CHAPTER 85: THE WEDDING REDO
I woke up to William already dressed in a suit, which was weird because it was Saturday and he'd promised no work this weekend.
"Why are you wearing that?" I squinted at him through sleepy eyes.
"We have somewhere to be." He looked nervous, which was even weirder. William didn't do nervous.
"Where? My calendar is empty."
"Trust me." He held out his hand. "Get dressed. Something nice."
I wanted to argue but something in his face stopped me. He looked excited and scared at the same time.
Tina showed up twenty minutes later with a garment bag and a suspicious smile.
"What's happening?" I asked as she hustled me into the bathroom.
"You'll see. Now shower, I'll do your hair and makeup."
"Tina—"
"No questions. Just trust us."
An hour later I was wearing a dress I'd never seen before. Cream colored, flowing, perfect for my growing belly. Tina had done something magical with my hair and I actually looked like myself again, not the exhausted pregnant woman I'd been seeing in mirrors.
"Where are we going?" I tried one more time.
"You'll see." She grinned. "Now come on, William's waiting."
He was standing by the car looking like he might throw up. When he saw me his whole face changed.
"You look beautiful."
"You look terrified." I touched his cheek. "What's going on?"
"Get in the car." But he was smiling now. "Please?"
We drove for thirty minutes, Tina and Liam following in a separate car. I recognized the route after a while.
"We're going to the venue where we got married." My stomach flipped. "William, why are we—"
"Because I want to do it again." He pulled into the parking lot. "But this time for real."
The church looked exactly the same. But this time there were flowers everywhere, soft music playing, and a handful of people I actually cared about waiting inside.
Mr Howard stood near the front with Jeremy and Emma. A few of William's board members I'd gotten to know. The priest who'd married us the first time looking confused but willing.
"What is this?" My voice came out shaky.
"A do-over." William took both my hands. "The first time we got married it was for business. A contract to save your company and merge our families. And yeah, it worked. But Kate—" He swallowed hard. "That's not why I want to be married to you anymore."
"William—"
"Let me finish." His thumbs traced circles on my palms. "Somewhere between you yelling at me for being controlling and me trying to keep you from getting killed, this became real. You became the person I think about first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The one I want to tell everything to, good and bad. And I don't want our marriage to be defined by that contract anymore."
Tears were already falling. "You want to renew our vows."
"I want to marry you again Kate. This time because I choose you, not because some business deal forced us together." He smiled. "What do you say?"
"I say you're insane." I was crying and laughing at the same time. "And I love you."
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes you idiot. Yes."
He kissed me right there in the church entrance while everyone inside started clapping.
The ceremony was short and perfect. No elaborate decorations or hundreds of guests we didn't know. Just us and the people who mattered, speaking words we actually meant this time.
"I, William Dray, take you Kate Jones to be my wife." His voice was steady even though his hands shook. "Not because a contract says I should, but because I can't imagine my life without you. You're stubborn and fierce and you challenge me in ways that make me better. I promise to love you, protect you when you'll let me, and stand beside you no matter what comes next."
My turn. I'd been preparing these words in my head for months without realizing it.
"I, Kate Jones, take you William Dray to be my husband." I had to pause because emotions were choking me. "You saved me in more ways than you know. Not just from Carlos or the SE, but from becoming someone bitter and broken. You showed me it was okay to trust again, to love again, to believe I deserved happiness. I promise to love you, annoy you with my stubbornness, and build a life with you that would make my parents proud."
The priest smiled. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Again."
William kissed me and it felt different from our first wedding. That kiss had been obligation. This one was choice.
The reception was at a restaurant downtown, small and intimate. Emma had somehow made a three-tier cake in her café kitchen. Jeremy gave a speech about how William was significantly less grumpy since meeting me. Liam and Tina danced like teenagers.
"This is perfect." I leaned against William on the small dance floor. "How long have you been planning this?"
"Two weeks." He kissed the top of my head. "Since the day we visited your parents' graves. I realized I wanted to marry you again, but this time with them watching. Or as close as we could get."
"They would have loved this." My hand went to my belly where the baby was doing somersaults. "All of it."
"What about you? Do you love it?"
"I love you." I looked up at him. "Everything else is just details."
---
Monday morning I walked into Jones Corp for the first time as actual CEO, not just a figurehead my uncle had installed.
The board was waiting in the conference room, looking nervous. They'd all been investigated after Carlos's arrest. Some were cleared, others quietly let go. These were the ones who remained, the ones who'd genuinely cared about my parents' vision.
"Good morning." I took my father's seat at the head of the table. It felt right this time. "Let's talk about changes."
I spent the next two hours laying out my plans. Ethical oversight committees. Whistleblower protections. Community investment programs. Everything my parents had wanted to implement before Carlos stopped them.
"This is ambitious." Mr. Patterson, the man who'd testified against Carlos, looked at the proposals. "Some would say too ambitious."
"Some would be wrong." I met his eyes. "My parents built this company on integrity. Carlos corrupted it. I'm bringing it back."
"It'll cost money in the short term." One of the finance people frowned at the numbers.
"And make us stronger in the long term." I pulled up projections William had helped me prepare. "Companies with strong ethical frameworks outperform their competitors. Plus I sleep better at night."
A few people laughed.
"I'm not my uncle." I said it clearly so everyone understood. "I'm not here to squeeze every penny out of this company regardless of who gets hurt. I'm here to build something that lasts. Something I can hand to my child someday and be proud of what it represents."
The room went quiet. Then Mr. Patterson started clapping. One by one the others joined him.
"Your parents would be proud Kate." He smiled. "Welcome home."
---
That night I found William in his study going through paperwork.
"How'd the board meeting go?" He looked up when I walked in.
"Good actually." I collapsed onto his couch. "They approved all my proposals. Well, most of them. We're compromising on a few."
"That's great Kate." He came over and sat beside me. "I knew they'd see it your way."
"Or they're just scared to disagree with me after what happened to Carlos." I laughed. "Either way, I'll take the win."
"You earned it." He pulled me against him. "All of it."
We sat there in comfortable silence for a while. Outside the window, the city lights twinkled. Somewhere out there was the cemetery where my parents rested, probably proud of what I'd accomplished. The company they'd built was mine now, really mine, and I was going to make it matter.
"Thank you." I said suddenly.
"For what?"
"For the wedding redo. For supporting my plans for Jones Corp. For putting up with me when I'm impossible." I kissed him. "For choosing me."
"Kate." He cupped my face. "I'll choose you every single day for the rest of our lives. That's not something you need to thank me for."
"I know." I settled against his chest. "But I'm going to anyway."
The baby kicked hard like they agreed.
"Someone's active tonight." William's hand went to my belly.
"Someone takes after their mother apparently." I covered his hand with mine. "Stubborn from the start."
"God help us." But he was smiling.
My phone buzzed with a text from Tina. A photo from the wedding, me and William kissing with everyone cheering around us. She'd captioned it "Finally got your happy ending."
I showed William and he laughed.
"You know what's funny?" He said. "I don't think this is the ending."
"No?"
"No." He kissed my forehead. "I think it's just the beginning."
And looking at that photo, at the life we'd built from a contract marriage and corporate warfare and near-death experiences, I realized he was right.
This wasn't our ending.
It was our beginning.
And I couldn't wait to see what came next.