Page 36 of Billionaire Temptations

“Max. It’s beautiful.”

He took the box from my hands and removed the necklace from it, placing it around my neck as I stared in the mirror.

“The butterfly is a symbol of transformation. We all have different stages in our lives where we transform, and in order to get to the next stage, we have to go through changes that will shape us into who we will be next. She represents faith and dances as she flits among the flowers. I always want you to dance, Emma. Promise me you’ll never stop dancing.”

Chills ran up and down my spine as he spoke, and tears filled my eyes.

“Thank you, Max. It’s truly beautiful.”

He turned me around, sweeping the back of his hand across my cheek. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to be such a dick.”

“Apology accepted.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “We better get going, or my mom is going to go into a fit of rage if we’re late.”

The four of us climbed into the limo that Martin was driving.

“Where’s Darren?” I whispered in Max’s ear.

“He has the night off.” He winked.

We arrived at his parents’ house, and everyone began to clap as soon as we walked in.

“There they are!” Carol exclaimed. “Our happy little couple has finally arrived.”

I smiled as she and Bradshaw gave me a light hug and introduced them to Kara and Molly. The house was filled with floral arrangements of white dahlias and pink roses. Soft music was playing in every room, and guests were mixing and minglingwith each other. Max grabbed a glass of champagne from the waiter who passed by and handed it to me.

“You are simply stunning. I love that dress.” Carol smiled as she grabbed my hands and held them. “Come on. I’m anxious to show you off to all my friends.”

After meeting a room full of people that I’d never see again, Fiona walked up to me and tapped me on the shoulder.

“They’ll be here soon.” She smiled. “I’m so excited I can barely stand it.”

“Who will be here soon?” Max asked as he looked at his sister.

“You’ll see.” She smirked and walked away.

“What the fuck is she up to?”

I wasn’t about to get in the middle of that one, so I graciously excused myself to the bathroom. As I walked down the hallway, I heard moaning noises coming from the room across from the bathroom. If I remember correctly, it was Bradshaw’s office. After I finished in the bathroom and opened the door, I was startled by the woman who opened the door across the hall. She stopped, and her eyes widened when she saw me. I happened to glance over her shoulder, and I could see Bradshaw buttoning up his pants. I looked down and continued to walk back to where all the guests were. Max took hold of my arm and whispered in my ear.

“Your band has arrived.”

“They aren’t my band, and I had nothing to do with it. Your sister paid for them to play here tonight.”

Max walked away with anger in his eyes, and I was completely confused as to what the fuck was going on in his head. I grabbed another glass of champagne, shook it off, and found Kara, Molly, and Fiona talking to Lucas.

“Well, hello there, pretty lady.” He smiled as he looked me up and down.

Max walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “Hey, baby.”

“Max, I would like you to meet Lucas, lead singer of High Five.”

“Hey. You’re a very lucky man to be marrying this beautiful woman. We met back in Miami.”

“I know I am. I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her.”

“Not hard to do, man.”

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