Chapter 54
The universe opened, flooding Jamie with emotion as he and Rebecca held each other in the moonlight and kissed. He was spellbound by the connection he shared with the incredible woman in his arms.
If he had the power, he would freeze the moment in time.
Their kiss deepened, going on and on, until the need for air eventually broke them apart. Her ragged breathing was music to his ears.
”I love you so fucking much that it”s a bit ridiculous,” he admitted in a husky voice. You”re on my mind from the second I wake up until I fall asleep—and even then, you are in my dreams.”
She bit her lip and trailed shaking fingers along his face. ”It feels like I”ve waited my whole life to hear those words and to know when I did that it was real.”
”It”s very real,”he murmured gently.
His arms kept her plastered against him. He enjoyed the way their bodies fit.
”You don”t want tonight to end, and I said I know how to make it last forever. Do you trust me?”he asked while his hand dropped lower and explored her outrageous ass.
A flash of mockery—that thing females do so well—appeared in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell when she took a deep breath and let it go in a sigh.
”We passed go on the trust issue a while back, so I assume if you”re bringing it up again, something questionable is rattling around in that brain of yours.
Her cheeky response made him laugh. He tightened his hold and grinned.
”Questionable, you say? Hmmm. No,”he shook his head. ”Not really—although I did get clearance to proceed. There were proprieties to address.”
Her expression went from mocking to puzzlement. She stammered, ”Excuse me, what?”
He enjoyed her bewilderment. She had no idea what was coming.
”News flash—there”s a code of etiquette that every alpha male worth his salt adheres to. Whether it”s chivalry, etiquette, or just good manners at work, there are important considerations.”
Rebecca”s expression told him what she thought of his word salad. Life with this spitfire would always be exciting.
”Tell me something, Dr. Hunter,”she said with a sniff. ”Did you imagine that explanation would be clear—or helpful?”
”I”m just pointing out that we didn”t arrive at this moment by chance.”
”Okay.”
”I checked the boxes.”
”Okay.”
”That”s it?”he laughed. ”Just okay?”
She grabbed his ass with both hands and gave a fierce tug. ”I”ve spent today surrounded by love, excitement, and happily ever after. What can I say?”she drawled. ”I”m hoping to grab me a little slice of the joy. You”re the hottest guy in the room, and if getting to what”s going on in your pants means I have to listen to endless geek speak, well, okay!”
She was so adorable he worried his heart might explode from a surplus of happiness.
”You know,”he playfully drawled in a stern voice. ”It”s rather impertinent to imply you put up with me just for the sex.”
”If I say sorry, can we move this along?”She rubbed her body on his, he assumed to make a point.
”Why Rebecca,”he hoarsely chuckled. ”Your naughty side is showing.”
Her husky laugh filled him with lust.
”I”m glad you recognize,”she said. ”And for the record, I”m trying awfully hard not to wander into the topping zone.”
”Smart girl.”He kissed the tip of her nose and then separated their bodies—putting space between them.
Knowing what was coming, he inspected her from head to toe. It would be ungallant and directly contradictory to what he”d said about manners if he let her leave the terrace looking mauled.
Retrieving a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his suit, he gently wiped a smudge of lipstick clinging to her lips. The stylish updo she started the day with was now looser and pleasingly tousled. She looked like someone having a damn good time.
She took the handkerchief and dabbed remnants of her lipstick off his mouth. The serious way she went about it made him melt inside.
Brushing his shoulders and smoothing his lapels and tie came next. He wasn”t going to lie—Rebecca”s show of possessiveness and the way she fussed over him almost drove him to tears.
He stopped her from returning the handkerchief to his inner pocket. The last thing he wanted was for her to notice the little ring box.
”Shall we join the others?”
He offered his arm. When she slid her hand through the crook, he reached for her fingers and gave a gentle squeeze.
”Let”s go find our forever.”
* * *
Clinging to her man,Becca walked on air as Jamie led them from the terrace back to the raucous after-party taking place inside.
”Live Wire,”the classic AC/DC song performed by Bendover”s own Desert Thunder, blared from the speakers.
Becca immediately began to laugh when she saw the DJ rocking out in his booth while the men of Justice dominated the dance floor with head-banging Angus Young dance moves punctuated with masterful air guitar.
Nobody could accuse this bunch of people of being boring. Or dull.
Kori was on them in a flash. She rushed Jamie, exclaiming loudly, ”Is this it?”
”Yep,”he replied over the thundering music. ”You got this, kid?”
Kori nodded yes and then threw herself at Jamie for a hug, causing him to let go of Becca or risk them all tumbling over.
”You look great, Mom,”she shouted after she had looked her over. ”I gotta go find Pheebs.”
And with that, Kori dashed off.
Jamie took her hand and said, ”Stay close.”
He wove through the crowd, leading them to the other side of the room. Alex walked over to them when the AC/DC song ended, and everyone left the dance floor.
”Hey, you two,”he called out in a cheery tone. ”We were wondering where you were hiding.”
Jamie smiled. ”Just pinning down some last-minute stuff. Fine-tuning the details.”
Alex smacked Jamie on the back with a beefy hand. ”Ready to do this?”
”Do what?”she asked.
Meghan appeared at her side. She nudged Becca and smiled broadly.
In the next instant, Alex let loose with the sort of whistle that cuts through steel and gets everyone”s attention. He gave the saddle-up hand movement and then pointed at the DJ.
”Okay,”Becca mumbled. ”What the hell is going on?”
Meghan laughed and said, ”Wait for it.”
Wearing a rueful expression, she acknowledged the way Meghan avoided answering directly. ”I”m unsure whether to be excited or horrified by what happens next.”
