The Texas Billionaire's Bride / The Texas Bodyguard's Proposal. Karen Rose Smith

why you hired a wedding planner, remember? So someone else could worry.”

      Maitlyn rolled her eyes. “It’s not the wedding I’m worried about. I was going over everything that has to be done for Thanksgiving.”

      Kendrick shook his head. “That is next week, isn’t it?”

      Maitlyn nodded. “It’s Thursday and everyone is going to be here. Mom wants to cook all of our favorite foods and the Sunday after, our brother wants to baptize the twins. Then we have to get ready for Christmas. We’re all going to Texas. Everyone’s staying at the Stallion ranch and there’s a ton of preparing that needs to be done. I have a lot of lists!”

      “And why are you up?” Katherine asked, dropping a warm palm to his shoulder.

      “I had to get my run in before the day started.”

      “You need to get some rest, too. You both don’t take nearly enough time for yourselves.”

      “I’m sure Zak will make sure Maitlyn gets some rest soon,” Kendrick said.

      His mother nodded. “And what about you?”

      Kendrick grinned. “You worry more than Maitlyn does, Mom.”

      Katherine shook her head. Before she could respond his sisters Tarah and Katrina moved into the space, greeting them all warmly.

      “Good morning, family!” Katrina Boudreaux-Stallion chirped, her toddler son sitting against her hip.

      Matthew Jacoby Stallion, Jr., grinned, reaching his arms out for his grandmother. Katherine wrapped him in a warm hug, kissing his full cheeks. “How’s Grandma’s baby?” she cooed.

      “Jake is wide-eyed,” Katrina said as she handed the child over then reached for the coffeepot. “He got eight hours of sleep.”

      “Who gets married this time of the morning?” Tarah whined. “It’s too early!”

      “It’s not too early,” Katherine said as she leaned to give her youngest daughter a hug. “It will be a beautiful ceremony.”

      Tarah rolled her eyes skyward as Jake reached for her head. The baby tangled his chubby hands in her hair and pulled with all his might. He giggled, his antics tickling his spirit.

      “Ouch!” Tarah exclaimed as she tried to detangle herself from her nephew’s grasp.

      Kendrick moved onto his feet. “I’m going to leave you women to it.”

      “Where are you going?” Katrina questioned as she took the first sip from her coffee mug.

      “I’m headed back to the hotel. I need to get the groom to the church on time.”

      Tarah suddenly gave him a curious look. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought all the men spent the night at the hotel?”

      Kendrick gave her an eye roll. “They did but I had to get my morning run in.”

      “So you ran home?”

      Maitlyn and Katrina both laughed.

      “Leave your brother alone, Tarah,” Katherine admonished.

      Maitlyn grinned and moved onto her feet. “Do me a favor, Kendrick,” she said as she walked into the other room and back, carrying a small box in her hands. “Once Zak gets his tux on would you please give him this for me?” She passed the small box into his hands.

      “What is it?” Kendrick questioned as he shook the container between his palms.

      “None of your business,” Katherine answered for Maitlyn. “The bride asked you to give her groom a present. You get to see it after he does.”

      Maitlyn chuckled.

      Feeling slightly foolish, Kendrick shook his head. “It was just a question,” he muttered, scowling.

      “Git,” Katherine said, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. “We all need to get moving,” she said, taking a quick glance toward the clock.

      Kendrick leaned to kiss Maitlyn’s cheek. The two locked gazes and Maitlyn smiled brightly at him. “You know I’m happy for you, right?” he said softly.

      His sister nodded. “Make sure my guy doesn’t get cold feet, okay?” she whispered back.

      Kendrick smiled as he moved toward the door. “I’m on it,” he said. “You know I won’t rest until the job is done.”

      * * *

      “Zak, do you take Maitlyn to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and cherish her in sickness and health, till death do you part?” the minister questioned.

      “I do, sir,” Zakaria Sayed said, his expression beaming with sheer joy. “I most certainly do!”

      Maitlyn smiled, a tear stealing past her lashes. The beautiful couple had chosen the Oak Alley Plantation, on the banks of the Mississippi, to exchange their vows. They stood beneath the canopy of the oak tree–lined path, the first hint of the morning sun beginning to rise in the distance. The family had gathered on the lawn of the antebellum manor just after six o’clock in the morning for the intimate sunrise ceremony and Kendrick thought it had to be the most amazing thing he’d ever been witness to.

      The morning air was comfortable, the last of the late-night chill keeping the rising Louisiana heat at bay. Maitlyn wore a simple knee-length sheath dress of white crochet lace over satin and three-inch heels the color of a rich cabernet. Her hair had been brushed into a loose chignon adorned with pearl combs tucked into the strands. Her bouquet was a mix of English tea roses in varying shades of orange. Her sisters, Tarah, Kamaya, and Katrina, and Zak’s sister Myriam flanked her left side in simple maxi-length dresses with three-quarter-length sleeves. The floral print, in fall shades of oranges, yellows, reds and browns, was muted against an ivory background.

      Kendrick and his brothers—Mason, Donovan, Darryl and Guy—stood beside Zak, the men wearing dark brown linen suits with white dress shirts opened at the neck and orange tea rose boutonnieres. As a family, they were beautiful together; as a wedding party, they were stunning.

      As the family’s minister pronounced them husband and wife, the first rays of the morning sun hit both their faces. Light peeked beneath the tree-lined blanket to kiss their cheeks. The small gathering of family and friends erupted in cheers. Minutes later everyone followed as the couple led the way to the veranda of the plantation home, where a morning spread of breakfast foods was laid out for the reception.

      In the midst of the celebration Kendrick lifted a glass of champagne and orange juice to toast the couple. “First, on behalf of our parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mason Boudreaux, and Zak’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hassan Sayed, we want to thank all of you for getting up before dawn to be here with us this morning. Only my big sister could manage to get people out of their warm beds so early on a Saturday morning and have y’all looking good while doing it!” He paused and smiled back at the beaming guests.

      “There comes a time in everyone’s life when they meet their one true love, their soul mate, the person who is going to love them for the rest of their life. That moment came for Zakaria ten years ago when he met me.” Everyone laughed as Kendrick tossed his friend a wink of his eye. Maitlyn shook her head from side to side as he continued.

      “Zak and I didn’t become friends overnight. We had to go through some things before we learned to trust each other. It wasn’t until he took me home to meet his mother and she made me her famous m’hanncha, a decadent orange-almond pastry, that I knew he and I would be buddies for life.” Kendrick grinned as he leaned over to kiss Mrs. Sayed’s cheek. “To be asked by Zak today to be his best man is an honor, but it’s also honorable of him, because he’s finally admitting to all of you today that I truly am the best.”

      Laughter rang out again. Kendrick took a deep breath, and then paused. “If someone had told me that I would be celebrating my best friend marrying my favorite sister I would have told them they were crazy. It