Real Love

by Tracy Reed

  “May I suggest, booking your parents rooms here with some spa treatments, dinner and theatre tickets,” Camille suggested. “I know a great little after hours jazz club. By the time they get back, it’ll be very late and they’ll be very tired. They might even sleep in on Friday morning.”

  “Honey, it sounds great to me. We would have the entire evening to ourselves. What do you think?” Kyla looked at Sean hoping for a favorable reply.

  “I don’t know.” Sean was hesitant to agree to the costly plan. “We agreed to keep the wedding small and not go over budget and this is a major new expense.”

  Kyla looked at Sean and recognized the look on his face. He was processing. Money wasn’t the issue. Between the two of them, they were in great financial shape. They now owned an apartment on the Upper Eastside, a loft in Tribeca, and each owned their own company and had managed to save quite a bit. The real issue was control. Even as adults planning and paying for their own wedding, they were feeling pressure from their parents to add something they didn’t want to their wedding.

  “Camille, let us talk about it and we’ll get back to you later,” Kyla winked at Sean.

  “How are we with the budget right now?” Sean asked.

  Camille handed him a copy of the budget. “So we’d be adding an additional night in the suite plus last night, and if we do the parents thing, that’s two more single nights plus what, about five hundred dollars in spa treatments, dinner for four, theatre tickets and car service?”

  “That’s correct. I might be able to help you out with some things, so it’s not so bad,” Camille tried to appease him.

  “I appreciate that, but I’m not sure.” He looked at Kyla. “What do you think?”

  “I agree it’s a lot of money, but our other options aren’t much better. We can stay at our respective places with our parents and hope neither of us slip up and says we’re married. I don’t know about you, but I really would prefer not spending the next twenty-four hours apologizing for eloping. Or we can tell them we got married and be guilted into inviting some extra people. Either way, it’s a no win situation, Baby. If we do it this way, we can still keep control and have the wedding we want.” Kyla patted his hand. “We don’t have to decide now. We can think about it and let Camille know later today.”

  “No. I don’t want to be dealing with this later.” He rubbed his forehead. “We’re supposed to be excited about surprising our families with a wedding, not playing hide and seek.”

  “Camille, would you excuse us?” Kyla took Sean’s hand and led him into the bedroom. They sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on?”

  “Ky, this is getting out of control.”

  She gently stroked the side of his face and ran her fingers across his lips. “God is gracious. That’s what your name means. Honey, you have handled our mothers with a lot of grace and patience.” She smiled. “We don’t have to do this. We’ll stick with our plan. It’ll be like Where’s Waldo.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, we’re Waldo and we’re playing hide and seek from our Parentzillas.”

  He started laughing. “Parentzillas?”

  “Yeah, overbearing parents of the bride and groom.”

  He looked at her and brushed the stray hair behind her ear. “I love you.” He lifted her hand up and gently kissed it. “I’m sorry for freaking out.”

  “That’s okay, I hear most brides have a melt down at some point before the wedding.”

  “Funny,” he let out a deep sigh. “This circus is not what I wanted. I wanted to give you the wedding you deserved.”

  “Well, if we’re talking about what I deserve, that might be a little scary.” They laughed.

  “You know what I mean. I wanted to give you a beautiful wedding.”

  “And you did. Our first wedding was beautiful.” She kissed him. “I’ll do whatever you want because you’re the head of our family and I trust you.”

  He gently stroked the side of her face and stood up. “Come on.” They walked back into the living room and sat down. “Camille, we’re going with your suggestion.”

  “I’ll make all the arrangements,” Camille replied.

  “Once everything is set, call our parents and tell them this was part of the plans we made.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you sure?” Kyla asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Kyla kissed him. “Oh, Camille, what about the gelato and the sugar cookies?”

  “All taken care of.” They all stood up and hugged.

  “Thank you so much Camille.” Kyla exhaled.

  “It’s going to be a beautiful wedding, Miss James…I mean, Mrs. Prescott.”

  “It’s Kyla and Sean.”

  “Kyla…I think I’m going to call my fiancé and convince him a small, intimate wedding would be very chic.” She walked out and stopped. “I almost forgot. The rehearsal.”

  “I’ll call Mike and see what time he can come over.” Sean was quick with an answer.

  “What about Michelle?” Kyla asked.

  “Is that another dog?” Camille asked.

  “No,” Kyla laughed. “She’s Sean’s goddaughter. We promised her she could be our flower girl, but…we can’t tell her what we’re doing.”

  “Mike can show her what to do right before the ceremony.”

  “Then we’re set. I’ll send a bellman to move you up to the penthouse, and we’ll talk later. Goodbye.”

  “Thank you.” Kyla hugged her and closed the door. She turned around and Sean wrapped his arms around her.

  “Mrs. Prescott, will you do me the honor of marrying me again?”

  “Yes, Mr. Prescott, I will marry you again.”

  He gently pressed his lips against hers, kissing her like it was the first time. He slowly pulled back and was greeted by her smile. “That’s the second reason why I’m marry you again. I want to spend the rest of my life with those beautiful lips.”

  “What’s the first reason?”

  “That’s a married man’s secret.” He smiled.

