by Hope Ford
“Bro, you okay?” my brother, Jack, asks me as his arm goes around my shoulders. I hand the phone back to Chelsey’s mom and let Jack lead me to the back of the church.
When we get to a door, he opens it and ushers me inside the small room. I look around, knowing she was just in here. This was where the bride and bridesmaids were getting ready. The smell of her perfume, the scent of her is still here.
I pace the room, looking for a clue, but can’t find anything. Jack stands in the corner watching me, waiting for me to say something. He’s my twin brother and we have always been able to communicate with each other, even when we don’t say anything.
A glint catches my eye and I stride over to the table. Her engagement ring is lying there right next to the bouquet that she was going to carry down the aisle with her. I pick the ring up, staring at it, like I’m willing it to give me answers. Frustrated, I put it in my pocket before sitting down and spearing my hands through my hair.
Jack clears his throat. “Did she give you a reason?”
I shake my head side to side. “Nothing. And I swear if you knew her, you would know this is not like her. Fuck, brother, I know she loves me. Why would she do this?”
I stare across the room into a face that resembles mine. I was so happy to see that my brother made it here today. He wasn’t supposed to have been able to make it to the wedding, but he surprised us all this morning. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to my wife.
I clutch my head when I think about her. I know Chelsey. Something had to have happened. She wouldn’t have just left like this.
My younger brother walks into the room and I look at him expectantly. “Any word from her? Anyone know where she’s at?”
He looks at me sympathetically. “Jason, I know Chelsey. This isn’t like her. No one, not even her mom, knows where she is.”
I stand up and stretch to my full height. “Well, I guess I better go and tell everyone that there won’t be a wedding today.”
Jared stops me with a hand to my chest. Damn, it amazes me that the same little nerdy boy that used to follow me and Jack around everywhere has turned into a man. “Why don’t you and Jack get out of here, see if you can figure out what happened? I’ll take care of everything here.”
I know half my teammates are in the church wondering what happened, but I don’t even think I can face them right now. I squeeze my hand on my baby brother’s shoulder. “Thanks, bub.”
He nods at me and starts to walk out before stopping. “Call me if you need anything.”
I take my jacket off and lay it on the bench. I pull my little brother in for a hug before pulling away from him and following Jack out the door.
Chapter 4
Chelsey
When I’m finally settled on the airplane, I wish I could sleep or even read. But I can’t. All my thoughts are on Jason. I still can’t believe he betrayed me this way. Gritting my teeth, I lay my head back and stare at the ceiling, getting lost in thoughts of when we first met. It was a whirlwind of a relationship.
But from the very beginning, he made me believe that I was the one for him. Even that first night, I was willing to go home with him. Hell, by the end of the night, I was ready to beg him to take me home with him. And we almost made it. Until he found out that I was a virgin. Only then did he drive me back to my house, drop me off at the door with a deep kiss and a promise he would see me the next day.
He showed up the next morning with a ring, asking me to marry him. I laughed at first, until I realized he wasn’t joking. I wanted so bad to tell him yes, but always cautious, I turned him down. I told him that even though I wanted to, it was too soon, we’d just met. It didn’t even faze him or slow him down. He asked me to think about it and after dating him for only two months, I finally agreed.
He had given me one month to plan the wedding. One month and if we still weren’t married, he would be taking me to the justice of the peace, and we would do it then. He claimed he couldn’t wait a second longer to make me his.
I sniff and blow my nose. Obviously it was a lie. He’s been with women on the side. The image of him standing under the gazebo in his tux, right outside the church we were about to get married in, with another woman in his arms is forever ingrained in my head. They kissed passionately and even when they came apart, the woman buried her face into his chest and he surrounded her in his arms, a look of pure bliss on his face. They’re obviously in love, so I don’t understand why he would still plan on marrying me.
