Page 52 of Tempting My Billionaire Master

The small crowd surrounded us as we exited the church like a warm embrace, a whirlwind of hugs, kisses and congratulations.

“Chloe, my dear,” Mary embraced me warmly, tears glistening in her eyes. “I knew you were good people the moment I saw you wandering down that forest road. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thank you, Mary. For everything.” I hugged her tight, blinking back my own tears. How far we’d come since that first meeting.

Elisabeth was next, giggling as she air-kissed my cheeks. “It looks very good on you, Chloe,” she said. “Almost as good as it looked on me during my wedding.” She winked slyly. “You owe me a favor now, dear. I’ll consider us even if you tell me all about the wedding night. In detail.”

My entire face flamed scarlet as Ethan chuckled beside me.

Susan scoffed at Elisabeth before turning to us. She extended her hand, offering her congratulations, but after a moment, she sighed and said, “Oh, what the hell,” before pulling me into a warm hug.

“Tell me, when are you and Mr. Billionaire moving to Pinegrove?” she asked as she pulled back from our hug.

“We don’t have plans to make the move here, but we will definitely visit often.”

“What, Pinegrove’s not good enough for you two?” Susan scoffed.

“Susan!” Mary scolded her gently, but I could see the teasing glint in Susan’s eyes.

Amanda bounced over, to hug me, her eyes shining as she said, “Susan does have a point, though. We could use a billionaire on our side to help Jess out with Thomas.”

I glanced at Ethan and said, “Ethan, maybe you could help. Do you know a billionaire named Thomas…” I turned to Jess to ask for his last name, but Jess interrupted me.

“Look, Chloe, I appreciate your concern,” Jess said softly, her cheeks tinged pink. “But I don’t want to inconvenience you two. You’ve done enough for us already.”

“Listen, after everything Pinegrove has done for Chloe and me, there’s no inconvenience at all,” Ethan interjected, his voice firm but gentle. “We’re more than happy to help.”

Jess shook her head, her eyes pleading. “Please, don’t interfere. This isn’t how we do things here.”

Reluctantly, I agreed. “If that’s what you want, Jess, we won’t push it. But know that we’re here for you if you need anything.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the mood,” Jess smiled gratefully and hugged me. “Thank you. And congratulations, you two. You deserve all the happiness in the world. And it is so great that of all the places in the world you chose Pinegrove for a wedding ceremony!”

I exchanged glances with Ethan. “To be quite honest, we decided to do several weddings… but Pinegrove is the first location on our list.”

As Jess stepped back, Patrick approached Ethan with a grin plastered on his face. “Congratulations on the catch, man!” He shook Ethan’s hand firmly before playfully hitting him on the shoulder.

“Patrick! Be careful with his shoulder!” Susan reacted immediately.

“It’s alright, Susan. The wound has healed splendidly.” Ethan said. “Thanks to the good doctor here.” He nodded at Amanda, and to my surprise I could see a tinge of red in the cheeks of the stern doctor.

“Hey, speaking of celebrations, how about a barbecue?” Patrick suggested, excitement shining in his eyes. “My buddy Ronny McAllister has this huge gas grill, and my trunk is full of beer. Everyone’s invited!”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Ethan replied, his gaze meeting mine for a brief moment. “But let me cover everything.”

“Really? Well, thanks, man!” Patrick cleared his throat, shuffling his feet. “So, Amanda, you coming to this barbecue?”

“Hmm.” Amanda pretended to consider it, tapping her chin. “I suppose so, if you promise to behave, Deputy.”

Poor Patrick went beet red. I bit my lip to hide my grin, glancing at Ethan who was clearly also struggling not to laugh. In that moment, I felt as though I’d known these people for a thousand years.

Wedding Two

Chloe

My cheeks were starting to ache from the forced smile I’d been wearing for what seemed like hours, but I could see only a couple more photographers left in line. I braced myself for another few minutes of agonizing torture that was described by Ethan’s marketing team as ‘necessary public activities’. Ethan gave my hand a gentle squeeze, his warmth a comforting anchor in the chaos. I glanced up at him, taking in the relaxed set of his shoulders and jaw. If he was as exhausted from this charade as I was, he didn’t show it.

We had decided to go public with our marriage, knowing that my work and ongoing investigation against Ethan’s competitors would eventually bring everything to light. So we chose to face it on our terms and organized a party dedicated to our union. But I couldn’t have imagined how exhausting it would be to pretend to be a socialite.

---