Freddie seemed thrilled to have Elin with him, and Sam was glad she’d encouraged him to try again with her—even if there’d be hell to pay if Mrs. Cruz ever found out what Sam had done. They’d been united in their dislike of Elin for Freddie, but he was right. It was his life, and he had to live it as he saw fit, even if that meant loving a woman his mother didn’t approve of.
“I have a little surprise for you,” Sam’s husband of two hours whispered in her ear.
Sam looked up at him, caught off guard by how happy and adorable he seemed. She’d never seen him looking happier than he did just then, and vowed in that moment to do whatever it took to make him that happy every day for the rest of their lives. “What’s that?”
“Wait ‘til you see, Sam,” Scotty interjected, fairly busting the buttons of his tuxedo as he jumped from foot to foot.
“You’re keeping all kinds of secrets, aren’t you?” she asked the boy.
“Uh-huh,” he said with a delighted grin.
“So what is it?” Sam asked.
“Look,” Nick said, pointing to the small stage where their DJ had set up. They’d gone with a DJ over a live band to make space for more guests in the rooftop reception room.
Sam looked to where Nick pointed, and her mind went totally blank. It couldn’t be… Was that… No. No way.
No freaking way!
She let out a most un-coplike shriek.
Jon Bon Jovi at her wedding?
Stop it. Stop it right now! Sam wondered if it was possible for a bride to hyperventilate at her own wedding.
She glanced up at Nick who was thoroughly enjoying her shock. “You call this a
little
surprise?” Her voice was squeaky and high-pitched.
Bowing before her, Nick held out his hand. “May I please have this dance with my wife?”
Sam’s heart had never beat faster, even when she was being chased by gun-toting lunatics, than it did as she took Nick’s hand and followed him to the dance floor.
“I understand the bride is one of our biggest fans,” Bon Jovi said with a charming smile that made Sam want to swoon, “so I’m delighted to be here for Sam and Nick’s first dance as Mr. and Mrs.”
Jon Bon Jovi himself sang the most beautiful acoustic version of “Thank You for Loving Me” that Sam had ever heard. She had to keep reminding herself to focus on her new husband and not on the rock star she’d admired for so many years.
“How in the world did you pull this off?” she asked Nick.
“The junior senator from New Jersey is a friend of mine.”
“Of course he is. Who
isn’t
a friend of yours?
He flashed that winning grin that made her knees go weak every damned time. “He knew someone who knew someone.” Nick shrugged, like it was no big deal to get one of the music world’s biggest stars to come to their wedding. “My only fear was that once you met him, you’d forget all about me and run off with him.”
Sam hugged him so hard he gasped. “No chance of that, but is it okay if I ogle him just a little bit? My love affair with him has lasted years and years, and you’re still kinda new around here.”
Nick tossed his head back and laughed. “Ogle away. Just remember who’s taking you home tonight.”
“As if I could ever forget.” She brought him down for a lingering kiss that generated catcalls from their guests. “And I’ll never forget that you did this for me.”
“My pleasure, babe.”
She loved that about him—how pleasing her was always more important to him than pleasing himself.
Their wedding party joined them for “Make a Memory.” Sam was still trying to absorb that Jon Bon Jovi,
the
Jon Bon Jovi, was actually at
her
wedding when he asked her to have a seat next to her dad. In a daze, Sam made her way across the room to her dad and sat with him, her hand joined with his right hand.
“Can you even
stand
this?” she squealed.
Her dad and Celia cracked up laughing.
Bon Jovi sang “I’ll Be There for You,” which reduced the entire family to tears. He sang four more songs before turning the music back over to the DJ. When Sam and Nick went to thank him, he gave her a big hug and posed for pictures with them before he took his leave.
“
Un
believable,” Sam said, still wanting to pinch herself to make sure she hadn’t dreamed it. “Seriously.”
“I’m so glad you liked my surprise,” Nick said.
“
Liked it?
I’ll live off that hug for the rest of my life!”
He raised an eyebrow to let her know she was pushing her luck. “Is that so?”
“Well, maybe not the
rest
of my life, but for a little while anyway.”
“Better,” Nick said with a tolerant grin.
“Sam,” Scotty said, tugging at her arm. “What about the
other
surprise?”
“Ah, yes,” she said, “is it time for that?”
Radiating excitement, Scotty nodded.
“Go ahead and tell Shelby. She’ll get it for you.”
Scotty scurried off, and Sam turned to her husband.
“What’re you up to, Samantha?”
“Wait until you see. This was all Scotty’s idea, so give him the credit.”
