“Right, everyone, thanks for coming.” All of a sudden I feel a flame bursting into my cheeks. I’d practiced this over and over again but now I can’t find the words in my brain. It’s as if someone has scrubbed my mind totally clean. “Erm, it’s good to have you here.”
I give Serena a desperate look, begging her to put me out of my misery, but of course she can’t. She has no idea what I’m about to say. I’m all on my own with this one. I dip my hand into my pocket and feel the ring there which gives me the confidence to go on.
I fall onto one knee and I stare up into Serena’s eyes. She widens her gaze and looks at me with complete and utter shock. At least this means it is all a surprise. I thought that somehow she might have found out by now, and she was just acting it, but I can tell in her face that isn’t the case at all.
“Serena, I love you. I mean, I really love you more than I thought anyone could love another person.” I rub her hand between my fingers, gleaning some strength from her. “I didn’t think I would ever be the sort of person to fall so hard and fast but I have. I know I panicked at one point and almost messed things up, but I hope that I’ve made up for it since then.”
You have,” she says thickly though the emotion. “You really have.”
“I think it would be nice for the kids, and for me and you too, if we made our love official. I love you so desperately and I would give anything for you to marry me. I want to spend today, tomorrow, and every day afterwards for the rest of our lives making you happy.” I give her a bright smile. “So what do you say? Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
She hesitates, but only for a moment, and only because she’s so overwhelmed. As soon as she can speak again, she gasps out her answer, which thankfully for me is a positive one.
“Of course I will, I would love to be your wife, nothing would make me happier.”
I slide the ring onto Serena’s fingers as everyone jumps for joy and cheers around us. I hoped things would go this way but now that they have I feel over the moon. Judging by the happiness on Serena’s face she feels the same way. This is the sort of thing that neither of us expected to happen but here we are living the dream.
“That isn’t the only surprise,” I tell her as she flings her arms around me. “I have something else for you.”
She takes the envelope from me and she grins brightly. “More surprises? I don’t know if I can take any more. My heart is already pounding at a million miles an hour.” She tears the envelope open and stares at what’s inside. “You’ve booked us a weekend away? Are you serious?”
“Yep. I mean it’s just one night and two days because I didn’t think you’d be able to handle more than that away from the kids, but it should be fun, right? And Mom is staying here with the kids during that time so we can have some real me and you time.” God we need that. We’ve done our best considering we have twins, but a whole weekend of just us sounds like absolute heaven to me. “What do you think about that?”
Serena squeezes me so tight I can barely breathe. “Oh my God, that sounds utterly amazing. Are you sure about this, Iris?”
“I’m definitely sure. You know how I feel about these two little darlings. Plus, we can start compiling some wedding ideas for you two to think about, I’m sure you’ll want the ceremony soon since you’re doing things the wrong way around...”
“Alright, Mom.” I have to stop her before she drives me nuts. She’s about to really get carried away. “Don’t dress up your keenness for a wedding on us doing the right thing. We’ll get married when we get married, okay?”
“Alright, alright, you know I’m just really happy for you, that’s all.”
As Serena moves over to her girlfriends to hug them, I wonder if she’ll invite her parents. She doesn’t talk about them much and I don’t like to ask her in case it upsets her. The last I heard they sent her away with some money because she was an embarrassment to them for having a baby out of wedlock. But this is a time we might have to discuss it. We’re going to have to plan what we’re doing next.
Not now though, not today. Today is a happy day and I want it to stay that way. Anything challenging can come later on. This is my proposal day. The first day of the rest of our lives.
Epilogue – Serena
“How do you feel?” Ethan asks me, looking about as pale and anxious as I feel. “All good? You okay? I mean, you look great I just want make sure that you feel...”
“Will you stop it?” I beg as I smooth down my ivory mermaid tail gown, which I pretty much chose for the sweetheart neckline and lace detailing alone. “You’re making me panic here. The last thing I want to do is panic on my wedding day.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right, it’s just... oh God.” Ethan’s eyes well up with tears. “Well I’m just so happy for you. And I’m so glad I decided to move to the city to be near you guys. Getting to reconnect with you and meeting, spending time with my niece and nephew, well it’s just been incredible. I feel so happy.”
I grip onto his hands and pull him to me for a grateful hug. “I’m so glad that you’re here too and I’m pleased it’s you walking me down the aisle.”
