Dearly beloved. Again.
We are gathered here today to join this man and woman in holy matrimony. Again.
If you have reason to believe these two should not be wed, please speak now or forever hold your peace. Again.
Jonah stands off to the side by the wall, softly strumming his guitar. The soothing melody fills the chapel, easily echoing to my ears all the way back in the foyer. I don’t recognize the tune at all, so he might be improvising it completely.
The double wood doors open behind me. I look up as my sister walks in along with Ira. Her slightly panicked face morphs into confusion as she sees me standing here holding her bouquet.
“What’s up?” she asks.
I smile. “Figured I’d invite at least one family member this time.”
She pauses as her eyes wander down the same aisle she walked down two hours ago and she spots Graham and Hayden waiting at the end with the minister.
“Wait, what?!” She gasps, figuring it out. “Seriously?”
“Now…” I hold up a hand, “before you freak out and/or get mad at me for stealing your thunder…”
“Are you kidding?” She places a palm on her chest and exhales with relief. “I don’t care about my thunder! The head of freakin’ security just escorted me out of the ballroom for an emergency situation. I thought somebody was dead!”
I glare at Ira and he grins. “I told you to go get her! Not scare her to death!”
He shrugs as he passes into the chapel. “Eh, we’re family. It’s all in good fun.”
I sigh and Clara gasps again.
“Is that Jonah?” she asks, her eyes wide. “He’s playing your wedding?!”
“Yes,” I answer.
“That is so not fair. Wish I’d thought of that…” She perks up. “You think he’ll come over and play a few songs at the reception?”
I take her hands. “Clara, focus.”
“Right.” She nods. “So… you’re getting married?”
“Yes.”
“To Graham?”
“Obviously.”
“Final question: did you bring me here to celebrate or to talk you out of it?”
I smile. “Celebrate.”
She perks up and opens her arms. “Congratulations!”
We embrace in a tight hug as her pitched laughter surges in my ear. When she finally pulls back, she bounces up and down and grins wildly.
“Okay, what do you need me to do?” she asks.
“Just be cool and try and keep me from freaking out.”
“Got it. I can do that.”
I straighten up and hold my flowers in front of me. “And I can do this,” I say, breathing out.
Clara stands beside me and loops her arm with mine. “Yes, you can,” she says, smiling.
I lock eyes with Graham down the aisle and he smiles. In an instant, I see the last ten years. Every time I thought of Graham, I felt nauseous and full of hate. Now, it all melts away. Almost as if I never felt that way about him at all.
In the next instant, I see the next ten years. Full of hope and excitement. I have no idea what tomorrow or next week will look like which is, admittedly, terrifying, but I’m somehow not too bothered by it.
We begin the short walk down the aisle, trying our best to maintain a pace along with Jonah’s echoing song. Jitters rattle my knees, making that nearly impossible, but I stay upright the entire way down.
The same minister from earlier greets us with a smile. “Welcome back, ladies,” he says.
“Hi, Reverend,” I say with a nod.
“You know, I can’t say I’ve ever pulled off a ceremony so nice I get called back in to do it again two hours later.”
Graham laughs. “First time for everything in Vegas.”
“So it would seem.”
Clara detaches from me and steps off the side, leaving my arm open for Graham to slink in. He looks at me with those deep brown eyes, the sheer force of it sending a bolt of lightning down my spine.
Wowza.
The reverend holds up his notebook. “Do we have vows?”
“No,” I answer.
“Rings?”
“No,” Graham says, turning to me. “But I would be happy to take you out later and pick something out.”
I smile wider.
“Then, what do we have?” the reverend asks.
Graham withdraws a folded-up document from his inner jacket pocket and hands it over. “A marriage license,” he says.
“Ah, good.” He unfolds it and nods. “This ink is barely dry.”
“Still counts,” I say.
“Good enough for me. Face each other, please.”
I turn toward Graham and place my hands in his. My heart starts pounding a fierce metronome in my chest but the shakes in my fingers cease, suddenly feeling more at home than ever before.
“Graham, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Graham doesn’t blink. “Always have,” he answers.
“And do you…” The reverend stalls.
“Jennifer,” I say.
He snaps his fingers. “Jennifer, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I take a breath, quickly finding my voice. “I do,” I answer.
“Then, there you go.” He whips out a pen and holds out a form. “Sign here.”
Hayden steps forward and presents his back, giving us a hard surface to write on. Graham takes the pen and lays the form out flat, quickly jotting down his signature before handing the pen over to me. I sign beneath him, feeling a smile etching even deeper into my cheeks.
Graham hands the form back and the reverend inspects it.
“Okay,” he says. “By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, you two are good to go. Congratulations.”
Graham scoops me up off the floor and I yelp in surprise with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I rest my hands on his shoulders and laugh as he pulls me closer to his lips.
We kiss amid the claps and whistles of our siblings. I close my eyes, losing myself completely in his strong embrace. Graham. My Graham. The boss’ son who I never expected to look twice at me…
I’ve never felt more at peace in all my life.
