The Halo Series Boxed Set

by Kimberly Knight

  “Shall we?”

  “What? Play craps with him?” I asked.

  “Sure. Why not? We’re in Vegas, right?”

  I bobbed my head. “Yeah.”

  We walked closer to the table. Jason was still the shooter, and some guy who’d had one too many was betting against him as he slurred his jabs at Jason. I didn’t fully understand craps, but the way the guy was talking to Jason, it was apparent there was some sort of rivalry between them.

  I opened my wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill.

  “You’re going to bet?” Easton asked.

  I shrugged. “Sure, might as well.”

  Easton pulled out his wallet and did the same. Before Jason threw the dice, one of the dealers exchanged the bills for chips. We each placed minimum bets on the Pass Line.

  “You two know betting with the shooter is the worst possible way to win money, right? You need to bet on the Don’t Pass Line,” the drunk guy said.

  I shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s not as fun when we win.”

  “Exactly!” Jason boomed. “These guys know what to do.”

  “The odds are with the house,” the guy argued.

  “Don’t listen to him.” Jason leaned over. “He’s pissed I’m on a winning streak.”

  I smiled. “Then I guess it’s good I’m betting with you.”

  “Damn straight.”

  We played for a few hours, and Easton and I both walked away with a wad of money. Not a bad way to start the rest of my life with Nicole. Now, I was going to give her the world, starting with the best honeymoon possible.

  I couldn’t believe it was my wedding day.

  The only reason I was able to sleep the night before was because I got drunk and passed out as soon as Brooke and I got back to our room. When I woke up, I still had my jeans on, but my top was gone, and I was sleeping in my bra. I knew we’d had a good night.

  I heard Brooke step out of the bathroom and crawl into her bed. “I need a cheeseburger stat,” I groaned.

  “And fries,” Brooke grumbled.

  Yep, we were hungover. “What time is it?”

  There was a slight pause before she replied, “Eleven.”

  We didn’t need to be at the venue until three. That was when a hairstylist and makeup artist were arriving to get me ready for my big night. The wedding was to start at six, followed by a small reception at the location. The final headcount was fifteen and that included Avery’s parents if they showed.

  “I wanted to see a little of Vegas before the wedding, but since it’s already eleven, how about we order room service and just relax before we need to head over?” I suggested.

  “It’s your big day,” Brooke replied. “I’ll do whatever you want to do.”

  “What I want is for my headache to go away.”

  She got out of her bed, walked into the bathroom, and then returned. “Take these.” She held out her hand.

  I sat up and took the pills from her. I threw them into my mouth and tossed them back with a swig of water from the bottle on the nightstand. “What if I feel like shit when I’m saying my vows?”

  Brooke walked over to the desk and grabbed the room service menu. “We better get grease into you so there’s less of a chance.”

  “Yes,” I agreed and fell back against the pillow.

  “You want me to order you a cheeseburger or do you want to look at the menu?”

  “Bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. I need all the grease and carbs I can get to soak up the booze.”

  By the time Brooke and I made it to the venue, my hangover wasn’t subsiding. In fact, I felt worse.

  “Hey, Nicole. Ready for your big day?” Jessica, my wedding coordinator, asked.

  “Yep.” I tried to put on a happy face, but I also wanted to puke. When in Vegas, right? Sigh.

  She frowned slightly. “Are you okay?”

  I looked at Brooke, sighed, and then back to Jessica. “Just hungover.”

  Jessica smiled. “Party a little too hard last night?”

  “I don’t remember,” I admitted with a shrug.

  “We tried to soak it up with grease and aspirin, but it didn’t work,” Brooke groaned.

  Jessica chuckled. “Grease doesn’t work like people think. You need a banana and water, or eggs, salmon, or avocados.”

  “Had your fair share of hangovers?” I asked.

  Jessica smiled. “Had my fair share of brides with hangovers.”

  “I can go find us bananas and guacamole,” Brooke suggested.

