by Marie Force
Because I have to tell someone, and because Emmett is talking to Kristian to his right, I lean in and whisper to Nat, “He asked me to move in with him.”
She lets out a scream that has everyone looking at us.
“Subtle,” I tell her, scowling.
“What’s going on?” Flynn asks his wife, who looks at me, raising a brow.
“It’s okay,” Emmett says, smiling as he puts two and two together to get that I told Natalie our news. “You can tell everyone.”
“Tell us what?” Ellie asks. She’s sitting across from me, holding hands with Jasper.
I glance at Emmett, still dazzled and not entirely sure I believe this is actually happening. “Emmett and I are moving in together.”
My announcement sets off an excited wave of congratulations, and someone—I think it might be Kris—pops the cork on a champagne bottle that we pass around like giddy teenagers, with everyone who isn’t pregnant drinking directly from the bottle.
Only Flynn seems somewhat circumspect, studying Emmett in a way that makes me wonder what he’s thinking. Part of me doesn’t want to know. I don’t want anything to ruin the most exciting day I’ve ever had.
“And then there was one,” Sebastian says when the bottle reaches him. “I was counting on you guys to make me feel less like a ninth—or is it eleventh—wheel this weekend.”
“Sorry to disappoint, bud,” Emmett says, “but I’m officially off the market.”
“Me too,” Marlowe says, glowing as she gazes at Rafe.
I notice that Sebastian’s amiable expression hardens when he looks in their direction, and a tingle of unease travels down my backbone. I have no idea what causes the feeling, but I experience it nonetheless. Before I can ponder that too closely, we arrive at the vineyard, the car rolling through a metal gate that boasts the company’s distinctive Q logo. The grounds are lush and beautifully landscaped. To the right, fields of grapevines extend as far as I can see.
The car pulls up to a portico outside a huge house with a shingled exterior and bright red trim. A wide front porch has planters made from barrels that are full of red and white flowers.
“What a beautiful place,” Natalie says.
“Wait until you see the rest,” Flynn replies, sounding excited.
“How long have you guys owned this place?” I ask.
“About five years now,” Jasper says. “It was a wreck when we bought it, and it’s been completely transformed. It’s been an exciting project for all of us.”
Hayden and Addie are waiting for us on the porch when we get out of the car, a noisy, boisterous group excited for the evening ahead. Addie looks amazing in a hot-pink dress. Her hair is up and her smile is huge. I’m relieved to see her looking so relaxed and happy after knowing she had a rough few weeks leading up to this weekend. They hug us all and lead us inside. I want to stop and look at everything, but we’re whisked past tasting rooms and a restaurant that’s currently dark as the entire facility is closed to the public this weekend.
We emerge onto a huge back veranda where a long table has been set for dinner.
“First we have to see to practicalities,” Hayden says. “Then we eat and drink.” They take us into the yard and walk the wedding party through the plan for the ceremony, indicating where everyone needs to be and when. Tenley and her date, Devon Black, have joined the party, as have Flynn’s parents, his sisters, their husbands, Hayden’s mother, Jan, Addie’s father, Simon, and Sebastian’s mom, Graciela, who is like a second mother to Hayden.
There’s lots of joking and teasing during the actual rehearsal. After Addie walks everyone through it once, she throws up her hands in surrender to the tomfoolery. “If this is a hot mess tomorrow, it won’t be my fault.”
Hayden puts his arm around her. “As long as you show up and say ‘I do,’ I don’t give a flying fuck if the rest of it is a hot mess.”
“Lovely.” Jan rolls her eyes at her son. “He gets his mouth from his father.”
Everyone laughs, including Hayden, who chose not to invite his father to the wedding. I heard him say he only wanted the people they truly care about there, which apparently doesn’t include the father who disappointed him so often throughout his life. I was honored to be included among the people they care about.
“If the first word out of my grandchild’s mouth is ‘fuck,’” Simon says, “I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Addie says. “I’ll be there to make sure the first word is Grandpa.”
Simon smiles at her, his pride and love for her obvious. “That’s my girl.”
“I need a drink,” Hayden says, leading the group to the deck, where two bartenders stand ready to serve us.
“Is everyone on the staff here under an NDA?” I ask Emmett.
He offers a smug smile. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ve seen to everything, as usual.”
“That’s my job.”
From the clear sky above to the lights strung over the long table to the company of my closest friends to the squeeze of Emmett’s hand surrounding mine, this will go down as one of the most perfect nights of my life. After a delicious dinner and more bottles of wine than I can count, Simon stands up to offer a toast.
“I sure do wish your mom could be here to see the extraordinary woman you’ve grown up to be,” he says, reducing us all to tears. “Hayden, you and I got off to a rough start, but my daughter convinced me that I owed you the chance to prove yourself to me. You have more than proven yourself. After having experienced your love for my Addison, I have every confidence that she will be well cared for and very well loved.”
“She will,” Hayden says, visibly moved by Simon’s words as Addie wipes away a flood of tears.
“I wish you both all the best of everything, especially a long and happy life together,” Simon says, his voice breaking. “Congratulations.”
