Chapter 44
AURELIA
After the ceremony, the Christmas party seamlessly transformed into a wedding reception. The house was littered with garlands and ribbons. Twinkling lights were strung from every ceiling beam and every tree branch outside.
The scent of pine and cinnamon drifted through the air, blending with the sound of laughter, carols, and champagne corks popping. I’d never seen anything so fun, so lively, or so perfectly alive.
It was a little hard to believe that it was all for us, but here we were, me in my dress and him in his impeccable tux.
That dark hair wasn’t so perfectly styled tonight, falling in a longish sweep across his forehead in a way that told me he’d shoved his hands through it a lot before he’d realized I would be here.
Meanwhile, my new sisters-in-law had banded around me in the master suite upstairs as soon as Harrison and I had come back inside. They’d helped me change out of my jeans and hoodie into the dress, Sadie hastily pinning up my hair while Laney did her best with my makeup.
Maisie had rallied the troops downstairs, commandeering the help of the Westwood boys to urge all the guests to their seats.
Garvey, the Westwoods’ old butler, had seen to fires being lit outside, and outdoor heaters were ignited in an attempt to break the chill where the ceremony had taken place outside.
Everyone had worked together like a well-oiled machine, and with their help, we’d pulled it off, getting married right here on the Westwood Estate on Christmas Eve. Our reception was the best kind of chaos, with family and our closest friends dancing to pop versions of traditional Christmas carols.
I spotted Trent, Jameson’s best friend and Sadie’s brother, but it was hard not to see him. The man stood out like a six-foot-four billboard for Texan men who refuse to be humbled.
He had one elbow propped on the bar, drawling something to one of the wedding guests. A pretty brunette who worked with Laney. Very pretty, actually, and she was leaning in like he’d either hung the moon or owned it outright.
He was showing her pictures on his phone, and even from here I would bet money they weren’t of him. It would be his horses or the view from the porch on his ranch. Maybe even that one cowboy-leaning-against-a-fence-post shot men like him pretended was candid.
“Is he seriously flirting at my wedding?” I muttered.
Callum, who had appeared beside me as if by magic, snorted. “That guy flirts the way other people breathe. It just comes naturally to him. You should see him sweet-talk the feed-store lady. The man’s got a problem.”
As if we’d summoned him, Trent looked up, saw us, and grinned. He tipped his glass like he was already winning.
Callum cupped a hand around his mouth. “Hey, ranch boy! You showing her the cows again?”
Trent didn’t miss a beat. “Damn right. Women like a man who’s good with his hands. Can you say the same, city boy?”
Callum smirked. “I am good with my hands!”
Trent lifted an eyebrow at him, “We’ll have to get Maisie’s opinion about that.”
The brunette giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear, totally taken by Trent and his southern charm. I leaned toward Callum. “She’s into him.”
“Yup. She’s about to learn Texans are a whole separate species.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh as Trent winked at his new admirer, looking somehow devastatingly handsome in a tailored suit while still giving off the vibe that he could saddle a horse, fix a fence, and kiss someone senseless before noon.
Southern baddie indeed.
Before I could go over there and warn the poor girl, Harrison was next to me again, pointing at Brody who appeared to have stolen a tray of gingerbread cookies from the kitchen.
He was trying to dodge Sterling’s very unimpressed dad voice while Harrison pushed me toward the dance floor. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d felt happier or more like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and I pulled Harrison closer.
My fingers pushed into the hair at his nape and my ear rested on his chest, right over his heart. His strong arms cradled me as we swayed from side to side. For a moment, it felt like I might be dreaming, but then the music cut out.
The next thing I knew, Callum’s voice was coming through the microphone, our self-appointed emcee, and he grinned at us when I looked up.
“Don’t you guys think it’s time for our groom to make a speech?
I wasn’t given a program for this shindig, but I think it’s time.
Before the open bar starts erasing our memories and the kids start getting tired.
Everyone is going to want to be here for this.
You’ve got yourself a bit of explaining to do, little brother. ”
Harrison rolled his eyes but let go of me and looked around for just a minute. The next thing I knew, he climbed effortlessly onto one of the tables. My heart lurched, partly in panic, partly in anticipation.
He tapped his glass with a spoon, smiling as every pair of eyes in the room swung his way. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know you accepted invitations to a Christmas Eve party, but, uh, plot twist, welcome to our wedding reception. Is that enough of an explanation for you, Cal?”
The cheers that erupted nearly shook the garlands from the walls. I covered my face with my hands, laughing even as I felt my cheeks flush pink. Harrison raised a glass of champagne that Jameson pressed into his hand.
Jamie also brought one over for me, guiding me closer to the table his brother had climbed on as we listened to his toast. “You all know me as the baby of the family. The one who was supposed to be the rebel, the one who was never supposed to grow up, and who was never supposed to get so serious, so young.”
He paused, his eyes finding mine in the crowd beside the table, and suddenly the whole room disappeared. “Truth be told, that was never who I was. I am the youngest, sure, but I think the title for the most rebellious one should probably go to Callum.”
Laughter rang out and Callum dipped into a pretend bow, winking playfully at Maisie when she caught his eye, but Harrison drew my attention back to him. “For a while there, not getting serious was fun, but it didn’t take me very long to realize that I was ready to grow up.”
