Bride & Seek

by Samantha Chase

  “You put a lot of thought into this,” she commented, doing her best to sound serious even as her heart was doing a little happy dance at his thoughtfulness.

  He nodded. Wrapping his arms around her, he began to sway. There wasn’t any music–just the sound of nature all around them, and yet Cammie found herself easily moving with him. After a few minutes of their impromptu dance, Cade pulled back, his expression almost unreadable. Cammie was about to ask him if he was all right when he dropped to one knee.

  “You said this was your dream spot,” he said softly.

  For the second time, she gasped. Her hands flew to cover her heart, which was now definitely beating out of control.

  “Cammie Parker, I love you. And more than anything, I want a life with you.” He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a beautiful vintage diamond ring.

  “Oh, Cade,” she said, her voice quiet and shaking. “Yes!”

  He stood and placed the ring on her finger before kissing her again. This time it was more intense, more everything. When he lifted his head, he smiled, resting his forehead against hers. “When I walked down here and saw you standing by the arbor, I knew I made the right decision. This may be your dream spot, but you’re my dream come true, Cammie. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Cade. And thank you for making all of my dreams come true.”

  He took her by the hand and led her away from the arbor, toward the far end of the property where the cabins were.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Emerald Bluff,” he said, grinning. “I knew you were off tomorrow, and I wanted to surprise you.”

  She chuckled softly. “Consider me surprised! I loved it there. It was so beautiful and it really was an amazing weekend.”

  “Well, prepare yourself for another amazing one.” They reached the cabin, and when Cade opened the door, they were met with dim lighting and the sight of dozens of candles lit around the pool. It was a little too cool to swim, but it was still a beautiful sight.

  “Wow,” she sighed happily. “Look at this…”

  He led her out the back doors and over to the table that had been set with dinner for two–along with a heat lamp to keep them warm. “I hope you haven’t eaten yet.”

  She shook her head. “I rarely have the time, and now that I see all of this, I realize I’m starving.”

  “Well damn…” he murmured.

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  “I was kind of hoping you’d be a little less…hungry for food and…”

  “Hungrier for you?” she finished for him, smiling. When he nodded, she laughed. “How about this, we eat dinner now, and then I promise to give you my full attention for the rest of the night?”

  Cade chuckled and held out a chair for her to sit in. “I guess I see how it’s going to be. I ask you to marry me, and then food becomes the priority,” he said dramatically. “I’ll get used to it…” Then he sat down.

  Cammie waited for a moment and then stood back up. She almost laughed at the expression on Cade’s face–part hopeful, part confused. In a flash, she shimmied out of her dress and stood before him in nothing but scraps of blue lace.

  “Compromise,” she said easily. “Just to show that I am not taking you for granted.” She was just about to sit back down when Cade’s arm banded around her waist as he pulled her into his lap.

  “Compromise,” he mimicked thickly, nuzzling her neck. “This way, I can touch you, keep you warm, and feed you while I work you up into a frenzy.”

  “I like the way you think,” she said huskily.

  “Stick with me,” Cade teased. “I’ve got all kinds of good ideas.”

  And she knew it to be true.

  Another Epilogue

  Meanwhile, back in Raleigh…

  It was fast approaching midnight and Skylar stood in the darkened corner of the ballroom and stretched. The last of the guests were leaving and she did her best to stay out of everyone’s way. The sooner everyone was gone, the sooner she and Josie and Leanna could go home.

  “My bed is definitely calling,” she murmured.

  Out of the dark, Leanna stepped in close beside her and handed her a slice of cake. It was something they always did and she was never one to turn away sweets.

  “It’s an end slice so there’s plenty of frosting. Just the way you like it,” Lea said.

  “You’re a lifesaver. I’m going to need this last little sugar rush to get through the next hour.” She took a forkful of cake and moaned with pleasure. “Damn. I watch you bake every week and yet I still don’t know how you do it. Ever confection is so decadent that it’s nearly orgasmic.”

  A soft laugh was Lea’s only response, and when Skye glanced over, she saw she was having cake too. For a few minutes, neither said a word. It was nice to just enjoy the quiet after such a loud and bustling day.

  “Where’s Josie? I thought she’d be out here having cake too.”

  “She got a text and it must have really pissed her off because I heard her mumbling curses all the way out the door,” Lea explained. “I’ve learned not to get in her way when she’s like that.”

  “Smart move.” More silence. Her cake was finished and Skye gently put the plate and fork down on the nearest table. “So what do we have left to do? Anything?”

  “Bride and groom are on their way to their hotel for the night, and everyone said their goodbyes already. Both sets of parents are gone, as well. The DJ is loading up his truck and all my baking dishes, platters, and supplies are being loaded in my van as we speak. Once we do a walkthrough, we’re good. The event coordinator for the venue…”

  “Janie,” Skye supplied.

  “Right, Janie,” she repeated. “Anyway, everything else is on her. I just figured we’d talk with her on our way out the door. But we probably should wait for Josie.”

  As if sensing her friends were talking about her, Josie came walking back into the ballroom looking more than a little annoyed.