Addie gets up to hug her dad, and they hold each other for a long time, two survivors of disaster who managed to go on after losing her mom so suddenly.
I find myself wiping away tears as Emmett does the same.
We share a smile, and he squeezes my hand again.
Flynn stands and clears his throat, setting off a series of groans.
“Oh God,” Hayden says. “Sit your ass down, will you?”
Undeterred, Flynn says, “As best man, tomorrow I get to say a few words about the groom. Tonight, when it’s just us, I’d like to say a few words about the bride, if I may.”
“If you must,” Hayden huffs.
“I must,” Flynn says with a sweet look for Addie. “I was blessed, if you can call it that, with three older sisters who drive me batshit crazy most of the time.”
“Oh please,” Ellie says. “We’re the only reason you’re not completely insufferable.” Her sisters and Natalie nod in agreement.
Ignoring them, Flynn presses on, never taking his gaze off Addie, who is a tearful mess. “Then along came Addison York, feisty, fearless and frightfully organized. You changed my life, Addie, long before you changed Hayden’s, and when I tell you I couldn’t function without you, I mean it.”
“He means it,” Natalie says, setting off another wave of laughter.
“You have become the little sister I never had and the only one of my four sisters who doesn’t drive me batshit crazy on a regular basis—and the only one who keeps my secrets safe from my mother.”
Stella Flynn laughs out loud.
“He pays me to keep his secrets,” Addie tells Stella.
“Personally, I think you can do much better than Hayden,” Flynn continues, “but since you seem to have your heart set on him, I’ll allow you to marry him.”
“Oh my fucking God,” Hayden mutters.
I’m laughing so hard, I can’t breathe. These people…
Flynn holds up his glass. “To Addison, beautiful bride, beautiful person, inside and out. I love you.”
Addie is a sobbing mess as she get
s up to hug Flynn.
The rest of us wipe away tears as we watch them.
“That’s long enough,” Hayden says. “Get your filthy hands off my wife.”
“She’s not your wife yet,” Flynn reminds him.
“No, but I’m yours,” Natalie says, “and that’s long enough.”
Flynn flashes her a dirty grin. “I love when she’s possessive.”
“Sit down, son,” Stella says, “and shut up while you’re ahead.”
I love it. The biggest movie star in the world scolded by his mom in front of all his friends, and the best part is, he loves it, too. He kisses his mother’s cheek as he returns to his seat.
Marlowe stands up next. “My turn. Sweet Addie, I’ve known you since you were a little girl, coming to work with your dad and taking it all in with the same wisdom and maturity that continues to draw people to you. I have watched you grow up and grow into the beautiful woman you are today, and as you marry my dear friend Hayden, I couldn’t be happier to see two great people get everything they deserve in this life. I love you both and wish you nothing but the best of everything. To Hayden and Addie.”
“Hear, hear.”
Then Hayden’s mom stands, seeming shy and uncertain as she clears her throat. “It’s no secret to anyone here that Hayden has had his hands full with me as his mom.” She’s a recovering addict who has been sober for months now, and Addie says they’re cautiously optimistic that her most recent trip to rehab was finally successful. “He was forced to grow up far too quickly and to deal with things that no son should ever have to confront.”
“Mom…”
“Let me say this, Hayden,” she says softly. “Let me tell these people you love how you saved my life time and time again, and how there’s no way I’d still be here if it wasn’t for you.”
Addie puts her arm around him as he swipes at tears.
“You have been the best son any mom could ever hope to have, and I couldn’t be prouder of the man you grew up to be. The greatest joy in my life has been watching you fall in love with Addie and knowing that she gives you everything you’ve never had, all the love you so richly deserve. And to you, my darling Addie, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my son so very, very happy. I love you both so much, and I can’t wait to be a grandma to your babies.”
Hayden is openly weeping when he hugs his mother and Addie at the same time.
The rest of us are a mess, too.
Hayden releases his mother but keeps an arm around Addie. “I’d like to make a toast to this extraordinary woman who will be my wife by this time tomorrow. Addison, none of this would be happening without your fierce determination to make it so. I was a fool for so long, thinking I could resist you and the love I felt for you. Once you decided enough was enough, I didn’t stand a chance.”
“No, you certainly didn’t,” Addie says, smiling with satisfaction. The story of how she brought him up to scratch is one of my favorites. “And P.S., it’s all your fault for kissing me at the Oscars.”
“Best thing I ever did,” he says, kissing her. “I also want to salute Natalie, Aileen and Ellie and now Leah and Rafe for making my friends so happy. Here’s to love.”
I gaze at Emmett and touch my glass to his. “Here’s to love.”
“To love,” he says.
He hasn’t said the words, but I have no doubt in that moment that he feels everything I do, and that’s enough for me.
Chapter 19
We return to the inn well after one the next morning, all of us more than a little drunk and giddy after a great night celebrating Hayden and Addie with the people we love best. As much as I enjoyed the evening with my friends, I can’t wait to be alone again with Leah. While the others pour nightcaps to take to the porch, I direct Leah to the stairs, ignoring the ribbing from our friends as we take our leave. I don’t care what they say, I want her and I want her right now.
