The Billionaire’s Unexpected Wife

by Ali Parker

  Cleo took her place beside me under the beautiful arch that had been erected especially for the day. It was white and made of delicately-intertwined metal with flowers and vines weaving in and out of the structure. I turned and glanced over the crowd, arranged on those white lawn chairs we had ordered in bulk. Daisies were lining the aisle in large vases, and the air was cool and crisp, the sun just warm enough. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

  The harpist we had hired began to play, and my heart leaped up into my mouth. Holy shit, here it was. After all this planning, it was actually happening, the wedding I had been dreaming of all this time. Jolene came out of the house first in her chair. She had insisted on wheeling herself down the aisle, and she made her way slowly but surely, a huge grin on her face as she scattered the flowers ahead of her. Daisies, of course. I could smell them from here, the bright, fresh scent, and it reminded me of Amaya, the woman who was just about to become my lawfully wedded wife.

  Darla, who had stepped in last-minute as a bridesmaid, followed her a minute later. She was wearing a dress in a delicate mint shade, and I could feel Cleo shift next to me when she emerged from the house.

  “Easy, tiger,” I murmured to her, and she nudged me playfully and straightened up again. I had a smile on my face, and I was beginning to relax. Then, I saw my bride walking toward me down the aisle, and I could hardly keep the tension out of my body.

  She looked incredible. No doubt about that. She’d told me she had only really looked at one dress, and I could see why. She looked unbelievable in it. It was cut to just below her knees, a flowing skirt that faded from cream to a pale blue color. The bodice hugged her body perfectly, and she was wearing the sweetest veil that covered her face as she made her way toward me. Even through the fabric, I could see the huge smile on her face, as though she couldn’t believe this was really happening. I knew exactly how she felt.

  It seemed like it took her a lifetime to get down that aisle to me, but I would have waited forever if it meant she would finally reach me at the end of it. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and it felt as though the entire world had come grinding to a halt around us as she approached, moving slowly but surely in my direction. To our future together. I could have sworn I saw the smallest hint of a bump under her dress, but that might have been just my imagination. Just wishful thinking, my brain filling in the gaps where I knew she was pregnant.

  She finally joined me under the arch, and I reached over and slowly guided her veil back. I had to catch my breath when I looked into her eyes for the first time. She was incredible, even more than she normally was. Her eyes were outlined in a beautiful pale blue liner that matched the color of her dress, and there were a few flowers in the bouquet she was holding that were the same shade. So much thought had been put into every detail of this moment, of this second, and I appreciated every single one of them.

  As I stood there, looking down at her, at the woman I loved so much, it made my very heart ache, I couldn’t help wondering if I had felt this way the first time I’d married her. I couldn’t remember a second of it, but it didn’t matter. I knew right then that I must have felt just this way. This calm, peaceful knowledge that she was the one I was destined to spend my entire life with. Even though I had only known her a few hours the first time I’d asked her to marry me, I must have known it then, the truth—that I was going to spend my life with her, we were going to raise a family together, and all of this was destined, written in the stars that night in the Vegas sky above us. I took her face in my hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

  For a moment, I was so overwhelmed, I wanted to yell at the top of my lungs just to get the emotion out. How many times had I told myself I would never be in this place? Love didn’t last, and marriage didn’t work. I had convinced myself of it so fully that at the start, I’d believed even Amaya couldn’t change that. Now that she was here standing before me, gazing up at me with her face so full of love, it made my entire body ache for her, it was as though it should have been obvious all along. I wanted to lean down and kiss her for the last time before we were wed, but the officiant cleared her throat, and I glanced around. Amaya giggled as though she, like me, had forgotten there were actually other people here. It felt like the whole world had dropped away as I looked into her eyes.

  “Are you ready to begin?” the woman asked, and I nodded.

  “If you are.” I glanced at Amaya, and she nodded, the smile so wide on her face, it looked set to split it in two. I grinned back to Cleo. She was nearly tearing up. I would for sure tease her about that as soon as I got the chance later. But for now, I was ready to get married to the woman who I’d always been destined to be with. The woman I hadn’t even known I had been waiting for.

  “Then we’ll get started.” The officiant nodded, and I took Amaya’s hands in mine and squeezed tightly. She squeezed back like she was never going to let me go.

  68

  I couldn’t even put into words how nervous I’d been that entire morning. My mind was taken up with questions about whether everything was going to go right. In my head, I was certain something was going to happen, that Kristo’s dad was going to squirm out of it at the last second and let us down, that the flowers weren’t going to arrive, that the dress wasn’t going to fit, that something was going to throw off this whole perfect day we had put so much time and effort into putting together.

  Then, I was sitting there in the room they had set up for me to get ready in, and I was staring at myself in the mirror, wearing the dress I had fallen in love with from the moment I’d laid eyes on it the week before. Jolene had picked well. She knew blue was my favorite color, and when I had slipped into the dress, even though it barely fit, I’d known this was the one for me. Sitting in front of the mirror, it was hard to believe this was really me, and this was really happening. How long had I dreamed of this moment, soon to walk down the aisle to meet the man I loved at the end? For years, he hadn’t had a specific face or a name. I had just known the love would be there, and I would be certain. Now that I knew Kristo was waiting outside for me, I couldn’t wait to get down there and meet him.

