by Force, Marie
Kara’s dad, Chuck Ballard, came in dressed in the same blue blazer and khaki pants that Dan and Grant were wearing.
“Sweetheart,” he said, “you look lovely.”
“Thank you, Dad.” She had debated whether she wanted him to give her away. After her family had acted like it was no big deal that Kelly had basically stolen her boyfriend, Kara had been fed up with the lot of them, including her parents, who threw an elaborate wedding for Kelly and Matt. But she had only one father and would have only one wedding, so she’d asked him despite her reservations.
“I want you to know how thrilled your mother and I are that you’ve found someone who makes you so happy. We’re very proud of you, and we love your Dan.” He hesitated, as if considering whether he should say more. “We handled things badly with Kelly, and you were hurt by it. I’m sorry for that.”
Stunned to hear him admit to being wrong about anything, Kara had no idea what to say.
“What she did was wrong, and I’ve told her so. I’ve also told her she’s to stay far, far away from this island today. This is your day, and she doesn’t belong here.”
Overwhelmed, Kara hugged him. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s forget all that nonsense and get you married.” He extended his arm.
She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow.
He covered her hand with his. “I love you, Kara, and I wish you and your new husband the very best of everything.”
“Thank you, Dad. I love you, too.”
Dan thought he was prepared for whatever she might have in store for him. He was dead wrong. She blew him away with her simple elegance, her embarrassment at being the center of attention and the way she kept her gaze firmly fixed on him while she made her way to him on the arm of her father.
The ceremony was being held on the lawn of the former Chesterfield estate that Jared and Lizzie James had turned into a wedding venue.
Dan’s heart felt like it might explode from the emotional overload of this moment. With his parents and sisters seated in the front row and Grant standing by his side, Dan took a step forward to meet his bride.
Chuck shook Dan’s hand and kissed Kara’s cheek before taking a seat next to his wife and family on the other side of the aisle.
Dan kissed Kara. “You’re beautiful.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He smiled at the predictably saucy reply. He couldn’t wait for a lifetime of her particular brand of sauciness.
Grant’s uncle Frank, a retired Superior Court judge, presided over the brief ceremony in which Dan and Kara exchanged traditional vows and rings. Knowing his bride hated the spotlight, he’d agreed to keep it short and sweet.
Ten minutes later, Frank gave him permission to kiss his bride.
Dan was careful not to embarrass her too much when he kissed her.
“It’s my great pleasure,” Frank said, “to introduce for the first time as Mister and Missus… Dan and Kara Torrington.”
While their guests applauded enthusiastically, Dan escorted his wife down the aisle and ducked into the secret garden inside the hedges to steal a better kiss. Surrounded by fragrant flowers, Dan took her into his arms and kissed her passionately, thrilled to finally be married to the woman he loved more than life itself.
“Finally,” he whispered against her lips. “There’s no getting rid of me now.”
“Oh damn, really?”
“You knocked the cover off the ball with this dress, babe. I mean seriously—wow.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it. I’ll never forget how you looked as you came toward me today. Best moment of my entire life.”
“Mine, too.”
He kissed her forehead and held her in his arms, hoping they wouldn’t be missed for a few more minutes. “You think anyone would notice if we split?”
“Probably. We are the hosts, after all.”
“We should’ve let your parents do it.”
She looked up at him with horror, and they lost it laughing.
He took hold of her hand. “Let’s get this over with so we can get to the good stuff—the wedding night and honeymoon.” He’d surprised her with two weeks in Ireland followed by a week in England. They were leaving the island on the noon boat tomorrow.
“I’m with you, Counselor.”
He tucked her hand into his elbow. “Yes, you are.”
They emerged from the garden to find Lizzie waiting for them, pretending to check her phone.
“Right this way.” She gestured for them to follow her to where their photographer waited to take the family photos Judith had insisted on.
They went through the motions, posing with both families as well as Grant and Stephanie, and then headed up the back stairs to the Chesterfield, where the reception would be held in the big rooms downstairs as well as on the back veranda.
“It looks amazing, Lizzie,” Kara said.
“Couldn’t agree more,” Dan added.
“I’m so glad you’re happy with it.”
A theme of navy blue and white had been carried throughout the big rooms full of friends and family who’d come to celebrate their new life together, including the entire McCarthy family, Alex and Jenny Martinez, Paul and Hope Martinez, Luke and Sydney Harris, David Lawrence and Daisy Babson, and even Slim Jackson and his fiancée, Erin Barton, had returned to the island for the wedding after spending the last few months in Florida.
“Is Mallory seeing Quinn James?” Dan asked Kara.
“From what I hear, they’ve moved right past the seeing-each-other phase and into the living-together-at-her-place phase.”
