Krista Lakes - The Kisses Series #2 - Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Chapter 1
Emma laughed gently and touched Jack Saunders' shoulder. He smiled and seemed to unconsciously reach for her hand, the two of them leaning closer to one another. They looked so happy together, so perfectly in love that it was impossible to look at them without feeling their happiness. Jack leaned over and whispered something into Emma's ear. She blushed and giggled before reaching for her wine glass.
Emma looked radiant. I didn't know if I'd ever seen my little sister look so happy, and that happiness was translating into an inner beauty that shone out across the whole ocean. People on the other side of the world were probably wondering what was making that joyful glow. Jack matched her elation in a masculine way, his sandy hair blowing softly in the Caribbean wind as we finished the last of our dinners. They were the perfect couple.
The entire wedding party for Jack and Emma sat outdoors at a large wooden dinner table, the evening breeze blowing warmly. If the wedding dinner was anywhere near as fancy as this rehearsal dinner was, I would gain at least five pounds on this trip.
I typically didn't like traveling. In fact, I never traveled. I had never even left the Midwest, but I thought that this ocean breeze was something I could definitely get used to.
Jack and Emma sat at the head of the big square table as if they were the king and queen of the tropical island. I sat next to Emma with my parents on the other side of me. Across the table was Jack's best man, Owen. Down the line sat his younger brother, mother and father.
We were all gathered to celebrate the marriage of Jack to my little sister, Emma. Jack had flown the whole family, plus friends, out to an island in the Caribbean for the ceremony and paid for a week at the island resort for everyone. I had only been able to get four days off from my job at the hospital, and now I wished I had more in this beautiful place. I wasn't sure exactly what this trip had cost, but I knew it was far above what my paycheck could afford. Of course, for him it was no big deal. He could afford to do this because he was the President and CEO of DS Oil and Gas. He was a billionaire, after all.
The two of them were getting married on the very island where they met, on the very beach where Emma had saved a man's life while Jack kept cool next to her. This time, though, it was for real. For some wild reason, when they first met, they had decided to get married, despite hardly knowing one another. Emma said it was a crazy, spur-of-the-moment vacation memory thing, but I still thought she was insane. It wasn't a legal wedding, of course. They were outside of the US and there were no papers signed.
It should have ended there, except that the paparazzi happened to somehow get some pictures of their wedding and posted them everywhere. I actually found out my sister was married by reading the tabloid headlines at the grocery store. It had been the first time I ever actually bought one of those magazines. Before I could even talk to her, however, she had zipped off to New York City so that Jack could do damage control.
It took a while for the press to die down enough for her to come back to Iowa. By then, it was pretty apparent that she and Jack were a sure thing. Emma and I had some rather personal conversations, and I found myself marveling at my little sister. The things she was willing to put up with, particularly Jack's work schedule, were things that I wouldn't have tolerated. She loved him though, and she was willing to deal with it. He finally proposed over Christmas dinner. Now, here we were on the island for a beautiful spring wedding.
I was actually supposed to have gone on the vacation that started it all. Emma had won a trip for two from the local radio station, but I came down with appendicitis two days before the flight. During the week that she spent in the Caribbean, I spent my time hopped up on painkillers and antibiotics, and thinking that I was the one going to do crazy things. Sitting here, though, watching the