“Sorry for the deception, by the way.”
“What deception?” she asked him after he placed the most gorgeous diamond wedding ring she’d ever seen on her finger. She didn’t even know a rock could be cut so huge and sit on a woman’s finger. The ring certainly must have added to her weight by just wearing it.
But it wasn’t the size of the ring.
It was about the size of Antonio’s heart. And his love for her was huge!
There she was doubting him all this time and he had this elaborate staging of events to get her to marry him.
“So you had all this planned?” she clarified.
“Of course. Well, some of it. This little fella here,” he said snuggling the spirited pooch, “was a gift to you from Shelly. So, I thought I’d bring him along.”
Lucy gushed. She looked lovingly from Antonio to the puppy and back to Antonio as she weaved her arm through his while they walked on the grass towards the parking area.
“This is one of the properties we own. I figured you wouldn’t know about it.”
“So the Smithsons...?”
“Sorry, those guys are great. They are married by the way and they were up to having a second ceremony if you had said no to my proposal,” he grinned, arching his sexy brow.
Lucy flushed sheepishly. “And you planned all this with Maxine, right?” Lucy grinned and shook her head. She thought no one really cared about her but Antonio cared. Maxine cared. She wasn’t alone.
“Pretty much.”
“You know I owe her a lot,” Lucy quipped.
“Don’t worry, we’ll make it up to her.” He flashed his boyish smile.
We’ll make it up to her.
Yes, Lucy loved the sound of “we.” Togetherness. Two souls in one. Yes, Maxine certainly deserved some honor in all of this. Lucy was glad she was handing over the agency to her. This was the ultimate planned wedding.
She had been betrayed by Mr. Wrong in her past but now she was with Mr. Right. And nothing could be more fulfilling.
“So I ended up planning my own wedding?”
“And what’s so wrong about that?”
“Nothing, except...when is the ceremony? The invitations have to go out.”
“Done. Maxine and I took care of all that, Lucy. You needn’t worry about a thing.”
“I’m speechless. So I got engaged and will get married in the same day? What about my gown?”
“Hey, people are doing it these days. Nothing wrong with that. Why waste time and headache with all that long-term planning? Besides, you already laid the groundwork. Maxine told me about the do-it-yourself wedding booth at the convention. And your gown was fitted when you tried on that dress at the same booth.”
“Maxine!” Lucy grinned, shaking her head.
“I thought it was a great idea. So she showed me the email and we took it from there making sure that you planned the Smithsons wedding how you would want your own wedding since they were leaving it up to you to design.”
“Thanks!” A warm feeling nestled in her heart.
“I’m in love with you, Antonio.”
“I love you, too, Lucy. I don’t know how I would manage to spend another day without you.”
When they arrived at their cars, Antonio firmly kissed Lucy and the puppy he had cradled in his arms planted a sloppy, wet one on her chin.
She laughed. “I think he’s trying to tell us something. Here, let me hold my little guy.” She carefully took the pup into her arms and cuddled him. “He’s so adorable. Maybe he could be the ring bearer.”
“I think that might be pressing it. He may run off with the wedding bands,” Antonio teased.
“No. We can’t have that now, can we?”
Later that evening...
The garden looked picture perfect.
The flowers decorated it in such an enchanted way that Lucy felt as if she was the princess from a castle wedding at sunset. The sky was turning a purple orangey hue. It was breathtaking. The blooms smelled of sweet perfume and filled the air with their fresh aroma.
Lucy walked down the aisle to the soft, sensuous ballad “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand. It was perfect given the floral setting.
And what a sweet ambiance!
Though the day was turning to night, the trees all had the warm glow of the lights in the fairy lights that decorated them. Then the aisle was gorgeously lit with tea lights in safe glasses glowing in a warm orange. Gold and cream were the colors for the ceremony with a touch of emerald green.
What gave it its breathtaking ambiance was the fact that the four-place round tables on the property had lanterns underneath the tablecloths to give off the sensation of orange balls of sun glowing beneath the evening sky.
Beautiful.
Lucy wore a white, full length, Cinderella wedding gown with a plunging neckline that accentuated her body as her emerald green gown did the day she first danced with Antonio. She was choked by emotion over her small, close-knit guest list. Her good friends.
Maxine sat near the front since Lucy decided not to have any bridesmaids. She noticed Maxine eyeing Antonio’s cousin Lucas who was seated near to her. Lucy grinned. Then there was Toni, Antonio and Lucas’s grandfather who sat in a wheelchair alongside his new bride, Shelly. Darla, from the office, and Mr. Petri and others watched Lucy with loving eyes as she made her way down the aisle.
Antonio, of course, was stunning!
There was something so desirable about a groom in a white, crisp, shiny tux.
