41. Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Noah
I t was a right bastard of a day.
Baron Hunt, the asshole, had trying to wiggle out again. This time, by suggesting that Carter Construction pull out of the project to remove any appearance of impropriety.
"You'll be branded a blackmailer," Royal advised me against it.
"I don’t give a shit. Carter Construction will take a hit, and that's fine. It's better than what an investigation will put Stella through."
Royal chuckled. "We've come a long way from making sex videos for revenge to losing your shirt for her."
"I love her," I said easily. "I can't drag Stella through an investigation. I just can't do that to her. I can't have the FBI talk to her, rip into her life."
"Come on, Noah, she can handle it."
"I won't have her lie—" I stopped talking when my office door opened, and Stella walked in.
"Hi, Royal."
"Stella."
That we both were shocked and speechless was an understatement.
I cleared my throat and used my calm-to-a-crazy-person voice. "Sweet, you are dressed…well, it's unique."
She looked like a fucking bride, a princess from a Disney movie.
She smiled wide and twirled in a white silk dress. She held a bouquet of blue daisies, and there were white flowers in her hair.
"You like?"
"Stella?"
"Judge Corbin is waiting to marry us. From what I know…and all I know is from Law & Order , and well, JR and Theo—married couples cannot be made to testify against each other."
Royal looked amused. "That's true. Is Theo Boseman your lawyer now?"
"Yes. Isn't he handsome? Looks like a young Basil Underwood. Yummy."
"Stella," I growled. “I'm having a bad day, so insinuating you find another man attractive isn't makin' my day any better."
"I wasn't insinuating, I was saying it outright. Wasn't I, Royal?"
"I always thought young Basil was pretty hot, and I don't even swing that way."
" Stella, " I warned.
"You love me?"
"Yes."
"You want to marry me?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go. JR got the license in place, as well as Judge Corbin, who's ready to officiate. I texted Neveah. She says congratulations and hates that she isn't here. And I have three bridesmaids."
"Three?" Royal frowned.
"Luna, Aurora, and Nina."
I stared at the woman who was going to be my wife, my heart happier than it had ever been. "Royal, get out."
"Congratulations, Noah. You know you don't deserve her."
"Oh, God, yes."
I waited until my friend left. "I can't marry you, Sweet."
Her face fell, and her lips trembled. "What?"
"Don't get me wrong, I want desperately to marry you, but not because we're walking into this shitshow with the accusations and investigations. Hell no. We can't start a marriage like that. I already fucked up our relationship and—"
She pushed me against the desk and kissed me. "Shut up, Noah. For a minute, stop thinking about yourself, and think about me."
"I do nothing but think about you," I confessed. She looked fucking amazing. And she was handing me her on a platter. It was so hard to do what I was doing. But I couldn't start a marriage the wrong way.
"Then marry me because you love me, and I love you. Marry me because life is short, and we've already wasted so much time. Marry me because I want to live in my beautiful home with my husband, the house I can't afford without you. Really, Noah, you should worry that I'm taking advantage of you ."
I smiled at her and kissed her mouth softly. "I don't believe in divorce, which is why I never ever got this far with a woman."
She brightened. "Neither do I. I believe in until death do us part , so if you want to leave me, you do so in a body bag."
"Where will I go?" I didn't care that everything was up in the air, that Carter Construction would get fucked with all this drama. The only saving grace was that people expected construction businesses to be corrupt. They'd simply think blackmailing and bribing officials was de rigueur for someone like me. Our methods were usually a lot more subtle than seduction and sex videos.
"For now, I'd like for us to go to the courthouse."
"Stella, I love you."
"I love you too, Noah."
"Do you forgive me?"
"Noah, let’s not let your worst mistake define you or us . Trust me, you're going to make many, many more mistakes for me to torture you with."
I straightened and hugged her close. "You say the sweetest things, Stella."
"I do," she confirmed.