I move around in my seat trying to get comfortable. The ache in my chest is powerful, and I rub it easily. The rest of the trip flies by and once I grab a shuttle and get to the hotel, I plead with them to let me check in early. As soon as I walk into the large room, I gasp at the beauty of it. Jason wanted the best for our honeymoon. It’s a two room suite and the views of the ocean are phenomenal. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go on my honeymoon. At the time, I just wanted to escape. I drop my luggage by the door, strip down and lie on the bed, pulling the covers over my head. Sleep. That’s what I need. Sleep.
Jason
It took me awhile to figure it out, but I finally did. When the mobile phone service refused to trace her phone, I remembered that I had a roadside assistance and a tracking system on my car. When I call them, they say it has been parked at the airport for several hours.
I waste no time. My twin brother drives me to the airport. “Are you sure about this, Jason? I mean, she left, maybe she needs some time.”
I flinch at the thought that she walked out on our wedding, that the woman I love more than anything in this world chose not to marry me. It’s like a kick in the gut, and I stand up beside the car to relieve the pressure. “Something happened. That’s the only explanation. She loves me, Jack. She wouldn’t leave unless she thought there was a good reason.”
He looks at me questioningly. I hold my hands up. “Fuck that, dude, wipe that from your mind. Chelsey is the only woman for me. I haven’t even looked at anyone else since the day I laid eyes on her.”
He comes around the car with the motor still running. “Well, go get her then,” he says as he wraps me in a hug. “You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“I’m sure. I’ll call you when I land. Thanks for being here, brother.” I throw a bag over my shoulder and wave to him as I walk into the terminal. I purchase a ticket for the next plane to Miami. Hell, she could be anywhere, but I’m hoping that she decided to go on our honeymoon, even if it was sans the husband. Fuck! It kills me that I’m still not married to her.
When I get to the hotel, I sweet talk the older woman at the desk and she slides me the key card. When I finally stumble into the room almost nine hours after I was supposed to marry my woman, I find her passed out on the bed.
I stand here and take it in. Her blond hair is spread across the pillow and even with her eyes closed, I can tell they are swollen. I sit down on the chair next to the bed and look at her. I know that something bad had to have happened. That’s the only thing I can think of that would make her run from me. The only problem is, I have no idea what it is.
I sit here for what seems like hours, and she still hasn’t moved an inch. I undress and lift the covers to slide in next to her. Seeing her bare skin, I almost stop myself, but fuck it, she’s mine, and no matter what she’s pissed about or what happened, I’m determined to keep her as mine.
As soon as I’m lying next to her, she rolls towards me and her arm slides across my abs and wraps around me. I pull her closer to me and instantly I’m hard. Her soft curves make me insane anyway, but having them against my naked skin almost makes me lose control. I start counting backwards in my head, thinking about the wedding today that didn’t happen, anything to make my cock go down. For some reason, I don’t think she’s going to be happy to find me in her bed, especially if I’m already hard for her.
She burrows deeper against me and I give up. I kiss her forehead and lay my head against hers. I was a mess today. When she left me, I
felt like I was dying, like the whole world was against me. The weight on my shoulders was almost too much to bear. And even though I don’t know what happened, or even if we are going to be able to work it out, having her in my arms finally gives me a little relief.
Chapter 5
Chelsey
I burrow deeper into the covers and the heat at my back. I’m barely awake, but I feel like burrowing in and trying to get closer. I hear a moan against my ear and then, “Honey, you keep moving like that, I can’t be blamed for what’s about to happen.”
I gasp and my eyes fly open as I try to get out of the bed. The arms I’m lying in wrap around me and hold me tight, not allowing me to get up – no matter how hard I struggle.
Not until the tears start flowing and I’m sobbing hysterically does he let me out of the bed. Once I’m up I stand to the side and pull the sheet off the bed, holding it up in front of me. Jason is on his knees in the middle of the bed and his impressive dick is hard and angry, pointed right at me.
“Jason, what are you doing here?” I scream at him.
