CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Four months later…
It was a gorgeous autumn day for Billie and Tyler’s wedding. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and Billie was happier than she’d ever been in her entire life.
Both she and Tyler had shed tears during the ceremony, standing under a flower-draped arbor in an orchard of beautiful old apple trees. Billie’s elegant ivory silk and lace gown was an old-fashioned design with a tight bodice and a full ballgown skirt. She felt like a princess in it and Tyler was surely her prince, dressed in a charcoal gray tuxedo with a red rose in the lapel. Everyone kept telling her how beautiful she looked but frankly she couldn’t take her eyes off of her handsome new husband.
Tyler was her husband. She was his wife.
It was surreal and yet they both agreed that it had been inevitable. From their first meeting so long ago, they’d both known that there was…something…about the other. Something different and special.
The reception was beginning to wind down and soon she and Tyler would be jetting off for their honeymoon. Back to that beach house in Hawaii that had seemed so much like paradise. They’d spend two weeks there and then spend a few months in Los Angeles getting ready to film a movie. Together. It was another dream come true.
The script had been in one of those high stacks in Tyler’s office and Curtis had found it. He’d started reading the first page and simply couldn’t put it down. Several hours later he’d frantically called Tyler on the phone to tell him that he simply had to read it. At first, Tyler had only been humoring his assistant but it quickly became clear that this story was special.
The Zak role forgotten, Tyler had thrown himself into negotiations and the studio was thrilled to have him onboard along with Billie, who was getting rave reviews from the dailies on the set in Paris.
Placing her hand on her gorgeous husband’s thigh under the banquet table, Billie leaned over and pressed a kiss to Tyler’s cheek, leaving behind a light lipstick mark. Immediately he turned away from Max, who simply chuckled and lifted his wife Carrie out of a chair and whirled her onto the dance floor. Carrie and Max were being awfully cagey when asked questions, but Carrie hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol this weekend. Everyone was sure the happy newlyweds were having a baby even if they weren’t ready to admit it yet.
Sadly, Nate and Paige hadn’t been able to make the wedding as she was placed on bedrest as they awaited the birth of their twins – one boy and one girl – but that gave them ample time to decide on names. Apparently Paige was still trying to talk Nate out of Balthasar, heaven help her.
“Hello, baby,” Tyler said, his soft blue eyes glowing with all the love she’d ever dreamed of. “Have I been neglecting you? I’m sorry.”
“You haven’t.” Billie shook her head. “I snuck out and had a toast with the girls and then came back here. I was just thinking that we need to thank Sam and Dinah somehow. They’ve been so good to Sierra.”
Sierra had landed a small role in an indie production with Dinah and the two women would be flying off to Chicago in just a few days. But it was Sam that had made the movie possible in the first place. It was his production company that was making the film.
Now officially divorced, Billie’s sister was fully embracing her life and freedom, although the specter of the past still hung over her from time to time, but she was courageous and determined to move forward.
“It was sweet of Dinah to insist that Sierra be the maid of honor,” Tyler observed. “She didn’t have to do that.”
“She said it was only right but I sort of made them co-maids of honor. I’m not sure if that breaks some etiquette rules but I don’t care.” Billie’s fingertips ran lightly across Tyler’s jaw. “The only thing I care about right now is you.”
“Agreed,” he replied, urgency in his tone. “How soon can we make our escape? I want you all to myself. I’ve had to share you for two whole days.”
“Such a tragedy,” she teased, although she felt exactly the same way. “Are you sure you won’t get tired of me after a few weeks in the tropics? Just me, you, and some umbrella drinks. If you read some of the tabloids, they say you will. That you’ll get bored and leave me.”
They could laugh about it because they both knew it would never happen. They’d worked too hard to get here.
He frowned playfully and shook his head. “That’s strange, the other half of the tabloids say that I’ve been thoroughly tamed by a dark-haired temptress. I know which one I think is right.”
“Do you mind that your playboy title has been passed along to someone else?”
She already knew the answer in her heart but it was nice to hear too, especially on a day like today.
“Kirby can have it with my compliments,” Tyler grinned. “I hope he uses it in good health. Personally, I feel badly for the poor bastard. The press is going to hound him night and day if he so much as looks at a female. Now, back to the important issues. How do we get out of here?”
“I have to throw my bouquet. Then we can go.”
Her ivory and yellow rose bouquet tied with a matching ribbon sat on the table in front of her. Tyler reached for it, twirling it in his hand. “This one?”
“Whoever catches it is supposed to get married next. At least that’s what they say.”
An evil smile spread across his face. “Does it matter who throws it?”
She wasn’t sure what he had up his sleeve but she’d learned to be wary when he wore that expression. “I guess not but usually the bride does. Why?”
“Can I throw it?”
“You want to throw my flowers?” she asked, rolling her eyes. Sometimes he could be so strange. Her big, sexy goof. “Sure, if you want to.”
“Thanks, babe.” Tyler pressed a quick kiss to her lips before standing up and clanging his fork on his glass. The room quieted down and suddenly every set of eyes in the place was staring at her bridegroom. “I want to thank everyone for coming this weekend. I know it isn’t easy to find time in your crazy schedules and it means the world to me and Billie that you did. I’m the luckiest man on the planet to have such great friends and now the most amazing wife too. Now to get to the bouquet toss…according to my beautiful bride whoever catches the flowers is the next to get married. Is that right?”
A very feminine cheer went up from the crowd, affirming his theory.
“Good. So here goes.”
Unlike at other weddings Billie had attended there was no buildup, no gathering of the single women. Tyler simply flicked his wrist and the bouquet sailed through the air as the collective audience held its breath. Even Billie found herself not even blinking as the roses seemed to hover for a moment before falling into the arms of the last person she’d ever imagine.
Sam. And not only was he holding her bouquet, he was wearing one pissed-off expression directed at said thrower of flowers. Her new husband.
His hand under elbow, Tyler lifted her out of her chair. “We better get out of here before he kicks my ass.”
“You did that on purpose?”
She shouldn’t be laughing but she was. Sam was stomping through the dancers and headed right to them. Tyler was right. They needed to make a quick exit and fast.
“Of course I did. Now let’s disappear before he messes up my new tuxedo.”
Somehow she and Tyler managed to slip out of the hall and into their suite before Sam caught up to them, both of them laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. This was what she’d signed up for. Tyler might have grown up a little but he was always going to be exciting and unpredictable.
She couldn’t wait for a lifetime of sneaking out of parties. With him.
I hope you enjoyed Tyler and Billie’s happily ever after! Be on the look out for Sam’s story – Love in the Spotlight – coming early 2018. Thank you for reading Wild on the Red Carpet!
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