A hush fell across the room, Harrison’s captivating hazel eyes locking me in place. “The second I saw Aurelia, I knew she was going to change my life. I didn’t know how and I didn’t know when, but I knew.”
My throat tightened with the kind of ache that was both sweet and overwhelming. His gaze didn’t waver. “You changed everything for me, Aurelia. And thank you, because I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you, baby, and we did it. We gave ‘em all one heck of a surprise.”
The room exploded again in cheers and clinking glasses. I was rooted to the spot, unable to look away from the man standing on a table declaring his love for me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
My husband.
When Harrison went on, speaking to his family and mine now, I inhaled a deep breath and forced my gaze away from him to catch our families’ reactions.
Regina and CC had their entourages clustered around them like loyal satellites, but their respective friend groups had reunited, no doubt commiserating over the audacity of their spoiled, trust fund kids.
It was almost funny that they’d finally found common ground in their mutual exasperation. I couldn’t help but smile.
If I’d known planning a wedding without their help would unite them like this, I would have done it weeks ago.
Harrison’s toast had finally ended and cheers swelled again.
As soon as he climbed off the table, I tugged on his hand and stole him away.
We slipped down the hallway, the muffled hum of music and laughter fading behind us as I pulled him deeper into the house.
“Hey—” he started, but I didn’t let him finish.
We’d gone far enough and I pulled him down for a kiss that was messy, hungry, and absolutely perfect. It took him no more than a second to catch up, and when he did, he groaned into my mouth, walking us backward until my back was pressed against the wall.
He braced his hands on either side of me, kissing me deeply and licking into my mouth like he would never stop. We lost ourselves in it, in the relief of being together again while the weight of the rings on my finger promised that it would stay this way forever.
Harrison kissed the breath from my lungs and the thoughts from my head. Until the searing kiss almost turned into something far less innocent. When we finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, I leaned my forehead against his chest, laughing softly.
“We should save that for later,” I whispered, catching his clean-shaven face between my hands and gazing up at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to take you upstairs right now, but we’ve got a whole houseful of people.”
He brought his forehead to mine and let out a disapproving grunt. “I know you’re not wrong, but as far as I’m concerned, fuck ‘em all. The bar is open. Dessert will be served soon. They don’t need us to entertain them anymore.”
As he said it, he pressed his body against mine, letting me feel every inch of hardness. I sucked in a breath, my heart starting to pound all over again. I dropped my hands to his white button-down and curled my fingers into the fabric.
“We can’t run out on our own wedding reception.”
“Why not? Jameson and Sadie did. So did Callum and Maisie. Sterling didn’t even get so far as to have a fucking wedding reception.”
I smiled, gentling my voice, and I looked up into those hazel eyes. “We invited our families here to celebrate with us and things are strained enough between our moms without us disappearing together. They’ll know exactly what we’re up to,”
“So?”
“So your mom might be cool with us now, but my mom is still getting used to the idea. Let’s just take it slow. Besides, there are still a few things we need to figure out with them.”
I could see the conflict in his eyes, sensing that he was thinking that my mother should just go screw herself. After what she’d done, I didn’t blame him. Those two were going to need time to learn how sit around the same table, but as his eyes bored into mine, I knew he was committed to trying.
“Like what?” he asked finally. “What do we need to figure out with them?”
“Well, they’re going to want to know what our plans are. Where we’re going to live. If I’m going to start working for W&S in January. They’re questions we’re going to have to answer.”
The corners of his eyes tightened. “We will answer them. When we’re good and ready.”
“Why don’t we just move in here?” I asked then, glancing up and down the hall. I’d been toying with the idea all night. “This place is already starting to feel like home. It’s where we got married and I love your townhouse, but here? This feels right.”
“It would also appease my parents,” he said slowly, tilting his head as his eyes sparked with something I couldn’t quite place. “It’s funny you should mention it actually, because I’ve been thinking about all that too. I just didn’t expect us to be talking about it right now.”
“What have you been thinking?” I asked, my gaze flicking from one of his eyes to the other.
“We’re talking about it now because we were meant to sit down and try to figure it out yesterday, but you can bet your fine ass our dads are still going to come sniffing around for answers tonight.
That’s why we were going to try to hammer it out yesterday, remember? ”
“Yeah, I remember.” He paused, making sure I was looking at him and only him.
“What if we start another branch of W&S in New York? Cover the east coast, the parts the family branch in Chicago doesn’t cover?
We could move there for a while. Just the two of us.
Give ourselves a year or so to be on our own, building something great together. ”
My heart leapt so hard I almost laughed, but instead, I whispered against his jaw, “That sounds perfect. Do you think your dad and Sterling are going to go for it, though? And what about your Chicago cousins? Won’t they mind?”
It was something Harrison and I had been talking about, sure, and after everything that had happened, I wanted it now more than ever.
Some space away from our families. Some time to focus on us, on learning and growing together in a way we would never be able to do here, with both of our dads and all six of our brothers in the same industry, the same town.
In New York, we would have the chance to see what Harrison and Aurelia Westwood could become. Who we were when we stood together, but alone, and that? Going out there by ourselves and making a success of it was something no one could ever take away from us.
It would prove to everyone once and for all that we weren’t just a baby and an afterthought, taking a random stab at a life together. We would establish ourselves as players in our own right, a married couple who could have it all.
The marriage, the kids, the careers, and the lives we’d never let ourselves dream would ever actually be ours.