I didn't move. She was baiting me and I wasn't going to take it. Besides, my body didn't seem to be working. I couldn't move and I certainly couldn't think of anything to say. All I could do was stare at Aiden. This was not the way I wanted him to find out I wasn't a lawyer, and this was most certainly not the way I wanted his father to find out who I was.
Alexa put her hand on Aiden's coat lapel. I knew they had met once at a legal function, but it still felt incredibly forward. She looked stunning in her pencil skirt and silk blouse draped up against him. Like something that belonged on a movie poster. “Whatever you need Lena for,” she purred to Aiden. “I'm sure I can do it better. She's barely more than a poorly trained secretary.”
There was no doubt exactly what she meant. Something inside of me broke free. Something that fed on hazelnut coffee from the blue cups.
“Shut up, Alexa.”
Alexa's hand didn't drop from Aiden's lapel, but she did startle. “What did you say to me?”
“I said shut up.” My tongue felt thick, but I wasn't about to stop. She was touching the man I loved. Even if he didn't want me anymore, there was no way in hell I was going to let her anywhere near him. I took a confident step forward, my head held high.
“I have an office, Alexa and it's actually bigger than yours.” Her dark eyes met mine and for the first time I saw why she hated me so much. She was afraid of me.
Alexa sneered. “You think you're so special—
Kathryn stepped forward and cut her off. “Alright, Alexa. I've had about enough of this. You are embarrassing us in front of a client.”
Alexa turned as if she was going to bite the head off of the person talking to her. When she saw it was Kathryn, her eyes lowered.
“Your team was responsible for this disaster, and we've had to work around the clock to fix your mistake. You've done nothing but create extra work for Lena, and I'm tired of it. You've never done a damn thing around here, and nobody's going to notice when you get fired at the end of the week anyway.”
Alexa lifted her eyes. “Ms. McDonald, I-”
Kathryn laughed an obviously fake laugh. “This debacle has given this firm so much bad press, you'll be lucky to ever get even a paralegal job again.”
My jaw should have dropped at the way Alexa was being treated, but I knew she had it coming. Karma had a way of coming for us all.
I stepped forward, and with a new self confidence. “Looks like you're not better than me after all.” I took another step forward. “So get your hands off him.”
Alexa's hand dropped instinctively to the authority in my voice. Her eyes darted to the observing crowd and she paled. There wasn't a sympathetic face among them.
“You have no idea the mistake you just made,” she hissed.
I smiled slowly. She had nothing and we both knew it. For the first time ever, I wasn't afraid of her. I had found my inner strength, and no one, not Alexa and not even Aiden was going to take it away from me.
My smile made her pale more than looking at the crowd had. She had no power over me anymore and now she knew it. I didn't even bother watch as wiggled her way back downstairs through the crowd.
I took a deep breath. It came in shaky and wasn't at all calming. Just because I had inner strength didn't mean my heart couldn't be broken.
“Hello, Mr. Hayes,” I said politely, turning slightly to face him directly. My voice shook at his name. “I wasn't expecting you. Please, let me show you to my office.”
I didn't wait to hear his answer as I spun and started walking back toward my desk. Kathryn could handle the other Mr. Hayes and the crowd on her own.
From the corner of my eye I could see Darcie giving me a huge thumb's up from the library. I had told her everything about my trip. Her confidence in me made it easier to believe that I could do this. I grinned nervously at her and kept walking.
I could hear him behind me as well as the murmurs of people returning to their offices. Alexa liked a crowd, but I didn't. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I held open the door to the small space I called my own. As he passed I could smell his shampoo and it made me go weak in the knees with the memory of my hair tangled in his fingers.
I took another deep breath that still did nothing to calm my nerves, holding onto the door handle for an extra moment trying to steady myself before I had to turn around and face him. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I closed the door anyway.
“Lena....” His voice was as soft as the hand he placed on my shoulder. I couldn't help but stiffen at his touch. It felt so wonderful, yet so far from what I could have. I couldn't turn from the door to look at him because I knew if I did, I would burst into tears.
He pulled gently. “Lena, look at me.”
I took a deep breath in, hoping that eventually these breaths would become calming, and reluctantly turned to face him.
He was so damn handsome he took my breath away. Every inch of him was perfect. I wanted to reach out and touch him, to kiss him again, but was terrified at the same time. My new found courage had completely deserted me when faced with the thing I wanted and feared most. The last few days of being alone tugged at my mind, telling me I needed to run before he could hurt me again.
But my feet wouldn't move. Couldn't move. I didn't want to leave him. It broke my heart to be near him and know that it was all going to officially end. He was here to tell me that he didn't want a paralegal. He had wanted a lawyer and someone who didn't lie or not know about his money. He wanted someone befitting a billionaire.
He let go of my shoulder and put his finger and thumb to my chin. The movement was gentle, but he tipped my chin up so I would look at his face instead of staring at his tie. I didn't want to look into his eyes because I knew I would just fall in love with him all over again.
