Page 56 of Beauty and the Bosshole
Ava appears at my side, gripping my arm so tight like she's afraid I'm going to launch forward and knock Leon out, which is still a possibility.
“Well, Leon called me and wanted to talk and explain himself. He did, and we have decided to get married,” my mom says, wrapping her arms around Leon's neck.
When I finally look at the slimy bastard, I expect to see a smug look on his face. Instead, I see one of remorse.
“I meant what I said. I really do love your mother. This is not a ploy to get closer to you or your company, and I hope that this proves it,” Leon says as he hands me a thick manila envelope.
I stand there frozen as a million thoughts run through my head. What could he possibly do to prove that he loves my mother and is not using her?
“What is it?” Ava asks, nodding toward the envelope in my hand.
I open it up, pull out the papers, and scan them over.
“Are you serious?” I ask, looking up at Leon.
“Completely serious. I will do whatever it takes to prove that I love your mom and am not in this to hurt you or her,” he insists.
“What do the papers say?” Ava asks, pulling down my hand that's holding all the paperwork.
“He just signed over the battery company to me, as well as a non-compete for my company and any companies that might be used in any products that we use.”
Chapter Twenty
Ava
“He did what?” I exclaim, looking from Reese to Nina and then to Leon. The turn of events has me feeling like I’m on a tilt-o-whirl and I’m unable to get off. In fact, this whole day seems to be going like this, and now we’re standing outside of a chapel. Reese’s mom is tipsy, Leon is vowing his love and devotion, and we’re supposed to what? Jump for joy? I want to be happy for Reese’s mom, but still, there’s a bit of apprehension running through my veins.
“Leon signed over the battery company.” Reese hands me the document full of legal jargon. I land on the line where he’s giving it over to Aurora, and finally, the knot in my stomach unravels.What I’m confused by now is why we’re at a chapel and if this is a good idea after Nina has had a few too many drinks.
“He is and we’re getting married!” Nina says with excitement. She doesn’t seem too horribly tipsy or drunk, so maybe it’ll be okay after all.
“Wow.” What can I say? Words are hard to come by, and the ones I want to say wouldn’t do a bit of good. Reese must realize it’s on the tip of my tongue to question everything when he squeezes my hip.
“I guess this means you mean to marry my mother today?” Reese guesses with laughter in his tone as if she didn’t say those words moments ago. I lift my gaze to Reese’s; if he’s okay with what’s happening here, then there’s no reason for me to hold a grudge. Though, Leon could have potentially ruined Aurora and Reese in the long run. I take a deep breath and allow my shoulders to relax.
Reese looks at Leon and his mother, who is staring at her future husband the same way I look at my new husband. She’s completely and utterly in love with this man. The heart wants what the heart wants—good, bad, or indifferent.
“I intend to, with your approval, of course,” Leon states, holding Nina’s hand, fingers entwined with one another, and that’s when I take notice.
“Holy shit, that’s…” I’m at a loss for words yet again. “That’s beautiful, huge, and did I mention beautiful?” I disengage from Reese and head straight for Nina and Leon. Luckily, she lifts her hand as I’m reaching for it. The emerald-cut has to be at least five carats, and it’s clear as day Leon didn’t spare any expense on the engagement ring. I’m talking, the ring is big and probably expensive enough to buy a brand-new car or put a huge down payment on a house. I can’t imagine what the wedding band will look like, but it will probably be a ring of diamonds, too. Nina herself is dressed for the occasion, like maybe she knew Leonwas going to sweep her off her feet all along. The dress she’s wearing is cream in color, A-line style, with capped sleeves, and stops at her knees. On her feet are a pair of heels any woman would die for, soft Tiffany blue, satin in fabric, and a heel I’d probably fall flat on my face if I so much as tried to walk on the red brick walkway leading up to the chapel.
“Leon really outdid himself,” Nina says softly.
“You have my approval, Leon. As long as you promise to love and care for my mom, that’s all I need to know. Plus, with this, I think we can put everything behind us.” Reese holds up the contract before folding the papers into thirds and putting them inside of the breast pocket of his suit jacket.
“I guess this means you two are getting married.” I smile, and now that the dust has settled, it’s time to get to the celebrating part of the day.
“We’re getting married!” Nina turns into Leon. His arm slides to her lower back and he lays one on her, hot and heavy. I look away, my eyes going back to Reese, who’s got two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose and his head is tipped to the sky.
“Reese, honey.” I tug on the end of his jacket, trying to get his attention while keeping my own gaze averted from Nina and Leon. I’m pretty sure the kiss should come after the wedding vows, except it’s obvious they’re in a world far away from where there are onlookers.
“Yes, sweetheart?” I move my hand to his shirt, pulling him down further so he can be on my level. Maybe I should carry around a step stool; our height difference really does get annoying in certain instances, like now.
“We might need to move this along. The faster your mom and Leon are married, the faster we can get back to the hotel.” I lick my lips, and Reese’s eyes zero in on the action. His green eyes darken with desire, so I take the conversation up a notch and add, “You know what they say? Practice makes perfect.” A lowgrowl rumbles through him. My hand slides up his sternum, the noise vibrating through my palm, and I don’t stop moving until the tips of my fingers play with the tendrils of dark hair at the nape of his neck.
“Fuck me, but I love your way of thinking.” He drops a quick kiss to my lips, pulls my hand down, locks our fingers together, and then interrupts the two love birds. “You ready to get this show on the road?” Reese asks his mom and her future husband. They’re still in a tight clench, and I hope one day when we’re older like they are, we still have that same spark. The place won’t matter; when the mood hits, the mood will hit, especially seeing as how I’m already addicted to my husband and the feeling is entirely mutual. I’m sure, whenever we get the notion, we’ll have a full-fledged make-out session on a busy street.
“Yes,” Leon states, pulling away from Nina. Her lipstick is still in place, and I marvel that the beauty of all-day makeup is the best invention ever. Nina’s hair, on the other hand, well, it could use a brush or some finger combing. My hand not in Reese’s goes to my own hair, silently telling her it needs some work.