by Krista Lakes
I wish I could be there today to cry at your wedding. Instead, I will be watching you from above and loving you with all my heart. I love you so much and I'm so incredibly proud to have called you mine.
Love you more than words
-Mom
I dab at my eyes and I don't dare look over at Dad because I know I'll lose it. There's something else in the envelope. I shake out a thin silver chain with several petite charms dangling from it. There's a replica of the Eiffel Tower, a paintbrush, a heart, and tiny angel.
I smile and turn to Dad. His cheeks shine in the pale light as he helps attach the delicate bracelet to my wrist. It's perfect.
“It's time,” Charlotte says quietly. She hands me another tissue and takes my used one. “It's a good thing I stocked up on these.”
I chuckle. I was right to pick her as my maid of honor. She certainly has become my best friend in the past year. Though, Bastian and I did have a small squabble over which one of us got her, I had won the argument since he had Gabe and Leo.
Charlotte and my best friend from high school walk out the door. Dad offers me his arm and I thread mine into his. He smiles and guides me out the door and out onto the sand.
The sky is alight with pink clouds and golden promise of the coming dawn, but I don't see it. I don't see the ocean's beauty reflecting the colors of the sky or the people I love standing on the beach. There are three men waiting, but I just see Bastian.
He's wearing a light gray suit that matches his eyes. His face splits into the biggest grin I have ever seen as I approach. I'm not nervous anymore. I'm not scared. I'm excited and incredibly happy. I don't care about the rest.
“Who gives this woman to be with this man?” The minister asks.
“I do,” Dad replies. His voice cracks slightly. I turn to say goodbye to him. He hugs me close and kisses my cheek before carefully placing my hand in Bastian's.
“Take care of her,” Dad says quietly.
“Always and forever,” Bastian assures him. Dad smiles at us both and then steps back to join the small crowd gathered on the beach.
The world fades away as I look into Bastian's eyes. The words come easily. I've already made the promise to love him forever. I made that promise a long time ago without ever having to say the words out loud.
The sun starts to rise. Yellow gold light spills across the ocean, starting our new life together with the dawn. Bastian's eyes sparkle with joy and his scars seem to fade into the light.
“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.” Bastian's voice is calm and controlled, but his hands are shaking in mine.
“Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” I don't falter. I don't have to think. I want Bastian to be mine forever. I want to be his forever.
I promise my heart and soul to him as Bastian promises his to me. I hear someone sniffle. Charlotte is using the tissues she is supposed to be holding for me. There are more words and more promises, but the meaning is all the same.
I love him. He loves me.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!”
A cheer goes up from the small crowd on the beach. A bright pink cloud slips in front of the sun and allows a single ray of perfect golden sun to shine on just the two of us. It's our own personal dawn as Bastian cups my chin in his hand and draws me to him. The kiss is sweet, but with just enough heat to promise more later.
The sun is now up, making the world sparkle with color and promise. The ocean is bluer now, and the sand whiter. This is the dawn of a new day and the start of our new life together.
Bastian squeezes my hand tighter in his and I can't stop smiling. My face already hurts from smiling so hard, but I know I won't be able to stop. I don't want to stop. I'm happier than I ever could have imagined.
Bastian leans forward and kisses me again. This time it is just for the two of us, a sunrise kiss that promises a lifetime of joy. I kiss him back, knowing that we have a lifetime of sunrise kisses before us.
Thanks again!
I hope you've enjoyed both “Yours Completely” and “Sunrise Kisses”. If you'd like to read more about Leo and Charlotte, please check out Waterfall Kisses. Thank you!
***
When Charlotte Page first met Leo Westbrook, she was a shy, skinny teenager on the verge of becoming a woman. The moment the naked, chiseled Adonis mistakenly walked into her room, she was lovestruck. Leo was perfect in her eyes, and he proved it by helping create a billion-dollar business with Charlotte's brother.
