Ready to Wed (Ready #1.5)(20)

I hated that he was right all the time.

I didn’t have a watch, but I was assuming it would be at least three hours before we could get out of here. After that, we had an entire week of vacation. We weren’t calling it a honeymoon, because we had decided to include Maddie. The grandparents had all offered to take her for a week, but this had originally been our vacation, until we switched into our wedding celebration. We didn’t want to kick her out of her own vacation. Plus, we were a new family and Logan was a new father. We not only needed time as a couple, but time as a family.

So, we were having a honeymoon, plus one. We could have a real honeymoon later. We still had our own bedroom and had activities planned for Maddie so we could have alone time when we needed it, but this felt right. We didn’t know what our lives would be like in the next few months, and spending as much time together as possible sounded like the best option.

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Logan whispered into my ear, returning with a glass of champagne from the bar.

“About what, dear husband?” I asked innocently.

“Mmm…say it again,” he growled.

“Husband?”

“Yes.” He wrapped his arms around my hips and pulled me forward. “I like that. A lot.”

“I can tell,” I said, sliding my hand down his backside.

“Clare…,” he warned.

“Yes, husband?”

“That’s it. Meet me in the hallway, just over there,” he said, pointing to my right, “In three minutes. Three minutes Clare.”

I looked at him a bit amused. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to cash in a favor.”

Before I could ask him anymore, he was gone.

I didn’t have a watch. How the hell was I supposed to tell when it’d been three minutes? I started counting in my head, one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand….and made my way around the small room, smiling and hugging as I continued to count in my head. I was just hoping no one asked me anything, otherwise I’d lose count. I was up to eight-nine.

“Honey, where did Logan run off to?” my mother asked, breaking my concentration.

Crap.

“Oh, um…I don’t know. Probably to loosen up his tie, or check on the hotel room maybe?”

Had it been three minutes yet?

“Ah yes. We moved some of Maddie’s things into our suite for the night, so she’s all set. Are you two staying in the honeymoon suite?”

“Yes. I told Logan it wasn’t necessary. We already had a room…two actually. But he insisted, so I relented.”

“Well I’m sure it will be perfect.”

“Yes, it will be,” I said, just as I saw Logan dart his head in and search the room. His gaze settled on me and I knew my three minutes were up.

“I’ll be right back, Mom,” I said, not bothering to hear what she said after that. The look Logan had just given me was scorching and I had to hold myself back from running out of the room.

Without causing too much of a scene, and being sure I said hello to everyone as I passed, I made my way toward the exit. Just as I was about to make my disappearing act, I ran head first into a brick wall.

I heard a chuckle. “Looks like you’re ditching your own party, Big Sis,” Garrett said.

I blushed and bit my lip, glancing around in hopes no one had noticed.

“I was just going to….” I stumbled on my words, trying to think up an excuse.

Garrett gave me a knowing grin, his green eyes glowing with mischief. A perfect match set to my own. It was something we’d both inherited from my mother.

“It’s cool, Clare. I don’t want to know,” he said, shaking his head and holding up his hands in defeat.

“I’m happy for you, Sis. You deserve it.”

“Thank you Garrett. That means a lot. Maybe we’ll be doing the same thing at your wedding a few years from now? I promise I’ll let you go quietly into the hallway, too,” I joked.

His eyes went glassy and he turned away.

“Yeah, maybe.”

He gave me another quick hug and told me to make my getaway while I still could. I ducked into the hallway and was immediately grabbed around the waist and pushed against the wall.

“It’s been more than three minutes,” Logan growled.

“I don’t have a watch,” I answered, holding up my wrist which only had a small strand of pearls circling it.

“Come on,” he said, taking my hand in his and pulling me towards a closed door down the hall.

“Where are we going?”

We reached the door, and he quietly opened it and we ducked inside. It was the grand ballroom, dark and unused, since Logan had rented out the entire hotel.

“I can’t wait another minute, Clare. I need to have my hands on you. Seeing you in that dress…knowing that you’re finally my wife. It’s driving me insane.”

He lifted me up and set me down on one of the round tables that were scattered around the room.

“What if someone comes in here?” I asked, biting my lip and totally loving the idea of doing something naughty.

“Believe me, no one’s coming in here. Colin’s making sure of that.”

My eyes widened. “You don’t mean he’s out there,” I said, pointing to the door, “standing watch?”