He widens his knees on the bed and puts his hands on his hips. I glance down at his still hard cock and then back up to his eyes. “I told you before that I’ll follow you wherever you go. But why you decided to skip the wedding and go straight to the honeymoon – without me, I might add – is beyond me.”
I huff and wrap the sheet around me. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from you.”
He gets off the bed and walks toward me. I hold my hand out in front of me to stop him. “No. Don’t come any closer. You lost the right to be in my bed—hell, to be here—when you did what you did.”
I stride toward the bathroom and he steps in front of me. I jerk from him when he reaches for me. He throws his hands up but doesn’t move away. “What did I do, Chels? I really don’t know what you’re even talking about.”
I cringe. “Don’t call me that.”
He shakes his head and the frustration is obvious on his face. “What? Chels? I always call you that.”
“Well, I don’t want you to call me that anymore. Let me by, Jason.” I take a step toward him but he doesn’t budge.
I can tell he’s pissed, but his voice is calm. Almost too calm. “You’re not going anywhere until we talk this out and you tell me what the hell you think I did.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you naked. Let me get dressed and then we’ll talk.” I grab the suitcase by the door and drag it into the bathroom, not even waiting for his response.
I take my time. I shower, brush my teeth and hair and get dressed. By the time I’m finished, I feel a little better and able to deal with this.
I walk out of the bathroom and he’s sitting on the edge of the bed with a pair of shorts on. When he starts to get up, I walk around him and go over to the table and sit down. He walks toward me and sits across from me.
I clasp my hands and put them on the table in front of me. “Why are you here, Jason?”
He looks at me and I can tell he’s trying to contain his anger. “I can ask you the same thing. We were supposed to get married yesterday, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Hurt sears me, almost like he slapped me. “I didn’t forget anything. I wasn’t the one kissing someone else under the gazebo only minutes before we were supposed to get married.”
He sits back, stunned. He’s either a really good liar or really has no clue what I’m talking about.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he demands.
“Give it up, Jason. I saw you. I saw you all hugged up with some woman, kissing her.” I wipe the tear off my cheek.
“You’re serious. You really believe that I cheated on you. At our wedding,” he asks.
“Yes. I saw you. Nobody told me. I saw you with my own two eyes,” I assure him, even though saying it out loud makes me relive it all again.
He reaches for my hand. “Honey, I wouldn’t…”
I jerk away from him. “I saw you, Jason. I saw you kiss her and I saw you hold her.” I jump up from my seat and walk toward the door. “Now that we’ve talked, I want you to leave.”
Jason
I’m speechless. Hurt and anger flows through my veins. I’m stunned and don’t know whether to leave and cool off or stay here and fight for what I want. Clenching my fists, I try to keep my voice as calm as possible. “I swear to you, I promise you, that I have not touched another woman since the day I saw you in the stands, since the first time I laid eyes on you. I would never betray you. Honey, you know you’re all I want in this world. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing I would do to jeopardize us. You have to know that, Chels.”
My heart is beating quickly in my chest and I know it’s because right now, in this moment, I have so much to lose. I drop to my knees in front of her, gripping her hips in my hands. I hold on tightly and press my head into her belly, not wanting her to see the tears that are sliding down my face. Huskily, I plead with her, “Chelsey, please, you have to believe me.”
Her hand goes to the top of my head and strokes through my hair. I lift my face to look at her. Tears are rolling down her anguish-filled face. We look at each other and a part of each of us is broken in this moment. She cups my jaw. “I saw you, Jason.”
“I’m going to figure it out, because I promise you, it wasn’t me that you saw,” I tell her with complete sincerity.
Hope flairs in her eyes, but I can see her fighting it, fighting her love for me.
“I want to believe you. You don’t know how much I want to, but how can I, Jason? I saw you… I saw you… and it gutted me.”
I stand up and wrap my arms around her. After a few minutes, she softens in my arms and I grip her tighter. “Give me this week. I will prove to you that it wasn’t me.”
