“Three to four months would be great, after that, I run the risk of waddling.” Nellie leaned her head on Coop’s shoulder.
“You mean ...” Tanner had trouble believing what he was hearing. “How? Really? You’ve only been gone—”
“Well, see, Tanner. There is this pretty little flower. And there is a hunky bumble bee—” Coop winced when Nellie poked him in the ribs and then broke out in laughter.
Everyone else joined in, but Livvy kept hers to a small giggle.
“Thanks so much, Coop.” Tanner felt his cheeks burning and hoped his beard hid most of his embarrassment. “Back to setting a date.”
After comparing calendars, they chose a date three months away. Tanner could hardly wait.
TANNER SAT AT NELLIE’S kitchen table, waiting as Livvy packed a bag. She was probably spending more time talking to Nellie than she was packing, but Tanner would wait.
“Thanks for the heads up.” Coop popped the top on a longneck and sat down across the table. “Nellie would’ve been upset if we hadn’t been here.”
“You’re welcome. I needed to keep it a surprise, so I only told you that I bought a ring. I figured you’d read between the lines when I mentioned we might live stream.”
“Yeah. I’m happy for you, Tanner.”
Tanner thought back to when Coop had given him advice on dating when they were standing around this same table. “I can’t imagine life without her.”
“That’s why she’s perfect for you.” Coop leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “And she doesn’t do that weird air kiss thing. Just sayin’.”
Tanner laughed. “Very true.”
Livvy appeared in the doorway, holding her small bag. “I’m ready.”
He gave her a quick kiss before picking it up. “Let’s go.”
After getting the guest room set up, Tanner poured them each a glass of wine, and they snuggled on the couch.
“As for the wedding, you can have whatever you want. Seriously. Want me to build a butterfly house so that hundreds of them flutter around while we say our vows? Done. Want me to fly all our friends and family to an island paradise or to an ancient castle? Name it, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Tanner, I don’t need anything extravagant. I just want you.” Her gaze fell to his hands as she gripped them. “And I want to spend our first night in the cabin. Is that okay with you?”
His heart thudded in double-time. “That sounds perfect. Big or small wedding?”
“Smaller, but if you need to invite people from the company, I’m fine with that.”
“Honeymoon?”
“Absolutely.” She grinned. “I’d love to visit England and Ireland.”
“I can’t wait to show you the whole world, Livvy.”
“What about my mom?”
“We can bring her along if you want, but maybe not on the honeymoon.”
She swatted his arm. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He chuckled. “I’ll handle it however you want, but keeping our wealth a secret will be very difficult. I could maybe set up a small trust.”
“I don’t know what I want. Not yet, but I love you for offering that.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m afraid if I go to bed, when I wake up, I’ll discover all this is just an amazing dream.”
“I can’t wait until you wake up next to me.” He kissed the blush on her cheek, hoping the three months would pass quickly.
Chapter 34
Livvy stared at her reflection in the mirror as her mom fiddled with the veil.
“You are beautiful, Livvy dear. He is one lucky guy.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I need to go grab my seat.” Mom headed out of the room.
Nellie poked her head in. “Hang tight. We are running a minute or two behind. The flower girl had to run to the restroom.”
Livvy fought the urge to peek. “How’s Tanner?”
“A tad pale but grinning from ear to ear.” Nellie pulled Livvy into an almost-crushing hug. “I’m glad the sisters part came true.”
“Me too. I can’t wait to be an aunt!”
Music started, and Milo’s girls skipped through the double doors, tossing orange rose petals as they went.
Livvy stood outside the doors, waiting for them to open again.
Mr. Davis slipped up beside her. “Your dad would be so proud of you.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “I think he is proud of you.”
“Thank you.” She hugged his neck, careful not to crush her bouquet. “And I appreciate you being his stand-in.”
“It is an honor to give you away, Livvy.” He held out his arm as the music changed.
The doors opened, and Livvy pulled in a deep breath. She needed enough air to last her until she made it to Tanner because once she saw him, she wouldn’t remember to breathe.
Matching her pace to Jeffrey’s, she focused on her tall, dark, and handsome, who stood smiling at the altar.
His eyes sparkled brighter than a starry sky on a clear, dark night. She smiled back and reminded herself not to run.
The closer she got to him, the faster her heart pounded. Once she slipped her hand in his, the minister’s words became a blur.
But she’d never forget the moment Tanner smiled down at her and said, “I do.”
Chapter 35
Tanner pushed open the cabin door and swept Livvy into his arms. He gathered up the layers of her dress, so he wouldn’t drag any part of the wedding gown on the ground. “Mrs. Davis, our cabin awaits.”
Kissing him, she made it impossible to see. He carried her across the room and put her down on the bed.
After shedding his jacket, he climbed up next to her. “I have a surprise for you.”
Desire danced in her brown eyes. “I can’t wait.”
He loved her more every minute. “I got you something.”
“Oh, Tanner.” She dotted kisses on his face.
“This is for you.” He handed her a small box wrapped in foil paper.
She tore away the paper and opened the box. “This is beautiful and huge.” She picked up the necklace, and the diamond pendant scattered pin pricks of light as it dangled from the chain.
“So that you’ll always know that my heart belongs to you.”
Livvy clutched it to her chest. “This is from ...?”
“The jewelry store. I sold the other ring.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let me help you get that on.”
She fingered the three-carat diamond, and her smile made his heart melt. “I love it.”
