Romance with the Ceo

Author's Note:

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the support on this series. I took a break from writing and realized I missed these two a little too much. I had not planned on writing more for them, but some of you asked for a wedding and so I hope you enjoy this. I'm planning on continuing their story some more, so please keep an eye out! Let me know what you think!

**********

About two years later.

***Justin's Point of View***

It's crazy to think all this time has passed since the night we got engaged. Here we are, Nick and I, awaiting the arrival of our 70 guests. Through all of the planning, we managed to keep it small and get exactly what we dreamt up that night. I still can't believe that in less than 48 hours Nick will finally be my husband. And I'll finally be his.

Until then, we have the welcome pool party and the rehearsal dinner. The small hotel we have rented for the week is absolutely breathtaking. I know it's extremely extra, but having this place for just our group makes it worth it. The sprawling lawn in the back overlooks the magical lake, a stunning backdrop for the most gorgeous Italian villa-style hotel.

We've come here twice since getting engaged, the first time scoping out options, the second time to make sure this is the one. And standing here today, I could not be more excited. The romance of this place is setting the tone for our weekend and it couldn't be more perfect.

Of course, Nick being who he is and some of the guests invited being who they are, we had to pay extra attention to security and privacy here. We've done everything in our power not to reveal any location or date to anyone except those close to us - so basically those invited. We've also had to rent out all of the helicopters in the area so paparazzi can't rent them, which I didn't even know was a thing people do, but of course it is. Nick also insisted on a security team for the group, which I actually think is the right thing. And lastly, the biggest problem is the Lake, so there are patrol boats around the area we're using. Obviously we can't stop people from using the lake, but they're keeping an eye out for any suspicious cameras. Truly, this was the most hectic and eye-opening part of planning our wedding.

Everyone arrived earlier this morning or last night, so now it's time to celebrate with our welcome pool party. We figured we'd drag this weekend out with fun events for our guests (and us) to enjoy - make the trip across the Atlantic worth it.

I feel the warmth of Nick against my back. "Let the invasion begin." He whispered in my ear.

"I thought you wanted everyone to come."

"Oh, I do." He answered honestly. "But I also love being alone with you."

"It's not too late to elope." I tease.

"What is the European equivalent of Vegas?"

I laughed as he kissed my neck, swaying us side to side.

"I love you." He reminded me.

"I love you."

Our friends and family started pouring outside. The pool party includes a few food trucks, one purely dessert. That's the one Nick and I spent the majority of our time focused on.

We mingled with everyone as they entered. It's really starting to feel real now that everyone is here and starting to enjoy themselves.

My personal favorite aspect of this pool party is that it means Nick is shirtless and taking a dip in the pool. He's playing with his niece Lily. Those two together are always an adorable, but naughty, pair.

"What a pair." Taylor said to me, nodding at the two of them in the pool.

"Oh yes, they're the two sneakiest people here." I responded.

She laughed. "This is such a lovely place."

"We're so happy you could be here to celebrate with us. You mean a lot to Nick - and me." I meant every word, she has truly been a wonderful friend to Nick over the years, and has become one of my closest friends since he introduced us.

"I can't believe you guys are getting married, it feels like just yesterday I met Nick for the first time. I'm sure this weekend will be wonderful, a perfect celebration of the two of you."

"Thank you, I hope so."

After a few hours, the welcome party winded down. It was the perfect start to our wedding. Everyone seemed relaxed and just happy to be here and celebrating love.

"Looks like it's just the two of us again." I tell him as we get in the elevator and head back up to our room for the night.

"I must say, my eyes kept finding their way back to you. You look so sexy in that bathing suit. I'm glad I got to show you off to everyone tonight."

"I was thinking the same thing." I pressed my lips to his.

Of course, before departing for Italy we decided to pause the sex until the wedding night, to make it more gratifying and yada-yada-yada. I deeply regret that decision right now, but it's fine. It's only 72 hours in total, now 40-something, we've done it before. He may have been literally on the opposite side of the world at the time, not half naked right in front of me, but like I said, it's fine.

"I know you regret it, too." He read my mind.

I put on my innocent face. "No, I don't." I say matter-of-factly. "I think it'll be worth the wait."

