The Billionaire's Paradise (Sexy Billionaires)
Page 18
“Will you come home with me? Not that this place isn’t charming, but I have a bigger bed.”
She cupped his face. “Are you sure? We are from very different worlds.”
“If I get to pick, I want to live in yours,” he replied, kissing the tip of her nose. “You helped me banish the past. You put me back together. You’re already better than I deserve, but I promise to spend a lifetime trying to be worthy of you.”
“Those are all my lines,” she said.
“How about we work at it together?” he offered as a compromise. “We’ve had enough pain in our lives. Let’s spend the rest of our years making each other happy.”
“You’ve made an empire out of thinking strategically, but this might be your best plan yet.”
“You know what else I want?” he asked.
“Tell me.”
“An island wedding. With a very long beach honeymoon.”
She laughed, wrapping her arms around him. “That’s an idea I can get behind.”
“I love you,” he whispered to her.
Closing her eyes, she hugged him close. “And I you.”
A contented smile curved her lips. Sometimes broken things could be repaired, and in Hayden, she’d finally found her missing piece.
Epilogue
The crashing waves filled Avery’s ears as she tried to focus on her email. A mai tai sat on the table before her as tourists bustled around the bar before heading out to the pool.
“So, where are we going next?” Hayden asked, dropping into the chair beside her and resting his arm on the back of hers.
“There’s a hotel in shambles in Northern China,” she replied. “Or I have a new email from a former client in Argentina requesting a tune-up. How are your salsa moves?”
“After our stay in Spain you should know the answer to that.”
“Right. China it is.”
He pressed a hand to his heart. “How can you be so cruel to someone who loves you so much?”
Closing her laptop, she leaned into him, dropping a soft kiss to his lips. “Okay. You pick.”
“What if I want something more than choosing our next consulting destination?”
She arched a brow. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Catching her hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed the engagement ring on her finger. “It’s been almost two years since we last stood on this island.”
She smiled. “I love it just as much this time as I did before.”
“I chased you here wanting a temporary fling.”
“And I warned you I didn’t want casual,” she teased. “Look what you’ve gotten yourself into now.” She waved her ringed hand for emphasis.
“Apparently, the tides have turned.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“You still haven’t set a date.”
“My parents were traveling. And then we were traveling. We just need everyone on the same continent, and we’ll be all set.”
“Or,” he said, “there’s an alternative.”
“I’m all ears.”
He traced the ring on her finger, a smile on his lips. “I happen to know of a tiny little chapel down the coast.”
She froze, unable to look away from the tenderness in his eyes.
“We started here, you and I. This island is a part of our story. Isn’t this the perfect place to officially tie our lives together?”
A lump formed in her throat. “You want to get married?”
“I’ve wanted to marry you every day we’ve been together. You know that.”
She did. Just as she knew he’d been bidding his time, waiting for her to decide she was ready to walk down the aisle again.
Part of her feared all marriages would end the way her first one had. But that part had been growing smaller every moment they were together. Being with Hayden wasn’t a mistake. Loving him was the best choice she’d ever made.
And she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life by his side.
“Yes,” she said, cupping his face between her hands. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
The grin that split his face took her breath away. She’d seen him happy before. She’d watched him shake off the demons of his past, and seen his smile grow brighter as time passed. But she’d never seen the pure joy that radiated off his face now.
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet.
“Are we going right now?” she laughed.
“Right this very minute. I’m a shrewd businessman, after all. You’re not wiggling your way out of this one.”
“I need to change,” she protested. “Shorts and a bikini top are not exactly traditional wedding wear.”
“Ten minutes,” he said, kissing her. “You’ve got ten minutes to change before we drive to that chapel.”
It took her five.
…
The church was as beautiful as Hayden had promised. It was nestled on a small piece of land jutting out into the sea as waves crashed against the shoreline. At home Avery had a binder of all the wedding details she’d put together. But Hayden was right. This was infinitely better.
This was the perfect place to start the next chapter of their lives. Right here on the island that had brought them together.
She smiled at her partner, holding his hands as the minister spoke the familiar words of the ceremony. But this time everything was different. This time she was marrying the right man for all the right reasons.
“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife until death do you part?” the minister asked.
Hayden squeezed her hands before saying, “I do.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. There’d been no hesitation in his vow.
“And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?”
A wide smile stretched her lips. “I do,” she said. This time, her promise was forever.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as Hayden closed the distance between them. His lips claimed hers, and as always, his touch was like coming home. Twining her arms around his neck, she pressed her body to his. With the crash of the ocean in her ears and the taste of Hayden on her lips she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.
“I’ve got you now,” he whispered to her, wrapping her up in his arms.
“You’ve had me for years,” she corrected.
He drew back with a smile. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“It’s not every day a woman finds a man willing to cross the world for her.”
“Best trip I ever took.”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “This one might just top it.”
He brushed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I think we should visit more often. Come back every now and then to recharge.”
“Look at you with all the brilliant ideas today.”
“I have my moments,” he agreed.
“I love it. Almost as much as I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he told her. “More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.”
“Just think, we’ve got the rest of our lives to spend together.”
“I can’t wait to get started.”
Hand in hand they walked toward the water. Tilting her face up to the sun, just as she’d done the first time she’d come here, Avery smiled.
This really was their paradise.
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About the Author
Victoria Davies’s love for writing started young. Luckily she had a family who encouraged believing in magic and embracing imagination. From stories quickly scribbled in bright pink diaries, her love of storytelling developed. Since then her characters may have evolved and her plots may have grown decidedly more steamy but she never lost her love
of the written word. Writing is not only a way to silence the wonderful voices in her head, but it also allows her to share her passions with her readers.
Discover the Sexy Billionaire series…
Right Billionaire, Wrong Wedding
The Billionaire’s Bet
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Love at Stake
Dying to Date
The Alpha’s Temporary Mate
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