by Rhonda James
When he first told me that he’d love to hear my work, I nearly fainted on the spot. I mean, Paradox is my favorite group of all time, but Sebastian Miles is such an accomplished musician. He writes all his own music, and he’s mastered most every instrument there is. He’s basically a musical genius. Everything he touches turns to gold, and to have him want to work with me means everything. Last night, after turning in the finished piece to my instructor, I sent Sebastian a demo of the song.
Now, all I have to do is wait patiently and try not to freak out.
Easier said than done.
When I finally pull up to the house, there are three cars outside. I recognize my parents’ SUV and Brantley’s truck, but the other isn’t familiar. I park my little Fiesta at the curb and approach the front door. Even before I open it, I hear my mom’s voice and know she must have watched me pull up. The door swings open, and I’m instantly pulled in for a hug.
“There’s my baby girl! Look at you. I swear you get more beautiful each time I see you,” Mom gushes.
“That’s exactly what I keep telling her, Melanie,” Brantley agrees before rescuing me from her suffocating grasp. “Hey, babe, how was your day?”
“Long, but it did end on a high note. Dr. Boggs was highly impressed with my piece.” I can hardly contain my excitement, and he spins me around before giving me a kiss.
“I am so proud of you. I told you it was amazing.”
“Aww, thank you, sweetie. Now to wait and see what Sebastian thinks.”
“I promise he’s going to love it. The man has excellent taste,” B assures me.
“Cassie, darling, it’s so good to see you again.”
I turn to find Brantley’s parents standing next to my dad. I’d been so distracted when I came in I hadn’t even seen them. Not to mention, I had no idea they would be here. Having my parents here is one thing, but now I have both sets of parents here at the same time. Suddenly, the pressure of these wedding details is starting to get to me.
“Oh, my goodness, I had no idea you were coming to town.”
“We were going to call, but Rebecca wanted to surprise you,” Jonathan apologizes as I step forward and give them both a hug. While I’m caught up in his father’s embrace, I sneak a glance at Brantley, and he mouths, ‘I’m so sorry.’
“I hope you don’t mind, but when Brantley told me you were going to be shopping for your wedding gown, I took the liberty of calling Melanie to make sure she wouldn’t mind me tagging along. I don’t have a daughter of my own, and James and I just think the world of you.”
Mom is across the room nodding that she is in fact okay with this change of plan, so I take this opportunity to drop my own news.
“The girls are also going to join us tomorrow. I figure I’m only doing this once, so I may as well make some lasting memories. Besides, trying on all those dresses is going to be stressful. I figure I’ll need a good distraction, and who better than Laney and Skylar to provide some comedic relief?”
“Ooohh, this is going to be so much fun!” Mom claps her hands together in excitement.
“Cassie, we were just telling Brantley that we’d like to take everyone out to dinner to celebrate. Jonathan and I are just so delighted to have you join our family,” Rebecca gushes, wrapping an arm around my waist to further prove her point.
“Dinner sounds wonderful, and I can’t wait to officially become part of your amazing family,” I openly confess.
I’d make it official tonight if I thought Brantley would agree to it.
We end up dining at the Gandy Dancer. Rebecca is especially pleased, because they seat us in the garden room, which has the best view of the train as it arrives at the station located next door. I don’t come here often, but when I do, I’m reminded of the day I first arrived in Ann Arbor and Scotty picked me up at the train station. Looking back, that seems like forever ago. After dinner, while everyone is drinking coffee and finishing up their dessert, Dad leans over, patting my hand as he whispers.
“I like this one.” He tips his chin in B’s direction.
I smile and use my thumb to give his hand a squeeze. “Yeah, I kinda like him, too.”
“Did he tell you he called and asked for my permission to marry you? I was so impressed by that. Not many young men these days show that kind of respect. You did good with this one, hon.” Dad curls his hand around my neck and pulls me closer to kiss my forehead. When I was a little girl, he used to do that, and after a while, it became such a habit I couldn’t go to bed without one of Daddy’s forehead kisses.
