They sure as fuck could.

“Absolutely,” he replied and he didn’t have the full word out before Ethan sprinted away.

“This is perhaps the most beautiful present there ever was,” Arnie stated and Jake turned his eyes to the man. “I’m honored to have played my part,” he finished.

Jake smiled at him and replied, “Still plannin’ on payin’ the bill.”

At that, Arnie shook his head, “Oh no, Jake. My present to you. And Josie. And your children on this joyous day.”

Before Jake could protest, Arnie clapped him on the arm and quickly walked away.

Jake watched him for a beat then he turned his head and took in the expanse.

There were white tents to either side of the back of Lavender House, these and the tables set out in the sun were decorated with bouquets of sprigs of lavender taken from the bushes around the house, white roses and lilies of the valley.

The sea glinted in the sun.

The garden had been planted but there wasn’t much there but rich dark dirt broken up by green shoots.

And the wisteria over the arbor was in full bloom, but many of its purple petals had detached in the slight breeze, drifting confetti across the space. In fact, forty minutes ago, when he kissed Josie there after she was declared his wife, a breeze blew up, scattering petals everywhere.

He hadn’t seen it. He was busy kissing his wife. But Alyssa told him about it, showing him and Josie a picture Junior had taken on his phone, declaring it, “Effing awesome.”

And from what he saw in the picture, Jake had to agree.

He turned his eyes back and saw that Ethan had found Amber and was pulling her away from Alexi, boy Taylor, girl Taylor and Kieran Wentworth. This meant Ethan had pulled Amber from Alexi’s arm, which was wrapped around her waist. He tore his eyes off that and saw Kieran’s arm the same around Taylor.

It was then he grinned.

Girl Taylor was a stunning, loyal, sweet young woman any guy would be lucky to have.

But still.

That was all Josie.

He watched his daughter in her lavender bridesmaid’s dress and his youngest son move across the grass and he looked in the direction they were going.

There he saw Conner in his tuxedo lounging in a white chair at one of the tables. Sofie was sitting close to him and Con had his arm slung along the back of her chair.

Sofie reminded Jake a lot of Josie so Jake was unsurprised when they finally got their shit together, got tight and kept tight. Conner was happy. Sofie was happy. Alyssa was ecstatic. And Junior had managed to hold his shit. Like Jake when it came to his daughter having a boyfriend, not enjoying it much, but he’d done it.

Conner would be going to Boston University in a few months, which would totally fucking suck.

Luckily, Jake knew without a doubt he’d be coming back a lot. To see his old man, his family and his girl.

Right then, he saw Conner had his arm on Sofie’s chair but his eyes were aimed at his brother and sister.

He knew it was time.

They’d planned this.

All of them.

Therefore, before Amber and Ethan made it to him, Jake watched as Conner turned his head to his girl and said something in her ear that made her smile.

Then he kissed her briefly, got up and looked to his dad.

Jake jerked up his chin.

Conner nodded and started to make his way to Jake.

That was when Jake again scanned the space but he knew where she was.

Still, in doing it, he saw Donna sitting with Alyssa. Alyssa, also in a bridesmaid dress, was talking. Donna was smiling.

She’d pulled her head out of her ass and it took her a while but she put in the effort and got results.

Conner and Amber didn’t stay at her house but they saw each other and often.

Not done, Josie had then instigated part two of her plan and got it to the point where Donna came over for dinner (rarely, but it happened, mostly on special occasions like birthdays and Easter).

Josie had given his boy and girl their mother. Donna did the work; he had to give her credit for that. She’d sucked it up and made it happen.

But Josie instigated it.

His eyes kept going through the guests talking, drinking and eating the fancy shit from silver trays that waiters were carrying around.

As they did, he saw Bert. Troy. Mickey. Coert. Pearl. Junior. Reverend Fletcher and his wife Ruth. Girl Taylor’s parents. Boy Taylor’s parents. Nearly every member of his gym. All his bouncers and their women. All his dancers and their men. A bunch of his kids from the junior boxing league and their parents.