  Both Skylar and Leanna groaned.

  “Everything okay?” Skye asked while silently praying it was.

  Josie glanced around. “Any cake left?”

  “One minute!” Leanna said as she stood and ran back toward the kitchen.

  With a huff, Josie sat down, and as much as the curiosity was killing her, Skylar figured she’d wait until Lea was back with the cake before saying anything.

  “Here you go!” Lea said a moment later. “So what’s going on?”

  Rather than answer right away, Josie took a forkful of cake and hummed. “Damn, Lea. This was exactly what I needed. Thanks.” She took another forkful before saying anything else. “My brother’s getting married.”

  “What?” Skye said with more heat than she meant and immediately caught Leanna’s eye. “I mean…wow! That’s great! I didn’t think he and Tracy were…you know…that serious.”

  Josie waved her off. “Please. Elliott is always serious.” Then she shook her head. “He texted earlier to share the news, but I didn’t see it until a few minutes ago. They–of course–want us to help with the wedding plans, so I told him to call the office on Monday and we’ll set up an appointment.” She took another bite of cake.

  Meanwhile, the cake Skye had just eaten was turning to lead in her stomach.

  Elliott was getting married.

  Her lifelong crush had proposed to someone else.

  Well, to be fair, Tracy would be the fourth person Elliott had proposed to, and each engagement killed Skye a little bit more.

  None of the previous engagements had gone beyond him asking, but she had a feeling this one would. And now–thanks to her being partners in Meet Me at the Altar–she was going to be stuck not only witnessing the man of her dreams marry someone else, but she’d have to help plan it to.

  Such is the plight of the wedding planner.

  I’m in hell…

  Want to know more about Josie, Skylar, & Leanna?

  Be sure to check out the new series fro
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  Samantha Chase, MEET ME AT THE ALTAR

  Here’s an excerpt from THE ENGAGEMENT EMBARGO

  Chapter 1

  Love is like a hole; once you fall in, it’s hard to get out

  Unknown

  “We have wilting sunflowers over here!” Skylar Jennings called out. “Wilting sunflowers, people!” She looked around frantically. “Can someone please replace these with cheery, non-wilting ones!” With a huff, she continued to scan the large banquet room and felt a sense of pride. The theme for the wedding had been country chic–lots of mason jars and sunflowers. It was very rustic and charming. The colors made it feel like you were walking in the mountains during the fall foliage. Very trendy. It was the only thing the bride had contributed to the plans.

  Wedding planning was her life–even though she had gone to college and graduated with a psychology degree–but it didn’t take long for her to realize it wasn’t her passion. Luckily, she had a Plan B to fall back on. After starting up the business three years ago with her two best friends, Josie and Leanna, Meet Me at the Altar Wedding Services had finally started to become a success. Skye loved helping couples plan their big day, and it was always so rewarding to see the look on their faces when they saw how she brought their vision to life and made their day exactly what they wanted.

  Today was the first time she found zero joy in it.

  “Why are there wilted sunflowers?” a voice called out, and when she turned, she saw one of her partners, Josie, walking toward her.

  “I’m already working on it,” Skye assured her. “We have plenty of extras in the cooler so we’ll just swap them out. No big deal.” Then she looked at Josie and started to smirk. “Nice outfit.”

  Looking down at herself, Josie frowned. She was in a pair of purple sweatpants, an oversized white buttoned shirt, gray slipper booties, and there were several large rollers in her hair. “We’re in the middle of getting ready and I was too fidgety to stand still so I figured I’d come out and see how things were going.”

  “You’re a bridesmaid today,” Skye gently reminded her. “And not one of the wedding planners. We’ve been over this a million times. I’ve got it all under control.”

  Another frown from Josie. “This isn’t right.”

  Skye looked around frantically. “What? What isn’t right? This looks exactly like the picture Tracy printed out for us that she found on Pinterest!”

  “That’s not what I mean. This wedding as a whole. It’s just…it’s wrong.” She sighed and looked at Skye sadly. “My brother is making a huge mistake.”

  Actually, her brother was on his fourth mistake, but who was counting?

  This wasn’t a topic Skye wanted to particularly discuss, so she simply nodded and let her friend talk.

  “Think about it,” Josie went on. “We’ve dealt with dozens of brides in the last few years, and when did one ever hand us a picture off of the internet and say, ‘Do this’ and then have no interest in anything else, huh? It was weird and it’s wrong and…I just can’t believe he doesn’t see it!”

  “I get why you’re concerned, and yes, it was a little strange, but…not every bride is all about the details. Plus, Elliott was more than happy to fill in the gaps and had enough enthusiasm for the both of them.”

  “Elliott is an idiot.”

  Skye fought a smirk. “That’s your brother you’re talking about, and you know he’s not an idiot. He’s a borderline genius.” She shrugged. “He just happens to be in love with being in love. You can’t fault him for it. Isn’t that something we all want? To be in love and have someone love us back?”

