“It seems like just yesterday when we were here for your baptism.”
My dad’s words had me tearing up even more, but then my sister had me laughing again when she glanced over her shoulder and grinned at us. “Uh-oh, is he about to balk at giving you away to your groom?”
He grumbled something under his breath about still being the most important man in my life, making me laugh even harder. I’d barely gotten myself back under control when it was our turn to walk into the chapel. My huge smile somehow grew even bigger when Rhett started to stalk up the aisle as soon as he saw me. My dad shook his head, laughter in his tone as he said, “Your groom seems impatient to get to you.”
“Damn straight,” Rhett muttered, reaching for my free arm when he got near.
I walked the rest of the way down the aisle guided by two men who loved me unconditionally. And when the priest asked who was giving me away, my dad’s voice rang through the church as he answered, “Her mother and I do...but I think he just proved that he would’ve taken her even if we didn’t.”
After that moment, most of the ceremony was a blur, but the kiss my husband laid on me as soon as we were pronounced man and wife was something I would never forget.
Epilogue Rhett
I was in the middle of final negotiations for the purchase of a warehouse that had been converted to an open-plan office space in Soho when Lois slipped into the conference room and hurried over to whisper in my ear. “You need to wrap this up, boss.”
I could count on one hand how many times my secretary had interrupted a meeting in all the time she’d worked for me. She wasn’t prone to overreacting, so whatever had sent her looking for me must be serious. And odds were good that it had to do with my family because Lois knew that my wife and child were more important than anything else in my world.
After giving her a jerky nod, I turned my attention back to the real estate broker sitting across from me. “Tell your client that I’m going to knock a million off my offer for each day he drags his feet on this deal.”
“What?” His eyes went wide as he jabbed his finger at the paperwork in front of him. “There’s no way he’s going to take even a penny less than what you’ve already agreed to.”
I shoved my seat back and stood, glaring down at him. “That’s what I was willing to pay this morning before he tried to add all sorts of contingencies to the deal. I can easily find another building that’s for sale. Can he say the same when it comes to finding another buyer who’s looking for a thirty-plus-million-dollar building in this market?” The guy cringed, letting me know I’d driven my point home. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Wait a minute, Mr. Whitney,” he called after me as I strode out of the room.
Lois was waiting for me in the hallway. I ignored him so I could focus on what she needed to tell me. “I think Charlotte is in labor.”
“What the fuck?” I growled, stalking down the hall toward the huge office we shared.
Lois stuck close to me as she explained, “She hasn’t said anything about it, but I caught her grimacing and rubbing her belly twice in the past hour.”
If my wife had been hiding the fact that she was in labor so I could close this fucking deal, she was going to get so many damn spankings once she was healed. She’d gone with me when I toured the building and had instantly fallen in love with the large windows, high ceilings, and exposed brick. Her reaction was probably a big part of why that douchebag broker thought he could get me to concede to a bunch of shit for his client.
Jerking my thumb over my shoulder, I barked, “Make sure that guy knows how serious I was when I threatened to knock a million off my offer for each day his client drags his heels. If Charlotte gives birth today, I don’t want this deal hanging in limbo while we take time off. Who knows what the fuck else he’ll try to ask for if I don’t sign for another six to eight weeks?”
Instead of giving me one of her usual snappy comebacks, Lois actually scampered off to do my bidding, and that just freaked me the fuck out even more. When I rushed into our office, Charlotte jumped out of her seat and muttered, “Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh, you’re busted for not telling me you’re in labor? Or uh-oh, something else?” I growled as I rushed across the room.
“I wasn’t hiding anything. I thought they were just Braxton Hicks,” she cried, pointing at the floor between her feet. “But my water just broke, so this is not a drill. I’m officially in labor.”
I fired off a quick text to Fenton, asking him to meet us in front of the building. Then I sent another message to Jamison and Hazel, letting them know that we were heading to the hospital and I needed one of them to pick our sons up from the on-site daycare. Then I rounded her desk and stroked my hand down Charlotte’s spine when she doubled over and let out a pained whimper. I waited for the contraction to pass before growling, “How long have you been having them?”
“A few hours,” she mumbled, burying her face against my shoulder when I swept her off her feet.
I