  “How about you go into the bridal suite and start getting ready? I’ll get our chef to whip you up something, or I’ll find you those bananas,” Jessica proposed instead.

  I blew out a breath. “Thank you.”

  Jessica escorted Brooke and me to the suite. The hair stylist and makeup artists were waiting, and while they did their thing to make me look like the princess I’d always wanted to be, Jessica brought us chips and guac. After we scarfed it down, I started to feel better.

  “All set,” Laney, the hair stylist, said.

  I looked in the mirror and saw the elegant updo that made me feel almost like a bride. “Time to put on my dress?”

  She smiled. “I’d say so.”

  I turned to see Brooke holding it up on the hanger. “Yep, it’s time.”

  As I reached to take the dress from her, there was a knock at the door. She handed me the dress and then went to see who was at the door.

  “Oh, hey.”

  “Is Nic ready?” I heard my mom ask. She walked into the small room, and we smiled at each other. “You look so beautiful, honey.” She reached out her arms, and I stepped into them.

  “But I don’t even have my dress on.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” She waved me off as we broke apart. “You’re already radiant and the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  “Avery looks handsome too.”

  I silently chuckled. “I guess that means he’s here.”

  “Of course he is.”

  Slipping the sleek, lace dress from the hanger, I handed it back to Brooke and then stripped out of the robe I was wearing. “Are his parents here?”

  Mom scrunched her brows. “I don’t recall seeing them, but I met Easton’s parents.”

  My heart fell. I was seriously hoping they’d show. Their son was a good man—the best man. I didn’t understand how parents could turn a blind eye all because he didn’t fulfill their dreams for him. That was the thing: it was their dream, not his. And did it really matter that he wasn’t a professional baseball player? He was a successful bar owner in New York City—a city that had over ten thousand bars.

  “Let’s get you in your dress,” Brooke spoke up. “Today is your day, and you don’t need to worry about Avery’s parents.”

  “Brooke’s right, honey. If his parents don’t show, don’t let that bring you down. No one likes their in-laws anyway.”

  That wasn’t necessarily true because we all loved Easton’s parents, but I understood what my mother was saying. I nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into my dress. I slipped the ivory lace on and let everything clear my mind except for the fact that I was about to become Mrs. Avery Scott.

  The sun had fully set by the time I stepped out of the bridal suite. It was a crisp night, but I was on cloud nine and the cold wasn’t phasing me. The white lights illuminated the courtyard, and I knew that just beyond the trees blocking my view of the gazebo, Avery was waiting for me.

  Avery.

  The man who I’d met on a cruise ship. The man who had fallen in love with me. The man who had cared for me through everything we’d been through in the short amount of time we’d been together.

  The man who I loved more than anything.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dad asked from beside me.

  I looked up into his blue eyes that were like mine. “Never been this sure about anything else.”

  “It’
s not too late.”

  “I know. But Avery’s the one. My one. The one who makes everything better.”

  Dad stuck out his arm for me to hook mine in. “Then we better get you married.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  He kissed the top of my head, and I caught Jessica’s eye. I nodded to her and a few seconds later, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri started to filter in from the speakers. Then I took my first step toward the man who I knew I would love for more than a thousand years.

  The moment Avery came into view, dressed in a black tux with a white dress shirt, everything around me disappeared. I thought that only happened in romance novels, but it was true. It was him and me and no one else. The smile he gave me was the one I knew I could count on for the rest of my life. He made me happy, made me strong, and while I didn’t understand why we’d lost our baby, I knew that no matter what, we’d always have each other. He was my prince, and I knew that we’d eventually fill our castle.

  Maybe we weren’t meant to start our family yet. Life was weird like that. Maybe God was waiting to give us one when Brooke and Easton decided to grow their family. Maybe I would get pregnant tonight. Maybe. I didn’t know the answers other than Avery Scott was my soulmate. He was the reason I got up each morning. The reason I breathed. We’d fought for this moment through the ups and the one down that still crushed me every time I thought about what we’d lost. But I knew there was a reason, and I was excited to find out what our future held.

