Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) (23 page)

Her legs and arms were splayed in all directions, and when Brianne was finally able to turn her head to look at Gabe, she saw that he’d collapsed the way she had.

“Whoa,” she whispered, giggling. “That was…something.”

“I only hope none of your guests have really good hearing, or they’ll think I was killing you in here.”

“Even if they do, they’re much too polite to say anything about it,” Brianne joked.

He rolled over, pulling her into his arms. “I plan to test their politeness a lot more tonight,” he growled.

Epilogue

One Year Later

“You definitely brought glamping to the Beverly Hills set,” Evie said, laying a stack of files on Brianne’s desk. “I swear I don’t know how we’ll keep up.”

“This is, what, four glamping events in the next month?” Brianne asked, sitting back in her chair. “After finishing two this month? We’re bound to hit critical mass soon. We had no idea what we were getting into when we threw that first event, did we?”

“Oh, come on. It’s fun. You even learned to love the outdoors—or at least tolerate it.” Evie perched on the edge of Brianne’s desk, flipping through the paperwork. “And it gives you a chance to work with your
man
.” She winked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Brianne smirked.

“Yeah—good thing we work together so well,” she said. “Or else this would have been one short-lived relationship.”

“Please. You two were meant to be since day one. You’re so cute together, you make me wanna puke,” Evie quipped, hopping off the desk to return to her own. Brianne watched with a smile as her assistant’s blonde ponytail swung back and forth when she walked away.

The phone rang. “I swear, you’re gonna have to order an assistant for me!” Evie called out, before answering.

The success was great, even better than anything she could have imagined. Though Lavish Events hadn’t won the spread in
Life and Society
due to the help from Gabe, they hadn’t lost either. Leland had been disqualified, as well, for disrupting Brianne’s event and publicly admitting to spying on her. A thorough investigation had revealed Leland’s mole to be one of Gabe’s contractors, a man who’d worked for Leland on occasion and wanted Leland beholden to him.

So even though they hadn’t been victorious, Evie compared them to Rocky Balboa in the first
Rocky
movie: he lost the first fight, but won his self-respect. An editor from
Life and Society
had contacted them separately, saying she wanted to do a smaller article on Lavish Events, which was wonderful news. More importantly, the phone had been ringing off the hook when Brianne opened the office the Monday after the contest.

They’d been insanely busy ever since. Glamping had become their specialty. Lavish had put on over two dozen glamping adventures since the first one. Once it became clear they’d started a fad, it had only made sense to bring Gabe and his company in as a partner.

It was a joy, pure and simple. Working side-by-side with the man she loved. They had a great time together, even when they argued because they had two different visions on a project. It was testament to how comfortable and secure she felt with Gabe that she didn’t mind arguing with him. Didn’t fear that it would lead to a break-up.

And, of course, the making up part was always so nice, too.

Still, both she and Evie were feeling overwhelmed. It was time to bring in a second assistant, for sure. There was too much work for the two of them.

To prove the point, Evie walked into the room with the news of yet another meeting with a prospective client. Mrs. Torville was throwing an event to benefit an area children’s hospital and wanted something fresh and exciting. “It’s time for us to come up with something new,” Brianne said, “because the glamping thing’s going to get stale, quick. We can’t fall into the trap Leland got himself into.”

“What, being insufferable?”

Brianne snorted. “No. Getting comfortable. Insufferable is just who he is.” She was looking through her calendar to sift through the appointments and find an open spot for herself.

“I need time to breathe,” she murmured. “I practically have to schedule time with my own boyfriend.”

“Don’t you have a date with him tonight?” Evie asked.

Brianne covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, jeez! Yes! See what I mean?” She jumped up from her desk, rushing around the room to get her things together.

“No sweat, boss. I’ll give him a call and let him know you’re running a little late.” Evie giggled as she watched Brianne run around the room.

“Great,” Brianne replied. “And while you’re at it, can you ask him where I’m supposed to be meeting him?” She felt like the absolute worst, needing her assistant to remind her. Especially when she had a boyfriend like Gabe.

Evie had made a good point when she complained about Brianne and Gabe making her want to throw up. Brianne knew if she were in Evie’s shoes, she’d feel the same way. But it was too easy to be
that couple
when Gabe was by her side, the couple that was always smiling and laughing and kissing. The honeymoon phase was still well in effect. Maybe it always would be. Like Evie said, they were meant to be. For now, they were squeezing six years of waiting into every minute.

* * *

“Honey, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, sliding into the chair Gabe held out for her at the restaurant. “I don’t know where my brain is lately.”

“Probably on the hundred things you have to do every day,” Gabe said. His understanding smile and the twinkle in his green eyes gave Brianne a measure of peace.

“You’re too good to me,” she said. There was no need to pick up a menu—it was her favorite restaurant, and she knew it by heart. A glass of wine helped her relax a bit.

“I wanted success. I really did,” she said, taking a sip of her earthy red wine. “I just didn’t think it would happen in one fell swoop, the way it has.”

“You’re trying to do too much on your own. I think it’s time you consider expanding.”

“Already taken care of,” she smiled. “I’m interviewing new people next week. A second assistant.”

