Page 111 of Serving the CEO

The Lighthouse was an absolutely beautiful space, with glass walls and strings of lights woven into designs on the ceiling, but for me, the most important thing was that all of the people Derrick and I loved were here, and this time, they were supporting something real.

“Ready?” Jami asked as she adjusted my dress.

It hugged my body in such a way that I doubted it needed much adjustment, but I let her fuss over it anyway.

“Thank you for agreeing to be my maid of honor this time.”

She smiled at me without a hint of insincerity. “What can I say? He won me over.”

“You’re just saying that because he got you front row tickets toHamilton,” I said.

“It didn’t hurt.” She grinned.

“Ladies, they’re starting,” Amelia called over her shoulder.

She’d completely understood that I’d wanted Jami as my maid of honor and had been surprised when I’d said that I wanted her in the bridal party too. Derrick had complained about having to call one of his old college buddies to be his second groomsman, but it’d all been good-natured.

He truly was a changed man.

As Jami began her walk down the aisle, Dad held out his arm and I took it.

“In case I don’t say it enough,” he said, “I’m proud of you and I love you.”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I know and thank you. I love you too.”

Then it was our turn. I immediately felt everyone’s eyes on me and knew it wasn’t to admire my sweetheart neckline or the classic silhouette of my gown. I knew many of them were just waiting for me to do something crazy. I wasn’t nervous about marrying Derrick, but I couldn’t deny the knots in my stomach when it came to our audience. Then I looked up the aisle and met Derrick’s gaze, and everything else just faded away.

Before I realized it, Derrick was taking my hands and we’d reached a familiar part of the ceremony. I could feel the tension in Derrick as the minister asked if I would take this man to be my lawfully-wedded husband, and it seemed like the entire place held their breath.

“I do.” I smiled at Derrick.

His entire face lit up at my words and I knew that, even though he’d said more than once that he knew I loved him, he’d been worried about today. But now our rings were on, and he was being told that he could kiss his bride, and none of that mattered.

“I love you,” he murmured just before his lips met mine.

I felt the kiss all the way down to my toes even though he kept it appropriate for the public. Maybe it was because I loved him that I felt it so deeply, or maybe it was because I was kissing my husband. It didn’t matter though. All that mattered was that we were now turning toward our guests and being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Thomas.

* * *

The evening had takenon a bit of a surreal feel by the time we were done eating.

The reception was in the same space as the wedding and the staff did an amazing job of changing things around in a matter of minutes. I made a mental note to commend them for a job well done, but I knew it’d have to be done at a later date because Derrick and I were now going around to each table to talk to our guests.

And it wasn’t just our relationship we were talking about either. Our dating, engagement, and marriage weren’t all that had been going on in our lives over the last six months.

Derrick’s new book had been released three months ago and had been a huge hit. He and Drew had both been surprised since it’d been so different from anything else Derrick had written. And it definitely wasn’t anything like what Derrick had originally intended to write. After all, his conclusion had been that the right relationship was worth fighting for, regardless of what it did to a man’s business.

His wasn’t the only best seller either. Bristol’s book had gone to press not long after the new year began and had immediately shot to number one on theNew York Timesbestseller list. And she wouldn’t be a one-hit wonder either. She was halfway done with a second book and had expressed some interest in perhaps trying a different genre for book number three. Whenever she was asked if she’d be moving to a bigger publisher, she always had the same answer:hell no.

Thanks to her success and ringing endorsement, Jami and I had been flooded with calls and submissions, both from agents and unrepresented writers. We’d actually hired a third person just two weeks ago so that Jami wouldn’t have to handle it all on her own while I was gone on my honeymoon. We’d agreed that we’d probably need the extra help even after I returned, if the still steady volume of submissions was any indication.

My parents, of course, had ordered numerous copies of both books and had signings for both Derrick and Bristol. I’d actually been surprised when Derrick had agreed to it since he hadn’t done signings for any of the other ones, but he’d said that it was the least he could do for all he’d put my parents through. The attention had helped things pick up enough that the store was back to making a decent profit.

They hadn’t understood why I hadn’t gone back to working at Broker, but Derrick and I had decided that it was healthier for our relationship for us to not work together. We did talk business sometimes, but we made a point to never let it be about anything that could come between us. We also occasionally took each other lunch at the office, but that was usually just an excuse to have a risky quickie.

Our sex life was fantastic, and I’d gotten my own membership at Derrick’s BDSM club so I was no longer just listed as his ‘guest.’ There and home – and wherever else we decided to play – he’d taken me places I’d never imagined, and I had no doubt that he’d continue to surprise me for the rest of our lives.

“What do you say, Mrs. Thomas,” Derrick’s voice cut into my thoughts, “one last dance before we say our good-byes?”

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