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The man is aging to perfection, and the way the fabric clings to every muscle would have pretty much any woman at his feet.
But it’ll take a whole lot more than a lethal weapon in a pretty package to have me falling to my knees.
I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, thinking of all the ways I could get back to Boston as soon as possible. It’s risky because Spade will be waiting for this sham of a marriage to fail, but I refuse to let fear ruin my life.
I will find a way out of this marriage and a way to stop Spade from coming for me. Because I’m too young to give up.
My heart beats wildly in my chest as I stare up into Doc’s dark eyes, completely unaware of what the officiant is saying. At some point I’m going to have to speak and everyone in this room is going to hear how uncertain I really am, including the two men by the side door who I’m positive work for Spade.
Doc said he would have some kind of presence today, but it’s unnerving having them here when I’m about to vow to spend the rest of my life with a man I don’t know.
I zone into what he’s saying just as he turns to me and says, “Repeat after me.”
I take a deep breath, trying desperately to steady myself. I’m about to learn the full name of my husband-to-be, moments before we become man and wife, and the insanity of that isn’t lost on me.
“I, Isla Jade Stuart, take you, William James Simpson, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you.”
He turns to Doc, and I hold my breath, desperately hoping this is the moment the man sees sense and puts a stop to it before it can go too far.
But alas, the same words I’ve just repeated are repeated back to me until my stomach protests so violently I think the contents might make a reappearance.
“I, William James Simpson, take you, Isla Jade Stuart, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love and cherish you.”
My stomach drops when I remember I’d forgotten about the most important and most terrifying part of the ceremony.
The kiss.
I stare up into his inky gaze with my breath caught in my throat. Despite my partying, I’ve only ever kissed a handful of men in my life, and one of them is sitting in the second row. I’ve definitely never kissed anyone twenty years older than I am though.
His eyes burn into mine as if the same thought has just occurred to him. I wonder if he’s giving himself the same pep talk I am. I’m sure he’s kissed hundreds of women, and hell, he was married before, so this is probably nothing to him. But to me, this is everything.
I used to imagine my wedding day. I would imagine the dress and the flowers. I’d imagine my future husband standing at the other end of the aisle looking at me like God put me on this earth just for him. And I imagined our first kiss as husband and wife.
But all that’s been taken from me now.
I didn’t get a choice in any of it.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”
There’s a moment where I think neither of us are going to move, but then he closes the distance between us, dips his head down, and brushes his lips over mine in the gentlest caress I’ve ever felt.
It’s the opposite of what I imagined kissing him would feel like. Where I thought he would be hard, he’s soft. Where I thought he’d be brutal, he’s gentle. And where I thought I would hate the feel of his hands around my waist and his lips pressed against mine, I find myself leaning into it.
The kiss only lasts a few seconds, but the feel of his lips remains long after he pulls away, like they’ve burned into mine, imprinting on me in a way no one’s ever have before.
Doc’s dark eyes linger on mine as if he feels it too, but then they’re gone, turned to look at my father as he approaches us.
I don’t have time to consider that before I’m swept up in hugs and kisses from the few loved ones who showed up.
I didn’t know if Mom would come, but it still hurt that she didn’t. She hasn’t shown an interest in my life in years, so it shouldn’t surprise me, and yet the bite of rejection still burns into my already vulnerable heart.
Bree holds onto me for long seconds, her tears wetting my shoulder as she cries into it. Miles’s hug feels endless and both too tight and not tight enough. But even that ends too soon. And then it’s Bryant. His body is tense as he holds onto mine. I never understood what was between us because it always felt likeit wasn’t enough to be anything more, but also too much to be anything casual. But I guess we’re doomed to be just friends.
Maybe that’s what we were always meant to be.
I’m snatched back from Bryant, and when I look up, it’s into Doc’s inky black eyes. His face in a stern line I can’t quite read. He doesn’t speak. Instead, he tugs my body against his and wraps a possessive arm around my waist, tucking me firmly against his huge torso.
My entire being begs me to pull away, but I’m frozen in place, wrapped up in the strongest arms I’ve ever seen.
