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  I got up and walked over to him mouthing “Hang up” when I got in front of him.

  “Cheryl I’ve got to go. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He hit the end button before she could say another word and I took his face in my hands and pulled him down to me.

  “I love you so much. I have never felt even close to this wonderful in my whole life.” I kissed his lips lightly before I closed my eyes and sunk into him. I could feel myself branding this memory into my psyche forever. My kitchen would be linked to the happiest moment of my life for all time. How fitting.

  I felt Lucy’s claws digging into my shin and looked down to see her standing on her hind legs waiting to be picked up. She could feel our happiness and wanted in on it. I reached down and scooped her up.

  “Mommy and Daddy are getting married. Aren’t you excited?” She licked my face in response and I hugged her tighter. I put my other arm back around Carter and we stood there, our happy little family unit.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  The doorbell’s incessant ringing was making my soufflé fall during a Food Network Challenge. My god, there was ten thousand dollars at stake, couldn’t someone get up and answer the damn door? Wait. Huh? I lifted my head and the sparkle from my gorgeous engagement ring caught my eye in the dim light. Oh yeah. My mind was fully alert now, and I could feel the smile stretching the morning-tired muscles of my face. All traces of my dream evaporated as I looked over to Carter and saw him struggling to wake up, too.

  “Who the heck would be mashing the doorbell so dang early?” My voice sounded hoarse to my ears.

  “One guess. I’m surprised she waited till dawn. She was probably dressed and counting the minutes until she felt it was a reasonable time to come over.” Carter stopped talking for a moment and gave me a look so overflowing with love that my stomach fluttered. “Good morning, my lovely fiancée.”

  I smiled even bigger and threw my left hand out in front of me so that Carter could admire the ring on my finger as well. “Good morning, future husband.” Ooh, that sounds good. Carter was mine. It was pretty much official now, I was wearing this chunk of emerald on my ring finger, and there was no way anybody was going to pry it off.

  The next assault on the doorbell started again so I sat up. “Let yourself in, Cheryl,” I screeched at the top of my lungs, only belatedly realizing that Lucy was also barking at the front door. A second later the chimes and barking stopped and Cheryl and Lucy came barreling down the hallway together.

  “Let me see it!” She bounded up onto the foot of the bed a second before Lucy, bouncing up and down. “Let me see it!”

  “You already saw it.” Carter was hoisting himself up on one elbow. “It hasn’t changed since the last time you looked at it.”

  “I know, but I want to see it on.” I dutifully held up my hand to Cheryl’s face. “It’s beautiful. Oh my god, Juss, you’re really going to be my sister.” She leaned forward and grabbed me around the neck for a hug. I threw my arms around her and we squealed for a second before I pulled back.

  “I need coffee.” I wasn’t as groggy as most mornings, surely the result of a fantastic night, but I still wasn’t at my best before caffeine.

  “I’ll make it.” Carter pulled himself out of bed and walked out of the room after raising his brow and giving me a suggestive look. Wow, he can make my girly bits zing silently and from across the room. Impressive. I gave him a saucy wink in return and he walked out of sight. Cheryl was back to inspecting the ring. She was moving my hand from side to side to try to catch the light from different angles, much as I had done continually last night from the time he slipped it on my finger until I turned off my bedside lamp well after my usual bedtime.

  “Okay, he’s gone, you can tell me everything.”

  “There’s really not much to tell, Cheryl. I got my memory back and then we talked about what happened and then he asked me.” I left out the sex because even though Cheryl knew I had sex with her brother, it still weirded me out a little. The Elisa part I left out because it just made me feel bad.

  “Details, Justine. I need details. How did he ask you? Where were you? What were you wearing? Were you surprised?”

  “Uh, he just asked me. We were in the kitchen eating sandwiches.” It didn’t seem romantic when I said it, at least not as romantic as it felt.

  Cheryl looked confused. “In the kitchen? Did he just pull out the ring and propose in the middle of dinner?”