“You left this,” he said, pulling something out from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. It was the shoe I had lost in his room on our last day. He held it out in front of him like a rope to a drowning man. I gasped, looking up into his hazel eyes. Suddenly, I wasn't sure which one of us needed the lifeline more.
I raised my hand out to touch the shoe, but didn't take it. I wasn't sure if I could. I needed to know if this was what I thought and hoped it was. I needed to know I would be enough for a billionaire.
“I'm not a lawyer,” I whispered. There. I said it. I just hoped it wasn't too little to late.
“I know.” Aiden's voice shook but the hand holding the shoe was steady.
“I'm sorry you had to find out from Alexa,” I said softly, looking at the shoe. “I just didn't know how to tell you.”
“I knew before she announced it to your office.”
I looked up from the shoe into his face. “What?”
“I knew you weren't a lawyer the day you arrived on the island.”
“How?” My heart was threatening to shatter into a million pieces and the only thing holding me together was the fact we were both holding my shoe.
“I wanted to know who the amazing woman from the MSW law firm was,” he said with a gentle smile. “It didn't take much to find out.”
“But...” He knew. He knew I lied that whole time. “You didn't say anything...”
“I didn't want to embarrass you.” He stared at the shoe in our hands. “I should have let you say something. I know you did try to tell me.”
I wondered if he could feel me shaking through the shoe. I felt like a leaf in a thunderstorm. “Why are you here?” I asked. Despite his gentle tone, it had been over two days. Two days where I wasn't sure what he felt or if he even wanted me.
“When you said you...” He stumbled on his words and stared at the shoe, brow furrowed and dark. “When you said you loved me, I didn't know what to do. I was so sure it was a lie.”
My eyes flashed up to his, anger threatening to spill out of my broken quivering heart. “It wasn't a lie!”
“All my life, people have lied to me to get what they want. Usually it's money or power.” He met my gaze,
his hazel eyes full of honesty and heartache. “You fell in love with me without knowing I had either. I was just Aiden to you, and I couldn't fathom how that was possible. How could you love someone like me without expecting something in return?”
“I just wanted you,” I whispered. All the hurt and tears I had suppressed and worked through since getting on the plane to leave were threatening to overwhelm me.
“It took me a day and a half to realize that I am a complete and utter idiot.” He paused, his eyes enveloping me in their warmth. “You loved me for something no one else has. You loved me with no thought of any gain for yourself.”
A small, hopeful smile lit his eyes. I didn't dare breathe in case this was all a dream.
“Lena Masterson, I love you. Not because you're a lawyer, but because you bring out the best in me. I want you to be a part of my life,” he confessed. Ever inch of his face shone with the truth of his words. “You are amazing in your own right, and it doesn't matter if you have letters after your name or not. You're funny, and kind; and you make me ridiculously happy. I like the person I am when I'm with you. You complete me.”
I sniffled, my heart expanding in my chest to envelope the whole room. He loved me and wanted me regardless of what anyone else thought. The hand not holding the shoe reached up and touched my face. I realized I was crying, but it was with tears of joy.
“I love you, Lena.” Aiden cupped my face and made me look at him. I peered into his eyes and could see that every word was true.
“I love you, too, Aiden,” I whispered. My heart was ready to burst with joy.
“You are my fate, Lena,” he whispered, holding me close. “I'm sorry it took me so long to light my candle. Do you think you can help me keep it lit?”
“Yes.” I took the shoe and kissed him, not wanting to be apart from him for a second longer.
He pressed his hands into my hair, drawing me into him. I kissed him like a drowning man searching for air. My hands wrapped around his neck and mussed his hair. I had missed him so badly the past couple of days that I never wanted to spend another moment apart from him.
I fought the need to breathe for as long as possible. He pressed his forehead into mine and I could feel all the pieces of my heart knitting back together. His arms were strong and safe, promising me a future of love and devotion.
This was everything I could have hoped for. I looked up into the green over brown depths that led straight into Aiden's soul. They were so beautiful, not just in their coloring, but in what they were full of. Love. More than anything, when I looked into Aiden's eyes, I saw how we were fated and chose to find one another.
I kissed him again, wanting only to feel his heart beat with mine.
He loved me and I him. Together we would keep one another's candles lit with love and barefoot kisses.
Epilogue
I take a deep breath and slip into my shoes.
They aren't the shoes that brides usually wear on their wedding. These shoes are just simple black flats with sand stuck in the cracks near the toes.
“You ready?” My sister Louisa asks, peeking out through the door.
“Ready as I'm ever going to be,” I say. Now that I have the shoes on, my nerves are settling. I know he loves me because these shoes prove it.
My mother fusses one last time with my dress. It's satin and lace and possibly the most beautiful wedding dress I have ever seen. I'm sure all brides think that of their dresses, but for mine, I'm sure of it.
I hear the music start inside the church.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Mom says, giving me a kiss on the cheek. There are tears of pride in her eyes. She wipes the lipstick from her kiss off my cheek.
