the front row. A few sniffs came from their general direction, but I was too focused on the gorgeous woman walking toward me to check which of our mothers (probably both) was making the sound.
Nala was wearing the white dress her grandmother had designed for her. The elegant gown was sleeveless with a shitload of white beads sewn onto it in a swirl of floral patterns.
Her curls were styled up in a cascade of ringlets—one side fastened with a large comb covered with small copper flowers and fern leaves.
She smiled softly, and the sweetness of it stole my breath away.
I just wanted to kiss her, declare my love to her, and show her exactly how much I loved her.
Although the last part would have to wait until later—when it was only the two of us.
I could give you a blow-by-blow recount of everything that happened after she and her father approached the archway, but I think it’s enough to say we shared our vows.
No one found any reasons why Nala and I shouldn’t be married.
The minister declared us husband and wife.
I kissed her with all my heart and soul.
We hugged a lot of people.
And we spent the rest of the night celebrating our union with a hundred-and-fifty-or-so guests.
Yup, I know I said it was an intimate wedding.
Trust me, that was intimate compared to what it would’ve been like with all the guests our mothers and Nala’s grandmother wanted to invite.
Did I mention there had been a lot of negotiating when it came to the guest list?
A.
Lot.
Of.
Negotiating.
And what was the best way to deal with the stress of negotiating a guest list?
That’s right…sex.
Which meant we had tons of fucking amazing sex while planning the wedding.
But it was worth it. All of it.
The reason that it had been worth it swayed in my arms on the dance floor as the sun began to set on the horizon. Small lights twinkled from the nearby trees in the large garden.
Nala glanced up at me and shared the smile that had my insides heating up in record time. Not because I was a horny bastard when it came to her—which was true.
No, it had to do with the love in her warm brown eyes.
The reason I had fallen in love with her.
“I love you.” I tenderly kissed her.
Nala returned the kiss. “I love you, too.”
“Wow, it’s bigger than I realized.”
“It never fails to impress me every time I see it.”
All right, get your mind out of the gutter. That wasn’t what we were talking about.
“Bonjour,” Nala said to an older woman near a flower stand. Around us, the distant honking of horns and the whizzing of scooters navigating the busy Parisian streets reminded us we weren’t alone. “Parlez-vous anglais?”
“Bien sûr, mademoiselle. I happen to speak perfect English.”
Nala smiled gratefully at her. While her French was much better than mine (I couldn’t speak a word of it beyond a few basic phrases I had learned for the trip), she was far from fluent. “Would you mind taking a photo of us kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower?”
Yup, you guessed it.
Even though Nala’s grandmother had been okay with us kissing in front of the picture in Roxy’s bakery, we decided that when it came to her bucket list, it only counted if we kissed in front of the real Eiffel Tower.
So it was a no-brainer that our honeymoon would take place in France.
It was a chance for me to visit the City of Love with the woman I was crazy about.
And for her college bucket list to be officially completed.
“I would be delighted to take your photo,” the woman said, smiling, her French accent strong. “You’re on your honeymoon, non?”
Nala handed her phone to the woman. “How did you know?”
“You’ve got that sparkle of a new bride. And your handsome groom looks at you like you’re the stars in the sky.” She waved us into position.
“At least she won’t have to tell us how to kiss like Roxy did.” I chuckled.
Nala grinned. “Definitely not. When it comes to passionate kisses, we’re experts.”
And to prove it, she pressed her lips to mine.
Over the years, I’d seen highlights on TV of the New Year’s Eve fireworks in various major cities around the world. London. Sidney. New York City. Paris.
All of them had looked impressive.
All of them paled in comparison to Nala’s kiss.
I opened my mouth and let her in, proving to the world the woman in my arms was mine. Proving to her and everyone else that there