Tailgates and Whiskey

Chapter 13

"Oh Hadley!" Her mother cried, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

Her brother looked at her with a half smile.

"You made a good decision, Hads. Go get your man." He gently poked her shoulder with a chuckle. She grinned.

"WAIT! The wedding planning, Jackson!" Faelynn scolded.

"Here, you take your daughter out around town, maybe find that Cade boy and invite him to the wedding." She handed the one year old girl to her father, before she turned to Hadley.

"So, I was thinking we'd loosely curl it, then do a light natural look for make-up, and your nails will match the dress, like the rest of the bridesmaids."

Hadley nodded.

"And yes, you get to wear your boots. My maid of honour gets her own special treatment."

"That's perfect, because I just bought a new pair specifically for the wedding." Hadley smiled at Faelynn.

"Perfect. Your brother will be going to a motel in town tomorrow night with the rest of the groomsmen, so today and tomorrow we'll be setting up the wedding decor." Faelynn informed.

Jackson returned a few hours later. He brought Cade with him.

"I figured we'd need all the help we could get to set up the decorations."

Hadley, Jackson and Cade were in the barn, tidying it up.

"Jackson, what horses do you want to pull the wagon?" Hadley questioned, leaning against one of the stall doors.

"The two white ones in the pasture, they fit the wedding aesthetic. I'm assuming you'll be riding Chesney?" He asked.

"Yup, my sweet girl is the best to ride in a long dress." She patted her horse's nose.

Cade smiled, laying down fresh bedding in the two empty stalls for the wagon horses.

"Thank you for the wedding invite, Jackson. I'm honoured."

"Of course, you're family now."

Cade wrapped his arms around Hadley.

The wedding was beautiful. It was the typical wedding you'd have in the country. Her brother wore their fathers hat and belt buckle. Faelynn wore a beautiful white dress. The wedding went perfectly, just as Faelynn wished.

A month later.

Hadley was outside, cutting open a hay bale in the cattle pasture. Cade approached on horseback, jumping down and sneaking up behind her.

His father died two weeks ago, and his mother was moving into town.

"Hadley, I've got a question to ask you." He smiled down at her.

"What's up?"

"Well, we've been pretty serious for a while now, and you know, it's pretty lonely at home. I was wondering if my beautiful lady would like to move in with me?"

"Finally you ask. I was wondering how much longer I'd have to live with my mama, brother and his family."

Cade laughed, pressing his lips to hers.

She pulled away for a moment.

"They're expecting another one, you-" He cut her off with a kiss, slightly laughing.

"So you're telling me I saved you?"

"Yes."

He smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Good."

The move was easy. She had all her belongings, horses, and cats. She and Cade owned a cattle herd on his property.

Hadley found the house to be completely empty. It was raining outside. She walked into the kitchen, finding a plate of pancakes and a note.

Hadley,

Meet me at the willow tree at 8.

-Cade.

It was 2:30.

She put the plate of pancakes into the microwave, warming them up and taking them to the room she shared with Cade, grabbing a nice pair of jeans and one of Cade's hoodies, doing her makeup and hair.

Hadley grabbed a raincoat on her way out to the barn, tacking up her horse and following the trail to the specific willow tree.

The rain had eased up, and was only the occasional sprinkle. The sun was setting by the time she arrived at the tree, which Cade leaned against.

He had a bouquet of Red roses, and looked very clean.

"Hadley, right on time, beautiful." He spoke, holding her horse's reins as she dismounted.

She wrapped her arms around him, smiling.

"I'm curious, this is a sudden request."

"I wanted to watch the sunset with you, here, roses. Your favourite." He grinned, pecking her cheek.

She placed the roses on her horse's saddle, tying it to the tree with his.

They sat against the tree for a while, watching the sunset. He took her hand in his, running his thumb along her knuckles.