“It’s okay, Jackson. But why are you guys hiding? I knew something was going on.”
“We’ll tell everyone after the wedding, so just keep your mouth shut until then,” I say, knowing she’s dying to tell someone already.
“Aye, great. We all know, now can we get the feck out of this closet? I’m suddenly becoming claustrophobic,” Decan says, his voice a little shaky.
I slowly open the door and when I see the coast is clear, we all exit, pretending nothing happened.
All of us get off the lift on the same floor and when Jack opens our suite door, Nora calls out our names from down the hall where she and Declan are staying.
“I just want to say, if there was anyone I was rooting for, it would have always been the two of you. I’ve felt something genuine between you since the second I met you. You can ask Declan.”
“Aye, she truly did,” Declan confirms, then swiftly pulls his wife into their room.
Jackson
As we walk through our suite, Belle’s eyes light up. “Come on! It’s about to start. It’s our last one before we go home tomorrow.” She rushes through the room, her long blonde hair wafting through the air as she runs out the doors and onto the terrace.
I follow her like the lovesick fool I am—yes,love. I am completely and utterly in love with Annabelle Hughes…Peters.
Words I never thought I would ever say to a woman besides my sister and, of course, my nieces. I’ve almost said it to her half a dozen times already, but something’s been holding me back.
Knowing Belle needs reassurance, I don’t want her to think I got swept up in the moment of our date or the wedding. I need her to understand fully that if those three words are coming out of my mouth, I mean them with a passion… along with everything else I’ve said to her over this past week.
So I’ll wait until we’re home and settled. When she knows I’m here to stay.
“We’ve watched this a million times. Let’s go back inside. It’s starting to drizzle.” I wrap my arms around her midsection and place small kisses up her sensitive neck—the spot she loves, the spot I’m equally addicted to.
“Jack,” she mutters. “Look, it’s not just a twinkle this time. It’s a full-on light show—they only do it like this once a day before it goes dark.”
I smile against her skin at her enthusiasm. She’s made me watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle a million times over the last few nights.
And even though I complain most of the time, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love spending any time I can with Belle.
Glancing away from her for a second, I look at the lights. Sure, they’re different, but they’re still lights, and I’d rather have my eyes on her… “I see it, sweetheart.” Then I turn my attention back to her.
She looks up at me and smiles. “You’re not looking.”
With one arm around her back, I support her neck and surprise her by dipping her low, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
“I don’t need to see them. The brightest light in my life is right here before my eyes.”
15
Annabelle
It feelsgood to be home and back in the office, mixed up with the hustle and bustle of it all. As much as Paris was a dream, being back in London calms all my anxiety and stress over work, which may seem contradictory, but I thrive on a fast-paced lifestyle.
Even wearing my work clothes settles something in me, like I can handle anything that comes my way when I wear my armor.
“Hello,” I say, greeting two employees in the process of cleaning up their lunch as I go to grab a teacup. It’s almost comical how their eyes widen—at the same time—as if I’ve never said hello to them before.
Maybe I haven’t. Who knows. The chance that I haven’t is high, considering Lola tells me repeatedly that I need to be more approachable.
I want this business to succeed, and unfortunately, that makes me the bad guy at times because I have no time for bullshit and chitchat.
I’ve said it a million times: If I were a male CEO, most people wouldn’t bat an eye.
Double standards at their finest.
