I dropped to one knee on the concrete in front of her, pulled the ring out, and held it up.

She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Are you serious? Now? You’re doing this now? While I’m fucking naked? Seriously?”

I grinned. Now was the perfect time. I reached for her left hand.

“Charlotte Agoston, I love you. Every goddamn piece of you, including your past, because it made you who you are, and it brought you to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I want to stand up in front of God and everyone and make you mine. Will you marry me?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Why do you never do what I think you’re going to?”

I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it. “That’s not the answer I was hoping for, baby.”

“Jesus, Simon. You realize we can never tell this story to anyone. Because if you tell anyone we got engaged while I was naked...”

I stood and drew her against me. “Is that a yes?”

She reached up to wrap her arms around my neck. Just before she pressed her lips to mine, she whispered, “Of course, it’s a yes.”

The kiss started sweet, but I couldn’t stop myself from taking over. I would never get enough of her. Never. When we finally separated, I remembered the ring, which I’d managed not to drop. I reached for her left hand again, and stared into her shimmering aqua eyes as I slid it onto her finger.

She glanced down at it for a moment before twining her fingers in mine. The diamond flashed in the candlelight as Charlie led me toward the edge of the pool. Releasing my hand, she stepped down the stairs and sank into the water.

With her hair floating around her on the surface, she looked like a pagan goddess. Thank God Derek got drunk enough to want Mandy’s name tattooed on his ass.

“You coming in?” she asked.

I tugged off my T-shirt and stripped off my shorts and boxer briefs in no time.

“Wherever you are is where I want to be.”

A soft smile stretched across her face, and I knew that if I could make her smile like that every day for the rest of my life, I’d be a damn lucky man.

I descended into the pool and followed her as she floated backward. Trapping her against the concrete edge, I ducked my head to kiss her shoulder, her neck, and then her jaw. “So you say you’re ready for a whole hell of a lot more…”

She threaded her fingers through my hair and met my eyes. “I’m ready for anything, as long as it’s with you.”

“Not just anything, Charlie. Everything.”

The early afternoon sunshine heated my skin; I closed my eyes and soaked it up. A crowd of people poured from the arched doorways of St. Louis Cathedral. Simon pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

“You look incredible. And I’m the luckiest bastard on the planet.”

My vintage Dior dress had cost me almost two months’ worth of pay from my very beloved job—Director of Finance of The Kingman Project. It was perhaps the most indulgent purchase I’d ever made, but seeing the look on Simon’s face as I walked down the rose petal strewn aisle on his father’s arm was worth every penny. The strapless, champagne-colored bodice faded into a thinly layered tulle skirt of the same color. It was encrusted with hundreds of scattered crystals that glittered like diamonds in the sun.

My eyes devoured Simon. He was, as always, devastatingly handsome in a tux. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” I tilted my face up for a kiss. “Guess that makes me one lucky girl.”

And I was lucky. My father might not have given me away, and my mother might not have looked on with tears in her eyes as her daughter married the man she loved, but today—everyday—I was surrounded by people who accepted me for who I was. They’d welcomed me without question when I’d had no past, and embraced me unconditionally even after my secrets had been revealed. They’d shown me what true family was supposed to be.

Simon brushed his lips across mine before straightening as Con approached, Huck at his side. Handing off the leash to Simon, Con said, “Better treat her right, Duchesne. Or you’ll answer to me.” While his words carried a warning, the tone wasn’t harsh. Simon and Con had, after a few fits and starts, formed a solid friendship of their own.

The men shook hands. “You have my permission to kick my ass if I don’t.”

Con released Simon’s hand and focused on me. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Happy looks good on you, Lee. Give ‘im hell.”

“Thank you. For everything,” I whispered.

Con nodded and slipped away to find his date.

“He’s right; happy looks beautiful on you.” I turned toward the familiar voice to see Juanita dabbing at her eyes with a delicate handkerchief.

I stepped away from Simon to wrap my arms around her.

“Thank you for being here.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She squeezed me tightly for a long moment before releasing me.

“Don’t forget this, girly,” Yve said, holding out a feathered parasol. “It’s almost time.”

I accepted it from her, along with a hug.

“Thank you. Both of you.” The smile that stretched across my face was so wide it made my cheeks ache. It had been that way for days. Blinking back sentimental tears, I twirled the parasol, making the feathers bounce.

Simon returned to my side and accepted hugs from both Yve and Juanita. Then he held out his free hand. “Are you ready, Mrs. Duchesne?”

I laced my fingers through his and smiled up at him. “I am now.”

The bandleader called off a beat, and the sound of jazz filled the air as the wedding party, followed by all of our guests, moved en masse toward the streets of the French Quarter.

The End