Breathtaking.
And he was all hers.
Proudly, she embraced with him when she reached the altar. The minister was in place and the ceremony commenced.
Moments later...
“I do,” Lucy answered, raw emotion controlling her voice.
“I now pronounce you...husband and wife,” was all she remembered hearing before Antonio leaned down and swept her in his strong arms. He bestowed on Lucy the sweetest, most sensual kiss. She thought she would forfeit her breath.
The cheers from the guests and the yapping from Sugar, their new puppy, brought the celebrations together in a spectacular way.
Confetti glinted as it danced through the evening air. And the party began.
And Lucy and Antonio would begin their happily ever after...together.
EPILOGUE
Two hours later...
Besides the occasional influenza bug, Maxine rarely caught anything. But tonight, she caught the gorgeous bouquet of flowers from her friend and former boss, Lucy! She also caught the attention of Antonio’s sexy as hell playboy cousin, Lucas.
“Beautiful!” Lucas grinned as he gave Maxine a salacious glance. Maxine was playing with the flower petals of the bouquet when he approached her at one of the tables on the lawn.
Of course, he was dangling the lace garter that his cousin Antonio pulled off his new bride using his teeth. That was quite a hot sight to see.
Did sexiness run in the family? It certainly looked like it. Lucas had a few glasses of wine and seemed quite mellow tonight.
The music was blazing from the speakers in the dimly lit garden reception. The night was fresh and crisp. And Lucas was, well...fresh!
“Thanks, Lucas!” Maxine said, flushing. Lucas was not her type. He was a player. Period. She saw the way he flirted with every other girl at the Diamond Ball a couple of months ago. Why surely, he didn’t think she was some fly-by-night girl, did he?
Lucas?
Lucas caught the garter?
Good grief!
Marriage material, he was not!
“Would you like to dance?” he said in a deep, smooth voice as if to challenge her to say no. It was more of a statement than a question.
Oh, God, there was the flirtatious thing going on again.
Hell no! Players are just not my type.
She’d heard too much about Lucas’s reputation with the women. He was smooth as warm caramel and could be just as sweet with his mouth.
Maxine felt ter
rible having thought that. What harm could one dance possibly do? It wasn’t as if he’d asked her to go to his private yacht or anything like that. Heck, it was her good friend’s wedding. People dance at weddings. Nothing wrong with that.
“Sure,” Maxine finally agreed. Her mind was telling her one thing but her heart was speaking a whole different language.
It’s just one dance, she told herself. Nothing more has to come of it.
Why did she get the feeling this would not be the last time she would see Lucas?
***
NOTIFICATION FOR THE NEXT BOOK
If you would like to be the first to find out what happens to Maxine Summers and Lucas Romero (A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy), or read more sizzling romance stories in The Bride Series, join HERE at www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com and enter your email address where it says “Sign Up!” Thank you for reading The Billionaire’s Second-Chance Bride!
Books by Shadonna Richards
THE ROMERO BROTHERS SERIES
The Billionaire’s Second-Chance Bride
A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy
The Playboy Billionaire (coming soon)
THE BRIDE SERIES
An Unexpected Bride
The Jilted Bride
The Matchmaker Bride
His Island Bride (Free)
An Unexpected Baby (The sequel to An Unexpected Bride)
The Billionaire’s Second Chance Bride
The Belmont Christmas Bride (March 2014)
THE BRIDE SERIES COLLECTION (Books 1-5 and other stories)
WHIRLWIND ROMANCE SERIES
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO (Free)
Accidentally Married to the Billionaire
Accidentally Falling for the Tycoon
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 2
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 3
THE BILLIONAIRE’S WHIRLWIND ROMANCE (Books 1-3)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SHADONNA RICHARDS, USA Today Bestselling Author
Shadonna Richards enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. She has sold over 300,000 copies of her bestselling romance novels. Born in London, England, she has a B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. Winner of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives in Canada with her husband and son.
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/authorshadonnarichards
SOME INTERESTING FACTS:
* All books in her Bride Series (as of May, 2012) have hit the #1 spot in their categories
* Three of her Bride Series novels simultaneously occupied the Top 5 Hot New Releases in Romance Anthologies in May 2012 *
Five of her Bride Series novels were simultaneously listed in the Top 20 Bestsellers list in Romance Anthologies in May 2012
* Her novels: The Matchmaker Bride, His Island Bride and The Bride Series (Novels 1-4) made the Top 100 Most Wished For list in April 2012 & May 2012 in the top 10 spots
* She made Amazon's Top 100 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance at #48 in March 2013
* She made Amazon's Top 10 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance in November 2013
The Billionaire's Second-Chance Bride (The Romero Brothers, #1) Page 13
