Marriage With Benefits(68)

His mouth captured hers before she could argue opera was more a type of theater than a type of music. Lucas kissed her, and her heart became whole, then swelled, too big for her chest.

She pulled back a tiny bit, unwilling to be too far from him. “I really, really hope you meant it when you said you love me, because if you want a real wife, you’re going to have to suffer through a big, formal wedding. And I’m asking your mother to help plan it.”

He groaned. “I meant it. You know you’ll have to suffer through a real honeymoon in exchange, right?”

“With lots of real sex? Dios, the things I do for you.” With a tsk, she smiled. “I must love you a lot.”

“Well, then. Since we’re already married, the big, formal wedding is merely symbolic. So the honeymoon comes first.” He peeled back her robe and rolled his eyes at the tank top underneath. “Please. I’m begging you. Let me buy you some nice, tasteful sleepwear not made from cotton.”

“Not unless you let me teach you to dance.” His hands slid under the tank top and claimed her body, just like he’d claimed her heart. “Lucas,” she breathed.

Fergie squawked, “Lucas, Lucas, Lucas.”

Lucas laughed against Cia’s mouth. “That’s a deal.”



Even with Fran’s help, the wedding plans stretched over the course of two months. The real story was far too incredible, so Lucas smoothed over everyone’s questions with the partial truth—Cia’d had a change of heart about including everyone in their marriage celebration, and she wanted a lavish second ceremony.

Finally, after endless rounds of making decisions and sampling cake and addressing invitations, Cia clutched Abuelo’s arm and walked down the aisle to her husband. Then, nearly five hundred guests accompanied them to an extravagant reception, where the bride and groom danced to every song, be it fast or slow.

Lucas twirled Cia to one of his favorite country numbers and she sang along, not ashamed to admit she kind of liked it, twangy guitars and all. He gathered her close and smiled. “Was it worth it? The big wedding?”

“It’s everything I dreamed it would be. Exhausting but so wonderful.”

That morning, she’d begun to suspect the exhaustion wasn’t due to frantic wedding plans but another reason entirely. But she’d had no time to slip away and buy a pregnancy test. Tomorrow was soon enough to confirm it.

She couldn’t wait to find out for sure. A whole, intact heart allowed for plenty of possibilities, and, finally, she was in a place where the thought of a baby didn’t scare her blind. And if the test came back negative, they’d try some more. It was all in the journey and the pleasures to be had along the way.

When the music ended, Lucas escorted her to the table, and Fran flashed yet another proud smile. Cia touched the pearls around her neck and grinned at Fran and Andy in turn. She’d gained a family along with a husband.

Well, most of a family—Matthew hadn’t come back for the wedding and it weighed on Lucas. Hopefully she could cheer him up tomorrow with the news he’d started on the next generation of Wheelers a little earlier than expected.

Abuelo approached the table and took Cia’s hand. “I’m afraid this old man must retire for the evening, my dear. Lucas, I’ll be in your office a week from Monday to sign the papers. I’m a little sad to see the Manzanares complex change hands, but I couldn’t be happier with the deal you negotiated.”

“Anything for family. I’m glad to be of service.” Lucas clasped Abuelo’s outstretched hand and wished him a good evening.

Only after a knockdown, drag-out fight, which Cia refused to lose, had Lucas agreed to still represent Abuelo in the sale of Manzanares, even though he hadn’t followed through with the divorce. Seriously, her husband took integrity to a whole new level. When Cia pointed out she couldn’t trust any other real estate broker with Abuelo’s business except Lucas, he conceded.

Abuelo hadn’t budged on changing the terms of the trust, despite Cia’s zealous pleas, but she was okay with that. In lieu of wedding gifts, Cia and Lucas had asked for donations to the newly formed Wheeler Family Foundation, helmed quite expertly by Fran Wheeler, and the balance grew by leaps and bounds daily.

Every time Cia launched into an impassioned explanation about the work she and Fran were doing, and every time someone handed her another check, she could feel her mother smiling down in approval. Nothing could bring back her parents, but trusting Lucas with her heart had finally allowed Cia to close that chapter and embrace the next one.

She dreamed of forever, and Lucas Wheeler was exactly the man to give it to her.