Emmett: Mazel tov! My best wishes for a long and happy life together.
Stella: Congratulations, my darlings. Thrilled and delighted to welcome Natalie to our family. Dad and I love you both! xoxo
Jasper: Well done, chap! Natalie, you’ve got one of the good ones. All my best always.
His sister Ellie: Welcome to our family, Natalie! Anyone who can put up with Flynn full time has my undying respect and admiration. Happy for you both! Love you.
Addie: Thrilled and delighted for you both. Enjoy every minute!
“Very good advice from Addie,” I say. Neither of us mentions that the only one who didn’t reply is his closest friend, Hayden.
“Enough with the phones.” He powers his down and tosses it on a table. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“I could eat.”
He goes to the door to let in the waiters, who deliver a beautiful meal that consists of Caesar salad, grilled shrimp, tender beef, asparagus and mouthwatering risotto. They uncork the champagne and fill crystal flutes.
Flynn raises his in toast to me, and I touch my glass to his. “To my wife.”
“To my husband.”
He leans over to kiss me. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I.”
I try some of everything, even though my stomach is alive with nerves and excitement for the night ahead of us. I can’t wait to be completely alone with him, my husband. Seeing that ring on his finger and recognizing all it stands for is truly humbling.
“Do you like your wedding ring?” he asks, tuning in to my thoughts.
“I love it. It’s beautiful. Everything is. I can’t believe what you and your magician Addie managed to put together with two days’ notice.”
“She’s good at what she does.”
“Your stamp is all over this, Flynn. Take your share of the credit.”
“I’ll take this much.” He pinches his thumb and index finger together. “I chose the rings and said yay or nay to a bunch of dresses, hoping there’d be one you liked.”
“I love this dress. I never want to take it off.”
He raises a brow. “It’s coming off. Very soon.”
I laugh at the thinly veiled yet playful threat I hear in his tone. “Thanks for the warning.”
We share a chocolate dessert that’s the most sinfully delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. Coupled with the champagne and the strawberries that came with the dessert, I’m bordering on sensory overload. When we’re finished eating, the waiters return to remove the dishes and then the table, leaving us with yet another bottle of champagne in a fresh bucket of ice.
“We need a song,” Flynn says.
“A song?”
“For our first dance as husband and wife. What shall it be? Lady’s choice.”
“Hmmm, this is a huge decision and not one to be taken lightly. For the rest of our lives, whatever song we choose will be the song we danced to on our wedding night.”
“Which is why I left that decision up to you.”
“I’m feeling a tremendous amount of pressure to get it right.”
“I have faith in you, sweetheart.”
“May I consult my iTunes library?”
“By all means.”
As I scroll through the songs on my phone, dismissing one after the other as not right for us, he turns the lights way down. “What song did your parents dance to at their wedding?” I ask him.
“‘Moon River.’ They love that song.”
“That’s a good one.”
He looks over my shoulder as I consult my song list. “Wait, what was that one? ‘Love, Laugh, Fuck.’ That works.”
“We are not having a wedding song with that word in it.”
With his arms around me, he presses his erection against my back. “Why not?”
“Because we’re not, and that’s it.”
“Buzz killer.”
“Maybe so, but you’re stuck with me now.”
“Never been so happy to be stuck with anyone in my life.”
I smile at his sweet words. The kisses he’s leaving on my neck set off goose bumps that cover my entire body. “I can’t concentrate when you’re doing that.”
“My apologies,” he says but doesn’t stop.
“How about this?” I choose “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz and play it for him.
“That sounds sort of perfect for us in light of everything.”
“So we have a winner?”
“Yes, we do.” He takes my phone from me and plugs it into the suite’s sound system. Then he turns and extends his hand. “May I have this dance, Mrs. Godfrey?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Godfrey.” I go to him and let him wrap me up in his love. My hands find their way inside his coat, and I lay my face on his chest. “Flynn…”
“What, honey?”
“I just want you to know that for the first time since everything happened to me, I feel like I’ve found my way home again. The whirling inside my head has finally stopped, and I’m… I’m calm, at peace. And it’s all because of you and what we’ve found together.”
“Nat… There’s nothing you could say that would make me happier, especially in light of everything that’s happened since you met me.”