Page 60 of Enemies with Benefits

Gemma Mortimer approached, tweaking the veil she’d tweaked a dozen times already. ‘I know, but maybe just...pretend for five seconds? I really want to see Jasper’s face.’

‘Why?’

Gemma shrugged. ‘Just...a little payback for all the tricks he pulled on me when we were kids.’

The woman who was fast becoming as precious to me as her brother stared at me with pleading eyes. Damn, those irresistible hazel Mortimer eyes. ‘Three seconds, that’s all I can give you.’

Gemma whooped. ‘I knew you were awesome when you chose me as your maid of honour.’

My smile widened, my heart swelling at the closeness between the siblings these past few months. But my heart was even more grateful for the transformation within my own family.

As if summoned by my thoughts, my mother walked in as Gemma retreated.

Agnes wore a burnished orange lace dress that perfectly complemented the tan she’d cultivated in the pre-wedding week we’d been in Morocco. But her attire wasn’t what interested me. The tentative smile that grew at my silent welcome was what touched my soul, the light kiss she dropped on my cheek before stepping back what drew tears to my eyes.

An open conversation with her on my return to London, and then with Perry after his successful stretch at rehab, had stopped the rot of our relationship. Full recovery was a long way off, but my mother’s raw admission that she didn’t want to lose her daughter, that she’d taken a wrong stance in order to please my father, had helped.

‘You look beautiful, Wren.’

‘Thank you, Mother.’

She stepped closer. ‘I hope this doesn’t make you cry and ruin your make-up, but thank you for healing our family.’

Swivelling to face her, I felt a small sob burst out of me. ‘Oh, Mum!’

Her own eyes watered. ‘You’ve never called me that before. I... I like it.’

I gripped her hand as she sniffed. Then after touching up my make-up, she looked into my eyes. ‘Your brother is ready to walk you down the aisle. Are you ready, Wren?’

‘The love of my life is waiting for me, Mum. I’m ready.’

I watched the woman twirling expertly on the dance floor, drawing smiles and laughter from family and guests alike. Silently I shook my head in wonder as she caught my gaze and blew me a kiss.

My wife.Wren Mortimer-Bingham was my wife.

‘Jesus, don’t let her catch you with that idiotic smile on your face, Jasper. She’ll own you for life.’

‘Don’t listen to Gideon,’ came the rejoinder from Damian. ‘I catch him staring at Leonie like that at least a dozen times a minute.’

I mourned the disruption of my adoration and turned as Bryce joined us. ‘Yeah, I say don’t watch her like that because it creeps the rest of us out.’

I couldn’t help the laughter that barked out of me or the now familiar warmth that infused me. I’d come to recognise it as a different kind of love. The sustaining kind that was always there but buried beneath the clutter of other emotions.

All it’d needed was the right woman to help us all buff off the hardened edges to rediscover the diamond-strong connection beneath.

And, sweet heaven, the shine of their love was blinding. For a silent moment we watched the women in our lives—Wren, Leonie, Neve and Savvie—dance some more.

‘Are you ready to talk business or shall we wait for this sappiness to pass?’ Damian muttered.

My gaze flicked from my brother to his wife, Neve, who looked up just then and sent him a secret smile. Then I gazed at my own wife. ‘Don’t hold your breath, Damian. This is a lifelong thing,’ I replied.

He turned and watched me for a second. Then slapped me on the back. ‘I’m proud of you, brother.’

The lump was still in my throat when I wove through the guests to my wife’s side. Wrapped my arms around her, held her tight and just breathed her in as she threw her arms around my neck.

‘I missed you,’ I confessed. ‘And I love you like mad, even though I still owe you big time letting Gem pull that prank at the wedding.’

Gemma had suddenly frozen halfway down the aisle, stared at me and mouthedSorry. A heartless trick that’d nearly killed me until Wren stepped into view on her brother’s arm, her smile incandescent.

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