The first time he’d done that, I’d nearly burst into tears at the thoughtfulness of the gesture.
“Figured, since you’re such a horrible morning person, I’d get it started for you,” he’d said, oblivious to just how much what he’d done meant to me.
However, the morning after being carried to bed in his big, strong arms, I’d come downstairs to find the kitchen empty and my kettle cold. I’d waited around, thinking he was still on his run, but when I looked out front his car was already gone.
That evening I’d gotten a text from him saying he was working late, and to have dinner without him. He hadn’t gotten home until after I went to bed.
The next morning was the same. He was home by dinner, but even though we ate together, the conversation had been awkward and stilted. He cleaned up the kitchen, but instead of crashing in front of the television with me, he’d headed up to his room saying he still had some work he needed to finish.
It was amazing how a couple of weeks of being in someone’s presence could change things. I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to crave Jase’s company until he took it away from me.
That loneliness had come back full-force, but I did my best to push it down, telling myself those first weeks had been practice to get us comfortable with each other. Now we were back to normal.
And as I climbed out of bed this morning and went about getting ready for my wedding day, I repeated that in my head over and over. However, when Jase had knocked on my door an hour earlier, calling through the solid wood to say he had to run to the office for something, and he’d meet me at the court house for our appointment, I was hit by a wave of sadness so strong it took me by complete surprise.
Instead of curling back up in my big, cushy bed and bawling like a baby, I went about my business. I stood beneath the steady stream of hot water in the shower, willing it to wash away my gloomy mood.
When it became obvious that wasn’t going to work, I quickly went through my tasks and climbed out.
I took more time on my hair and makeup than usual, deciding to go for glam instead of just the basics I wore on a daily basis. It might not be a real marriage, but it was still my wedding day, and I wanted to feel as pretty as possible.
I slipped into my dress, strapped on my pretty, shimmery, champagne high-heeled sandals, with their million complicated straps, and turned a circle in front of my mirror. It might not have been the gown I fell in love with at the shop, but it wasn’t anything to sneeze at.
A quick glance at the clock showed it was time to go, and as I started down the stairs, a knock sounded on the front door.
“Happy wedding day!” Wynn shouted excitedly the moment I opened the door.
“What are you doing here?” I asked with a laugh at her dramatics. I’d only met Jase’s assistant in person once, but we’d really hit it off, and since then, we’d chatted on the phone more times than I could count. I genuinely liked the loud, feisty woman, but I couldn’t understand why, out of the blue, she was suddenly standing on my door step in a gorgeous deep purple cocktail dress.
“Jase didn’t tell you? That little stinker. I’m playing chauffer today.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I insisted, even as a bit of warmth hit my chest, working to snuff out the cold that had taken residence the past few days.
She waved me off. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I did. He didn’t want you to have to drive yourself around on your wedding day, so he’s paying double time for me to do it,” she finished with a saucy wink.
I grinned and shook my head. “And the reason for the fancy getup?”
She looked down at herself before lifting her head and arching a brow. “What are you talking about? I always dress to impress. This is just a standard Saturday afternoon outfit. Plus, I rock the hell out of it.”
I couldn’t argue with her on that one. The rich eggplant shade was stunning against her skin and complemented her pale blonde hair and violet eyes brilliantly.
“Mm hmm,” I replied with a skeptical hum. “If you say so.”
She slapped her hands onto her hips and gave me a stern look. “I do say so. Now move your ass, Miss Daisy. We got places to be.”
I reached over and snatched up my clutch resting on the sideboard just inside the door and stepped onto the porch, pulling the door closed and locking it behind me.
“You aren’t gonna make me sit in the backseat all by myself, are you?”
“Nah. I’ll give you the coveted passenger seat, just as long as you promise not to screw with the radio. I’m very particular about my presets.”
I stopped at the passenger door of the shiny red Lexus sedan and lifted my hand, promising, “You have my word. I won’t touch a thing.” We climbed in and she started down the drive, taking a right out of my driveway. “Uh, babe. You were supposed to turn the other way.”
“I have to make a real quick pit stop for the boss man, then it’s on to holy matrimony.”
I began chewing on my thumbnail nervously. “Okay, well, just as long as we’re not late. I don’t want to miss our appointment with the judge.”
She reached over and patted my knee. “Don’t you worry your pretty little ginger head. Everything’s going to work out perfectly. You’ll see.”
I sat back in the seat, willing my nerves to loosen their grip on my stomach and watched as the scenery of the small town I loved whizzed by outside the window.
A few minutes later, Wynn turned onto a familiar gravel drive. “Jase needs you to make a pit stop at Farah’s?”
