What Happens In Italy..._A BWWM Billionaire Romance

by Kendra Riley

  “Did it turn out to be nothing?” Jake asked, keenly aware that he had heard no sirens coming from the direction of the bank.

  “No, it was something. The boys and I kept an eye on the bank. The same group of guys on motorcycles cruised by a dozen times. Each time they caught sight of us, they drove off, circling back about half an hour later. I don't doubt that if we had not beefed up security, they would have tried to rob the bank. You did the right thing by telling me,” Sam explained.

  “I'm glad it all worked out,” Jake said, so relieved that his brothers were still free and his new town was safe.

  “So am I,” Sam said.

  “Well, I will see you at the wedding then,” Jake said, finally feeling as if his future was secure. Still, he couldn't help but ache at the thought that his brothers must now hate him. They might not know that he was the cause of the increased police presence, but they knew he had not joined them. He couldn't imagine them forgiving him for that.

  “Yes, I will see you then,” Sam said before hanging up.

  *

  When the day of the wedding arrived, Jake couldn't contain his excitement. In anticipation of the ceremony, he and Savannah planned to stay separated the entire day until the evening when the ceremony began. Since he had returned to town, they had not spent a full day apart. The distance between them, even though it was temporary, was difficult for him. Having her by his side was such a source of calmness for him.

  He was so eager to marry her and truly live with her as husband and wife. He had not laid his hands on her sexually since the night he had returned. It had been his idea, to make the night of their wedding all the more sweet. Still, now that the evening was upon them he felt as though he might jump out of his skin at the thought of entering her once more. Each day he spent by her side, he ached for her more and more.

  He knew that she was off with her mother and her friends putting the finishing touches on the church. Then, her plan was to stay at her parents’ house and get dressed for the ceremony. He had offered to help at the church, but had been ordered to stay away for fear that he would see her before the ceremony began. Instead, he stayed at home and dressed by himself.

  It was a moment where he would very much have liked to have his brother’s by his side, but he knew that it wasn't possible, especially after what he had done. He had been forced to choose between his two worlds and he didn't regret choosing Savannah, but he was heart sick over the fact that they would never forgive him for what they would see as a betrayal.

  What Jake didn't realize was that his brothers were, at that very moment, on their way towards the abandoned church. It had not taken them long after abandoning their attempted robbery the night before to realize that the increased police presence was no coincidence.

  Reese had been the first to suggest it and the others, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't deny it. All of their recon had suggested that the patrols of that side of town happened every hour. Each time they drove by, though, a cop was right outside the bank. They had been betrayed and they knew that it was Jake who had done it.

  They had been initially divided on how to respond. Some had suggested that they just ride off, but Brian and Reese were so hurt that they couldn't allow his betrayal to stand unanswered.

  After they had all decided to respond with a betrayal they saw as equal to his own, ruining the wedding was the only option. He had given them the address and the time of the ceremony. They decided to arrive early and wreck his plans as he had wrecked theirs.

  When they arrived, though, they found more than they had expected. Instead of an abandoned church, they saw a beautiful girl playing with a baby boy in the yard outside of the church.

  Savannah had sent her mother and friends off to get some rest. It seemed only right to her that she spend some time alone with her son before the wedding. After all, it had begun as just the two of them and she needed him to know that he was still the most important thing in her life. As nobody ever came up to the abandoned church, especially on vehicles, the sound of motorcycles startled her. For a moment, she thought it was Jake breaking their deal to stay apart for the day, but she soon realized that it was far too many bikes to be Jake alone. When she looked up, she knew in an instant that it was his brothers.

  As they dismounted their bikes, each of the brothers turned to look at Brian so that they could follow his lead. Unfazed, he walked towards the church, hell bent on getting his vengeance. What he didn't count on was the fact that the small baby in the woman’s arms had Jake’s eyes and reminded him of how his old friend had looked when he was a young boy, scared and alone in their foster home. He forced himself to look away from the child.

  When his gaze fell on Savannah, though, he was shocked yet again. He had expected to see fear or anxiety. Instead, he saw excitement and relief on her beautiful face and he wasn't sure how to react to it. He didn't have long to decide though, because she sat the baby in a small play pen she had set up and began to walk towards them.

  “Are you his brothers?” she asked, smiling so warmly at them all that none of them could bring themselves to answer her with the aggressive tone they had planned. Instead, all simply nodded and looked at her as though she was some kind of unearthly thing.

  “Yes, we are Jake’s brothers,” Brian said, his voice cold. By calling them his brothers, she had brought back the pain of betrayal that he had felt when he realized that Jake had not only abandoned them, but also warned the authorities of their plans.

  “Oh I'm so glad you're here,” she said, shocking each of the men when she threw her arms around Brian’s neck. None were more shocked than him, though. He froze as she embraced him warmly as a brother.

  “Were is Jake?” Reese asked, trying to keep himself immersed in his own anger.

  “Did he not tell you? I banished him from the church until the ceremony. I know it seems so old fashioned, but I think it's important that we don't see each other before the ceremony. He has already had such darkness in his life. I just think that we need to start our marriage with as much positive energy and good luck on our side as we can.

