Blind Date with a Billionaire Biker (Blind Date Disasters Book 3)

by Evangeline Kelly

  He came closer and extended his arms to give me a hug. I clung to him, being careful not to let my makeup touch his suit jacket.

  “You’d better watch out,” I said. “The single women are going to be keeping their eye on you.”

  He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a bit. “We’ll see.”

  “What was the delay?” Vera asked, looking meaningfully at the time. “We thought you’d be here sooner.”

  “Sorry about that. I was securing my wedding gift for Tizzy.” He glanced at me. “In fact, I’d like to give it to you right now if you don’t mind?”

  “You want to give it to me now? Before the wedding?”

  “Yes, you definitely are going to want it now rather than later.”

  “Okay.” I smiled and waited to see what he was up to.

  He lifted a finger in the air. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.”

  He left for not more than a few seconds and returned with… My eyes widened, and I squealed because my parents walked in the door. It was a good thing I had on waterproof mascara because the waterworks began. I was so shocked and at such a loss for words that I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.

  Mom approached first with tears in her eyes. Her gaze moved over every inch of my dress and then settled on my eyes. “You are so beautiful, Tirzah.” She put a hand over her mouth and took in a shuddering breath. “I can’t believe we almost missed this.” She pulled me into her arms, and we stayed like that for a long time, both of us trying not to cry even more.

  She put her hands on my face. “I am so sorry. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I don’t want to lose you, either.”

  And then Dad joined us and gave me the warm hug that I had longed for the last time I’d seen him. He clasped both of my hands and gave me a tight smile. “I’m an idiot. It took your grandpa over here to show me what I was missing out on, but I finally came to my senses.”

  I didn’t miss that he referred to him as my grandpa. “Wait. Grandpa flew out to get you?”

  He nodded. “He showed up and informed us that if we didn’t come, we would regret it for the rest of our lives.”

  That was so like Grandpa. He’d probably told me he went on vacation so I wouldn’t know what he was up to, and if they refused to come, it wouldn’t hurt more than it already had. I glanced at Mom and wondered what their first encounter had been like since she’d been so resistant to meeting him. But I would have to wait on that. Maybe later I’d find a moment to ask.

  Debbie knocked once and then walked in, organ music filtering through the doorway. “It’s time.”

  “Let me check my makeup.”

  Vera helped me reapply more powder and lipstick and, thankfully, the waterproof mascara had prevented smudging. She put both hands on my shoulders. “Ready little Tizzy?”

  I nodded, feeling a sudden burst of energy, like a falling star shooting through the night sky. “Let’s do this.”

  “If it’s okay with you,” Dad said, “I’ve asked Carl to walk you down the aisle with me. I think under the circumstances, he deserves it.”

  “That’s a wonderful plan.” I fanned my face again, willing myself to hold it together. “How often am I going to have to do this today?”

  “You just cry if you need to,” Mom said. “It’s okay to be sentimental.” She kissed me lightly on the cheek and then nodded towards Dad. “He’s been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.”

  I didn’t know why they were being so agreeable, but I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. We walked out of the dressing room to the sanctuary doorway and waited for Debbie’s cue.

  The pianist began to play Mendelssohn's Wedding March. I moved to the end of the aisle and saw Dex up front, dressed in a black suit and blue tie. His father stood next to him as his best man, and the pastor nodded for us to approach. Everyone rose from their seats and there were a lot of smiles and happy faces. With one hand on my dad’s arm and the other on Grandpa’s, I took one step at a time, feeling the enormity of the moment. Dex’s smile turned even brighter, but he never took his eyes off me.

  We stopped at the front and Dad and Grandpa handed me off to Dex. Everything was a blur after that. Pastor Chamberlain gave a short sermon, and we exchanged rings and vows. And then we came to the moment I had been waiting for. The kiss.

  When he said, “You may now kiss the bride,” I turned to face Dex, and he was looking at me like he’d waited a lifetime for this. Like he wanted to make me his in a matter of seconds but was doing his best to restrain himself.

