Royal Package - Lili Valente Page 0,83
any more time. But if you do, I can wait. I just…” Pain flashes behind his eyes. “I hate the thought of taking another step down the road of my life without you there with me. I love you, Sabrina Rochat. And I want you, and I need you, and I’m going to want and need you from this day until my last day.”
With tears stinging my eyes, I smile. “Me, too. All of those things. Always.”
Hope softens his features, and he tips his head closer to mine. “So does that mean…?”
“Let’s go jump in the water,” I whisper, giggling as he swoops me into his arms for a fierce hug and kisses my cheek.
“You won’t regret it,” he says, kissing my lips before setting me back on my feet. “Your bouquet is in the fridge. I’ll grab our passports for the rest of the paperwork.”
Laughing, I prop my hands on my hips. “You were that sure I’d say yes, huh?”
He grins at me over his shoulder as he pops open his briefcase. “Not sure. But hopeful. And wanting to be prepared, just in case I got lucky. Now go get your flowers, woman, or we’re going to have to run all the way to the town hall.”
We end up running anyway—too excited to walk—and arrive in plenty of time to sweet-talk our officiator into marrying us in the courtyard behind the town hall with the setting sun turning the world a hazy pink and the smell of flowers and sea salt sweet in the air. Her sister and brother graciously agree to be our witnesses, and her teenage daughter takes pictures with my phone. Afterward, they all insist on taking us out for celebratory ouzo and baklava, and we end up dancing in the pub until midnight, high on strong liquor and sugar and love.
When we wake up tangled in each other’s arms the next morning, and I glance down at my left hand to see the emerald ring on my finger that Andrew bought at an antique store, I feel more at peace than I have in years.
“No regrets?” he asks, kissing my bare shoulder.
“Not a single one,” I say, rolling on top of him and trailing kisses down his chest.
“If we’re not careful, we’ll miss our flight,” he warns, even as he lifts his hips, making it easier for me to drag his boxer briefs down his thighs.
“We’ll be quick,” I promise as I bring my lips to his, murmuring, “I just need to show you something.”
“What’s that?”
“How much I love you,” I whisper as we come together with matching sighs of relief. And pleasure. And gratitude.
And it is good.
So very, very good.
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* * *
Keep reading for a sneak peek of
THE BANGOVER
a laugh-out-loud hot rockstar Rom Com!
Sneak Peek
Please enjoy this free excerpt of
THE BANGOVER. Out now!
* * *
The Bangover is a red-hot, laugh out loud rom-com featuring two best friends on a collision course with Vegas-flavored disaster—and each other. It stands alone. No cheating or cliffhangers.
* * *
“So let me get this straight…” My best friend Kirby’s voice is husky and soft in the darkness beneath her back porch, where we’ve been hiding for the past thirty minutes, preparing for our favorite post-hometown concert tradition—the pranking of Shep, my drummer. “You’re swearing off sex so you can write songs.”
“Correct. Not fun, but it has to be done.”
“Does it?” She sounds bemused. “Really?”
“It does.” There’s a skittering sound on the planks overhead, and we both fall silent, but after a moment a plaintive meow? makes it clear we’re not in danger of being attacked by trash-raiding raccoons.
It’s just Murder, the evil ring leader of Kirby’s collection of misfit cats.
“I’ll be in soon, baby,” Kirby calls softly. “Go inside.”
I grunt. “He’s probably out here looking for me. Fangs bared. Ready to take his pound of flesh.”
“Probably,” Kirby agrees with a chuckle. “He hates you so much.” She nudges my shoulder with her smaller, pointier one. “But don’t take it personally. He’s just jealous that there’s another creature on earth I like nearly as much as him.”
“Nearly, huh? Thanks,” I say, a smile in my voice. But I’ve been smiling pretty much nonstop since we took the stage earlier tonight.
There’s nothing like a hometown show—the energy, the excitement, the noise, and best of all, a crowd packed with people who dreamed an impossible dream with you until the dream came true.
A lot of the greater Bangor, Maine