by Bliss Carter
“That’s not true and you know it Gertrude. Sometimes the one we need the most is right in front of our face. We’re just too blind to see it”, Kresley called out behind the door.
“What in the world does that mean?”, Gertie asked, perplexed.
“Never mind…..oh gosh, y’all. I think I may have just found the one. Y’all ready to see me?”
All four women and Jaxson called out a yes with enthusiasm. The women held their breath as they watched Kresley walked towards them to stand in front of the mirror. There were no sounds, no words spoken. Just an inhalation of breath by all of them as one. Kresley stood before the mirror and looked at herself critically. The dress was beautiful. She felt beautiful in it. She could see the look on Cade’s face when he saw her for the first time in it. The dress was a T-length formal gown that stopped a few inches below her knees, tulle with a flirty, flowing skirt and pockets for her to fiddle with. The bodice was an off the shoulder, sweetheart neckline with elbow length lace sleeves. It was a soft ivory color and had a belt with a crystal pin at the waist. It was gorgeous and just right for a small chapel service and after party in the big barn. With a twirl and a giggle, Kresley turned around to face her sisters and Grace, anxious to know what they thought.
With a tear trailing down her cheek, Francie stated softly, “Kresley, oh my word, you are the most gorgeous creature to ever get married. That dress…sweetie that dress is you. It’s you and Cade, in tulle and lace. He won’t know what hit him when he sees you in this, sweetie.”
“I’m literally speechless. Well not now, but I was when you walked out. Kresley James, this is the one. THE ONE. I can’t wait until you walk down the aisle to your man in this. He’s going to see fireworks and heart emojis everywhere”, Birdie exclaimed, her hands clasped together over her heart.
“I can’t believe my sister is getting married. And she’ll look like a red-haired mermaid, who’s left the ocean to find her true love on land. That dress is everything, Kres. Just everything”, Gertie stated, sniffing into her tissue she held on to for dear life. “With your hair curled and swept to the side with one of mom’s pearl combs and you holding a bunch of sunflowers and cat tails, it will be gorgeous.”
“Grace, what about you and Jaxson? What do y’all think?”
Grace looked over to Jaxson sitting beside her and they whispered together for a few moments. Grace looked back at Kresley and nodded her head at Jaxson and his sign. “Tell her Jaxson.” He held up his sign with the thumbs up emoji. Grace walked over to Kresley and held her hands between her own. “You are without a doubt, the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. The dress makes you look beautiful, but more than that, Cade’s love makes you feel and look beautiful. And that is what we see when we look at you in this dress. I love you Kresley.”
“I love all of y’all, too. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Any of you. Group hug time!”
All of the women and Jaxson gathered into one large group hug, surrounding Kresley.
“Okay, so now that the dress and bridesmaid dresses are picked out and we know no alterations need to be made on any of them, can we go to dinner now? I’m starving!”’, Birdie stated, her stomach growling. The others laughed and all agreed it was time to get some food in Birdie before she expired or turned hangry.
∞∞∞
Later that night, as Cade and Kresley got ready for bed at his house, Cade tried to bribe her into telling him about her wedding dress. She stated no firmly, then laughed and screamed when he threw her on the bed, demanding she tell him or he would tickle her to death. Kresley giggled and still stated no with a deep kiss. She ended the tussle by stating, “But I promise you that you’re going to hit your knees in wonder at how beautiful I look in it.” Another deep kiss to his lips and Kresley turned away to get ready for bed. Cade just smiled lovingly as he pulled back the covers. Sometimes he honestly couldn’t believe that he had been so blessed to find this woman. And her mouthy, snarky sisters. And Grace and Jaxson. He wouldn’t get any rest and his sanity would be tested until he could play matchmaker and find them all a good man of their own. He’d start with the easiest and work down the list. Grinning at his plan, Cade turned to Kresley.
“When do you want to start moving in your stuff here, sweetie?”
“Well, I’m guessing this weekend is going to have to be when. We won’t have any other time before the wedding and honestly, with us delaying a honeymoon, I don’t want to have to deal with moving boxes and furniture after just getting married.”