  The anticipation of what was about to happen crackled through the space between us like lightning during a thunderstorm, and I felt my breathing shudder. He leaned in, eyes smiling, and brushed his lips over mine—once, twice, a third time—as if testing the waters to make sure I was okay. And then he put a hand behind my neck and pulled me in closer, deepening the kiss in a way that made warmth spread throughout my entire body. Every nerve ending sprung to life, and all I wanted was the feel of his lips, warm and soft and so sweet. He pulled away reluctantly, and when he did, our eyes locked, and they held a promise. There would be more of this later.

  We faced the audience and Pastor Chamberlain introduced us as husband and wife. We charged down the aisle and out the church doors while the pianist played an upbeat song. Dex picked me up and swung me around, both of us laughing with joy and so much happiness.

  The evening moved quickly after that. We held the reception at a banquet hall at a ritzy hotel in West L.A. Dex had hired an orchestra, and we danced the night away. At one point, I saw Mom and Dad standing in a corner, just watching everything, taking it in, but not talking to anyone. They’d met Dex after the ceremony, and we had spoken a few times since, but I still felt a tug at my heart to go to them since they were all alone. I turned to Dex and put a hand on his arm. “I need to talk to them.”

  He followed my line of vision and nodded. “Want me to go with you?”

  “Yes.”

  Somehow, we made it through the crowd without anyone stopping us—don’t ask how that happened. It was a God-thing. When we reached them, Mom smiled, but her eyes flickered with sad tears.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She nodded but was struggling not to fall apart. Dad wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “We’re just coming to terms with the fact that you aren’t our little girl anymore.”

  “Don’t say that. I will always be your little girl.”

  “No,” Mom said, shaking her head. “You are a young woman now and a beautiful one at that.” Her gaze turned to Dex, and she stepped forward and awkwardly gave him a hug. “You look very handsome.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled.

  Dad shook his hand. “Thank you for taking care of Tirzah. We were shocked to find out you waited to have your first kiss today.”

  Dex grinned. “It wasn’t easy, but I wanted Tirzah to know I would wait forever for her.”

  Dad nodded once. “You’re a good man. We look forward to getting to know you better.”

  “I’d like that,” Dex said.

  Dex’s father walked over and spoke with us for a few minutes. He’d met my parents earlier in the evening, so this wasn’t the first time they’d interacted. After a while, he pulled Dex to the side to meet an old friend of his.

  Mom glanced at me and looked as if she were gathering the courage to say something. “The last year has been one of the hardest I’ve ever gone through, but if there’s one good thing that came of it, it’s that I got to see you mature. You stood up for what you believed in, and you have not deserted your faith. I’m sorry we pressured you in so many ways. I wish things had been different. I just want you to know that I will always love you.”

  “I love you too.” I glanced at Dad. “Both of you.”

  His eyes watered. “We want to be a part of your life, Tirzah. Thank you for not shutting us out. After everything that happened, I wouldn’t blame you if you did.�
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  “I want you both in my life, so don’t even say that.” We had a three-way hug and then I turned to Mom. There was something I had wanted to ask her since she and Dad had found me in the dressing room. “How was it meeting Grandpa for the first time?”

  She hesitated for a long moment and then smiled the tiniest bit. “Surprising…surprisingly okay.”

  I stared at her waiting for more, and when she didn’t say anything, I prompted her. “How did you feel about it?”

  She blew out a breath, her shoulders relaxing. “I will always love my parents. I didn’t want to meet Carl because it felt like a slight towards them, but once we met, it seemed…fitting. I think God brought him into our lives at the right moment, and he and I agreed we would take things slow. He knows I’m not looking to replace my father, but I think we might be able to have a relationship in the future.”

  Almost as if his ears were burning, Grandpa joined us, eyes bouncing between the three of us and finally landing on Mom. “Can I have this dance?”

  She didn’t hesitate this time. “I would love to.”

  Dad and I looked at each other and smiled. He offered his arm. “Shall we?”

  “Absolutely.”

  We danced a few songs together, and then Dad found Mom, and they danced for the first time since the reception began. Grandpa walked up to me and extended his hand. “Tizzy.”

  I took it, and he pulled me onto the dance floor.

