Together.
Matt
I KNOCK ON the door and enter as I hear Gage say come in. He finishes up a phone call and slips his cell into his front pocket, smiling at me. But the smile looks forced. Not the sort of thing a man should be doing on his wedding day. “What’s up?” I ask. “Everything okay?”
“Naw, it’s cool. I’m thankful you let me get ready here, man. A lot simpler than being at the hotel with my future wife worried that I might see her some way, some how. She’d freak out. Bad luck and all, the groom seeing the bride before the wedding,” Gage says, waving a hand.
Marina had been on a tear the last few weeks. Wedding stress was spilling over like a pot of water on full boil and making the bride turn a bit . . . angry.
I’m trying to be kind here. Gage is my best friend. And I like Marina. Bryn’s grown incredibly close to her. Planning a big wedding is stressful. I know this. I also know my woman wouldn’t act like this when planning our wedding.
Because that’s going to happen. I’m determined to make that woman mine in the most official way. Soon.
“It’s almost over, man.” I clap Gage on the shoulder, letting him know he has my sympathy. He’s been good, never really complaining about Marina, but both Archer and I know Gage is ready for the wedding to be over so his almost-wife will return to her normal self.
“Yeah.” Gage rubs a hand across his jaw, then drops his head, staring straight at me. “So get this. Archer called me. Ivy’s gone into labor.”
“No shit?” I grin. Finally, that baby is going to be here. I have a bet going with a few others over what they’re going to have, a boy or a girl.
My bet is a boy. And I hope like hell I’m right since five hundred dollars is riding on this.
Yes, I’ve turned into a cheapskate, considering the million dollar bet I made with Archer and Gage. A bet that still doesn’t have a true winner.
But we all know it’s me. After all, I was the last bachelor standing. Those two fell for their respective women like a house of cards. I just lucked out that their relationships happened before mine.
“No shit. This throws off the wedding though. Marina almost lost it when I told her.” Gage is still watching me closely, and I almost want to squirm. I feel like I’ve done something wrong.
“Yeah, I bet.” I wouldn’t want to be in this guy’s shoes right now. Despite how ready I am to make the permanent move with Bryn, I know that for us, we don’t want a big elaborate wedding like Gage and Marina are having. Her giant Italian family, which must make up half of the Napa Valley, is part of the problem. I don’t have a big family and neither does Bryn. We could run away to Vegas and get married without offending a soul.
Well, maybe her grandma would get mad. She might sick her mean rooster on me. She’s a woman I don’t necessarily want to mess with. But I’m willing to take the chance.
“Want to step in and be my best man?” Gage asks suddenly.
I glance up and see that my friend is dead serious. “Of course,” I say automatically. I was never offended that Gage chose Archer over me. They’ve known each other longer so it made sense. “I’d be honored, man.” And I meant it.
“Great. Okay.” Gage nodded, smoothing a hand along his jaw, a contemplative look on his face. “You paid attention at the rehearsal last night? I don’t need to tell you what to do as best man, do I?”
“I think I can handle it,” I drawl, laying the sarcasm on thick. “What do I need to do? Hand over the ring? That’s about it.”
“You’re going to need to give a speech at the reception,” Gage points out.
Ah, shit. I’m not big on giving speeches, but I hold my own when I have to. “No problem.”
“Marina’s going to ask Bryn to be her maid of honor.”
“So we’ll be a matched set.”
“Yep.” Gage nods. “You cool with this, bro? We’re having to change it all up at the last minute, and it’s not like you two are second choice but . . .”
“We’re second choice,” I finish for him. “And I’m not offended. I’m sure Bryn won’t be either.”
My cell dings at that very moment punctuating my sentence, and I pull it out to see it’s a text from Bryn.
Maid of honor now. Are you the best man?
Smiling, I type her a response.
You know it.
Nervous?
Not with you by my side, I answer.
And that’s the truth.
Chapter Two
* * *
Bryn
I’VE SEEN MATT in jeans and a T-shirt, a suit, shirtless in a pair of sweats, and I’ve seen him na**d. A lot.
But I have never seen him in a tux before, and oh my God, he’s gorgeous. He only wore a suit to Ivy and Archer’s wedding, so I didn’t get to see him in his full tux glory. And he is just flat out glorious.
My heart is tripping over itself as I make my way toward him. I struggle to keep the giddy smile off my face, but it’s no use. I’m full-on grinning by the time we reach each other.
“You’re beautiful,” he says before I can even get a word out. His eyes practically smolder as he drinks me in.
My cheeks heat up. It’s so ridiculous, but I’m still not used to Matt’s praise; that a man like him would be interested in a woman like me. Silly but true.
