by Force, Marie
I thought I was prepared to see Aileen in her wedding dress. I wasn’t. She’s fucking stunning, and I make an utter fool of myself with the tears that roll unchecked down my face as she makes her way to me. She holds hands with Maddie, who carries a smaller version of her mother’s bouquet. The two of them are so beautiful that I have to remind myself to breathe, especially when Aileen flashes the intimate smile that she saves only for me and the most special of moments.
Every moment with her is special. Every fucking second I get to spend with her is the best time of my life, and I’m determined it’ll only get better from here.
My worries evaporate in the face of her tender love. No one has ever looked at me the way she does, and as long as I have her, I can handle anything that comes our way.
I bend to hug and kiss Maddie before taking the hand of my beloved.
The judge presiding over the festivities is friends with Flynn’s dad, Max. He guides us through the recitation of traditional vows and the exchanging of rings.
“Both of you asked me separately if you could say something to the other,” the judge says, smiling. “The floor is now yours, Kristian.”
I take a moment to find some composure so I can take this opportunity to tell her what she means to me in front of everyone we love. I grasp her hands and gaze into the gorgeous eyes that look at me with pure adoration. “A year ago, I thought I had it all. A dream career working with the people I love the most, a couple of Oscars, a cool apartment, a hot car and a life so far removed from where I began that I could hardly believe it was the same lifetime. But then I saw you at Flynn and Nat’s wedding, and in one second, I understood I hadn’t begun to know what it was like to have it all. If you had any idea how utterly obsessed I was with you after that day, you’d probably take your kids and run from me, which is why I’m only telling you now that you’re legally stuck with me.”
Aileen laughs and cries and smiles so big. So, so big. I’ll never stop trying to make her smile that way.
“I didn’t have it all until I had you and Logan and Maddie, until I had our family and our home and the life we’re building together. Thank you so much for loving me the way you do, the way no one but you ever has, and for giving me a son and a daughter who I promise to love and care for and be there for every day for the rest of my life. I love you forever, Aileen, Logan and Maddie Bowen.”
I know I’m supposed to wait to kiss her, but I can’t. I release my hold on her hands and cup her face to kiss her, using my thumbs to wipe away her tears.
She wraps her hands around my wrists and gazes up at me. “Just so you know, I was equally obsessed with you after Flynn and Nat’s wedding. I would lie in bed in New York and think about you and wonder where you were and what you might be doing in your glamorous LA life. It never once occurred to me that you might one day be mine.”
Overcome by her heartfelt words, I lean my forehead on hers and close my eyes, wanting to commit this perfect moment to memory so there’s no chance I’ll ever forget it.
“Remember the night the kids and I got here, when everything happened with Jasper’s father, and we all stayed at your place in the city?”
I nod. I’ll never forget that night.
“We were up half the night talking on your patio, and I knew that night. I knew you were my soul mate, the one I was meant to find and to love, but even then, I still didn’t believe that this could ever happen. Then we moved to LA, and on our first full day, Maddie fell and got hurt. You were right by my side through that awful trip to the ER, taking care of us the way no one ever had before. As much as I wish Maddie had never gotten hurt, that night changed everything. That was the night we became us.”
I blink back tears when I recall that night. I remember every minute of it. That was the first time I kissed her and held her and touched her the way I’d been dying to for months by then.
“Every single day since then has been like something straight out of a dream. You are right out of a dream. You’re my dream come true, Kristian, and Logan, Maddie and I will love you forever.”
We’re already kissing again when the judge officially declares us husband and wife, but I hear him. I’m very much aware of the moment when Aileen officially becomes my wife.
Our friends applaud and cheer for us, and when we finally come up for air, they’re ready to hug us.
Marlowe, Addie, Jasper, Ellie, Hayden, Flynn, Sebastian, Natalie, Emmett, Leah, Flynn’s parents, his sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews as well as Tenley and Devon. The family we’ve created for ourselves… They celebrate with us long into the night.
It’s after midnight when the last of our guests depart. Aileen doesn’t know that I put out the word that the festivities were ending at midnight so my wife could get the rest she needs before we leave on our trip in the morning.
Hayden and Addie are staying in the guest room, ready to take over with the kids when we depart for the airport at six thirty. When we said good night to Logan and Maddie, they were both so tired after the exciting day that they didn’t have much reaction to the reminder that we’ll be gone when they wake up.