  “Looks like everything went okay with you and Mom,” I said.

  He nodded. “It’s a miracle that it did. I give all the credit to the Lord. Only He can soften hearts.”

  “Thank you for bringing them here. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  He smiled. “Tizzy, you don’t owe me anything. I’ve been trying to tell you that all along. This right here is the result of years and years of prayer.” He shook his head like he was still having a hard time believing it. “Reconciliation…it’s not easy. It tears down your pride and shows you who you really are inside. But in the end, it’s the sweetest gift you could ever hope for.”

  His words reminded me of the reconciliation I had with Christ. The Lord had sought me even while I ran the other way, and He pulled me into His loving arms. Arms that would never let me go.

  “Do you think you’ll ever look for Emilia?” I asked. “I can help you with that now that Dex has access to resources…”

  He let out a heavy breath. “I just might take you up on that. I tried to put that woman out of my mind for many years, but she will always have a place in my heart.”

  I nodded. “We’ll search for her, and when we find her, we’ll make her a part of the family. Look how far Mom has come.”

  He smiled. “That’s very true, and there’s nothing I’d like more.”

  When Dex and I found each other again, we danced to a song that was extra slow, our foreheads pressed together, our hearts mingling. He kissed me again and again and again until I was breathless and brimming with so much joy and happiness that my cup was overflowing.

  “How’s this for a celebration?” he asked.

  “It’s amazing—everything I wanted.” I laughed and met his gaze. “Ready to spend a lifetime with me, Mr. Mitchell?”

  “You bet. I’m not letting you get away from me ever again.”

  “That’s good because I’m yours and you’re mine, and no one can tear us apart.”

  He leaned in and planted a kiss on the corner of my lips, and when he pulled back, I gave him a flirtatious smile. “By the way, that first kiss was everything I’d hoped for.”

  He pulled me in closer, his grin lighting up his face. “There’s more where that came from. Just you wait, Mrs. Mitchell…just you wait.”

  ***

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read, Blind Date with a Billionaire Biker. Evangeline appreciates your support more than you know. If you enjoyed this book, she would like to ask you a favor. Would you be kind enough to leave an honest review? It would be greatly appreciated! Feel free to get in touch with her if you have questions or comments at Evangelineromancebooks@gmail.com

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  Check out the first book in the Blind Date Disaster Series! Blind Date with a Blue-Collar Billionaire

  Description of Blind Date with a Blue-Collar Billionaire

  Can her blue-collar man prove he’s different from all the rest?

  Lindsey Clarke was doomed. Every serious boyfriend she had fell for her more beautiful cousin, Destiny. When it happened yet again on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she was devastated and wondered if she would always be delegated to second best.

  A friend suggested a blind date, and Lindsey went along with it in order to get her mind off her wounded heart. Once she met Grayson Hall, she was star struck. Not only was he good-looking, but he was kind and sweet as well.

  Grayson Hall owned the largest general construction company in Los Angeles. He had everything he could possibly want except love from a good woman. After being burned by a girlfriend who was only with him because of his money, he was determined to keep his financial status a secret from Lindsey. Following a disastrous first date, Grayson determined to make it up to Lindsey. Soon, he was falling hard and could easily see a future with her.

  But when a terrible lie threatened their relationship, Grayson had to prove he was the kind of man she could count on.

  And Lindsey had to make a decision. Was Grayson the man he said he was? Or was he no different than the men who dumped her for her cousin?

  This is an inspirational Christian romance about the power of forgiveness and how one woman learns to trust God during difficult times.

  Take me to Blind Date with a Blue-Collar Billionaire!

  Other Books by Evangeline Kelly

  Blind Date Disasters Series

  Blind Date with a Blue-Collar Billionaire

  Blind Date with a Billionaire Professor

  California Elite Series

  Collision of Wills

  The Ruthless Billionaire

  The Lawkeepers

  Lawfully Blessed

  Lawfully Protected

  Stand-alone Books

  The Unwanted Assistant

  Love’s Sacrifice

  Road Trip

  Santa Clarita Love Stories

  Matchmaker

  Shaken