“Oh Trina,” David laughs kindly. “Who do you think is going to be my best man? No one. You will be my bride, my best man… well, best woman - best everything. There’s just you for me.”
“Well what are we supposed to do? We can’t have a wedding without people!”
“Of course we can Trina. Anyone can be our witnesses. We have family who can do that.”
“But I want to be a princess for a day!” I cry again. “I can’t do that by myself! I need people walking down the aisle ahead of me. I need a little boy to carry the rings and a little girl to throw petals. I can’t do all that on my own!”
“You won’t be on your own. You’ll have me. You’ll have your mum, my mum, Jenny. Are you telling me you wouldn’t invite Kayley? You still meet her for lunch once a month. Doesn’t she count as a good friend?”
“Of course I’d invite her. But she’s just a normal friend. We aren’t close – not bridal party close. And I can’t have our family do everything - that’s not what I dreamed of David!”
“Dreamed of? What did you dream of Trina?” he asks kindly.
I get up and walk to our hall closet. “I’ll show you,” I say quietly. I’m embarrassed to show him this. I’ve hidden it from him for years. But I’m already crying over a lack of close girlfriends. I might as well embarrass myself thoroughly.
David
I sit and watch her as she rummages through the cupboard and returns to me with her hands behind her back. She’s hiding something.
“Don’t laugh,” she instructs me, producing an old photo album that looks like it has a collage of magazine cuttings all over it.
She hands the album to me and I realise it’s a wedding scrapbook. An old one.
“Are you serious?” I smile.
“Don’t laugh,” she repeats. There is a warning note in her voice and she presses her lips tightly together to stifle the smile I can see playing at the edge of her lips.
When I open the front cover there are pictures of big flowing wedding dresses. They look like something out of that dance scene in Beauty and the Beast. I turn the page and the next one has a photo of the two of us when we were maybe ten or eleven, and all around the picture are lots of little love hearts and writing in a childish hand saying ‘Mrs David Taylor’, ‘David 4 Katrina’ and the symbol meaning ‘true love forever’.
A smile threatens to turn into a chuckle as I look over her declarations of love. It’s a good smile though. I think I loved her then too.
She’s pacing the floor nervously in front of me as I turn more pages and take my time looking at each one. On them are pictures she’s drawn, pictures she’s cut out of magazines, and lots of hand written ideas. She’s been planning some sort of wedding extravaganza since she was a kid.
Suddenly it all makes sense. She can’t have a fairy tale wedding without the bridesmaids and without the guests. She’s been avoiding the wedding because she feels like she can’t have her dream.
“Baby girl,” I say softly, closing the album and setting it on the couch beside me. “Come here.”
I hold my arms open and she rushes into my lap. She’s crying openly about it now. It seems really silly, but I understand. I understand.
Seven
Katrina
The next morning, I’m still feeling foolish. But I do feel much better. At least the real reason I’ve been avoiding the wedding is out in the open now, and I can stop making stupid excuses to try and get David to back off.
It’s Sunday, so we have the day to spend together which we really need after such an emotionally draining day yesterday.
I’m in the kitchen, cooking up an omelette and brewing coffee. My plan is to take breakfast in to a sleeping David as a sorry for being such a pain in the arse.
I realise I could have ruined our whole relationship yesterday. All because I was too scared to admit that I had been planning our wedding since we were ten, and I didn’t have enough friends to pull it off. I feel horrible for making him feel like I didn’t want the world with him. So I’m trying in some small way to make up for it.
“Good morning princess,” he says from behind me, his voice still gruff and sexy from sleep.
Smiling, I turn around to face him. “Princess now? I knew I shouldn’t have shown you that album.”
A grin spreads across his face and his eyes dance with amusement, as he slips his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. “I love the album Trina. I love that you always wanted to be my wife. I love that you still want to be my wife.”
He presses his mouth to mine and I slip my arms up around his shoulders and luxuriate in the feel of mouth. Morning breath and all.
Remembering the eggs on the stove I pull away quickly to check on the pan.
“It smells really good. Is that chorizo in there?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to make up for yesterday.”
“It ended well. So there’s nothing to make up for,” he tells me, dropping a kiss on the back of my neck as he reaches into the cupboard to grab two plates for us.
Using the spatula, I halve the omelette and slide it onto both of our plates. David has already poured our coffees and is carrying them to the table.
“You sure you don’t want breakfast in bed?” I ask, following him with the plates and some cutlery.
“Table’s fine. Although I’ll happily take breakfast here and then take you in bed. I wouldn’t mind an encore of last night’s stellar performance,” he suggests, eyebrows raised as he drags his eyes over my scantily clad body. I’m still in the singlet and tiny sleeping shorts I wear to bed.
“That could be arranged,” I tell him in my best sultry voice.
