by Leslie North
Footsteps sounded on the studio floor. Heels. Donovan perked up, and he saw Pamela entering with a few people behind her. One of them had to be Melissa. His heart raced as he waited.
“Donovan. Are you ready?” Pamela was planning to keep the contestants hidden. To preserve the element of surprise or something. He cleared his throat.
“I need to speak with Melissa for a second,” he called out.
A few moments passed, and then Melissa came forward. She was wearing a form-fitting white dress, similar to the one he’d deemed his favorite that day she did contestant interviews. Her growing belly bulged out, and she glowed as she came over to him. He couldn’t look away, grinning like an idiot as she walked toward him.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hi,” she said.
“Still wearing white after Labor Day, huh?”
She giggled and nodded. They hadn’t connected—truly connected—since before the home visits. This felt like a cool drink of water on a hot summer day. And dammit, he needed this woman in his life. More than he’d even realized. Just being around her made everything else feel better.
“Can we talk?” He pointed toward a far corner of the studio. She nodded, and he led her over to a small cluster of unused fake potted palms and ficus. He guided them behind the plants so they were obscured by the plastic foliage.
“Why are we back here?” Melissa whispered, though she didn’t need to.
“I just need to talk to you.” Donovan glanced through the leaves. He could see a sliver of Pamela’s head. “In private.”
“Well, let’s hear it,” Melissa prompted.
“I love you,” he blurted. “I’ve known it for a while, and I wanted to tell you here, before it gets filmed. I know you like your privacy. And maybe I do too, now.” He dug in his pocket while Melissa’s perfectly red lips formed an O. He produced the ring box that contained her real ring. The one that had been handed down from his grandmother, not the national chain store ring the show had provided in the other pocket.
“This was my grandmother’s ring,” he said softly, popping open the box. “And I’m not asking you to marry me right now, even though I will on camera. I’m asking you to be with me. To stick it out. I want us to try. Because we both saw what we have, Melly. And it’s real. So real that even the fake reality show couldn’t deny it.”
Melissa’s hand was clamped over her mouth, and she was nodding, nodding. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
“We can get married if you want,” he went on. “And I would have proposed if I didn’t think it would scare you away. I just want to be with you, Melly. Will you please be with me?”
Melissa’s shoulders shook, and she fell into his arms. She clutched him, and he eased his arms around her waist. He buried his nose in her hair, and they started swaying slowly.
“Of course I’ll be with you,” she wailed into his chest. “I’m sorry I was so dumb.”
“You weren’t dumb,” he said.
“I was. I overlooked the best man who’s ever come into my life.” She pulled back, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Thank you, Donovan.”
He cracked a grin, her emotion making his chest tight. “For what?”
“For not killing the show anyway and walking away. For giving me another chance. For just being the actual best ever.”
He smoothed his hand over her honey blonde hair, smiling so hard he thought his face would split in two. “Hey. No problem.”
“And I love you, too,” Melissa said, her voice tight. “I really do.”
Donovan’s heart swelled so big it made his throat tight. He kissed the top of her head and then remembered the ring. “Put this on, Melly. I want to see it on your hand.”
She sniffed, allowing him to slide the ring onto her ring finger. He hummed low when it was on.
“I have to admit, this makes me hard,” he said, sending her a severe look. Giggles escaped her, and she wiped at her face.
“The cameras are going to love your erection,” she whispered.
“Seeing you wearing my ring…” He clucked his tongue, then slid it off her finger. “Let’s put it back. They can’t know what we really have. What the real ring looks like.”
“You have a second one?”
“Yes. The stage ring. It’s awful in comparison.”
“Let me see,” she said.
“Nope. You have to wait until I ask you to marry me on camera,” he teased, running his hands over the curve of her hips, then over the top of her growing belly. “But just know everything I’m planning to say to you is true. The only difference is that the audience will only know the half of it. The cameras captured a lot, but they don’t capture everything.”
Melissa’s chin wobbled now, and she was nodding again. “They didn’t capture this.”
“Exactly.” He surged forward, pressing his lips to hers. “You’re the only woman I want, on screen and off. Please be with me, Melly. I’ll even give you the key to my secret lairs.”
Melissa laughed, collapsing against his chest again, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m yours, Donovan. I’ve been yours even when I didn’t want to be. I don’t want to be with anyone except for you.”
Donovan smiled so widely his cheeks hurt. He cupped her face in his hands and tried to memorize every detail of this moment. Of this love. Of this doorway to the future.
“All right, then. Let’s go give the audience what they want.”
“Turns out what they want is exactly what I want,” Melissa said, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “Us, together.”
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
At the end of the aisle, Elvis waited.
And next to Elvis stood Donovan.
