by Marie Force
Ellie and I go through half a pack of tissues before Hayden kisses his bride and escorts her down the aisle, both of them beaming with joy.
Simon extends his arm to Jan, and they follow the happy couple ahead of the wedding party, which comes next.
It’s a warm, sunny autumn day, so the sides of the huge tent are left open to let in the fresh air as the bride, groom, wedding party and family members pose for photos in the vineyard itself.
I’m well into my second glass of 2013 Quantum Chardonnay when Emmett finally joins me, sliding an arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head. “There you are,” he says, sounding relieved to have found me in the crowd of more than two hundred guests.
“Here I am.”
“Missed you.” He left our bed early this morning to join Hayden and the rest of the guys at the vineyard.
“It’s only been a few hours.”
“Missed you,” he says again, giving me an intense look that makes me shiver.
“I missed you, too.”
His smile lights up his face and fills me with joy. No wonder people cry at weddings if they feel anything remotely similar to what I do when I look at him.
A few minutes later, Emmett rejoins the wedding party. He comes in with Marlowe on his arm, both of them smiling widely as they follow Flynn and Natalie, Tenley and Sebastian and Kristian and Jasper, who crack everyone up by escorting each other.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give it up for our bride and groom, Hayden and Addie Roth.”
The crowd goes wild with applause and whistles for the happy couple. They go immediately to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife to Beyoncé’s “Die With You,” which is an amazing choice in my humble opinion. And here come the tears. Again.
Emmett sits behind me and wraps his arms around me.
I lean back against him as we watch Hayden and Addie move together like they were born for each other, which they were. I have no doubt about that.
Next, Addie and her dad do a funny, touching dance to “I’ve Got You Babe,” by Sonny and Cher.
Jan chose “God Only Knows” for her dance with Hayden, her message crystal clear to everyone present. Halfway through the song, Hayden kisses his mom on the cheek, escorts her back to her table and extends a hand to Graciela, who immediately bursts into tears and shakes her head as she tries to wave him off.
Hayden says something to her, and with a nudge from Sebastian, Graciela allows Hayden to lead her to the dance floor, where she openly sobs, taking the rest of us down with her.
“She was his father’s housekeeper when he was a kid and was there for him when his parents weren’t,” Emmett whispers to me. “She made sure he had birthday parties, and she went to every one of his school and sporting events. She’s as much his mother as Jan is.”
“Well, damn,” I reply, wiping more tears. “What an amazing thing for him to do.”
“Indeed.”
The more I get to know these people, the luckier I feel to be one of them. I’ve never known anyone like them, and their loyalty to the people they love makes the torture I went through in high school seem like it happened to someone else. Having real, genuine friends who would do anything for me is yet another dream come true in my new life.
The best dream of all, however, is wrapped around me, muscular and sexy and all mine.
Hayden was right. In the end, the details didn’t matter as much as the people, especially my new husband, who hasn’t left my side for a minute since he danced with the women who raised him.
This is, without a doubt, the very best day of my entire life, and I feel my mother’s presence more than I have at any time since she left us so suddenly. I’m exceptionally thankful for that, even if it caused me some difficult moments in the days leading up to my wedding. With Hayden’s help, I’ve chosen to look at the return of my memories as a gift to be cherished, rather than something to be upset about.
And my dad has been dancing with Hayden’s mom all day! That’s almost bigger news than getting Hayden Roth to say, “I do.” To my knowledge, my dad hasn’t had so much as a date in fifteen years as a widower, so it’s a huge deal to see him dancing, let alone with the same woman to one song after another.
“Wouldn’t it be something if they ended up together?” I say to Hayden, watching my dad and Jan as we dance to “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” a fitting song for our wedding because I was powerless to resist falling in love with the man who is now my husband. I can’t stop saying that word to myself: husband. Hayden Roth is my husband. Dreams do come true. We are living proof of that.
“It would be something, for sure. Although, I’m not sure she’d be good for him.”
I know he’s referring to the addictions that have marred Jan’s life—and Hayden’s. “She’s been doing so well. Maybe it’s okay to believe it’s going to stick this time.”
“I’ve been burned by hope too many times in the past. We’ll just have to wait and see.” He gazes down at me, and I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about his mother anymore. “Are you happy, Mrs. Roth?”
That name makes me want to swoon! “I’ve never been happier.”
“You should be very pleased with yourself,” he says with the relaxed, happy grin that I’ve seen so much of lately.
“I am rather pleased with myself.”
His low rumble of laughter is one of my favorite sounds in the entire world, mostly because I know how rarely he laughed before he had me to crack him up on a regular basis. “I didn’t stand a chance against you.” He holds me closer to him, his arms tight around me and my arms locked around his waist. “You’ve brought me to my knees, Addison.”
“I’ll love you forever, Hayden.”
“I know you will.” His lips on my neck make me want to be alone with him right now. “How long do we have to stay at our own wedding?”
“Long enough to cut the cake and then we can split.”
