Conviction (A Stand-alone Novel): A Bad Boy Romance (30 page)

"Thank you, Ayden," he said over my shoulder, "you've showed me time and time again that I really did raise a good man. Your mother would be so proud."

I cleared my throat, but it took a few times before I could get it working right again. "Well, a good man wouldn't waste all that space in a limousine. Are you coming with us or what?"

"'Us?' Is she in there?" my father edged towards the limousine and tried to peer through the tinted windows.

"Who?" I asked.

"That beautiful girl you've had the good fortune to be near. You better get smart, boy, before someone else snaps her up. I know a rare treasure when I see one."

The door popped open and Autumn climbed out. She was stunning in a coral-colored sundress and tightly tailored white suit coat. She brushed back her long, loose blonde hair and smiled. "Hello, Mr. King. Nice to see you again."

"The circumstances could be better, but we'll get there, dear, I promise."

"Joseph King, I would like you to meet Autumn Bishop. Autumn, this is my father. I don't think you two have ever been formally introduced," I said.

Autumn shook her head and hugged my father. "I'm so glad you decided to ride back to Las Vegas with us. It means a lot to both of us."

Joseph's eyes widened in surprise and then he hugged her back. When he stepped back, his sharp blue eyes zeroed in on Autumn's left hand.

My father turned to me. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It is."

He took Autumn's hand to admire the radiant engagement ring. He gave a long, low whistle and then lifted my fiancé’s hand to kiss it. "I am so happy. You two are wonderful together."

My throat tightened as I saw tears in my father's eyes. "Thank you," I choked out the words again.

He moved towards the limousine, but before he climbed in, he stopped and looked at me again. "Your mother would have loved her. Good job, my boy. Good job."

* * * * *

"For gods sake, son, will you sit down? At this rate you'll be too tired to make it up the aisle much less wait for your bride." My father then cracked himself up and shot me a mischievous look. "And it would be crying shame if you were too tired to make it a memorable wedding night, now, wouldn't it?"

I paced by again and restrained myself from making a rude gesture at my father. "I hear that it’s perfectly normal to be nervous on your wedding day." I stopped and corrected myself. "Though, I'm not nervous. I'm excited. I'm too excited to be cooped up here in this little back room. Where is she?"

"Ah, brides will come when they are ready. If they come at all," my father said and hooted with later.

"Are you sure your case was thrown out? It might be nice if you were in a jail cell right about now," I snapped.

"It just so happens my public defender called me this morning. All the paperwork is complete, and I am as free as a bird. That intruder in your house was positively identified and connected to the Mertz brothers. Turns out those other assaults on his record had ties to their shady business dealings. So, my case was ruled self-defense and rolled into the larger case against those mobsters."

"Great, that's great," I paced by again. "Now that is all settled, maybe you can tell me what is taking so long? I thought I learned patience a long time ago, but this is torture."

"You know I was as calm as can be before your mother and I's wedding. Of course, it was in your grandmother's rose garden, and there were only a handful of neighbors and family around. If your mother had left me at the altar, I figure we would have just fired up the grill and gone about the rest of the day like normal. You, on the other hand, have a very full church."

I stopped and pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. "I know. Hundreds of people. What was I thinking? I should have just convinced her to elope."

The door popped open and I jumped a foot in the air. Alan wedged himself into the small room and smiled broadly. "She's just arrived, and they've tucked her away until you're in place."

My heart stopped and so did my feet. I could not move an inch. I was the one that had pushed for us to have a short engagement. I had pushed for the wedding date to be so soon. I had not allowed either of us to linger over the thousands and thousands of decisions that went along with wedding planning. And now that it was time, I wished everything, including my racing heart, would slow down.

My father laughed and Alan shrugged. The big man grabbed my arm and hauled me into the hallway. "Carpe diem. I think that's what Darla always says. Right?"

"Seize the day," my father agreed.

"Really?" I asked Alan, glancing way up to glare at him. "When are you going to seize the day and tie the knot with Darla?"

Alan paled above his ridiculously small bow tie. "I hadn't even thought about it."

