Chapter 21: Forever With The CEO: Chapter 21

There was no aisle to walk down, so Nick and I simply moved forward. The officiant was sitting down at the desk. I glanced around the room, trying to take in the details. It was a mix of a simple courthouse and a wedding venue because of all the decorations. It didn’t look too intimidating, but at least it wasn’t as cold as I’d imagined.

“Welcome,” the officiant told us. He seemed to be in his late sixties. He, too, glanced around the room, but unlike me, he didn’t seem impressed by the decorations. Twice he cocked his brow and shook his head.

Nick and I exchanged a glance, and I almost burst out laughing. Poor man. He’d probably expected to come here and do a quick, no-nonsense ceremony, then promptly continue his Saturday. Well, it was probably going to be short, anyway.

“All right, is everyone here?” he inquired. “Can we start? Is there music?”

“No music,” Nick said, and the man looked relieved.

I carefully avoided Nick’s eyes; otherwise, I would burst out laughing. I glanced behind me and noted that the only guests who weren’t here were Violet and Danielle. I wondered what happened to them.

It didn’t make sense to make this poor man wait to start. He had more ceremonies to perform. And it wasn’t fair to the other guests either. I noticed Bob and Sophie all the way at the back, sitting alone in a row. Their presence unnerved me. The fact that all the Whitleys were here just made my day even though I didn’t know them yet. They were Nick’s family, and that gave me comfort.

I turned and faced the officiant. “We can start.”

“All right. I’m here to officiate the marriage of Nick Whitley and Allison Holmes. Everyone ready?”

I was truly laughing now, but the man silenced me with a stern brow.

How did we end up with the grumpiest officiant in the city? Not that I knew too many, since I hadn’t actually attended a wedding at city hall before. I had no idea what to expect, but I’d assumed he’d at least ask if we wanted to take the other one to be our wedded wife and husband, respectively, only he didn’t.

He robotically spoke three sentences before finishing with “You can sign here and here. Please check that your names are spelled correctly and that the date of birth is also correct.”

“That’s it?” Nick asked, voicing my thoughts.

The officiant looked up at me. “Yes. It says here you wanted the fast-track version.”

“We do. We have kids with us,” I said. “They might get impatient.”

Once again, he cocked his brow like he was asking me why I was polluting him with an explanation when he didn’t ask for one. This man was hilarious.

I quickly checked the name before signing. Nick did the same.

“You may exchange rings,” the man said.

The wedding rings took me by complete surprise.

First, because I’d completely forgotten we’d need them.

Second, because they were absolutely gorgeous. The platinum bands had tiny stones set throughout. Nick’s were a bit smaller than mine. I glanced at him, and he simply winked at me before we exchanged the rings.

“Congratulations, you are now husband and wife.”

I was waiting for a “You may kiss the bride” or something, but it never came. However, that didn’t stop Nick. He twirled me around to face him, smiling at me.

“Wow. This was quick, wife, and now you’re mine.” Before I knew it, he put a arm around my back, plastering me to him, and then pushed me backwards as his mouth came down on mine. He lowered me theatrically, and yet I never felt like I might be in danger of losing my balance. Except when he slipped his tongue past my lips.

Holy shit. How was he kissing me like this with everyone watching? I was instantly on pins and needles. Energy gripped my whole body, concentrating between my thighs.

It’s just a kiss. It’s just a kiss.

Only it wasn’t—not after our night together. It wasn’t wild or overly sexual, and when he straightened us up slowly, he continued kissing me.

When he pulled back, I realized that everyone was clapping, and I felt a pair of tiny arms wrapped around my calves. I looked down to see Annie looking up at me with a toothy grin. Jack was holding his hands up. Nick immediately lifted him into his arms, then took my hand and kissed the back of it.

The Whitleys were smiling from ear to ear. In fact, everyone was smiling except Bob and Sophie. I honestly didn’t even care about them. Even though this was all fake, the enthusiasm in the room was very real. And why not be happy? The two of us were doing a fantastic thing for these little nuggets. It was definitely worth celebrating.

The photographer came over and said, “Let me snap a picture of the bride and groom alone.”

Annie tightened her grip on me.

“We’ll do it like this, with our kids,” Nick said.

I loved that he didn’t even hesitate to include the twins. And I couldn’t believe he’d actually thought of a photographer. It hadn’t even crossed my mind, but it was genius. Why not have keepsakes of this day? We could always snap pictures with a phone, but having a photographer made it all the more official.

