Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11) by Crystal Perkins

Brayden
    Brayden
     
    I look over at Darcy sleeping next to me,
and cringe. Not because I would want her anywhere else, but because
she’s forced to be here with me in the castle. We’re getting ready
for our royal wedding, and I know she hates it. She hates every
minute she’s had to spend taking formal pictures and being
interviewed for magazines. I thank God every day that she loves me
enough to put up with this shit. I don’t know what I’d do if she
told me it was too much for her.
    “What’s wrong, Bray?” she asks in a sleepy
voice.
    “Just thinking. Go back to sleep, Cat.”
    “Stop worrying about the weddings. I’m fine.
We get to have our real wedding first, and I can pretend to be a
princess for a day after that.”
    “You hate it.”
    “But I love you. I would marry you 100 times
if that’s what we needed to do. It’s really not a big deal.”
    “I love you so much. You know that
right?”
    “I think I got the memo when you gave up
your kingdom for me,” she tells me with a smirk.
    “I’d give up 100 kingdoms for you.”
    “We’re getting too sappy this early in the
morning. Go back to sleep with me, Crown.”
    “You’ll have a crown in a few days, you
know.”
    “I still can’t believe you let me have so
many diamonds for it.”
    “You could have them all if you wanted them.
Plus, you picked the citrine for your ring,” I remind her, holding
up her hand to look at the large orange stone surrounded by small
diamonds on the gold band.
    “I wanted color.”
    “I’m well aware of your love for the color
orange,” I tell her as I slide my hand through her hair.
    She sits up suddenly and looks serious. “Is
it okay that I had my ring made out of a lesser gem? You’ve never
said anything, but did Parliament give you trouble?”
    They did, but I didn’t want to tell her.
“They would’ve preferred a diamond, or even a sapphire, but it’s
not their ring.” Which is exactly what my Uncle Steven told
them.
    “Does the crown make up for it a
little?”
    “Yes. I need you not to worry about it,
though. Parliament can go fuck themselves for all I care.”
    “If I can’t worry about Parliament, then you
can’t worry about me having to endure a royal wedding.”
    “I’m going to make things as easy for you as
possible. I promise.”
    “I don’t need easy, Bray. You should know
that by now. Nothing in my life has ever been easy.”
    “Including me.”
    “You,” she says with a mischievous smile.
“You are wonderfully hard.”
    “Why yes I am.”
    I roll over on top of her and show her just
how hard I am. A couple of hours later, we both fall into a sound
sleep, sated and happy. I think of all she’s been through as I
drift off, and I vow to keep my promise and make the weddings easy
for her. It’s the least I can do.
     
    * * *
     
    Darcy
     
    “Get off the bloody railing before you
fall,” Jenysis tells me.
    “I won’t fall,” I reply.
    “Stella will kill you if you ruin your
wedding dress.”
    “Spoilsport,” I tell her, knowing she’s
right.
    Today is my real wedding to Brayden.
The one that’s just for us and our friends and family. It will be
informal and fun, just like we are in our daily lives. My man may
be a prince, but he has adapted to a “normal” life with me in Las
Vegas rather easily.
    For today, I get to wear a whimsical dress.
It’s strapless with some embroidery on top. The bottom has
asymmetrical satin and chiffon ruffles before falling into just
layers of chiffon on the bottom. I love it, and I love the
bridesmaids dresses my friends are all wearing.
    They’re orange with one strap of flowers and
some embroidery on top. The bottom skirt barely comes to the top of
their thighs, but there’s long pieces of chiffon crisscrossing to
the floor. It’s something I would wear, and I’m glad they love them
as well. Especially since they can’t all stand with me at the other
wedding. There it will just be Jen and some of her distant