Page 31
Lil looked across to Jake and knew that, like her, had had been imagining their wedding, their vows…their first kiss as a married couple. To music and applause, Lil linked arms with Jake and followed Dominic and Abby down the aisle and out of the tent to meet the photographer. They would have their day, but the next hour or so was all about filling Dominic and Abby’s wedding album.
After entering the reception with Jake and the rest of the bridal party, Lil turned to him and said “I want to run in and check on Colby really quickly before everything gets started. I love the nanny we chose, but I–”
Jake pulled her against him and whispered into her ear, “I’ll go with you. ”
Lil laughed and pulled out of his grasp, “No way. I’m not missing the toast because we get distracted out there. ”
“I love the way you distract me,” he growled and reached for her again.
She edged away, “That’s the problem. I am not going to mess this up. If you don’t come with me I can be back here in ten minutes. ”
“I could control myself,” he claimed.
She leaned in and snuck a quick kiss while he was defending his honor then slid back out of his reach. “But could I?” she teased softly.
His face flushed slightly with excitement. “I think I could make ten minutes work. ”
“That’s nothing to brag about,” Lil joked and loved how he opened his mouth, but didn’t have a witty comeback. It meant that she had indeed succeeded in shaking him up. She snuck in for one more quick kiss and said, “I’ll be right back. ”
His mouth curled in amusement. “I’ll be here, plotting my revenge. ”
She knew it was the kind of payback she would likely enjoy, so she felt safe enough to tease him more. “If you’re that sensitive, you’ve picked the wrong woman. ”
This time he did grab her and hold her against his growing excitement. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you, Lil, but that doesn’t mean I won’t prove to you later exactly how much I can accomplish in ten minutes. ”
He leaned down to kiss her and she couldn’t think of a single witty response. He kissed her until she forgot what had been so funny and desperately wanted to beg him to leave with her.
When he raised his head she touched a trembling hand to his lips and stared at the elegant, emerald cut diamond on her left hand. Was this really her life? Could something this wonderful really happen to her?
He sensed her change of mood and tried to lighten it by saying, “Would it help if I promised at least twenty minutes?”
She smacked his chest lightly. In the safety of his arms, she admitted her fear. “Sometimes I still don’t believe this is real. I mean, Abby deserves a happy ending, but I’ve done everything wrong. I shouldn’t be this happy. ”
Jake pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead. Then he bent and let his words tickle her left ear. “If love was only for the perfect, what a sad and lonely world it would it be. We are the culmination of every good and bad choice we’ve ever made. Your mistakes have made you into an incredibly fierce and loving woman; one I am head over heels in love with. They have filled your life with friends who are willing to risk jail for you. They brought Colby into the world. One of your mistakes even saved our company. So, don’t change, Lil. You keep making those mistakes and you just might save us all. ”
The next kiss they shared had less to do with raw passion and more to do with two hearts reaching out to each other and promising each other forever.
The wedding planner broke into their intimate moment and said, “Are you both ready to say your toasts?”
Lil smiled at Jake and nodded. “I guess I’ll check Colby after we do that. ” She winked at her man. “We’ll go together. ”
He groaned, “Are you trying to make me forget my speech?”
She laughed wickedly and whispered a hot suggestion into his ear.
Game on.
From a large stone patio, tucked beneath one of Jake’s arms, Lil waved again at the private jet that was now only lights disappearing into the night sky. “She’s going to love Spain. ”
Jake said, “Even more than you know. ”
Lil looked up at him suspiciously, “What does that mean?”
He smiled. “I’ll let her tell you. ”
“Oh, no, we don’t do any more secrets. ”
His smile turned wicked. “You might be able to persuade me to tell you. ”
“You are insatiable, do you know that?”
He looked rather proud of himself. “Is that a complaint?”
Lil thought about how much she’d enjoyed the reason they had missed the dinner portion of the wedding and reluctantly returned just in time to see the cutting of the cake. “No, but now I won’t be able to use that elevator without blushing. ”
“Especially if the security system has a camera in there. ”
“Oh, my God! I’m never going to be able to look the security people in the eye again. ”
Jake laughed. “I’ll talk to them and if there is a camera I’ll have the video erased. Well, maybe copied and then erased. ”
“Just erased!” Lil elbowed him lightly.
Jake merely smiled.
Security cameras. She should have thought about that when she told Zhang to wander on the wild side.
Stretching his neck a bit to see more of the runway, Jake said, “I don’t see Rachid’s plane anymore. It’s not like him to leave without saying goodbye. When I talked to him earlier he said he had something he wanted to ask me. That’s interesting. ”
Lil shrugged. “The last time I saw him he was dancing, if you could call that dancing, with Zhang. They looked like they were really hitting it off. ”
Jake scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “Have you seen Zhang since then?”
Lil checked the contents of the clutch she’d carried with her through the entire evening. “No, but I still have her phone. You don’t think…”
Jack cocked his head to the side as if considering the idea, then shook his head. “No, that’s not Zhang. If her phone and her plane are here, she’s here somewhere. She’d never leave without them. ” He shook his head again. “No. Not Zhang. ”
Lil turned Zhang’s phone in her hand and considered the possibilities. With a grin, she turned it off and placed it back within her purse. Good for you, Zhang. I did pick the right dress.
Jake returned his attention to a much more intimate topic. He wiggled his eyebrows, likely remembering her earlier promise of how they would end their evening as he asked, “Ready?”
His sexy question implied tonight, but she pondered past that.
Am I ready for all of this? This man? This life change? Everything this means for me and for my child?
Jake entwined his fingers with hers and the answer came to her–strong and absolute.
I am.
I’m finally ready.
“Yes,” she said and meant it with every fiber of her being.
Hand in hand, they walked into the rest of their lives together.
The End
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