Melissa wasn’t dreaming. In fact, she kept pinching herself to make sure. This was real life, and this was actually happening. She was dressed from head to toe in a rose ball gown, something between Disney princess and eighties prom, a bouquet of white roses clutched in her hands, about to walk down the aisle.
Donovan’s outfit straddled the line between Disney and eighties as well, but he wore it much better. Melissa wasn’t sure if his black suit technically qualified as sequined or not, but it had a definite sparkle. He’d picked it out himself from the back of the Vegas chapel, right next to the pile where she’d found her wedding dress.
It was equal parts dreamy and hilarious. Exactly how they’d imagined it over the past year. Once the final episode of the reality show was filmed, it quickly became apparent to Melissa that she was marrying this man no matter what. The only issue was the timing. With a baby on the way, it just didn’t seem right to launch full-scale wedding planning on top of a pregnancy—or on top of wrangling a newborn.
So they sat on it and consulted family and friends, finally coming up with this glorious outcome: a Vegas wedding with all their closest loved ones in attendance. Something quick and easy and fun. Something that would both be hilarious to look back on, but which still nodded to roots—in this case, Melissa’s showy upbringing.
Elvis motioned for the processional to start. Melissa’s parents jolted into motion, little baby Joy’s face looking just like a doll’s as she gurgled over her grandmother’s shoulder. Her sequined onesie was perhaps the only thing they’d prepared in advance. Melissa’s mother was, of course, the generous benefactor of Joy’s wedding outfit.
Her mother’s long, sure strides reminded Melissa of how she walked onto stage most nights. Once her mom and Joy were settled in the front row, all eyes turned toward the back of the chapel. Melissa laughed into her fist. It wasn’t funny necessarily. No, it was totally funny. She couldn’t see Elvis’s eyes behind his huge gold-rimmed sunglasses, but she imagined this must be just another day on the job for him.
Donovan turned to face the back of the chapel, and she could see on his face that he was right there on the same page with her, laughter seeping out the seams. He clasped his hands behind his back, a shit-eating grin on his face as her father wal
ked her down the aisle. Her dad had worn his circus best for the wedding—a vibrant blue top coat with high-waisted black pants. He left her at the altar with a tiny kiss on her cheek. Donovan scooped her hands into his.
In the limited rows of seats facing the altar sat Brian and Nick and their families, as well as Donovan’s mother and younger sister, and a small handful of Melissa’s closest girlfriends. Melissa beamed out at all of them. She waved at Joy, who had just turned six months old and was the definition of tiny, happy baby. She lived up to her name.
She and Donovan and Joy were already so happy. Melissa had moved into his house soon after they filmed the proposal, and things had just turned into a happily-ever-after whirlwind. Lots of sex. Setting up the actual nursery, with no cameras involved. Buying baby clothes and infant thermometers. More sex. And well-rationed celebrity coverage since the reality TV show took off and became a hit. Donovan’s glib comments about women had propelled his publicity upward as he predicted, which meant the show got more coverage, and his ensuing game release broke records for sales.
This was just the icing on their already-delicious cake. And hell if they didn’t know how to make the best cake topper.
“All right, so uh, uh huh, let’s get this party started,” Minister Elvis said. He cocked his hip, scanning the audience. Melissa rolled her lips in, trying to contain a laugh.
Elvis ran through a standard speech about love, keeping it short and sweet, before he hit the famous lines. When it came time for vows, Melissa and Donovan had agreed to keep it simple.
“I promise to always protect you from prying eyes,” Donovan said when prompted by Elvis.
“I promise to always produce the best life possible,” she said, unable to resist a grin.
“That was cute,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Now if y’all would please pay attention here,” Minister Elvis said. “I’d like these two lovebirds to kiss. Uh huh.”
Melissa and Donovan leaned toward each other, starting with a chaste kiss that turned into something sloppy and full of tongue. When they broke apart, Donovan’s eyes were wild.
“Now that’s what I call a kiss,” Elvis said. “I now pronounce you rock star and wife!”
Their small gathering clapped and cheered while Elvis struck a pose behind them. The chapel photographer, who had been snapping pictures the whole time, stood in the aisleway to capture this iconic shot promised by the chapel: the happy newlyweds with Elvis in the background with a fish-eye lens. Donovan and Melissa walked down the aisle hand in hand and were then ushered into the small foyer, where they would sign the certificate.
“Wow,” Donovan said, once they’d passed through the swinging wooden doors. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Me neither,” Melissa said. The chapel photographer poked her head in and said, “Elvis will be with you shortly.”
Melissa giggled, squeezing Donovan’s hand. “We’re man and wife, thanks to Elvis.”
“Thanks to you,” he countered. “I would have pegged you for the traditional-wedding type.”
“I thought you knew this by now,” Melissa said, knocking her rouched-taffeta-swathed hip against his. “There’s nothing traditional about me.”