Nick leaned in to kiss her.
“What did I do to deserve that?”
“You’ve embraced a child who means a lot to me, and I appreciate it.”
“I love him too.”
They exchanged a meaningful look, both remembering their talk in the Jacuzzi about making Scotty a part of their family.
“When we get back,” Sam said.
Nick smiled and tightened his grip on her hand.
The moment was interrupted when Scotty, supervised by a team of waiters, pushed a table to the middle of the dance floor.
“
Whoa
.” Nick’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the exact replica of Fenway Park, made of cake and icing. “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”
Delighted by Nick’s reaction, Scotty held up his hand for a high-five from Sam.
“You did this?” Nick asked Scotty.
“With a little help from Sam,” he said modestly.
“Thank you so much,” Nick said, hugging Scotty.
“Thank
you
,” Scotty said. “For being such a good friend to me.”
Nick’s eyes filled with tears. “Right back atcha, pal,” he said gruffly.
They shared a smile that had Sam blinking back tears. She wondered if they had any idea they were slowly becoming father and son. Watching that happen ranked among the greatest thrills of her life.
“While we’re on the subject,” Shelby said as her team brought out the orchid-laden wedding cake. “What do you say we cut this one too?”
“Tell me I don’t have to cut Fenway,” Nick said, stricken by the idea of it.
“We took lots of pictures,” Shelby assured him, handing him a knife. “Have at it.”
“I can’t! It would be like bringing another eighty-six-year curse down on the Sox!”
Sam rolled her eyes at Shelby and took the knife from Nick. “Allow me.”
“I can’t look,” he said with a whimper.
“Me either,” Scotty added, covering his eyes.
Sam and Nick were enjoying a few minutes off their feet along with some wedding cake when the DJ handed a microphone to Nick’s best man and surrogate father, retired senator Graham O’Connor.
The room quieted, and Nick reached for Sam’s hand. She enveloped it between both of hers.
“I know I speak for all of you when I say it’s been such a thrill to be part of this celebration of love and joy—two things we can never have too much of in this life,” Graham said. “I first met Nick when my son John brought him home for a weekend during their freshman year at Harvard. Right away, I was struck by his eagerness and determination to make something of his life. I remember encouraging John, who was somewhat less…
determined
… at that time in his life to spend more time with the oh-so-serious Nick Cappuano.”
A soft wave of laughter rippled through the room.
“That turned out to be a good move on my part. I don’t like to think about how responsible Nick probably was for getting John through school.”
That drew a short laugh from Nick.
“When John later took office, he insisted Nick run the show, and John always said Nick was the brains behind the whole operation. I’m not sure if that’s entirely true, but I do know they made for one hell of a team.”
Nick bent his head to beat back a flood of emotion as memories of John swamped him.
“Nick has been a part of our family since that first weekend at the farm. Of course, we all know John should be the one making this speech since he and Nick were each other’s best men from the time they were eighteen. They stood by each other through life’s ups and downs, and when John was taken from us so suddenly, Nick stood by my wife and me through the darkest days of our lives.”
Sam leaned into Nick and tightened her grip on his hand.
“When Nick honored me by asking me to be his best man, I tried to think of what John would’ve said today. I decided he probably would’ve told a few off-color jokes and stories we’d all be better off not hearing.”
Nick looked over at his staffers, gathered at three tables, and saw Christina dabbing at her eyes even as she laughed. She’d carried a quiet torch for John for years before he was killed.
“But the most important thing John would’ve said is that he loved you like a brother, Nick. We all love you, and the O’Connors are delighted to welcome Sam into our hearts and our family. I have no doubt she’ll take very good care of our Nick. We wish you both a lifetime of the love and joy we’ve all experienced here today.” He held up his champagne flute. “To Nick and Sam.”
Nick held up his glass to the man he loved like a father and then toasted his bride. “I’ll drink to that,” he said as he kissed her.
“Hear, hear,” she said. “Now, let’s dance our asses off.”
Freddie held Elin as close as he dared in a room full of colleagues and superior officers. As they moved as one on the crowded dance floor, all he could think about was getting out of there and being alone with her. It’d been many weeks since they’d last spent a night together, and he hoped he wasn’t getting ahead of himself by planning to spend tonight with her. She’d never mentioned sleeping with him when she agreed to go to the wedding.
She had her arms around him, inside his suit coat, and her hands were warm against his back. Despite his best efforts to contain his raging libido, she had him rock-hard and ready with just the brush of her lips against the sensitive skin on his neck.
Freddie slid his hand down her back to better align her with his erection.
