Law & The Single Dad

by Emma Nichols

  “Your turn,” she whispered, as she rolled off me.

  “I’ll be quick,” I teased. I’d barely held on as long as I had, but I was a gentleman. And I’d never allow myself to come before her. Still, it didn’t take long for me to slide into her and find my rhythm. I wrapped an arm around her waist as the other around hand found her hair. My fingers knotted in it as I kissed her with everything in me. Our tongues danced, my heart raced, and I could feel the need building in me. I wanted to be deeper, but our bodies were in the way. Finally, I grew impossibly large. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I slammed into her one last time as I filled the condom with my seed.

  Rolling off of her, I opened the nightstand drawer, pulled out a plastic bag, tossed the spent condom, and grabbed tissues from the drawer to clean us up. “How was the test drive?” I asked as casually as I could manage.

  Liz laughed. “I’m still out of breath. That’s a good sign.”

  “Excellent.” I grinned.

  She nodded toward the drawer as I tossed the tissues in the bag. “That’s a pretty magical drawer. Have anything else in there I should know about?”

  I shrugged. “A couple things.” I felt around deep inside the drawer and pulled out a velvet box and popped the top. “Well, you had the chance to try before you buy. Ready to make it legal?”

  Elizabeth

  * * *

  I licked my lips as I stared at the ring, which was a three-stone bezel-set platinum beauty.

  “One for our past. The big one for our present. And a third for our future.” Leo watched me and when I failed to respond, he continued to share his reasoning. “If you hate it, I’ll buy you anything else you want, but this one…spoke to me.”

  “What did it say?” I joked.

  He laughed. “It said, ‘I’ll not only look amazing on her, but I’ll be meaningful too.’ Or that’s what I heard it say.”

  “Yes.” I nodded.

  “Yes, it said that, or yes, you’ll marry me?” He blew out a breath. “Not my best proposal, and not my best…” He gestured to the bed. “I’ll get better.”

  I shook my head. “Leo…”

  “I won’t?” He frowned.

  “Will you just stop talking long enough for me to respond?” I chuckled.

  He closed his mouth and nodded.

  “I’ll marry you. Even if you never get better.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re all my hopes and dreams, wrapped up in human form.”

  “Dammit. I’m doing this all wrong.” He set the ring in between us and raked his hands down his face. “I forgot to remind you that I now have full custody of Hudson.”

  “As well you should.” I smiled.

  “And my mother plans to stay and help. I don’t want to kick her out…” His eyes darted back and forth.

  “Don’t. I love Evelyn.” I shrugged.

  He blew out a breath. “So, you don’t care that I have a child, a mother, and all this baggage. Why not?”

  I laughed and leaned closer. “Because you have a big heart and I suspect it’s mostly mine.”

  “Romantically, it’s all yours. And I have plenty of love for my whole family.” Leo pulled me into his arms. “Think I’ll always get this stupid around you?”

  “I hope so. It means you care.” I glanced down at the ring. “So, you gonna slide that bad boy on me or what?”

  “Right.” He reached down, his hands trembling slightly as he removed the ring from the box and pushed it onto my finger. “Next question…any chance you’ll agree to marry me here…tonight?”

  I bit my lip and considered his request. “I don’t care about a big church wedding, but this is my first.” I frowned. “I really want my parents to meet you, and see me happily wed. And don’t you want your mom to be there? Any of our friends?” My head tilted. “I don’t want a big wedding, but it would be nice to share it with those we love.”

  “I completely understand.” Leo pulled his phone out of the drawer. “It’s getting late. I know we talked about room service, but what if we go down to the pool and have lunch there?”

  “That sounds great. Gimme three minutes and I’ll be ready.” I hopped off the bed and turned around to catch him texting.

  “My mom.” He smiled. “Just checking in.”

  “Great. Be right back.” I grabbed my bikini from the bag and rushed to the bathroom to change.