“Wow, good for them.”
Lizzie led them to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Lizzie said into the portable microphone she carried along with her clipboard. “Please direct your attention to the dance floor! Dan and Kara have chosen their friend Evan McCarthy’s new single, ‘Can’t Stop,’ for their first dance as husband and wife. Here to perform his new hit is our own Evan McCarthy!”
As Evan played the first notes of the song they’d loved the first time they heard it, Dan took Kara into his arms and let the rest of the world slip away as he focused on the woman who was now his wife.
Look how far we've come
Look at all that we've become
Look how high we've flown
Your heart has always been my home
Listen to the rhythm of the rain
Wash away our tears and then we start again
Listen to a whisper in the wind
It's calling me, it's calling me
I can't stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over again
I can't stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over and over and over again
Found the beauty of
A timeless, endless love
So much left unknown
But my heart will always be your home
Listen to the rhythm of our hearts
They beat as one no matter how far we're apart
Listen to the echo of a dream
It's calling me, it's calling me
I can't stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over again
I can't stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over and over and over again
The song ended with a rousing round of applause for Evan as well as Dan and Kara. Dan kissed Kara and took her by the hand to lead her from the dance floor.
Lizzie handed the microphone to G
rant, who cleared his throat dramatically.
“Oh jeez,” Dan said, groaning. “Don’t give him a microphone.”
Lizzie ushered them to their seats at the table they would share with Grant and Stephanie as well as their parents. Thankfully, Chuck and Judith Ballard had hit it right off with Dave and Nancy Torrington, and the two couples were already like old friends after knowing each other a couple of days.
As he held the chair for his wife, Dan took note of his new brothers-in-law, who were hitting the open bar hard. He wouldn’t hesitate to shut them off if they started to get unruly, which was another benefit to being the host of this shindig.
“As Dan’s best man, it’s my job to thoroughly embarrass the bride and groom,” Grant said, drawing laughs from their guests. “But since Dan usually does a pretty good job of embarrassing himself—and Kara—I’ll leave that to him.”
Dan glanced at Kara to find her nodding in agreement. Traitor.
“From the first minute Dan met Kara, he had his heart set on her. It took some convincing and some cajoling and a bit of blackmail, but he finally won her over to his way of thinking.”
“A lot of blackmail,” Kara said, smiling at him.
“Raise your glasses to Dan and Kara,” Grant said. “We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.”
Much later, as the party began to wind down, Dan was relieved that Kara’s brothers had behaved for the most part. As he was half drunk on champagne himself, the last thing he wanted to deal with was unruly in-laws. Thankfully, that wasn’t going to be his problem tonight.
He and Kara were talking to Slim and Erin when Judith and Chuck approached them.
“Welcome home, you guys,” Dan said to their friends. “So glad you could be here today.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Erin said.
“It’s good to be home,” Slim said, putting his arm around Erin to lead her away.
“This was a lovely day,” Judith said. “Well done.”
While Kara stared at her mother, seeming dumbfounded by the unexpected compliment, Dan answered for both of them. “Glad you enjoyed yourselves. We’re going to say our good-byes, and we’re leaving in the morning, so we won’t see you.” He shook Chuck’s hand and kissed Judith’s cheek. “But we’ll see you again soon.”
“I hope you’ll come to Bar Harbor to meet our friends at some point.”
“Sure, we’ll see if we can make that happen.”
Kara hugged and kissed her parents. “Thanks for coming.”
“So happy for you, sweetheart,” Chuck said.
Hand in hand, Dan and Kara made a trip around the room to say their good-byes. As soon as he possibly could, he guided her out of the room toward the stairs that led to the honeymoon suite where they’d spend their wedding night.
“You just basically told everyone we know that you can’t wait to have sex with me,” Kara said as they went up the stairs from the second to the third floor.
“So? We’re newlyweds. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
“You don’t need to be so obvious about it.”
He stopped on the third-floor landing and scooped her up and into his arms. “Why can’t I be obvious about how crazy I am about my new wife?”
“You’re more than welcome to be obvious about it from here on out.”
“Excellent.” He opened the door to their room and swept her inside, kicking the door closed behind them. “Alone at last.” The first thing he did was pull off his tie, unbutton his shirt and remove the sport coat, tossing it over a chair in the elegantly appointed room.
“Feel better?” Kara asked him, amusement dancing in gorgeous brown eyes with the flecks of gold that made them sparkle.
“Much, but I’ll feel way better when you tell me how to get you out of that stunning dress.”
“It’s really simple,” she said. “Up and over.”
“I can handle up and over, but come here first and let me take another good long look. I won’t want to forget a single detail.”