I forgive him. No, scratch that.
I forgive me.
Hey. This does feel pretty divine after all.
* * *
Graham never takes his hands off me once as we make our way back to the Botsford Plaza across the street. Clara turns off toward the ballroom, eager to get back to her party, while practically dragging poor Jonah along with her. Hayden and Ira don’t dare follow us toward the elevators, seemingly know exactly what their older brother intends to do to second the two of us get a second alone. They head toward the bar instead, wishing us another round of congratulations and promises of sending up some fresh champagne.
“I love you,” Graham says in my ear as we walk across the lobby, arms linked tightly around each other.
“I love you, too,” I say, accepting his soft kisses.
We reach the elevators and Graham sloppily reaches out to push the call button as we come to stop beside a young woman waiting for a lift. She keeps her head down, bangs strategically covering her sunglasses to help block out the bright, golden lights. I worked here long enough to know exactly what this posture means…
A really bad hangover after a really good Saturday night.
Graham looks over at her and grins. “Hey, Paige.”
The girl raises her head and slides her sunglasses down her nose. “Oh, hey, boss,” she says.
“Have a fun weekend?” he asks. “How’s Mom?”
She lets out a thick sigh. “She’s good. The rest is a very long story…” Her gray-ringed eyes flick from him to me and back again in suspicion. “How were the nature documentaries?” she asks.
“Very educational, actually,” he answers, his hand sliding around my waist.
“Yeah, I bet.”
Graham smiles at me. “
Jen,” he says, gesturing at her, “this is my assistant, Paige.”
“Hello!” I wave to her. “I’ve heard good things about you.”
Paige bobs her tired head. “Greetings.”
“Paige,” he says, squeezing my hand, “this is my wife, Jen.”
Her jaw drops. “Your wh—?”
“Also, you were right.”
“I was?”
“There was something I hadn’t done in Vegas yet,” he says. “I’d never re-married my ex-wife, so… you were right. Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. You usually are.”
She tries to speak but the shock on her face says it all.
He holds up a finger. “Oh, and she’s going to be palling around with us for the next while, so make sure you update our travel itineraries for three instead of two. No need to book extra rooms, she’ll be staying with me.” He looks at me. “Is your passport up-to-date?”
“Maybe,” I say. “I’ll have to check. It’s back in Denver… somewhere…”
“No worries if not. We’ll make it work. Right, Paige?”
The girl blinks twice. “Of course.”
“And that’s Paige,” he says to me. “She takes care of me. You two will get along great. I have a good feeling.”
I smile at her. “Looking forward to it.”
The elevator opens and Graham and I step on, still clinging to each other like puppy love-stricken teenagers but that’s where we ended things before. It makes sense to start again right where we left off.
Graham grins at Paige. “You going up?” he asks.
“Actually…” she takes a step back, “I think I might hit the bar first...”
“All right.” His lips graze my ear. “Just make sure you’re all sobered up and well-rested in the morning. Big week ahead.”
She continues backward, still visibly shocked.
Graham turns me toward him with a smile locked on his face. “And we…” he says, eyes traveling to my lips, “still have some catching up to do.”
I tap 25 and curl right back underneath his arms. “Oh, yeah?” I ask.
“I’m thinking…” His arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me closer. “A quick trip upstairs to consummate our latest milestone.”
“Ooo, I like the sound of that.”
He nods. “And then… we can come back down here and crash the reception for some finger foods and booze. Maybe a dance or two.”
“I’m still in.”
“And then go right back upstairs to our room for… further consummation.”
“Our room?” I joke. “Pretty sure it’s still my room.”
“It was my room first,” he says. “I gave it to you.”
I shrug. “Still my room.”
“Hey, we’re married again now.” He kisses the edge of my mouth. “What’s yours is mine.”
My eyes sparkle around the golden elevator. “So, what you’re saying is… I own part of this hotel now?”
Graham laughs. “Mi hotel es su hotel, baby.”
He locks lips with me as the doors slide closed.
Epilogue
Graham
The golden elevator ascends to the top of the tower. Butterflies bounce along the inner walls of my stomach. I take a quick peek at my wife beside me, thinking that might help for some ungodly reason, but they just flutter even more the second I catch sight of those killer jade eyes.
Jen. My Jen.
She turns her head and looks at me with giddy excitement, saying nothing but her eyes tell me everything. This has been a long time coming.
And it’s going to be perfect.
The elevator halts and the doors slide open. I reach down to grip the handle on my suitcase, pausing to offer my other hand to hers but Jen bolts out of the lift before I can even take it.
I chuckle and follow her, taking a hard left into the hallway toward our room. My eyes fall to the carpet and I once again admire our family’s blue and gold insignia every few feet.
A housekeeper lingers by her cart in the hallway. As we approach, she quickly slinks out of the way and politely bows her head only to snap it right back up when she sees me.
“Monsieur Botsford!” she says, her voice thick with accent. “Welcome back.”
“Bonjour, Amelie,” I greet.
She catches sight of Jen and grins, flashing another silent nod at me as we pass her by.