Funny, I’d almost forgotten about that until just now.
Later that evening, after everyone says good night and Brantley and I are finally alone in bed, I curl up beside him and rest my cheek on his chest.
“Daddy told me you asked for his permission to marry me.”
“Oh, did he now?” He threads our fingers together.
“He was impressed by that move, and I have to tell you, I’m a little turned on by it myself.” I tease a finger through his happy trail and back up the center of his perfectly sculpted chest.
“Is that so? Should I go next door and ask for his permission to have sex with you? Would that turn you on?” He rolls over, bracing himself above me as he stares at me with nothing but love in his eyes. “I want to make love to you, Cassandra Rivers.”
Completely abandoning my own rule, I rise up to meet his parted mouth. “That’s good, because I really need you to make love to me. I’ve wanted you all night, but you have to promise to be quiet.” I reach between us and shimmy out of my underwear.
“Me? You’re the one who does all that screaming. Oh, Brantley. Yes, Brantley. Don’t stop. Right there. Right there.” I cup one hand over his mouth and the other over his erection to silence him.
“Shut up and kiss me, you fool.”
He snickers behind my hand, but I don’t have to ask him twice.
I’m hot and my feet are screaming at me thanks to the height of the heels I’ve been wearing for the past two hours while trying on dresses. It’s not that the shoes are uncomfortable, quite the opposite; it’s just that I’m more of a Converse girl, and if I’m not in those, I’m usually walking around barefoot. I originally invited Laney and Skylar to come along in hopes they would join me in the dressing room as I fight my way in and out of each of these elaborate dresses, but instead, they insisted I should have this time with my mom, so while I’m back here being fussed over, they are in the dressing lounge drinking mimosas with Rebecca, waiting for me to come out and model yet another exquisite dress.
“I think I like this one even more than the last one I fell in love with,” Mom gushes while she fluffs the skirt of the eleventh dress I’ve tried on this morning.
Yep. That’s right. I said eleven.
“Really? I still prefer the third one I tried on.” I tug at the cap sleeves and scowl at my own reflection.
“While that may be the case, you owe it to yourself to soak up the entire experience. This is your time, Cassie. You’re too tense. Why don’t you just try to relax and enjoy it?”
“I’m sorry. I am trying, Mom. It’s just that none of these dresses feel like me, you know? I think I’d prefer something more vintage and definitely something more form fitting than these.” I make a show of trying to pat down the wide skirt that sticks out at least six inches on either side of my hips.
Shawn, one of the attendants assigned to me, must have been eavesdropping, because her excited response comes quickly. “I think I have just what you’re looking for. I’ll be right back!”
“Help me out of this thing.” I turn my back to Mom.
“You’re not even going to model this one for the girls? They’ll be so disappointed.” She frowns.
I can’t help snorting. “Rebecca is a little heavy handed with her pour. I think they’ll be fine.”
She spends the net three minutes working the tiny buttons, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I step out of the monstrosity of satin and la
ce. Mom has just finished hanging it back on the rack when Shawn breezes back into the dressing room with two garment bags.
“The moment I heard vintage, I knew I had to show you these two. The first is a new design that was delivered just yesterday, while the other was part of last year’s collection that I found to be lovely, but sadly the design wasn’t as popular and has been sitting on a rack all this time waiting for the right bride to come along.” She starts to unzip the first garment bag, but I raise a hand to stop her.
“Wait. Let me see that one first.” I point to last year’s dress. If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I don’t like doing what everyone else is doing. I prefer to blaze my own trail, so the less trendy design appeals to me on a personal level. The moment Shawn lifts the dress from the bag, I gasp audibly and know without a doubt I’ve found the dress I’m going to be wearing when I walk down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams.
