Page 5 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
My face split into a beaming smile. It didn’t last long because Nick leaned down and captured my mouth. Right in the middle of the jewelry store, our tongues tangled together in a deep kiss. My hands explored the defined ridges of his chest while his arms banded around my lower back and pulled my hips tightly into his.
When he finally broke away, I was breathless and my heart was thundering out of my chest. His hardness had rubbed up against my hip and I was on fire. Swaying sideways on wobbling knees, I clung to Nick’s shirt to keep from falling.
I wanted a kiss like that every day for the rest of my life.
A throat clearing broke our happy bubble. Nick turned to the clerk but kept an arm around my waist to steady me on my feet. He took the ring from the clerk’s hand and slowly slid it onto my finger. Tingles spread from my hand through my arm when it was positioned perfectly against my knuckle.
I admired the jewels and how perfectly they looked on my finger. How perfectly my hand looked in Nick’s.
Gazing up into his vibrant eyes, I knew Nick was the only man for me. I had found the one. Fate, something I hadn’t believed in until tonight, had brought us together. We’d only been with each other for hours but I was undeniably in love.
“When are you two getting married?” the clerk asked.
“Tonight,” Nick said, not taking his eyes from mine.
“Oh, congratulations! Which chapel did you choose?” she asked.
“We haven’t picked one yet.”
“Well, if I may offer a recommendation . . .”
One hour later, Nick helped me climb out of a town car in front of The Clover Chapel.
“Wow.” My eyes raked over the charming, square building.
The white stucco walls were dotted with intricate, stained glass windows made of blues and greens. A small steeple at the peak of the roof held a brass bell. Vines with small, white flowers climbed over the walls, covering the stucco.
The clerk had not been wrong. It was incredible.
I felt Nick’s heat at my side and my fingers naturally found his. I rushed to pull him inside, barely containing my excitement to see the chapel’s interior.
The air evaporated from my lungs the instant we crossed through the pale wooden doors with a tiny four-leafed clover tacked to the top of its frame. The beauty of this chapel was beyond any of my wildest dreams.
Through an arched opening directly in front of us was a short aisle lined with small, wooden pews. At its end was a pergola threaded with greenery, glittering twigs, fairy lights and white magnolia flowers. Hanging white wisteria blooms filled the open ceiling.
We had just walked into a garden wonderland. Someone had reached into my mind and created the setting for my dream wedding.
Magic.
“Hello! Welcome to The Clover Chapel,” the receptionist said. “How can I help you?”
“We’d like to get married tonight,” Nick said.
“Congratulations! Clover will be so excited.” She flipped open a three-ring binder to show us their wedding packages. When we made our choice, she left to find the officiant, Clover herself.
“Are you going to regret this?” Nick asked, pulling me into his arms. His question was sincere. He wouldn’t hold this against me if I chose to call a quit to this dare.
But this wasn’t a crazy adventure for me anymore. It was real.
We were real.
It didn’t matter that I wasn’t wearing a designer couture gown and my hair wasn’t in an elaborate updo. I had no desire to spend a fortune on my wedding. I hated the pretentious and over-the-top fiascos my engaged friends were all planning. All I wanted was to marry a man who was the only one for me.
Nick was that man.
I didn’t know all of the mundane details of his life or his past. I’d learn those in time. For now, I knew what was important. Nick was kind, generous and affectionate. He looked at me like I was the only woman in the world.
“No, I won’t regret getting married. Will you?” I hoped with everything I had that his answer was no.
