The pounding sound of running and skidding brought the congregation into a collective lean so they could peer behind Gavin.

Mack skidded to a stop next to him. “Shit.”

Del bent and panted, hands on knees. “Did we miss the vows?”

Yan and the Russian collapsed against the wall.

“What is going on?” the man up front demanded again. “Who are you people?”

Mack lifted his hand. “Braden Mack.”

Gavin tugged down on his suit coat. “Sorry. I’m, uh, I’m looking for Thea.”

“Who the hell is Thea?” the man barked.

“My daughter,” Dan said, pointing toward a pew in the back. Gavin could’ve sworn that Dan was smiling now.

Every head followed Dan’s point, and that’s when he finally saw her. Sitting no more than twenty feet away, mouth agape, chest rising and falling with labored breath. She stood slowly. A thousand emotions danced across her face—surprise, embarrassment, amusement. Love.

“Hi,” she breathed.

Gavin wiped sweat from his brow. “Hi. Can w-we—” He motioned to the door behind him.

Thea scooted down the pew, bumping into knees, murmuring sorry, excuse me, sorry until she made it out. She looked up the aisle at her father. “I’m going to, um . . . I’m going to go now.”

“You’re staying for the reception, right?” the bride asked.

“Not sure yet?” Thea squeaked.

“I hope you do, because we haven’t even met yet.”

Heads in the congregation swiveled back and forth during the conversation.

“Right,” Thea said. “Nice to meet you. Sorry. I’m going to just go . . .”

Thea walked stiffly on quick steps toward the door. Gavin waved as he backed up. “Sorry for the interruption.”

He pulled the door shut as he backed out, turned around, and—

“Damn you, Gavin,” Thea said. “I was going to do the grand gesture.”

Then she grabbed his lapels, yanked him forward, and kissed him. Oh, how she kissed him. She kissed him with her hands in his hair, her heart on her sleeve.

She kissed him as she spoke. “I was going to go to New York.” Kiss.

“I was going to find you.” Bigger kiss.

“I was going to walk in and tell you . . .” Deeper kiss.

“I love you.”

Gavin cupped her face and pulled back. “Say it again.”

“I love you, Gavin. I love you. And I’m so sorry. You were right about me. I was scared and stupid.”

“So was I.”

“We’ll probably be scared and stupid again at some point.”

“But we’ll get through it,” he vowed.

Mack cleared his throat. “Speed this up. They’re almost done with their vows.”

Right. He wasn’t done. Grand gesture wasn’t over. Gavin dropped to one knee and took Thea’s hand.

“What are you doing?” Thea laughed.

“I didn’t get a chance to do this right before, so I’m doing it now. Thea Scott, will you marry me?”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Right now. We’re in a church.”

Thea laughed as Gavin stood. “Russian,” he panted. “Come here.”

“His name is Russian?”

“My name is Vlad. Sorry about your bathroom.”

“So you guys . . . you’re the bromance book club?” Thea said.

Mack nodded slowly, then quickly. “I like that. The Bromance Book Club.”

“Just do it,” Gavin said.

He took Thea’s hands and faced her.

“Repeat after me,” Vlad said, unfolding the paper Gavin had given him. “I, Gavin Scott—”

“I, Gavin Scott.”

There was applause inside the church.

“Promise you, Thea Scott.”

“Promise you, Thea Scott.”

Music blared. Shit. Gavin tore the paper from Vlad’s hands and repeated it by memory. “Promise you, Thea Scott, to always tell you how I feel. To read to you every night. To cherish your body—”

Mack and Del covered their ears. “Not in front of the children!”

Gavin tugged her close and whispered the rest in her ear. “And to never forget that love—”

“Is enough,” Thea breathed.

Gavin kissed her again just as the doors burst open and the new bride and groom—the other new bride and groom—strode out on a wave of applause and “Canon in D.”

“Well,” Dan said flatly. “I see things are working out.”

Gavin looked at his father-in-law, a man he’d just as soon punch in the face than anything else. “Sorry we can’t stay, Dan. We have our happy ending to live.”

Gavin scooped Thea in his arms. “Ready, my love?”

Thea traced a line down his jaw. “I’m at your mercy, my lord.”

EPILOGUE

Christmas Eve

Thea curled into Gavin’s side and trailed her fingers lazily up and down his stomach. The lights of the Christmas tree cast their bodies in a soft, yellow glow. Upstairs, the girls were asleep, dreaming of sugarplums and new Nintendo games.

Downstairs, Mom and Dad renewed their vows over and over again.

Gavin’s voice was tired as he read to her. They’d read every night since Atlanta. Just a different book.

Irena, wait!”

Benedict raced after his wife. The shocked gasps and stares of the members of the ton who were so eager to shun her now couldn’t tear their eyes away from the drama playing out before them.

Benedict stalked across the ballroom.

Irena whipped around. “My Lord, don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Admit in front of the entire world that I love you?”

More gasps greeted his words.

Benedict stalked toward her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and—

Gavin stopped. “Should he kiss her or ask permission?”

Thea hmm’d. “At this point, I think a sneak-attack kiss is good. This is his grand gesture, and that’s the best part.”

Gavin kissed her nose. “Agree.”

and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’m here to propose to my wife.”

And then he kissed her. In front of everyone. The gossips tittered. The young women swooned. Irena swayed on her feet and into him.

“I love you,” he breathed into her mouth. “I married you because I love you. You have changed me as a man. You have made me a better man.”

Gavin looked down at Thea. “I can relate to that.”

Thea lifted her lips and kissed him. Her lips lingered and nudged his as her hands drifted lower on his body.

Gavin smiled. “Are we d-done reading?”

“Mmm.”

Gavin dropped the book and rolled them both over. Thea lifted her legs around his waist and kissed him with as much emotion as she could convey. They were getting so good at talking.

Gavin slanted his mouth against hers, and things went from zero to orgasmic. Need clawed inside her skin—need and desire and jumpy-jumpy girly emotions that made her tremble in his arms.

“I can’t get enough of you,” Gavin rasped, fingers working the buttons of her jersey. The new one. The old one was ripped. He slid the shirt open to reveal her breasts and lowered his mouth to one nipple and then the other.

Thea reached between them and freed his erection from his shorts, and then, oh God, he was inside her. “I can’t get enough of you, either.”

Gavin breathed a reverent curse.

He stretched her. Filled her. Loved her.

“Talk to me,” Thea whispered. “Tell me what you want.”

Gavin rolled them again until she was on top. “I want you to ride me,” he groaned.

She rose up and down. Rocking her hips to take him farther each time. They breathed each other in, mouth hovering over mouth, hips tilting and thrusting as one.

“I want you to take your pleasure,” he rasped.

Thea bent until nipples brushed the course hair of his chest.

“I want you to love me forever, Thea.”

Her orgasm hit suddenly. As it did so often now. As if there existed inside her a deep well of trust that only Gavin could touch.

“I love you,” he said, holding her as she rode out the waves of pleasure.

“I love you,” she answered, moving again, lifting and lowering until he shuddered with a deep upward thrust, her name a prayer on his lips.

Thea slumped against his chest, face buried in the crook of his neck.

He held her there, fingers woven into her hair. “How d-do you think it will end?” he asked.

“I think Benedict and Irena have earned their happy ever after,” she whispered.

“Me too,” Gavin said. He kissed her hair. “I think we have too.”

Thea felt her throat thicken. They had almost lost this. They had almost lost each other.

She rose on her elbow to gaze down at him. “Know what I think?”

“Tell me.”

“I like our happy ending best.”

It was a long time before they slept.