Ryan leans down and gives Kay a quick kiss on the cheek.
"You look great, Kay," he tells her, "second prettiest girl in this thing." He gives her a wink and turns to me, "I'll see you in a bit," he says, giving me a kiss that makes my toes curl inside my satin shoes.
Kay raises her eyebrow at him and gestures to her lips then his.
"What?" Ryan asks, taking the tissue I hand him.
"Let's just say red isn't your color," Kay tells him.
He finally catches on to the fact that we're telling him he has my lipstick smeared across his mouth and dabs it away with the tissue before giving me a wink.
"Oh, red definitely is my color." He reaches up and brushes one of the escaped strands of my hair away from my face before turning and jogging down the hall to join the rest of the wedding party where the men are lining up.
Kay stands back from me and gives me a long, scrutinizing look that ends in an expression that's a combination of impressed and horrified.
"What the hell were you doing in there?" She asks as her hand brushes down my upper arm.
I twist my arm around to see what she's talking about and see the beginnings of a purple bruise forming.
Memories of Ryan's hands on me just minutes ago flood my body with warmth. I look at Kay and offer a meek shrug.
Kay shakes her head with a knowing smile.
"Well?" she asks me excitedly as we head toward the rest of the party.
"Well what?" I whisper.
"Well if my maid of honor is going to look like she got in a bar fight, was it worth it? Are you back together for real? Is the wedding back on?"
"I do not look like I was in a fight," I scold her playfully as the wedding coordinator moves us to our positions and gives us all last minute directions on our cues.
"But was it worth it?" Kay mouths silently at me as the doors are opened.
I give her a wink and big grin, "Oh yeah," I mouth back.
And then the music starts and we begin filing into the main hall.
I meet up with Ryan as I step onto the red carpet running between the two sections of guests. He holds out his arm and smiles at me as I take it and we begin to walk toward the altar.
"You're beautiful," he whispers at me from the corner of his mouth, "I can't wait to marry you."
I can feel myself blushing, knowing we're on display. I love Ryan. I'm thrilled at how today has gone so far. Right now I feel like Ryan and I are ready to face anything, which is good, but I still feel myself stiffen at the mention of getting married.
After all these years of dreaming about being princess for a day in the perfect wedding, I realize the wedding isn't what I want at all.
"Relax," he whispers as we near the altar, "I just want you to be my wife."
We reach the stage where we have to part ways to stand on opposite sides for the rest of the ceremony. Ryan squeezes my hand before letting me go.
It's not about the wedding anymore, I realize as I take my place.
The music changes, the hall fills with the sound of chairs scraping the floor as everyone stands and turns to watch Kay make her way down the aisle to where Brent is waiting for her.
The rest of the ceremony slips past me in a blur as my eyes are locked on Ryan through it all.
A wedding was always my way of planning my future before I understood what it was I was planning, I think.
What I really wanted was a marriage.
And as Mr. and Mrs. Ainsley kiss in front of a room of applauding witnesses, I sneak another look at Ryan and I realize I finally know the difference.
Ryan
I'm itching to get her alone again, this time I'm going to lock us in my room upstairs and make her come till she can't breathe anymore. Then we'll order room service and then we'll start all over. And we're not checking out till we have every detail worked out.
If I can, I'll talk her into heading directly from the hotel to the airport. A few days in Vegas sounds like a great way to relax after the stress of getting our friends hitched-- and it sounds like a great way to skip the stress of getting us hitched.
"Let's fly out tomorrow morning," I whisper in her ear as we dance. "We can be in Vegas by noon, married before sunset."
Kim turns her head, giving me better access to her neck as I kiss my way down from her ear.
"Tell me more," she answers with a laugh that's more about the goose bumps breaking out over her shoulders than my suggestion.
"We'll get a suite at one of the fancy casinos," I tell her. Hell, I haven't been to Vegas since I was 22, I don't even know what's there now, but if Kim's on board with this plan, I'll find the best room in the city to fuck my new wife in.
Yeah, this plan is sounding better and better. I pull her close to me and let her feel just how much the idea appeals to me as my dick hardens against her belly.
"We'll look up the details and find one of those little chapels we can just walk into without an appointment." It dawns on me that it's probably not actually all that easy to just drunkenly marry a stranger in Vegas, and I'm not just talking shit here, I really want to take her some place where we can make it legal quick and easy.
I mean it. I want to whisk my woman off somewhere far away from all the friends and family that mean well but have just been interfering. I'm going to marry Kimberly in some cheesy little chapel off The Strip and keep her all to myself for as long as we can get away with it.
We can stage a do-over for the moms later.
"I want you to be my wife, Kim," I whisper against her hair. Maybe we stopped dancing, maybe we're just standing still out here on the dance floor, I'm not even sure if the music is still playing. All I see and feel is the woman in my arms and my desire to have her forever.
"I want to start our life together."
Kim's head moves beneath my cheek and I pull back to look down at her. "Me too," she says softly, looking up at me with those gray eyes.
"So you wanna fly to Vegas with me?" I ask with a grin.
"Let's do it!"