The DJ changed things up, announcing, ”Clear the floor! We have a spotlight dance request.”
”Spotlight dance?”Becca mumbled.
”Very old school,”Meghan sighed. ”So romantic.”
Looking around, Becca wondered who amongst the remaining wedding guests was acting on a romantic impulse.
Jamie stepped into her personal space. ”May I have this dance?”
He held his hand out, and she could only gape at him.
”Er, what?”
”Dance, Rebecca. May. I. Have. This. Dance?”
Things did not make better sense after she shook her head to clear it. ”Me?”
Meghan leaned close and urged her to take Jamie”s hand. ”It”s you in the spotlight, shugah. Better get a move on.”
Oh. My. God.
Becca jerked as if she”d been shot and clumsily grabbed Jamie”s hand. He grinned and quickly moved her into the middle of the empty dance floor, where he twirled her in a wide circle, then kissed her hand and pulled her close.
Her heart felt like it was bursting when Frankie Valli crooning ”Can”t Take My Eyes Off You” filled the ballroom.
Jamie spun her around the dance floor, quietly singing along.
When the ”I love you, baby” chorus began, the entire room joined in, singing with exuberance.
Oh. My. God.
She caught sight of Kori at the edge of the dance floor. She was standing next to Alex, with Pheebs nearby. Her daughter”s expression showed nothing less than jubilation.
The song was over too soon for her liking. As he twirled her a last time and dramatically dipped her back over his arm, she caught the cinnamon glimmer of happiness in his eyes.
”Welcome to forever,”he murmured.
There was some applause as she straightened, and then a hush fell over the room when Jamie got down on one knee.
”What”s happening?” she gasped.
Before going any further, I want to clarify that I secured your daughter”s blessing to go for it and have Finn and Remy”s thrilled permission to do this at their reception.
Once more, she mumbled, ”What”s happening?”
He withdrew a ring box from his suit coat and cracked it open. Inside was a diamond engagement ring.
”Rebecca,”he began soberly. ”I resisted every attempt Alex made to lure me to Bendover.”
”Truth,”Alex called out to a smattering of chuckles.
”And then he sent a Southern Belle to shake me down.”
Stephanie waved her hand like a royal queen and blew kisses to the crowd.
”The former beauty queen”s gambit was doomed to failure,”Jamie drawled. ”Until I saw her assistant lurking on the sidelines, trying very hard to be invisible.”
His characterization of her behavior that fateful day made her laugh, and she smiled at the memory.
”So I did what any sane man would do—I blew up the life I was leading, packed my bags, and took up residence in Arizona.”
The whole room erupted in laughter.
”And now, here we are,”he grinned. ”With me on one knee and our Bendover friends watching.”
He cleared his throat and held up the ring box.
”Will you marry me, Rebecca?”
She visually inspected the ring as if the jewelry mattered. In her head, she heard, ”Jamie Hunter got me a ring,”and concluded that wonders never cease when you”re in love.
Tears swam in her eyes. Marriage and a future with this beautiful, complicated, and adorably dorky man were beyond her wildest dreams.
Becca felt anticipation and love building around them. They were part of this wild, crazy, unconventional family. Bendover and Family Justice were home.
”Yes, Jamie,”she murmured with a happy smile. ”I will marry you.”
Raucous applause interspersed with loud hoots and hollers filled the air as Jamie slid the ring on her finger and, without pause, hauled her into his arms for a ferocious kiss that left little to the imagination.
Touching her lips with shaking fingers, she looked for Kori in time to see her daughter threw herself at Alex and wrapped the big man in a hug.
”Incoming,”Jamie drawled.
She glanced at his happy face, answered his joyful smile with one of her own, and then a second later felt herself engulfed in a group hug with the ladies she called friends.
”He put a ring on it!”Domineau exclaimed. ”How”s it feel?”
Becca extended her left hand to admire the sparkly diamond. The ring was beautiful, but what pleased her most was that he”d done all the things from asking Kori”s permission to buying an engagement ring. This was no rash decision or an impromptu moment.
Wow.
Remy and Finn”s wedding after-party turned into an engagement celebration. She and Jamie stole a few private moments with Kori—their first as an official family. Watching her fiancé and daughter expressing their joy at what the future held for all of them gave Becca a rush.
The fucked up shit in all their pasts evaporated. Nothing mattered except the days stretching out ahead of them.
They partied and then partied some more. Eventually, today became tomorrow. An hour after midnight, Kori and Pheebs approached her and Jamie, saying they had a scathingly brilliant idea.
”Guys,”the excited twelve-year-olds exclaimed. ”Why not get married here in Vegas?”
Jamie chuckled at first but then grew serious. ”You mean now?”
”Sure,”Kori yelped. ”I mean, come on! It”s perfect. Everyone”s here.”
”But my folks,”Becca lamented. ”And Jamie”s family.”
Jamie thought for a moment. ”The kid has a point, and as far as my family goes, it”ll take a lot of planning to get us all in the same place. Probably the same for your parents.”
He was right. The scheduling and logistics would probably require months to pull off.
Kori, who seemed full of bright ideas, said, ”See? We should totally do it now and then plan a big party down the line. Maybe for the holidays?”
”You have all the answers,”Becca teased.
Jamie smacked his hands together and rubbed them. ”Alright. First things first. Your mom needs a dress—something bridal. Kori. Pheebs. You take care of getting the ladies together, and I”ll have a chat with Alex.”
Becca laughed. ”So I guess we”re getting married?”
”Yeah!”He laughed. ”Vegas, baby!”