Beautiful Storm (San Francisco End Game #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Amelia

So much to unpack that I don’t know where to begin. But the kiss was real .

A dog’s bark echoes through the air, waking me before my alarm the next morning, and I startle until I remember where I am.

My body sinks into the plush bedding as I stretch out my legs, making myself comfortable in the over-the-top king-size bed. I haven’t slept that well in weeks. Months even. And considering how much is currently playing on my mind, that’s saying something. I’m in heaven. And I bet the bed in Luke’s bedroom is even more luxurious, knowing him. What I wouldn’t give to sneak in and sl— Woah, Amelia. Nope. Let’s not go there . Even if the thoughts are innocent.

Reaching for my phone, I grab it as it vibrates in my hands, alerting me to the time. Eight a.m. In an hour, I’ll be marrying the man of my nightmares. I laugh at my own joke, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, my negative thoughts make me cringe. Especially after our talk yesterday.

And while there is so much to process, maybe Luke’s right and we need to move on. We were both young. We both did and said things we shouldn’t have. And while we’ll never be as close as we once were, maybe we can be friends again. For Jelly Bean’s sake.

I imagine co-parenting would be so much easier that way.

I’m about to get up when a soft knock on the door makes me pause. “Yeah?”

“It’s me. Obviously. Do you want breakfast? I’m making eggs.”

Ugh . The thought of eggs makes me nauseous, but he doesn’t know that. “I’d love some toast if that’s okay.”

“Sure thing. Do you want it now or…”

“Now is good. I’ll be right down.”

My eyes drop to the tee I slept in last night and I cringe. Taking a deep breath, I channel the mind of a woman that doesn’t overthink things and call out to Luke before he gets too far away.

“Luke?”

“Yeah?” The handle moves but he doesn’t open the door.

“You can come in.”

He smiles awkwardly as he enters, but I’m only able to focus on his face for the two seconds before I notice he’s in a towel.

“Did you change your mind about eggs?” he asks, his arm locked on the door frame, drawing my eyes to his bulging bicep before my gaze drifts over his half-naked body.

“Huh?”

“Eggs?”

What? Ugh. That ruined the moment. “No.” I scrunch my nose, forcing myself to shift focus. “I haven’t been able to eat them lately.”

“Damn. So what can I do for you? Besides let you ogle my body.”

“Funny. You could have put on some clothes. Anyway, speaking of clothes. I… ah… I need something to wear.”

Luke’s eyes drop to the white tee I’m wearing—sans bra—and he visibly swallows before his eyes flash to mine and he hides his reaction with a lopsided smile. I internally cheer at eliciting the same lust-filled expression I felt for him before he speaks. “You mean you don’t have a beautiful white dress purchased?”

“Sadly,”—I pout—“I left it at home.”

“I should have let you leave.” He grins, making me smile.

“Can I borrow something or not?”

“Will a white shirt do? Women wear men's shirts as fashion all the time. Right?” His justification almost makes me laugh but he’s serious, making me melt a little. He’s trying.

“A white shirt would be perfect.”

“Coming right up.”

He disappears for all of twenty seconds before coming back in with a shirt in hand and I freeze. If I'd known his room was so close last night, I never would have slept that well. Thank God, I had no idea.

“If you need anything else, let me know.” Luke smiles again as he backs out of the room, but before he’s completely out of sight, he pops his head in and laughs.“ Oh, and there’s toothpaste in the en suite but I don’t have a spare toothbrush.”

“What?” I’m taken aback by his thoughtfulness but joke to hide it. “You mean, you don’t have care packages for your overnight guests?” I laugh until he pins me with his signature cocky grin and I melt.

“I don’t have overnight guests. Most of them don’t make it upstairs.”

“Ew. I did not need to know that but at the same time…I feel special.” And oddly turned on.

“Don’t let your head grow too big,” Luke says, his cocky self melting my lust.

“Oh Luke, it would never be as large as yours.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be downstairs.”

I laugh again as he closes the door, but when he’s gone my brows furrow. What was that? I may have been joking, but my damn pulse picked up speed at the thought of it. And now I’m going to go downstairs wearing his shirt. To get married.

This is like a soap opera. Next thing you know, he’ll be pinning me against a wall and begging me to touch him. He’ll slip his hand under my shirt and— What the actual fuck, Amelia? Hormones. It’s got to be hormones. Or maybe it’s because he told me the kiss was real. And I felt things that I shouldn’t be feeling.

What would have happened if the fire had never been real? Would we— Nope. Stop right there. We’re moving on from the past.

I rush to the en suite and splash freezing cold water over my face in the hope that it will snap me out of this ludicrous notion, and open the drawer for some toothpaste. Despite what Luke said, I do actually find a brand-new sealed toothbrush, so I take that as a small win and brush my teeth before making a mental note to replace it for him.