  Today was the first day of the rest of our lives.

  I’d heard that saying before, but now, I understood what it meant. We were becoming man and wife. We were becoming Mr. and Mrs. Avery Scott. We were becoming one.

  Dad gave me to Avery, and as I turned to look up into Avery’s azure eyes, he wiped a tear from my cheek. I hadn’t realized that I was crying.

  “Don’t cry,” he whispered.

  “These are happy tears,” I assured him. Anyone could make me smile, and people could make me cry, but it was Avery who made me smile with tears of joy in my eyes.

  “Good, because I didn’t get cold feet,” he teased.

  I smiled. “I didn’t either.”

  The minister, who was not Elvis, began the ceremony. I wasn’t sure what he said because as far as I was concerned, Avery and I were the only ones in the courtyard. I stared into his blue eyes the entire time.

  Avery cleared his throat and began to speak. “Nic, my beautiful bride, my one and only, today and every day I promise to love you, to honor you, to make you laugh. May the way I look at you and treat you reflect the truth that I’ve loved you since the first time I ever laid eyes on you in the middle of the ocean. You’re the light to my darkness, and I never truly understood what love was until I found you. You make me the happiest man in the entire universe, and today I vow that I will love you until my dying breath.”

  More tears streamed down my face as all of his words sank in. I swallowed, trying to remember what I wanted to tell him. Finally, as I looked into the eyes I wanted to bare my soul to, I was able to find my words. “Avery, I searched for you my entire life. While I always wanted the fairytale that most girls wish for, I’ve realized that life isn’t always unicorns and rainbows, and I know that love isn’t always perfect. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, and holding on and never letting go. Love is realizing that every hour, every minute, and every second was worth it because we did it together. We’ve had our heartbreak, but we made it through, and today I vow to you that I will love you through the good times and the bad. I will love you until the day after forever.”

  The minister spoke again and we said our “I do’s.”

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

  Avery grinned, and the moment his lips touched mine, I felt the love, the passion, the desire. I was so thankful that we’d chosen to get married at a venue where the wedding wouldn’t last hours. I wanted to run down the aisle, hand in hand, and go directly to our suite where we wouldn’t leave until it was time for our week-long honeymoon. However, we had an hour to eat, drink, and be merry.

  “I missed you,” Avery whispered into my ear as we stood near the gazebo to take pictures.

  I smiled warmly up at him. “I missed you too.”

  “Did you girls have a fun night?”

  “Met some ladies who got male escorts to marry them.”

  Avery balked. “No shit?”

  I nodded. “Fascinating stories, and made for a fun night.”

  “Easton and I partied with Jason Black.”

  I drew my head back. “You’re joking, right?”

  He smiled as the photographer continued to take candid pictures of us. “Not joking. He signed a bar napkin for you.”

  “And you couldn’t call me?”

  Avery shrugged. “We were doing our own thing.”

  “But … But that’s Jason Black. You know I have a hall pass for him.”

  “And that’s why I didn’t call you.”

  I took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you didn’t text me.”

  “In all fairness, you didn’t miss much. We played craps and won some money. The end.”

  “I’m still bummed you met him,” I admitted.

  “Just shut up and kiss me.”

  And I did because he was my husband and not some celebrity crush. Sure, I thought Jason Black was hot, but so was the man I’d just vowed to love until the day after forever.

  An hour later as we were sitting at the head of a long table, eating cake, Avery leaned over and whispered into my ear, “Is it time to be alone now?”

  We’d eaten dinner, cut our cake, and drank a few glasses of champagne. There would be no dancing, no throwing of the bouquet and garter, and I was okay with that.

  “Did you get the key for our room?” I asked. I wanted to be alone as much as he did.

  “Yes, and it’s burning a hole in my pocket.”

  I giggled. “Then we better go.”

