Tate dove for the gun before Winnie could change her mind and grab it back, kicking into the far corner of the kitchen as he crawled to Cat, who was sitting on the floor, her head cradled in her hands. Pulling her into his arms was a relief like he’d never known. He hadn’t realized how scared he was until it was all over.
She was safe. She was alive.
When he lifted her chin, he could feel her damp tears on his skin. He could barely claw in a breath, his chest tight with love and so many other emotions he couldn’t easily identify them all.
Relief. That was there for sure. Love. Of course. He adored this woman more than anyone he’d ever known. Anger. That, too. She’d been put in this position and could have died because of Tyler.
And Winnie. She’d made the ultimate decision in the end. Both of them shared blame.
“Who do you think you are?” she teased, her fingertips gliding over his jaw. “Superman? What were you even going to do?”
His only thoughts had been throwing himself on Winnie and that gun. Not the most well-thought-out plan, to be sure. He’d only known that he couldn’t lose her.
“You didn’t need Superman, Lois. But I would have done anything to get to you. If I had lost you…”
He didn’t have the words to express his feelings. He could only show her, pressing his lips to her and tasting the salty tang of her tears.
“There was no way I was going to let her ruin our future,” Cat replied, her voice still shaky. “I love you, Tate Winslow, and you owe me forever.”
Forever wasn’t going to be near enough.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Warm tropical breezes.The heady scent of plumeria and hibiscus. The gentle sound of the water lapping at the sand.
It was paradise, and Cat was enjoying every single second of it. The weather back in Winslow Heights was nice, but here on the island of Kauai, it was stunningly lovely, with temperatures in the eighties and dazzling sunshine.
Straightening her dress, she took a deep breath and picked up the bouquet of flowers that smelled heavenly. It was almost time to walk down the makeshift aisle the hotel had created on the sand. The guests were already seated, and in a moment, the band would strike up the wedding march.
Tate was already standing at the altar next to his brother Cooper, looking incredibly handsome and sexy. It ought to be illegal to look that good. Maybe they could duck out of the reception early and go back to their room.
All the men looked handsome, though, dressed in casual slacks and Hawaiian shirts.
“You look perfect,” Cat said to Jane, Cooper’s fiancée. “Absolutely breathtaking.”
Jane looked a bit nervous, but then she was getting married to Cooper in about two minutes or less. Tate’s spontaneous brother had popped the question, and now here they were watching the beautiful couple exchange their vows.
“I can’t believe I’m getting married again,” Jane marveled, looking gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder white silk gown. Cat and Lucy were the bridesmaids, and they were wearing billowy, flowered sundresses that moved with each soft breeze. All three of them were barefoot. “I swore I wouldn’t after my divorce. How did he talk me into it?”
“The Winslow men have a way of getting what they want,” Lucy laughed. “And Cooper is more determined than most.”
Cat and Tate had been a bit surprised that the couple hadn’t taken more time between falling in love and their nuptials, but Cooper had simply explained that life was too short. They were both adults, and they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Why wait to do that?
“He is, isn’t he?” Jane said, a dreamy smile playing on her lips. “I don’t know if I’ll be a good wife, but I know he’ll be a good husband. When Cooper decides to do something, he doesn’t do it halfway.”
“You’re both going to be very happy,” Lucy replied, as the music began. “Are you ready to do this? There’s still time to run, but I bet Cooper would follow and catch you.”
“I’m not running anywhere,” Jane declared, a big smile on her face. She looked radiant, ready to walk down the aisle to her future husband. “We’re going to have an amazing life together.”
They lined up, Cat first, then Lucy, and finally Jane. Tate was Cooper’s best man, along with Sam and Zack. Piper and Frankie had already gone down the aisle as full-grown flower girl and ring bearer, and now stood at the altar waiting for the ceremony to begin. Uncle Mark sat in the chairs the hotel had set up rightbeside his partner Nigel, who, it turned out, was a British pop star from the eighties. There were no other attendees.
It was only family. Cooper and Jane had wanted it that way.
Slowly, they walked down the aisle to the music. Cat couldn’t take her gaze off of Tate. He was looking at her, too, even giving her a playful wink as the group gathered around the couple.
They didn’t stop looking at each other as Cooper and Jane said their vows, both of them choked up with emotion. She didn’t know when, but someday she’d be standing next to Tate, holding hands and reciting vows. They’d talked about the future, of course, and they’d agreed that marriage and kids were something they both wanted.
