“Oh.” I put a hand to my chest to calm my breathing. “Shit. I’m sorry, I—”
Champ dragged me down and pressed a firm kiss to my mouth before guiding me back to the pillows. “I know I have some shit to make up for where you’re concerned, Quinn. You and Herc both. You were right the other night when you said that I didn’t deserve him. Either one of you. But he’s not a symbol of a dream that didn’t come true. Not anymore. He’s a part of the future I want to create with you. And you know how I feel about succeeding at a mission, right? From now on, you’re my priority.”
My vision suddenly went blurry with unshed tears. I knew it wouldn’t be that simple, that both of us would have to learn how to truly believe in this relationship, but the fact that he was so committed to trying made my heart ache. It was everything I hadn’t been able to admit to myself that I wanted.
I threaded my hand into Champ’s hair and pulled him more fully on top of me, kissing him with all the joy and hope he made me feel.
It took me several minutes before I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. “Get off me,” I said with a breathless laugh, shoving his shoulders away. “I have to work, and so do you. Maybe Hux has something for you.”
That was enough to sober him up.
We shared a quick shower with one hundred percent less groping and one hundred percent more focus on getting out the door than the night before. I drove straight to the florist.
The weather was glorious. The air was still very cold, but the sun was shining bright in a deep blue sky. It was wholly unexpected for a February wedding.
I helped facilitate a successful transfer of all the florals for the event out to the farm before returning to Taffet Events to pick up several boxes of decorations. When I approached the shop, I noticed a young woman on the front step setting down a plastic bag.
“May I help you?” I asked. I wasn’t expecting a delivery today, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that it would be something for the wedding.
“I have a delivery for Quinn Taffet from a Mr. Champion. Are you Mr. Taffet?”
“I am,” I said, unable to stop the grin.
She returned the smile. “I’m from Annie’s. Mr. Champion came in this morning and asked us to bring you hot glazed donuts and a coffee to help get you through your busy morning. He says he hopes you’ll be his Valentine.”
I thanked her profusely and tried to tip her, but she claimed it was already taken care of. Once she was gone, I let myself into the shop and sat down to enjoy the hot donuts while I texted Champ to thank him for his thoughtfulness.
Me: You’re the best, Valentine.
Delusional McBossypants Champion: I love you.
My heart flopped around in my chest like a frantic fish. Maybe I needed to change his moniker in my phone’s contacts list.
I tapped on my screen while chewing on another bite of donut.
Me: Stop trying to distract me. I have a lot of work to do. Heading over to farm in about an hour.
Mine: If I can’t tell you I love you, can I tell you how much I want to fuck you?
Me: Great. Now I’m hard. Get back to work.
Mine: It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. Riggs told me everything. You’re amazing. I would tell you that I love you, but my boyfriend would get angry with me.
I couldn’t help but preen a little at the new title. Boyfriend. It was hard to imagine Percival Champion admitting to having one after all the times he insisted he wasn’t interested in anything serious.
You did the same.
I closed my eyes and mentally thanked Aunt Cherry for helping me get over my commitment issues. I wasn’t naive. I didn’t expect things between us to run smoothly after such a rocky start, but I also knew that for both of us to admit to being in a relationship, there had to be something strong there.
Me: I love you.
I finished the donuts and coffee before loading up the final boxes into my car and heading to the farm. For as much as I complained about fickle brides and challenging wedding day events, I loved my job. Wedding days were definitely a roller coaster, in general, but this one was primed to be a roller coaster on steroids.
And I needed all of my wits about me if we were going to juggle a secret cartel op with an elegant outdoor winter farm wedding for the Nashville elite.
Once I arrived at the farm, the next several hours passed in a blink. Marissa and Levi had taken a private plane back from their whirlwind trip to Vegas. Instead of looking exhausted from the quick turnaround, they looked like a happy, glowing pair of newlyweds showing off their plain gold rings.