Mom and Dad are here, it would have been wrong not to invite them, and much as I’m not sure they deserve to know my babies, I need to be a grown up about it and give them a chance. If I think about it seriously, at least they gave me some money to get started with. They didn’t kick me out with nothing. I don’t mind giving them just one shot. It will only be the one though. They can be here, but not part of the wedding party. My very supportive brother deserves that role so much more, he’s never turned his back on me. Not once.
“I suppose we better get going in a minute. Your husband to be awaits.”
Luckily, the place we decided to stay in is just a short walk from the church, so I walk arm in arm with my brother and suck in some cool, fresh air which calms me down a bit. I don’t know what emotion is more prominent inside me, the excitement that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams, or the nerves that this day will end up in disaster. Iris has been amazing in helping everything to run smoothly, but I just want it all to go well.
“Oh look.” Ethan points in front of him. “There are your bridesmaids.”
Jenny has Rose with her and Tia has Brandon. No one but me thought it was a good idea to have my children as part of the ceremony while they’re so young, but they’ll soon see. They’re old enough to walk now and they both look utterly adorable in their outfits. There’s no doubt about it, today is going to be incredible.
“You look great,” Jenny instantly gushes as she spots me. “Really beautiful.”
“Oh well you two look wonderful too. I love the lilac on you both.” I don’t know if either of them agree, but they don’t complain. “Are you ready? I suppose we better do this.”
Jenny and Tia both hug me and whisper messages of congratulations and good luck to me, before they start walking with my little ones ahead of me into the church. I hear the music playing, it makes my heart skip a beat, but I manage to chill out just a little bit by thinking about the man waiting for me at the other side.
We fought hard to get to this place, we deserve this.
“I think that’s our cue.” Ethan grabs my arm again. “Come on, let’s go.”
All eyes fix on me as we walk into the church, but all I can see are a pair of hazelnut’s staring back at me with the same smiling look that he had when we first met. I was a naïve young girl waiting for my life to get exciting, dressed in barely anything and handing out drinks. He was the rich stranger who’s handsome good looks and kind nature made my time on the job seem not too bad. Who knew how irrevocably we would change one another.
“Wow,” he mouths as I get closer to him. “You look beautiful.”
I’m so fixed on him, loving the look of his moving lips, that I completely misstep and don’t quite keep in time with the music. But I’m sure it doesn’t matter. That isn’t what we’re here for after al
l.
Ethan hands me over to Ben who takes me willingly from him. Maybe it’s a bit archaic to be passing me along as if I’m some sort of property to be owned, but I don’t care. I like the traditional aspect of it all, it feels nice. I think I’ll enjoy the sensation of having just one person to care for me forever more.
“Friends and family of Ben Katch and Serena Jones,” the minister starts in a tone that booms around the quaint small church that’s been made even more beautiful by the pink and white roses decorating it. “Welcome, I would like to thank you for joining us on such a special day.” I don’t look anywhere but at Ben, my eyes already shining with pure love. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the special love between these two people by joining them in marriage. You have chosen to have your wedding here, because it symbolises the union you share and the love in which you wish to indulge in for the rest of your lives.”
There is a hush in the church, I can even feel myself holding my breath. I knew today would be an emotional one, but I didn’t think it would feel this intense. It’s almost overwhelming.
“Your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united in your hearts...”
That’s it. I’m a mess. The tears stream down my cheeks making me so glad that I put on water proof make up this morning. It’s almost as if I knew that I would fall apart.
“Marriage will allow you to grow as individuals, as well as together, it will deepen your love and allow you to face the world together, hand in hand. Of course, you will need courage, patience, and a sense of fun to get you through this, but this time will ensure that you fall in love over and over again.”
Ben’s fingers loop through mine the entire way through the ceremony and I can feel myself gaining a strength from him. We are different, there’s no denying that. Our lives have been unique, we have grown into individuals, but those differences between us strengthen us as much as our similarities. He is my ying to my yang. I guess, we complete each other in a way. He gives me all the things I didn’t know I needed, and I think I do the same for him. Yes, we have struggled, but the fight we’ve endured now means we know we can tackle anything.
The only time Ben takes his hands away from mine is the moment he speaks out his vows and he slips the ring onto my finger. Because of how upside down and back to front our love story has been, we decided to stick to the traditional wedding vows.
“I, Ben Katch, take thee, Serena Jones, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.” Once the ring is on my finger, Ben cannot help himself. He adds a little bit of his own. “After all, it was only ever going to be you, wasn’t it?”
Then, it’s my turn. “I, Serena Jones, take thee, Ben Katch, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To respect you in your successes and your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.” I cope him. Once the ring is on I add my own little bit. I basically say the same but with much less fuss. “Only you.”
