Page 30 of Spiced Chais and Secret Spies
Themusic starts playing, everyone stands, and the double doors at the opposite end of the aisle open, andRoiandPrinceCharmingcome in.PrinceCharmingis wearing a little dog tux, and he looks pretty dapper.He’sgot a basket of flower petals in his mouth.Roiis wearing a bow on her head that matches the bridesmaids’ dresses, and she has our rings tied in a little pouch around her neck.Yes,PrinceCharmingis the flower boy and my cute littleRoiis the ring bearer, but no matter what we tried,Roididnotwant to be the flower girl.Allof our guests are loving our pets coming down the aisle.
Justas we practiced with them so many times, my cat andDaisy’sdog walk down the aisle at the perfect speed.PrinceCharmingis shaking his head back and forth, making the flower petals fall on the aisle, and it might be the cutest thingI’veever seen.He’spretty proud of himself, too.
Themusic changes toBridalChorus,and everyone’s attention goes to the double doors again as they open forDaisyand her dad, and my breath catches in my throat.Sheis so beautiful.Hercurls are up in a chaotic bun on top of her head, likeIlove, but today, they’re… fancy chaotic.Idon’t know how else to describe it.AllIknow is that it is so veryDaisyandIlove it.Herface is full of so much happiness thatIwant to save this image in my head for all time.
Welock eyes, andIknow that everything is right.Marryingher is the most right thingIcould ever do.Mylife has changed infinitely for the better because of her, andIcan’t wait to see what life ahead has in store for us.
Daisyand her dad, who is dressed in a tux and looking pretty happy himself, make it about five steps down the aisle toward me whenPrinceCharming’sbasket runs out of flower petals.Apparently, he’s no longer interested in being a flower boy when there are no petals and no crowd attention.Sohe drops the basket, then he sneaks up behindRoibefore barking loudly.
Roi, who has been trying to be all proper and fancy, gets all the way freaked out and bolts off.Sincethe room is full of so many people she doesn’t know, a hiding place isn’t immediately evident, so she does what she does best.Climbs.Shescales up the sides of the floral arch in an instant and perches at the top of it, nice and safe.
PrinceCharmingis barking and all the guests are exclaiming and throwing their arms out like they’re trying to help contain the chaos, andDaisyandIare both chasing afterPrinceCharmingandRoi.Itis pure pandemonium.
Oneof my groomsmen,Aziz, has a four-year-old.Helifts him in the air, and the little boy tries to grabRoifrom the top of the arch.Then, the officiant tries coaxing him down by making some kind oftsking sound that causesRoi’sears to twitch but doesn’t get her to budge.Someonecomes with a long pole, andI’mbetting a broom in some janitor closet is missing its handle.ThatmakesRoihunker down even more.
Eventually, everyone heads back to their seats, andDaisyandIget under the arch, looking a bit more disheveled than we were moments ago but ready to get things started.And, of course, that’s whenRoidecides to jump down, landing right in my arms.Everyonelaughs and cheers.DaisyandIare laughing so much that we are breathless.
IgiveRoi’shead a rub beforeIuntie the little pouch at her neck, andIlet out a relieved breath that we’ll have rings for this ceremony instead of just a cat watching over us like a feline guardian of matrimony.
“Well,”Isay. “ItwasPrinceCharmingandRoiwho first brought us together, so this—”Igesture to the chaos that has surrounded us—“feels right.”
Daisygrins. “Itold you it would be perfect.”
Wantmore spy romance?Youcan read the story ofJacefalling in love withMackenzieright now inSpiesDon'tFallforTheirAsset.It'sthe first book in theRomancingtheSpyseries, where you'll get a book for each of the sixLancastersiblings and revisitCipherSpringsevery time.
Spies Don’t Fall for Their Asset
He’san international spy.Sheaccidentally becomes his asset.
EveryTuesday, my best friend andIget together to watch spy movies, andIdream of a secret agent sweeping me off my feet.
Imaginemy surprise when a) one actually does, b)Idon’t realize he’s a spy (even though “secret” is in the job title, soIshould’ve seen that coming), and c) his mission is to protect me.
Forthe record:Idon’t need protecting.ButifIdid,Jacewould be my top pick.Ihave more fun and feel more connected during the 10 minuteswhen he’s rescuing me from a blind date thanI’vehad in the past several years of dating combined.Adda helicopter, a black-tie gala, and a motorcycle chase, and even thoughI’mreluctant to date anyone,I’mready to let him protect me anytime.
Yet, my (considerable) reluctance to date is nothing compared toJace’s.Hehas a rule not to date anyone until he is no longer a covert intelligence operative.Somethingabout it being a bad idea to mix love and espionage.
ButamIfalling anyway?Yeah,Imight be falling.
Sendhelp.
“SpiesDon’tFallforTheirAsset” is a closed-door romantic comedy brimming with chemistry, sizzling tension, and witty banter.Ina world where the family business is the spy business, prepare to laugh, swoon, and fall head over heels in love.