It was my turn to laugh. "Well, you can bet she has and, if I know Darla, she already has a full scrapbook full of every little thing she wants from the venue, to the pair of underwear she wants on your ass."

Alan dropped my arm and used a ham-sized hand to smooth out the wrinkles on my tuxedo. "Good luck," he said and gave me a shove towards the sanctuary doors.

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church was filled with sunshine. The high arch that ran down the center of the church caught the bright Las Vegas light and gave the entire sanctuary a golden glow. Murals of blue skies and rolling hills were framed in arches along each wall and gave the impression of a beautiful landscape just outside.

My father walked with me down the aisle and gave one last chuckle. Then he shook my hand and clapped me on the shoulder. "Thank you for letting me be here today, son. Your mother would have killed me if I had missed this."

Alan walked with me to the front and took his place on the lowest step. I climbed three steps above him and shook hands with the minister.

"It’s completely natural to be nervous," the minister said with a wink.

I smiled but could not form a response. I turned towards the packed crowd and wondered if I was going to faint. At least I knew Alan would catch me before I smashed my face on the altar steps.

Then my nerves disappeared, burned off like the last wisps of fog under the sun. Darla practically scampered down the aisle in her airy lavender colored bridesmaid dress. It matched the specially made cummerbund that was cinched tight around Alan's impressive waist line. She blew him a kiss, tossed me a wink, and took her place.

I watched all of that out of the corner of my eye because Autumn stood framed in the sanctuary doors. The congregation rose and turned to face her with delighted gasps and coos. She was breathtaking, but this time I had no fear of fainting. I would not miss one step of my beautiful bride.

As she drifted towards me, I had to take in the details of her exquisite Oscar De La Renta wedding gown just to keep my eyes off of hers. Every time we locked gazes, I felt my eyes fill with tears. The full skirt brushed the ground and the fabric caught the light in a soft ivory glow. A satin band wrapped around Autumn's slim waist and complimented the embroidered corset top of the dress. Delicate lace drifted from the sweetheart neckline over her shoulders and continued down her back in a gauzy cape.

Autumn had foregone a veil and the effect was golden. The light of the sanctuary illuminated her cornsilk colored hair, tied back in a simple and elegant bun. The color of her soft hair and the golden sunlight created a halo glow around her that outdid any wedding veil of the most delicate lace.

I leapt down the steps to help her and the crowd chuckled.

Autumn gave me an impish grin. "Aren't you glad we didn't elope?"

I looked past her creamy bare arms and glanced at the groom's side of the church. Instead of my nightmare scenario of empty, echoing pews, every seat was full. My father grinned in the front and behind him was a crowd of smiling, waving, and joyful Knight Holding employees. My family had expanded to bursting and the sight made my heart swell.

"Last chance," Autumn teased, "we can make a break for the side door and catch a cab to the drive-through chapel."

The minister gaped, but I shook my head. "No way. Everyone in Vegas is going to know you are my wife."

"I love you, Ayden," Autumn whispered before the minister shushed her.

We laughed and the congregation laughed with us. Then the ceremony began and my nerves returned right up until we said our vows. Those words were the most natural things I had ever said as Autumn looked up at me. I did not stumble once until the minister announced I could kiss the bride. The church erupted in such raucous applause that I missed Autumn's mouth and had to go back to try again and again and again.

We ran down the aisle to more applause and were surprised by an equally large crowd outside. Rice paper confetti exploded into the air as we ran to the car with Darla and Alan close on our heels. Alan packed us all in to the limousine, Darla carefully directing how Autumn's dress should be handled, and then he drove us to the reception himself.

One of the only stipulations I had managed to pass for our large wedding was that we would not have to pause or stand in a reception line. Our guests were politely informed that we loved them all and would try to talk to as many people as we could, but for one day only, we would concentrate less on schmoozing and more on each other.

"Can you imagine standing in a receiving line in the Las Vegas sun?" Autumn asked. "I still think we'll end up visiting every table and forgetting to eat, but I'll admit you had a good idea when you finally put your foot down."

