Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Avril
My body hummed from the night before. We’d been desperate to be together. It was like I was someone else with Kir. I was fierce, bold, and demanding.
After my shower, his phone beeped. That meant the people he’d hired to assist me for our wedding day were here. I signed the prenup his lawyer sent over.
Then I took Kir’s warm hands. “You’re sure your mom won’t kill me?”
He kissed my hand. “Maman will plan a second family wedding, but this is just for us.”
And l hoped my sister would be able to be there. She was the person I missed that day. I stared into his eyes. “Are you sure?”
He nodded and walked with me closer to the door. “It’s what she did with Joel when he eloped in Tennessee.”
My stomach had fewer butterflies than before. “As long as they don’t hold it against me.”
I reached for the door but then stopped and tugged on his shirt to bring him to me. Once our lips met, and I burned. I needed his fire. I would never have enough of him.
Behind us, I heard sighs. He let me go. “I’ll see you soon, my love.”
A petite blond woman said, “So, your husband-to-be is clearly doting.”
We went into a separate room next door, and I said, “He’s wonderful.”
Three other women were waiting for me. I saw a makeup station, a hair station, and a woman near another door. The blonde guiding us asked me, “Where did you meet?”
The woman near the door waved for me to join her, so we walked over as I said, “On a beach in Hawaii. Really, though, my best friend is marrying his brother.”
The woman near the double doors to the bedroom threw them open as the blonde asked, “Is she staying with us as well?”
It would have been nice to have Hope there. I missed my friends, but they would understand. Then I gazed around the room. No bed in sight. I gasped. The bedroom was now a bridal store with white dresses on display everywhere.
I said, “No, they’re back in New York.”
The dark-haired woman near the door said, “So, we have assembled some dresses in your size for you to try, though if you have a favorite designer, we can get their dress here pronto.”
I would look like a bride. Adrenaline rushed through me. “Can I try these on?”
The clothing woman said, “Yes, of course. Try them all. Then we can match the makeup to your preferred style.”
“Sounds perfect.” I picked up a frothy gown made of lace that reminded me of Kate Middleton’s dress, which I’d seen on TV. Its long lacy sleeves, demure plunge, white dress underneath, simple veil, and longer train made the dress a statement.
I tugged it on, and she helped me button the back. My breath caught in my throat. This was the perfect dress. My waist seemed smaller than it really was.
The dark-haired woman added the matching veil to my hair, and I nodded. “I love it.”
“Want to try on anything else?”
“No, this is it.”
She had me hold my hands straight and pinned the waist and the hem. Once she was done, she helped me out and then held the dress.
The blonde waved for me to come back to the main living area. “Your phone, ma’am.”
I sat. The hairdresser quietly asked whether I wanted an updo or to wear my hair down. I said up and then asked my sister, “Abby, how’s Switzerland?”
“I heard you broke up with Kir. Is that true?”
I moved my phone to let the hair stylist work. “For about two hours, but we’re good now.”
“Thank goodness. I was thinking a lot as I lay in this bed.”
I laughed. She had no idea how much I missed her, and her voice grounded me. “About the hot doc?”
“That too, but what I said… look, if you love Kir, and he loves you, then don’t let work get in the way.”
I ached to tell her about the elopement, but it would be better to give her that news in person, so I said, “Good advice. I’m taking the job working with him, as it’s a good fit for my skills.”
“You read my mind. I’d heard they stupidly fired you.”
Clearly, someone had filled in her but hadn’t told her everything. “I’m more than okay.”
“Well, I can’t wait to see you again, out of this bed.”
The stylist gently tugged my hair higher on my head.
“Did you get good news?” I asked.
“The treatments seem to be working this time, so hopefully, I’ll be able to have my own life again.”
Everything was perfect. Soon I’d hug her, and she’d see how happy I was. “I love you, sis.”
“Me too.”
I ended the call and turned my phone off. The more I talked, the more likely I would tell someone the big news. I let the makeup artists work on my face. Once they’d finished, the dark-haired woman returned with my dress, which now had no pins.
She helped me into the dress, and then I gazed at myself in the mirror. “This is perfect.”
The hair stylist added the shoulder-length veil. I was really a bride.
The blonde held her clipboard. “Let’s get you to the chapel.”
“Okay.”
A private elevator brought us down to the white-and-yellow side room next to the chapel. Classical music was playing. I heard Kir speaking inside, so I peeked through the door. His tux clung to those muscles of his as if the suit was made just for him. He had my heart.
The blonde returned and directed me to the edge of the aisle. I lifted my chin. This was it. I was about to pledge my life to him forever.
She handed me a bouquet of peonies, and I whispered, “Thank you for everything.”
She nodded, and the Wedding March started. I turned and walked toward him.
The second our gazes met, my heart stirred. I passed white and yellow roses that graced the empty aisles, but everything else was a blur. All I could see was Kir. Somehow, I was lucky enough to be there.
I reached his side, took his hands, and said, “Kir, you look handsome.”
He pushed my veil back and quickly said, “Before we get started, I wanted to tell you I love you, and having you beside me is all I want.”
I took a deep breath. “Let’s get married.”
Then the minister spoke, and I listened to his words about love, but I was in a daze, holding Kir’s hands. I used to think we were too different, but now I was excited to wake up every day with him.
The minister broke through my dream state. “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
I said, “I do.”
Kir’s brown eyes were mesmerizing. He stared at me, and then the minister asked him, “And do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
His lips curved into a smile, and my heart beat faster as he said, “I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Kir took out a diamond ring that rivaled his mother’s rock, and I smiled. He slipped a gold band on my finger, and I did the same for him. Now the world would see that we were married.
His lips met mine. The ceremony had been fast and simple, but his kiss wasn’t. I was his for the rest of our lives. The kiss deepened, and I forgot about everything else.
I needed air, so he let me go, and we signed our marriage certificate. Then we walked out onto the balcony overlooking the fountains for some daytime pictures. As the photographer had us stand for a photo, I told Kir, “Nothing fake about us now.”
He hugged me tighter. “Absolutely not.”
We smiled for the camera and then were told we could go. We stepped back into the air-conditioning, but he stopped me in the aisle. “Now I need to tell you something.” His face seemed so serious.
I tensed. “What?”
“My brothers wanted to hire you back to run their data analysis.”
I kissed his cheek. From here on out, I trusted in love and my skills, and working for a start-up airline was going to be fun. I said, “Tell them no thanks. I found a new job.”
He hugged me. “Good.”
I glanced around the hallway that led to the elevators. “So, where do we go to get on the plane?”
As we walked together, he asked, “You want to go now?”
I shrugged. “If I don’t, I’ll chicken out, and that’s not how I want to start my new life with you.”
He inched closer to the elevators. “We don’t need to prove anything.”
“It’s not about proving anything, but if you’re okay with keeping our feet on the ground at all times, then we’re good.”
He held me and pressed the button to go up. “I do like flying in the jet and wanted us to go to Bora Bora soon.””
“I won’t look out the window, but otherwise, I’m in.”
As the doors closed, he said, “We can plan whatever you want for tomorrow, but I want you back in the penthouse, in our bed, now.”
“That sounds good too.” My heart pounded as he kissed me. I’d heard that after a few years, the sparks would shift into friendship, but I doubted that would ever be true for me. Kir’s kisses sent shockwaves of desire through me, and they grew stronger with every kiss, every time.
As we made it to our floor, he took out his key fob and then picked me up. I almost objected, but then I realized we were only a few feet from our room. Starting our lives off with a semblance of tradition was perfect for our happily ever after.