“You look amazing.” I barely get the words out before Matt’s dipping his head, his mouth brushing against mine. We’re in a small building on the property that Matt’s assigned as wedding headquarters for the day. This is the first wedding we’ve held at the winery, and I told Matt if it’s a huge success, we should consider putting together some advertising and marketing plans so we can rent the winery out to the public for events. Aside from this wedding and happenings for the winery, so far, we’ve only put together small parties for people we know.
He said he wasn’t sure he’s ready to go big, but I’m excited at the thought. I could become a wedding planner. I love putting together events, and I’m always doing that sort of thing for the Matt’s winery business anyway, trying to draw attention to the DeLuca Vineyard.
“You’re pretty damn amazing yourself,” he says once we break apart. He grabs hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Love that dress on you.”
I glance down. The dress is pale yellow and strapless, with a snug bodice and a flowing skirt that hits me just above the knee. I love it. “I like it too which surprises me. I’m not a fan of yellow.”
“I’m a fan of anything on you.” Matt tugs me close and drops another kiss on my lips, but I put my free hand on his chest, giving him a little push.
“Stop,” I say without much force—like I’d deny this man anything, especially affection. I love it when he kisses me. Touches me. I’d pretty much let him do whatever he wants to me.
I’m that far gone over him.
“We need to focus on our new tasks and keep the bride and groom calm,” I remind him. I sent him a text when I arrived along with the rest of the bridal party and he immediately asked me to meet with him for a few minutes. So here we are.
Figures he tried to cop a feel. Not that I stopped him.
“Gage is fine,” Matt says, still gripping my hand. “He’s more worried about Marina. How is our bride?”
“She’s better.” Once she’d calmed down about the whole Ivy going into labor situation, Marina seemed good. Calmer, which she needs to be in order to get through this day. She’s been amped with the wedding plans, but I know she’s waiting for it all to be said and done. Not that she won’t enjoy her wedding, but . . .
I think she’s really looking forward to their tropical honeymoon where she can relax. And get wrapped up in her husband.
“Wait until you see her. She’s a gorgeous bride,” I say dreamily. Marina is the quintessential bride all little girls dream of being. Her gown is something straight out of a fairytale, with the full skirt, a sparkly bodice, and feathers.
Yes, white feathers. The dress is hand beaded and ruched, made of tulle and silk, and the look is completed with a tiny tiara on her head. Marina will probably make everyone’s jaw hit the floor the moment they see her walk down the aisle. I could almost cry just thinking about it.
“You’ll be a gorgeous bride someday too, you know.” Matt lifts our linked hands to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.
Panic rises within me, but I bat it down. He’s been talking so seriously lately. We’ve been together for only a short time, but I know what he wants. Me. Us. Together.
Forever.
Am I ready for that sort of commitment? I know I can’t do much better than Matthew DeLuca. That sounds cold, but it’s true. We’re madly in love with each other. Not only does he treat me like the woman he worships and loves, but he also respects my mind and work ethic. He values my opinion. We work well together at the winery. We have an amazing relationship. I’m a lucky girl.
It all still feels unreal, us being together. And this scares the crap out of me.
Marina
I SIT IN front of the mirror and take a deep breath, shrugging off Mom as she tries to hug me. Again. She’s been a regular waterworks the entire morning, but now that I’m in full makeup, I refuse to shed another tear until the actual ceremony.
“You look so beautiful,” Mom says on a wistful sigh. “I can’t believe my baby girl is getting married.”
She’s said that multiple times this morning too. I understand she’s feeling nostalgic, but her tears and trembling voice are doing me in. I’m an emotional, exhausted wreck. Wedding planning is hard, and I’ve been such a control freak, I hardly let the planner Mom and Dad hired for the wedding make a move without consulting me first.
The room Matt provided for the bridal party to wait in right before the ceremony is perfect. Bryn had a hand in putting it all together, and I can tell. I really love that girl. So glad we’ve become such good friends.
“I hope everything goes smoothly,” I murmur to myself, but the way Mom just straightened, I know she heard me.
“It will be perfect. I just know it. You’ve already had your one flub for the day. Everything else will be fine,” Mom says with a steely voice that tells me she’s not in the mood for contradictions.
Now it’s my turn to straighten. I meet her gaze in the mirror. “What do you mean, ‘your one flub’?”
“Ivy and Archer having to back out.” Mom waves a hand, dismissing our friends just like that. “I understand we can’t predict when a baby will decide when he or she is ready to make their way into the world. It threw us off a little, but Matt and Bryn have stepped in and everything’s going to be just fine.”