  “He didn’t have the ring on him; it was still in the bedroom.” Hmm. It was sounded even less romantic upon retelling.

  “He didn’t have the ring? Was he at least on one knee?”

  “Not really. He was on his stool and I was on mine. He asked me and I started choking on my sandwich.” Nah, it was still romantic. It was totally us. Me choking was a lot more normal and natural than some over the top proposal surrounded by flowers and candles.

  “My brother is such an idiot. I can’t believe he didn’t do something romantic for you. He had booked a private lake cruise with dinner and everything. He had the whole thing planned out. You would have loved it.”

  I was taken aback by Carter’s grand plans. I was infinitely happier with the kitchen proposal in my pajamas. He told me last night that he was overcome with love for me and couldn’t hold the words in. That confession made me feel magical. He loved me so much the words just exploded out of him. He was so much like me. Sure, he was super-hot and pretty smooth, but he could still dork out occasionally. I don’t think I could be with someone who was too cool. It wouldn’t be natural.

  “No, Cheryl. It was awesome. It was perfect.”

  “Well, I guess he caught you by surprise if you started choking. Did you even have a clue?” I didn’t want to tell her about Elisa, but this was Cheryl and she would surely browbeat me until she knew every detail.

  “Actually, I knew he was going to ask me. I found the ring on Friday.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me? I was trying to be all stealthy by taking you shopping with me to find you the perfect outfit and you knew all along?” Cheryl seemed exasperated that I blew her covert shopping trip.

  “I found it after I saw you. Elisa called me and told me Carter had a ring for me.” Fresh anger at Elisa’s bitchiness flooded through me.

  “What? That heifer told you and ruined Carter’s surprise? Let’s go find her and kick her ass. She wouldn’t stand a chance against the both of us.” I smiled but Cheryl was deadly serious. Cheryl was tons of fun and a ball of energy, but when you crossed her or anyone she loved the gloves came off. She’d cut a bitch.

  I was instantly transported to our first month as roommates and the creepy dude who lived next door to us. She totally beat him with her umbrella when she saw him skulking around our front door for the second time. That guy never gave us another second’s problem and moved out after Cheryl told everyone on our street that he was a pervert.

  “I know. That was a shitty move wasn’t it? I don’t know what I’ve ever done to her to piss her off. I’m nice to her every time I see her. See if she gets invited to one of my dinner parties again.” I was so angry that for a second I considered Cheryl’s idea. I quickly discarded it when I thought about how mad Carter would be if his sister and fiancée got thrown into jail for assaulting his coworker. Yeah, that was probably too over the top to consider, but she deserved something. I had to put that thought on the back burner when I saw Carter coming back down the hall and veering into the bathroom. A fresh smile bloomed on my face.

  “Isn’t he dreamy?”

  Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Yes, he’s the dreamiest. Now, on to the important stuff. I brought a whole stack of wedding magazines and all of my catalogs. Most of the stuff is the same, and it will be a good place to start.”

  I shook my head. There wouldn’t be any stopping her, and I fully intended to sit and pore over every single publication with her, but not without my morning Carter fix. The coffee smelled good and it was calling me, but at this moment, nothing was as impor
tant as seeing my fiancé.

  “Cheryl, you can bring all those magazines to the kitchen, I need to brush my teeth and get some coffee. I’ll meet you in five minutes.”

  “Okay.” She bopped out of the room and I made my way to the bathroom where Carter was wiping water off of his face.

  “Hey.” He turned toward me and pulled me close to him. “Sorry Cheryl came so early, I had a different morning planned.”

  “That’s okay. I expect she already had everything planned out; she was just waiting for me to say yes so that she could haul everything over here. I’m surprised she didn’t bring your mom along.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be over here before the day is out. Maybe I’ll go into work after all.” Last night Carter decided that since he had the days off anyway, he’d take advantage of the next few days at home with me.

  “Don’t you leave me alone with those two. They’ll have me choosing between six shades of lilac for centerpieces or something. Besides, you have much better taste than I do.” It didn’t pain me to admit the truth. Carter was a fashionable dude with an eye for color. I would trust his choices much more than I would my own.

