She nods her head towards David and offers him my ring.
“David, take Katrina’s ring and place it on her finger then repeat after me:
“I give you this ring as a sign that I choose you to be my lover, my partner and my best friend, to the end of my days. Wear it, think of me, and know that I love you.”
He slips the ring on my finger. It’s the partner to my engagement ring and curves slightly so they’ll fit snuggly together. I wiggle my finger, admiring the shine of the diamonds as they sparkle against even the light provided by the wedding arch.
My cheeks are actually starting to ache from smiling so much as she offers me David’s solid platinum band.
“Katrina, take David’s ring and place it on his finger and repeat after me:
“I give you this ring as a sign that I choose you to be my lover, my partner and my best friend, to the end of my days. Wear it, think of me, and know that I love you.”
I slide the ring over his finger, twisting it slightly so it makes it over his knuckle and hold on tight. I know what’s coming.
“Congratulations!” the celebrant calls out, “You may now seal your union with a kiss.”
I fling my arms around David’s neck and press my mouth against his, delighted in the fact that we are now husband and wife while our audience claps and cheers us on. The nine o’clock fireworks erupt from the side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and it’s as if they’re exploding to celebrate us.
We’re surrounded by happiness. I couldn’t have asked for anything more wonderful.
“I love you so much Mrs Taylor,” David beams at me when we finally part lips.
“Not as much as I love you,” I murmur.
“Let’s just call it even,” he winks. “I don’t want to start this marriage off in a fight.”
Laughing, we follow the celebrant over to a small table where we sign the legal documents that officially recognise us as legally married. Lots of photos are being taken as we smile and take turns signing. My mother signs as my witness, and David’s mother signs as his. It’s fitting, because no person could stand in to be ‘best’ anything to either of us. We are all of that and more to each other.
As we stand from the table the celebrant officially pronounces us husband and wife. We hold hands and beam at each other. All the while shaking hands and accepting kisses and well wishes from our friends and family members.
I feel like I’m in a dream. I can’t believe I’m actually married!
Twenty-Two
David
Since the wedding is in the evening, I didn’t book a sit down dinner. Instead I sprung for an open bar and plenty of canapés while music plays and we can all spend the rest of New Year’s Eve partying and relaxing. The formal part of the wedding is over.
There isn’t a sullen look on anybody’s face, and I’m really pleased that it all came together so well. Everyone is really complimentary as they mingle about, dance and just enjoy themselves in general.
“This is probably the best wedding I’ve ever been to,” Kayley says to us, while we take a breather outside. “It’s like a wedding slash New Year’s party rolled into one. Brilliant!”
“That was the goal,” I reply, nodding contentedly.
Paige appears beside her, smiling and dragging Elliot along behind her. “You certainly pulled it off David! Although we’ve all been dying to tell Katrina what was going on. I’m so sorry I couldn’t. We were sworn to secrecy,” she says. Everyone seems to be mingling and really getting into the spirit of the night.
“It’s ok, I’m glad no one told me. Tonight has been magnificent!” she laughs.
“Congratulations to both of you,” Elliot says. “This has been a lot of fun.”
“Come and dance with me,” Paige says as she leans against his shoulder, smiling up at him.
“Great idea. I want to dance too. Now where’s my husband?” Kayley adds.
They all move off either in search of a husband or a spot on the dance floor. Trina and I turn to look over the railing at the water beneath us, taking the opportunity to enjoy a few moments alone.
“You know, I’m completely amazed by you,” she says to me.
“You are?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe you did all this. And the timing of those fireworks – wow David, just wow!” she leans back slightly and pulses her hands in the air for emphasis. “I feel like I’m dreaming. How did you do all this?”
“A gentlemen never tells,” I wink. Moving closer to her, I slide my arms around her waist and kiss her softly. “So you liked the fireworks while we kissed huh?”
“Yeah I did,” she breathes. “It was so wonderful.”
“Well, there’s another set of fireworks you know. I can think of a really great way to bring in the New Year,” I suggest, my voice low in her ear as I run my teeth over her lobe.
“Really? You think we could get away?”
“Well, they’re leaving us alone right now. If we hurry, we’ll get away before they find us.” I hook my pinky in hers and tug lightly. “Come on, it’ll be midnight in about five minutes.”
Lacing my fingers with hers, I lead her quickly around the side of the function room and down to the room I was using before the ceremony.
As soon as we’re inside, I flip the lock. “I love that dress,” I growl at her. “But do you know where it will look better? On the floor.”
She grins, laughing openly as she turns around so her back is to me. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as she looks over her shoulder. I can’t help but admire her flushed cheeks as she lowers her eyes and beckons me using only her body language.
