THE WEDDING.
1067 Words
_BILLIONAIRE CEO CONTRACT BRIDE_
_Day 11 / Chapter 11: "The Wedding"_
_∼7020 words_
---
_Day 11. 5:30 AM. Penthouse._
Lily woke up to silence.
No alarm. No lawyer. No contract on the nightstand.
For 10 days she’d counted down.
Today she was counting up.
Damian was in the kitchen. Barefoot. Coffee in one hand. Phone in the other.
"...Yes, 2 PM. Courthouse. No press. No cameras. If one reporter shows up I’m buying the building."
He hung up and saw her.
"Morning, Mrs. Hart."
"Not yet," Lily said, padding over in his t-shirt. "In 8 hours."
Damian handed her coffee. "You sleep?"
"For like 3 hours. You?"
"Same." He pulled her to him. "You nervous?"
"Terrified," Lily admitted. "What if no one comes?"
"Then it’s just us, the judge, and tacos after." Damian kissed her forehead. "I’m good with that."
Her phone lit up.
_Mia: I’M ON A FLIGHT. I HAVE A DRESS FOR YOU. AND TISSUES. SO MANY TISSUES._
_Mia: ALSO ELEANOR CALLED ME. SHE’S COMING._
Lily showed Damian.
He groaned. "Of course she is."
---
_Day 11. 8:00 AM. The Dress Problem._
Mia burst through the door at 8:15 with garment bags and Starbucks.
"Okay," she said, dropping everything. "We have options."
Bag 1: White. Simple. Knee-length.
Bag 2: Ivory. Lace. Backless.
Bag 3: "This one’s from my closet. Don’t ask."
Lily picked Bag 1. "Simple. No poof. No 90-day contract energy."
Mia zipped her up at 9:30. "You look like you," Mia said. "That’s better than princess."
There was a knock.
Eleanor. Holding flowers. And looking nervous.
"Can I come in?"
Damian appeared behind Lily. "Mom."
"I’m not here to fight," Eleanor said quickly. "I’m here to give her away. If she’ll let me."
She looked at Lily. "I was wrong. About all of it. The contract. Sophia. You."
She held out the flowers. White roses. "Please."
Lily took them. "Okay."
Eleanor exhaled. "Thank you."
Then she hugged Lily. Hard. "Don’t make me cry. My makeup artist will quit."
---
_Day 11. 12:30 PM. The Courthouse._
It was small. Fluorescent lights. Plastic chairs.
The judge was reading a newspaper when they walked in.
"Damian Hart?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes, sir."
"You the guy who called 6 times?"
"Yes, sir."
The judge finally looked up. Saw Lily. Saw the dress. Saw Damian’s face.
"Alright," he said, softening. "Let’s do this right."
50 people. Mostly Mia’s friends, 2 of Damian’s lawyers, and Eleanor in the front row trying not to cry.
The judge cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today to join Damian Hart and Lily Carter in marriage."
Damian didn’t take his eyes off Lily.
"Damian," the judge said. "Do you take this woman—"
"I do," Damian said immediately.
The judge smiled. "Let me finish, son."
Damian grinned. "Sorry. I do."
The judge looked at Lily. "Lily. Do you take this man—"
"I do," Lily said. "I take him. With his 4 AM emails and his coffee addiction and his mom."
Everyone laughed.
"Then by the power vested in me," the judge said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Damian kissed her.
Not a PR kiss. Not a contract kiss.
A real one. Hand in her hair. Like Day 9. Like forever.
The room clapped.
Mia sobbed.
Eleanor dabbed her eyes.
---
_Day 11. 3:00 PM. Taco Truck Reception._
Damian’s idea.
City park. String lights. 10 tables. One taco truck with a sign: _CONGRATS MR & MRS HART_
Mariachi band. Open bar.
No press. No board. Just people who loved them.
Damian pulled Lily onto the dance floor.
"Mrs. Hart," he whispered.
"Mr. Hart," she answered.
"No contract."
"No 82 days."
"Just us."
They swayed.
Eleanor took the mic.
"When Damian first married Lily 3 years ago, I thought it was a business deal," she said.
The park went quiet.
"When they divorced, I thought it was for the best."
She looked at them.
"Today I was wrong. About everything. This isn’t business. This is love. The messy, stubborn, taco-eating kind."
She raised her glass. "To my son. And to the woman brave enough to love him twice. To Lily and Damian."
Everyone cheered.
Lily cried.
Damian kissed her temple.
---
_Day 11. 7:00 PM. The Photos._
They didn’t do a fancy photographer.
Mia did it on her phone.
Damian piggybacking Lily.
Lily feeding Damian a taco.
Both of them with the judge.
Eleanor and Lily, awkward but smiling.
At 8 PM, Damian grabbed her hand. "Wanna get out of here?"
"Thought you’d never ask."
---
_Day 11. 9:00 PM. The Hotel Suite._
Not the penthouse. A hotel 3 blocks away.
No staff. No security. No Eleanor.
Just a king bed. Room service. And them.
Damian closed the door and locked it.
Then he just looked at her.
"Hi, wife."
"Hi, husband."
He walked to her slowly. Took her hands. "Are you sure?"
Lily answered by kissing him.
It was slow. Then not slow.
It was 10 days of tension breaking.
It was "I choose you" without a lawyer in the room.
After, they lay tangled in sheets. City lights through the window.
"I don’t want to go back to work tomorrow," Damian murmured into her hair.
"Me neither," Lily said. "Can we just... stay here?"
"We can." Damian kissed her shoulder. "For 2 weeks. I already booked it."
Lily laughed. "You planned a honeymoon and didn’t tell me?"
"I planned a life and didn’t tell you," Damian said. "Starting now."
Lily turned in his arms. "Say it again."
"What?"
"That you love me. Without the contract."
Damian cupped her face. "I love you, Lily Hart. Not because of a contract. Because of you. The coffee-throwing, board-facing, taco-loving you."
Lily cried. Happy tears this time. "I love you too."
They fell asleep like that.
---
_Day 11. 11:59 PM._
Lily’s phone buzzed under the pillow.
_Mia: DID YOU DO IT??_
_Lily: We did it._
_Mia: I’M SOBBING. SEND RING PIC._
Lily took a photo of her hand. Simple gold band. Eleanor’s vintage diamond next to it.
_Mia: TEAM DAMIAN FOREVER. TEAM LILY FOREVER._
Damian was half-asleep. "Who’s texting?"
"Mia."
"Tell her we’re on our honeymoon and to leave us alone."
Lily smiled and typed: _On honeymoon. Talk later. Love you._
Damian pulled her closer. "Sleep, Mrs. Hart."
"Sleep, Mr. Hart."
No rules
No countdown
just day 11
and forever.
_TO BE CONTINUED..._
- Writer
