Page 33 of Sweet Temptation (Love & Legacy #1)

LUCKY

Every single inch of your body could be pressed tight against mine, and I’d still pull you closer.

—Lucky’s Secret Thoughts .

T wo weeks after Vegas, I stand in the middle of one of my brother’s restaurants and raise my glass.

“Lexie and I can’t thank you all enough for coming out tonight to celebrate with us on such short notice.

We wish you could have all been there with us when we got married, but as you can imagine, we didn’t want to wait. ”

“I wonder why,” Linc stage-whispers from the table next to ours as my beautiful wife shakes her head.

“We wanted the marriage. We wanted the life. And we didn’t want to wait another day to start it all.

But what I’d like to take a moment to do tonight, in front of all our family and friends, is tell this beautiful woman next to me that I will love her more every single day for the rest of my life.

Not more than she loves me, although I like to tease her that I do.

I will love you more than anything else in the world, Lexie.

I will love you wild . Through every up and every down and every blessedly boring day in between. ”

I tip my champagne toward my beaming, angelic wife and smile so damn hard, my face threatens to split in two. “To loving wildly.”

Everyone in the restaurant raises their glasses and repeats the words as Lexie stands and takes my face in her hands. “Wildly, Lucky.”

The whistles and cheers as we kiss fade into white noise as I pull her against me.

“Promise to show me wild later tonight?” she whispers against my ear, and I nip at her lip.

“As many times as it takes, baby,” I groan, and she giggles as we sit back down.

“Now which one of us is going to tell Linc we’re moving out?” she stage-whispers, and the room erupts around us as Linc pouts in his chair. We already told him we were going to look for a house, but he’s in denial.

Lexie refused to treat this like a wedding since, according to her, we had a wedding, and it was perfect.

But she did give in and create one hell of a playlist that I managed to sneak a song or two into.

And when John Hiatt’s version of “Have a Little Faith in Me” starts, I stand and offer her my hand. “Dance with me, wife.”

She slides her hand in mine and smiles the sweetest smile. “Any time, my love.”

I guide her out onto the makeshift dance floor that’s been cleared of tables for tonight and take her in my arms, where she’ll always belong. “You still happy we eloped?”

“Yup. The happiest. All the people I needed there were there, and now, I’m your wife. I never thought I’d be this happy, and then you came back into my life and turned it upside down.”

I spin her out and back into me as she giggles, and my entire fucking world settles with that one sound.

She presses up on her toes and kisses my cheek. “And I never want it to flip back again. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Forever, baby.” I spin her around the room, loving the light in her eyes. “Always.”

Lexie

T here are moments in my life I hope are burned so deeply into my psyche, they’ll always be with me. Always . Tonight is one of those nights. My family is together. All of them. Even Lochlan. And it’s perfect.

Lucky looks lighter than he has in weeks as one song ends and the next starts.

“Can I cut in?” Dad asks and offers Lucky his hand.

Mom and he were there when we got married.

He walked me down the aisle of the chapel. And even though it was Vegas, and an old Elvis impersonator was standing at the end of it, waiting to marry Lucky and me, he didn’t complain. He kissed my cheek and thanked me for letting them be there, then wrapped an arm around Mom as she cried.

Lucky shakes his hand and steps back as Dad steps in. “You look beautiful, Lexie.”

“Thanks.” I beam in my flowy little white dress. “You look very handsome, yourself.”

“Happy too, sweetheart. You look happier than I think I’ve ever seen you. Love looks good on you,” he admits, and I rest my head on his shoulder, hiding the wave of emotion threatening to make me cry.

“I love him, Daddy. I love him so much.”

And it feels so good to be loved by him.

I look over Dad’s shoulder and tear up when I see Lucky dancing with his mom with tears in his eyes.

My bad boy has such a sweet, soft side he likes to hide, and I love it.

Love him.

Nothing in life is promised.

Well . . . almost nothing.

And later that night, as I lie naked in his arms, my head resting on his chest with his heart beating in a beautiful rhythm with mine, I tell him as much.

“I will love you for every minute of my life, Lucky.”

“Wildly, Lex.”

The End