Page 32 of Kinks of a Billionaire
“Change your mind?” Willow teased as she stopped two feet from me, tilting her head back to hold my gaze. If only she knew this was the easiest decision I could ever make.
“Never.” I took her hand in mind. “How do you feel about the priest marrying us here, out in the sun? I know you wanted to walk down the aisle, but you’re breathtaking like this.”
A subtle blush crawled up her skin until it stained her cheeks. She angled her head, then curved her lips into a smile. “I like that. It’s more… us.”
“Jesus, at least tell him to change,” Aurora muttered.
This time Willow shook her head, her eyes shimmering like emeralds. “No, I prefer him in leather.”
“Why does that sound so naughty?” Sailor snickered, her eyes dancing with mischief. All three girls shared a glance and then burst into a fit of giggles.
“I don’t think I want to know,” Mrs. Auclair murmured.
“I think we’re too old to understand anyway,mon amour.” Her husband hooked his hand around her shoulder and drew her closer. The love between them was so tangible, it vibrated in the space between them with invisible strings, tying them into a unit.
It was exactly what I wanted with Willow, the word “palpable” encapsulating my emotions when I was around her. The question was whether I’d ultimately scare her away.
“Very well,” the priest announced in heavily accented English. “I guess we’ll get started. Everyone, find your places.” He lifted his eyes to the sky as if asking forgiveness. “Bride and groom, you may stand in front of me.”
The rhythm of my heart matched the seconds of the ceremony from start to finish, beat by rapid beat. All I saw was Willow, standing in front of me like my own personal salvation. All I heard was her shallow breaths; all I could smell was her intoxicating scent.
A cleared throat pulled my attention to the priest, an agitated glare crossing his features. “Well, son, do you?”
“I do.” Two simple words, and they burned through me with the strength of an inferno that I knew wouldn’t cease until my ashes dusted this earth.
It was Willow’s turn, and her soft “I do” had my heart soaring.
We exchanged the rings Willow’s parents provided—since I certainly hadn’t thought that far ahead what with this wedding coming together in less than five hours. We promised to love, cherish, and protect each other, forsaking all others, and I intended to honor that vow forever.
Another heartbeat, a kiss on the lips thatcertainlydid not feel platonic, and she was mine.
Chapter 15
Willow
Iwas Mrs. Royce Ashford.
The brighter the sun shone, the lighter my heart felt. The day started with bruises and a harsh reality check, and ended with a kiss full of promises.
“My little girl is all grown up.” My mother’s damp cheeks and glistening eyes found me, and her five-foot-nothing frame pulled me and Royce into a hug. “Now you’re ours forever. Welcome to the family, Royce.”
“Thank you, Mrs.—”
“You can call me by my first name, orMãe. No more Mrs. Auclair.”
“As you wish,Mãe.”
My mother lit up like a hundred-watt bulb, and I couldn’t resist a nervous chuckle. She seemed so happy, so proud, and I worried how she would feel if she knew this arrangement was born purely out of convenience.
Royce stepped in front of me, draped in jeans and leather, and my gaze lifted to his. The dread of the past few weeks faded into the vision of a hopeful future, one filled with peace if not intimacy. We stood in the large courtyard in front of the churchwhile nerves ran through me, but nothing had ever felt as right as this moment.
When I was crushing on him in my high school years, I always imagined myself with a big family and Royce by my side. I never really thought it would end—or start—like this. Yet, it felt right. My baby and I would be safe and loved by Royce. It might not be a marriage like my parents’, but it would be a good marriage. Royce and I got along, and I’d seen firsthand how protective he was of Aurora when we were kids. He’d be a good father—stepfather—to my baby.
“What if you regret this come tomorrow?”
He slipped his hands into mine, entwining our fingers while his gaze ignited with a spark of humor. “Then I’ll have to ensure tomorrow never comes.”
I bit my cheek to hold in a smile and gave my head a small shake.