  I’d expected to panic right up to the moment I walked down the aisle, but a coolness swept over me as I got to my feet. I could hear them starting to play out there, and I looked out the window to see Jolene wheeling herself down the aisle, throwing the daisies in front of her. Those flowers, Kristo said had reminded him of me. Jolene had been so stubborn, insisting on getting there under her own steam, and I couldn’t help smiling as I watched her moving slowly down the aisle. I couldn’t quite see Kristo, but I knew he would be there alongside his sister in that gorgeous suit. Darla had stepped in as a bridesmaid, coming up with a beautiful dress that matched the fade on the bottom of mine, and I watched her as she headed down before me. Then, it was my turn. I lifted the hem of my dress, got to my feet, and went to marry the man I loved.

  The look on his face when he saw me was beyond anything I’d ever seen before. When I’d pictured this moment before, when the man at the end of the aisle was no one in particular, I’d imagined him telling me I was beautiful and that I had never looked more incredible to him in his life. But the look on Kristo’s face told me far more than that. It told me he adored me, every inch of me. It told me I could have been walking toward him wearing a sack and sneakers and he still would have taken my face in his hands and looked at me the exact same way.

  The officiant asked if we were ready to begin, and we both agreed at once. That was when my heart started pounding in my chest. I had my vows to remember. We had chosen to write our own, and we had no idea what we were going to say to each other. I had spent all of the night before going over and over what I wanted to say to him, but I wasn’t sure there were words in the world that would convey the depth of my love for him.

  Kristo went first. He smiled at me and took a deep breath, and I was relieved to see he looked as nervous as I was.

  “I think everyone here would tell you they neve
r thought I would marry.” He cast his hand over the small crowd gathered to watch us, and I bit my lip to keep from beaming too hard.

  “And I think I would have agreed with them until a few months ago,” he went on, growing more confident as he went. “I could never in my life have imagined meeting someone like you, Amaya. When you came into my life, I knew it, even if I couldn’t admit it to myself. I knew you were the one. I know it took me too long to realize that, but trust me, I’m never going to forget. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the woman I have dreamed of since before I knew I was dreaming of you. I love you, Amaya.”

  I realized I was choking up a little, and I closed my eyes and composed myself before I responded with my own vows.

  “Kristo, I never thought I would find a man who would take me for everything that I am,” I began, voice trembling slightly. “But then I found you. You never asked me to change who I was. You accepted my love, and you loved me back. That’s more than I could ever have asked for. You have given my sister and me a family that we’ve never had and a life that we never dreamed of. For that, I will never stop loving you.”

  Cleo appeared with the rings and handed them to us. I had picked them out, two delicate bands, not far removed from the ones we’d worn after that first night in Vegas. For a moment, I was fearful, scared I was going to mess this up somehow or that I wasn’t worthy of a wedding this gorgeous. Then, Kristo went to slide the ring onto my finger, and my entire body ached with love for him, filled from top to bottom with the warmth of knowing this man needed me and wanted me and loved me, loved me so much, he would stand up in front of all these people and declare his love for me.

  I slid his ring on his finger, and we exchanged our “I dos.” The officiant beamed widely, and I thought I noticed her tearing up a little bit.

  “You may kiss your bride,” she told Kristo, and he leaned down and planted his mouth on mine—the first kiss of the rest of our lives. My heart ached with love for him, and my head spun with desire. When he pulled back, he laughed and leaned in again, kissed me, and bowed me down so I was dipped close to the ground. As he came back up for air, he swept me into his arms and carried me down the aisle. A cheer went up from the crowd, and I held tight to my new husband, trying to commit every second of this moment to memory.

  Once I had changed into something more party-worthy, the reception began, and at last, I could really relax and enjoy myself. Jolene and I spent a good hour dancing together before Kristo cut in to get his hands on me, holding me close and swaying with me as the band played a slow song. He kissed my neck softly, and I felt that burning desire for my husband pick up intensity. I couldn’t wait to get him alone, but we weren’t leaving for our honeymoon to Greece until the next day, so I had a while to wait yet.

  The food was amazing. There was even baklava, which Nonna had insisted on making herself. It wasn’t quite as good as Kristo’s, but I didn’t say a word of that to her. She would never let me hear the end of it. I ate and drank nonalcoholic cocktails, danced, and watched my guests do the same. I couldn’t believe how perfect this was. Darla and Cleo spent the night basically glued to each other’s sides, and I couldn’t help but coo internally over how cute they were.

  When I finally collapsed at our table, Kristo came to join me at once.

  “You all right?” he asked, taking my hand and brushing his mouth along the knuckles. I nodded and then yawned.

  “I’m so tired,” I admitted. “And I really want …”

  “Mmm?” he prompted me playfully.

  “I really want to just be alone with you,” I admitted. He grinned.

  “Your wish is my command.” He got to his feet, and I stared at him.