“This is the one,” I declare in a voice that sounds no louder than a whisper, but that’s probably due to the fact I am trying to avoid bursting into tears. Mom and Shawn work quickly to help me into the dress, and when I turn and face the mirror, I am unable to speak.
The bank of angled mirrors allows me to see the dress from every angle, and each image confirms that this is most assuredly the dress I’ve been searching for. All the ones before this felt overly done and foreign on my body. This dress fits as if it were designed specifically for me. The form-fitting bodice hugs the curve of my waist, while the sweetheart neckline dips just enough to make my breasts appear larger than they really are, which is a welcome bonus. The entire bodice is adorned with a lacy applique that repeats down the skirt and runs throughout the chapel-length train.
It’s exquisite without being ostentatious, and it’s unequivocally me.
There’s only one word to describe the reflection staring back at me. Stunning.
The look on Mom’s face affirms everything I’m feeling at this moment. When she finally speaks, it’s done with a lot of tears and sniffling on both our parts.
“Sweetheart. That dress, it’s… You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you, Momma.” I step down from the platform straight into her embrace. “You think Brantley will love it, too?”
Her eyes sparkle with tears, and her next words leave no room for doubt. “Baby girl, that boy is head over heels in love with you. He is going to fall to his knees when he sees you coming down the aisle to promise him forever.”
CHAPTER NINE
CASSIE
The girls loved the dress, just as I’d expected they would, and Rebecca even cried as I modeled it for them, pretending as if I were walking down the aisle. Skylar and Laney even jumped up and took their respective places as my bridesmaids, then spent the next fifteen minutes fussing over me, discussing which shoes would look best with this style of dress. One thing about Rebecca Cage, she has impeccable taste and even suggested I forgo the veil and wear a lace applique headpiece that will pair perfectly with the decorative accents on my dress. Even though I had been secretly dreading today, all in all I’m really happy with the way the day has turned out.
As with all other aspects of my life, I am dying to tell Brantley about the dress, but I also want to surprise him on our wedding day. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish we could just say ‘Screw the ceremony’ and find a Justice of the Peace to perform a quick ceremony. I want so badly to be his wife. We already live together and share everything. The only thing left to share is his name, and I am so ready.
Once I confirm my decision that this is the dress I will be married in, the seamstress comes out to take some measurements, and it turns out not much has to be altered on the dress other than tightening up the bodice just a bit. She tells me it should be ready within three weeks and she’ll call me back at that time for another fitting. I leave them to continue their discussion on shoes and head back to the dressing room with Shawn. Once the dress is removed, she exits the room and I finally have a moment to myself. I don’t even bother getting dressed; I just drop down on the bench and do a little dance right there in the center of the room. My feet stomp, my hands wave through the air, and I even let out a little whoop. When the door swings open, I assume its Mom or Shawn checking if I need them for anything else, but when I look up, I find it’s not a woman at all.
It’s Brantley, and I can’t keep from laughing when I see him standing in front of the door with one hand out in front of him, while the other is covering his eyes.
“B?” I whisper hiss. “What the hell are you doing here? You’re not supposed to see my dress until our wedding day!”
“That’s why I covered my eyes,” he whispers back. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I couldn’t leave town without saying good-bye to you one more time. Is it safe for me to move my hand?” He fumbles his way over to where I’m sitting and grabs hold of my hand to pull me up.
“Yes, you can uncover your eyes.”
He lowers his hand, and his eyes rake down my body then back up before meeting my gaze. “Damn. Now it’s going to be even harder to say good-bye when you’re only wearing a bra and panties.” His hands cup my ass before giving it a firm squeeze. “Did you find a dress?”
A wide grin spreads across my face. “I did. Oh, my gosh, B. It’s so incredibly gorgeous. I can’t wait for you to see it. It’s perfect!”
“That’s great news, baby. Perfect dress for the perfect girl. I can’t wait to see you wearing it,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Then let’s not wait. Let’s just go get married. I don’t want to wait any longer. I want to be Mrs. Cage tonight.” I tease my lips over his.