“No need to ask what you’re thinking about,” she said in a teasing tone.
He released a nervous laugh. “Not doing much thinking at the moment.”
“That’s not true. You’re always thinking.”
“Which has kind of been our problem, right?”
“You said it, not me.”
He looked down at her, mesmerized as always by her piercing blue eyes and cool blonde beauty. She stole the breath from his lungs when she looked at him the way she was right now. “I want to be with you.”
She tilted her hips and tore a groan from deep inside him. “So I noticed.”
“Not just in bed. I missed
you
.”
“I missed you too.”
“Only in bed?”
“Everywhere.”
A surge of hope made Freddie feel more buoyant than he’d been since the last time he was with her.
“What about your mother?” Elin asked, her smile fading. “I assume nothing’s changed on that front.”
“I’ve decided I can’t live my life for her. I have to live it for me.”
Sam would be proud of me
, Freddie thought, as he scanned the dance floor and found his partner laughing and dancing with her new husband. Seeing her so happy, after all she’d been through, filled him with determination. He returned his attention to Elin. “And what I want more than anything is you.”
Elin flashed him a saucy grin. “How badly do you want me?”
“
Bad
.” Freddie bent his head and kissed her right there in front of his coworkers. He didn’t care in the least if anyone saw him kiss the woman he loved. “Very,
very
bad.”
“How soon can we sneak out of here?”
“Soon,” Freddie said. “Very, very soon.”
“I would like,” Nick said against Sam’s ear, “to take my wife upstairs to bed.”
Sam quivered at the desire she heard in his voice. “Your wife would encourage you to do whatever it is you wish to do.”
“Mmm,” he said, capturing an earlobe between his teeth. “I like the sound of that.” He drew back from her and extended an arm. “Shall we?”
“I’m with you, Senator.”
“Let’s make sure Scotty’s set to go with Angela.”
They found the boy entertaining Sam’s nieces and nephews.
“Are you guys leaving now?” he asked.
Sam was touched by the hint of trepidation she saw on his face.
Nick bent to meet Scott’s gaze. “We’ll only be gone a week, and I’ll call you the minute we get back, okay?”
Scotty nodded. “Thanks for letting me be here for this. It was really awesome.”
“Aw, buddy.” Nick hugged him. “Thank
you
for all your help with the kids.”
“You’re welcome.” Scotty released Nick and reached for Sam.
She hugged him and kissed the top of his head. “Angela and Spence will take good care of you tonight and get you back to Richmond tomorrow. Make sure you hit her up for pancakes in the morning.”
Scotty laughed. “I will. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”
“We’ll see you soon,” Nick said. “I promise.”
Tracy and Angela appeared out of the crowd to hug them, and Angela slipped a reassuring arm around Scotty.
Sam took the hand Nick extended to her. They were nearly to the door when Sam stopped him. “Wait! I forgot to toss my bouquet.”
Nick moaned. “We were almost to a clean getaway!”
“One more minute.”
“Hurry!”
Sam signaled for Shelby, who had the whole thing organized in under a minute. “One, two, three!” Sam tossed the bouquet over her shoulder and turned just in time to see it land with Freddie’s girlfriend Elin. Like a deer caught in headlights, Elin tossed it up in the air, and Gonzo’s fiancée Christina Billings caught it the second time.
She let out a delighted squeal and threw herself into Gonzo’s arms.
Sam blew a kiss to her sisters and friends and took her husband’s outstretched hand. With a last look back at the beautiful room, Sam left with him to begin their new life together.
“I have to confess that you were right about something,” Sam said when they arrived in their suite and found their honeymoon luggage neatly placed in the corner. Someone had lit candles, left champagne chilling in an ice bucket and placed more orchids around the sitting room. The suite was cozy and elegant, but she didn’t give it much attention after waiting all day to be alone with her husband.
“I love how you say that, as if me being right about something is a special occasion. I expect it to be a regular—maybe even
daily
—occurrence in our marriage.”
Sam rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever you say, dear.”
Nick tugged off his bowtie and released the top button of his shirt. “So what was I right about this time?”
“Shelby. She was worth every single one of the many thousands of dollars you paid her. She’s a freaking miracle worker.”
“No kidding. Was there anything she didn’t think of?”
“Not that I saw.”
Sam turned to him and put her arms around him. “I could use some help getting out of this getup. Are you game?”
“I suppose I could be convinced to lend a hand.”
Sam smiled at him and tilted her head. “You can start at the top and work your way down.”
