Elodie nced at him, startled.


    Her marriage to Jarrod had happened in a rush. They''d simply signed the papers to make it official-nothing more.


    There''d never been a wedding. After all, the whole thing was meant to be low-key from the start; throwing a big party would have defeated the purpose.


    Now, with Nadia fed and finally contented, she was growing sleepy in Jarrod''s arms. He set the bottle aside, then looked over at Elodie. "It''s a shame we never had a proper ceremony. If things had started out differently, I would have wanted to give you everything—a real wedding, the whole nine yards."


    Back then, the situation had been awkward for both families.


    And with the press sniffing around, they''d kept things as quiet as possible, trying to protect Elodie from idle gossip and rumors.


    If Jarrod was honest, he''d always wanted to make it up to her with a real wedding.


    The thought had first crossed his mind when their rtionship began to settle into something stable.


    But pride had kept him silent-he''d never been good at voicing things he wasn''t ready to face.


    Elodie, for her part, had never been one to daydream about grand gestures or borate events. She was practical; to her, the idea of nning a wedding now seemed anything but simple.


    “Wouldn''t it feel a little weird?" she asked. After all, they''d been married for years.


    Jarrod carefullyid Nadia in her crib before replying, "At least it would make things official-give us a proper start, even if it''ste. Honestly, you don''t even seem to want it as much as I do."


    He sounded almost exasperated.


    It was funny-he was the one who cared more about this moment than she did.


    Elodie blinked, a little bemused. "Well, it''s not like anyone doesn''t know we''re married now."


    The truth was, she couldn''t imagine finding time to n a wedding.


    Just thinking about the endless details and logistics made her head spin.


    Jarrod walked over and gently pinched her cheek, clearly dissatisfied. "That''s not the same. Besides, it keeps a few people from getting ideas, don''t you think?"


    Ivan Harcourt. Watts Aldridge.


    They''d both been trouble, circling like sharks.


    Even if those old problems had mostly been put to rest, the past still lingered.


    Jarrod wanted the world to know where things stood and certain people to know their ce.


    Not that he was proud of how possessive he sounded.


    But Elodie understood exactly what he meant.


    The whole thing with Ivan had been a misunderstanding, but it was still a sore spot for Jarrod. She couldn''t really say no. Reaching for his wrist, she retented. "Fine. But let''s talk about it when im back from work, okay? We''re not nning anything. just yet.”  s


    At that, Jarrod finally smiled, raising an eyebrow.


    "When you get back, we''ll have our wedding."


    He was clearly pleased, and disappeared off to shower, satisfied with her answer.


    Elodie couldn''t understand what he was so excited about. nning a wedding sounded exhausting-he was in for a lot of work.


    She''d underestimated Jarrod''s determination.


    Fresh out of the shower, he grabbed hisptop and started working on wedding invitations himself.


    He didn''t want to waste a single minute.


    After a long-haul flight, most people would be wiped out. Not Jarrod. He wasser-focused, not even looking up as he said Go to sleep, we got this. If Nadia wakes up, I''ll take care of her."  s<fne921> Readplete version only at find(?)ovel</fne921>


    With a baby, sleep came in short bursts and nothing ever went


    smoothly. Better for Elodie to rest,


    while he multitasked-designing the invitations and keeping an eve their daughter.  s


    Elodie, thoroughly wiped out, couldn''t fathom where Jarrod found his energy. She


    didn''t bother arguing, just turned in for the night.


    Jarrod had always been a natural at getting things done.


    But this time, he kept tweaking the invitation, fussing over everyst detail.


    He''d always been decisive—a man who made important choices in a heartbeat.


    Yet with something as small as a wedding invitation, he insisted on perfection. Nadia woke three times that night.


    He simply moved her crib next to the desk so he could reach out and soothe her while he worked.