After tying my hair in a loose topknot, I quickly get dressed, but pause as I’m buttoning his shirt. This is weird. No matter how I consider it or how many times I tell myself we’re doing this for Bean, it’s weird.

Blowing out a raspberry, I let the shirt hang over my black leggings—the only pants that fit since I haven’t made the move to maternity wear—and straighten the collar. I’m tired, stressed, and a little bit pale, but it is what it is.

Welcome to my wedding day .

Maybe I should have called the hair and makeup artists from the show. But that would require me filling them in on what I’m doing, and I don’t need anyone else telling me how crazy I am. Okay, no one is calling me crazy. If anything, Hayley thinks it’s a smart move, but she also pronounces Z as Zed so what does she know?

I walk down the stairs hesitantly, but the second my bare foot hits the wooden flooring, I stop and take in a breath. Like my appearance, today is what it is. It’s happening so I have to stop doubting my decision. This is a smart move. And it’s temporary.

“Alright, Baby Daddy. I’m ready,” I announce confidently when I find him in the kitchen. “Let’s do this.”

Luke chuckles as he turns around, but the second he sees me he pauses, his eyes full of fire. “Damn , you look good in my shirt, Ace. It’s time to make you my wife.”

Oh God. My heart skips but I ignore it . I was not prepared for him to say that. And I was not prepared for him to use my old nickname. But there’s no way in hell I’m drawing attention to it.

“ A nd are you both here of your own free will?” the officiant asks and I almost snap. What kind of question is that? No one asked me that at my wedding to Preston. My eyes flash to Lainey and Thomas—our witnesses—their eyes widening at the same time mine do.

“Yes, we are,” I nervously answer for both of us before realizing my mistake when Thomas smiles.

“We?”

“Sorry.” I grimace.

“I am too, your honor,” Luke finally speaks, making us all laugh.

“I’m not a judge. But thank you for the promotion. Shall we begin?”

“Please.” I hold back another nervous giggle as our officiant glances down at her paperwork.

“We’re here today to witness the marriage of Luke Harrison Bennett and Amelia Jay Rosenberg.”

I twist toward Luke when she says “Jay” instead of Joy, but I recover when he squeezes my leg off camera, my genuine smile shining through the shock. The officiant continues on, seemingly unaware of the silent conversation that transpired between us, and I make a mental note to double check the legal certificate has the correct name. Though, I know Luke better than that. He would have made sure everything was correct down the very last period.

I’m lost in my thoughts, listening to the officiant give her spiel until it comes time to repeat after her and Luke squeezes my leg again before turning me around to face him. And thank God for that because I would have directed my words to the screen. “I, Amelia Jay Rosenberg, take you, Luke Harrison Bennett, to be my lawful wedded husband.”

Luke winks as the officiant gives him the same line, and when he repeats it, the strangest warmth floods my chest. “I, Luke Harrison Bennett, take you, Amelia Jay Rosenberg, to be my lawful wedded wife.”

And that’s it. We’re married. I’m married. Again. And it doesn’t feel as wrong as I thought it would.

“Luke mentioned that you won’t be exchanging rings, so by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may share your first kiss.”

Our what? Dammit, how did we forget that part?

Luke spins me again until we’re face-to-face, but while I expect him to maul me with an over-the-top kiss, he surprises me by gently pressing his lips to mine, sending a spark through me as my heart fires. I’m struck still as emotions warms my chest until someone claps and Lainey cheers, breaking my trance. Then it’s over. It’s done. We say our goodbyes and the officiant drops off the video call, leaving the four of us alone, while my mind spins.

Lainey’s the first to speak, or maybe it’s more of a squeal. “You’re married. My big brother is married.”

“Lainey. You know—”

“Yes, yes. I know it’s not real .” She whispers “real” making the rest of us laugh. “What? Someone could be listening. Disconnect, I’m going to call you back.”

Before any of us have the chance to respond, the video chat ends and then there were two .

“So, that happened?” I smile while my heart pounds in my chest, jumping when Luke’s phone starts to ring.

“One guess who that is?”

“You better answer. They were nice enough to be our witnesses.”

“Nice enough? Lainey would have murdered me in my sleep if I chose someone else.”

“It was still nice,” I sass, making Luke roll his eyes.

He answers Lainey’s call, and as they talk I stare down at my stomach, a peace settling over me. A peace I had no idea I needed until this very moment. We haven’t added my name to Luke’s insurance and yet, I’m already at ease. As though I just made the best decision of my life. For Jelly Bean.

I’m not sure how much time passes, but when I lift my gaze, Luke’s staring at me as he speaks, a similar peace reflected in his eyes. All jokes aside, I may not be able to picture Luke as a husband, but he’s going to be an amazing dad. And I have to admit, if I was destined to be pregnant, maybe I’m lucky that he was the guy.

Maybe this is all going to work out fine.