Nick slid the orchid from her hair and brought it to his nose. “That scent will always remind me of the best day of my life.” He trailed the delicate bloom down her cheek. “I know you would’ve preferred something less elaborate—”
“You were right about the wedding too.”
“This me-being-right thing is becoming a bit of a pattern.”
“Don’t get used to it. I’m sure we’ll be back to normal in no time.” She reached up to caress his face. “The wedding was beautiful and everything I hoped it would be for you and so much more that I didn’t even know I wanted.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” He put the orchid on a table and reached up to remove the pins from her hair. “Are you kidding me?” he asked as he watched her gorgeous hair spill down over her shoulders. “Three pins were holding that whole thing together?”
“Apparently, when you put them in the right places, that’s all you need. Who knew?”
Nick buried his fingers in her hair and tilted his head to kiss her. “You were so incredibly beautiful today, Samantha. You are every day, but today… you took my breath away.”
“When I saw you waiting for me in church, I’ve never seen you look so handsome.” She smoothed her hands over his chest and made quick work of divesting him of the onyx studs that had served as buttons. “I broke a lot of hearts in the Capitol region today by taking you off the market.”
“Right,” he said, laughing. “So my guy Terry and your girl Lindsey, huh?”
Sam moaned. She too had noticed his deputy chief of staff dancing most of the evening with the District’s chief medical examiner. They’d seemed positively smitten. “
Why
do our two worlds have to keep colliding?”
He kissed her nose. “Because all our friends want to be as happy as we are.”
“I guess,” she said as she dropped the studs in a pile on a table and turned around. “Unzip me?”
“If I have to,” he said with a dramatic sigh that made her giggle. “Is there something under here that’ll stop my heart?”
“Perhaps,” she said, sending him a coy smile over her shoulder.
His lips found her neck as he slowly unzipped her dress.
“My sisters gave me a frilly thing I’m supposed to wear tonight.”
“Is that so?”
She tipped her head to give him better access to her neck. “Uh huh.”
“Is it sexier than what I’m finding under this dress?”
Sam bit her lip and smiled. “It’s not quite as
dirty
as what’s under the dress.”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her in tight against him. “I’m a big fan of dirty.”
Laughing, Sam said, “I never would’ve guessed.”
His hands slid up her front and nudged the dress down to reveal a bustier. “I haven’t even seen the whole thing yet, and I already love it.”
Sam’s laughter faded to a moan as he cupped her breasts through the cups, teasing her nipples until she was straining against him. “Nick…”
“What, baby?”
“I want you.” Her head fell back to rest on his shoulder as he kept up the mischief.
“You have me. I’m all yours for the rest of our lives.” He shifted, ever so slightly, and her dress dropped into a pool of silk at their feet. Nick helped her to step out of it but kept her back to him, pressing his arousal against her bottom. “Oh my God, are those
garters
?”
Enjoying the choked tone of his voice, Sam smiled, raised her arm and linked it around his neck. “Uh huh.”
“Have I ever mentioned that as far as I’m concerned there’s
nothing
sexier than garters?” He took advantage of the opportunity to slide his fingers into the top of the bustier to toy with her nipple.
“I don’t think you have,” she managed to say as her legs went weak.
He tightened the arm he had around her waist. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.
Sam closed her eyes and floated on a sea of sensation as his lips and fingers set her afire. She hadn’t expected marriage to change much of anything between them. She hadn’t expected their loving to be any hotter than it had been before. As he kissed and caressed her, she realized she’d been wrong on both counts. Everything had changed, and she wanted him more than she ever had before.
As if he’d read her mind, he scooped her up and carried her through the doorway to the bedroom where more candles awaited them. He deposited her gently on the bed, and stood back to slide the shirt from his shoulders. His undershirt followed as his gaze took a lazy journey from her feet to her breasts.
Raised up on elbows, Sam watched him, feasting her eyes on his muscular chest and arms.
“See something you like?” he asked with the grin that melted her.
“I like everything about you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Everything?”
Reaching out to him, she said, “Everything. Some things more than others.”
“Like what?” he asked as he took her hand and stretched out next to her.
Sam caressed his chest, which was covered with just the right amount of soft dark hair. One finger followed the trail that led into his pants. “I love your chest.”
He released a long deep breath and shifted to his back.
Sam moved so she was over him, her lips following the path her finger had taken. “And your belly.” It quivered under her lips. Encouraged, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.
“Sam…”
She looked up to find his eyes closed and his face tight with tension that she planned to relieve in the way she knew he loved best. Pushing his clothes out of the way, she wrapped her hand around his erection and touched her tongue to the tip.