Page 71 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

“Come here, you have this one loose hair,” she says as she reaches over and adjusts a single strand on my head.

“Better?” I ask.

She nods. I look down at the flower garden. Last summer, I made Earl and Buck help me put in a giant flower garden that is next to an even bigger patio that we can cover with a tent structure. There’s a small gazebo next to it. And the entire thing overlooks the farm fields. One of which I had planted with tulips so this early spring day would be perfect. And it is. The flowers we brought out to supplement the garden are beautiful and all my early spring flowers are in bloom. We’re the first wedding here, just as I planned, but we’re already booked for weddings almost every other weekend for the rest of this year.

When Eric officially asked me three months ago to be his wife, I knew I didn’t want to wait. He had sent Thor in with a ring tied to his walking harness. It was perfect, right there in our home, just the two of us.

Katia scoffed of course because she wanted an elaborate hot air balloon proposal. But not me. I wanted simple and that’s exactly what Eric gave me.

I look back out the window. All sixty of our guests are seated. My mom, stepdad, and brothers came in from Paris. Alicia, her husband, and her kids are here from England. Eric’s parents are in town and my dad has shown up with his latest girlfriend, a woman who we all can just barely stand. The man never learns.

“Are the flower men ready?” I ask Katia.

Katia groans. “I swear to God, you should have let me plan this thing. Why are Earl and Buck the flower girls?” she asks.

“Flower men,” I correct her.

“Whatever? It’s weird,” Katia argues.

I shake my head at my best friend. Eric has Kingsley as his best man and Katia’s my maid of honor. Joy got ordained so she could officiate our wedding. Max and Elisha are catering with food and a cake. And Kevin, a local bartender, is part of a band and they are playing for our reception and the ceremony music.

“You ready?” Dad asks from the doorway as I turn around.

“Ready,” I say.

Dad looks me up and down and I swear his eyes glaze over a bit. “You look beautiful, Ari,” he says as he steps forward and kisses my cheek.

“Thanks, Dad,” I reply.

Things have been so much better between Dad and me. He comes to visit often. He’s still a ruthless businessman, but he at least is attempting to have a better work-life balance.

Dad holds out his arm for me and I accept it as we walk downstairs and get ready to walk out the patio doors to the flower garden. Eric built a special walkway just for this occasion. The pavers end at the barn and then there’s a path with pebbles and small bricks. Pansies in purples and yellows dot the sides of the path as Dad and I make our way to the back of the rows of seats in the garden.

The music starts and Earl and Buck open their fanny packs and begin tossing rose petals. Our friends and family burst into laughter at their antics as they dance their way down the aisle in suits with matching floral suspenders. Earl is even sporting a stylish hat.

Then Kingsley and Katia walk down the aisle. And finally, it’s just Dad and me.

He squeezes my arm. “You ready for this? I can have you out of here in five seconds flat if you say no,” he says, giving me a serious look.

I giggle. “Dad,” I protest, drawing out his name.

“I’m serious,” he says in a low voice.

I turn and Eric comes into view. He’s staring at me as if I’m the most cherished thing on the planet.

“Take me to my future husband, please,” I command, and for the first time ever, Dad does what I ask with zero protest. We walk down the flower-covered path between rows of all the people I love most in the world. And then I’m there, in front of the man I get to spend forever with.

“Hi,” I say as I stop.

“Hi,” he whispers back.

Dad kisses my cheek and takes his seat and Eric takes my hands in his.

“We ready to get this show on the road?” Joy asks us.

We both nod, but our gazes stay locked. We say our short, prepared vows. After much debate, we decided to keep it short and simple. Eric made me promise not to make him cry in front of my dad. So I say that I will always love him, take care of him, listen to him most of the time, and not make him cry in front of people. That makes people laugh. Eric promises to always listen to me, always, and to always protect me and take care of me and get up and feed the animals so I can sleep in late. I hear more laughter as we stay transfixed on each other.

“The rings?” Joy asks after our vows.

Kingsley grabs a leash and walks Thor over, which takes a minute because Thor fell asleep in the bed I made him out here. Eric leans down and removes the rings off Thor’s lead.

Joy asks us to repeat after her as we slide on the rings. My fingers shake a little and Eric squeezes my hand. Just that simple movement reassures me. He’s my rock and I love that about him.

“Well, before we conclude, I just want to say a few words about this lovely couple,” Joy says. I raise an eyebrow and Eric shrugs. This wasn’t part of the rehearsal ceremony.

“I knew from the second Ariana walked into our office that this was a woman who might be the one for our Eric. And she was. They are the most perfect match of souls and it’s been a joy watching them fall in love and overcome obstacles together. They are the real deal. Eric puts up with Ariana’s need for fashion and Ariana, well, she puts up with Eric.” Everyone laughs. “There’s really only one way to conclude this ceremony…

“Come on and kiss the girl,” Joy urges as she looks at Eric. Eric doesn’t have to be told twice as he leans down and takes me in his arms, pressing his lips to mine. And just like that, I know we really will live happily ever after.

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