“Blair,” he gushed. “I know we’d love to make you partner and offer you a nice signing bonus.”
“I’m sure you would.” Her eyes sparkled with the look of a predator about to devour its prey, and Garrett found himself incredibly turned on.
“Mr. Sisco, you can take your partnership and shove it up your ass. You’ll find my letter of resignation on your desk on Monday morning.”
“Blair, I’m sure we can work something out.”
“The only thing we’re working out is how quickly you can get out of my sight.”
His jaw clenched with anger, and he stomped out of the sanctuary.
She took a deep breath and let it out. “That felt good.”
“I bet it did.”
“But I don’t have a job. And Melissa . . .”
“Blazer, I want you to be happy where you work. But for the record, if you had accepted, we might have had words. There’s no way I want my wife working for a bunch of sexist pricks.”
She spun around to face him, lifting her hands to his face. “Your wife?”
A lazy grin spread across his face. “I know. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“In a bad way?”
“In the best possible way.” He pulled her to his chest and kissed her, thankful that she didn’t pull back, even though they were in a church full of people. “I think I’m underdressed for this reception. How about we swing by my hotel room and pick up my tux?” He grinned. “And do a few other things.”
“Impatient again?” she laughed.
“Are you kidding?” He shot her a look of disbelief. “I almost lost you forever. I’m scared to death to let you out of my sight for one minute.”
She tensed. “You’re not going to be one of those clingy husbands, are you?”
“I’ve thought of you nonstop for five years, and this morning you turned your back on me to marry my asshole cousin. You’re going to have to give me at least a couple of hours of clinginess to calm my anxiety.”
“Then if you want to be clingy, I have the perfect idea for how we can make use of a few of those hours.”
His hand dug into her hip, his eyes full of longing. “I need to find a car.”
They showed up at the reception about an hour later, arriving to the cheers of Blair’s friends and family and some of Garrett’s family. Blair was still wearing her wedding dress since she didn’t have anything else to change into, but she’d let her hair down and removed her veil. “I like the idea of you not having a wardrobe,” Garrett had teased while he nuzzled her neck in his room when they were supposed to be getting dressed, “but it might not be a bad idea to keep a few articles of clothing around.”
He wore his tux, and she warned him that this was the only wedding reception they would get, so he’d better dress the part.
They ate and danced, and she found herself feeling more relaxed than she’d been in years. She looked up into the face of the man who had refused to leave her side all night, amazed that he was really there with her.
He glanced down at her, a warm smile spreading across his face.
“When you look at me like that,” she said, smiling coyly, “all I can think about is you naked.”
His eyebrows rose, mischievousness dancing in his eyes. “Is that so?”
“What are you doing next week?”
He brushed his lips against hers, and that was all it took to make her blood hot. “Hopefully spending every minute with you.”
She tilted her head. “How about spending the week with me in Costa Rica? I paid for a week at an all-inclusive resort for the honeymoon. Non-refundable.”
His eyes twinkled. “So this is a practical invitation?”
“I’m a practical woman.”
“Only one of many things I love about you.” He lowered his head to kiss her, then he pulled back to look into her eyes. “So . . . if we’re going on a honeymoon, I think we should actually be married first.”
Her breath caught, and she tensed. This was getting very real, very fast. Somehow the prospect of marrying Garrett was so much more frightening than her engagement with Neil had been. She had so much more to lose.
But for once, she was going to ignore the voices of caution in her head. They had kept her from living for the last ten years, and Garrett had been the only one to truly quiet them. It was time to let her heart take the lead for a while.
“Okay.”
“Really?”
“You thought I’d say no? You already proposed this morning. Trust me, that’ll be hard to explain to our kids if we have them.”
He laughed. “When I proposed this morning, we didn’t discuss dates. I know how you like to plan things out. We can wait if you’d prefer. The last thing I’d want is for you to feel pressured.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No more waiting. We’ve wasted five years, and we’ve got some making up to do.”
“Then how about we get married on the beach in Costa Rica? Just you and me. Are you okay with that?”
“That’s exactly how I want it,” she murmured as she kissed him. “But I want a different ring. This ring has been nothing but trouble.”
“I’ll get you a new ring, but I’ll be forever thankful for my family heirloom. I wouldn’t be here right now if not for this stupid ring.”
He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close. “Mrs. Blair Lowry. Or maybe Mr. Garrett Hansen.” His eyes twinkled. “Or is it Myers? Who can keep up?”