Dropping kisses on her neck, I pull on the zip, pushing the dress off her arms and letting it slip down her body onto the floor in a pile of white fluff. “Told you it would look good down there,” I say in her ear as I slide my hand over her stomach, kissing and nibbling on her neck and shoulders. My hand travels lower until my fingertips reach her panties and I run my fingers along the elastic, gently teasing her skin.
“Are these lace?”
“They are,” she breathes, rolling her head back so it’s resting on my shoulder so she can kiss my jaw.
“Hang on, why are you wearing lace underwear when you thought I was going to be in Melbourne?”
She turns in my arms and lowers her lids, looking at me through her lashes. It’s so fucking sexy when she does it that I feel my cock jolt just from looking at her.
“Check your Snapchat,” she purrs.
The idea of sexy photos of her drives me wild and I want her, I want her now.
I groan as I take her mouth in mine, my tongue taking complete control of hers as I push at the waist of her panties, urging her to slide them down her legs. She takes my cue and wriggles them down her legs, kicking them off to the side.
I walk her over to the dressing table and lift her up so she’s sitting on it, our mouths are still joined and our tongues still dancing.
Her hands work at my pants as she opens her legs wide to pull me close. I slide my hand between her legs and moan when I feel her wetness.
“Oh my god. You’re dripping.” I can feel myself pulsing slightly, the mere touch of her slick juices is almost tipping me over the edge.
“It’s because you drive me wild,” she gasps, pulling at my hips and guiding me to enter her.
We hear our guests start to chant together, counting down towards midnight as I push myself inside her hot wet core. She’s so tight around me that I almost blow immediately.
Katrina
I’ve been watching him all night, thinking of all the things I was going to do to him when we got home, to thank him for planning such a wonderful wedding. So I’m already on edge when he enters me.
The sound of the chanting excites me more as he pushes into my depths and we grind together. It’s almost the New Year and the first thing I’m going to do is come. Hard.
“Faster David,” I gasp, clutching at his hips as he rocks back and forth, gliding in and o
ut of me. “Harder!”
Four! Three! Two!
“Harder!” I cry.
One! Happy New Year! Everyone shouts outside, it’s immediately followed by the popping sound of fireworks and my call of ecstasy and David’s low groan.
“Oh David. Yes!” My internal muscles grip as he throbs and pulses inside me. David growls and slows his strokes, working himself down from the high we’ve just experienced.
“Happy New Year, Mrs Taylor,” he murmurs against my ear breathlessly.
“Happy New Year husband of mine,” I return, turning my head so our lips meet.
“You’re my wife,” he states grinning, his forehead pressed against mine.
“I know - we’re married,” I smile, wrapping my arms tightly around him.
As we hold each other and spend the last moments of our wedding party blissfully connected, I feel like the luckiest girl alive. I’ve just married my best friend. Who could want anything more than that?
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
David
“Trina, babe, just hold on, it’s almost midnight.”
“Oh god! I don’t think I can,” she groans.
“Just try, it’ll be the first of the New Year.”
“Oh god!” she yells, her eyes wide and her face contorted as she bears down.
“It’s coming,” says Corrine, the midwife who’s positioned between Trina’s legs. “I can see the head. Do you want to look?”
I go to move to see the head of our baby crowning out of my wife, but she grips at my hand hard. “No, don’t do it. You don’t want to see what’s happening down there,” she grunts, bearing down again. “Oh!” she yells. She grabs me with her other hand. She’s crushing my fingers and digging her nails into my forearm, so I stay close beside her, even though I really want to see our baby the moment it’s born.
“Argh! Not again!” she screams as her body forces her to push. Her face turns bright red as she bears down, her eyes slightly glassy and unfocused. Suddenly she gasps out a deep breath and the room is filled with crying.
“It’s out, the baby’s out,” I say to her, smoothing down her damp hair and kissing her firmly.
“Congratulations,” The midwife says “You’ve just delivered a baby boy!”
My heart feels like it just grew to double its size. We have a baby boy. I’m a dad.
Katrina
Our little bundle howls as he’s placed on my chest. Tears fill my eyes as I look over his body. It’s as if all the pain I was just in has drifted away. I feel a kind of euphoria as I hold him in my arms - he’s so small and perfect and we made him.
“You did it princess,” David murmurs against my forehead as he presses kisses in my sweat soaked hair.
“Happy New Year,” Corrine says, indicating the clock on the wall of the birthing suite. We didn’t make it to the New Year, but I don’t care. We have a baby. I’m a mum. “Have you got a name for this little bundle?” she asks.
“Yes we do. His name is Zachary,” I say, touching his tiny bald head as I shush his cries. He’s calming down now and I hand him over to David. “Your turn daddy,” I smile.