“And here this whole time you acted like you wanted normal,” Donovan chided, running his knuckles over her cheek.
“I never wanted normal,” she countered. “I just wanted private.”
“You wanted a balding camera guy with a low sex drive,” he teased.
Melissa laughed into his chest. This man was her everything. Not only her rock, her partner, and now her husband, but he was the best damn father she could have ever imagined for her baby. Little Joy had hit the lottery.
“Good thing we don’t always get what we want,” Melissa said as the swinging doors burst open. Elvis came through, saunter still in place. He produced an official document, which Melissa and Donovan had filled out prior to the ceremony, and then with a flourish, signed it exactly as she imagined the real Elvis might.
“That’s all she wrote, folks. You’ve got thirty minutes before the next weddin’.”
Elvis left the building—or the foyer, at least—and the rest of their friends and family began filing in. Brian and Nick whooped, clapping Donovan on the back. Everyone was abuzz with excitement and disbelief. Mom couldn’t stop gushing about the small details of Elvis’s suit. Brian’s wife Connie had their two-year-old hoisted on her hip, who was making silly faces at Joy. Nick had a protective arm around his wife Haley, while their girl Amanda ran circles around the foyer. Haley was just starting to show from her second pregnancy, and Melissa swore Nick never stopped grinning these days.
“All right, all right,” Brian said, sending Melissa and Donovan a mock severe look. “Donovan might have been the biggest loser of the bet to see who got married first—” Donovan groaned—“but even though he lost, this wedding made up for it.”
Everyone laughed. Donovan cinched his arm around Melissa’s waist. Her mom danced Joy around the perimeter of the foyer, making her wave at everything with one tiny hand.
“Most epic wedding ever,” Nick agreed.
“Thanks guys,” Donovan said, his chest puffed out. “What do you say to another bet?”
Nick and Brian perked up.
“Whoever has three kids first?” Donovan lifted a brow.
“I love this idea!” Melissa’s mom quipped from the back.
“Ohhh no,” Connie sliced her hands through the air. “We can’t bet on our families.”
“We’re in the lead,” Nick countered, nodding toward Haley’s belly.
“Yeah, but we’ve got twins in the family,” Brian spoke up.
Melissa snorted, burying her face in her roses. “You guys can’t be serious.”
“I’m afraid they are,” Haley muttered.
“Just an idea,” Donovan said, squeezing his arm around Melissa’s shoulders. “Think it over.” Into Melissa’s ear, he whispered, “I would have a million kids with you, you know?”
She dissolved into laughter, tears pressing at her eyes. “That might kill me, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“I love you.” Donovan cupped her face in his hands, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. Her mom wandered their way, and Donovan scooped up baby Joy. It was time for pictures inside, and then they’d allow a few press pictures outside the chapel once they were done. They’d all head off for drinks and dinner, before her mom and dad whisked Joy away so Melissa and Donovan could enjoy their first night as newlyweds.
And hell, maybe get a head start on this new bet Donovan had proposed.
At any rate, their wedding night was designed for just the two of them. Even though their relationship had been televised at the beginning, the long haul was just for them. The sweet moments, the trying times of parenthood, the quick fights and the drawn-out make-ups…all of that was only theirs.
Because some things were meant to be private. And there wasn’t anything sweeter than sharing this unexpectedly joyful life with Donovan and their baby girl.
End of Pregnant by the Billionaire
Billionaires & Babies: Book Three
The Billionaire’s Accidental Baby, 28 March 2019
Matchmaking the Billionaire, 4 April 2019
Pregnant by the Billionaire, 11 April 2019
PS: Do you want more sexy billionaires? Then keep reading for exclusive extract from The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss.
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About Leslie
Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. T
he anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.
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LeslieNorthBooks.com
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BLURB
Stephen Maxfield has the chance to save the business his father built, and only one woman stands in his way.
With Duncan Enterprises crumbling, Stephen Maxfield knows that a lucrative building contract could be the ticket to saving the family company. He’s always been regarded as the unpredictable brother, and this time is no different. He’s prepared to do what he thinks is right—even if it means ousting his own father. Stephen faces another obstacle, however, in the form of Angelia Lopez, the gorgeous Duncan VP with her own plans to save the company.
Angie Lopez has been groomed as Duncan’s successor, and she’s convinced that selling off pieces of the company is the way to save it. She’s busy making deals to break apart the business, while hoping that it brings together the Maxfield family. But when she comes up against Stephen Maxfield—all six feet eight inches of him—she’ll have to work harder than ever to keep her focus. Angie’s been burned by men in the past, and Stephen sets her aflame.
Stephen has no time for romance, and Angie is on a dating time-out. But if the two can see beyond their business plans, they just may find they’re the perfect match.
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss (Maxfield Brothers Series Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