"Oh, I agree. But, out of curiosity, how did you know what I was talking about if you don't regret it?" His 'gotcha' grin is the perfect 50/50 mix of slappable and kissable.

"Shut up." I quip in defeat. Perfect timing as the elevator reached our floor.

***

The next morning was peaceful. We have breakfast with his family down on the terrace, which like the lawn, overlooks the lake. That's what's so magical about this place, every spot feels as if it's the most perfect place to look out at the lake. His family has been so kind to me, ever since day one, and I truly feel like I'm part of the family. I am almost as comfortable with them as I am with Nick.

I can't help but reflect on my life this weekend. I think back to where I was 15 years ago and can't believe I'm sitting here. I never thought I'd be sitting down to breakfast with my soon-to-be family, about to get married. But, more importantly, most of my reflection is on the past few years. Nick has a complete hold on me now. Of course, I know I can be happy on my own, and I am. But, looking back at these past few years I have hundreds of small little moments with him that fill my heart.

Everyone is spending the day exploring the town, playing in the water, or relaxing by the pool. Everything is set for tomorrow, so Nick and I have no worries either. Of course, we both have our phones on us in case anything pops up, but we made sure to take care of all last minute details before the welcome party. I know that's really uncommon, but it just worked out like that for us.

"Hey babe..." I turned to Nick at the table once everyone else dispersed.

"Yes, my love?" He squeezed my hand.

"This is the last day before we're officially married."

"It is." He smiled at me. "How would you like to spend it?"

"How about we go out on the lake?"

"Sounds perfect."

"If I forget to tell you later, I'm really happy today."

He ran his hand up my arm, pulling me up and into an embrace. "So am I."

After a lovely day out on the water with our friends including Taylor and Joe, everyone in the wedding party headed back to get ready for the rehearsal and dinner in town.

We put on perfectly tailored suits, mine in a tan color and Nick's in white. Perfect for the late spring/early summer air in Italy.

Once finished with the run-throughs, we walked down into the town, only a few minutes walk from the hotel. We rented out a beautiful restaurant with the majority of its tables outside on the street - the perfect example of a European restaurant during this time of year.

Everyone told us how much they are enjoying this trip and how excited they are to see everything tomorrow. Despite our tendency to ignore PDA, neither of us seemed willing to let go of each other's hand tonight.

"You look absolutely breathtaking tonight, my love." I whispered to Nick as we ate. "An absolute angel in white."

"Lets just hope this outfit stays white, I didn't think about the whole red pasta sauce aspect of the evening." I could not stifle my laughter.

The meal came to an end and conversation began winding down, so we decided to head back to the hotel.

"You guys go ahead without us, we have a quick last minute errand." Nick called out to the group.

"What? Why?"

"Alright, lovebirds"

"Well don't go running off on us." We got a mix of responses, I'd expect nothing less from our friends.

I stayed still with Nick by my side, not sure why he said what he just said. Once they were off in the distance, I turned to Nick. "Did I forget something, Nick? What errand?"

"You don't remember?" He asked, slightly surprised. "Wow, between the two of us, who woulda thought I'd be the one to remember this."

"Remember what?!" I asked, very confused.

"Nah, I'm not telling you now. I'm gonna savor this, God it feels good." He tugged me towards a different street than the one the group walked down. "C'mon." The town has settled down, there's nobody in sight.

"You're so annoying." I probably say this just as much, if not more than 'I love you' to him. But to be fair, it's still another way I tell him I love him, and he knows it.

He made another quick turn, pulling me into a smaller side street. "Here we are." He said, stopping immediately after turning onto this street. I look to my side and see a wall. Literally, just a wall, no sign, no door, nothing.

"Umm..." I begin, but I'm interrupted by him pushing me against the wall. He's hovering over me, one hand against the wall at my eye level, allowing him to slowly lean in closer to my face.

"I've been dying to do this all night." He breathed. "When you complimented me tonight and laughed, it took everything in me not to kiss you right there. I couldn't even verbally acknowledge how adorable you look tonight or else I would've been in bits."

I felt my face go red. "We can't have you in bits before tomorrow."

