Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“Do you not want to marry me?”
“I do,” I say instantly.
He gives me that dimple I love so much. Who am I kidding? I love everything about Devlin. There is no later for me; I’m already madly in love with him. I don’t care how fast it might be.
Maybe one day he’ll love everything about me too.
17
Devlin
The service is relatively quick. After all, that’s what I’ve paid handsomely for. The judge does what needs to be done as Malone serves as my second. Brenda stands at Diamond’s elbow. She put off opening the club to come here for this.
I’m not sure why, but Diamond gravitates toward Brenda, and Brenda, for what it’s worth, has taken a shine to my girl. Then again, Brenda is the toughest person I know, so I’m glad she jumped at the chance of standing up at this wedding. If anyone could serve as a friend—or hell, a surrogate mother—to Diamond, I’d want it to be Brenda.
Diamond leans over and whispers, “My father didn’t come?”
“No.” I’m not sure why she’d ask that. But I suppose I haven’t had time to explain to her what went down with her father. I’ll do that later. After she’s mine. After I’ve taken her in every way I can think of and some I can’t… yet. I need her on lock. She already has all of me. I just need it in writing, and I can’t deny this is exactly what I want. Her as my wife. Fuck, it makes me grin like a fool just thinking about it.
It’s also the only way I’m going to convince the other bosses that she’s mine and that her father has no valid claim on her. I have no doubt he’s already making visits to the other bosses in town and claiming I’ve stolen his Diamond and violated our unwritten code. So it’s strategy. But one solely designed to keep her by my side and keep her safe. I will never let her father get his hands on her again. I’ll die first.
“Do you have the rings?” the judge asks.
“Rings. Yeah.” I turn to Malone. He feels around, patting his pockets and frowning.
“Malone.” I tense. “The rings.”
“Yeah, I got them from the safe. I’m just …” He keeps patting.
Diamond stifles a giggle, and Brenda whispers something in her ear that has her covering her mouth to hide her laughter.
The judge glares at Malone, then turns that same glare on me. I return it until he decides that the most interesting thing in the entire room is the pair of shoes on his feet.
My best man is still clowning, and I’m getting that urge to grab him and shake again. “Malone, if you fuck this up, I’m going to—”
“Here!” He pulls a hand from his inner coat pocket. “Got them right here.” He drops them into my palm, and I turn back to Diamond.
I can hear Malone’s relieved sigh at my back.
“May I?” I hold my hand out for Diamond’s.
She smiles and gives me her left hand with her ring finger poking straight out.
“With this ring, I thee wed.” I slide it on.
“That’s huge.” She gasps as she stares down at the stone. The biggest diamond from my collection sparkles in the light from hundreds of facets.
Brenda whistles and gives me an appreciative nod. “Nice, boss.”
I hold my hand out, and Diamond slides a simple platinum band onto my finger. “I’ll never take it off,” I tell her.
“I can’t believe we’re really doing this.” She glances at the judge.
“It’s almost done, young lady,” he replies. “All that’s left is for the kiss.”
“Are you ready?” I tilt her chin up so I’m looking into her bright eyes. “Ready to be mine?”
“Yes,” she breathes.
I kiss her, taking her into my arms and bending her back until she’s relying on me to hold her up. This is what I’ll always do for her—be there for her, hold her up, keep her wrapped in my arms so that no one will ever harm her. I promise all this and more as we kiss, our tongues stroking, our bodies heating.
When I finally let her come up for air, Brenda and Malone start clapping and yelling.
Diamond laughs and smiles so big I think my heart might burst from sheer happiness.
“I pronounce you husband and wife.” The judge closes his Bible with a snap. “And thank you for the campaign donation. If it’s all right with you, I should probably get back to—”
“You’re dismissed. File the paperwork so it’s all legal and on the books. Got it?”
He nods. “I’ll do it first thing.”
“Diamond Harrigan. That has a ring to it, doesn’t it?” I kiss the tip of her nose.
She waggles the diamond on her finger. “Now it does.”
I scoop her into my arms and head for the stairs without missing a beat.