  That is why I'm so glad that you have all come today. I know that it's because of all of you that he had any family at all. Thank you so much for all that you have done for him. I know that you're all the family in the world that he has ever had. Thank you for loving him,” she said with tears welling in her eyes.

  “We have all done what we could to support each other,” Brian said, trying to hold on to his anger so that he could seek his revenge. It was hard though, with Savannah standing in front of him, not to understand why Jake had made the choice that he did.

  “You have done more than that. You're all the reason that he is the man that he is, the man that I love. I really cannot thank you enough,” she said, her smile so warm that they could each feel their anger fading away.

  “You really love him, don’t you?” Peter asked, an expression of awe on his face.

  “Very much,” she said, looking at his quizzically.

  “The he is a very lucky man,” added Reese. The look on his face was also one of amazement. Clearly, his brother’s had doubted that she could love him as they did. Now, though, it was hard to deny that she cared for him more than anyone ever had. “I know that I should wait for Jake for this,” she said, “ but I don't think I can stand to wait. Would you all like to meet our son?”

  “Very much,” Brian said, though he was still working hard to keep his emotions in check. He wasn't one who wore his feelings on his sleeve. That confirmation was all that she needed though. Savannah turned quickly and gathered up the baby who was happily giggling and babbling away as she carried him towards them.

  “This is Brian. I'm guessing that you're the original Brian,” she said as she smiled back at him.

  “That I am,” he said, grinning down at the baby as though he himself was his father.

  “Would you like to hold him,” she said as she held the baby out to him.

 
“Very much,” he said as he swept the baby up in his arms. Though he had long suppressed that part of himself, Brian had a soft spot for babies. When they were brought in to their foster home, he had always helped to care for them.

  “He looks so much like Jake,” Reese said as he stepped up beside them.

  “Yes, he does,” Peter and the others echoed as they gathered around.

  “He does,” she said with a fond smile. “Looking like his daddy is all that kept me from going mad during these last few months without him in our lives. Every time I looked at our son, I knew that I would always have a part of Jake with me,” she said, her eyes bright with tears at the memory of those emotions.

  “I don't think I have ever seen a sweeter baby,” Brian said as she held the little boy close.

  “I agree, but I may be a little biased,” she said with a laugh.

  “We are so sorry. We should not be bothering you on your wedding day,” Reese said, turning a bit shy around Savannah.

  “Don't be silly. You see, Jake and I made a deal that we wouldn't see each other today and I have been going mad from missing him. Getting to finally meet you all and being surrounded by Jake’s family has made it much easier to tolerate,” she said with a laugh.

  “We will leave you alone now. I'm sure that you have much to do. We are going to go over to the house and see our brother. We must have gotten the time wrong,” Brian said as he reluctantly handed the baby back to his mother.

  “I'm so glad that he will have you all today. I want both of our families to be around us as we finally say our vows,” she said as she embraced Brian first, followed by each of the other brothers.

  “We will see you this evening,” Brian promised as they all jumped on their bikes and rode off.

  To say that Jake was shocked when he heard his brothers’ bikes pull up to his house was an understatement. He walked outside hesitantly, no doubt in his mind that they were there to break ties with him forever.

  “We know what you did,” Brian said before Jake even had a moment to gather his thoughts.

  “We know that you told the cops about our plans,” Reese said.

  “I didn't tell them who you were or how I knew what I did. I just told them that they should beef up security around the bank. I wish I could tell you that I'm sorry, but I'm not. I had to do it. I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk my future with Savannah and my son. I couldn't let you all pull a job in this town either. I couldn't let it all fall apart,” he said, bracing for their anger.

  “I will not lie to you,” Brian began, “we went to your wedding site earlier to cause a bit of chaos.”

  “What did you do?” Jake asked, worried at what they might have done in retaliation and how much it would hurt Savannah.

  “We didn't do anything. We really wanted to, though,” Peter added.

  “That is, until we met your girl,” Reese said, smiling warmly.

  “You met Savannah?” Jake asked, worried at what they might have said to her.

  “And your son,” Brian added.

  “What happened?” Jake demanded, his protective instincts rising.

  “She changed our minds,” Brian said as bluntly as possible.

  “What do you mean?” Jake asked, trying to imagine how that might have happened.

  “I can see why you did what you did. A woman like that and a child like that, they are worth protecting,” Brian said.

  “Then you don't hate me for what I did?” Jake asked, shocked.

  “No, we don't,” Reese answered.

  “We have to go now,” Peter said, much to Jake’s disappointment.

  “Yes, we have a wedding to get cleaned up for,” Brian said with a smirk.

  “You're coming?” Jake asked in shock.

  “Of course,” Reese answered.

  “We couldn't very well let you get married without your family, could we?” Brian asked with a wink. With that, the boys jumped back on their bikes and drove off to the hotel. Knowing that they would be there that night to stand by his side meant more to Jake than he could even say.