“Good,” he places his hands on either side of my chair and pulls me closer to him and kisses me. My head starts to swim with desire as he works his mouth, now tasting of coffee, against mine. When he pulls away, he brushes my hair back slightly and smiles at me. “I love you Trina,” he says seriously.
“I love you too.”
David
“I have an idea,” I start, as we eat our breakfast together.
“Is it a new sexual position?” Trina asks without missing a beat.
I laugh a little, covering my mouth as I’ve just put a piece of omelette in there then shake my head. “No. It’s an idea about the wedding.”
She nods her head slowly, she seems unsure, but she’s waiting for me to continue.
“Well, I know that you can’t have your dream wedding but what if we have my dream wedding?”
She starts laughing and almost spits out her coffee. “Are you serious? What’s your dream wedding? Bungee jumping off the Harbour Bridge as we say ‘I do’?”
“No, but that’s a great idea. I’ll keep that as a backup plan,” I tease.
“Oh god please don’t.”
“Trina – I’m serious. Would you let me plan the wedding? I’ll take care of everything.”
“I don’t know. What about my dress?”
“I’m going to choose that too.”
“Oh no. No. I don’t think so.”
“Come on Trina. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well then leave it to me. I won’t let you down,” I assure her.
I can see in her face that she’s not sure about this. She pulls her lips between her teeth and worries over it as she thinks.
“Come on princess. Give me a chance.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “Alright. Do it. Surprise me.”
Eight
Katrina
“You’re letting David plan your wedding? Have you signed up for some sort of reality show or something?” my mother asks when I tell her over the phone.
“No mum,” I laugh. “He just made the suggestion and I thought ‘why not’. I’m actually kind of excited about what he might do.”
“But what about me? Don’t I get to help you plan?” she asks, her voice getting small and childlike.
“I’m sorry mum, but you were n
ever going to be planning my wedding. Our taste is just too different,” I laugh.
“It’s not that different,” she objects. “It might have been a nice bonding experience.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll tell David you want to help though ok. He might need it somewhere.”
“Ok, I guess I’ll have to settle for that. Although this could be a disaster Katrina. Have you at least set the date now?”
“It won’t be a disaster mum, it’ll just be… different. It’s all a surprise. Even the date.”
“But you’ll have to sign your ‘intent to marry’.”
“Yeah I know, we’re going to do that really soon so we can get married at any point once the twenty one days are up.”
“Well Katrina. I sincerely hope that this will all work out.”
“It will mum. I have complete faith in him.”
* * *
David
“Do I get to help?” my mum says the moment I tell her that I’m planning the wedding.
“I don’t know ma. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
Her voice travels up an octave as her excitement comes through her voice. “David. You know I never thought I’d get to help plan a wedding because I didn’t have a daughter. Please let me in on this,” she begs.
“I’ll let you help where I can. But you can’t breathe a word about any of it. I don’t want Trina to find out.”
“How are you going to get her dress fitted?”
“Blind fold.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I figured I’ll take her in to get measured up and when they do the fitting, she’ll have to be blind folded.”
My mother laughs. “This is going to be fun.”
“I hope so.”
Nine
Katrina
David is sitting at the kitchen table, hunched over his iPad and making notes on a pad of paper next to him. My curiosity is killing me and I try to sneak past him and take a peek at what he’s doing.
“Don’t even look in my direction,” he warns me, flipping over the paper and hitting the home button.
“Come on babe, just tell me something. Anything, and I’ll go away.”
“You’re going to be beautiful,” he tells me, grinning that sexy half smile of his.
I chuckle a little and shake my head from side to side. This is going to be torture for me. Moving closer to him, I place my hands on his shoulders, squeezing at his muscles and working out the kinks from the week of work.
He hums and leans his head against my arm, before taking my hand in his and kissing my palm.
“Come here,” he says, turning in his chair and guiding me so I’m standing between his legs. He lifts my shirt and plants a kiss on my stomach, just above my belly button. “Are you still worried that marrying me might ruin your career?” He kisses me again, his hands sliding underneath my shirt, up to my breasts. Only his fingertips brush the underside of them, just enough to make me ache for more.
“Not at all. I’m sorry I ever said it. And I’m sorry for behaving so badly. I should have just thrown the album out years ago. It’s all so unrealistic.”
“Hmmm, the page about the unicorn carrying you down the aisle was a bit out there. But I love the album. I’m glad you kept it, and I wish I had have known about it all along.”
“Really? It wouldn’t have scared you away?”
He pulls me closer and lifts my shirt higher, kissing along my chest until he takes my already erect nipple in his mouth. He sucks back and drags his teeth over it causing me to suck in my breath as he hums in the negative.
“I wouldn’t have wasted my time with other girls. I would have been with you all along.”
“I wish we could go back in time and skip all the crap that happened before us.”
He hums again as his fingers slip into the waist band of my yoga pants and pull down. “We could have been doing this a lot sooner,” he tells me as he slides his hand between my legs, teasing my clit as he works his way between my folds and brings my juices forward, circling the slickness over my already swelling nub.