As if she heard her name mentioned, Bryn glided into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Her lipstick is completely smudged, so that means she must’ve snuck off and met with Matt.
A spark of jealousy lights inside of me. I wish I could secretly meet Gage and let him kiss my lipstick off.
But I can’t. We’re getting married in a matter of minutes. I’m going to be Mrs. Marina Emerson. I’m excited. More than ready to be Gage’s wife. After all—the stress from planning will fade away like a bad dream.
“Hey.”
I blink and shake my head, realizing that it’s Bryn standing behind me now instead of Mom. She has her hands on my shoulders, a reassuring smile on her face. If she wasn’t such a good friend, I could almost hate Bryn for how beautiful she is. She’s gorgeous—her face and body such flawless perfection, she could be a movie star.
The bridesmaid’s dress looks amazing on her. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. Everything has been planned, down to the finest detail. So why do I feel like such a wreck inside?
“What’s up?” I say, offering Bryn a quick smile. “You snuck off and met Matt, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. How could you tell?” Bryn looks embarrassed which is cute.
“You walked out with lipstick and came back with none. That’s a dead giveaway,” I say.
She rolls her eyes, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. “I think he wants to ask me to marry him soon.”
“Wow. Really?” I’m surprised, yet not. If any of those guys were a not-so-secret romantic, it’d be Matt. He’s never tried to hide it either, but his worshipful side has come out big time since Bryn came into his life. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes.” Bryn shrugs, her expression turning miserable. “It is.”
I stand up and peer at her, noting the way she tilts her head so her gaze is cast downward. Like she doesn’t want to look me in the eye. “What’s wrong?”
Bryn shakes her head. “Nothing. Let’s focus on you. It’s your wedding day. You don’t need to worry about my insecurities.”
Beautiful Bryn has insecurities? “You’re worried about your relationship with Matt and whether he loves you or not? I don’t think you should be concerned. That man is so gaga over you it’s sort of disgusting.” Matt is always shooting Bryn moony looks, like he can’t believe she’s with him. “He’s madly in love with you.”
“And I’m madly in love with him but . . . I’m scared.” Bryn whispers the last two words and lifts her head so I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. “So stupid. I know we have a great relationship, but it’s moving so fast. We haven’t been together that long but all of a sudden he wants to marry me? How can he be sure? Does he even know the real me? Do I even know the real him?”
Matt
I KNOCK ON the door and enter as I hear Gage say come in. He finishes up a phone call and slips his cell into his front pocket, smiling at me. But the smile looks forced. Not the sort of thing a man should be doing on his wedding day. “What’s up?” I ask. “Everything okay?”
“Naw, it’s cool. I’m thankful you let me get ready here, man. A lot simpler than being at the hotel with my future wife worried that I might see her some way, some how. She’d freak out. Bad luck and all, the groom seeing the bride before the wedding,” Gage says, waving a hand.
Marina had been on a tear the last few weeks. Wedding stress was spilling over like a pot of water on full boil and making the bride turn a bit . . . angry.
I’m trying to be kind here. Gage is my best friend. And I like Marina. Bryn’s grown incredibly close to her. Planning a big wedding is stressful. I know this. I also know my woman wouldn’t act like this when planning our wedding.
Because that’s going to happen. I’m determined to make that woman mine in the most official way. Soon.
“It’s almost over, man.” I clap Gage on the shoulder, letting him know he has my sympathy. He’s been good, never really complaining about Marina, but both Archer and I know Gage is ready for the wedding to be over so his almost-wife will return to her normal self.
“Yeah.” Gage rubs a hand across his jaw, then drops his head, staring straight at me. “So get this. Archer called me. Ivy’s gone into labor.”
“No shit?” I grin. Finally, that baby is going to be here. I have a bet going with a few others over what they’re going to have, a boy or a girl.
My bet is a boy. And I hope like hell I’m right since five hundred dollars is riding on this.
Yes, I’ve turned into a cheapskate, considering the million dollar bet I made with Archer and Gage. A bet that still doesn’t have a true winner.
But we all know it’s me. After all, I was the last bachelor standing. Those two fell for their respective women like a house of cards. I just lucked out that their relationships happened before mine.
“No shit. This throws off the wedding though. Marina almost lost it when I told her.” Gage is still watching me closely, and I almost want to squirm. I feel like I’ve done something wrong.
“Yeah, I bet.” I wouldn’t want to be in this guy’s shoes right now. Despite how ready I am to make the permanent move with Bryn, I know that for us, we don’t want a big elaborate wedding like Gage and Marina are having. Her giant Italian family, which must make up half of the Napa Valley, is part of the problem. I don’t have a big family and neither does Bryn. We could run away to Vegas and get married without offending a soul.
