Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,44

Eighteen

***Reggie***

Reggie paced back and forth across the room, more nervous than he thought he’d be, but not about to change his mind about marrying Janice. For the first time in his life, something felt right. After years of waiting for her to give him a second chance, he’d been given far more than that, and he wasn’t about to screw that up. They still had a long way to go before they were completely bonded, but the connections were there, and he knew that one day the bond would be too.

Just thinking about Janice made him smile, especially when he remembered her performance at dinner, which had thankfully led to Derek, Sam, and Ryan, along with their wives, showing up. He’d never been so glad to see anyone in his life, and just having a few friendly faces around the house had taken off some of the pressure, but after two nights of little sleep, he was ready to move on with the next step of the plan.

Jacob had done far better than he’d expected, and first thing the next morning, just as they were saying their vows, money would be flowing out of his accounts and into the pockets of bankers and investors. He wondered what it would feel like to own the clan, how tempting it would be to use his wealth to rule over the other shifters, and for a second, he understood his father.

The thought scared him so much, he pushed it from his mind, relieved when the door opened and Derek came in, followed by Ryan and Sam with Jacob bringing up the rear. Derek had an amused look on his face. “We have an unexpected visitor,” he said, opening the door again.

It took him a second to absorb the fact that Samantha was standing in the doorway. “Samantha, what are you doing here? How did you get here?”

She was grinning from ear to ear. “Did you really think I would miss this day? Not only is my most difficult client getting married, but you’re also marrying the woman I said was your perfect match,” she said. “When I heard, I just knew that I couldn’t stay away. I’m sorry to be a wedding crasher, but...”

Reggie sighed. “Well, I guess since you’re here, we can find room for you,” he said.

“Considering the size of this house, I would think it shouldn’t be a problem,” Samantha said. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re rich?”

He opened his mouth to tell her that none of what she saw was his, then realized that wasn’t entirely true. “It’s not something I like to flaunt,” he said, wishing she would leave.

“Well, I’m off to see the bride. I can’t wait to see her dress,” Samantha said. “Would one of you gentlemen be kind enough to escort me?”

“I’ll be happy to,” Ryan said, grinning at them.

When they were gone, Reggie turned to Derek. “That woman drives me crazy; the only reason I stuck with that dating service of hers was to get close to Janice,” he said.

“I thought she was a good friend of yours?” asked Derek.

“She is, but she still drives me crazy.”

They all burst out laughing. “Well, you’re still her greatest success story,” Derek said.

***Janice***

Janice took one more look in the mirror then turned to face her friends a huge smile on her face. “Oh, it’s perfect,” she said, feeling tears spring to her eyes. “I didn’t realize that I really meant it when I said that this was my only wedding and I wanted it to be special.”

“I knew when I saw it that it would be perfect,” Melanie said, beaming at her.

“Your wedding should be perfect,” Heather said. “Or as close as we can get to perfect here.”

“Thank you all for coming; it wouldn’t have been the same without you,” she said, gathering them all for a hug. “I wish Theo and Jemma could be here too.”

A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and Julie broke away to answer the door. “I’m here to see the bride,” a familiar voice chirped from the doorway.

Betty came rushing out of the bathroom. “No one is supposed to see the bride before the wedding,” she said, blocking the door.

“It’s okay, Betty,” Janice said. “You can let her in.”

Samantha grinned at her step-mother, then pushed past her. “Oh, don’t you look beautiful,” she said. “I told you Reggie was the right man for you.”

There was a horrified gasp from across the room, and everyone turned to find Betty staring