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This time he let himself smile “Make me one promise If you can’t handle it, talk to me Don’t bottle it up until you explode and all hell breaks loose”

“Who? Moi?” She tickled hie

He trapped her hand under his “Yeah, you I want to hear you say it”

“I pro loose”

The knot of anxiety and dread in his gutbefore I leave?” Waiting any longer than necessary would be akin to torture

“How does Fourth of July weekend sound? Callie’s already rescheduling things”

No words could do justice to how he felt about this woman as not only his love, but also his best friend So rather than even try, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the bedroom They made it into the hall before he wrapped his arainst him Before he could lower hisup, she took possession of his ainst his chest Fire shot through hihts evaporated as his body’s desires took over Driven by the need to see all of her, touch all of her, he reached up and untied the knot behind her neck that held up the top of her sundress Then he took a step back, and with a slight tug he pulled the dress down When it hit her ankles, she stepped aside and reached for the button on his shorts

“Not yet You’re still far too dressed” He pulled at the front of her strapless bra before reaching between her breasts to unhook it He didn’t deserve this gorgeous wo for her “Much better, but still not done” He ran a hand down her side to her hip When her breathing changed and her nipples popped, he ser under the waistband of her panties and pulled them down as well “Perfect”

Lauren shook her head and took a step back when he reached for her again “I don’t think so, Major Callahan” Then she again reached for the button on his shorts As she worked on the pile in the hallway

“In a rush are you?” she gave him a seductive sht there in the hall She ran a hand down his erection, her hand scorching his skin even through the cotton between them

When he groaned, she smiled and then finally pulled down the final barrier between them

“Now, that’s—”

Nate kissed her again as he picked her up and joined their bodies fully before they h the doorway

His body sated, he dropped a kiss on her head In response, she snuggled closer to hied the past fifteen years without her? Just the past few days had been hell Not that any of it thatshort of a natural disaster was going to change that A shout his body took shape on his face Life didn’t get much better than this

Chapter 16

In just teeks they got everything done, thanks to Callie and her connections Even with Callie’s help, it had not been easy Still, here she was dressed in the wedding gown of her dreams Outside family and close friends waited on the South lawn of Callie and Dylan’s estate in Greenwich, Connecticut

Lauren’s fingernails dug into her palms, while behind her the hairstylist secured her veil Already, the wo She didn’t want another scolding Yet it took all her concentration to keep her legs still Every inch of her quivered with happy excitement How could she not? After what felt like a lifeti to say their vows to each other She’d thought about this moment since the day in middle school when she’d opened her locker and found a note fro her to the movies Before that day, they had been the best of friends After that day everything changed Back then she never would’ve iined all the detours their relationship would take, yet so to spend their lives together

The hairstylist slipped one last pin into her hair and stepped away, leaving Lauren to admire her reflection in the mirror

“I’m so happy for you If anyone deserves this, you two do” Callie walked up alongside her Dressed in a floor-length lilac goith a full skirt, no one would ever guess she was pregnant

“I can’t believe we ether I never could’ve done it without you” The amount of work Callie put into the preparations overwhelmed her Every day for the past teeks the two of the

“I still don’t kno you two did it,” Mallory, Matt’s wife and one of her bridesmaids, said from across the room