Page 72 of About That Pact

It was a bargain he was more than willing to accept.

SITTING IN THE Chandelier Bar, Charlotte couldn’t stop looking at her hand. After they left the chapel, she and Rafe had stopped in the fashion mall in the Bellagio. He had been adamant about getting them rings, so when he stopped in front of Tiffany & Co., she’d been game.

He wanted to get her an engagement ring, but she shut it down. They’d skipped the engagement process, and she loved the simple rose-gold diamond band they’d found.

“I hope the ring makes up for me refusing to let Elvis officiate our wedding,” Rafe said. He played with the silver band on his left ring finger.

“All is forgiven. I just thought, what a touristy thing to do, to get married by Elvis.”

He kissed her softly. “I think just getting married in Vegas is considered a touristy thing to do.”

“Agreed.” The smile she wore wasn’t going anywhere. This day had been the best. “I still can’t believe we did it and I didn’t have to coerce you into a pact to marry me.”

He paid the tab for their two glasses of celebratory champagne. “Little did you know, all of your pacts actually required minimal coercing. I wanted to be your first kiss. I wanted to be the first person you had sex with.”

“And now, you are my first husband,” she teased, but he didn’t find the humor in her comment.

“No,” he was stern as he gripped her hands. “I am your only husband. We won’t ever joke about that.”

“We did just take vows promising an eternity. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this, for the good and the bad.” She gave him a soft peck on the lips.

Rafe deepened the kiss. “I’m never going to leave you. It’s a pact.”

A pact she loved. Looking at her phone, she noticed the time. “We need to head to dinner. Our families are going to have a lot of questions. How about we walk to the LINQ instead of Uber so we can figure out what to say?”

They were already twenty minutes late for dinner, but they needed to be prepared for the barrage of questions they expected.

“First, we need to know where we’re going to live,” Charlotte started.

For someone who was notorious for having her life together, she wasn’t worried. Finally, being with Rafe after all this time, it was the best decision she’d ever made.

“Are you attached to where you live? I have more space,” he informed her.

She didn’t hesitate. “Not attached enough to balk at having the balcony view you have. We’ll put my place up for sale as soon as we get back.”

“I know we both want kids because we’ve talked about that before.”

“But I’m stopping at two. I don’t want to have a soccer team,” she reminded him.

“Details,” he said with a smirk.

“And,” she said with enthusiasm, “you need to teach me Italian. I want our kids to be bilingual, but I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t understand what you’re saying.”

They reached the LINQ, their hands entwined.

“Are you ready for this?” he asked.

“I think I’ve always been ready for this,” she responded wistfully.

Charlotte was ready to face her family. While they may be upset they missed the wedding ceremony, there was no doubt they would see the love between her and Rafe. This was their happily-ever-after.

“WHY ARE YOU two late for every meal?” Carly asked the moment Rafe and Charlotte came in together, her voice letting them know she wasn’t pleased.

“Are we allowed to just show up for dessert?” Jason questioned.

“No,” all the parents answered simultaneously.

Rafe whispered in Charlotte’s ear. “Tough crowd. Good luck.”