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Laughing heartily, I nodded before we reached the sprawling patio, and Brandon’s bodyguard seemed to materialize out of nowhere. I’d rarely seen Nathan, and I’d never heard him say anything, but I smiled warmly regardless. Leading me through the mansion, Brandon was quiet, and I let myself enjoy the childish glee that rolled off him in powerful waves. Getting married to him wasn’t a mistake—of that, I was absolutely sure—and we arrived out front to find his car already idling on the drive.
“Okay, we should definitely go to get some milkshakes first. What about that place on McKenna Boulevard?” Brandon’s driver pulled off, and I silently contemplated whether he could read minds or something. He always knew where to go, even if Brandon didn’t say anything. Leaning on Brandon’s chest to prop my legs on the rest of the seat, I savored the hard, slightly fast beat of his heart against my cheek.
“I wonder if my dad would hate you because I was his little girl, and no one was good enough for his little girl?” Speaking up softly, I pursed my lips as Brandon stiffened underneath me, and I stared blankly at the back of the driver’s seat. “My mom is right. I think that’s how it would go. You know, Brandon... when we met at that charity thing, I thought you were going to be a rich jerk with no value on normal people’s lives. I was really wrong, like, really, really wrong. So, it hasn’t escaped me thatmost likely, I’m wrong about my dad, too.”
“Is that what yesterday was about? That you realized that your dad might want this?” Nodding unabashedly, I inhaled deeply, and Brandon caressed my cheek and neck as he dropped a kiss on my crown. “My dad probably would be dead anyway. He’d be in his nineties now, if he were still alive, but I know for a fact that he’d throw a world-class tantrum about this. He seemed like that kind of guy, using his money and power to get what he wanted and throwing fits when he didn’t. I remember the day I took over my dad’s company. My mom sat me down. She told me about the first time he hit her. He had a bad day with some deal falling through, and he just decked her right in the face out of nowhere.”
“I don’t care about what anyone says or thinks, not Audra, or Bert, and especially not my father. The people we remember are idolized, romanticized versions of who that person really was. I’m not saying your dad was awful or anything, Katie. Clearly, he was a wonderful man, but our brains process trauma by picking out all the bad things and only keeping the good. Maybe he yelled at you once for breaking something... or he and your mom got into a fight about money. You wouldn’t remember, now.”
“Yeah... I–I’m starting to realize that.” The car came to a full stop, and I sat up to breathe huge, stabilizing breaths. Squeezing my hand, Brandon’s smile crept up between his cheeks, and I nodded more to myself than him. “Okay, enough of that. We’re gonna have fun. No ghosts are going to stop us. How do I look? How’s my hair?”
“Here, put this back on.” Carefully pulling the circlet from my veil out of his tuxedo pocket, Brandon smiled as he gingerly set it back on my head. “You’re a princess. It’s a good thing you didn’t get traded to France for extended trade privileges.”
“Oh, my God.” Covering my face to stifle my giggles, my cheeks burned against my palms, and Brandon laughed heartily. Hastily shuffling toward the other end of the seat, I popped open the door to climb out, and I glanced around at the massive throng of people hanging around. This part of the city had a lot of restaurants, a lot of glitz and glam, and relief eased my pounding heart when no one noticed me immediately.
The ice cream shop itself was busy, and I gnawed on my lower lip as Brandon emerged behind me. Gulping down the lump in my throat, I watched a constant stream of bodies leave and enter the shop through wide eyes.
I really hadn’t thought this through very well.
“Hey! Kat!” Jumping with a squeak at the excited call, I whipped around as a vaguely familiar face raced closer and closer. Surprise raised my brows, and an automatic smile stretched my lips.
“Hey! You’re the cashier lady who showed me the video.” Coming to a stop before me, she nodded furiously, and I glanced back at Brandon to clear my throat. “Ah, this is the cashier at the store who told me about your podcast appearance, which I still haven’t forgiven you for.”
“Sally. So, you really did get married! Can I take your picture?”