“And now that we have that on, let me help you get that dress off.”
She turned around and pulled her hair over her shoulder, giving him access to the small pearl buttons. “What? You don’t want me to change in the bathroom?”
“And I definitely don’t want to sleep on the couch.”
Epilogue
Livvy parked in the reserved spot and made her way down the sidewalk.
When she stepped into the lobby, Bob waved and hurried toward her. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Davis.”
“Bob, you can call me Livvy.”
He chuckled. “But I like the way Mrs. Davis sounds.”
“Me too.” She gave him a quick hug before getting on the elevator.
When the doors opened on the top floor, Livvy froze. Lance Withers stood just outside the elevator, shaking hands with Tanner.
The smile on Tanner’s face relaxed her. He didn’t seem the least bit upset.
She eased up next to him and nodded to Mr. Withers. “Hello.”
“Hello. Good to see you both again.” He stepped onto the elevator, and the doors closed.
Livvy couldn’t imagine why he would be there. “That’s a surprise.” She followed Tanner into his office.
He closed the door. “He called last week and wanted to meet.”
“And?”
“We’ll be doing business together. I’ll be working closely with his newest junior vice president
.”
“Who’s that?”
“Daryl.” Tanner opened his arms. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“If you’re busy, I can come back another time.” She made the offer knowing he wouldn’t ask her to leave.
“Everyone else can wait. Want to go grab a cup of coffee? It’s a little late for lunch.”
“I wanted to get your opinion on an idea.”
He shot her a puzzled look and pointed to the sofa. “Okay?”
They sat side by side, and Livvy stared at her hands, ordering her thoughts.
Worry creased in Tanner’s face. “Liv, is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” She smiled to set his mind at ease. “So, I finish classes soon.”
“I’m fine if you want to work as a radiology tech. I’ve told you that. I’ll support whatever you want to do.”
“If I want to do something different, that’s okay?”
“Of course. You can work as Nellie’s chef or do nothing all day.”
“I’d get bored doing nothing, and I found Nellie a new cook. She might be a better cook than I am.”
“I doubt that, but tell me about your idea.”
“I want to start a charity—or partner with one if there is already something like this—one that helps the children of single parents.” She promised herself she wouldn’t cry, and she’d done really well until she tried to get out the next part. “I thought we could provide bikes for kids, make sure they have gifts at Christmas, groceries at Thanksgiving—that sort of thing. What do you think?”
“I love that idea. And maybe we could help single parents with rent and mortgages when they need it.”
“Yes. So we can start something like that?”
“Absolutely. And I have a great idea of someone we can bring on board to help with it—Milo.”
“Your accomplice?”
“He’s a single dad of two little girls. He drives because of the flexible schedule, but I think the charity idea is right up his alley. Not many people know this part, but he’s loaded.”
“Why does he work as a chauffeur?”
“Milo is an interesting character. He owns the business.”
“I’d love it if he wanted to help.” Livvy shifted into Tanner’s lap.
“Can I just tell you how happy it makes me that you are doing this? It’s one thing to write checks to organizations, but time and effort mean so much.”
She was learning to accept that there were huge piles of money at her disposal and that with it, she could make a real difference in peoples’ lives. “It was either that or lay by the pool all day.”
He ran a finger down the front of her dress. “Then I’d have trouble making it to the office.”
Livvy gave him a quick kiss before standing up to leave. “I was thinking we should have dinner at the cabin tonight.”
A grin spread across his face, and he jumped up. “I’ll drive.”
Check out the other books in the Bluebonnets & Billionaires series!
Charmed by the Billionaire
Second Chance with the Billionaire
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading!
Most of the time, one scene kicks off a story for me. For this book, it was Livvy following Tanner out to the cabin and getting stuck out there. The rest of the story grew around that. While I’ve never heard the roar of a tornado barreling through an area, I have spent my share of hours waiting out threatening storms.
Coop and Nellie were a blast to write as supporting characters, and I just had to write their story. You can read about how they met in Dating the Billionaire’s Granddaughter, which I give to those who subscribe to the newsletter.
I hope you enjoyed the story and will consider leaving a review.
There are many ways to connect with me. If you want exclusives and sneak peeks, I send out a newsletter with bits about how the writing is progressing and news about upcoming releases. I also include other sweet romances. I love hearing from my readers! [email protected]
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What to Read Next
Bluebonnets & Billionaires
Dating the Billionaire’s Granddaughter (Free to subscribers)
Charmed by the Billionaire
Second Chance with the Billionaire
Hill Country Secrets by Pamela Humphrey
Finding Claire
Finding Kate
Finding Treasure
The Chase (a standalone spin-off with characters from the series)
Cheesecake, Margaritas, & Candlelight
Just You
Other Books by Pamela Humphrey
The Blue Rebozo (historical fiction)
About the Author
Remi Carrington is the author of sweet romance set in the Texas Hill Country. Her new sweet romance series, Bluebonnets & Billionaires, launched in Jan 2019.
Remi is both a pen name and a character, and her books are part of the Phrey Press imprint.
Pamela Humphrey writes romantic suspense and seasoned romance set in Texas. She also writes sweet romance under the pen name Remi Carrington. Remi was born as a character in the seasoned romance novel, Just You, which is a spin-off of the Hill Country Secrets series.
Next Door to the Billionaire (Bluebonnets & Billionaires, #1) Page 18
