On the Shore (Cottonwood Cove, #3)(75)

“Hey, happy wedding day,” Dylan said as she sauntered in first. She was wearing a floral maxi dress, and her gorgeous hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. My eyes couldn’t help but move to the small bulge in her stomach.

She turned to hug me as Lila pushed to her feet to greet each one of them. When Dylan pulled back, she smirked. “Yes. My hot husband put a baby in me. I was waiting to tell you when we were all together.”

Georgia squealed, and my mom hurried over to hug Dylan.

“I thought you were waiting?” I asked.

“We were. But we’ve traveled so much this last year, and I don’t know. We like being home. We finished the house we were building in Honey Mountain. And the thought of a little Wolf running around was suddenly all I could think of.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. We’re really excited. Wolf’s still pouting that it happened so quickly. He was looking forward to months of practice.” She waggled her brows before turning to hug Lila. She gushed over the gorgeous princess-cut wedding dress with tulle for days.

I hugged Everly and bent down to give a squeeze to her adorable little toddler, Jackson. Her little girl, Emerson, was a perfect mix of both Everly and Hawk.

Ashlan’s girls, Hadley and Paisley, were both wearing beautiful matching sundresses, with their hair tied up in little buns. They were holding on to their mother’s hands and whispering about something.

“What’s going on?” I whispered back. Both girls looked up at their mama with big smiles.

“Well, I’m going to say it if she won’t.” Dylan shrugged, and Ashlan gave her the slightest nod. “This one got knocked up, too. We’ve been waiting to tell you today, but we were supposed to wait until after the wedding.”

“Are you kidding? Hugh and I love babies, and we’re both thrilled to hear you guys are growing your families. That’s what today is all about, right? Family and love and all being together.”

“Damn it, Lila Mae James. I mean Lila Mae Reynolds,” Delilah said as she swiped at her face. “Why do you always have to make everything so sweet? Sloane, you need to fix my makeup.”

“All right. Are there any more baby announcements before I clean up this mess?” Sloane said with her hands on her hips.

Charlotte chuckled. “Nothing to report over here. The twins keep me plenty busy.” She glanced at the stroller with her two sleeping little angels.

“Hey, if I got lucky enough to have one of each on my first try, I think I’d be done,” Sloane said before turning her attention back to her makeup sprawled on the counter.

“Um.” Vivian winced. “I haven’t even told my sisters yet because we literally found out yesterday. But baby number three is officially on board. I knew something was up when I was craving all those cupcakes these last few weeks.”

There was lots of squealing and laughing and hugging going on.

“What in the world are they putting in that Honey Mountain water?” I teased, and we took turns hugging one another all over again.

It was exactly how it should be today.

The love in this room was impossible to miss.

Vivian, Dylan, Ashlan, Everly, and Charlotte all grabbed the little ones and made their way out the door. They wanted to go see Hugh before they found their seats.

We finished getting ready, and Lila stood up when her father knocked on the door.

Delilah shook out Lila’s long train, and we got emotional at the sight of her.

“It’s time,” Sabrina, the wedding planner, said. “Let’s get you all lined up.”

Georgia and I kissed Lila’s cheek as my mom whispered something in her ear and hugged her one last time. The three of us headed out first to go find Hugh.

Lincoln and Wyle were just walking outside to take their seats when he saw me. He tugged me close and kissed me. “You look fucking stunning.”

“You look pretty good yourself, handsome.”

He held on to my fingers before pulling away and winking. I watched him walk off in his black suit beside Maddox’s brother.

I had a vision of this being me and Lincoln someday.

I’d never been the girl that sat around dreaming about my wedding day. I was always so focused on volleyball and school and then on my career. But lately, I thought about it.

This was the first man that I ever saw myself with long-term.

I wanted things I’d never wanted before.

And it was making it difficult to choose where I wanted to accept my next position. Football Live had interviewed me remotely, and they’d offered me a great job. I’d be focusing primarily on football if I signed with them, and they’d come with a very impressive package.

But now, Audrey from Stride Forward was also in the mix, and I’d had such an amazing experience working for her when I was in college.

Sports Today was the holy grail in the world of sports. I’d dreamed of working for them someday and never thought in a million years that it would happen this quickly. They were having me come to the city next week for an interview. It was the place every sports journalist wanted to work. I wasn’t as certain about the package, as the man I’d been in touch with was very focused on the story I’d written about Lincoln, but he insisted it would be wrapped in a full-time offer.

Well, I’d know soon enough where I’d be living for the next few years.