I could hardly answer, I was too excited for her to turn her attention to the reception. Finally, she glanced out the window and realized where we were headed.

"The Mandarin Oriental!" Autumn squealed as we pulled up. "That's the very first place you saw when I told you to just look around a pick a venue!"

She collapsed against me, laughing between kisses. I had let her choose every detail but would not tell her the location. It was nearly impossible to keep a secret from my well-connected and constantly observing wife. I had begged half of Las Vegas not to ruin the surprise, and it was worth all the favors I owed.

Autumn's face was luminous with happiness as I helped her out of the limousine and walked her into the lavish wedding reception. We rode up and up to have our pictures taken in the stunning Sky Lobby with the entire Las Vegas skyline behind us. By the time we were done posing for the photographer and enjoying a private toast with Darla and Alan, the guests had begun to arrive downstairs.

Each guest received an obscenely generous gift bag with the best the Mandarin Oriental had to offer. Satin slippers, luxurious bath salts, the latest gadgets for music, instant cameras with extra film, and unique surprises that ranged from Tiffany charms to bottles of Glenlivet.

"I'm jealous," Autumn said. "Why didn't I think to get gift bags for us?"

"You didn't have to," I said.

The concierge arrived, congratulated both of us, and presented my blushing bride with her very own complimentary gift bag. "On behalf of the Mandarin Oriental and all of Las Vegas, we would like to say congratulations and much happiness to you both."

"Did you do this?" Autumn asked, jabbing me in the side with her elbow.

"No, my dear. You'll just have to face the truth. Las Vegas loves the Kings," I said.

We looked at each other and shared a lingering kiss that had the guests hooting and hollering. It was the first time I had ever called her by her married name, and the thrill would resonate for decades.

I escorted Autumn through the eager crowd and seated her at the front table. "Go ahead, open it."

Autumn turned to her gift and opened the satin wrapped bag. Inside were a pair of Jimmy Choo heels in exquisite gold. She held them to her cheek and raised her eyes to the ballroom ceiling in ecstasy. Then I pulled out the smaller box and handed it to her. Inside was a teardrop shaped diamond pendant sent to us from Harry Winston.

"Oh, Ayden, this is too much," Autumn fanned herself and blinked back tears.

"There's one last gift that we are supposed to open now," I said. In front of us on the head table was a wide box with a huge white bow.

Autumn tugged the lid off and gasped. Inside was a pair of Baccarat crystal champagne flutes. She picked one up and marveled at its weight. A waiter materialized with a bottle of champagne already open and ready. We held up our exquisite glasses, and he filled them to the brim. When we had toasted the full room and tapped our glasses together, the sweetest chime drifted over the sound of the crowd.

We toasted each other over and over again until that sound would forever mean to me how my heart rang with joy on the day Autumn married me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Autumn

Ayden's suitcase was open on the four-poster bed. I pulled aside the gauzy mosquito netting and saw that it was completely empty. First thing that morning, he had gone swimming at the resort's private beach. Then he had convinced me to take one more hike to the waterfall. A light breakfast was followed by a luxurious shower in our suite's grotto-style bathroom with a wide rain showerhead. Now, instead of packing, he was sitting outside with his feet up.

"I ordered one last round of Mai Tais," Ayden announced. "We can't leave without making the most of this view. I am so glad we chose Hawaii."

I stepped onto our private lanai and could not blame him for procrastinating. It was hard to think of leaving the vibrant islands even though we had only been there for seven days.

"I suppose we could call the pilot and let him know we're running late," I said.

Ayden shook his head, "No. I already told the front desk we were checking out. After the Mai Tais." He pulled me into his lap and nuzzled my neck.

A white-coated waiter delivered the drinks on a silver tray and nodded politely.

"You want to stay?" I asked Ayden.

I was torn between wanting to get home and get back to work and understanding why Ayden wanted to linger. Not only was it our honeymoon, it was Ayden's first time on a tropical island. After weeks of string-pulling and favor-asking, his parole officer had finally signed off on a trip outside the continental United States. It was just another reminder that Ayden had been locked up for fifteen years and had missed much of the world.