  “What the hell do you mean?”

  “I mean, we’ll leave tonight,” he told me, as though it was that simple.

  “But the trip—”

  “I can cover any expenses.” He waved his hand. “Trust me, I’ve got this.”

  “Are you serious?” I squealed, and he nodded.

  “Come on, I’ll call us a car,” he told me. “Go say goodbye to Jolene. They won’t even notice we’re gone. They’re just looking to have a good time for the rest of the night anyway.”

  I looked around, and I had to agree he was right. Everyone was having an amazing time, and they didn’t need us to stick around. I bit my lip and went to find my sister, who gave me a huge hug.

  “I’m so happy for you,” she told me. “Have an awesome time on your trip, okay?”

  “I will,” I promised her. “And you’ll stay out of trouble?”

  “I’ll try,” Jolene replied. I planted a kiss on top of her head and went to find Kristo. We grabbed our bags, and before I knew it, we were in the back of a car on the way to the airport. He called Cleo from the car, letting her know we were off, and she, a little tipsy, cheered down the line.

  “Have an awesome time, you two,” she ordered.

  “Send my love to Darla,” I called into the phone.

  “Oh, I will,” she shot back cheekily, and Kristo hung up.

  “I think that’s the last we need to hear of that,” he remarked, and he squeezed my hand as we pulled into the airport. He helped me out of the car, onto the windswept runway, and toward the plane. He had called ahead to let them know we were on our way, and I’d overheard him offering a generous tip to the pilot if he would fly us out of there tonight. I didn’t even want to think about how much money he must have put down for the two of us to be able to do this, but he would have told me it was worth it, no matter how much it was.

  We boarded the plane, and I took my seat next to the window. I felt a sense of déjà vu being back there, and as he took his seat opposite me, he leaned over and squeezed my hand.

  “You remember the first time we were on this plane together?” he asked, and I nodded.

  “On the way back from Vegas.” I raised my eyebrows. “Guess a lot has changed since then, huh?”

  “Sure has.” He grinned, leaned over, and kissed me softly. I closed my eyes and reminded myself once more that this perfect man was my husband, and he had committed to me for life.

  “I’m so happy I’m with you,” I sighed, and he brushed his nose against mine.

  “So am I,” he replied. “More than you could ever know.”

  With that, he held my hand as we took off into the clear night sky on toward our honeymoon and to our future together. Forever.

  Epilogue

  I went to the window and stretched, running my hand through my hair and grinning. I couldn’t believe we were actually in Greece. We were supposed to be arriving right about now, but I couldn’t wait that long to get her alone and was glad I’d incurred the extra expense to fly us out here at the last minute. It was worth it, so we could just be together after the hectic chaos of the wedding.

  I had called Cleo when we’d arrived, and she’d told me everyone had an amazing time. Nonna had a little too much to drink that night and had held court with stories about her young adulthood in Greece. Everyone had found it hilarious. And it seemed like Cleo and Darla were officially together, judging by the fact that I could hear Amaya’s friend in the background of the call long after they’d gone to bed.

  Amaya wasn’t awake yet, and I was glad for that. I still needed a little time to come to terms with the fact that I was actually married to the woman fast asleep in the bed behind me. My ring caught the light, and I looked down at it. Before, I might have seen this ring as a shackle, but now I saw it as a promise written in gold around my finger. I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted to make that promise to more in the world.

  We had come to the family villa for the honeymoon—as if there was anywhere else in the world I would have taken her. I couldn’t think of anywhere more perfect for the start of our life together. She had said it in her vows, that she had become part of the family, and I wanted to show her exactly where our family came from and everything we were about. I was going to show her the old country,
take her around the vineyards and the markets. She was going to love those. I could already imagine her snapping pictures of everything to send back to her sister to keep her in the loop. Maybe one day, we would even be able to take Jolene out here and show her everything I was going to show Amaya. Perhaps when the baby had come along.

  The baby. I hadn’t had a lot of time to think about the kid in the last few days with everything that had been going on, but a smile spread over my face as the reminder of it played in my head. It would only be a few months till the baby came along, and while I would have loved to enjoy the first year of married life with just Amaya and Jolene, I was so excited to get home and really start planning for that child. I was going to make sure they were well-aware of their heritage here. I would bring them out to this place, just the same way I had when I was a kid, but I would make sure they felt grounded in America, too, with Amaya and Jolene and my family. This child wasn’t going to be lonely growing up the same way I had been. No, our baby was going to be cloaked in so much love, it would know what to do with it. Amaya and I would adore it with every fiber of our beings, and I would make sure this child knew it was welcome anywhere in the world they traveled to, whether it was the USA or Greece.

  The water sparkled beyond the window, and I enjoyed the moment of quietness before Amaya woke up. I wasn’t surprised she was still asleep. It had been a long flight, and the two of us had been keen to consummate the wedding as soon as we got through the door. On multiple surfaces, as it happened. Every room of the house. I was tired as well but more energized than anything. I knew the crash would come soon enough, though, and I would need some coffee to get me through the rest of the day.