I’ve heard about this from others, that stage when you’re first with someone new when you can’t keep your hands off each other. But I’ve never experienced it for myself, and I want to wallow in it, in her, for as long as the madness lasts.
I promised her a massage, and I intend to deliver. Massage oil was one of the things I brought with me this weekend. Hoping that things would get intense between us, I wanted to be able to soothe her afterward.
She’s giddy and tipsy and adorable as she stumbles into our room and lands on the bed, legs spread and arms sprawled.
Sexy. As. Fuck. And all mine. My heart contracts, which is another thing that’s never happened to me before her. Even Elena never made my heart feel compressed by the power of the emotions she aroused in me. Not like Leah does. Before she can fall asleep, I go to her, remove those sexy heels and toss them aside before helping her out of her dress. I’m not surprised to find only a thong under the dress. Her breasts are small enough for her to go braless, but I love knowing how sensitive they are.
“Don’t move,” I tell her.
“Not going anywhere.”
I go into the bathroom to get a towel and remove my own clothes, hanging them on the hook behind the door. I grab the oil out of my bag and get on the bed with her. “Turn over.”
She does what she’s told, sighing as she gets comfortable on the bed.
I pour the oil into my hands and smooth it over her back, kneading her muscles until they loosen under my fingers.
Her sighs and moans are like music to my ears as I work my way down her back, giving her sexy ass extra special attention. “Are you sore from earlier?”
“A little. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Did you like it enough to do it again sometime?”
“You couldn’t tell from the massive orgasm?”
Chuckling, I move down to her legs and finish with a foot massage. “Ready to turn over?”
“Uh-huh.”
I position the towel so we don’t ruin the sheets, and she turns over, pushing her hair back from her face.
“How’re you doing?” I ask as I begin caressing her calves.
“You’ve made me into a noodle. I couldn’t move if I had to.”
“Luckily, you don’t have to do anything but lie there and enjoy.”
“I feel very spoiled.”
“I feel very lucky that I get to touch you this way.” I spend extra time on her inner thighs, breathing in the combined scent of the oil and her arousal. My hands slide over her hip bones and up to her belly and breasts, which get special treatment.
“Emmett,” she says, sounding breathless.
“What, honey?”
She reaches for me, bringing me down on top of her, our bodies perfectly aligned for fucking.
“You’re interrupting my massage,” I tell her in a stern tone.
“Please…”
“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”
“You. Inside me. Now.”
One of the many things I love about Leah is how she always tells it to me straight. And yes, I realize what I just said, even if it was only to myself. I love her. Of course I do. She all but insisted that I fall for her. I didn’t stand a chance against the power of her belief that we belong together.
I slide into her slowly, giving her time to adjust and accommodate me while I watch her expressive face give away everything she thinks and feels. She’s like a billboard lit up in Times Square. I can see how much she loves me just by the way she looks at me while taking me into her body.
This is love. This is what matters. She is what matters. “Leah.”
She brings me down for a kiss as she lifts her hips, asking for more.
She’s so open and giving and trusting. I’m humbled by everything she’s given me, everything she continues to give me, and I want so much more. I nearly laugh out loud at the memory of telling her I’d give her one night. I already know that a million nights with her won’t be nearly enough.
It occurs to me that the usual bells and whistles I need for sex to be satisfying aren’t
necessary with her. In fact, they’re almost extraneous to what we’re capable of together. Just us, two people coming together in an explosion of love and desire so intense, it takes my breath away.
“Emmett.”
“Talk to me. Tell me how it feels.”
“Amazing. I’ve never…”
“I know. Me either.” I reach down to where we’re joined and caress her clit.
Her fingers dig into my back and her legs tighten around my hips in the second before she comes.
I let myself go with her, joining her in an instant of utter unity that will go down as one of the most perfect moments of my life.
“Sweet Leah,” I whisper, my lips pressed against the wild pulse in her neck as her pussy continues to contract around my dick.
Joined to her in every possible way, I can’t believe I ever resisted something that feels this good. I might’ve been a fool where she’s concerned, but I like to think I’ve learned my lesson. As I gather her into my embrace, I vow to hold on tight to her from now on.
I’ve never understood why people cry at weddings. To me, it always seemed silly that two happy people made everyone cry. Today, I get it. I’m a hot mess from the minute I see Hayden waiting eagerly for his bride, with Flynn, Sebastian, Emmett, Kristian and Jasper by his side. And can we talk about Emmett Burke in a tuxedo?
Holy. Fucking. Hotness.
And then Addie appears on the arm of her weeping father, and I’m done. Just absolutely destroyed by the emotional wallop of watching the two of them come down the aisle toward Hayden, who is also weeping at the sight of his love.
It’s too damned much.
Addie is a goddess in a simple, unadorned gown that fits her perfectly, no doubt thanks to Tenley. Her shoulders are bare, and she’s wearing a stunning veil that flows behind her as she makes her way down the aisle.
Ellie hands me a tissue, which I gratefully accept.
Their vows are beautiful and heartfelt, and my tears continue to flow.
At one point, I meet Emmett’s gaze and realize he’s in tears, too, which only makes me love him more than I already do.