Cade nodded agreement at her thinking and got into bed, pulling her against him. As they cuddled together, Kresley’s hand stroked over his chest again and again, giving him comfort without realizing it. Cade kissed her forehead, then her lips softly. “Goodnight sweetheart. I know you’re tired and honestly, so am I. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day.”
Kresley closed her eyes, content in the knowledge that in a little over a week, she would be married to a gorgeous man, with a beautiful heart. She snuggled tighter into Cade’s hold and fell deeply asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The moving of Kresley’s things into Cade’s house, well, now officially their house, was easier than she thought it would be. Leaving behind most of the furniture made it less hectic. Kres, Cade, her sisters, Grace, Jaxson and Boomer met at Kresley’s apartment early Saturday morning, with moving boxes, packing tape and sharpie markers to keep things organized.
Cade and Kresley supplied donuts and coffee to help motivate the troops. As they were packing up the kitchen, Kresley heard a knock on the apartment door. Cade walked out of her bedroom with a frown on his face. “I didn’t tell anyone else about moving you today. Wonder who it is? Let me answer, baby”, Cade stated, being the protective hubby-to-be that he was.
Kresley watched as Cade opened the door a few inches, then he smiled big and opened it fully.
“We heard you could use some extra big muscles to lug boxes down stairs and across town”, a deep voice stated. Kresley recognized Ash, Boots and Braxton from Station 5 FD standing in her doorway. They were all dressed in their fireman cargo pants and tshirt. She couldn’t help but notice the big muscles on all of them. She also noticed her sisters staring at the doorway in degrees of shyness, fascination and in Gertie’s case, mortification.
“Welcome guys! Thanks for helping, but how did you know?”, Kresley asked, already knowing the answer. She turned to Boomer even as Ash spoke up.
“Boomer stated that y’all may need some help and a free lunch was included. Who can pass up free food?”, Ash stated with a laugh. Boots just grunted, but smiled and Braxton was too busy staring at Gertie to notice.
“I promise to feed y’all and if we can clear out the apartment of boxes and any knickknacks or appliances Kres wants to move by lunch time, I’ll throw in free dessert!”, Cade stated with a grin.
“Boomer, you hear that? Grantham just promised dessert! Get your ass in gear man!”, Ash stated with a flourish, nodded to the ladies in the room, and headed off to the bedroom where Boomer had disappeared.
Kresley abruptly had a thought of all of those men in her bedroom, packing up her stuff. “Cade!”
“What baby?”
“Maybe you should go oversee the bedroom for a bit. My underwear drawer is vulnerable to other men’s hands.”
Kresley observed Cade’s face and when what she said dawned on him. “Holy shit, no, no, no. Guys! Don’t touch her clothes. I’m coming to take care of that stuff”.
Chuckling at Cade’s cute reaction, Kresley worked with her sisters on figuring out what to take with her and what to leave behind. Francie brought up the fact that the apartment would now be free.
Gertie spoke up at that and stated, “You know, I’ve been thinking about this since Cade and Kres got engaged. We all have our own homes and with no one living here, the apartment is going to be unused. Why don’t we turn this space into a studio for Birdie? It’s kind of perfect for having in-house photo sessions
for brides, bridal parties, boudoir appointments, kids’ pics, etc. The kitchen can stay as is and the bathroom of course. Keep the couch and a chair or two for people to sit on while waiting, but the rest of the stuff can be taken out. You can turn the bedroom into a changing room and house changes of clothes, props, backgrounds, etc. It’s kind of perfect, right? What do you think Birdie?”
Kresley looked at Birdie and her facial expression. She looked surprised and a little in awe of Gertie’s comments. “Birdie, would it be a good place for you to spread your wings in taking pics? You’ve dreamed of becoming more established as a photographer. I think this is a great way to do it.”
“I agree Kres. I think Birdie could totally rock this and bring in so many new clients by doing it”, Francie stated with pride. Birdie looked over at Francine with a huge smile and went to hug her.