Well, maybe her grandma would get mad. She might sick her mean rooster on me. She’s a woman I don’t necessarily want to mess with. But I’m willing to take the chance.
“Want to step in and be my best man?” Gage asks suddenly.
I glance up and see that my friend is dead serious. “Of course,” I say automatically. I was never offended that Gage chose Archer over me. They’ve known each other longer so it made sense. “I’d be honored, man.” And I meant it.
“Great. Okay.” Gage nodded, smoothing a hand along his jaw, a contemplative look on his face. “You paid attention at the rehearsal last night? I don’t need to tell you what to do as best man, do I?”
“I think I can handle it,” I drawl, laying the sarcasm on thick. “What do I need to do? Hand over the ring? That’s about it.”
“You’re going to need to give a speech at the reception,” Gage points out.
Ah, shit. I’m not big on giving speeches, but I hold my own when I have to. “No problem.”
“Marina’s going to ask Bryn to be her maid of honor.”
“So we’ll be a matched set.”
“Yep.” Gage nods. “You cool with this, bro? We’re having to change it all up at the last minute, and it’s not like you two are second choice but . . .”
“We’re second choice,” I finish for him. “And I’m not offended. I’m sure Bryn won’t be either.”
My cell dings at that very moment punctuating my sentence, and I pull it out to see it’s a text from Bryn.
Maid of honor now. Are you the best man?
Smiling, I type her a response.
You know it.
Nervous?
Not with you by my side, I answer.
And that’s the truth.
Chapter Two
* * *
Bryn
I’VE SEEN MATT in jeans and a T-shirt, a suit, shirtless in a pair of sweats, and I’ve seen him na**d. A lot.
But I have never seen him in a tux before, and oh my God, he’s gorgeous. He only wore a suit to Ivy and Archer’s wedding, so I didn’t get to see him in his full tux glory. And he is just flat out glorious.
My heart is tripping over itself as I make my way toward him. I struggle to keep the giddy smile off my face, but it’s no use. I’m full-on grinning by the time we reach each other.
“You’re beautiful,” he says before I can even get a word out. His eyes practically smolder as he drinks me in.
My cheeks heat up. It’s so ridiculous, but I’m still not used to Matt’s praise; that a man like him would be interested in a woman like me. Silly but true.
“You look amazing.” I barely get the words out before Matt’s dipping his head, his mouth brushing against mine. We’re in a small building on the property that Matt’s assigned as wedding headquarters for the day. This is the first wedding we’ve held at the winery, and I told Matt if it’s a huge success, we should consider putting together some advertising and marketing plans so we can rent the winery out to the public for events. Aside from this wedding and happenings for the winery, so far, we’ve only put together small parties for people we know.
He said he wasn’t sure he’s ready to go big, but I’m excited at the thought. I could become a wedding planner. I love putting together events, and I’m always doing that sort of thing for the Matt’s winery business anyway, trying to draw attention to the DeLuca Vineyard.
“You’re pretty damn amazing yourself,” he says once we break apart. He grabs hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Love that dress on you.”
I glance down. The dress is pale yellow and strapless, with a snug bodice and a flowing skirt that hits me just above the knee. I love it. “I like it too which surprises me. I’m not a fan of yellow.”
“I’m a fan of anything on you.” Matt tugs me close and drops another kiss on my lips, but I put my free hand on his chest, giving him a little push.
“Stop,” I say without much force—like I’d deny this man anything, especially affection. I love it when he kisses me. Touches me. I’d pretty much let him do whatever he wants to me.
I’m that far gone over him.
“We need to focus on our new tasks and keep the bride and groom calm,” I remind him. I sent him a text when I arrived along with the rest of the bridal party and he immediately asked me to meet with him for a few minutes. So here we are.
Figures he tried to cop a feel. Not that I stopped him.
“Gage is fine,” Matt says, still gripping my hand. “He’s more worried about Marina. How is our bride?”
“She’s better.” Once she’d calmed down about the whole Ivy going into labor situation, Marina seemed good. Calmer, which she needs to be in order to get through this day. She’s been amped with the wedding plans, but I know she’s waiting for it all to be said and done. Not that she won’t enjoy her wedding, but . . .
I think she’s really looking forward to their tropical honeymoon where she can relax. And get wrapped up in her husband.
“Wait until you see her. She’s a gorgeous bride,” I say dreamily. Marina is the quintessential bride all little girls dream of being. Her gown is something straight out of a fairytale, with the full skirt, a sparkly bodice, and feathers.