He also saw, mingling with the townies, the makeup artist Jean-Michel DuChamp, the supermodel Acadie and the front man for Bounce, Lavon Burkett. Not to mention, some big name designers Amber had freaked when she found out they were coming and more recording artists that all his kids had freaked when they found out they were coming.

And last, he saw Josie standing close to the cliff, the sea her backdrop, her face bright with a huge smile as she stood listening to Amond.

Taking her in yet again, he noted her gown was un-fucking-believable. He thought it right then. And he thought it an hour ago when she walked out of the house on Tom’s arm, both of them moving to him, his boys standing at his side, Alyssa and Amber having just made the same journey.

The designer Josie worked for made the gown especially for her.

It was white and hugged her from shoulders to knees. Sleeveless, v-neck, a deep vee in the back exposing a lot of skin, the dress flared out in a wide but elegant puff of netting at her knees.

But the white body of the gown was covered in a deep lavender lace that bled into the netting that had some pieces of the lace stitched into it.

She looked what she was.

Pure class.

Pure style.

Total beauty.

Except her hair was up.

It looked fucking gorgeous but he’d be taking it down the first chance he got.

His attention was taken from his wife when his kids huddled close.

He looked to Conner. “Con, do me a favor, get a pen.”

Conner reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo and pulled one out. “Already got it.”

Jake smiled at his boy.

“Dad! Let’s do this!” Ethan demanded impatiently.

Jake looked down at his youngest.

Yes.

He was impatient.

And this was for him as well as Josie. It was for Jake, too. And it was for Conner and Amber.

But mostly, it was for Josie.

And Ethan.

And what his boy and his woman wanted, Jake wanted to give to them.

Therefore, Jake looked up and shouted, “Yo! Slick!”

Josie turned her head his way and even from the distance, he saw the fall of her grandmother’s diamonds and amethysts sparkle at her ears.

With the help of his daughter, it was his diamonds and amethysts that sparkled at her neck and wrist.

The huge ass diamond he’d planted on her finger Christmas day right in front of his kids was also his. As was the band set with diamonds he’d planted on it that day.

Josie had taken Amber on a girl’s trip to New York so Amber had seen her dress. She’d also gone with Jake to pick that shit out. Last, she’d given Jake’s necklace and bracelet to Josie during preparations because Amber, Alyssa nor Josie would allow Jake to see his woman prior to her walking down the aisle.

He found this annoying. He liked tradition at Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween.

He did not like sleeping without his woman.

But he couldn’t fault their strategy. That gown she wore was amazing but it was even more amazing him seeing her in it for the first time as she walked to him in order to become his wife.

He jerked up his chin again to communicate he wanted her ass moving his way.

He couldn’t see her roll her eyes but he knew she did it.

Then he watched as she said something to Amond and he swallowed a bark of laughter when she started coming his way, got tangled in the netting around her legs or got the heel of her freaking expensive shoe stuck in the grass and she started to take a dive.

Amond luckily caught her but Jake saw her mouth move and he knew she’d snapped “drat.”

Cute.

Klutzy.

His woman.

His wife.

After averting what would be considered a wedding disaster, Amond clearly thought it necessary to escort Josie across the grass because he did this.

“You summoned?” Josie asked when she arrived and Jake grinned at his wife then transferred his grin to Amond.

“Thanks, man,” he said.

“Grass stains would not go good with that dress,” Amond replied.

This was true and Jake again swallowed laughter but his kids didn’t. He had to do it yet again when he saw Josie roll her eyes.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her close and told her, “Kids wanna give you our wedding present.”

She lost her annoyance immediately and smiled bright, looking to Conner, Amber and Ethan.

“How fun,” she declared.

She had no idea.

Amber bit her lip.

Conner smiled at his father.

Ethan jumped forward, grabbed Josie’s hand and tugged her toward the house, nearly shouting, “Come on!”

Josie turned happy, but curious, eyes Jake’s way before she let herself be pulled into the house.

Ethan had one of her hands, Jake the other, and he felt Conner and Amber follow them in.

Jake tossed a grin at Amond as they went.

Amond grinned back.

Ethan led them to the family room.