She took his outstretched hand and let him bring her closer.
“You’re beautiful every day, but today you were…” His throat tightened, and for once, he didn’t have the words.
“I wanted to be beautiful for you.”
“Mission accomplished, my love.” He kissed her softly, giving her all the love and tenderness he felt for her. He’d give her the stars and the moon if she’d let him. “You own me, Kara Torrington. Heart and soul.”
“I was thinking today about the day you found out Kelly was here and planning to confront me.” As she spoke, she released his belt and undid his pants. “How you ran to me while still badly injured from the boat accident, and took me away so she couldn’t find me. Remember?”
“How could I forget? That was the day you agreed to marry me.”
“You’ve owned my heart and soul from the very beginning, but that day… That was it for me. You’re it for me.”
“I should certainly hope so now that I’ve shackled myself to you for life.”
Smiling, she kissed him with such sweetness, he wanted to drown in it. “How about you do that up-and-over thing now.”
“Yes, dear. Whatever you want.” He squatted to grasp the hem of her floor-length gown and rose to bring it up and over her head, blinking several times to get his brain around what she was wearing under it. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “Are you kidding me?”
Kara laughed at his befuddled reaction to the sexiest lingerie he’d ever laid eyes on—ribbons and bows and hooks and skin, lots and lots of lightly freckled white skin.
Dan placed a hand over his chest. “Am I having a heart attack?”
“I really hope not, because I have plans for you.”
“Mmm, suddenly I’m feeling much better.” He ran his hands over the lace and silk that covered her. “What’s the secret to removing this thing?”
She turned her back to him so he could see the laces that held it together.
“How’d you get this on?”
“With a little help from my matron of honor.”
“Remind me to thank her the next time I see her.” He finished unlacing the contraption and revealed the rest of her magnificence. With his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him and took a long look at his beautiful wife. “I wonder every day what I did to get lucky enough to find you, but today…” He leaned his forehead on hers. “The word ‘lucky’ doesn’t begin to describe it.”
With her hands inside his shirt, she pushed the two sides off his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him, her soft skin brushing against his making him crazy with desire for her. “I think all the time about how lost I was until you found me.”
“Thank God I found you.” He held her tight, probably too tight, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. Not now or ever. Slowly, he began backing her up to the bed, letting his pants fall as he went. They fell onto the bed together, him on top of her, her body opening to welcome him. He usually prided himself on his finesse, but he had the rest of his life to worship her. Tonight, he just needed her.
“Dan…”
“I’m right here, baby, and I’m dying to make love to my wife.”
“Then please do, because your wife loves you so much.”
He gazed down at her, brushing the hair back from her face as he entered her for the first time as her husband. “I love you, too. More than anything else in this world.”
Kara wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as he set out to show her how much she meant to him.
“A whole lifetime of this,” he whispered. “Can you believe we get a whole lifetime of this?”
“I can’t wait for every minute of it.”
Kissing her, he said, “Me, too.”
* * *
Be sure to get Book 17, Episode 2: Victoria & Shannon’s story here!
Also by Marie Force
Follow me:
Newsletter list
BookBub
; Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Book+Main
Website
Other Books By Marie Force
Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force
The Gansett Island Series
Book 1: Maid for Love
(Maddie & Mac)
Book 2: Fool for Love
(Joe & Janey)
Book 3: Ready for Love
(Luke & Sydney)
Book 4: Falling for Love
(Grant & Stephanie)
Book 5: Hoping for Love
(Evan & Grace)
Book 6: Season for Love
(Owen & Laura)
Book 7: Longing for Love
(Blaine & Tiffany)
Book 8: Waiting for Love
(Adam & Abby)
Book 9: Time for Love
(David & Daisy)
Book 10: Meant for Love
(Jenny & Alex)
Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella (Jared & Lizzie)
Book 11: Gansett After Dark
(Owen & Laura)
Book 12: Kisses After Dark
(Shane & Katie)
Book 13: Love After Dark
(Paul & Hope)
Book 14: Celebration After Dark
(Big Mac & Linda)
Book 15: Desire After Dark
(Slim & Erin)
Book 16: Light After Dark
(Mallory & Quinn)
Book 17: Victoria & Shannon (Episode 1)
Book 18: Kevin & Chelsea (Episode 2)
A Gansett Island Christmas Novella
Book 19: Mine After Dark
(Riley & Nikki)
Book 20: Yours After Dark
(Finn & Chloe)
Book 21: Trouble After Dark (Coming Soon!)
(Deacon & Julia)
The Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love
(Will & Cameron)
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand
(Nolan & Hannah)
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There
(Colton & Lucy)
Book 4: And I Love Her