Victorious (34 page)

“You’ll have to thank my mom. She called in a few favors with the record company.” He draws me in closer to him, close enough that I can feel his arousal hard and heavy against my belly. “I won’t give up, Nat. No matter what, I’ll never give up on us.”

I rub against him as shamelessly as I’m able to without making a scene. “I won’t either. I promise.” I gasp when the vibrating bullet in the panties he made me wear comes to life between my legs. I experience the same thrill I got at the club when people were watching us.
 

“Save some of those moves for the honeymoon.”

Raising my head off his shoulder so I can see his face, I say, “What honeymoon? We’ve been on our honeymoon for weeks.”

He scoffs. “Please. Give me a break. Hanging out at home is
not
a honeymoon.”

“Flynn…”

“Shhh.” He kisses the words off my lips. “Enjoy your wedding.”

When the song ends to resounding applause, Jason calls Estelle Flynn to the stage and hands the microphone off to her. Thankfully, Flynn turns off the vibrator, and I sag against him in relief. My entire body is humming from the drumbeat of desire. I’m beginning to accept that as a permanent part of my new life with Flynn.

“Thank you so much, Jason,” Stella says. “Wasn’t that amazing?” She leads another round of applause for the singer, who takes a courtly bow and blows a kiss to us before he exits the stage.
 

I try not to swoon in the arms of my new husband.

“Max and I are so pleased and honored to welcome Natalie to our family. We have hoped and prayed that our wonderful son would someday find someone who brings him the kind of joy he’s experienced with Natalie. We love you both, and we’re so happy for you today.” After some more applause, Stella continues. “I understand my new daughter-in-law and I have something in common, so I’d like to dedicate this to her and to my beloved son.” She nods to the orchestra, which plays a familiar tune that immediately brings tears to my eyes.

“Oh, Flynn…”
 

Stella sings “Something Good” from
The Sound of Music
, and I absolutely melt into the arms of the man I love as his mother serenades us. It is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible moments of my life.
 

The entire evening is something out of a dream. I meet extended family—Max’s sister, Stella’s brother—Flynn’s cousins, family friends, a few of them celebrities, but nothing about this day is about celebrity. It’s about celebration and love and family and all the things that matter most in life. We enjoy a delicious meal, cut our cake and drink more champagne—headaches be damned.

After dinner, I tell Flynn I’ll be right back and get up to speak to Leah. “Come with me for a second.”

“Um, okay. What’s up?”

“You’ll see.”

I lead her over to the table where Marlowe is chatting with Flynn’s sisters. I introduce them all. “Marlowe, I want you to meet my roommate from New York, Leah. Leah, Marlowe.”

Though she is totally starstruck, Leah manages to shake hands with Marlowe.

“Great to meet you,” Marlowe says.

“Yes,” Leah says, trying not to stare. “Same here. Heard a lot about you from Nat.”

“All good, I hope.”

“All good.”

“So Marlowe desperately needs an Addie, and Leah needs a job. I thought you two might be able to help each other out.”

Leah stares at me, her mouth agape. “You… I…”

“She’s normally much more articulate,” I say to Marlowe, who is smiling broadly.

“How soon can you be here, Leah?”

“W-what? You can’t be serious. I’m a teacher, or I was a teacher. I don’t want to be a teacher, and oh my God, I’m babbling.”

“The job is yours if you want it. Natalie is right—I desperately need an Addie, and Addie could teach you everything you need to know about being an Addie. Will you consider it?”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know Natalie, and if she says you’d be great, that’s all I need to hear. I’d want you to relocate out here, though, since most of my life happens here.”

“Move here. Work for Marlowe Sloane. Someone pinch me.”

I gently pinch her arm, making them both laugh.

“So that’s a yes?” Marlowe asks.

“Yes!” Leah’s eyes are dancing with delight. “A million times yes.”

“Excellent!” I’m pleased with my matchmaking and to know my best friend from New York will soon be living close by in Los Angeles.

As I dance with Max much later, Hayden dances with Addie, Marlowe with one of Flynn’s younger cousins, and Jasper with Flynn’s sister Ellie. Kristian and Emmett are standing by the side of the dance floor, a gaggle of women surrounding them. Flynn sways to the music with his nieces, India and Ivy, who giggle at his antics. He’s going to be such a wonderful father.

“His mother and I had nearly given up on hoping this day would ever come,” Max says softly, for my ears only. “Look at him with the kids. He’s so great with them, and they love him so much. We couldn’t bear to think of him missing out on having his own family, but it didn’t seem like it would happen. And then he met you, and well… We’re so happy for both of you.”

“Thank you, Max, and thank you for this unforgettable day. I told Flynn earlier that I wouldn’t have said we needed a big party, but I’m so glad we’ll have these memories. And I also want to thank you and Stella for the way you’ve opened your arms to me. You’ll never know how much that has meant to me.”

