The most fantastic day of her life was topped off by the most wonderful party she could have asked for. Family, friends, good food, plenty of booze, Shell had never had a better time. Even her mother showed up. She didn’t smile much, but she was there.
She was also clueless as to what happened in her house while she was out of town a few months ago.
And it would stay that way forever.
Exhausted from dancing with every man associated with the club, Shell walked over toward the bar. Thunder, who’d volunteered to manage the bar, had a bottle of water ready for her. “Looking parched, Mrs. President,” he said with a wink.
“Oh, Thunder, you’re perfect.” She snatched the water and guzzled half the bottle. When her tongue wasn’t so dry, she turned and watched her guests. A minute later, her husband spotted her and stalked her way.
Shell shivered. That gaze was so damn potent it was practically a caress.
“Hey, baby,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Hi, handsome. Relax with me a moment. See how much fun our family is having.” She pulled him in next to her so his back was to the bar as well.
Immediately, his arm slipped around her shoulders, tucking her close. The man didn’t believe in personal space.
Not that she was complaining. Being touched by him was hands down her favorite pastime.
“Does look like a pretty successful party, huh?”
“Yep.” She smiled. Music blared through the clubhouse. Everyone was drinking, dancing and having a fabulous time.
“Got a surprise for you,” her husband said, pulling a folded paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and handed it over, an almost misty look on his face.
That couldn’t be right. Copper didn’t do misty.
“What is this?”
He laughed. “Read it, Miss Impatient.”
As Shell scanned the document, tears came to her eyes. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “It’s official.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, as of yesterday I’m officially Beth’s father.”
Shell swallowed the golf ball lodged in her throat. “Thank you for this,” she said. “Thank you for loving Beth and me. And thank you for wanting to adopt her. I’m not sure I can express to you what this means to me, Aiden,” she said, staring up at the man she loved so much it seemed like it couldn’t be real.
But it was. And he loved her just the same. She felt it every second of every day.
“Shit, baby, I’m the one who should be thanking you. You and that princess are the best things in my life.”
Was it possible for a heart to actually burst with love?
She glanced back at the happy partiers. “Quite the kingdom you have here.”
“Your kingdom too, now.” He gave a gentle tug on her hair so she looked back up at him. “You’re my queen, Shell. This family, this kingdom is as much yours as it is mine. You ready to rule it with me?”
She’d never been readier for anything in her life. Taking her place by her husband’s side was her destiny. “Never been more ready for anything, except to marry you.”
“Damn good answer, baby,” he said before he kissed her.
Shell gave herself over to her husband’s passion.
It’d been a long, hard road, finding her way to her man, but she’d come to value the lessons and strength she’d gained along the way. The past was the past, and nothing would change it now. But the future?
Yeah, that was shiny and bright as the sun.