  Chapter 77

  THE WATER FELT GOOD BEATING on Kyla’s back. Everything was falling into place. In less than twenty-four hours, she and Sean would be saying their vows in front of their family and friends. The thought of standing before the people she loved and respected, declaring her love for Sean, was a little overwhelming. She reflected back to their first wedding and felt calm. She closed her eyes, praying softly.

  Sean tried to sneak into the shower unnoticed, but the soft creek of the shower door opening and closing alerted her to her shower buddy. He took the wet, soapy sponge and washed her back, taking his time. As the water rinsed off the soap, he placed kisses along her back down her behind and back up to her neck.

  He kissed her shoulder and she didn’t turn around. He reached around the front of her body, caressing her breasts. She leaned back into his chest with her eyes closed, smiling. He eased his hand down the front of her body arousing her, as her soft moans turned into loud cries. She placed her hands against the shower wall trying not to fall. Her heart beat faster as Sean got closer to her joy spot. He tweaked her nipple between his fingers, and she cried out louder. He moved his hand down a little further along the inside of her thigh, and she placed her hand on top of his, moving to the rhythm his hand was creating until she reached full arousal. Her cries of delight were drowned out by the sound of the water pounding against the marble tile.

  He slowly removed his hand leaving her breathless. She turned around and faced him, breathing hard. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her as he pressed his body against hers, running his hands along her back. She pulled him closer to her, rubbing her body against him until he was fully excited. He lifted her, pressing his body into her as he guided them into ecstasy. Trading moans with each push under the beating water, he lifted her higher and she let out a long, loud cry. Breathing hard, she grabbed him from behind, pushing him deeper inside her, until he cried out. His deep voice bouncing off the shower
walls was music to her ears.

  Standing, wrapped in each other’s arms with the water beating on them, Sean slowly lowered her onto her feet. He wiped the water from her eyes cupping her face in his hands, and made a powerful promise. “In every area of our marriage, you come first.”

  Kyla lay quietly wrapped in Sean’s arms, with her hands covering his. The soft sound of his breathing was calming. She had never felt as safe as she did when she was wrapped in his arms. She closed her eyes, thinking about her vows. She had written something while they were on their honeymoon, but now it didn’t seem right. These first couple of weeks of marriage were more than she had expected. Her aunts always said marriage was a prison for women, but Sean made it seem fun. Sure, they were only a couple of weeks in, but it was fun. He wasn’t trying to change her, but support and love her. She wanted to be a wife, his wife.

  She pulled Sean’s hand closer to her chest, gently kissing his fingers, smiling. He shifted a little and gently kissed her shoulder. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning to you, too.” She turned to face him. “You know, you aren’t supposed to be here.”

  “Excuse me?” He questioned his wife’s statement.

  “I recall someone saying they were going down to the loft last night after dinner.”

  He pulled her closer. “I don’t recall that.”

  “Oh, selective amnesia.”

  “What?” He tickled her and she let out a soft giggle.

  “Baby, stop.” He pulled her closer. “We agreed to do the traditional thing, and spend the night before our wedding apart.”

  “Was that before or after the shower?”

  “Before the shower.”

  “Well, that explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  “Why I don’t recall making that statement.”

  “So you’re blaming our sleepover on the shower?”

  “Exactly. Everyone knows a hot shower makes you sleepy.” He yawned. “See, even talking about it is making me sleepy.” He closed his eyes and quickly opened them.

  “Really?”

  “I might have remembered that, had you not seduced me.”

  “I seduced you?” She laughed. “I was taking a shower and…”

  He covered her mouth with his, kissing her passionately. He pulled back and whispered, “I think I need another shower. Wanna join me?” He kissed her neck.

  She let out a soft giggle. “I’d love to. However, we need to walk Winnie and Simon. And then, grab some breakfast before Butch and his crew arrive.”

  “All of which can be done after our shower.”

  “Sounds good to me, but I don’t think Winnie and Simon will agree with your plan.”

  He looked over at the cute little dogs in the corner. “They’re still sleep. So we have plenty of time to…,” his statement was interrupted by the ringing phone. “Who could be calling so early?”

  “Hand me the phone. Hello…yes…they are…when will it be ready…okay, uhm, tell them I’m just getting out of the shower and give me twenty minutes before coming up…thank you.” She handed Sean the phone and covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Who’s they?”

  She cupped his face in her hands. “Jordan and Zoë are downstairs.”

  “What?”

  “They got in early and their room isn’t ready, and they need a place to crash until it is.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “No, they’ll be up in twenty minutes.”

  He hopped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. “I don’t believe this. I thought they weren’t supposed to be here for a couple of hours?”

  “That’s what Zoë said.” Kyla scurried about erasing signs of Sean.

  “Man, I don’t believe this. Any other time, they would have gone to my place.”

  “Baby, hurry up. The last thing we need is for you to not be dressed when they get here.”

  He quickly showered and hopped out, and Kyla hopped into the shower while Sean finished getting dressed. Sean put the sweaters and leashes on both dogs. “Simon, Winnie, let’s go. We have to pretend Daddy didn’t sleep here last night.” Kyla walked into the bedroom wearing a towel. Sean looked at her, rolling his eyes. “You know this isn’t fair.”