  I know I wouldn’t mind that…

  “Skye, this is his fourth engagement…”

  “But only the first to get to the wedding day, so…”

  They were silent for several minutes as they watched their staff scurry around putting finishing touches on the room–including replacing the wilting flowers. “I just don’t like seeing him get hurt.”

  “He’s not going to get hurt,” Skye softly replied. “This is what he’s always wanted. If anything, he’s floating on a cloud of happiness right now. This is his day and you need to be happy for him.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No maybes about it. Now go and change out of that outfit, put on your gown, and let’s do this.”

  And with a small groan, Josie agreed and made her way out of the room and back to the bridal suite.

  “Okay, another crisis averted.” And she prayed it was the last.

  So far, it had been a fairly uneventful day; and by uneventful, she meant just the usual mishaps. Staff being late, a lost batch of linens, a few broken glasses were the norm. It seemed like today everyone was on their best behavior since Elliott was family. Everyone knew and loved him and were excited to be a part of his big day.

  Except Skye.

  Right now, she’d give anything to be anywhere else in the world.

  It was a good thing she was the one in charge today and could easily distract herself from having to stand and watch the man she’d been in love with since she was twelve years old marry someone else.

  Yeah, today was definitely going to suck.

  When Josie suggested them bringing in someone else to handle overseeing everything so Skye could be a guest, she had shut it down fast. There was no way she could sit in a chair and watch Elliott and Tracy say their vows to promise to love one another and all that other crap without either standing up and speaking her peace or sitting there and losing her mind.

  Neither were great options, so playing the part of the too busy to be a guest wedding planner was her role for the day.

  And she planned on spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

  Or crying in the coat closet.

  Forcing herself to focus on the wedding as an event and not the people getting married, she made her way to the kitchen to check on everything there.

  As expected, it was controlled chaos. The catering staff was amazing and their head chef Patricia was famous for her signature dishes. Skye knew she never had to worry about the menu when Patricia was in charge. With a smile and wave, she continued to walk around and check on progress, and back in the far corner of the kitchen was her other partner, Leanna, who was also their on-staff baker.

  “If you’re coming over to steal some frosting, I’ve already set a bowl aside for you over there,” Leanna said without looking up from the cake she was decorating. Honestly, the woman worked magic with cakes of all shapes and sizes, and it never ceased to amaze her.

  “Is it chocolate?”

  This time Leanna stopped and shot her a patient stare. “Would I put anything else aside for you?”

  “You’re right. Sorry.” And because it would be rude to not try it, Sky settled onto a stool in the corner with her bowl and let out a small sigh.

  “You doing okay?” Leanna asked as she went back to work on placing delicate sugar flowers on the cake.

  “Of course. Why?”

  “The sigh, for starters.” She placed another flower on the cake–an edible sunflower this time–before she straightened and turned around to face Skye. “And the fact that this is Elliott’s wedding.” Leanna was the only person in the world who knew how Skye really felt and it was good to have someone to talk to about it.

  “I’m not loving it,” she admitted. “I thought I was okay with the whole thing. I mean, it’s not like he’s ever shown any interest in me at all, ever, so…” She sighed again and it was longer and louder. “But now that the day is here? I just don’t know what I’m going to do when I see him. Them. All of it.”

  Leanna walked over and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling.” When she pulled away, she grabbed one of the other stools and sat down beside her. “I think once the ceremony starts, you should go. I can handle things. I’ve got a change of clothes with me and I can walk around and make sure everything’s under control. My assistants can handle setting up the cake and desserts.”r />
  “I can’t ask you to do that. I’m a grown woman and I’ve accepted the fact that Elliott is getting married.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you should have to stay and watch it happen. Seriously, Skye, don’t torture yourself. If it were me, I would have called in sick or taken advantage of hiring someone else to oversee this event like Josie suggested.”

  “Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment and figured by being here and seeing it all happen that I’d force myself to get over him.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes before Leanna stood. “I have to finish getting the flowers on this cake. Eat your frosting.”

  With a small laugh, Skye looked down at the bowl and smiled. “Is it buttercream or whipped?”

  “I find it insulting that you even ask,” Leanna murmured as she focused on another edible sunflower.

  Taking a small spoonful of the decadent frosting, Skye licked it and hummed with appreciation. “Any chance you have a bucket of this to send home with me? I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”

  “There’s definitely some extra, but not a bucketful. And if anything, I’d rather send it home with you than with me. Lord knows if it’s sitting around, I’ll eat it and then where will I be?”

  “Oh, stop. I can’t believe you don’t eat more of this stuff. I know I would if it was around me all day.”

  “Yeah, but you have a great metabolism and could probably eat a bucketful of icing and not gain a pound. I’m gaining weight as we speak just talking about the icing.”

  Skye shook her head and took another spoonful of frosting. “That’s ridiculous and you know it. You’re beautiful and there’s nothing wrong with you.”

  “Tell that to my pants that are feeling mighty squeezy right now.”

  It was an argument she was never going to win. Leanna struggled with her weight for years and it didn’t seem to matter what anyone said to her or how beautiful they all told her she was, she never seemed to believe it.