Her new husband had delivered just that.
* * *
“A date?”
Jane found herself rather stupefied to be repeating the word, but John only smiled coyly across the breakfast table at her while they ate.
“Why not? Mom took the twins out shopping about half an hour before you got up, so we’ve got the whole day to ourselves. They’re overdue for a little spoiling, and I know you’ve earned more than a little of it yourself.”
Jane blushed, watching t
he light play in those fierce eyes of his, memories of last night still warming her insides as she twirled a spoon around in her breakfast. “Alright, what did you have in mind?”
About an hour later, Jane was watching him pace around the room, talking with twinkles in his eyes to the wedding planner they’d paid a visit to.
“...it needs to be in Aspen. My mother will have a fit if it doesn’t follow suit with my brothers. And really, I can’t stress how little an issue money is.”
The planner beamed as if she could already see dollar signs on the horizon. Jane had to restrain herself from giving a smile. John was making both of their days.
“But I want as much of your input as we can manage, babe,” he said to her, smiling. “There are a few things that I’m afraid, will be out of either of our control, but I want this to be your dream wedding. Anything you could possibly want.”
Jane blinked, stupefied for a few moments as John and the wedding planner looked at her. “I... well, to be honest, I haven’t even really thought about it after our first time. I kind of thought that was, you know, it.” She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the side of her arm. “My job doesn’t give me a whole lot of time to think about fairy tale weddings.”
“Well, let’s find out what your matrimonial fantasies are,” the wedding planner took the opportunity to chime in.
As the three of them discussed wedding details, Jane put in a suggestion or two where she wanted, but she hadn’t known she’d be getting a proper wedding until a day ago, so this whole affair was kind of a dizzy dream to her. She’d fantasized about things like this, sure, but to have unlimited money and resources available to her on a whim… it was really kind of overwhelming. Before long, though, the inspiration began to flow.
She managed to decide on some of the details that had been important to her for a long time. The gold and green color scheme, the style of dress, what she’d be looking for in the arrangement of the tables, what kind of music would be played at what times, but before long, the whole thing became a little much, and John decided it was time to take her to lunch.
They sat at an upscale Italian place, where Jane picked at pieces of fresh cantaloupe and honeydew wrapped in thin, delicious prosciutto. John ordered a platter of pasta bolognese with meatballs.
“Not a vegetable kind of guy, are you?” Jane teased as she enjoyed her food.
John hummed his agreement. “They say a man can’t live on meat and potatoes alone, but I’m going to try my damnedest. Tigers are carnivores.”
Ah. Of course. “You ought to try gnocchi next time instead, it’s made with potatoes. Potatoes come from plants so technically it counts as a vegetable; Gnocchi and meatballs. They won’t give you a weird look or anything!”
“No, no, totally normal.”
They laughed together.
The food was absolutely delicious, and the two of them conversed and ate through the rest of it as if things had never been more natural. Jane didn’t know what it was about John that made her feel so comfortable, so relaxed around him as they joked and talked. It had hardly been a week since she’d confronted him at a Vegas cafe, and after all that, he’d spent the entire time making her, her of all people, feel like a queen.
“So your brothers married in Aspen?”
John took a sip from his glass. “Yeah, I’ve never been big on the family traditions like everyone else, but I figure I kind of owe it to them. I mean Mom, and Quinn and Trent.”
“Oh yeah? What for?”
“They never thought I’d settle down,” John chuckled. “I’m the youngest, but I guess I was also the wild child. None of my old relationships felt like this.”
Jane tilted her head. “I can see how people could feel a little insecure around you.”
“You don’t know how spot-on you are. But you’re different.”
“Different how?”
“In that you were destined to be my mate,” said John, peering at her with a striking confidence, “My instincts. They never fail me.”