Page 53 of Powerful Prince
Her lips opened and her eyes fluttered closed, so I took the opportunity to kiss her. She tasted better than cream puffs and chocolate. She was perfect for me.
A hand pressed on my elbow and tugged as a voice said, “Hey! No more kissing. You can do that after the wedding.”
I laughed, but we separated, and I said, “I see Emily is here.”
Nicole slipped away, but winked at me from the door. “See you soon. Look for me. I’ll be the one in the white dress.”
I gave her a once over. Everything about Nicole was amazing. I’m sure my eyes glimmered with happiness as I said, “I’ve been looking for you my whole life.”
She winked at me. “That’s why I’ll say yes.”
My sister slammed the door on me, and I headed to my old room. Gio would have a fresh tuxedo laid out for me, and soon I’d be with love of my life, forever.
Chapter 19
Nicole
My wedding was a blur, though I’d remember it forever as TV cameras were set up inside the church. I’d been taken there in a horse-drawn carriage. And the flawless day made my feet feel like I floated on air.
It was Ryder who broke through to me when he said, “It was nice that you asked my father to walk you down the aisle.”
I met his blue eyes and curled closer to him as our names were called in the hall. The doors flew open, and as we stepped into the roaring crowd, I said, “I don’t have a father anymore, and my cousins were all seated. And, since it was being televised, it made sense to have someone tell me what was proper.”
His lips thinned as people took our picture. “I hope he didn’t say anything to annoy you.”
I bumped into his muscular chest and pushed his cheeks up with my fingers. He kissed my fingers as I said, “Not at all. He talked about how much he loves his son, and that he wants you to be happy.”
My new husband hugged me and smiled for the cameras now as he said, “I wouldn’t have believed that, before you came into my life.”
Finally, the cameras stopped flashing and we made it to the table next to ours. I stopped and squealed when I saw that my oldest sister was here with her family. I said, “Ryder, this is Georgie and her husband Michael, and their son Jeremy.”
He shook their hands and said, “Lovely to meet you.”
As I dragged him to the next group, I pointed to a cluster of people behind us, near the bar and said, “You already met Olivia and Stephanie, who are with Emily and Harry, over there.”
“Yes.” He nodded in their direction.
“And this is Indigo and Jacob.”
He shook hands with them, and as they stepped back, Jacob said, “Happy to have you on my board of directors.”
Ryder quickly said, “Happy to be there.”
My brows went together as I pointed at the two of them. “You already know each other?”
He patted Jacob’s back and, as we moved along to the next sister, he said, “We have the same interests.”
Interesting.The world is smaller than it seems. I grew up eating pizza with my sisters in Pittsburgh, and he grew up in a palace, but somehow, our lives meshed.
“This is Ridley,” I said, hugging her, “And her husband Carter, and their daughter Chelsea.”
“Nice to see you again.” Carter tipped his cowboy hat.
Ryder said, “You, too.”
My eyes widened. Wow. We were closer than I could have imagined. I looped arms with him as we continued to our designated seats and I asked, “You’ve met him, too?”
He pressed his hand on my back and we stopped for more pictures as he said, “We’ve gone to a few of the same benefits and met in passing.”