"No, we can't. Maybe you can soften me up a little though, keep me going until tomorrow night." His mouth crept closer to my face, the warmth of his breath on my cheek

"I'm sorry, but tomorrow I'll be a married man. My husband wouldn't like the fact that I'm getting hit on in the street." I teased him.

"Your soon-to-be husband is one lucky bastard."

"Yes, I agree." My breathing came to a halt as his lips devoured mine. His free hand raised my chin up, letting him have ample access to my lips. He intricately wove between aggressive and gentle, finding the perfect mix to create a passionate kiss for us.

My arms instinctively ran up his back, locking behind his neck.

After a wonderful few minutes against this wall, he pulled back, as if pulling back into reality. He pulled me with him, bringing me upright and off of the wall.

"I am sorry, I couldn't wait any longer."

"No need to apologize. Just promise that in forty years you'll still be unable to wait."

He caressed the side of my face, kissing the other cheek. "Though I shall grow old in this body, I'll never grow old of loving you."

I have no words to match his, nothing to effectively express my absolute surrender to this man. I shook my head and smiled at him as chills ran down my body. I expect nothing less of him, giving me chills in this summer weather. I grab hold of him and hug him tight, inhaling the scent of him.

I don't know why, but it suddenly sinks in that tomorrow we're actually getting married. I can practically feel my heart swell, filling my entire chest. "Tomorrow is just a dream away."

"A naughty dream about me, I hope."

"Of course, nothing else compares to you in my dreams... except you in reality."

He squeezed the small of my back.

"Let's head back, we have to get settled for a good night's sleep." I say.

"I'm really gonna miss you next to me tonight."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It also sucks." I reply, resting my head on his shoulder as we walk back hand-in-hand.

***

THE WEDDING DAY

***

Oh my god. That's the first thing I think when I wake up at 7 am. My eyes open and I immediately break out into a smile. I stretch my arms and legs, letting my body catch up to my brain. I'm getting married. To Nick. Today. I excitedly celebrate with furious kicks and arm waves, plopping back into the comfortable bed.

The first thing I decide to do is text him. No calling or FaceTiming, but just a simple good morning. The next thing is to write out my vows on fancy paper. We've decided to do the traditional vows at the ceremony and keep our personal and intimate vows between us. We're gonna read them to each other later today when we're alone. I've already written them in the notes app of my phone, but this is the version I'm going to give him. I could've done this before, but I wanted to write them out on the actual day, knowing how giddy and emotional I'd be.

I had a few hours before my friends and wedding party come to get ready with me. I'm not always a self-reflective person, but this week I've really found myself thinking about my life and where I've come from and where I am. I'm so grateful for this time, it allowed me to process everything and embrace my past. I'd been alone for so long before Nick. And now I have him by my side, he is and will forevermore be my family.

10 am rolled around and my friends came in. Nick and I are treating all of our bridesmaids to hair and makeup. I'm glad we have a nice mix of men and women, I think it will look really nice when we're all up at the altar.

We nibbled on breakfast bits and just enjoyed the moment. It's such a weird experience. You're living it as you go, but you also know every moment of this day is something special and remember that, as if you're watching yourself from the above.

The ceremony is at 4 pm. It's now 2 and I'm dressed and ready for some photos. We took dozens of photos of me on the balcony. Some alone, some with each friend, some with all of them. I can't help but wonder what Nick is doing right now, probably the same thing.

Then, there's a knock on the door of the suite. One of my groomsmen opens it. It's Nick's parents. I was not expecting them.

I walk back inside from the balcony, they're now in the main room. Everyone gives us some privacy, well, as much as possible in this suite.

"Hi." I smile at them. They're dressed to the nines. "You both look wonderful."

"Hi, Justin." Mr. Sherbroooke says.

"Hi, honey. You look so handsome." Mrs. Sherhooke says, grabbing my hand. "We just wanted to stop by and see you. We know we're not your parents, and we can't imagine how hard it must be not to have them here with you. But, we want you to know how much we love you. And how happy we are to have you in our family."

"We are so lucky to have you. And not just because of how much you love and care for Nick, but because of how good of a person you are. We see you as our son. And we're so happy and so proud of you. We're so pleased to welcome you to the family today, officially." He added.

"Thank you, I can't even begin to express how much that means to me. I'm so lucky to be joining such a beautiful family."

