Page 22 of Married to Mischief

“You need some more time; I get it. We’ll start simple—dinner parties in my penthouse.”

Caleb clenches his jaw and turns his attention to my grandfather, who is smiling so big he has tears in his eyes.

“We are here today to join this man and this woman…” My attention slips away from his words as the feeling of love nearly knocks me off-kilter. Never in my life have I been surrounded by such an overwhelming feeling of completeness. Never in my life did I think I’d find Serena, that I’d get a chance to redeem myself and marry her. But here I am.

“Liam?”

I blink, looking at my grandfather.

“Your vows?”

“Oh, right.” I turn my attention to Serena. “I’ve been planning our wedding for months. When we got to London two days ago, I put Amelia and Caleb on a plane to meet us here. I planned on marrying you beneath that willow tree where you first kissed me. But then I remembered this spot when I read the journal and knew this is where I wanted to surprise you. I texted them all toget here, then plans changed because we like to keep each other on our toes.” I grin at her and a slight blush finds her cheeks.

“You set this all up?” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Was this a fake treasure hunt?”

“No, the treasure hunt was very much real, as real as the treasure in your hands. It was simply luck our first clue was beneath a dress store. I did lie about the jewelry store though. There was no connection. I just needed to pick up this.” I slip the ring box from my pocket. I open the box to reveal the vintage ring with a large oval diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, like it’s the sun. She’s my sun, my light, everything. I designed it my first week in Phoenix. Yes, I was bored, but I wanted to be ready for the right time. Which I found.

“Is this stolen?” she whispers.

“Like I’d tell you if it was.” I slip the ring onto her finger. She immediately cradles it to her chest.

Her bottom lip trembles. “You’ve been telling me your vows this whole trip, haven’t you?”

“I have. Because I want you to know I’m not in this for today only, but forever. Every day I’ll repeat my vows. Every day I will prove myself to you. I promise, Serena, I’ll love you more than you have ever been loved before. You've made me an honest man, and I will be the man you deserve for the rest of your life. You will always be my greatest treasure.”

She’s crying. I’m crying. I’m pretty sure the only one not crying is Caleb. Does the man even have a heart?

“Serena,” Grandfather says, “your turn for the vows.”

Serena shakes her head, swiping at her tears. “I thought falling for you would be the biggest mistake of my life. But you are the best thing that has happened to me. When we were kids and now. You bring the color to my life. You make me laugh, make me dream. Sometimes you make me curse,” she grins, “but I only want to curse and dream with you. You showed me true love,and I will show you true love in return for the rest of our lives. I couldn’t imagine a better ending for us.”

“Oh darling. This isn’t the end,” I whisper. We have so much life ahead, filled with the love we both dreamed of.

Grandpa Henry clears his throat. “By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife.”

“Come here, wife.” I grab my bride and dip her, giving her a kiss I’ve been dreaming about all day. The last six months, I’ve thought of nothing else than this. Of marrying the woman I love. And I show her just how much I love her with every brush of my lips for averylong time.

“We, um, need another picture pose,” Amelia cuts in. “Maybe one where you’re looking at the camera?”

Serena pulls out of my grasp and turns to smile at our guests, but I last all of two seconds smiling toward the phone before my wife steals my attention again.My wife.

Only when Amelia has posed us fifteen different ways and is content with the variety of photos does Serena remember the treasure.

“We need to open it!” she says excitedly.

“You do it.” It could be a potato in that sack and I would still be smiling like a fool.

“Okay.” Serena takes a deep breath, and everyone gathers around as she loosens the ties on the bag.

She pulls a dust-covered book from the bag.

“A book?” Amelia asks, deadpan. “That was anti-climactic.”

Serena turns the book over and reads the title. “The Mysteries of Ireland.”

“It seems the adventure has only begun.” I grin.

“Let me guess. You won’t be starting on Tuesday,” Caleb says.

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