Christ, she was breathtaking. I didn’t want her to upstage the bride, but Dakota was hands down the most beautiful woman in this room. On this planet. Her hair was swept up in some elegant style that left her neck exposed, and that dress hugged every curve I’d memorized with my hands.
The old me would’ve gagged at this whole production. Would’ve checked my watch every five minutes, mentally calculating how long until I could escape to the bar. Would’ve made sarcastic comments about the over-the-top flower arrangements and the string quartet playing sappy love songs.
But as the ceremony progressed—listening to Blake and Tessa exchange vows they’d written themselves, watching them slide rings onto trembling fingers, feeling the pure love radiating from them like heat from a fire—I found myself completely captivated.
More than that, I was eager for this. Desperate for the day I’d get to watch Dakota walk down an aisle toward me.
Because this woman had changed me. Forever and always. She’d reached deep into my soul, pulled out every dark fear I’d buried there, and crushed them to dust in her capable hands.
Never before had I felt so free. Never before had I been this excited about the future. Because every single day of it would have her in it.
And someday, with little kids that looked just like her.
When Blake finally kissed his bride and the crowd erupted in cheers, I caught Dakota wiping tears from her eyes. She was glowing with happiness, and something in my chest tightened with the overwhelming need to be the one to put that expression on her face every day for the rest of our lives.
The ceremony was beautiful, but it was the reception I’d been looking forward to most. Because now Dakota was finally in my arms, and I could stop pretending to pay attention to anything else.
“Tessa did such an incredible job, planning this.” Dakota beamed, practically bouncing on her toes. “Did you hear where they’re going for their honeymoon?” Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning.
“Italy.” Blake had only mentioned it about fifty times today. The guy had chartered a private jet and booked some exclusive villa right on the Mediterranean. “He’s taking her to tour the vineyards in Tuscany.”
“Can you even imagine?” Dakota’s smile was infectious. “Going all the way to Italy? Seeing all that beauty? The history, the art, the food …”
“Would you like to do that?”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself closer.
“I want to see everything.” Her eyes sparkled with dreams. “Italy and Paris. I want to see Rome and the Eiffel Tower. I want to swim with the dolphins, visit every single national park in this country, and watch the sunrise from Machu Picchu.”
I swept my thumb along her lower lip, marveling at how soft she was. “Make a list. We’ll start working on it tomorrow.”
She arched one perfect eyebrow. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day that Axel Pierce became a bit of a golden retriever, ready to fetch whatever I want.”
“I didn’t just bend to your will, Sunshine.” I pulled her closer. “I broke completely. I’m yours. And from this point forward, I want to spend every minute of my life making you happy.”
Her eyes widened, shimmering with tears of joy.
Something shifted in that moment: a realization that hit me right in the sternum. This incredible woman had never been anyone’s priority. Not really. Her family loved her, sure, but between Knox’s imprisonment and her parents’ struggle to cope with their shattered world, Dakota’s needs had somehow gotten lost in the chaos.
She’d handled it the way she handled everything: with strength and grace and endless love for everyone around her. But no one had ever put her first. Not even close.
So help me, I would put her first every single moment of every single day forever.
Starting right now.
“Dude.” Jace glided over, spinning Scarlett in some elaborate twirl that was way too smooth for a guy who used to thinkromance was a line item in his quarterly reports. “You look like a lovesick puppy who just found his favorite tennis ball.”
I shot him a death glare. “That’s rich, coming from Mr. I Bought Her Entire Company Because I Had a Crush.”
“I bought her companybeforeI knew she worked?—”
Scarlett immediately smacked Jace’s chest. “Quiet. He’s happy and in love.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jace said. “Are we forgetting that this is the same guy who Photoshopped my picture onto a romance novel cover calledDouchebag Cowboy, book one of the Men Who Surrendered Their Balls Series, and had it delivered to my office? On a six-by-nine-foot corkboard? You think I’m not going to give you complete shit now that you’re the one whipped?”
My grin stretched wider. “That was art, my friend. Pure art.”
“Leave him alone,” Scarlett demanded, but she was fighting a smile.