“As the wedding planner, do you think you could move up the cake-cutting timeline?” He presses his cock against my belly. “Significantly?”
“Why?” I ask. “Is there something else you’d like to do?”
“I desperately want to make love to my new wife.”
“That sounds—and feels—like an urgent issue.”
“Extremely urgent.”
I pull back from him and look up at the handsome face I’ll wake up to every day for the rest of my life. “Then let’s get that cake cut and get the hell out of here.”
“You’re the best wife I’ve ever had.”
I bring him down to me for a kiss. “I’m the only wife you’re ever going to have.”
“Thank God for that. You’re all I can handle, my love.”
Perfection. Absolute perfection.
We fly home Sunday night after a truly outstanding weekend. The newlyweds are leaving in the morning for their cruise in the Adriatic and promised to send lots of pictures to make us jealous while we toil away at work.
The wedding was spectacular and touching and so much fun. Flynn gave a hysterical speech in which he thoroughly embarrassed Hayden with stories from their misspent youth and then told everyone how much he loves the cranky, intense, surly, foul-mouthed, loyal, dedicated son of a bitch who is the brother of his heart and his original partner in crime. It was epic, and Hayden loved it.
We all found it interesting and intriguing that Simon danced with Jan all night, especially Addie, who said she’s never seen her dad dance with anyone since her mom died. Wouldn’t it
be amazing if the two of them were brought together by their kids?
While the wedding was absolutely perfect, the time I spent alone with Leah was the best part of a fantastic weekend. I can’t get enough of her. In fact, I’m dreading the quick trip to Nebraska with Flynn and Nat this week because I’m going to have to be away from Leah for an entire day and night, possibly two if things get delayed in court.
I could sit it out, but I know Flynn wants me ther
e in case things get weird, so I’ll go and offer whatever support I can, even if I’d much rather stay home.
It’s one freaking night, I tell myself.
Sitting next to me on the plane, she fires up her phone for the first time since I shut it off the other night, and it goes wild beeping with texts and voicemail messages. “What the hell?” she says.
I lean in for a closer look and see more than two-hundred text messages and an alarming number of voicemails, all from an unknown number. Cold chills travel down my back. “Is it that guy Tom?”
She listens to one of the messages and nods, her face gone white.
I unbuckle my seat belt and get up to talk to Kristian. His mother’s cold case murder was recently solved, and he has people who can help. “That cop you know at the LAPD.”
“What about him?”
“Can you call him and ask him to come to my place tonight?”
“How come?”
“Leah has a guy harassing her. He sent more than two hundred texts and so many voicemails, her box is full after we both told him to leave her alone.”
“I’ll text him.”
“Thanks.” I return to my seat and try to breathe through the rage that grips me. I tell myself this is nothing like the last time, when I was barely an adult and had no idea what to do to protect the woman I loved. This time, I know exactly what to do, and I’m going to do everything within my power to protect her.
She reaches for my hand and curls her fingers around mine. “Take a breath.”
I draw in a deep breath and release it.
“I’m okay,” she says. “Everything is fine.”
“No, it’s not fine, but it will be. Kris is calling his cop friend at the LAPD, and we’re going to report this to them tonight.”
“Okay.”
“He won’t get anywhere near you.”
“Okay.”
“Why are you so fucking calm?”
“Because one of us needs to be.”
When she tries to tug her hand free of mine, I realize I’m squeezing it too hard. “Sorry,” I mutter, lightening my grip.
“It’s all right. I know this is triggering for you.”
“Just a little.”
She lays her head on my shoulder and caresses my arm.
“Why are you comforting me when I should be comforting you?”
“You’re comforting me by going into protector mode. I’d be losing it if you weren’t here to make me feel safe.”
“I never want you to feel unsafe. I’m going to call Gordon, Quantum’s director of security, and ask him to put a detail on you until the cops find this guy.” I release her hand to compose a text to Gordon that will send when we land.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Hell, yes, it’s necessary. I can’t be with you twenty-four seven, especially this week when I have to go to fucking Nebraska. I won’t be able to function unless you have security.”
“I don’t care if they trail me, but I want to be able to do my own thing. Promise me I can still move freely.”
“I’ll talk to him about that.”
“Good,” she says, sounding relieved. “I have a job to do for Marlowe, and I need to be able to do it.”
“I’ll take care of it, but don’t you dare try to dodge them, you hear me?”
“I won’t. I promise. I don’t want him to be able to get at me any more than you do.”
“If he wasn’t such an obsessive freak, I’d almost feel sorry for the poor bastard.”
“Why?”
“Because he only got one taste of you. That never would’ve been enough for me.”
“Remember when you promised me one night and only one night?”
“I believe we’ve determined that I was a total fool to think I could resist you.”
She pats my arm. “As long as you realize that.”
Leave it to Leah to make me laugh when a minute ago, I was ready to murder the guy who’s hassling her. “Hey.”
“What?”
“Look at me.”
She raises her head and lifts an eyebrow. “I’m looking at you.”
