Page 351 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2

The music changed and everyone stood as Bee appeared. Her parents were divorced and her father and mother had both opted to walk her down the aisle. Bee's eyes were already filled with tears. This wedding had been a long time coming. Damn it, she was going to make me cry too. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She had gone for a ball gown dress that accentuated her small waist. Her long, loose curls blew in the wind. And the backdrop of the city sunset made her blonde hair almost glow like a halo. I glanced at Mason. It looked like he might even cry. They truly were perfect together.

I let my eyes wander back to James. He was staring at me so intently. I swallowed hard. Suddenly, it felt like it was us. Like we were back at our wedding. His eyes didn't stray from minefor even a second. In a lot of ways we had been robbed of our fairytale wedding. At least, the wedding night and honeymoon. But I wasn't bitter at all. I was just grateful that he was here with me.

I dropped his gaze as Bee handed me her bouquet. When I looked back up at him, his expression had changed. It wasn't one of love anymore. He was looking at me inthatway. The way that made my knees weak. The way he looked at me right before he fucked me hard.

It was difficult to pay attention to Bee and Mason's vows. It was hard to pay attention to anything when he looked at me like that. Before I even realized it, the ceremony was over, and James was grabbing my hand, pulling me away from the rest of the bridal party.

"I love you, Penny. I love you with everything that I am." His lips crashed against mine.

I love you.I loved that carnal need of his. I loved that it matched my own.

"Ow, ow!" Rob said from behind us. "You'd think you two were the ones that just got hitched."

James laughed and released me from his grip. "Don't you have a wife you can go bother?"

Rob waved his hand through the air. "Nothing I do bothers Daphne."

"Is that so?" Daphne said and caught his hand. "You guys, they want to take a few pictures back up at the altar."

James looped his arm behind my back. "Once the dancing starts, do you think we could sneak away for a few minutes?"

I smiled up at him. "Did you think I'd let you fly across the Atlantic without a proper sendoff?"

"I hoped that would be your answer."

"Daddy!" Scarlett called and ran over to us.

He leaned down and picked her up.

She giggled as he peppered her face with kisses.

"You were perfect, pumpkin," he said.

"I know."

She was also way more confident than I was at her age. Hell, maybe she was more confident than I was now.

The Light to My Darkness - Chapter 23

Saturday

I cleared my throat for the second time. My hands were shaking so badly, I knew it must look like I was about to drop the mic. Matt had killed his speech. He had the whole place in fits of laughter. How was I supposed to top that? James put his hand on my knee. I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Somehow knowing that he was beside me calmed me down. I took a deep breath.You can do this."Bee, you were the first real friend I made in New York. Well, besides for James' friends, which included your new husband. I never thought someone would be able to tame him."

A few people laughed, including Mason and Bee.

"But seriously, Bee. I struggled moving to New York, leaving everyone I knew back home. But you made me feel like I was accepted here. The big bad city terrified me. Moving here from a small town in Delaware was quite the adjustment. And you understood that too. You were a piece of home. You were open and kind and warm. Unlike most of the people here."

More people seemed to laugh at that joke. My hand stopped shaking so dramatically.

"You were basically me except that you were totally killing it."

"That's so not true, Penny!" Bee said with a laugh.

"It is true! You made me realize that I could belong here too." I put my hand on my chest. "And I'm so, so grateful to you for that."

Bee gave me a tight-lipped smile. It looked like she might start crying again.

"I love you, Bee. I love you both. You're two of my best friends. I can't believe two of the nicest people I've ever met were able to find love with one another. I think you're perfect together. And I truly believe that you can make it through anything. Your love is timeless. You're timeless." I held up my glass. "To the happy couple."