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Emmett Foster - a week later

“Are you nervous?” Jason leans forward and asks me in a hushed tone. He’s on the front row of chairs with Willow to his left and Shaw and Sutton to his right. Behind him are Miles and Ellie and Brock.

“No,” I reply, shifting on my feet.

“You look nervous. Doesn’t he look nervous?” Jason turns his head to the right, asking the other guys for their opinion.

“Please stop talking,” I grind out.

“I’m just saying it’s natural to be nervous while waiting for your bride to walk down the aisle. There’s always that inkling of worry that she won’t show up–”

“ Jase !” Willow scolds, smacking his chest.

“I’m trying to get him to loosen up.” Jason chuckles. “If he’s mad at me, he can’t be anxious.”

“I’m not anxious or nervous or any other synonym of that word. Now stop–”

My words cut off as the music changes. June walks out the back door of our home. She’s wearing a pale pink dress that poofs out around her waist. There’s a wicker basket with a pink ribbon tied around the handle in her left hand. Her right takes petals and scatters them across the ground. Instead of walking, she skips down the aisle. I’m certain that more flowers land on our guests than the walkway.

June gives me a hug before going to sit with my parents who are in the front row on the opposite side of my friends. Our ceremony is small, consisting of our closest friends and family. I suggested we elope, but Hazel reminded me how much my parents would want to be here. She was right, because as soon as I told my mom, she booked the next available flight to Tennessee.

Seconds feel like hours as I wait for the door to open again. When it finally does, everything else fades from view. Hazel steps out, her arm interlocked with Raven’s. Hazel decided that it was best for her parents not to attend today. Her mom is still in rehab, and her dad hasn’t stepped up where he should. So she asked Raven to be both her maid of honor and escort down the aisle.

Hazel’s smile rivals the sunshine peeking through the trees above. Her dress is perfectly her. There are no sequins or gemstones, just embroidery of vines and flowers that make it look like she’s a garden in bloom. She floats down the aisle toward me. With each step she takes, emotion washes over me. By the time she places her hand in mine, I’m blinking away tears.

“You’re crying,” she whispers, tears shining in her spring-green eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” I reply.

She swallows, clearly trying to keep her emotions at bay.

“Welcome, friends and family, to the wedding of Emmett and Hazel,” our officiant, Augustus, booms. When I told my friends how quickly we wanted to get married, Jason said he had just the guy to perform the ceremony. I was worried that Jason was pranking me somehow, but after speaking with Augustus before the ceremony, I’m glad we went with him. He has a lot of wisdom about marriage and life in general.

“Today marks a new beginning for these two. They’ll embark on the adventure of a lifetime as they learn and grow alongside one another,” Augustus continues.

I meet Hazel’s eyes. Before I met her, I thought I’d never be a groom again. I’d resigned myself to a life of being a single dad. My heart was closed off behind a stone fortress, but Hazel broke through the door like it was made of straw and waltzed right in. Now, my daughter has a mother who loves her, and I have a woman willing to walk through fire by my side. My wife. That’s a phrase I can get used to saying. Forever.

Hazel Foster

I’m married! My face is going to freeze into a permanent smile because I can’t stop grinning. Emmett spins June around beneath the twinkle lights in our backyard. Ours . Wow, does it feel good to think that way. After spending so long dreaming, it’s surreal that my greatest desire is being fulfilled right before my eyes.

“Mrs. Foster,” my best friend Mikayla says as she sidles up next to me. “Are you ready to cut your cake?”

“I am, but let me ask my husband if he is,” I say with a giggle.

I’m certain that everyone I encounter is going to get annoyed by how often I fit the phrase my husband into a conversation, but I can’t bring myself to care. Happiness is overflowing in me at a rate too fast to contain.

Grass tickles my bare feet as I walk across the yard to where June and Emmett are dancing. June sees me and grabs my hand, pulling me into a makeshift circle with them.

“We can all dance together,” June chirps.

“We certainly can, but I was coming over to see if you two wanted to cut the cake?” I ask.

June’s eyes grow wide. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Emmett and I share a smile.

“I’m ready when you are,” he says.

