re not, Dad. You’ll still be my dad. You will always have a special place in my life,” I promise.

“Good, just make sure you tell that to your husband when he tries to take all your time,” he sniffs back his emotion.

“Daddy, I promise. I will always have time for you.” He leans down and kisses my cheek, squeezing my hand. I never thought of it like that. Here I am freaking out about giving my life to another, while my parents feel like they're losing a part of theirs.

“Oh, God, I leave you for two minutes, Mr. Turner, and you made her cry?” Holly comes back carrying my bouquet made up of purple roses. “Come here. We’re already late.” She fusses about, fixing the damage my dad did in two sentences. God, I’m not going to last with Nix’s vows.

“Okay, let's do this,” she says after finishing up the touches.

My dad takes my hand and leads me out the door to the chapel. The chapel was Nix’s idea, to marry in the same one as his parents did. I loved the idea so much; I agreed instantly, a special part of them both with us on our day.

I love his dad. Since meeting in the hospital, he’s been coming back into town every other weekend and staying with us. Nix and Z love it, but I know Red loves it more. The boys have even had a few weekends out at the lake house. I know when Nix lost his mom things were tough between the two of them, but looking at them now, you would never know. You can tell how much Nix loves having his dad in town and has even hinted at wanting him to move back, to be closer to Z. I can’t blame him. Now that I have moved in with Nix and Z, my parents have been coming over more often. I’d love to say it’s because they miss me so much, but it’s all to do with Z. They’ve fallen in love with him just as much as I have. Their grandson, they tell everyone. Z loves them just as much as they do him, even choosing to go stay with them while Nix and I are away on our honeymoon.

“I just want you to know, Kadence, your mom and I couldn't be more proud of you,” my dad whispers, close to my ear. “Be happy. You deserve it.” He kisses my cheek.

“I am,” the truth rolls off my tongue. I have never been happier in my life.

We step over the threshold of the aisle, and I watch Holly, in her pale lavender floor-length dress, walk down the aisle. Sy’s eyes follow her as she walks slowly to the front. I don’t know how much longer she’s going to hide her feelings for him. We all see it, but for some reason they both live in their own delusional world, thinking we don’t. I worry about them when he finds out the truth, but until then I have to just be there for her.