“Slow down, Dimples. As much as I want to marry you, we have to do this the right way. The ceremony, the cake, family and friends surrounding us. It’s only four months away. Surely, you can wait a little longer. I can assure you I’m not going anywhere.” He buries his hands in my hair before pulling it back with one hand to study my face, storing everything into memory so as not to forget a single detail. “If I had to, I’d wait a lifetime for you, Cassandra Rivers.”
“But you don’t have to wait. You could have me now, but you’re making me get dressed up just so you can show me off.” Deep down he knows I’m just giving him a hard time.
A chuckle rumbles low beneath his muscular chest. “Patience has never really been your thing, has it?”
At this I snort. “Hello? Have you met me? You know I find you irresistible. You sneak in here all dressed in black, looking all kinds of hot, and now you’re leaving and won’t be back for a whole week. Think about it, if a week feels like forever, how do you think four months sounds to me?”
His grip around me tightens, and I soak up his scent, which reminds me of the way the air smells after a spring rain. Fresh. Clean. Outdoorsy. If I could bottle up his scent, I would in a heartbeat.
“Tell you what; I have another fifteen minutes before I have to leave for the airport. How about I spend that time kissing every inch of your body? Does that sound like something you’d enjoy?”
He doesn’t wait for a reply. His lips blaze a path between my heaving breasts before reaching my lips, and before I know it, this kissing session turns into something much dirtier. I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, his pants are unbuttoned and I’m up against the wall with my legs around his waist. When he enters me, he does it oh so slowly, never once breaking our kiss.
Without realizing, I must cry out, because there’s a knock on the door and I hear my mom’s voice immediately after.
“Cassie? Everything okay in there?”
“Tell her everything’s fine; it was just a sneeze,” he urges without stopping his relentless pounding. Another moan slips past my lips, and his hand flies to my mouth to muffle it.
“Yeah, Mom. I just sneezed. I’ll be out in a few minutes,” I answer, not sounding like myself. There’s no way she’s going to leave that alone.
“You sound funny. Are you sure you’
re okay? I can come in there if you don’t want everyone to listen to our conversation.”
“NO! I mean, I’m positive. I’ll be right owwwt.” That last part was not supposed to be a moan, but my God, this man is hitting all the right places.
“If you don’t want her to hear us, then you need to stop moaning,” he whisper-moans before sticking his tongue in my ear. Something that should feel gross manages to feel strangely sexy, and I silently will him to do it again.
“I can’t help it. What you’re doing feels amazing, but we need to hurry. She’s not going to stay away long. I love her, but she’s been hovering all day.”
“Unless she wants an eyeful of my bare ass, I’d suggest she stay on the other side of that door, because I’m not quite finished fucking her gorgeous daughter.”
With that, his pace quickens until he’s drilling into me with all he has and we bite each other’s shoulder to muffle the moans we’re unable to suppress. On the other side of the door, I can hear voices, the loudest belonging to Laney, and just when we reach our orgasm, I hear the door creak open and then a sharp gasp before it’s slammed shut and she’s encouraging them to head back to the lounge.
“I think it’s safe to say this has been a very exhilarating day.” I rest my cheek on his shoulder.
“I’m going to miss you. Promise me you’ll be careful, and no talking on the phone while driving unless you’re using your hands-free device,” he instructs as he lowers me down to the floor.
“I can’t. It stopped working last week and you were supposed to take a look at it. Remember? I told you about it the day I came home and found out I had a studio,” I remind him.
His shoulders slump and pain is etched across his handsome features. “Shit. I completely forgot. I’ll call Davis and ask him to take care of it. I feel like such an asshole.”
“Baby, it’s okay. I promise I will be fine. If it makes you feel better, I won’t talk on the phone while driving. I just want you to go and play your ass off and know that I will be at home watching and cheering for you. Score a goal for me.”