I'm so excited I want to drag her out of this reception right this second, but I'll force myself to wait. For now, I'll have to be satisfied with her soft lips pressed against mine as we sway to the music I can barely hear over the sound of my own pulse.
"I'm so glad you two are doing well."
The voice is familiar but not immediately recognizable, but the woman is definitely talking to us.
Trying not to be annoyed by the interruption I reluctantly let Kim break away from our kiss so she can turn her attention to the couple dancing next to us.
"You made it!" Kim squeals and immediately leaves my arms to throw hers around the woman that I now recognize as Raven Swann-- the match maker that found my Kim for me.
Raven looks different than I remember her. Her hair is pinned up in one of those sexy loose knot things and light flashes off her hair when she moves. Takes me a minute to figure out she has a bunch of little pins in her hair with rhinestones on them.
"Ryan," I introduce myself to the man that Raven's left standing alone.
"Duncan," he says with a smile as we shake hands.
"I'm so glad to see you two," Raven says as she reaches to give me a warm hug as well, "you know, a lot of my couples go through a pretty rough patch before they get settled in."
I look at Kim and watch her smile warmly, not giving up a hint to Raven that she doesn't know the whole story. Slipping my arm around Kim's shoulders with my own smile, I decide not to correct our match maker either.
"Like how?" Kim asks innocently.
Raven laughs with a playful roll of her eyes, "You wouldn't even believe some of the stories I hear, or some of the messes I have to help people through before they're ready to really commit."
Duncan watches his wife with a look I know all too well, a mix of pride and devotion that I used to think looked pretty stupid on a man's face. I know I look at Kim the same way though, so I can't say shit any more.
"You wouldn't believe," Duncan
says with a hint of sarcastic humor as he clears his throat.
Raven glances back at her husband, shooting him a look that's equal love and devotion mixed with gratitude and something mischievous that makes me wonder what the story behind it is.
"Yeah, we really caught a lucky break." I play it cool, following Kim's lead.
"Well, I'm happy to see at least one of my couples making it without a glitch, when's the wedding?" Raven asks Kim, taking her hand and nodding toward her ring.
"Tomorrow," Kim leans in and whispers, "shhh, we just decided."
Kim and Raven both scan the room, deciding no one else is within earshot, Kim fesses up, "Planning a big wedding was just too stressful for us. We decided to elope, please don't tell anyone."
Raven's smile is nothing but delighted as she gives Kim a quick kiss on the cheek and returns to Duncan's side, "I wouldn't dream of it," she assures us both with a wink. "I completely understand. Congratulations and don't forget to send me an update."
Raven and her husband drift off into the sea of people clamoring to wish Kay and Brent congratulations.
"Let's go upstairs," Kim whispers to me as she tugs on my hand. "You can book our trip while I take off my lipstick."
The look she gives me is pure sin and I can't help wonder if she's thinking of getting that lipstick off the same way I am as I let her lead me out of the reception hall.
Thank you for reading A Lucky Break
Another Raven Swann Modern Match-Maker Romance
If this was your first book in the series, you'll be glad to know that each book follows one couple to their own happily ever after and can be read in any order.
There are more great stories to be told from the files of Raven's match making portfolio, and plenty of other stories in the works so keep in touch so you don't miss a new release.
Rocklyn's Newsletter
Also by Rocklyn Ryder:
Modern Match-Maker Romance
(Raven Swann's client files:)
A Perfect Gentleman (excerpt included)
A Nice Boy
A Smart Choice
A Great Catch
A Real Keeper
A Good Move
A Wise Investment
An Elegant Solution
A Total Sweetheart
A Lucky Break
Full Length Stand Alone Romances
The WILD Romance Collection:
BUSH
WOOD
ROUGH
BONE
Get started on the Arranged by Raven series with A Perfect Gentleman
The first story from the client files of Raven Swann can be enjoyed on Amazon.
Brooke
"I'm serious!"
I know I'm being dramatic but fuck it. I deserve to be over the top at a time like this.
I fling myself back on the bed and throw my arm over my head. The tears threatening at the corners of my eyes are real. I'm over acting so I can keep my sense of humor but the truth of the matter is-- everything sucks and I really am going to start crying any minute.
"Brooke," Paige isn't buying it for a minute, "there's nothing wrong with you. Or your picker."
Paige might be my bestie, but she's so not helping right now.
"My picker is broken, how else can you explain how I manage to keep ending up with assholes like Damian?"
Paige laughs, "Well first of all, you could stop falling for guys with names like Damian! I mean really, how did that not tip you off right off the bat?"
I throw my arm over my face and groan.
"Seriously, Brookie, if you want to meet a good guy you're going to have to change your patterns."
"I don't even know what that means," I moan into the crook of my elbow.
"It means stop picking up guys based on their tattoos. Stop shopping in bars where all the guys are wearing leather jackets and ride motorcycles. Try a book club or maybe volunteer somewhere, that's how I met Jace."
Her voice gets all lilty and high pitched when she says his name. It makes her sound like she's 15 again. I've been listening to her "I'm in love and this is The One" voice for ten years. I've only heard it about a hundred times, I'm really good at recognizing it by now.