Yes, white feathers. The dress is hand beaded and ruched, made of tulle and silk, and the look is completed with a tiny tiara on her head. Marina will probably make everyone’s jaw hit the floor the moment they see her walk down the aisle. I could almost cry just thinking about it.
“You’ll be a gorgeous bride someday too, you know.” Matt lifts our linked hands to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.
Panic rises within me, but I bat it down. He’s been talking so seriously lately. We’ve been together for only a short time, but I know what he wants. Me. Us. Together.
Forever.
Am I ready for that sort of commitment? I know I can’t do much better than Matthew DeLuca. That sounds cold, but it’s true. We’re madly in love with each other. Not only does he treat me like the woman he worships and loves, but he also respects my mind and work ethic. He values my opinion. We work well together at the winery. We have an amazing relationship. I’m a lucky girl.
It all still feels unreal, us being together. And this scares the crap out of me.
Marina
I SIT IN front of the mirror and take a deep breath, shrugging off Mom as she tries to hug me. Again. She’s been a regular waterworks the entire morning, but now that I’m in full makeup, I refuse to shed another tear until the actual ceremony.
“You look so beautiful,” Mom says on a wistful sigh. “I can’t believe my baby girl is getting married.”
She’s said that multiple times this morning too. I understand she’s feeling nostalgic, but her tears and trembling voice are doing me in. I’m an emotional, exhausted wreck. Wedding planning is hard, and I’ve been such a control freak, I hardly let the planner Mom and Dad hired for the wedding make a move without consulting me first.
The room Matt provided for the bridal party to wait in right before the ceremony is perfect. Bryn had a hand in putting it all together, and I can tell. I really love that girl. So glad we’ve become such good friends.
“I hope everything goes smoothly,” I murmur to myself, but the way Mom just straightened, I know she heard me.
“It will be perfect. I just know it. You’ve already had your one flub for the day. Everything else will be fine,” Mom says with a steely voice that tells me she’s not in the mood for contradictions.
Now it’s my turn to straighten. I meet her gaze in the mirror. “What do you mean, ‘your one flub’?”
“Ivy and Archer having to back out.” Mom waves a hand, dismissing our friends just like that. “I understand we can’t predict when a baby will decide when he or she is ready to make their way into the world. It threw us off a little, but Matt and Bryn have stepped in and everything’s going to be just fine.”
As if she heard her name mentioned, Bryn glided into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Her lipstick is completely smudged, so that means she must’ve snuck off and met with Matt.
A spark of jealousy lights inside of me. I wish I could secretly meet Gage and let him kiss my lipstick off.
But I can’t. We’re getting married in a matter of minutes. I’m going to be Mrs. Marina Emerson. I’m excited. More than ready to be Gage’s wife. After all—the stress from planning will fade away like a bad dream.
“Hey.”
I blink and shake my head, realizing that it’s Bryn standing behind me now instead of Mom. She has her hands on my shoulders, a reassuring smile on her face. If she wasn’t such a good friend, I could almost hate Bryn for how beautiful she is. She’s gorgeous—her face and body such flawless perfection, she could be a movie star.
The bridesmaid’s dress looks amazing on her. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. Everything has been planned, down to the finest detail. So why do I feel like such a wreck inside?
“What’s up?” I say, offering Bryn a quick smile. “You snuck off and met Matt, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. How could you tell?” Bryn looks embarrassed which is cute.
“You walked out with lipstick and came back with none. That’s a dead giveaway,” I say.
She rolls her eyes, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. “I think he wants to ask me to marry him soon.”
“Wow. Really?” I’m surprised, yet not. If any of those guys were a not-so-secret romantic, it’d be Matt. He’s never tried to hide it either, but his worshipful side has come out big time since Bryn came into his life. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes.” Bryn shrugs, her expression turning miserable. “It is.”
I stand up and peer at her, noting the way she tilts her head so her gaze is cast downward. Like she doesn’t want to look me in the eye. “What’s wrong?”
Bryn shakes her head. “Nothing. Let’s focus on you. It’s your wedding day. You don’t need to worry about my insecurities.”
Beautiful Bryn has insecurities? “You’re worried about your relationship with Matt and whether he loves you or not? I don’t think you should be concerned. That man is so gaga over you it’s sort of disgusting.” Matt is always shooting Bryn moony looks, like he can’t believe she’s with him. “He’s madly in love with you.”
“And I’m madly in love with him but . . . I’m scared.” Bryn whispers the last two words and lifts her head so I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. “So stupid. I know we have a great relationship, but it’s moving so fast. We haven’t been together that long but all of a sudden he wants to marry me? How can he be sure? Does he even know the real me? Do I even know the real him?”
