Page 156 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

At least, until I accidentally lock eyes with her father across the room. He’s now alone, and he’s glaring. Immediately, I straighten and lift my hands a little higher. Closer to her waist than where they just were. Which was … not on her waist.

“What’s the request?” I ask.

“Will you carry me out when we go? Not just over the threshold or whatever. But out of this room, down to the car, and then from the car to the house. My feet hurt.”

“I would love nothing more. Consider me your personal carrying service.”

“M’kay.” She nuzzles into my chest, becoming almost dead weight. I think she’s about three minutes from falling asleep.

“On second thought, I don’t think we should wait until the end of the song. You, my little Mills, need a nap.”

“Just a little one,” she says. “Because I had plans at home. A whole”—she yawns again—“outfit and stuff.”

I chuckle. “As much as I like the sound of an outfit and especiallyand stuff, you’ll have to save it for the honeymoon.”

Without giving her any warning, I scoop her up into my arms. She practically melts into me, her eyelids fluttering closed. I pause for a moment, needing to remember this. Amelia’s cheeks are flushed pink, highlighting her scattered freckles. Her lips are barely parted, and I want nothing more than to tuck her into our bed at home and press a kiss to those lips.

Okay, there are afewthings I’d like more.

But not tonight. She’s completely tapped out. And actually … she might be drooling on my tux.

We said our official goodbyes to her dad and my sisters hours ago, and I give them all a quick nod as we start toward the door. It only takes a quick glance at Amelia to see why we’re leaving. Grey puts a hand over her heart, and Lex wipes her eyes.

Right at the door, I’m stopped by a frowning Summer, who is dragging Alec by the arm.

“We need to talk,” Summer says.

I groan. “Can it wait? Is it life-threatening?”

“I mean, no one’s going todie,” she says. “But you probably want to know this now. Want to tell them, Alec?”

“Tell us what?” Amelia murmurs, barely cracking open her eyes. “Oh, and thanks again for doing the ceremony. It’s nice to have a guy on the team who can perform weddings.”

“About that,” Alec says, and the guilty look on his face tells me exactly where this conversation is headed. “Apparently, the kind of certification I have to perform weddings needs to be renewed.”

“And you didn’t renew it,” I state.

“He did not,” Summer says. “Which means … you just got married for the second time withouta valid marriage license. Which means, legally speaking, this doesn’t count.”

“You had one job,” I tell Alec. “One.” I’m honestly not really mad, but it’s fun to be the one getting after our captain. Usually, it’s the other way around.

“You and your paperwork,” Amelia says, giving Summer a look. “Are you going to try to tell me that Van’s not my husband? Because he is. He was my husband from the time I said I do and till death do us part and all the other stuff on the beach. Now, we’ve done all that two times. He is my husband twice over and then some. Don’t you try to take this away from me. It’s unconstitutional.”

Amelia’s head falls back against my chest, and a second later she lets out a tiny, adorable snore. She looks like a happy, sleepy, beautiful marshmallow with the fabric of her dress practically swallowing her. I have a sudden flashback to her in my SUV, drowning in a different wedding dress, and trying to throw the garter belt out the window. I still keep it in my dresser.

“How about we deal with the legal stuff later?” I suggest to Summer. “I’ll pay you double your hourly rate if you can figure out the best and fastest way for us to actually get legally married.”

Summer nods. “Will do.”

“Glad you’re not mad,” Alec says. “And you know what they say—third time’s the charm!”

I level him with a look. “I never said I wasn’t mad. Now you owe me, and I plan to collect.”

But right now, I have a sleepy bride who needs to be put to bed. We’ll deal with the marriage license another day, and I can’t even be mad about it. Because despite my vow that I would only get married once, I would say “I do” to Amelia a hundred times over.

THE END!