“You got me in a lot of trouble, you know?” Speaking up the same time, Brandon wrapped his arm around my waist as Sally blushed in embarrassment, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, you can take a picture, sure. Are you a photographer?”
“Ohh, I want to be. I hate working at the damn supermarket and all the old ladies that come in and tell me to make something of myself. I hate them, too.” The crowd around us began to get bigger as Sally held up an expensive digital camera that I hadn’t noticed. “Okay, give me a quick second.”
“Are you doing anything today? How about I hire you? We already had the official wedding pictures done, but I want to document all of today, not just this morning.” Sally almost dropped her camera in shock, and my head whipped up as Brandon nodded firmly. “Only if you’re available.”
“Of–ofcourse, I’m available! I would be honored!” She smiled like a lunatic, but the action was sobered a little by the tears glistening in her eyes. “Okay. Okay, um..."
Wiping her face furiously, Sally held the camera to her eye to back up and crouch down low, and I marveled at the universe’s ability to put someone in the right place at the right time. Resting my cheek on Brandon’s shoulder, I waited patiently as he rubbed my upper back above the lip of my dress.
“That was nice of you, Brandon.” He only grunted, and I glanced up to find him already watching me with a guarded expression. “What? It was nice.”
“Everyone in this city wants to be famous and live the high life, but the truth of it is that few can manage it. I just hope she can handle it.” Leaning down to brush his lips on mine, Brandon smirked ever so slightly, and my breath hitched in anticipation. “Plus, I want these pictures to be the best damn pictures ever taken, and an amateur with everything to prove will do better than a professional.”
ChapterTwenty
BRANDON
“What are you making?” Katie tensed when I sidled up against her back, and I kneaded her hips as I glanced over her shoulder. “It smells good.”
“It smells like onions so far. I’m making meat sauce.” Saliva pooled under my tongue at the mere mention, and I kissed her bare shoulder as she chopped away at some garlic. “Stop distracting me.”
“Are you saying you’re only wearing an apron because you’re not trying to seduce me?” Relishing Katie’s gasp as I ground against her ass, I closed my eyes to savor her taste, and her pulse beat wildly against my lips. Creeping under the plain pink apron, my fingertips tingled, and she spread her creamy thighs as I cupped her mound. “I think you want more.”
“I thought you’d be gone longer.” My cock strained against my work pants, and I circled Katie’s clit with a faint hum of acknowledgment. Her voice became breathless and high, and she stopped working to tilt her hips against my palm. “I w–want to get the ground beef going, at least..."
“What’s in the oven?” My kitchen had never been used as much in the past ten years than Katie has used it in the two weeks since our wedding. She cooked every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it wasn’t amazing, for sure, but it was still delicious. Reluctantly stepping away, I shuffled over to the sink as she took a few calming breaths, and a slight smirk tilted my lips.
I was forty years old next year, but I thought I did a pretty good job of keeping up with Katie. It was probably because I spent the better part of twenty-five years celibate. I had a lot of pent-up energy.
“Ah... that’s for my mom. I made her this chicken and cheese stuffed thing that I found the recipe for earlier. It looked good.” Washing my hands dutifully as she spoke, I nodded even though she couldn’t see me, and she paused for a moment before continuing. Everything we did was sonormal, and I couldn’t get enough of it. “I mean, I want to know if it’s good, but what if I don’t like it? Then it’ll be a waste. So, I have my mom try my stuff first, and if she thinks I’ll like it, she’ll tell me. Right now, I want to make some time to go to my apartment. I got all the important legal stuff, but there are some other things I want to pick up. This sauce is for tomorrow. I kind of want stuffed shells.”
“Has your agent called you back yet? Didn’t he leave you a message while we were in San Diego?” My smile widened at the memories that flooded my mind’s eye. Katie absolutely refused to go to some exotic place for our honeymoon. We’d just spent a month on a boat, she’d said, and she couldn’t even talk about flying without looking distressed.
