Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,197

surprise and it’s perfect. I couldn’t have planned it any better myself.”

“Let me have her. You all will be leaving tomorrow and I don’t know when I will see her again,” Evan’s mom says, taking Lexi from my arms.

“Hungry?” Evan asks.

I nod and follow him to the food. We each make a plate, Evan carrying mine to the table. Everyone is laughing and talking, and Lexi is soaking up the attention she’s getting. As I take it all in, trying to memorize the sound of their chatter and the happy laughter, I slip my hand into Evan’s under the table. He links his fingers through mine while turning to give me a questioning look. “Thank you, Evan. This day is amazing.”

He leans in—to everyone else it looks as though he telling me a secret—and he is, but he also places a wet open-mouthed kiss on my neck. “You’re amazing and so fucking beautiful. Aaron had to remind me to breathe.” He pulls away, his eyes sparkling.

I raise my eyebrows, telling him I’m not buying what he’s selling. Evan places his arm on the back of my chair and leans into me, looking at Aaron who is sitting on my other side. “Aaron, tell your sister what you said to me as she walked down the aisle.”

Aaron grins, swallows a drink of his sweet tea, and wipes his mouth. Taking his sweet-ass time to reply. “He stopped breathing when he saw you. I was afraid he was going to pass out.”

The look on my face must show my surprise. “He’s a goner, that husband of yours.” Aaron winks and stands from the table.

“You two ready to cut the cake?” Mom asks.

“Yes.” Evan stands and offers me his hand. We make our way to the cake and go through the tradition of cutting the first piece together. We feed each other the first bites with no mess. When I thought about us getting married over the past couple of weeks, I never thought about any of this—the traditional wedding events. I just figured we would be in the backyard, say I do, and go on as usual. Clearly, my husband had other plans.

We spend the next hour talking, laughing, and eating. I could not have asked for a more romantic wedding. It’s intimate and personal and everything I could ever want.

“Guys, we got you a gift.” Mom hands me an envelope. I look at Evan and he nods for me to open it. Inside, I find a room key. “We thought, under the circumstances, it would be good for appearance’s sake for the two of you to have a ‘honeymoon,’ even for one night. We are going to stay at the house in Evan’s room and keep Lexi with us.” She motions to Carol. The grandmothers are already staking their claim.

“I’ve never left her overnight,” Evan blurts out.

“I know, but she knows me,” Mom says gently.

“With Sarah being there, she will feel more comfortable since she spends a lot of time with her. You two need to do this,” Carol adds.

Evan looks down at me. “McKinley?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s already used to your parents and mine. As far as appearances go, we don’t know if they are watching us. I wouldn’t put it past them.” Evan’s attorney filed a petition to have the custody case dropped. By now, Misty’s parents have been notified. We can’t slip up now.

Evan still looks unsure. I reach out and slide my hand into his. “She’ll be fine. They’ll call us if they need anything,” I reassure him.

He nods and reaches out to take Lex from his mom. “Baby girl, you’re going to have fun with the grandparents tonight. Daddy and M…Kinley are going to spend the night in a hotel. I promise we will be there bright and early to see you.” Lexi just chews on her fist and babbles, not a care in the world. He kisses her on the forehead and bends down so I can do the same.

We say the rest of our goodbyes and Mom informs us we have a change of clothes already in the room. They really did think of everything.

When we step outside the church, there is a limo waiting. Lifting my head to look at Evan, he shrugs his shoulders. I shake my head at his cheeky smile as we climb into the limo. As soon as the door closes, his lips are on mine. The kiss is…hot…wet…passionate. It’s all consuming. His lips never leave mine until the