“You’ve got a great big new family who loves you and your sisters. This is your home now, and you’ll always be welcome here.”

With tears in my eyes, I hug my new father-in-law until my husband comes to claim me, making jokes about his dad moving in on his girl.
 

Flynn wraps his arms around me, and I sink into his embrace, overwhelmed by the emotional day and the weeks that preceded it.
 

“What do you say we get out of here, my love?”

“Ready to go home?”

“I’m ready to be alone with my wife.”

“Hopefully this wedding night will go a little better than the last one,” I say in a teasing tone.

“I have no complaints whatsoever about the first one.” With his hands on my face, he kisses me in that tender way that always disarms me. “Come on, let’s go.”

Chapter 18

It’s been an outstanding day, full of all the things that matter most to me. We’ve been surrounded by the love of our family and friends, but now it’s about us, and I want my wife all to myself. Her sisters and friends will be spending the night with my parents before heading home tomorrow. My parents are also taking care of Fluff for us for the next week, not that Natalie knows that when she says good-bye to her baby for what she thinks is just tonight.
 

We hug and kiss Candace, Olivia, Leah, Aileen and her kids, and my family before we take our leave, again in my father’s Bentley. The driver knows where we’re going, so as we drive away from the place where I grew up, I’m able to give Natalie my full attention.

“I was thinking,” she says.

I nuzzle her neck. “About?”

“Your idea for a movie about my story.”

I wouldn’t have thought anything could interest me more than the sexy column of her neck. “What about it?”

“It would make for a good movie, especially with today as the happy ending.”

“You really think so?”

“I really do. Everyone already knows, so it’s not like we’d be telling a story that would expose me or my secrets. I don’t have any secrets anymore, and I like it that way.”

“Still, it would result in a lot of renewed interest in your past.”

“Perhaps one of the things I was meant to do with my newfound celebrity is bring attention to the strength and resilience of sexual assault survivors. My story is proof that it doesn’t have to ruin a life or define it.”

“Nat…” My voice is little more than a whisper. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again, your courage is awe-inspiring. It would be such an honor for us to tell your story. We’d give it our very best. I promise.”

She tugs on my bow tie, untying it. “What part would you play?”

“I’d have to play myself, the dashing hero whose life is saved by the feisty heroine who showed him what really matters.”

Her laughter fills my soul. “The
dashing
hero, huh?”

“I did have to dash after you to keep you from getting away.”

“That’s true.” She gives me a sly, sexy look that makes me instantly hard. “Of course, some parts of our story will have to remain private.”

“Of course.”

“My husband is a very public figure who wouldn’t appreciate me selling his secrets to Hollywood.”

“No, he wouldn’t. Those secrets are only for you.” I kiss her then, the way I’ve been dying to for hours now. Her arms encircle my neck, and she gives herself up to me with the sweet submission that makes me so fucking hot every time. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it. That’s the best part. She gives me everything I need without me having to tell her how.

In deference to my dad’s driver, who’s worked for my family for decades, I withdraw from the kiss gradually and regretfully. We’ll have plenty of time to pick up where we left off.

Natalie glances out the window. “Where’re we going?”

“Not home.”

“I see that. More surprises?”

“Maybe…”

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“What fun would that be?”

“I didn’t bring anything with me.”

“You don’t need anything.”

“I need a toothbrush.”

Smiling, I kiss her again and then once again because once wasn’t enough. “Your every need shall be seen to, my love. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“As long as I’m able to make my foundation board meeting on Tuesday, I’m all yours.”

“Um, yeah, about that…”

“What about it?”

“I moved it to next Tuesday.”

“Flynn! You can’t just move my meetings around without telling me.”

“I can if I want to surprise you with the honeymoon I’ve been promising for weeks now.” Before my eyes, the head of steam that had been building in her seems to dissipate. “Am I forgiven?”

“Depends on where we’re going.”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“I’ll let you know if you’re forgiven when I see where we’re going.” She tugs on my tie again. “After this, no more surprises. We’ve got to get back to a normal life. We’ve been self-indulgent sloths for weeks now. I need to be productive.”

“You’ve been very productive, sweetheart.”

“Flynn! You know what I mean.”

“Yes,” I say, endlessly amused by her, “I know what you mean, and I need to get back to reality, too. If I weren’t self-employed, I would’ve been fired by now. But we’re taking this week for ourselves first. We’re newlyweds. We deserve a honeymoon.”

“Most people would say that more than a week at a Malibu beach house followed by days and days by a pool in the Hollywood Hills would count as a honeymoon.”

“We’re not most people, and I can do better.”

She lays her head on my shoulder.

“You’re not mad, are you?”