Текст книги "Thirty days to win his wife"

Автор книги: Andrea Laurence

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Epilogue

Four months later

It was happening. The day Amelia had been waiting for since she was five years old had arrived, and sooner than she’d expected.

When a late-summer wedding was postponed, she and Tyler had jumped on the chance to book their moment in the chapel. From there, it was months of excitement and planning. While she had toned down the event, once she started putting together their wedding, there were some details she found she just couldn’t skimp on.

Her gown was the most beautiful dress she’d ever worn, a dazzling ivory-and-crystal creation. Her veil was long, draping down her back and spreading across the gray carpet. The pastor was reading a passage about love and the bonds of marriage as Amelia stood on the raised platform and looked into the eyes of the man she loved.

Turning briefly toward the crowd that filled the chapel of From This Moment, she could easily pick out the faces of the family and friends who had joined them here today. It was just the way she envisioned it—the important people in her life witnessing this important moment.

For years, Amelia had planned a wedding with no groom in mind. But looking into Tyler’s eyes, she knew that he was the most important part of this day. More important than a beautiful dress or a fancy cake.

They had arranged this wedding because he’d wanted her to have the moment, but it wasn’t necessary. The key ingredients—him and her—had been there at their first wedding. The only difference was going through the ritual and repeating the words with love and tears making their voices tremble as they spoke. The words meant so much more this time.

“And now, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Tyler pulled her into his arms, a smile spreading across his remarkably clean-shaven face. Amelia felt her heart skip a beat in her chest when he looked at her that way. She hoped and prayed he would look at her like that for the rest of their lives.

“I love you,” Tyler whispered.

“I love you, too. And,” she added with a smile, “I’m pregnant.”

His eyes widened for a moment before an excited grin changed his whole face. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

His lips pressed to hers in an instant, and she melted into him. The hundreds of people around them faded away. The roar of applause was just a faint buzz in the background, the flash of Bree’s camera no match for the fireworks going off beneath her eyelids. She felt a thrill run down her spine and a warmth spread through her body. It wasn’t until the pastor cleared his throat that they pulled apart. “Later,” the pastor assured them. A rumble of laughter traveled through the audience.

Amelia blushed as her sister, Whitney, handed back her bouquet. She slipped her arm through Tyler’s, and they turned to face the crowd and their new, exciting future together.

“Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to present Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Dixon.”

Arm in arm, they marched down the aisle of scattered rose petals to start their life together. As they stepped through the doorway as man and wife, she realized this was the moment she’d dreamed of. Not the wedding, but the beginning of their life together. At last, they had a happily-ever-after for them both.

* * * * *

If you loved this novel, pick up the first book in the BRIDES AND BELLES series from Andrea Laurence, SNOWED IN WITH HER EX

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Prologue

“I’m sorry.” Briana Harper interrupted her business partner in the middle of their weekly meeting. “Did you just say we’ve booked the Missy Kline and Ian Lawson wedding? The Missy Kline and Ian Lawson?”

Natalie, the wedding planner and office manager, looked up from her tablet, her brow furrowing in mild irritation at Bree breaking her flow. “Yes,” she said with a heavy sigh. “What’s the big deal with that? We have plenty of celebrity weddings.”

Bree shook her head and returned to tapping absently at her own tablet. “I’m just surprised, that’s all.” That wasn’t all, but she wasn’t going to tell her best friends and business partners that. One of the most important rules at From This Moment was to remain professional at all times. It didn’t matter if the ring bearer knocked over the wedding cake, a guest spoke up during the dreaded “if anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed” moment or the groom was your ex-boyfriend. So Bree kept her mouth shut.

“They’re all over the magazine covers at the grocery store checkout lines,” Gretchen added. “I don’t know how you could’ve missed it. Apparently she’s pregnant, too.”

“I guess I’ve been eating too much takeout,” Bree muttered. Pregnant. The bare-midriff pop queen was going to have Ian’s baby. For some reason that bothered her. A lot. How could she have missed this news?

Natalie flung her dark brown hair over her shoulder and continued on with her Monday morning briefing. When Natalie was focused on the job, there was no room for joking around or unnecessary drama.

Each Monday, the four owners of From This Moment met to discuss new clients, business issues and the previous weekend’s wedding.

From This Moment was a one-stop wedding venue that catered to the discriminating Nashville bride. Anybody who was anybody got married at their facility. In just six short years, college friends Natalie, Amelia, Gretchen and Bree had gone from being nobodies with a dream to members of the Nashville business elite.

Together, they were a powerhouse of wedding perfection. If they couldn’t do it, they knew someone who could. Anything the bridal couple wanted, they made it happen. No request was too complex, and they built a reputation on that. That, and a policy of strict confidentiality.

Natalie was right; they did have their fair share of celebrities marry here. Missy Kline was just one more star they could add to their roster of famous clients, but Bree couldn’t care less about her. She was far more interested in Missy’s groom—Nashville music producer and owner of SpinTrax Records, Ian Lawson.

Once upon a time, Ian had been the center of Bree’s universe. They had met as freshmen at Belmont University in Nashville and for more than a year, they had been inseparable. He had been the sexy coffee shop musician with the long hair in his sleepy eyes and the smile that could charm her panties off. When he’d played his guitar and sang to her, all was right in the world. And then he had stopped playing and everything went wrong.

“Bree?”

Bree’s head snapped up. The other three ladies were looking at her. She’d obviously missed something. “Yes?”

“I said,” Natalie repeated, “will you be able to do the engagement portraits this Thursday and still be back in time to cover the rehearsal dinner for the Conner wedding on Friday?”

Now it was Bree’s turn to frown. “Why wouldn’t I be back in time? It only takes a couple hours for an engagement shoot.”

“The bride wants to do the photo shoot at the groom’s cabin in Gatlinburg.” Amelia repeated the detail Bree had missed.

“That should be fine.”

“Okay, good.” Natalie made a note. “I’ll get you the address of the cabin. Plan to arrive around noon.”

That was that. Once Natalie noted something in her tablet, it was virtually signed in blood. There was no getting out of it now. Bree would finally come face-to-face with the man who had haunted her thoughts and dreams for the past nine years.

And his new bride.

Copyright © 2015 by Andrea Laurence

ISBN-13: 9781460349953

Thirty Days to Win His Wife

Copyright © 2015 by Andrea Laurence

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