Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Much later, as the party began to wind down, Dan was relieved that Kara’s brothers had behaved for the most part. As he was half drunk on champagne himself, the last thing he wanted to deal with was unruly in-laws. Thankfully, that wasn’t going to be his problem tonight.
He and Kara were talking to Slim and Erin when Judith and Chuck approached them.
“Welcome home, you guys,” Dan said to their friends. “So glad you could be here today.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Erin said.
“It’s good to be home,” Slim said, putting his arm around Erin to lead her away.
“This was a lovely day,” Judith said. “Well done.”
While Kara stared at her mother, seeming dumbfounded by the unexpected compliment, Dan answered for both of them.
“Glad you enjoyed yourselves. We’re going to say our goodbyes, and we’re leaving in the morning, so we won’t see you.
” He shook Chuck’s hand and kissed Judith’s cheek. “But we’ll see you again soon.”
“I hope you’ll come to Bar Harbor to meet our friends at some point.”
“Sure, we’ll see if we can make that happen.” That depended entirely on what Kara wanted to do.
Kara hugged and kissed her parents. “Thanks for coming.”
“So happy for you, sweetheart,” Chuck said.
Hand in hand, Dan and Kara made a trip around the room to say their goodbyes. As soon as he possibly could, he guided her out of the room toward the stairs that led to the honeymoon suite, where they’d spend their wedding night.
“You just basically told everyone we know that you can’t wait to have sex with me,” Kara said as they went up the stairs from the second to the third floor.
“So? We’re newlyweds. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
“You don’t need to be so obvious about it.”
He stopped on the third-floor landing and scooped her up and into his arms. “Why can’t I be obvious about how crazy I am about my new wife?”
“You’re more than welcome to be obvious about it from here on out.”
“Excellent.” He opened the door to their room and swept her inside, kicking the door closed behind them. “Alone at last.” The first thing he did was pull off his tie, unbutton his shirt and remove the sport coat, tossing it over a chair in the elegantly appointed room.
“Feel better?” Kara asked him, amusement dancing in gorgeous brown eyes with the flecks of gold that made them sparkle.
“Much, but I’ll feel way better when you tell me how to get you out of that stunning dress.”
“It’s really simple,” she said. “Up and over.”
“I can handle up and over but come here first and let me take another good long look. I don’t want to forget a single detail.”
She took his outstretched hand and let him bring her closer.
“You’re beautiful every day, but today you were…” His throat tightened, and for once, he didn’t have the words.
“I wanted to be beautiful for you.”
“Mission accomplished, my love.” He kissed her softly, giving her all the love and tenderness he felt for her. He’d give her the stars and the moon if she’d let him. “You own me, Kara Torrington. Heart and soul.”
“I was thinking today about the day you found out Kelly was here and planning to confront me.” As she spoke, she released his belt and undid his pants. “How you ran to me while still injured from the boat accident and took me away so she couldn’t find me. Remember?”
“How could I forget? That was the day you agreed to marry me.”
“You’ve owned my heart and soul from the very beginning, but that day… That was it for me. You’re it for me.”
“I should certainly hope so now that I’ve shackled myself to you for life.”
Smiling, she kissed him with such sweetness, he wanted to drown in it. “How about you do that up-and-over thing now?”
“Yes, dear. Whatever you want.” He squatted to grasp the hem of her floor-length gown and rose to bring it up and over her head, blinking several times to get his brain around what she was wearing under it. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “Are you kidding me?”
Kara laughed at his befuddled reaction to the sexiest lingerie he’d ever laid eyes on—ribbons and bows and hooks and skin, lots and lots of pale, lightly freckled skin.
Dan placed a hand over his chest. “Am I having a heart attack?”
“I really hope not, because I have plans for you.”
“Mmm, suddenly I’m feeling much better.” He ran his hands over the lace and silk that covered her. “What’s the secret to removing this thing?”
She turned her back to him so he could see the laces that held it together.
“How’d you get it on?”
“With a little help from my matron of honor.”
“Remind me to thank her the next time I see her.” He finished unlacing the contraption and revealed the rest of her magnificence.
With his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him and took a long look at his beautiful wife.
“I wonder every day what I did to get lucky enough to find you, but today…” He leaned his forehead on hers.