I’m thankful for that small favor, because I don’t want Aileen to be any more upset about leaving them than she already is.
When we’re finally in our room, sealed off from the rest of the world, I take another long look at her in the wedding dress she insisted on keeping secret from me until the big day. I’m glad now that she kept it a surprise, because I’ll never forget the first glimpse of my bride. “In case I forgot to mention it earlier, you blew me away today, Mrs. Bowen.”
“I know.” I love her smug, satisfied little grin. “I could tell by the look on your face.” She flattens her hands on my chest. My suitcoat was abandoned hours ago. “You and Jasper did good work on the suit. You looked gorgeous.”
“Glad you approve.”
“I do. I approve of everything. This was the most perfect day ever.”
“For me too, and it’s only the first of many.”
“I can’t wait for all of it.”
“I can’t either, but right now, Mrs. B, you need some sleep.”
“It’s our wedding night, Kristian. I need you more than I need sleep.”
“I don’t want you to get worn down.”
“I’m fine. I promise.” She goes up on tiptoes to kiss me, and two seconds after her lips connect with mine, I’ve forgotten all about sleep. Like always when she kisses me, I can’t think of anything but her.
I wrap my arms around her and lose myself in her, the most precious thing in my life.
We can sleep in Hawaii.
***
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Thanks for reading this bonus Quantum story. I hope you enjoyed sharing in Kristian and Aileen’s special day. Thank you to my editor, Linda Ingmanson, for cleaning up this story for me, and to my friend Tracey Suppo for an additional proofread. Many thanks to the Quantum beta readers: Katy, Molly, Julia, Heather, Phuong and Tammy.
And that’s a wrap, as they say in show business. Eight books later, the Quantum family is set to live happily ever after as they continue to work and play together in Hollywood. I like to think of them at birthday parties and soccer games for each other’s kids and still doing what they’ve always done now that they’ve all found their bliss. I hope you enjoyed Marlowe’s long-awaited story and love her with Sebastian as much as I do. I always pictured them ending up together once they both were in the right place to see what was possible for them. Every time someone objected to my plan to end Quantum with Marlowe’s story and said WHAT ABOUT SEBASTIAN, I wanted to giggle. I always had a plan for him.
Make sure you check out the audio edition of FAMOUS, starring the amazing Sebastian York as our Sebastian and Emma Wilder as Marlowe. Join the FAMOUS Reader Group and the Quantum Reader Group.
Some of you have asked if I’ll revisit the Quantum world in the future, and all I’ll say to that is maybe. I never say never to a
nything, but I do plan to move on from here with more books in my other series and hopefully some new things coming down the road. I’m very proud of the Quantum series, which fell far outside my comfort zone and challenged me in many different ways.
Mostly, I’m proud of the epic romances contained in this series, which includes some of my all-time-favorite moments. Will we ever forget Hayden banging on the glass at Club Vice, trying to get Addie’s attention before she did something that couldn’t be undone? Or Leah and the butt plug or Fluff biting Flynn’s ass or Jasper fighting for the life he desperately wanted with Ellie or Aileen finding Kristian in the closet? Every moment with these characters was a delight for me, and I’m thrilled that so many of you loved them as much as I do.
A huge thank-you to the team that supports me every day: my husband, Dan, as well as my HTJB team, Julie Cupp, Lisa Cafferty, Holly Sullivan and Nikki Haley. Thank you to my awesome publicist, Jessica Estep, my fabulous editors Linda Ingmanson and Joyce Lamb, and my longtime beta readers Anne Woodall and Kara Conrad. A special thanks to the Quantum beta readers: Katy, Heather, Tammy, Molly, Marla, Sherri, Julia, Phuong and Mona.
Finally, to all the readers who’ve embraced this series from the second Flynn met Natalie in a New York park in 2015, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have made this such a rich, rewarding ride for me, and I’ll be forever grateful for your support.
Much love,
Marie
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Other Books By Marie Force
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Book 8: Waiting for Love
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About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, historical romance and erotic romance. Her series include the indie-published Gansett Island, Treading Water, Butler, Vermont and Quantum Series as well as the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books.
Her books have sold more than 9 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list 30 times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter.
Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
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