I looked at him, and he must have sensed it, because he turned to watch me too. Our faces were less than an inch apart.

“Great idea to bring a photographer,” I told him.

“I thought you might like it.”

How would I go through the real thing one day and not compare it to this?

“All right. Who else wants to be in the picture with the bride and groom and the kids before we take group photos?” the photographer asked the attendees.

All the Whitleys started talking at the same time. They were up on their feet, making a beeline toward us. Bob and Sophie were the only ones who didn’t join in.

Fantastic. I didn’t want them in the picture at all.

“Abe and I should have priority,” Jeannie Whitley said.

Nick grinned. “Of course, Gran. You always do.”

Everyone else was younger, obviously, so that made sense.

Jeannie came over to my side, beaming. She leaned into me as the photographer instructed us to smile and said, “You’re doing a wonderful thing. And people get married for far worse reasons. You might be surprised at how this turns out.”

Instead of flashing the photographer a huge smile, I gave him a jaw drop. Then I smiled and hoped the photographer would delete that one and simply pick the best pictures to send to us.

Oh my goodness. Leo had hinted at something like this, but I didn’t take him seriously.

Afterward, a gorgeous woman came toward us.

“Mom, you made it,” Nick said.

Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten who she was amid all the introductions.

“You two make a gorgeous, gorgeous couple. And son, you look great with a kid on your hip.” Nick had been holding Jack, and they truly looked like father and son.

Annie had gone from hugging my ankles to wanting to be carried, too, and I obliged.

I glanced at Nick just as he looked right at me. I knew without saying a word that he was thinking the same thing. Did everyone in the family believe this was going to last forever? Why would they even think that?

Thankfully, his brothers and their respective partners were far more laid-back.

“Thanks for making this quick,” Spencer said. “Ben is already looking at these balloons like he wants to pop every single one of them.”

I started to laugh. The photographer was fast and captured Nick, Spencer, Penny, and me all laughing from ear to ear.

The photo session took much longer than I’d anticipated because everyone wanted to take a picture with us, and then we had several group shots as well.

We realized it was our cue to leave when the officiant cleared his throat. “The next couple has been waiting.”

Mr. Grumpy Ass was still grumping.

“We should get going,” Nick said, checking his watch. “We have reservations.”

I glanced around the room again. Still no Violet and Danielle. I realized we hadn’t been in touch in a while, and I hadn’t been going out with the group since I took in the kids, but I thought they’d like to share this moment with me. Clearly I was learning who my friends were.

Just as well. My life was changing, and the single lifestyle was definitely not in the cards anymore.

Nick and I once again walked in front of the group. The twins demanded to be put down. Then they grabbed each other’s hands and walked in front of us. My heart was about to burst.

As we neared Bob and Sophie, they finally got up. They both gave us very polite and restrained smiles.

“We’re going to the restaurant now?” Sophie asked.

Nick nodded. “Yes. We’ve got lunch reservations.”

“That’s awfully unusual for a wedding,” she said. “No party, just restaurant reservations?”

I squared my shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. “We wanted the daytime celebration so we didn’t mess up the kids’ evening routine.” Which was 100 percent true.

Sophie shook her head. “You know, as I keep telling you, Allison, all that would be solved if you’d just hire a full-time nanny. But then, I suppose you can’t afford it.”

Nick stared at her. “Sophie, Bob, today is for celebrating. If you’re just going to make snide remarks, then we’re disinviting you from the luncheon.”

Sophie jerked her head back. “I always wondered why my son considered you his best friend. Jim was very well-mannered and polite, and you are…”

“Blunt,” Nick finished for her.

There were murmurs behind us, but I didn’t want to turn around to see who said, “Who the hell is that hag?”

I was hoping Sophie didn’t hear. Oooor… maybe it wouldn’t hurt if she did.

Neither she nor Bob said another word. Once again, Nick put an arm around my waist, and I leaned into him.

“I love that you’ve got my back,” I whispered to him.

“Fuck yes, I do. Especially now.”

What did he mean by that?

I didn’t have a chance to ask him because the next half hour was a bit crazy. There were a ton of cars parked around city hall, as everyone had driven here.

Leo wasn’t chauffeuring me and the twins this time. Nick was.

“This day is perfect,” I told him as I climbed into the car.

“How come?”

“It’s the perfect mix of celebratory without being over the top. I was never a fan of weddings.”

