Page 33 of After the Vows

“You do realize you’re stuck with wild child Chloe now.”

I scowl at him. “Chloe’s not a wild child.”

He barks out a laugh. “She’s got you fooled.”

Is he serious? Is Chloe not who I think she is? My glance falls on Natalia who’s hopping from foot to foot at the end of the aisle waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Weston’s wrong. Chloe is a complete sweetheart to my daughter. And when she found out my ex is trying to steal Natalia from me, she switched on Mama Bear mode. She was ready to hunt down Holly and throw her into the ocean.

Chloe’s the woman I want around my daughter. Not her own mother. Although, referring to Holly as a mother is a disservice to mothers everywhere.

“Hi, Mom,” Weston greets as his mother joins us at the front of the gathering.

“Mrs. Milton.”

“It’s Lily. You’re a member of the family now.”

Another unexpected request from Chloe. She wants to be married by her best friend’s mom who happens to be my partner’s mom. Chloe is full of surprises. I bet she’ll surprise me every day of my life.

“Are you ready?” Lily asks.

My pulse increases until my heart is beating against my chest in excitement.

“Yep,” I croak. Weston laughs next to me and I kick him, which causes him to laugh harder. Why did I ask him to be my best man again?

I clear my throat. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Lily nods to the violinist who begins to play. The violinist was not a request from Chloe. She actually wanted the rock bandCash & the Sinnersto performbut the owner of the resort, Hudson, nixed the idea.

Natalia begins walking down the aisle. She’s the flower girl but instead of throwing rose petals in the air, she blows bubbles.

She reaches me and I haul her into my arms. “Good job, cupcake.”

“Love you, Daddy.”

I hug her tighter. She doesn’t call me daddy very often. These moments are precious. These moments are worth the world. These moments are why Holly will never get her hands onmydaughter.

She squirms in my arms, and I let her go.

Weston elbows me. “Here comes the bride.”

I turn to watch Chloe walk down the aisle. Holy shit. She’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

She’s wearing a form-fitting dress made entirely of lace. It hugs her body from the neckline all the way down to the knees where it flares out slightly in a mermaid style. In case the tight fit isn’t sexy enough, the neckline plunges in a deep V in a tantalizing tease.

“You’re drooling,” Weston whispers.

“Don’t be jealous my wife is hot as fuck.” Chloe isn’t my wife yet but I enjoy the way the words roll off my tongue.My wife.

She smiles as she walks toward me and my heart thumps in my chest. I want to pull her into my arms and meld my lips to hers. I want to peel her wedding gown off to reveal her naked body beneath. I’ve imagined dozens of ways to explore her body while naked in my shower with my cock in my hand.

My cock hardens and lengthens. Shit. I’m wearing dress pants. There’s no hiding a hard-on in these.

I force my thoughts away from what I want to do with Chloe to why I’m here. My gaze falls on Natalia who’s jumping up and down in excitement. She’s why I’m here. She’s the reason for this.

Natalia rushes to Chloe. Chloe leans down and whispers something in Natalia’s ear before taking her hand. Together they walk toward me.

This is what I want. What I crave. A woman who will stand by my daughter and me when we need it. And it doesn’t hurt how sexy Chloe is.

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