“You’ve always been such a huge cheerleader for me, big sis. I love the idea. It’ll take some investment in the right equipment, props, etc. But I think this is the perfect spot to expand. Oh wow, the ideas are starting to flood my brain. Aghhhhh, turn them off! My brain is starting to hurt!”, Birdie stated loudly. The girls laughed, but Birdie must have sounded louder than they thought because the guys came barreling from the bedroom.
“What’s wrong? Birdie, are you okay, boidheach?”, Boots asked harshly. He walked up to her, grasped her chin in his hand, and scowled down at her. It was the most Kresley had ever heard him say. He towered over Birdie, which was hard to do since she was only 5'2. She may be the loudest, but she was the most petite. Her head barely reached Killians' collar bone.
"Boidheach? What's that mean? Woman I want to kill? Oh my gosh...I’m fine, Killian. Don’t panic like a girl. I’m happy. We were talking about some expansion ideas for my photography, that’s all. Stop being hormonal or you'll get your period”, Birdie stated with a huge frown on her face. But her hand remained over his as he still held her chin in his hand, his thumb rubbing back and forth underneath it.
"You don't need to know what boidheach means right now. I'll tell you when I think you do." Killian continued to stare intently down at Birdie.
Kresley, Francie, Gertie and Grace’s jaws were gaping open at this display and they looked at each other, speechless. Francie mouthed, “what the hell?” while Grace elbowed her in the boob to hush her.
Cade, Boomer, Ash and Braxton stood there, hands in their pockets or arms crossed over their massive chests, grinning. They seemed to be enjoying the awkward moment.
Birdie cleared her throat, pushed Killian’s hand away from her and stated to the room at large, “I’m heading out to grab some packing tape. I think we’re about out. Jaxson, do you want to go with Auntie B? We won’t be gone long.”
Jaxson yelled yes from the bedroom, and walked out holding a red lace scrap of material in his hand. “Hey, I found this under the bed. What’s this mama? It’s gotta string in back.” All the adults stared at Jaxson with varying degrees of horror or hilarity as he tried to put the red material over his head and face.
Kresley ran across the room, grabbing it from Jaxson and pushed it in her pocket. “That’s Aunt KK’s, sweetie. Just a dust rag, nothing more. Where are your toys you brought? Didn’t you bring that coloring book that you and I were working in the other day? Why don’t you finish up that pretty picture you were coloring? I want to put it on Uncle Cade’s fridge so we can see it every day.” Kres had to speak louder during the last half since the guys were laughing hard and loudly. The girls were gasping for air, snorting and giggling.
“Oh my gosh, you should see your face, Kres. Oh my, where’s my phone. I need to take a pic!”, Grace stated, laughing so hard she fell down on the floor. Boomer immediately went over to her and picked her up right off the floor, holding her by her waist, propped on his side and hip. He held her just like a rag doll. “Put me down Walker! I’m not a prop!”
“Walker, huh? Interesting. Very interesting”, Francie purred, sliding looks to her sisters. Grace scowled at her and swished her legs back and forth, making it look like she was trying to run in the air. Jaxson could be heard laughing at his mama’s predicament from the other side of the room. Boomer continued to hold her for a second longer, then deposited her on one of the kitchen stools and walked back to the bedroom, without saying one word.
Taking a deep breath, Kresley stated, “Okay, everyone back to work. Birdie, we have plenty of packing tape, so no trips to abandon us. No lunch, no free dessert, and no anything later tonight if we don’t get this stuff done!” Kresley looked pointedly at Cade during that last statement. Cade looked at her for a few long seconds, and seeing her eyes narrowed, took her seriously and abruptly clapped his hands as if to get everyone back to work. He came by her on his way back to the bedroom, bent her over his arm, and kissed her roughly, deeply. His tongue entered her mouth and took possession, moving in and out as if he were making love to it. The kiss only lasted for a few long, heated moments, but Kresley felt like it was forever. Cade brought her back upright and pushed his fingers through her long hair, following the strands down to the tips where it rested on her butt. He murmured beautiful, then turned around to head back to packing.
Braxton called after Cade, laughing “Cade, man, you are so whipped.” As he followed behind Cade, Braxton paused to wink at Gertie for a second, asking, “Gertie, do you need a ride home after this? I’m off shift now and if you didn’t bring your car, I can drop you off.”