  “You’d better get going. Otherwise, Jordan and Zoë are going to know our little secret a few hours ahead of schedule.” She dropped her towel and started getting dressed. “I’ll have breakfast waiting when you get back.”

  “I’d prefer another one of those showers.”

  “So would I, but you’ll have to settle for pancakes.” She kissed him, letting her lips linger. “Now go.”

  “We’re leaving. Come on guys, Daddy needs some fresh air.” Winnie and Simon took off running toward the door, pulling Sean. “Slow up guys.” He opened the door and the elevator ding startled him. He held his breath, hoping it wasn’t Jordan and Zoe. The doors opened and no one exited. “Come on guys, we’d better take the stairs.” He picked up Simon and Winnie and ducked into the stairwell.

  Kyla did a quick scan of the suite again, everything seemed fine. The doorbell rang, she took a deep breath, walked over and opened the door. “Good morning.” Her smile covered her face.

  “Hey sister-in-law to be,” Zoë hugged her and kissed her cheek as she walked inside.

  “Hi, Zoë.”

  “Hi, Kyla,” Jordan said in between yawns as he hugged her. “Excuse me. There was a child in first class that decided to stay up most of the flight, talking and singing.”

  “Is there any coffee?” Zoë asked.

  “I’ll take the sofa, if you don’t mind.” Jordan walked over and plopped down onto the sofa. He closed his eyes and was asleep. The sounds emanating from Jordan startled Kyla.

  “Oooh, that’s scary. How do you sleep with that noise?”

  “Believe it or not, I don’t even hear it.” They laughed.

  Kyla poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “How was your flight?”

  “Apart from the unwanted serenade, fine. Where’s Sean? We went to his place and he wasn’t there,” she took a sip from her cup.

  “Oh.” Kyla diverted her eyes from Zoë.

  “Kyla, is there something you want to tell me?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Her phone started ringing with the barking dog ring tone. “Excuse me. Hey Baby…no…are you on your way back…yes, he’s asleep, and Zoë and I are having coffee…he said he’d be here between nine-thirty and ten…I was waiting on you to call…what kind…uh-huh…are you trying to make me blush in front of Zoë…bye, I love you.” She pressed the button ending the call.

  “Was that my brother-in-law?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did he know we were here?”

  Kyla wasn’t expecting her to be so alert. “Uhm, he was here when the front desk called.”

  “Really?” She smirked.

  “Not like that…I mean, he uhm..he came up early so we could get a handle on things and he took the dogs for a walk.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What?” Trying to hide her smile.

  “Nothing.”

  She took another sip from her cup. “We haven’t talked since you got back. How was your trip?”

  Kyla was careful not to sound too cheerful, because Zoë was already sensing something. “Amazing. You and Jordan have got to go there, it’s beautiful and very romantic.”

  “Very romantic?” Zoë smiled. She kept staring at Kyla looking for clues to unasked questions.

  “Yes. We spent the first week hanging out at the pool and sightseeing. The second week was mostly work.”

  “Uh-huh…you know I don’t believe you.” Zoë sipped her coffee, smiling at Kyla. “Just like I don’t believe Sean came up early this morning to help with the plans and walk the dogs.”

  “He did.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, we did sort of…” Zoë leaned in closer to hear her. “Get
a little sunburned.”

  “Oh crap.” She leaned back. “I thought you were about to confess some deep secret. Like you slipped up or you got married.”

  Kyla laughed. “Married…that’s funny. Oh man, I almost forgot, I promised Sean I’d order him something to eat. Are you hungry?” Kyla got up and walked over to the phone.

  “A little. Order me a spinach and feta omelet with a side of poached salmon. Thanks.”

  “What about Jordan?”

  “The same. Oh, but I don’t want to wake him. Granola with fruit and yogurt.”

  “There’s a microwave.”

  “In that case, get him the same thing. Thanks.”

  Kyla called room service and placed the order while Zoë freshened up in the bathroom.

  “Hey, Kyla,” Zoë started speaking as she walked out of the bathroom looking around. “Where are you?” Zoë called out.

  “The kitchen,” she called out. Kyla wasn’t sure how much longer she could dodge Zoë’s inquisition. “I’m getting Winnie and Simon’s breakfast.” She placed the filled dog food bowls on the mat and filled the matching water bowls with fresh water.

  “What did you guys do to my in-laws?” She called out as she walked into the kitchen. “We tried calling them, but there’s a do not disturb alert on the phone, and both cells are going to voice mail.”

  Kyla stood up and faced her with a wide smile. “We treated them to a double date with my parents last night.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” She looked at Kyla smiling. “And you expect me to…” A knock on the door interrupted her statement.

  “Zoë, would you get that? Thanks.”

  Zoë walked out to the living room and opened the door. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, is Miss James here?” asked the young woman.

  “Who is it?” Kyla called out.

  Zoë turned to the woman standing before her. “Tell her it’s Camille.”

  “It’s Camille,” she called back.

  “Let her in.”

  “You heard her, come on in.” Zoë stepped to the side.

  “Thank you.”