Gabe didn’t look convinced. “I don’t have just two assistants. I have an entire staff. I’m serious. I think you need to expand. Consult on a high level, but leave the grunt work to the staff. It’s the only way to keep growing and keep your sanity.”

“Do you really think I have the potential to get that big?” Brianne asked.

“I think you can go as far as you want to,” Gabe replied.

He sounded so sweet, and looked so handsome in the white button-down that set off his tanned skin, Brianne wanted to jump him in front of a crowded restaurant. “It’s all because of you,” she said, raising her glass.

“No, it’s because of you.” He smiled softly, touching his glass to hers. “You’re the one people want to work with. It’s your personality and vision. I just pointed you in the right direction once. You ran with it.”

She thought about Gabe’s suggestion. Really expanding to make room for even further growth. Did she have it in her?

Then food was delivered to the table, and everything was forgotten as Brianne dug into a plate of pasta. “I’m starving,” she groaned. “I keep forgetting to eat lunch.”

“You should schedule that in, too,” Gabe joked.

“Very funny, but don’t think I haven’t considered it.” She grinned.

“Oh, did I tell you? I got a call from Eric today. He said hi. He’s knee-deep in hammers and nails and he loves every minute of it.”

“I’m so glad.” Who would have thought life would turn out the way it did? If her subconscious hadn’t pushed things by having her say Gabe’s name during her dreams, she might have actually married Eric. They would have just celebrated their first anniversary. And she would still be longing for the man she was destined to be with.

Gabe had a funny look on his face, and Brianne wondered if he was thinking along the same lines. It was scary, how close they’d come to not being together. She couldn’t imagine not waking up in the night to find his strong arms around her, or glancing over at him during an event to see his chiseled profile, or hearing the sweet sound of his voice every day.

“Speaking of phone calls,” Gabe continued, “have you spoken with your mom recently?”

“Mom? Hmm, no. Not for a few days. Why?”

“Oh, she’s all worked up over an event she’s planning.”

“An event?” Brianne put down her knife and fork, tilting her head. “What event? She didn’t tell me she had anything coming up.”

“I think it’s a fairly recent thing,” Gabe said.

“What is it? Will she need my help?”

“Probably—your input, at least.”

“When is it?”

“That’s the thing,” Gabe said, shifting in his seat. When he slid from the chair, landing on one knee in front of her, Brianne’s eyes filled with tears. “See,” he whispered, “the date hasn’t been set yet.”

“Oh, my God,” she murmured. Her heart fluttered, her pulse raced. It was nearly impossible to believe it was happening, and yet there he was, pulling a box from his pocket as he spoke.

“In fact,” he said, “it’s not even a sure thing that there’s going to be an event to plan. She’s kinda losing her mind over it. She probably wants to know for sure, so she can get started.”

Brianne cleared her throat, nodding her head. “Well, we have to settle that for her. I don’t want her to stress.”

“Neither do I. So I thought it would be best if we got this settled now.” He smiled, and Brianne saw tears swimming in his beautiful eyes. “What do you say, Brianne Whitcomb? Will you make me the happiest man in the world?”

“You can tell Mom to start planning,” Brianne whispered, nodding her head. Then he was on his feet, taking her into his arms. The other diners burst into applause.

Brianne hardly heard over the sound of her heart. Her dreams were coming true, all thanks to the man who held her close. The man who would be her husband. This time, it was right.

When they parted, Brianne realized they were surrounded by people. It took a second to recognize the faces. Her mother, sobbing with happiness, her head on her dad’s shoulder. Evie, also crying, with Jake’s arms around her waist. Jamie and his girlfriend. Ryan, Cole and Luke, and their girls. Even Gabe’s mentor, Sam, with a gruff smile on his face.

Brianne felt Eric there, in spirit. She knew then what the purpose of Gabe’s phone call with him really had been.

“When did you all get here?” she asked the group, and they burst out laughing.

“We’ve been here all the time, goof!” Her mom and dad enveloped her in a hug.

“You have?”

“You were too busy rushing in to see us,” Evie called out. “You have no idea how hard it was not to spill the beans!”

“I guess I only had eyes for you,” Brianne murmured to Gabe. He smiled, picking up her left hand to slide a magnificent diamond-and-platinum ring on her finger.

It didn’t matter what the ring looked like, or when the wedding was set. All Brianne cared about was marrying the man she loved to the depths of her soul.

—The End—

Thank you for reading
Bedding The Best Man
. If you enjoyed spending time with these characters, be sure to check out Eric’s story in
Bedding The Boss
, Book Eight in the Bedding The Bachelors Series.

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Books by Virna

THE BEDDING THE BACHELORS SERIES

Book 1: Bedding The Wrong Brother (Rhys): Click
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Book 2: Bedding The Bad Boy (Max): Click
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Book 3: Bedding The Billionaire (Jamie): Click
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Book 4: Bedding The Best Friend (Ryan): Click
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Book 5: Bedding The Biker Next Door (Cole): Click
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Book 6: Bedding The Bodyguard (Luke): Click
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Book 8: Bedding The Boss (Eric)*

HOME TO GREEN VALLEY SERIES

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