Kresley looked over at Gertie, wincing as she prepared for Gertie to awkwardly shove Braxton’s helpful suggestion back at him. She was shocked when she heard her say, “thanks Braxton, that would be kind of you. Do you mind stopping with me at the hardware store after? I want to replace the locks on my house and add an extra dead bolt. Figured I could buy everything there.”
“Sure Gert. I don’t mind stopping with you. I can even install them for you on one of my off days if you want.” Gertie nodded to him and then quietly went back to packing up the kitchen. Braxton headed back into the bedroom to help Cade pack boxes.
Ash was the only man left in the kitchen, but he was texting on his phone and didn’t notice at first. There was a frown on his face and he seemed oblivious to everything around him.
“You okay, Ash? You look annoyed over there”, Francie stated, looking at him from the corner of her eye as she packed a bubble wrapped picture frame. Kresley could tell that Francie was trying so hard not to look at Ash at all, to pretend that he wasn’t even there. “A girlfriend stood you up, or cancelled something?”
“What? Oh, no, that’s not it. I don’t have a girlfriend Francie Pants, but thanks for showing such interest in my personal life," Ash said with a wink and stunning smile. "It’s my sister. Just some family stuff going on. So, where are we eating lunch?”, Ash asked nonchalantly as he pocketed his cell phone and looked around at the women, trying to avoid staring too long at Francie.
“I believe Cade wants to try that new deli shop. I hear they have amazing cakes and pies. We’ll be heading that way soon I think”, Kresley stated with a smile. Ash smiled back warmly and left to head back to the bedroom.
Once all the testosterone left the room, it seemed all the women wilted in relief, except Kresley, who missed Cade even though he was near.
“Grown ups are so weird”, Jaxson stated in a way only a child could do. talking to no one in particular. Even at six years old, he had picked up on all of the vibes earlier from the different men and women.
“Yes, they are, sweetie. Indeed, they are”, Grace stated dryly, heading over to him where she gave him a big hug and commended him on his coloring abilities. A sudden shout from the bedroom had the women raising their heads to see what could be going on.
Cade and Boomer walked out of the bedroom quickly, with a scowling Braxton moving fast on their heels. “Baby, Boomer and I have to leave for a little while and go to the PD. I promise we’ll be back soon. It won’t take us long. It’s official police business. The guys are going to stay and help finish bo
xing up and start loading downstairs. Here’s the keys to the moving truck. I’m sorry. It’s important.” Cade spoke between deep breaths of urgency. Kresley stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek lovingly.
“I understand Big Sexy. Go do whatever it is that needs doing and come back to me as soon as you can. Check your texts in case we’ve moved on to lunch.” With a final kiss and an I love you, Cade and Boomer headed out the door.
Braxton still stood there, looking upset, pensive and moody. Gertie walked up to him and put her hand on his arm. “Hey, everything okay Brax?”
Braxton brought his eyes down to hers and gave her a small smile and a nod, stating “yeah, it’s all good. Just anxious to see what Cade and Boomer find out. It has something to do with my brother’s death.”
Kresley stiffened at that bit of info, but didn’t ask for details. Cade would tell her all he knew once he saw her again. “Well, let’s get back to work to distract ourselves until they return.”
The rest of the packing went by quickly and soon they were standing in the living room with many boxes stacked around them. Ash, Boots and Braxton graciously took turns carrying down boxes to the moving truck that Cade had rented.
As Kresley was prepared to shuttle everyone out of the apartment and downstairs, Cade and Boomer arrived. She took one look at Cade’s face and knew something had happened. She silently asked him what was going on and without words he let her know that they would talk later. She noticed that Boomer motioned for Braxton to follow him out and down the stairs.
The apartment looked emptier and Kresley took a last look around at the place that she had lived in solitude for the last 8 years. It was a sweet, bitter feeling. But she knew where she was going would be the ultimate adventure. She looked over at Cade and found him watching her intently. She held out her hand to him, kissing his fingers when he grasped it tightly.
