The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(61)

***

As she descended the staircase, Charlotte felt like she was walking into a dream. Her father was already misty-eyed and fighting back tears, waiting at the base of the stairs while Ellen escorted Charlotte down, arm in arm. A string quartet played outside the entrance to the library around the corner. All Charlotte had to do was walk through those doors, say a few words, and within half an hour she would be married to Jack Coburn in the mansion's library.

The room had been the reason Jack suggested the mansion in the first place. With an aisle down the middle, it could only fit a few dozen chairs. Then there were the books, old, leather-bound tomes collected from across the world; they were beautiful, but the real star of the room was the two story window whose leaded panes stretched from floor to ceiling, giving a dramatic view of the grounds beyond.

As Charlotte entered the room, she saw Jack waiting. Her heart raced as she tried one more time to remind herself that this wasn't real. Even so, deep down, she couldn't help but feel that maybe she and Jack were right for each other. Charlotte's mother and her father, one on either side, were sniffling and trying not to cry as they brought her down the aisle.

Charlotte looked over the small group of friends and family who had assembled. Her aunts, uncles, two of her cousins and their toddlers sat behind Callie's sister, Amy and her husband. Logan's dad Hank sat with Callie's Aunt Vi, who was waving to Charlotte. Members of Jack's family who Charlotte had never met lined the other side. Jack's mother sat in the front row, next to Whit and his date.

Everyone was looking at her, and an unexpected weakness swept through Charlotte's body. By the time she reached the end of the aisle, her hands were trembling. She hugged her parents and took her place across from Jack.

The ceremony was elegant and tasteful, but that didn't stop Charlotte from being a bundle of nerves. The whole time, she wondered whether or not there was some truth to that smile of Jack's and the look in his eye as he held her hand when the minister began to speak. Charlotte didn't hear a word of it. She barely realized when Jack started talking.

"Charlotte," he said, "when I met you, I don't think I believed in love. I didn't believe in its redemptive power or its sheer beauty, but in the short time I've known you, I've realized how wrong I was. Every day I spend with you makes me better.


"I don't think I've earned the right to be your husband. I don't think that's possible. Not yet, anyway. I'll have to earn it, every day from this day forward, in the morning, when all we want to do is stay in bed, and at night, when I'm stuck at work and trying to figure out a way to get home to you, I will do everything I can to earn your love."

Charlotte squeezed Jack's hand as he spoke, and she looked him in the eye.

"I love you," she said.

She felt like a weight had lifted itself off of her chest. She hadn't been able to truly admit it to herself until hearing it out loud.

"I love you more than I knew possible. You're the best man I've ever known, and — first impressions aside — I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you. When you first asked me out, I thought you were joking. What could a guy like you see in a girl like me? But the truth is you've seen more in me than I ever dreamed possible, and every day with you is a new adventure. Whether I'm getting lost inside our house again or forgetting the name of every ambassador at a dinner party, I know you'll be there for me. And when you need someone to talk to, when you need someone to hold, someone to share your life with, I'm there for you too. I've been told over the years that I had an unrealistic idea of what love could be, that I had inflated it to some unattainable ideal. I can see now that my only fault was not dreaming big enough. I love you."

She stared at Jack and whispered under her breath once more.

"I love you."

Jack squeezed her hands gently, looking deep into her eyes.

The minister began the final part of the ceremony. Again, all his words were a blur, and Charlotte felt like she was alone in the room with Jack. She watched Jack's lips as he repeated the vows.

"I do," he said.

Then, after a pause, she realized it was her turn.

"Do you, Charlotte, take Jack to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" the minister asked. Charlotte took a deep breath.

"I do."





Chapter 23

Charlotte closed her eyes and listened to the dull hum of the outboard motor. Sunlight soaked every inch of her body, and she felt like she was floating on air. Jack nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, we're almost there," he said.

Up in the distance, Charlotte saw a small island. She could just barely make out the gentle curve of the white sand beach, but the shape of the island was clear. Low and sandy on one end, it rose up to a peak on the other. At first, Charlotte had assumed that it was a relatively small hill, but the closer they got to the island, the larger it seemed. By the time they reached the island's long wooden dock, the hill towered before them, an impressive set of cliffs lording over the teal water that surrounded them.

"I know you had your heart set on curling up with a cup of tea and reading in some corner for the next week, so I figured why not let that corner be somewhere where we could relax and just enjoy the day without anyone to bother us? We'll have a daily delivery of whatever we want, but other than that, there won't be another soul for miles. There are several beaches and hiking trails around the island, and there's a boat available if we want to do any exploring."