  When he later arrived at the old abandoned church where he and Savannah had begun their journey together, he was thrilled to see their bikes were already parked outside. That joy faded, though, when Savannah’s brother came to stand beside him.

  “Those bikes look familiar,” Samuel said.

  “Do they?” Jake asked, not sure what he could say to explain the situation.

  “You know, my sister told me once that you had foster brothers who were the only family you had in the world,” he said as though it was the most casual thing in the world.

  “Yes, they are,” he said, staring at the bikes and thinking of his brothers waiting inside the church.

  “I think the hardest thing in the world would be to take a stand against people you love so deeply to make sure that your future is safe,” Sam added.

  “Yes,” Jake said guardedly.

  “Any man who would do that proves that he is putting his wife to be and son first, hypothetically of course,” Sam said with a smirk.

  “That is very true,” Jake said, confused by Sam’s reaction.

  “That is the kind of man I would be happy to have marry my sister,” Sam said, patting Jake on the back and then walking in to the church, without looking back at Jake or his shocked expression.

  With that, Jake followed him in to the church and took his place near the altar to wait for the love of his life. She and her mother had outdone themselves in preparing the space. Every surface was covered with flowers and candles. In truth it looked like something out of a movie scene. Seeing her family and friends filling the pews as well as his own brothers crowded together on the groom’s side of the church made him feel more at home than he ever had before.

  All thoughts went out of his mind, though, when Savannah and her father rounded the corner. Looking at her there, wearing a beautiful lace gown, he lost his breath. He felt the tears welling in his eyes and couldn't help but choke up as he looked at her, with one arm linked with her father and the other arm holding their son.

  The ceremony went by as though it was a dream, with her father officiating. The entire time, with his hands gripping hers, he felt as though he might wake up at any moment and find himself alone again. It wasn't until her father pronounced them husband and wife and he pressed his lips to hers that he truly felt as though she was truly his to hold forever.

  Everyone around them cheered and threw rose petals at them as they left the church. Her parents had agreed to watch Brian for the night to give them a night to themselves to celebrate their union. He eagerly helped Savannah on to the back of his bike before climbing on and zooming off down the road towards their home. The feeling of her arms wrapped around his waist moved him so completely that he couldn't even have described it with words if he had to.

  When they got to their house, he climbed off the bike and helped Savannah off as well. Neither of them spoke. Savannah just held his hand tight and smiled at him with the kind of love that could make a man feel like he could conquer the world. When they reached the door, Jake swept her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold. As soon as they entered, Jake smiled at her and said, “Welcome home.”

  “I love you, my husband,” Savannah said as she pressed her lips to his.

  “And I love you, my wife,” he said as he sat her back on her feet so that he could explore her body with his hands as he kissed her passionately. Wordlessly, Savannah captured his hand in hers and led him towards the stairs. As they climbed, the anticipation filled them both. He could feel his body demanding her, wanting to conquer every bit of her, to truly claim her as his own.

  When they reached the bedroom, Savannah gasped. Jake had filled the room with bouquets of roses and covered the bed in rose petals. The scent was intoxicating and Savannah was overcome with her love and desire for him. Without saying a word, she wrapped her eager hands around his neck and pulled him down for a searing kiss.

 
“You like it?” he asked with a grin.

  “It's perfect. Everything is perfect,” she said as tears of joy began to form in her eyes.

  “You're perfect,” Jake said, tangling his fingers in her hair.

  “Take me. Make me yours, now and forever,” she whispered, her voice so full of desire that it nearly unmanned him. He was frozen in place by her words, but Savannah was impatient. Gently, she put her hands behind her and unzipped her dress. As the white lace fell in a pool on the floor around her, her mocha colored skin was revealed. She stood there, wearing only her slip and he could barely control his desire for her.

  “With pleasure,” he growled, lunging for her and sweeping her up in his arms. When he deposited her on the bed, her breasts bounced in such a delightful way that he couldn't help but stop and smirk at her.

  “Are you going to make a lady wait?” she asked with a laugh.

  “No, I don't intend to make you wait a moment longer,” he said as he crawled on to the bed. With each motion, he drew closer to her until he was poised above her, studying her beauty as she lay back and waited for him to enter her.

  “Jake, I need you,” she said as she writhed with desire beneath him. It took all of Jake’s will to keep from entering her immediately, but he had other plans for her.

  “Not quite yet,” he murmured as he lowered his lips to her stomach. She shivered at the sensation of his tongue exploring her skin. Slowly and methodically, he worked his way down her body until his mouth reached her feminine folds. Her back arched up at a mixture of shock and desire as he lowered his mouth to her most sensitive place.

  Her entire body was flooded with desire as he worked to ensure that she felt more pleasure than she had ever known before. It wasn't until she began to scream his name as the waves of pleasure overtook her that he lost all control.

  As her voice filled his ears and her scent surrounded him, his senses became too consumed with her to hold himself back. His hands soon found the sensitive inner flesh of her thighs and he eased her legs open to give himself better access. Then, as slowly as he could manage, he pulled himself up and paused at her entrance.