The Billionaire Wins the Game(36)

“I know that your own father isn’t here and I wanted to say that I would be more than honored if you would allow me to walk you down the aisle this afternoon,” he said with some tears in his eyes.

Amy’s eyes were burning, as she replied to his kind offer. “It would be my honor to have you escort me. You’re the kind of father I always dreamed of having.” She couldn’t say anything further because she got entirely too choked up as she looked into his kind eyes. He pulled her close for a hug and she clung to him, hoping he would never let her go. She’d been so careful in her years to not get too attached to people, yet in a few short months she loved Lucas’s entire family.

“Now, now, you don’t want to get all teary eyed and ruin that makeup. I don’t think my son could handle any delays. He’s already pacing up and down the hallway. The preacher just led him to his spot at the altar,” Joseph chuckled.

Amy took one final look in the mirror and then took a deep breath, “I’m ready,” she said. She took Josephs arm as he led her out of the room. Amy heard the music begin as they stepped through the doorway.

She gasped and the only thing that kept her from running was Joseph gripping her arm. “I thought only a few people would be here,” she whispered to him.

“Now Amy, don’t be frightened. My oldest son’s finally getting married and we couldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings by not including them in the affair,” he said to her, making her feel some guilt about not wanting all the strangers staring at her.


Amy took a deep breath and felt the nerves running through her entire body as they took the first steps down the beautifully made aisle. She looked straight ahead because she feared if she faced the stranger’s faces she would turn around and run.

Suddenly she spotted Lucas at the end of the aisle, just a short distance from her. He took her breath away with how beautiful of a man he was. Their eyes met and held. He gave her a smile that seemed to tell her everything would be okay.

Amy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She stopped to catch her breath. Joseph looked at her quizzically, but she didn’t notice. She didn’t notice anything but the way her body was quivering.

She was in love with him. She loved him so much she couldn’t imagine her life without him. He was going to be her husband and he didn’t love her. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the wedding. She didn’t know how she could be with him every single day, making love and raising a child and knowing he didn’t love her. She was barely holding herself together.

Joseph prompted her and she finally began to walk forward again. She had to fight to keep the tears away. Maybe he would fall in love with me, she tried to comfort herself. But if he thought she’d somehow trapped him into the marriage, how would he ever trust her, much less love her?

He knew she hadn’t planned the pregnancy but he was honorable in doing what was right for his child and therefore would always feel like he was trapped.

There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she would continue on down the aisle and get the wedding over with. She was a strong person. She would have to store away her love and try to survive the whole thing.

Lucas felt a moment of panic as Amy stopped halfway down the aisle. Was she going to turn and run? He wouldn’t let her get far. He knew how badly she wanted her baby and as much as it hurt him to trap her he couldn’t let them go. In the months he’d known her she’d invaded his every sense and he couldn’t picture a future any longer without her in it.

He breathed a sigh of relief as they began walking towards him, again. When his father placed her hand in his and then stepped up to stand beside him, he felt a feeling of calmness wash over him. He had her in his arms and he wasn’t going to let her go.

He barely heard the preacher saying the vows. He focused just enough to repeat the words he needed to say but other than that his mind was consumed by his beautiful bride.

She was a vision, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. He’d dated models and heiresses. He’d been with far more women than he should’ve been with but none of them had been able to cause the tightening in his gut like Amy could. She had a natural beauty that outshone the brightest stars of Hollywood.

He would move heaven and earth to have her be his wife forever. He was falling in love with her, he realized. He was shocked to the depths of his soul by that revelation. He couldn’t let her know of his feelings because then she would know she had the power to drop him to his knees and beg her for mercy.

He wouldn’t let her destroy him. He would be a good husband and she would learn to love him and not his name and not his money. Please God, let her love me and not what I can give her, he secretly added to his vows of love, honor and obey.

They finished the ceremony and the preacher told him to kiss his new bride. Lucas gave a full-fledged smile. “Gladly.” then he bent her slightly backwards and consumed her mouth. They both forgot they were standing in a room full of people.

Neither of them had any idea how long the kiss continued. They may as well have been alone in their bedroom. It had been so long since he’d held her and tasted the sweet nectar of her lips.

“Ah son, you have plenty of time for that during the honeymoon,” Joseph interrupted the pair and slapped his son on the back. The crowd laughed at Lucas’s enthusiasm. Amy turned scarlet and Lucas looked like a very proud husband.