They both hugged me. "We'll see outside, darling."

If I wasn't emotional before, I'm certainly a mess now. And I haven't even seen Nick yet.

Time flies by, everyone is now heading downstairs, this is actually happening. Since Nick's parents left, everything has flown by at warp speed, I don't realize it until I'm literally minutes away from walking down the aisle.

We kept the wedding colors very clean - mostly white and black. The groomsmen are in black tuxes and the bridesmaids are in elegantly shaped, off-the-shoulder white crepe gowns. Some think it's weird to have bridesmaids in white, but there is something so crisp about it in photos that drew us to the decision.

From my waiting spot inside, I can see the entire setup. I had a quick look earlier this morning, but now I can take it all in. We went a little wild with the design, but it has truly transformed the space. A white aisle evenly divides the two sides of elegant black chairs lined up in neat rows. A range of cream-colored flowers line both sides of the aisle that look as if they've been growing there for years.

The main focus though, is the enormous pavilion trellis made to look like a half dozen hundred-year-old trees that have grown and intertwined in the sky. Hundreds of wisteria plants hang from the interconnected "branches" of the structure. It simultaneously shades the guests while letting the natural like in through fractured pieces, creating the illusion of being in a never-ending forest. But of course, looking further down one will realize that is far from the truth. The lake and mountain across from us act as the perfect backdrop to our altar, a simple paved landing of the stairs that lead down towards the water.

It may sound counterintuitive to bring a forest vibe to a lake setting, but it has been done in such a beautiful way (thanks to our wedding planner and vendors) that it blends the two worlds together so well. As if they're meant to be together, much like me and Nick.

I wave goodbye to all of my friends as they begin to enter. All except my best friend, Emily, who is walking me down the aisle. When I asked her she cried for hours.

I am told to look away as it's time for Nick and his parents to walk down the aisle. I'm next, holy cow. I realize that my heart is beating so fast now, the moment is here.

"Ready?" Emily.

"Yes." I say, a mix of happiness, fear, anticipation, nerves all in my voice. Even though my voice is holding all these emotions, and though I may be feeling them, there is no doubt in my mind that this is what I want and what I need. All I can think about is getting down there and marrying that angel of a human. She loops her arm through mine and we wait for the planner to tell us when.

We're given the nod and begin walking. Turning the corner and heading outside into the sight of everyone, I smile and scan the crowd. When we reach the beginning of the aisle, my eyes find what they've been trained to look for - Nick.

Standing there, at the altar, dressed in the most glorious black tux, grinning, and looking right back at me. My Nick.

Walking to him, my eyes lock on his. He's looking at me like I'm the only thing keeping him breathing. I know I'm giving him the same look.

"Hi." I whisper to him when he takes my hand.

"Hi." He laughed.

"You look incredible."

"So do you."

***

Appetizers and dinner were delicious, we made sure to steal enough time to eat and enjoy the food. Between appetizers, some of our friends and family gave speeches.

Dancing quickly picked up after dinner. Around 10 or 10:30, Nick got up and paused the music between songs, grabbing the mic from the DJ stage. "Hi everyone." He said. "Sorry to stop the music and dancing, but since it is my wedding day, I'd say I have the right." He joked. Everyone laughed. "I wanted to do something special for Justin tonight and surprise him, but as I thought of what to give him, a good friend reached out with an offer. This offer is actually better than I would've dreamed up, so, Justin, I love you, I hope you enjoy this." He extended his left arm, motioning to Taylor taking the stage.

Considering it's a small group, and everyone has known she's been here and talked to her, the applause was surprisingly loud. Nick came back to my side. "I hope you like this." He whispered in my ear, kissing my cheek.

"Hey guys!" Taylor said into the mic. "I'm Taylor." She introduced herself as if she is not who she is. "So, I've known Nick for quite some time now. As I'm sure you all know, he is incredibly smart, so cool, and he's extremely kind. I'm so lucky to be his friend. And I had the pleasure to be a confidant when Nick first started seeing Justin, who, after getting to know him well these past few years, I can confirm is just, just absolute perfection." I'm literally about to die from happiness right now, it's fine. She grabbed a guitar and put the strap over her shoulder.