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Ben spins me and dips me low in an unexpected dramatic fashion before he places his lips against mine, creating a massive whooping and cheering from the crowd around us. As we share our first kiss as husband and wife, I finally feel that sense of excitement that I’ve always been looking for, but this time it’s mixed in with security too, making it the most amazing feeling in the world. With our children beside us and our friends and family watching us and sharing in this moment, I couldn’t be happier. Everything is perfect.
“I love you,” Ben whispers as we finally pull apart. “Only you.”
Only you, it seems that is going to become our thing, our mantra to push us forwards when it seems to hard to do so, our motto to remind us that even when it seems that way, it really isn’t that bad. Only you, the words of me and Ben. The glue holding us together.
“I love you too,” I tell him softly while gently stroking his cheek. “You and only you.”
***I hope you loved reading “Unprepared Daddy and would equally enjoy some of my other Best Sellers and Sneak Peak to PASSION which are available in this book from the next page***
Billionaire’s Date
Blurb
Nathan Pope has got it together, and he has ever since he picked up a financial book as a kid. He is smart, handsome, intelligent, and extremely rich. Pope Financial is skyrocketing to the next level and Nathan is left with some serious decisions on how to maneuver that. Normally, Nathan would pick a decision and go with it, leaving nothing in his life to distract him, and that includes women. He was a playboy, a billionaire with no patience for gold diggers or the stress of relationships, that is until he meets his match, Ruby Woods.
Ruby is sexy, smart, and full of sass, which she uses to push her agenda in every aspect of life. Ruby has been fighting for the cause since she was old enough to hold a protest sign and doesn’t let anything get in the way of her moral objectives. During the day she fights for social justice with a small firm in New York, and at night she’s creating signs and rallying the troops against big business. As far as Ruby’s personal life is concerned, she finds it non-existent, too exhausted from the idiot men she keeps meeting on a daily basis, that is until Nathan comes around.
Will hot and steamy passion keep these two locked together or will a secret Nathan is hiding bring their romance crashing down?
Chapter One
Nathan
Friday evening and I was still at work. Late as shit. Always. The CEO of a huge company and I couldn’t figure out how the hell to get a little bit of time to myself. Not that I needed it. I’d squander the hell out of it most likely. But squandering was fun… or could be.
There I was, though, swiveling in my office chair, staring up at the books on the shelves covering my walls. I didn’t even think I had ever read those books. In fact, I was sure the decorator put those books there for show. When I was younger, you’d always find me with a book in my hand whether it was Thoreau, a little old-school Plato, or even some biography of one of the late greats. However, when I reached my teenage years, I realized people didn’t like to be around intelligent people, they were intimidated, so I stopped right then and there. Instead, I picked up a book about finance called “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham. That was it for me, at fourteen I knew what my path was.
That’s the small version of how I got where I was, 33 years old, CEO of the most prestigious accounting firm in America, Pope Financial, and getting ready to make moves toward an even broader market. People think I started all this after graduating from Harvard, but in reality, Harvard was just a tool for me, a way to get in the door with the big guys, and it worked. I had spent the better portion of my life thus far creating an empire, building it brick by brick and then covering it in steel to make it solid and lasting. I looked up at Chris standing in the office talking to someone on his cell phone.
I liked Chris, I always had, though sometimes he forgot who ran the company. He was my corporate advisor and my best friend. I went to him for everything from business challenges to the few personal issues I might ever have. I wasn’t a guy who liked drama, nor did I have time to cater to a woman full-time so I guess you could consider me a playboy of sorts. Women flocked to me because of money and good looks but seldom would you find one who wanted to stay around for who I was inside, which was fine with me, I didn’t feel comfortable with commitment when I knew my money was what they wanted in the end.
“Man,” Chris said, hanging up the phone and sitting down in the chair across from me. “What a fucking day.”
“Well, why are we still here?”
“I want to talk to you about expansion overseas,” Chris said. “I think the way to go here is through outsourcing. It takes a lot of funds to get in overseas, and this would allow us to outsour
ce a lot of our major stuff, especially IT, and save boatloads of cash. That money can be implemented back into the system to create these overseas entities.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I want to be overseas, there’s no question. I’m not sold on outsourcing, however.”
“Chew on it,” Chris said. “We have time. And in the meantime, let’s get our asses out of this office and over to The Exposé Club, I hear there are some serious hotties on the 3rd floor tonight.”
“Well, I didn’t pay a shit-ton of money for my gold card to hang out in the regular area and not get my dick sucked,” I laughed.
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