Lily ended the kiss and grinned. “I’m so happy, it’s ridiculous.” From inside the store, the muffled sound of applause came. A customer opened the door and hoots and hollers erupted from the store entrance. The window was lined with customers who must have seen the proposal. Lily laughed. “It appears we’ve attracted a crowd.”
Noah wanted one more kiss. “This is one time I don’t mind anyone watching.”
* * *
Lily’s second visit to the New York City Clerk’s Office for a wedding was much more romantic than the first. She gazed at Noah, knowing now that he was hers. The years of longing for him were nothing more than part of their journey, the story they could tell their children someday. She’d done her time with unrequited love. Now she had it—Noah’s affection, his devotion and his glorious self. She couldn’t have been any happier if one of her favorite authors had written this happy ending. It was the one she never saw coming.
“By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Noah grinned like a goof, but there was that sexy edge to it, the one that said he couldn’t wait to get her home and take off her clothes. Of course, there would be no tearing off the wedding dress. There would be careful and judicious removal of said garment, followed by hours of hot sex. She was going to get everything that Lily Locke was entitled to. Or Lily Foster-Locke. She still wasn’t sure which was better.
“Do I get to kiss her?” he asked the clerk, suddenly seeming unsure of himself.
“Come here.” Lily popped up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. The kiss was steamier than was probably warranted for a government building on a Tuesday, but Lily didn’t really care.
They both lingered for a moment, lips still a whisper away from each other. Their breaths were in perfect sync. The spark between them, the magnetic pull that made it impossible to stay away from Noah, was making its presence known. It took everything Lily had not to kiss him again. Lily heard a woman in the office speak. I want a man to kiss me like that.
Lily sighed, contented, and landed back on her heels, still grasping Noah’s arms. She not only had a man to kiss her like that, she got to keep him. This was so much better than the first time she tried to get married, aside from the obvious upside of the desired outcome. Today felt like a happy dream, the kind you never want to wake up from, rather than an unthinkable nightmare. But even better, the pain she had gone through the first time was now a good thing. If she hadn’t been dumped, she never would’ve moved to New York. If she hadn’t moved to New York, she never would’ve found Noah.
She slipped back into her lovely new reality when Noah spoke. “Can we get out of here? I’m starving.”
Charlotte was the first to congratulate them. Sort of. “Don’t you dare screw this up, Noah. Or I will hunt you down and slap you silly.”
Lily laughed, but Noah’s forehead crinkled with annoyance. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to let Lily out of my sight.” He took her hand and squeezed it three times.
Sawyer appeared and held his arms wide for Lily. “I need to give my new sister-in-law a hug.” When they were cheek to cheek, he said one more thing. “I hope you know how sorry I am that I ever doubted you.”
Lily waved it off. “Water under the bridge. I don’t believe in grudges.”
“So I’ve been told,” Sawyer said.
Kendall was right behind him. “Welcome to the family, Lily. I hope we can become good friends.”
“Absolutely,” Lily replied.
“Now let’s eat.” Noah kissed Lily’s temple. “On to the Grand Legacy.”
With a wave of his hand, Sawyer made way for Lily and Noah to lead the procession out of the building. A stretch SUV was waiting to take them to lunch at the hotel. Noah and Lily sat in the back, holding hands.
“I can’t even believe today, Noah. It all feels like a dream. Pinch me.”
“That sounds like something for later tonight.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed that delicate spot beneath her ear, making her go weak in the knees, even though she was sitting.
“I can’t wait.”
The car pulled up in front of the hotel and they all climbed out. Sawyer, Kendall, Michael and Charlotte filed straight into the revolving door, but Noah held Lily’s hand and kept her back.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Everything is perfect. I just want to make sure you’re okay with not having the wedding here at the Grand Legacy. Of not going through with the things you started planning with Marcy. I hope you know that I only made this suggestion because I didn’t want to wait, but if you want to have a more formal ceremony, we can still do that. I don’t want you to feel cheated out of your perfect wedding.”