  “Are you set on a big wedding?” he asked tentatively.

  “Of course not. We’ve talked about this. I want a fun party, but I’m not into the poofy dress and becoming a Bridezilla over the font of the invitations.” The very thought of a big church wedding where everyone would be staring at me was about the last thing I wanted, but Carter came from a pretty big family and Cheryl’s wedding had been like a circus. I didn’t think I had much hope of a tiny backyard affair.

  “I’ve been thinking since I got up. I’m off, you’re free, let’s fly to Vegas and get married today.”

  “Get serious. Cheryl would kill us if we didn’t let her plan our wedding.” That was only partially true; she would probably torture us first.

  “It’s our wedding. Our day. We can still let her plan a party. Hell, I’d love a party, but I just want to marry you. I don’t care about any of the other stuff.”

  I really was marrying the perfect man. I didn’t have to think about it. I was ready to pack my bags right now. “Can we have Elvis marry us?”

  “Absolutely. So, are we doing it?”

  “Yes! Oh my god. Yes, let’s get married today.” I jumped up and grabbed his face to pull down to my level. “You’ve got to tell Cheryl, though.” He widened his eyes but didn’t protest as I kissed him.

  “Deal. I’ve already called a kennel for the cat. We can drop her by any time after they open at eight. Cheryl can take Lucy home with her. Go pack.” He swatted my butt as I turned towards the kitchen for my coffee. I knew Cheryl and Sharon would be disappointed but I could honestly say I had never been so excited. Later on today I would be Justine Ross. Yeah Baby!

  Chapter Twenty Six

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Elvis had barely gotten the words out before Carter grabbed me up and crashed his lips to mine. Ahh, I’m married. Holy crap, I’m married!

  I couldn’t even concentrate on my first married kiss because I was so wrapped up in the whole “wedding” euphoria.

  After Carter and I decided to fly to Vegas, everything seemed to happen in a flash. I had packed my clothes under Cheryl’s supervision, but that was after her near meltdown at our plans. Carter and I were able to placate her after we told her she was still free to plan a massive party for us. She took it far better than we were anticipating, but who knows, she may have just put on a brave front for us. I’m certain poor Paulo would be feeling the brunt of her disillusionment with our decision. Oh well, he married her, she was his problem. I married a reasonable and thoughtful Ross.

  We had kissed Lucy goodbye and Cheryl said she would take care of everything and lock up the house. She even agreed to catch Monique and take her to the kennel for us. We took her up on it and stuffed our carry-on bags with everything we needed for two days in Las Vegas. It was surprisingly less than I was thinking. Carter had called the airline and managed to get us seats on a flight leaving in three hours so we had to haul butt to get to the airport and check in.

  The next few hours were a whirlwind, getting a marriage license and driving to the wedding chapel took less time than renting a car at the airport. We were even able to get matching wedding bands onsite. We hadn’t even decided which hotel to stay at yet, we were doing everything on the fly. It was perfect.

  “Well Mrs. Ross, what do you want to do now?” Carter whispered the words to me as he broke our kiss. I’m Mrs. Ross. Instead of doing my usual happy dance in my head, I went ahead and did it for real. I even grabbed Elvis and did a twirl with him while Carter just watched me and chuckled. I figured it was safe to act like the spazz I was since he was legally stuck with me now. I looked down at the thin platinum band snuggled up against my gorgeous engagement ring and felt like the luckiest woman in the world. I needed to ride this feeling and make it pay.

  “I want to hit the slots.” Okay, it wasn’t romantic, but damn it was fun. I wanted to pull some levers and have a few cocktails. I was in Vegas after all.

  Carter rolled his eyes but he did it with a smile. “Okay, but let’s get a room first.”

  “Sure honey, I’m flexible. Every hotel has a casino downstairs.” I winked at him as he grabbed my hand. We thanked Elvis and went back out to the car.