  We said our goodbyes to everyone and climbed into a limo that was taking us back to the Aria. “I can’t believe we’re married.” I smiled, looking over at my husband.

  “Believe it, baby.”

  I stared down at my left hand. I was a married woman and couldn’t be happier. I didn’t know what was in store for us, but I felt lucky to experience it with Avery. He was everything I’d always wanted and more.

  A few minutes later, the limo pulled up to the front doors of the hotel. Before the limo driver could open the door for us, I saw Brooke and Easton running through the lobby doors.

  “I take it Easton missed Brooke too?” I laughed.

  “I guess he did,” Avery replied.

  We got out of the limo and started for the entrance. People smiled at us as Avery and I waited for an elevator to descend to take us up to our room. When it did open, we entered and were finally alone—just me and my husband in a box.

  “Fuck the paperwork,” I mumbled to myself as I shoved Avery against the wall of the car.

  “What?” he asked against my lips.

  I grinned. “Nothing. Just do naughty things to me while we’re alone.”

  “You know they have cameras in elevators, right?”

  I sighed. I did know that, but at the moment, I’d forgotten. “Yes.”

  Avery grinned as I pulled my head back. “Trust me. When we’re behind closed doors and are truly all alone, I will do naughty things to you.”

  “Promise?” I bit my lip.

  “Promise.”

  The elevator dinged, stopping on what I assumed was our floor. Avery led me down the hallway, and as we walked, Brooke and Easton passed by us without a word. I turned my head, wondering what was going on. Brooke winked, and then they turned a corner and were gone just as we stopped at a door. Avery unlocked it with the keycard.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he opened the door then picked me up
into his arms and carried me over the threshold. I didn’t get to look at the suite or take in the décor because Avery was on a mission as he carried me through the living room, through a kitchen, and into a glowing room. Candles were lit around the space, and red rose petals were scattered on the king-sized bed. I knew that our best friends hadn’t run off to be together. They’d run ahead of us to make this night even more special.

  “Dang. Our friends work fast.”

  “They do, but I had this set up when I’d checked in earlier.”

  I drew my head back as Avery still held me in his arms. “You did?”

  “We have our own private concierges.”

  “Then why—”

  “They were just lighting the candles.”

  “Oh.”

  He tossed me onto the bed, and I squealed as he dragged me to the edge, my lace dress rising to expose me. “Now, I’m going to make you come with your dress on. Then again and again and again.”

  “And you?”

  Avery grinned. “Trust me. I’ll come so hard while I’m buried deep inside of you.”

  I spread my legs, inviting him to do as he promised. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He shrugged out of his tux jacket and dropped to his knees. He removed my panties and then he teased his way up the inside of my thigh with feather-light kisses. My hands clenched the bedding as I melted into the mattress, allowing my husband to work his way up to devour me.

  “Nic,” Avery whispered against my skin.

  I lifted my head, looking down on him. “Yeah?”

  His blue gaze was heated with desire. “I’m about to eat my wife’s pussy.”

  I grinned. I knew I’d never get tired of hearing Avery refer to me as his wife. “Yeah, you are.”

  My husband returned to his trail of kisses, moving higher and higher to my center. Once there, he spread me and took his first swipe with his tongue, making me arch off the bed. Avery took his time, savoring this first intimate moment as husband and wife. Slow, firm licks worked my folds, my clit, making me wetter and wetter.

  “I’m a lucky man, Mrs. Scott,” he said against me. “My wife has the sweetest pussy.”

  I moaned my response, feeling his tongue move a little faster on my clit. While Avery rubbed the bud of nerves, he inserted two fingers, working me from the inside out. My body heat rose, and I got closer and closer to tipping over the edge into pure bliss. Needing to rid myself of my dress, I worked it to slip over my head and then threw it onto the floor. My hands began to work my breasts, feeling the hard peaks of my nipples. I was on fire, chasing the orgasm my husband was bringing my body to.