“The word ‘lucky’ doesn’t begin to describe it. ”
With her hands inside his shirt, she pushed the two sides off his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him, her soft skin brushing against his making him crazy with desire for her. “I think all the time about how lost I was until you found me.”
“Thank God I found you.” He held her tight, probably too tight, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go.
Not now or ever. Slowly, he began backing her up to the bed, letting his pants fall as he went.
They fell onto the bed together, him on top of her, her body opening to welcome him.
He usually prided himself on his finesse, but he had the rest of his life to worship her. Tonight, he just needed her.
“Dan…”
“I’m right here, baby, and I’m dying to make love to my wife.”
“Then please do, because your wife loves you so much.”
He gazed down at her, brushing the hair back from her face as he entered her for the first time as her husband. “I love you, too. More than anything else in this world.”
Kara wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as he set out to show her how much she meant to him.
“A whole lifetime of this,” he whispered. “Can you believe we get a whole lifetime of this?”
“I can’t wait for every minute of it.”
Kissing her, he said, “Me, too.”
Dan and Kara returned from their incredible, romantic, exciting honeymoon trip in time to fly to Los Angeles with Grant and Stephanie for the premiere of Indefatigable, the film Grant had written depicting the fourteen-year struggle Stephanie had undertaken to free her stepfather, Charlie, from prison.
“Have you heard if Steph is going?” Kara asked Dan as they were getting ready to leave the Malibu house for the premiere.
“Not yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if she skips the screening. From what Grant says, it’s too much for her to relive it.”
“I don’t blame her. She must be torn, wanting to support him but also protect herself.”
“It’s a tough one, for sure.”
A few hours later, Dan wiped tears from his face as Stephanie’s story played out on the screen, with grueling new details he’d never heard before he saw the film.
The actress playing Steph had done such a wonderful job of capturing the desperation and frustration she’d lived through for so many years as she fought an epic battle to free Charlie.
It had been vitally important to Grant that he and Dan not come off as the heroes of her story. Yes, Grant had asked Dan to help, and his involvement had gotten them a new hearing that resulted in Charlie being set free.
But none of that would’ve happened without Stephanie and the effort she expended for so many years to save the one person who’d tried to save her and paid for that with fourteen years of his life spent behind bars.
Charlie was played to gruff perfection by a newcomer who captured all his rough edges as well as his massive soft spot for the stepdaughter who waged war to save him.
By the time the closing credits rolled, everyone was in tears as they went wild with applause and whistles.
“Holy shit,” Dan said to his friend. “That was fucking unbelievable, Grant. Congratulations.”
“Hayden and his team get the credit,” Grant said of Hayden Roth, the director from Quantum Productions. “He’s the one who made it come alive.”
“Your words were the magic, my friend. It’s going to be a massive hit, and you’d better get your monkey suit ready for award season.”
“I thought I knew Stephanie’s story,” Kara said, “but I only knew a fraction of it. That was truly remarkable. Congratulations, Grant.”
“Thank you both for being here.”
“Is Stephanie okay?” Kara asked gently.
“She’s great, but she wasn’t up for reliving it. Once was enough for her.”
“I can totally understand that.”
“She’s meeting us at the after-party.”
“Oh good,” Kara said. “She can help us deal with him.” She used her thumb to point at Dan. “Flynn Godfrey will be filing for a restraining order by the time Dan is through with him.”
“Oh please,” Dan said, scoffing. “Who else could’ve played me so convincingly but the sexiest movie star in the business?”
“I heard they tried to get SpongeBob, but he was booked solid,” Grant said.
Kara howled with laughter and gave Grant a fist bump. “Good one.”
“Flynn’s the only actor in Hollywood good-looking enough to pull off Dan Torrington,” Dan said.
“Do you see what I’ve been dealing with?” Kara asked Grant. “He speaks of himself in the third person now, too. I can’t deal with him.”
“I feel your pain,” Grant said, laughing as he stood. “Let’s get to the party so I can see my best girl.”
“Before we go,” Kara said, “I need to hug you and say thank you for doing such an absolutely beautiful job of telling Stephanie’s story. We’re so proud of you.”
Grant returned her hug. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“All kidding aside, bro,” Dan said. “It’s a masterpiece.”
“Thanks,” Grant said. “We’ll never forget what you did for her.”
“One of the most satisfying cases I’ve ever been involved in. Let’s go party.”
“He just wants more pictures with Flynn,” Kara said with a playfully weary expression.