  Ten minutes later, we were walking out into the pool area. “This place is remarkably crowded for a Monday,” I remarked. “Let’s try to get a cabana for some privacy.”

  “Oh, I already did,” Leo announced with a grin.

  “What?” I asked. “You have that look. What are you up to?”

  We only had to take a few more steps before I figured it out. I bumped into a man and froze. “Sorry,” I murmured as I looked away.

  “Lizzie, you need to watch where you’re going. And you probably should ask who you’re going with, but if it’s this guy, it’s all right.” DeSean chuckled.

  “DeSean!” I squealed as I threw my arms around him for a quick hug before I started trying to find Tegyn and the kids.

  “She’s in the pool.” Leo pointed and waved.

  I scanned the area and quickly found her…standing beside Avery. My eyes began to water and I glanced up at him. “Our friends? They’re here?” I blinked back a few tears.

  “Let’s go drop our stuff in the cabana.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and brought us toward an empty one. The ones on either side were clearly taken. We’d barely set down the bag when I realized by whom.

  “So, did you say yes?” My father’s voice boomed into the space.

  “Dad? You’re here?” My eyes widened and I shot a look at Leo.

  “What? I couldn’t very well ask you to marry me without your father’s approval. Avery introduced us. Set everything up.” He kissed my cheek. “Look around. They’re all here.” He gestured and when I paid attention, I could pick out all those we loved.

  Hudson scampered over from the cabana to our left. “Lizzie! Daddy!” he screamed.

  I swiped at my eyes while my father and mother hugged me. As I pulled back, I asked, “Is it crazy that I kinda wanna marry this guy now? Today? Since everyone is here?”

  My mother shook her head. “I’d think it was crazier if you didn’t. Let’s celebrate.”

  “Well, since we’re asking for parental approval around here, Mom, are you going to be disappointed if I don’t come back single?” Leo smirked.

  “Not if you come back married to Liz.” She smiled at me. “Welcome to the family, Elizabeth. We’re happy to have you.”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay. Then let’s get married.”

  12

  Leo

  * * *

  “What’s the plan?” Liz asked as soon as everyone gave us some space in our cabana.

  “No plan, really.” I shrugged. “I have rings. I figured you could select one of the bouquets from upstairs. There’s a boutique ready to outfit us however you’d like. An officiant can be here at seven in the evening.” I watched her for a reaction.

  She took a deep breath. “And the reception?”

  “Well, Lauryn is in charge of events here. She is waiting for a call to come assemble the menu. We’re a small party so we can organize it pretty quickly.” She wasn’t really saying anything, which made me rather nervous, but I continued describing my preparations anyway. “We won’t have a ton of selection on the cake, but I ordered a few different shapes and styles. I figured you could pick and have them decorated in the style you select from the hotel options.”

  “Wow. I don’t even know how I feel right now. I mean, I’m excited, but it’s scary how much of this you managed to plan.” Her head tilted. “I can’t decide if it’s because you’re used to getting your way, or if it’s that you wanted to surprise me.”

  I shook my head. “Neither.” I took her hands in mine and held them for a moment, admiring her soft skin and how beautiful the ring looked on her finger. “H
ere’s the way I see it. Five years ago, it should’ve been you. Sable messed it up. I messed it up.” I brought her hands to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “I don’t want to waste one more minute that we should be spending together. The thought of not being able to move you into the house, not being able to sleep next to you every night and wake to find you beside me every morning, saddens me. Without you, there’s something missing.” I pulled her into my arms. “I had grown so used to the emptiness I didn’t recognize it until you popped back into my life. I love you, Liz.”

  I held her, hoping my words struck a nerve, that she understood. Never would I want her to doubt my intentions with rushing this wedding along. “I’ve been alone,” I added. “I was fully prepared to continue that path. I was ready to devote all my love to Hudson. Dating held no allure. That’s because I was always supposed to be married to you.”

  Slowly, Liz leaned back. “This…I understand.” She inhaled deeply. “Okay. Well, we’re also going to need music.”