I run a finger over her soft cheek, skimming the adorable new freckles that appeared after she was in the sun this weekend. Then I look into her beautiful eyes. “I… This… It’s something. Something big.” It’s as much as I’m capable of admitting to her, and I can only hope it’ll be enough to keep her here with me where she belongs.
She gasps, and tears suddenly appear.
“I swear to God, Leah, if you cry right now, I’ll take it back.”
“No, you won’t,” she says as a tear slides down her cheek.
I brush away the tear. “Yes, I will.”
She shakes her head and leans in to kiss me. “Don’t you dare take it back.”
I kiss her like I’m drowning and she’s my only source of oxygen. I forget where we are and who is with us. I forget everything that isn’t her and the way she makes me feel just by kissing me with such passion and fire.
I’m so completely lost to her that I can’t remember what it was like to think she was too young for me or this would be too complicated. They feel like manufactured excuses with hindsight, created out of fear because I knew how much she could come to mean to me if I let her. I’ll never regret letting her in because this, right here… She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.
The descent into LAX is bumpy, but we barely notice as we continue the epic make-out session. I’m so hard that I’m leaking. I wish I could drag her onto my lap and fuck her right now, but I can’t, and knowing I can’t makes the arousal that much more intense. The wheels touching down on the runway jolt us apart, and for the longest time, we simply stare at each other, equally undone by the massiveness of the emotions arcing between us.
I honestly didn’t get it before now, before her. When Flynn turned into a total fool over Natalie or Hayden lost his mind over Addie… I didn’t get it when Jasper suddenly decided to father Ellie’s baby or Kristian couldn’t live without Aileen. But God do I get it now. It’s like Leah has given me the secret password to something so far out of my realm of experience as to be entirely foreign and utterly captivating.
There’s only her. She’s all that matters. She’s everything.
We file off the plane, following Marlowe and Rafe, who has his hand on her ass. The overly familiar way he touches her in front of us bugs me, but she doesn’t seem to mind, so I try not to let it bother me. None of the guys like him. We talked about him before the wedding. We aren’t sure if we don’t like him because he’s a bit “extra” or if it’s because she’s so different with him—giggly, girly, silly. She’s never been like that over a guy before, so it’s unsettling to see her acting like a lovesick fool over a slick Frenchman who seems all wrong for her—if you ask us, which she didn’t.
They’re leaving for Paris the day after tomorrow, so we won’t see her for a week or two. But when she gets back, Flynn is going to talk to her about what’s up with Rafe and try to find out whether there’s anything to worry about. We all wish he could talk to her before she goes, but with Rafe wrapped around her every waking moment, there hasn’t been an opportunity.
We say our goodbyes to the others, and I walk Leah to my car.
Kristian chases after us and takes me aside after I have her settled in the passenger seat. “Sergeant Markel is going to meet you at your place.”
“Thank you.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“No need, but thanks for offering.” I know he and Aileen are anxious to get the kids home to bed since it’s a school night.
“Text me after you talk to him.”
“We’ll need to get Leah a new company phone in the morning. I’m sure they’ll take hers to investigate the origin of the calls.”
“We’ll take care of that first thing. I’ll do it myself.”
“Thanks, Kris.”
“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
/>
“Will do.” I get in the driver’s side and direct the car to Santa Monica, the tension within me growing with every passing mile.
Leah’s hand on my leg pulls me out of my own thoughts. “Breathe.”
“I’m breathing.”
“You’re seething.”
“That, too. You know how I feel about guys who hassle women.”
“Yes, I do, and I love you for it.”
“Why is it so easy for you to say that?”
“It’s easy for me because I look at you and I see love.”
I cover her hand on my leg with my hand and give a squeeze. “That makes me the luckiest guy to ever live.”
“I’m glad you think so. I remember a time not that long ago when you compared me to a fly buzzing around your head.”
“Are you ever going to forget how stupid I was at the beginning?”
“Nope. Never. I’ll be telling our grandchildren about how dumb their grandpa was fighting the inevitable when it was so obvious that he belonged to me.”
I can’t begin to explain what happens inside me when she refers to our grandchildren. She’s so certain about me, has been from the beginning. “You really see all that for us?”
“I really do, but only if it’s what you want, too.”
“I just want you, and if you come with grandchildren, then I guess I’ll have to take them as well.”
Her laughter lights up my life.
Chapter 20
The lightness between us is extinguished when we’re met by LAPD Detective Sergeant Markel and two patrol officers, who’re waiting for us outside my building when we pull up. I park in the garage and then take the stairs up to meet them at the street level. After shaking hands with each of them and thanking them for coming, I lead them inside.
Jay, the doorman, sees me with cops and is immediately on alert. “Everything all right, Mr. Burke?”
“Everything is fine, Jay. A guy who used to date my girlfriend is giving her a hard time, and these officers are here to help us.”
“If there’s anything we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Appreciate that.” Holding Leah’s hand, I lead her and the cops to the elevator, and we ride to the fourth floor in silence. Inside my apartment, we sit on the sofas.