“What a coincidence. Neither was I. But that’s mostly because everyone seemed more preoccupied in asking me when I was going to settle down and become serious.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “You know what’s worse than being a bachelor?”

“What?”

“Being a single woman. People treat you like you have a disease.”

“Well, not any longer,” Nick said. “Wife.”

“You’re right, husband. Now I’m a married woman. Serious and all.”

I was euphoric. This would be how I’d plan my real wedding, I decided. A short ceremony at city hall with a pretty dress, followed by a delicious meal with family and close friends. Speaking of which…

I turned backward, grabbing my bag from between the twins, who were fast asleep, and checked my phone. I frowned when I read the most recent message I’d received.

“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.

“Violet and Danielle texted that it doesn’t make any sense for them to come since it’s… you know…”

“Some friends,” Nick said, voicing my thoughts.

Yes, this was fake, but I still felt a bit betrayed. I truly thought that the three of us would always be friends.

“Are you okay?” he asked a few moments later. “You’ve gone quiet.”

“It’s been hard. I don’t have many friends left these days,” I admitted.

“You mentioned that.”

“But it’s worse than I thought. I’m not sure what happened. All of my friends sort of disappeared. They stopped inviting me to things. Granted, I declined all invitations because my life had changed, but I couldn’t spontaneously go out for drinks and stuff like that, or have a girls’ weekend. But…” I sighed and looked out the window. “I figured that eventually we were going to find a balance. I was closer to Violet and Danielle than the rest of my friends. We lived together for three years after college because we wanted to save on rent.”

Nick slid his hand over mine. I startled, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because my entire body reacted to his touch. Was this because today was special, or because of our night together?

“Just putting it out there, but all the women in my family are dying to adopt you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They even wanted to throw you a bachelorette party.”

“I know. Meredith said that. I wonder why they didn’t.”

“I said no.” Nick looked bewildered. “I never realized you might want one.”

“I didn’t either… until now. It doesn’t sound bad.”

He shook his head. “The minds of women are always a mystery.”

That made me laugh. “Don’t feel bad about it. Sometimes I’m a mystery to myself.”

“And I can’t wait to uncover every single one of those mysteries,” Nick said.

His voice was a bit lower, but his eyes were playful, nonseductive.

Wait, I spoke too soon. I’d seen that glint before he ravaged me in his dressing room. Yep, that definitely counted as seductive. How was I going to manage tonight and every other night living with this man until I got out of this debacle?

It didn’t matter. For now, I was determined to have fun for the rest of the day. I was genuinely curious to get to know the Whitleys, and this lunch was just as good an opportunity as any.

Then realization hit me.

“With Bob and Sophie here, how are we going to play this out?”

“What do you mean?” Nick asked.

I kept my voice low because the kids were still sleeping in the back, and I didn’t want to wake them up. “Won’t it seem weird that I don’t know your family?”

“If they voice any concerns, I’ll take care of it. And besides, this all happened quickly. You barely had time to get to know everyone.” He grinned. “We barely had time to know each other—except in the most essential ways, of course.”

Ha, this man! Is he starting to be shameless already? First that sexy glint in his eyes, and now he was throwing innuendos at me. But I didn’t have time to mull things over too much because we arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later.

It took us forever to wake the twins, but then they went from sleepy to overexcited when they realized we didn’t go home. They loved adventures. I’d liked the restaurant from the pictures Nick’s assistant sent me, but it was even more gorgeous in person. It was professionally decorated in the same style as city hall was, with flowers and balloons. The photographer had tagged along, only this time he had what looked like a video camera, too, and was already filming the activity.

There was a long table set up for us in a small room with huge windows overlooking the inner courtyard. It was something out of a dream, with perfectly trimmed bonsai trees and plants with multicolored flowers everywhere.

“I’ll have to send your assistant flowers or something in thanks,” I told Nick as I looked around the room. “This is gorgeous!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give her a raise for putting that smile on your face.”

I wanted to ask why my smiling was so important to him, but how on earth could I without sounding weird?

“Definitely do that. She went above and beyond.”

“Do we have a seating arrangement?” Colton asked.

Nick rolled his eyes. “No, brother,” he emphasized. “It’s just family, so everyone can sit wherever they want.”

I personally hoped that Jeannie and Abe were going to sit nearby because I wanted to get to know them better. And of course Helen, Nick’s mom. I looked around for her, but then Bob and Sophie walked right up to us.

“We’re going to take the seats nearest you. We won’t stay long, so we want to be able to chat while we’re here,” Bob said.