Even before he became a billionaire, Leo always had women throwing themselves at him. But the only woman he really wanted was the one he couldn’t have. Because Charlotte was his best friend and business partner’s little sister, he couldn’t afford to let her get too close. Yet he found himself unable to resist her. With each passing day, her charms threatened to overcome his defenses.
After a decade of being his friend's blushing, stuttering little sister, the man of Charlotte's dreams finally noticed her. After one tropical kiss and a night of passion, her fantasy finally seemed to be coming true. However, when a lie from Leo's past caught up with him, it prompted her to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves.
Leo always knew that being with Charlotte wasn’t meant to be. Even if she could forgive him for his decade-long deception, he knew it would be better for her if he walked away. Yet sometimes, love is stronger than lies. Will Charlotte and Leo find a way to be together, or will they be left with nothing but memories of their waterfall kisses?
***
I kicked off my shoes and stepped into the lagoon. The water was cold, but it felt good against the Caribbean heat. Leo was right beside me, holding my hand tightly in his.
I waded out, holding my dress up to keep it out of the water.
“Why don't you just take it off?” he asked, managing to keep a straight face.
I hesitated. I only had a pair of undies on underneath the dress. Thong undies.
Was I ready for that?
It took me all of two seconds to decide that yes, yes I was ready for that. I'd been ready to be naked with Leo for ten freaking years. But I didn't want to be the only one getting naked.
“Only if you do, too,” I replied, slowly inching the skirt of the dress up. Leo's eyes went to my bare thigh, the blue slowly disappearing to the dilating black of his pupils.
“Done,” he said, whipping his shirt over his head and tossing it to the shore.
I nearly dropped my dress hem. His chest gleamed in the sun, muscled and perfect. He liked to keep active, but he usually stayed dressed around the office, so I didn't get a regular look at his body.
He smirked as he caught me looking. “Were you going to take it off or what?” he teased, loosening the zipper on his shorts. My breath caught a little. It was time. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that I looked as good to him as he did to me.
I pulled the dress up and over my head, balling it up and tossing it onto the pebbly beach. I stared at the water for a moment before raising my eyes to look at Leo. Part of me was terrified that he'd back out, suddenly remembering that I was Bastian's little sister and he shouldn't be looking at me like that.
But he didn't. He stared and the reaction in his boxers told me that he didn't think of me as anyone's little sister. Without looking, he tossed his shorts behind him, narrowly missing dropping them in the water.
I hugged my arms around me as he came closer. I stood mid thigh deep in the water. He looked me up and down, desire and admiration filling his face. I bit my lip a little, still nervous as to what he was going to say next.
“Wow,” he whispered, stopping in front of me. “Just wow.”
“Thanks,” I giggled, suddenly giddy and ridiculously happy. “You look pretty 'wow' yourself.”
“You'd know,” he teased. “The first time I met you, I was naked.”
“I rememb
er,” I replied, my voice suddenly going husky. I took a step forward. “But you looked more like this-”
And then I pulled down his boxers, soaking them in the water...
Check out my other works!
Stepbrother Romances
Stepbrother Hero: A Forbidden Military Romance
Stepbrother's Gift: A Forbidden Billionaire Romance
The "Kisses" series
Saltwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Kisses From Jack: The Other Side of Saltwater Kisses
Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story
Wishful Kisses: A Champagne Kisses Novella
Freshwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Sandcastle Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Hurricane Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Barefoot Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Sunrise Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Waterfall Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story
Other Novels
Wolf Six's Salvation: A Shifter Love Story
Burned: A New Adult Love Story
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Krista Lakes is a newly turned 30 year old who recently rediscovered her passion for writing. She is living happily ever after with her Prince Charming and her bouncing baby boy.
Thank you for supporting an indie author. Anything you can do, whether it be writing a review, or even simply telling a fellow reader that you enjoyed this, helps keep my baby in diapers. Thanks!
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