  A smile spread across my face. “So…Tradd is on tour. He has a show here tomorrow night, but he agreed to come perform for us tonight. Since he played a role in our firsts, I thought it might be nice.”

  She shook her head and I feared I’d gone too far. “This is really going to work, isn’t it? We’re really getting married and it’s going to be perfect.”

  “That was my plan.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  “Then let’s meet with Lauryn and then get dressed. I can relax by the pool some other time.” Liz pulled out of my arms completely and grabbed the bag. “Do we meet in her office?”

  “Yes. Follow me…after you pick your matron of honor.” He gestured to our friends.

  “I’ve got this.” She waved me off and walked directly to Avery. They were far enough away that I couldn’t hear what was said, but I watched as they squealed and hugged.

  I pointed to DeSean. We’d already spoken. I told him if the wedding was on, I needed him by my side. He grinned and gave me two thumbs up. My shoulders sagged in relief. We were doing this. We were really getting married.

  Twenty minutes later, we were sitting down with Lauryn. She was in her mid-twenties, with long strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes. There was an air of efficiency about her and even though this was last minute, I trusted her immediately and believed we could pull this off.

  “First, let’s pick the venue. Indoors or out?” she asked simply, her pen poised over the hotel letterhead notepad.

  “Outdoors,” Liz replied. She reached out and grabbed my hand. “Do you mind?”

  “Whatever you want. My goal was to get the ball rolling.” I was flooded with relief as she took ownership and asserted her opinions.

  “I want you to love it too. We’ve got one shot at this,” she reminded me.

  “I know. We only need one. You’ll make this perfect.” I lifted her hand and brushed her knuckles with my lips.

  “Okay, so Tuscany Gardens it is,” Lauryn announced. “Reception? Indoors or out?”

  Liz smiled. “Out. Any chance we could set something up around the pool?”

  Lauryn nodded. “We’ll close it for a special event. I’ll post the sign at 7 tonight and we’ll have everything set up for you as soon as the ceremony is completed. I have a photographer I can contact last minute, if you’d like.”

  “Please,” I interjected. “I want to capture this moment for posterity.”

  “Colors?” Lauryn asked.

  “Purple,” Liz murmured. “I think a night wedding will look stunning in white and purple.”

  “I agree. On to the menu.”

  Half an hour later, we were shaking hands and ready to leave for the boutique. “You’re so good at this. Have you been an event planner for long?” Liz asked.

  With a laugh, Lauryn shook her head. “No. I used to plan record tours. I was a publicist.”

  “Wow. Sounds fascinating. What prompted that huge change?” I asked, truly intrigued.

  “Well, I recently had a baby. I needed to slow down. I couldn’t be traveling all over anymore. We needed something solid.” She nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m great at what I do. I’ll make this elegant and memorable for you.”

  Once we’d reached the rental car we’d picked up at the airport, I frowned. “This is really crazy, but I’m starting to wonder if she’s Tradd’s Lauryn.”

  “Tradd had a Lauryn?” Liz shook her head. “I had no idea. I don’t know him.”

  “The first time we met was at the hospital when Zara was born. Tradd was all shaken up because he’d run into Lauryn and she was ready to pop. He had no idea she was even pregnant and he wondered if it was his.” I sighed as I started the car. “Apparently not. Why would she keep that from him?”

  “Leo, what are the chances?” She tilted her head while she considered her own question. Liz quickly shook her head to dismiss the idea and changed gears completely. “Let’s go get the dress.”

  “Actually, if we want this to be legal, we should get the license first. It’ll be one in the afternoon before we get there.” I held her hand as we rushed to the valet to collect the car we’d rented just yesterday at the airport. I passed the valet the ticket.

  She inhaled sharply and froze. “We want this to be good and legal. Dammit. I forgot all about the prenup.” Liz rubbed my forehead. “I think I can get one made, but we’ll need to find a notary.”

