Page 25 of Billionaire's Runaway

“Dad!” she gasped.

Oh, shit.

Eleven

Laura

“Sir, you havejust cause?” the minister asked. Her hard tone told me this wasn’t her first rodeo when it came to last minute objections. The narrowed eyes that studied my dad, Luke and me told the same story. What I wanted to know was how my father had found us.

“She’s my daughter, and it seems I got here just in time. That damn inept detective should have done something,” he muttered. “I do not give my permission. She’s promised to someone else, not…not…not this whoever he is.”

Our celebrant raised an eyebrow then looked at me, her notebook hugged to her chest. “You’re over eighteen, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Almost twenty-three,” I replied with a nod then gasped as pain bit into my arm. Steely fingers bit into my bicep to yank me away from my fiancé.

“Luke!” I cried as I stumbled backward toward my father while he tugged me away.

I needn’t have worried. My husband-to-be was there in an instant, grasping my father’s wrist and forcing him to let go of me. Jameson moved beside him, the two Cassel men forming a wall between me and my dad once Luke urged me behind him.Rick joined them. Willow rushed to my side and embraced me, pulling me a few feet farther away.

“You’re engaged to another man?” the minister asked.

“No! My father wants me to be but I’m not. I’ve never even met the man.”

“She’s promised!” he bellowed, glaring around the shoulders of the powerful men blocking him.

“I don’t believe I was talking to you,” the minister replied. “But since you’re feeling talkative—”

I almost snorted. I liked this woman. I’d rarely seen anyone female stand up to my dad.

“—did you have avalidreason to disrupt these nuptials?”

My father glared.

“Laura,” the minister asked. “Do you want to marry Luke?”

“Yes, more than anything.” Wasn’t that why we were here?

“Good. Luke? You want to marry Laura?”

“Yeah,” he laugh-scoffed. “I wanted to marry her months ago. And I’m sure as hell ready now.”

“Okay, good, then,” she said, scratching her pen across a paper in her notebook. “Well, we’re done here then. Congrats, you’re man and wife. Make sure you pick up the certificate before you leave. Live long and prosper and all that.”

I stared at her, my mouth dropped open, while joy and relief filled me. The celebrant threw me a wink before refocusing over my shoulder. “Do we need to call security?”

“This is ridiculous! I will have your license,” my father bellowed at the minister.

She nodded. “Good luck with that. I’m just filling in for friends today. In real life, I’m a circuit court judge. Do you want to discuss how you were trying to force your daughter into a marriage without her consent?”

“This is none of your business! It’s a family matter!” he exclaimed.

Apparently deeming it safe, Luke broke away from the blockade and came over to pull me into his arms while Rick and Jameson closed ranks.

“Mrs. Cassel,” he said, cupping my face and peering down at me with pure, possessive love. I never wanted that look to change. A warm golden glow seemed to fill me while I returned the stare, filled with happiness.

“Mr. Cassel,” I whispered, ignoring the blustering a few feet away. Nothing mattered except Luke’s mouth coming down over mine, so firm yet tender. I groaned, leaning into him. With Luke, I knew everything in my life would be okay.

But I needed to face my father. Pulling back regretfully, I saw understanding on Luke’s face. His thumb brushed over my cheek. “I’m right here.”

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