And really, "Jace," how can she even try to tell me that Damian's name should have given him away? But there's no point pointing that out to her, she and Jace just made it past their second anniversary. Their second month, that is, but that's half way to happily ever after for Paige so there's no way she's going to hear anything I have to say about the newest love of her life.
"I'm going to sign up to be a mail order bride."
When I say it I'm joking but Paige doesn't laugh at me right away and the few seconds of silence let me marinate in my words.
"You are not." Paige's voice lacks the conviction that I'm used to.
I expected her to immediately scold me for giving up on finding love the old-fashioned way. I expected her to tell me to stop talking crazy and launch into a list of ways to find a great guy.
She tells me no, but she doesn't sound like she means it. I pull my arm off my eyes and look at her.
She's got her phone in her hand and she's looking at the screen with an intense interest. She's Googling something.
"On second thought..."
Oh shit! She's looking up mail order bride sites?
I sit up and give her my best deer-in-the-headlights look, "You are not looking that shit up!"
I can't believe she's taking me seriously.
Her face scrunches up. I watch her thumb work its way across the screen, clicking on links and then going scrolling through the sites she's opened. Her face scrunches, she frowns, then her eyebrows shoot up, she smiles, she frowns again.
"What?!" The suspense is killing me.
OK. It's not like I'm really serious about becoming a mail order bride. I mean, I didn't even think it was a real thing, but Paige looks like she's having no trouble finding sites.
"Well," she starts off hesitantly while she's still browsing, "the good news is you can totally be a mail order bride if you're serious?" She looks up me with a curious look on her face.
"What's the bad news?" I have to admit, this is getting my mind off Damian. I almost even crack a smile.
Paige looks back down at the site she has open and shakes her head like she can't believe what she's reading, "The bad news is that you can totally be a mail order bride if you're serious."
"That bad?" I finally laugh.
"Depends on your idea of bad," she grins, "Apparently mountain men needs brides, as do truck drivers, fisherman, and prison inmates."
"No lighthouse keepers?" I tease, but seriously, mountain men? I crane my neck to see what site she's on.
"I don't see anything for lighthouse keepers, but if you're willing to relocate to Bolivia, this guy's only missing a few teeth," she holds her phone for me to see a picture of smiling man that appears to be 300 years old with only 2 visible teeth. Only two teeth are visible because that's all he has. The empty spaces along his gumline are obvious.
I shiver.
So much for mail order matrimony.
"Hmm," Paige has switched to a different site, she sounds intrigued. Always dangerous, but still, I'm curious.
"What?"
"Arranged marriage," she reads.
"Arranged?" I mimic her curious tone.
Fiddler on the Roof comes to mind. As does Bobby Jenkins. That's probably what I'd end up with if I let my dad pick a husband for me. There's a reason I wouldn't let Dad pick for me.
I'm ready to pull the whole "forget I said anything" routine but Paige is downright into this site now. She jumps up and fires up the lap top on my desk.
Oh shit. She's serious if she needs to see the site on a real computer!
"Arranged," she's explaining to me, "it's a modern day matchmaking service that focuses on marriage as the end game."
She's scrolling through the full site now, concentrating on the fine print.
"So it's
not cheap," she muses, "but this Raven chick claims to have a 98% percent success rate with her matches."
"Raven chick?"
"Yeah, her name's Raven Swann. Looks way more normal than her name suggests though."
Paige holds up my lap top so I can see Raven's photo on the site. Ms. Swann doesn't look anything like the goth/hippy/new age/witch that I expected. She's a pretty woman in her mid-30s with long straight hair and soft brown skin. She's not even wearing too much eyeliner. And she's way younger than I would have expected a matchmaker to be.
"Says she been matching couples for 20 years, and that she's a third generation matchmaker."
Paige sounds impressed. She continues reading for a while and then turns to me with a dangerous grin, "How serious are you?"
Turns out, I'm pretty fucking serious.
I'm 26 years old for crying out loud. I've been through a handful of failed relationships, 2 of which I actually thought were going to turn into forever.
The problem is, I like em rough around the edges. I see a little ink peeking out from under the sleeve of a leather jacket and my panties fall right off. Add a motorcycle and a filthy mouth and I'm gone.
I like boys that drink too much, swear too much, and win bar fights.
Turns out, I also like boys who can't keep a job because they keep throwing punches at their boss, who get thrown out of their apartments because they sleep with their roommate's girlfriends, guys who can't keep it in their pants. Which would be fine if they took it out to slip it into me-- not their roommate's girlfriend.
I thought Damian was different. Because he promised me he was different. I should have known better.
I really do want that happily ever after. I want a family of my own. A husband that can keep a job and his temper. A man that doesn't flip out if my period is two days late.
Wouldn't it be nice to be with someone who wants to have babies?
I mean, yeah sure, I get it. I know Dame and I weren't ready. He'd been unemployed for six months already and no prospects in sight. We were living on my salary alone, which is decent and all but not really enough to support a household.
A Lucky Break: A Modern Match-Maker Romance Page 9