Epilogue
Lainey
The chapel was nothing like the one where we'd drunkenly stumbled through vows six months ago.
This one had flowers everywhere, white roses and peonies that filled the entire room with their scent.
String lights hung from the ceiling and our families filled the pews, actually present this time to witness what we were doing.
It was much smaller than Vivienne had hoped for, but Kade had backed me up when I told them immediate family and friends only. With a crowd of fifty people, it was plenty for me. The reception—at the Atlas later this evening—would be a different story.
I stood at the back of the aisle in a simple white dress that accommodated my growing belly and looked at Kade waiting for me at the altar.
He wore a dark suit and the same ring he'd never wanted to take off, and when our eyes met, he smiled like I was the only person in the world.
It did things to my heart I would never be able to explain to anyone.
It had been six months since I made a choice that would alter my life forever and I didn't regret a thing.
The bakery was thriving now. We'd hired three more people and orders came in daily from all over Nevada.
Kade worked beside me every day, learning the business and making me laugh when the stress got too heavy.
He'd given up his Lamborghini and his father's credit cards and we bought a minivan instead, though he still drove his Dad's Astin Martin now and then.
And in three months, we'd have a baby—a little girl, according to the ultrasound. Kade had cried when we found out. Then he spent the entire drive home talking about tea parties and teaching her to bake and threatening any boys who came near her.
"Ready?" My father offered his arm, and this time when I wrapped my hand around his firm bicep, I knew I was ready.
"More than ready," I said, smiling.
We walked down the aisle together, and I took in every detail.
Mom sat crying in the front row, Wren grinning beside her.
Nate had his phone out taking pictures, mostly of Kade, since his friends didn't believe his sister was marrying a celebrity.
And after everything, I had managed to patch things up with Mandy too.
She flew back for two days for my real wedding—one I had no intention of running out on this time. My heart was full.
Kade's parents sat with actual smiles on their faces that I knew were genuine. We'd had a few bumpy moments in the past few months, but in all they were wonderful people—quirky, but they had good hearts.
When we reached the altar, my father placed my hand in Kade's and stepped back.
Kade's fingers threaded through mine and squeezed.
Dad kissed me on the cheek and whispered that he loved me in my ear, and I felt my cheeks warm with nervous energy as I looked up at my husband while Dad found his seat.
"Hi," he said quietly.
"Hi," I said, smiling. I couldn't stop smiling. It was my dream come true to marry the man I loved more than anything in the world. I had never been happier.
The officiant began speaking, but I barely heard the words.
I was too focused on the way Kade looked at me like I was everything.
He had a way of making the entire world vanish from view when he looked me in the eye, and I lost all sense of time.
Which wasn't always a good thing, but today, it was the only thing.
I thought about that first night in Vegas. How drunk we'd been. How reckless. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing. We'd signed papers and stumbled through vows and woken up married to complete strangers.
But somehow, impossibly, we'd made it work.
Through his parents' threats and the media scrutiny and my own fears about being trapped or used or not good enough.
Morning sickness had felt like it tried to kill me, and bakery disasters felt like five-alarm fires.
But we were learning how to be partners in every sense of the word, even through fights and makeups and moments when I'd wondered if we were crazy for trying.
We'd made it to this chapel and this moment, where both of us were certain that this was what we wanted for the rest of our lives, and we were making the commitment in front of our family and friends.
"Do you have vows prepared?" the officiant asked after the haze of being lost in thought wore off and I started paying attention again.
Kade nodded and turned to face me fully.
"The first time we did this, I was drunk and stupid and running from my life.
" Everyone chuckled, including Gavin, who sat next to Kade's parents.
"But even then, some part of me knew you were special.
" He paused and I saw his throat constrict as he swallowed.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Lainey.
You're smart and talented and you put up with all my flaws. You make me want to be better."
I felt tears starting and tried to blink them back.
"You're perfect for me," he continued. "And I can't wait to have a drove of children with you. With that much sugar in the house all the time, we'll need someone to eat it."
I laughed through the tears, and he grinned as our family and friends laughed with him. It was something I'd gotten used to—his weird sense of humor. But he never failed to help me smile even on my worst days. It was one of the things I loved most about him.
"I love you," he said. "Today and every day for the rest of our lives."
The officiant turned to me. "And do you have vows?"
I nodded and took a breath. "There was a time when I thought my life was over.
I thought I'd lost everything. But then I met you and realized I hadn't lost anything.
I'd just been waiting for the right person.
" I squeezed his hands. "You're crazy and impulsive and you make decisions without thinking them through.
But you're also kind and generous and you believed in me when no one else did.
You gave me the adventure I'd always wanted. "
His eyes were bright and I knew he was fighting tears too.
"I love you," I said. "I loved you when we eloped, and I love you now, and I'll love you when we're old and gray and surrounded by all those sugar-obsessed children and hopefully someday, grandchildren."
He laughed and pulled me closer, but the officiant spoke over us, as if giving us permission to do what Kade was already starting.
"Then by the power vested in me," the officiant said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Again. You may kiss your bride."
Kade kissed me so hard I had to grab him to avoid falling over, and our families cheered and whistled. When he let me breathe again, we were both grinning like idiots.
This was it. This was our beginning. Not in some drunken Vegas chapel but here, surrounded by everyone we loved, making promises we intended to keep.
And it was perfect.
I didn't need an eight-thousand-dollar gown or five hundred guests. All I needed was the support of my family, a healthy body to sustain me, and the love of the man in front of me. I knew I'd need sunglasses. My future was bright.
If you loved Kade and Lainey’s runaway wedding…
wait until you meet the man who doesn’t run — he commands.
Boss Daddy is waiting.
“I was paid to destroy him.
Instead, I let him ruin me.”
My boss is a legend at Locke Global.
Cold. Untouchable.
A billionaire CEO who eats interns for breakfast.
Asher Locke is also broken.
Widowed. Grieving. Drowning in bourbon and silence.
And I was sent to finish him.