  “Prenup? Why?” I frowned. “I figured we’d get around to the financial disclosure part eventually, but here it is.” I took a deep breath. “I’m a billionaire, Liz. My father was very wealthy. I have a trust fund. I started investing at a young age. And I make really good money as a corporate attorney. You don’t need to protect your assets from me. I don’t need them.”

  She blinked a few times. “I’m not a billionaire. Don’t you think it would be wise…make your mother feel better…even give you peace of mind?”

  “No. I’ve got peace of mind. My mother loves you. And while I know first-hand that marriage isn’t easy, I also believe there’s nothing we can’t work through together.” I pressed my lips to her temple. “Are we good?”

  Liz nodded numbly as the valet pulled up with our vehicle. I opened the door for her and once she was settled in, I closed it and walked around to my side feeling calm and confident.

  We arrived at the Marriage License Bureau quickly and parked. My insides were quivering. This was a moment that was years in the making. We walked in holding hands. Amazingly enough, there were no lines. “We’re here for a marriage license,” I announced.

  “Great. I can help you with that. I’ll need to see IDs. Do you have your driver’s licenses?” the kindly older woman asked.

  “We do.” I glanced at Liz who was already removing hers from her purse. I pulled mine from my wallet and we laid them on the counter for the woman to see.

  She copied down the basic information. “You’ll have to take care of any name changes back in North Carolina,” she reminded us.

  “Right,” Liz murmured. She appeared calm, but when I reached for her hand, I realized she was trembling slightly.

  “Now, I need to ask you some questions. Ready?” She glanced back and forth between us. We both nodded. “Okay, is this a first marriage for both?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Do you have paperwork with you to prove you’re single?” She folded her hands and waited patiently.

  I reached inside my jacket pocket and pulled out the paperwork I’d folded into thirds and tucked in there after the proceedings this morning. Slowly, she opened it and flattened it out to read it.

  “Today. Well, you don’t waste any time,” she mumbled as she filled in the paperwork. Her brow quirked as she peered at Liz. “You sure about this, honey? You look like a nice girl.”

  Liz laughed. “I’m a family law attorney.”

  “And smart, too. See what I mean?” She smirked.

  Leaning in, Liz whispered, “Don’t be fooled. We met years ago duri
ng law school. He’s smart too. He just…”

  “Fell for someone fake, when I could’ve had real love all along,” I interrupted.

  “See?” Liz shrugged. “You live and you learn.”

  “I guess.” The woman eyed me warily before finalizing the license. Once she printed it, she passed it to me. “Don’t mess this one up.”

  I passed Liz the license so I could shake the woman’s hand in both of mine. “Don’t worry. I never make the same mistake twice.” I winked at her, then wrapped an arm around Liz. “Ready?”

  She inhaled deeply and stared at the license. “Let’s go find the dress.”

  13

  Elizabeth

  * * *

  Somehow, I’d gone to Reno but woken up in a fairy tale. This was scary and exciting and Leo had convinced me we were doing this for all the right reasons. I didn’t feel like I needed to tack him down. He wasn’t trying to secure me. This was about love, our happy ending, the dream deferred. That he didn’t want to waste another minute had me tingly.

  As we drove out of the parking lot, I glanced over at him. “You thought of everything,” I murmured, filled with both love and admiration. “Will you always be this attentive and romantic?”

  “With you? Definitely.” He reached out and cupped my face. “This isn’t work to me. I’m not trying. I just naturally want to do for you. Understand?”

  “I do.” I nodded. “I’m going to be a really good wife,” I blurted out.

  He chuckled. “I know you are, or I never would’ve asked you. I’ll try to give you everything you need and then some. Don’t be afraid to call me out, if you need to.” He caressed my cheek.

  “And I’ll be a loving and devoted step-mom to Hudson. Maybe you’ll even want to have one or two of our own someday.” I chewed on my lower lip while I watched his reaction. We’d never really had time to talk about the future. We were too busy living in the present. And now…everything seemed to be rushed as we prepared for the ceremony tonight.