David grins as he looks down at our babe and bounces him in his arms. He speaks to him in hushed tones and tells him about how wanted he is and how loved he is.
It brings tears to my eyes to watch him be so loving towards our son. Our son. I love the way that sounds.
“What a day this is for us. It’s a happy anniversary, Happy New Year and now a happy birthday too. We’ll have to have very grand parties from now on,” I laugh. I rest my head against the pillow. I’m feeling exhausted from the birth, but I’m happy.
“Yes, a grand party of three. We’ll have one every year,” he agrees.
Corrine asks if she can take Zach to do all of his newborn tests, so David hands him over and comes to sit beside me.
“Thank you so much Trina,” he murmurs. “You’ve given me the world. Loving you has been the best thing I’ve ever done, and now just look,” he says looking over at our baby. “Our love has produced a little human. A little us. I’m just enamoured with you and with him. I love you. A thousand times, I love you.”
“I love you too,” I whisper, holding either side of his face as he kisses me. His kiss sends ripples of joy through my body and I smile inwardly, knowing that this is how it is and always will be. Ours is a bond that only grows with time. We’re connected. Forever.
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Next in the Beautiful Series - Rock
Be careful what you wish for, my mother said. I wished to be a rockstar. And my wish came true.
I am the biggest musical talent Australia has ever exported.
And I've never been more miserable.
Constantly on the road, singing to packed stadiums, having any woman I want; it’s supposed to be the dream. And at first it was cool—it was epic—but now it’s… hollow. It’s an endless sea of faces screaming by name and not a single one of them knowing the real me.
I’m lonely.
I miss the band.
I miss my brother.
I miss her....
She was the first girl I wanted for more than one night. I think I would have wanted her forever if she wanted me back. But she didn’t. She wanted my bandmate; my brother. And it was exploding their world that made me famous.
I bet they still hate me...
Needing some time on my own, away from the crowds and the noise, I find myself on home soil for the first time in two years. But the quiet is hard to come by. My label wants an album, the press wants a piece of me, and the public makes going anywhere without a disguise a nightmare. Then I meet Lisa and she changes everything.
Closed off and unimpressed by everything about me, she's the obvious choice when I want someene to be real with. I make her my unauthorised best friend as a result—which she hates, mind you—but she's cool to hang around because she makes me feel normal. And I like her dog, too.
The problem with Lisa is she hates everything there is about the fame game, which makes me a problem for her. She freaks out around cameras and takes the paparazzi on a mad car chase to avoid being seen. She says she doesn’t want knowing me to mess with her quiet life. But I don't know, maybe she's hiding something. Or maybe she's just playing hard to get... because seriously, who doesn’t want to date a rockstar?
Follow our cockiest Bailey brother as he discovers fame isn’t worth a thing if he doesn’t have love in this gripping rockstar romance featuring new and extended scenes from books A Beautiful Rock and Commitment, republished as Rock: Beautiful Series, Three.
Also by Lilliana Anderson
Preorders
Rock
Lying Game
Cartwright Brothers
Fool Me Twice
Fools Rush In
Foolish Games
Fool’s Errand
Fool’s Paradise
47 Things
47 Things
One More Thing
Standalones
In the Wind
Till There Was You
Never Again
Darcy Comes First (Love is a Beach)
Drawn Series
Drawn
Drawn 2 – Obsession
Drawn 2 – Redemption
Drawn to Fight
Zac & Evie
Hugo & Meg
Beautiful Series
Struggle
Forever
Melody
Rock
Star
Taste
Danger
Destination
Entwined Series
Our Hearts Entwined
Our Lives Entwined
Fire and Lies Series
Partners
Played
Deep Cover
The Confidante Trilogy
C
onfidante: The Brothel
Confidante: The Escort
Confidante: The Madame
For more information on upcoming releases visit
www.lillianaanderson.com/preorders
About the Author
Bestselling Author of the Beautiful Series, Drawn and 47 Things, Lilliana has always loved to read and write, considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer.
Australian born and bred, she writes New Adult Romance revolving around her authentically Aussie characters with all the quirks you’d expect from those born Down Under.
Lilliana feels that the world should see Australia for more than just it's outback and tries to show characters in a city and suburban setting.
When she isn't writing, she wears the hat of 'wife and mother' to her husband and five children.
Before Lilliana turned to writing, she worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities and communications before transferring to commerce/law at university.
Originally from Sydney's Western suburbs, she currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne.
For more information on Lilliana and her work:
www.lillianaanderson.com
[email protected]
To join her Facebook reader group and talk books
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Melody: Beautiful Series, book three Page 36