“How? There’s no way to prove it.”
“Give me a week of laying in the sun, just be with me and I promise that I will prove it to you. You will have no doubt how much I love you. You will never question it again,” I plead with her.
“I’m not sleeping with you.” Her hand pushes against my chest.
This. This is where I draw the line. “No sex, but I’m not leaving you and going to another room. I’ll sleep on the damn floor if that’s what you want.”
She considers it and with a shrug of her shoulders, she nods her head.
I want to kiss her, but I know it’s too soon.
I grab some stuff out of my bag and tell her I’m going to shower, then we can get breakfast. As soon as I shut the bathroom door, I pull out my phone and text Jack.
Did you kiss a girl under the gazebo at my wedding?
Little dots appear, and I stare at my phone waiting for the reply to come. Yes. Why?
Fuck! I knew it.
Can you come to Miami? I ask him.
WTF? he replies quickly.
I type quickly into the phone. My marriage depends on it!!!!
His reply is instant. I’ll be there.
I think about it for a second. Any chance you can bring the girl?
I turn on the water of the shower and start undressing. When my phone dings, I pick it back up. I’ll see what I can do.
Let me know. I’ll have my assistant book the flights and rooms. It’s on me. I owe you.
Don’t worry about it. Sounds like I owe you. I need a vacation anyway.
I walk into the shower and with the water beating down my back, I finally take a breath, knowing that this is all going to work out. It has to.
Chapter 6
Chelsey
We walk down to the restaurant and have breakfast. Once we’ve sat through an awkward meal, we decide to go to the beach. As we’re walking, Jason grabs my hand.
I try to pull it away, but he tightens his grip.
He pulls me against him and holds my chin in his hand. “I’m trying really hard to be patient here, Chels. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but you have to give me time to prove it to you. And in the meantime, I need a little bit of cooperation. I know
it’s a lot to ask, but can you please just forget what you think you saw?”
I want to laugh. Forget what I saw! He’s crazy. “Okay, well, let me find a handsome cabana boy and kiss him and then you see if you can wipe it from your memory.”
He grips his hands tightly into my hips, pulling me against his very hard cock. “Don’t even think about it, Chelsey. I’m not fucking around.”
He doesn’t let me go. His jaw is set and he stares back at me, almost daring me to go against him on this. I’ve seen this look before. I can try, but I’m not going to win.
“You’re hurting me, Jas…”
He softens his grip on my hips. “I’m sorry, fuck, Chels, I’m so sorry. I feel like I’m losing you. I can’t lose you.”
I take a deep breath and count to ten. When I finally start to speak, I can’t keep the emotion out of my voice. “I don’t want to lose you either. But I don’t know what to do with all of this, Jason. I’m so confused.”
“I know, honey. I know. Please, I promise it’s going to work out, but you have to trust me,” he pleads with me.
I want to argue with him but the pure agony on his face stops me. I shrug my shoulders.
He holds his hand out to me palm up. I fight with myself on what to do, but in the end, I want to believe him so badly. I can’t picture my life without him in it. He’s already destroyed me for any other man. I’ll give him, hell, I’ll give me this week, but if he hasn’t proven it to me like he’s promised, then it will be over. I’m going to enjoy what time we have left.
I open my hand and look at my fresh French manicure tips, a stark reminder of the wedding I didn’t have. I clinch my eyes together and shake the thought from my head before placing my hand in his. His fingers wrap around mine and I let him lead me down to the beach.
Jason
Chelsey is lying next to me on the beach chair and I can’t take my eyes off her. The sand, the waves, it’s all beautiful. But it’s nothing compared to Chelsey’s beauty. And I’m not the only one to notice. I’ve already had to run the waiter off when he stared at her for too long. I may have to walk my ass to the bar from now on for drinks, but it’s better than sitting here watching some other man ogling her.