Jen twists her head back, rolling her eyes. “You really do know everyone who works at a Plaza, don’t you?”
I shrug. “It’s my job to train them.”
We arrive at our room and Jen waits semi-patiently with her tongue pinched between her teeth as I purposefully take far too long to fish the keycard out of my pocket.
I swipe it through the reader with a wink and she throws open the door.
“Wait—” I grab her elbow and yank her back over. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”
Jen laughs, unable to fight me as I scoop her up and cradle her in my arms. “Oh, pardon me, Monsieur Botsford,” she says, feigning a little guilt.
I nudge the door with my foot, forcing it open a little wider before I carry her forward across the threshold into the suite.
As we enter, Jen’s jaw drops.
I don’t bother taking a look at the view myself. I keep my focus on her face, admiring every second of awe and wonder that crosses her eyes.
The view of the Eiffel Tower — the real one — is quite exquisite.
“Oh, my God…” she whispers.
I take a few more steps inside before setting her down. “Do you like it?” I ask.
Jen doesn’t answer. She slowly moves toward the windows and I take the opportunity to grab our bags from the hallway and bring them inside. While a few more gasps fall from her lips, I wander over to the gift basket sitting on the writing desk in the corner and slide out the ice-cold bottle of champagne, quickly noting the blue tin inside wrapped in a golden ribbon.
I chuckle. Even in Paris, I get cookies.
“This is beautiful,” she finally says.
I drape a towel over the bottle as I loosen the wire around the cork as I admire her form in the window. “Yes, it is,” I say.
She peeks over her shoulder, sensing my double entendre with a smile. Her eyes fall to the champagne bottle and she squints. “You’re opening that now?” she asks.
I let the cork ease out of the bottle’s neck. “Yes.”
“Don’t you have a meeting today?”
“Actually…” I reach for the first empty glass, “I had them reschedule until tomorrow morning.”
Her smile grows. “Why?”
I hand her the glass. “Because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to leave this room once I saw that look on your face.” I pour myself a glass and set the bottle down. “You’ve got me all night long, Jenny.”
Jen tilts her glass toward mine and we clink them together. “Thank you, Graham,” she says.
We each take a quick sip but our glasses barely lower again before I catch that look in her eyes. The look that travels from my head to my heart and all the way down to my groin in less than a second.
I set my glass down. “No need to thank me,” I say, laying a hand on her curve. “Just take me to bed.”
Jen laughs and leaves her glass behind next to mine. “Well, when you put it like that…”
I pick her up and she holds on tight as I carry her over to the bed. Her mouth crushes against mine; her kisses full of longing and heat as her hands roam my arms.
I reach the bed and set her down. The two of us sink onto the thick comforter like a warm cloud. She eagerly loosens my tie while I reach for the buttons on her blouse, both of us more than happy to put this fifteen-hour travel day behind us.
But we’re clearly not too tired for this.
“Thank you,” she says again, her voice breathy and wild.
I chuckle. “You’re very welcome, my darling.”
She cups my face, holding me steady as she smothers my cheeks with kis
s after kiss. “Thank you, thank you, thank you—”
I scoop her up again and plant her head on the pillows, balancing over her as she pulls my unbuttoned shirt from my belt. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Jenny…” I say as we both toss our shirts free.
Jen unzips my pants while I struggle to find the hidden zipper along the seam of her skirt. After a few seconds, she laughs and takes care of it for me and I pull the skirt down to her ankles.
I sit back on my knees, admiring my beautiful wife, lying before me in nothing but a white bra, matching panties, and those red stiletto heels she hasn’t kicked off yet.
“Fuck,” I whisper as I slide a hand into my briefs and take hold of my hard cock. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but you’re perfect.”
Jen chuckles and sits up, pinching my undershirt and drawing me closer. “You’re not too bad yourself, you know…”
She pulls the tank over my head and quickly tosses it away. Her eyes lock on my chest, the same way she always has ever since we got back together the weekend of her sister’s wedding almost two years ago.
“Not bad at all,” she says, laying her hands on my chest.
I lower down to I kiss her, then slowly slide my hand down to her breast. I pause to give it a soft squeeze over her bra before resting my hand on her flat belly.
“Anything yet?” I ask.
Her hand touches mine and she smiles. “No, but…” she looks out the window again, “I have a really good feeling about tonight.”
“Yeah?”
She leans up. “A really good feeling.”
Her lips graze mine, sparking my gut with lust. I kiss her hard, unable to hold back as I ease her legs farther apart. I begin to leave a trail of kisses down her neckline, intending to tease all the way down until she’s begging for my tongue, but I feel her warm palm latch around my hard cock in my briefs.
“Fuck me, Graham,” Jen whispers. “I’ve been dripping wet for you since the lobby.”
She pushes my pants down over my ass. I grunt with desire, gripping the crotch of her panties and forcing them to the side to expose her.
“And here I thought you’d grown tired of seeing the same gold and blue decor over and over again,” I joke.
Just a Touch: A Heartthrob Hotel Novella Page 14