I gasp. My knees weakening as arousal floods my body and his fingers enter me. Moving my hips against his hand, I steady myself by placing my hands on his shoulders. I’m quivering.
He continues to plant soft kisses across my abdomen as he pulses his fingers inside me then out and over my clit. The rhythm sends me over the edge and I grip onto him tightly with my hands to stop myself from dropping to the floor, lost in my own bliss.
When he removes his hand from between my legs, I drop to my knees and reach up, guiding his face so I can kiss him. I moan into his mouth as he slides his tongue over mine, small sounds escaping his throat as I slide my hands down his chest until I reach his pants. I undo his button, releasing his cock from its confines and sliding my hand over the smooth skin.
“And we could have been doing this,” I murmur, lowering myself down so I can take him into my mouth. He’s too large to take in all the way, and my lips have to stretch to make it around his girth, but I have learned how to lick and suck and work him with my hand until he erupts in my mouth.
David
I moan. God she’s good at this. She licks and sucks and slides her hands over me until I’m close to exploding. But I’m not ready yet.
“I want to come inside you,” I growl, arousal making my voice thick and throaty. She sucks hard and drags her mouth up until I pop out of her. Grinning, she looks up from my lap then pushes up, so she’s standing in front of me.
I take a moment to run my hands over her skin. I love every bit of her, even the scars that remind us both of what we almost missed out on. We almost missed out on us.
Placing my hands on her hips I guide her as she settles herself above me. She reaches between us and eases herself over my tip then lowers herself down, slowly, leisurely. Each time she takes me inside she lets out a gasp that sounds so erotic, it’s as if she wasn’t complete until I filled her. And each time I reciprocate by letting out a moan, because it’s true. I’m not complete until we’re joined. I need her. She’s everything to me.
With strong legs she pushes herself up and down my shaft, gripping me tight and dragging herself up to my tip then sliding down again. I keep my hands on her hips, watching as we move together. I love to see myself disappear inside her. I love being so thoroughly connected.
She lets out a tiny gasp, her moans filling my ears as she rides me. I want to come, but I want to stay like this, connected forever.
“I love you so much,” she whispers, leaning in close to my ear so she can run her tongue over my lobe. It sends shivers through my body and I’m so close, so close.
“Oh god!” I moan as I explode inside her. She joins me and calls out, her body shuddering as I hold her tight. I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her passionately. My arms wrapped around her as I press our bodies together. “I love you too princess,” I tell her.
Katrina
I sit back and smile at him. “That’s going to stick now isn’t it?” I ask.
“Yeah, it might even replace ‘baby girl’ as my all time favourite. Besides, I think you should be a princess every day. Not just for one.”
My heart swells in my chest and feels like it’s send waves of bliss through my body. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“You might have. But tell me again.”
“I love you… so much.”
Ten
David
“Ok, just keep a hold of my arm and I’ll guide you,” I tell Trina as I help her out of the car. We’re in front of the dressmaker who has agreed to do the blindfolded fitting.
“Oh wow, please don’t let go of me!” she laughs.
So far this whole planning thing has been great for us. Trina is excited for what’s about to come. She has no idea of the date or the location, or even the theme, so every day has an element of excitement to it as she waits.
It’s been almost two months since I started planning and everything
is falling into place. Once the dress is finished, we won’t be far off the day.
I’m started to feel excited now too. It won’t be much longer until we’re husband and wife.
Katrina
I can’t see a freaking thing. So I clutch onto David’s arm for dear life. A woman with a slight Mediterranean accent greets us as we enter a store, and I’m ushered into what I assume is a dressing room.
“Just through here princess,” David directs, his voice soft kind and low. It tickles my ears and adds to the excitement I’m already feeling.
I hear the sounds of sliding metal and feel the light breeze as what I assume is the curtain to a dressing room closing.
“Arms up,” he instructs as he helps me remove my clothes. His fingers brush against my skin and send tingles all over my body. I kind of wish that he’d take me in here against the wall. This whole experience has me dripping with excitement.
As he undoes my black skinny jeans and pulls them down my legs, I giggle slightly as I stumble out of them. But he holds me steady. “It’s ok. I won’t let you fall,” he assures me. “Here, place your arms on my shoulders.”
He slides his hands over my arms and guides my hands so they rest on his strong, firm shoulders. I hear the rustle of fabric just before his hand gently touches the skin on my leg. He’s driving me wild. My breathing becomes heavy as he caresses my skin before lifting my leg and guiding me into the dress.
He slides it up my body, making sure he makes contact with my skin the entire way. The only thing I’m sure of is that it’s strapless. Planting gentle kisses on my shoulders, he stands behind me and zips me up. “Now, don’t touch it. That’s cheating,” he rumbles in my ear.
Melody: Beautiful Series, book three Page 30