“I love you too, Momma,” I whisper. She presses her lips together as tight as she can to keep from crying as she hurries out to take her seat.
“She's so beautiful,” I hear her tell my dad. He's waiting just outside the door. Once Darcie and Louisa leave, it will be my turn.
“See you up there,” Darcie says with a grin.
“Hey,” Louisa whispers. She fixes my veil and smiles. “If this is what it got you, I'm glad you missed dinner last year. I've never seen you so happy.”
I nearly cry. It was a year ago that Aiden bought me dinner after a terrible day and a missed date with my sister. I hug her close, glad to have someone as wonderful as her in my life.
She pulls back and wipes at her eyes. “Don't make me cry or Darcie's going to beat me up.”
We both laugh because we know it's true.
I follow her out the door and Dad takes my arm.
“You sure you want to do this?” he asks, guiding me to the back of the church. “I'll go get the car right now if you say the word.”
“I love him, Daddy. A lot.”
“I know. I just have to ask.” He smiles, but there are tears welling up in his eyes. “You will be my little princess, forever. You know that, right?”
I wrap my arms around him and hold him tight. I am glad I'm still his little girl, even though I'm standing in a church in a wedding dress.
The wedding march begins and my stomach flutters. It's time.
I hold my father's arm as he walks me down the aisle. I glance to the sides, seeing friends and family. To my right, I see Noah and Izzy, waving and smiling. On my left, my cousin Emma and her husband Jack watch with huge smiles. My other cousin, Kaylee and her husband are at the front of the church trying to reign in a very boisterous little flower girl while Aiden's brother, Logan, makes silly faces at the child.
They all fade away as soon as I see Aiden.
I don't see the suit that I helped him pick out. I don't see the boutonniere that my mother insisted upon. I only see his smile and the love he has for me in his eyes.
I give my father one last hug and kiss. He shakes Aiden's hand before reluctantly letting me go.
I'm smiling so wide it hurts and I'm afraid my heart is going to burst out of my chest at any moment its beating so hard.
“Dearly Beloved,” the minister begins. I know the words. These are the words that are going to bind Aiden and I together so that we will never have to be apart again. The promises that we make here today to one another will be what guides us for the rest of our journey together.
The ceremony is short and sweet. I honestly am too excited to remember much of it. I put the important parts, the things I want to tell my children about someday firmly in my mind.
The way the ring felt when Aiden slid it on my finger and promised to love me for all time.
How easy and right it was to give him his ring and promise to love him.
The way the candles flickered as we each picked up our own solitary wick and joined them together to light a new candle. A candle that would burn through the night and chase away the dark.
But mostly, I know I will remember the kiss. The cocky smile Aiden wears when the minister tells him he may kiss me. How he reaches for me, drawing us together like magnets. In that kiss, I know that we are meant to be together forever. That this is fate.
All too soon the ceremony is over. I hold Aiden's hand as the church goes wild. Darcie's husband holds their tiny son, but he just smiles instead of waking up to the noise. Kathryn and the other lawyers cheer so loud it hurts my ears. It's almost as if there is a competition between my old law firm and the law students from my school.
Aiden and I dance down the aisle. Everyone is cheering. My mother is crying and my father is stoic, but I can see tears in his eyes. Even Aiden's father looks pleased. Darcie flashes me a thumbs up and I laugh. We escape out the back door. Ben motions us to follow him, a smile plastered across his face. He guides us to a small room, and turns to guard the door.
Aiden and I giggle and sneak inside. This might be the only moment we get to ourselves for the rest of the night. We have a big party planned, and while I'm excited to celebrate, I'm eternally grateful to Ben for giving us this moment to ourselves.
“I love you,” Aiden whispers, caressing my ch
eek with his hand. “More than anything.”
I lean into his touch, reveling in the soft stroke of his skin. I stand up on my tip toes and kiss his smile. He laughs, wrapping me up in his arms and lifting me up in the air.
My shoes slide off my feet but I don't care. I'm kissing the man I love. The man who is not only my best friend, but now my husband.
He sets me down and I sneak in one last barefoot kiss before he helps me slide my shoes back on.
Then together, we go out to meet our fate.
Thank you for reading "Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story"!
I'd like to invite you to read some extra content from my books which can only be found at my website, http://www.kristalakes.com. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter while you're there to get more information on my upcoming releases!
Check out my other works!
The "Kisses" series
Saltwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story
Wishful Kisses: A Fountain of Love Novella
Freshwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Sandcastle Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Hurricane Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Other Novels
Wolf Six's Salvation: A Shifter Love Story
Burned: A New Adult Love Story
Curves of the French Riviera Trilogy
Worthy of the Billionaire
The Woman of the Billionaire's Dreams
The Woman of the Billionaire's Dreams
The Woman of Her Enemy's Nightmares
The Woman of Her Adversary's Desires
The Arrangement Fan Fiction
Miss Black Part 1
Miss Black Part 2
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Did you love Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story? Then you should read Saltwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story by Krista Lakes!
Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story Page 16