  We ended up staying at the Bellagio because the water show happened to be going on as we drove up the strip. My squealing had Carter turning into the parking lot a few seconds later.

  Check-in was completed in minutes and they even upgraded our room when they found out we were freshly married. We hauled our bags up to our room and I found myself less ready to gamble than I thought. I was feeling pretty frisky.

  I pulled Carter close as we surveyed the room. “You know, Carter, I think I’ve changed my mind. I want to see if married sex is any different than what we’re used to.” He raised his brow and paused as if to check if I was serious before pulling his shirt over his head. I caught the glint of his wedding ring as he moved and my hooha started tingling. He was mine, all mine.

  I hurriedly yanked off my own shirt and started to shimmy out of my jeans. Why did I decide to wear skinny jeans today? They were like a second skin and I couldn’t shed them as quickly as I wanted to. Carter was gloriously naked before I was able to peel them off, so he graciously helped by popping the snap of my bra for me.

  The second his lips grazed my neck I knew there was no time for the bed. I turned around and threw my arms around his neck as he hoisted me up and onto his waist. My bra was still dangling from my arms, but I wasted no time in wiggling myself into position as he moved us up against the wall. Seconds later he was pounding into me and my back was scraping against something hard.

  “Ow babe, ow.”

  “Am I too much for you?”

  “No, I think you’re grinding me into the light switch.” He immediately took a step back and held onto my butt as he moved us to a flatter area.

  “Sorry.” He looked remorseful and he stopped all movement from his nether regions. I obviously couldn’t have that.

  “Don’t stop. Everything else is perfect.” I tried to lift myself up and down on top of him but I was sadly lacking in upper body strength. Luckily he got the message and a second later we were back on. I was extra glad he was still holding me up a minute later because I came faster than I had ever come before. I couldn’t even keep my grip on his neck.

  “Oh god.”

  “I’m not god, honey,” he ground out as he continued to hammer himself into me. He came moments later with a loud growl.

  “You are to me.” I was barely able to get the words out I was breathing so hard, but he heard them because his arms tightened and he pressed me harder against the wall.

  “I love you, Mrs. Ross.” The sound of my new name gave me fresh goosebumps.

  “I love you, Mr. Ross.” He kissed the tip of my nose before setting me back down on my
feet. “Now, get your clothes back on, Double Diamonds is calling my name.”

  “Is there not a drop of sentimental blood flowing through you right now?” he asked while shaking his head. I could tell he wasn’t mad so I didn’t feel bad.

  “No, I’ve got gambling fever, now hurry up.” I opted for a different pair of jeans, comfort was my goal, but I did put my white blouse back on. It was my wedding day.

  He dressed almost as fast as he had undressed, so after I checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror we were ready to go.

  “Let’s go lose some money,” he said while taking my hand and leading me out the door.

  “Are you kidding me? I’m on the luckiest streak of my life.”

  EPILOGUE

  Hot Buns

  (or How I Got My Cooking Show on TV)

  “That was the coolest thing ever! I wish we could have stayed up there all day.”

  “It was fun I guess, after I got over the nausea,” Carter mumbled as we made our way back to the rental car.

  I wanted to feel guilty for begging him to go up in the hot air balloon, but come on, we were staying in Napa. What romantic trip would be complete without a balloon ride over the vineyards? The fact that Carter went along with it, considering his fear of heights, made me especially glad I had the good sense to marry this wonderful man.

  “When we get back to the vineyard I’ll show you just how much I appreciate you forfeiting your relaxing morning by spending it up in the sky.” I wagged my eyebrows suggestively so that he knew a blow job was in his immediate future.

  “I’m actually going to hold you to that.” He smirked as we crawled into the car. Yes, getting my way with him was just that easy. We had driven in silence for about a mile when I heard my phone ding out that I had gotten a text. I reached back into my purse and pulled out the phone, thankful that I had left it in the car. How irritating it would have been to hear my phone while we were floating in relative silence.