“Then let’s go!” June grabs each of our hands and begins to drag us over to the table with our cake. It’s chocolate chip, decorated with mini chocolate chip cookies. We let June pick it out, because neither of us had a preference. We also decided to let her be a part of cutting the cake. I wanted her to feel as included as possible.

Mikayla gets everyone’s attention, which normally I would be embarrassed about, but the only people here are those we love and who love us, so it helps me feel at ease. June holds the cake knife and Emmett places his hand over hers to guide her. They cut a slice together, dropping it on a sage-green paper plate. Emmett feeds me a bite first, the heat in his gaze making my stomach swoop in anticipation. I feed him next, a blush heating my face.

“My turn!” June shouts, making everyone laugh.

Emmett scoops up a forkful for her, kneeling down to her level. While they’re distracted, I dip two fingers into the frosting. Then I quickly swipe it on both of their noses. June gasps, then falls into a fit of giggles seeing frosting on Emmett’s face. Emmett raises a brow. I bite my lip and take a step back, recognizing the playfulness in his gaze. He says something to June I can’t hear, and when I see her sticking her hand in frosting, I turn to run. Emmett easily catches me around my waist.

“Where are you running off to, Wildflower?” he says against my ear.

“Nowhere now,” I laugh.

He shifts me in his arms so he can dip me backward. My head tips back, hair brushing the grass as June swipes a palmful of white frosting over my cheek and the corner of my mouth. I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe. Emmett pulls me back up. The world spins around me in an array of light and color. Before I can gather my bearings, he steals a kiss. It’s sugar-sweet and laced with a heated passion that leaves me breathless. When he pulls back and our eyes lock, I smile knowing that this is my forever.

Want to see a glimpse into Emmett and Hazel’s future?

And keep reading for a glimpse into the next book in the series, The Confidentiality Clause!

Brock Jones

My phone has buzzed forty-seven times since arriving at Emmett’s house for his wedding. Possibly more, possibly less, depending on how many of those buzzes were ones I imagined or if I missed any while Shaw forced me onto the dance floor.

I step into the bathroom and pull out my phone. I knew I’d only manage one time to sneak away during this whole thing without arousing suspicion, so I tried to hold off as long as I could. But the thought of missing something important was an ever-tightening band around my chest. The amount of emails, text messages, and news alerts does nothing to lessen the tension, however; instead it increases, making it difficult to breathe.

My phone clatters to the counter. I grip the sink and stare myself down in the mirror.

“Get it together,” I growl.

My phone continues to vibrate, making a grating noise on the marble. I snatch it up and start scanning the notifications. Maybe if I answer a few, it’ll help me feel better. At the very least, I won’t have as much to catch up on before I try and sleep tonight.

I slide down the door, eyes glued to my screen. I work to fix problem after problem. Some things will have to wait until I leave here, but many of them can be handled with a few emails. It’s not until my phone buzzes with a text from Shaw that I realize how long I’ve been sitting here.

Shaw: Where are you? The reception is over and we’re about to tell Emmett and Hazel goodbye.

My hand shakes as I rake my fingers through my hair. I spent over an hour in here. How did I lose track of time like that? I’m normally great at time management. If I give them a reason to worry, they’ll never let me hear the end of it. Then I’ll have more calls to answer.

Brock: Think I ate something that didn’t agree with me. I’m going to head back to the hotel. I’ll catch everyone later.

I slide my phone back in my pocket and peek out the bathroom door before exiting. It seems like everyone is still outside. I head toward the front of the house as fast as possible. As soon as Shaw reads that text, he’s going to be coming after me. Possibly with backup.

I make it to my car without any interruptions and breathe easier once I’m pulling away.

My stomach twists when I think about leaving without saying goodbye. Emmett and Hazel deserve better than that. It’s just been so hard to put on a face lately. No one understands. They all want me to work less, but if I do that, then everything I’ve built will come crashing down. I’m in too deep. I have to see this through, and one day everything will settle down. Then I can relax and have fun. But until that day comes, I have to keep pushing. No matter the cost.

Want to see Ariel come in and shake up Brock’s world? Preorder The Confidentiality Clause today! It comes out August 7th, 2025.