“Mm hmm,” she mumbled, leaning forward in her seat a bit.
As we got closer to the house, the driveway grew tighter, surrounded on both sides by a sea of cars. When she pulled to a stop close to the front door, I could see what looked like a huge canvas tent peeking around the side of the house, set up farther back on the property.
I leaned forward in my seat, looking at all the people milling about Farah and Cannon’s massive backyard. “What’s going on? Is Farah having a party I don’t know about?”
Wynn killed the ignition and turned to me with a huge grin splitting her face in two. “Surprise!” she cried. “It’s your wedding, babe!”
My forehead pinched in confusion. “What’s my wedding?”
“This!” She lifted her arm and pointed out the window on my side at Farah’s huge, gorgeous house. “It’s your wedding! Everything’s all set up, all you need to do is get inside and get ready.”
At that precise moment, the front door swung opened and Farah and Shane came barreling through, both wearing different styles of dresses but both in the exact shade of the prettiest, soft Tiffany blue I’d ever seen.
“Get the lead out, babe!” Shane demanded as the car door was whipped open and I was unceremoniously dragged out. “No time to waste!”
“See you out there!” Wynn shouted, waving happily when I looked back at her. Then I was inside the house, being shoved up the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I demanded, nearly face planting on the carpet runner when my heel got caught. “Have you two lost your minds?”
As soon as we cleared the landing, I was forced into Farah’s room, the door clicking closed behind me. “No time to explain,” Farah said, unhooking a long garment bag from the back of the closet door and draping it across the bed as Shane yanked me into the bathroom, planted her hands on my shoulders and applied pressure, forcing me to sit on the small bench in front of the vanity.
“Well you better make time, because I’m two seconds away from losing it,” I clipped. “What’s happening?”
“What’s happening is that your man got his head out of his ass, and, with some help and a whole mess-load of money, managed to pull off a picture-perfect wedding in no time flat.”
My lungs seized up. “What?” I whispered, forcing the word past my dry throat. Before she had a chance to elaborate, I shot to my feet and bolted toward the bedroom window, and what I saw outside stole what little air I had left in my lun
gs.
The tent I’d spotted only two minutes ago was bigger than I’d originally thought, spanning nearly the entire length of the house. I couldn’t see everything from my vantage point, but I was able to make out what looked like a dance floor and several round tables all covered in cream satin tablecloths. The Chiavari chairs around the tables were decorated with fat satin bows in the same shade as Farah and Shane’s dresses, and I was able to make out what looked like big centerpieces in the middle of the tables.
Off to the side of the tent, beneath a huge mossy oak tree festooned with white fairy lights was a big white arbor covered liberally with greenery, fluffy cream hydrangeas, and peach, pale pink, and white roses.
A long ivory aisle runner was stretched from the arch all the way to the back patio, with rows and rows of folding chairs on either side.
Men and women dressed in black slacks and white button-down shirts walked all around the yard, carrying trays of champagne and appetizers. And what was more, it looked like every single citizen of Redemption was gathered outside.
“Oh my God,” I said on a gasp. “I can’t . . . this is . . . oh my God.” My vision grew blurry as my eyes filled with tears. Everything was exactly how I would have done it myself if I were to plan my wedding. I whipped around to look at my two closest friends. “Is this really happening?”
Farah’s eyes looked as misty as mine felt as she clasped her hands in front of her chest and nodded. “It sure is, honey.”
“Don’t you dare start crying,” Shane ordered. “Your makeup looks perfect, and there’s no way in hell I can replicate the look you created if you mess it all up, so knock it off.”
With a laugh, I let her lead me back into the bathroom, and sat—patient but eager—as she pulled the hair at my temples around to the back of my head and pinned it in place. She did a small bit of teasing at the crown to give me some volume, and once she was done, I was ushered back into the bedroom to find Farah had already unzipped the garment bag and, lying right there on the bed, was that perfect gown I’d fallen totally and completely in love with.
“Is that . . .?”
Farah came up beside me, pulling me into a sideways hug. “I told Jase about your reaction when you tried it on, and he insisted I go back and get it.”
“And the shop lady was all too happy to help us pick out the perfect veil to go with it.”
At Shane’s words I turned to her and saw her holding up a long ivory veil scalloped in the same lace that covered the dress. Attached to the end of it was comb that looked like it was made of golden, pearl-encrusted vines.
I quickly pulled off the dress I’d been wearing, allowing Farah and Shane to help me into my dream gown. Once I was zipped up, Shane moved behind me and tucked the comb in right where my hair had been pinned back.
“Oh wow,” she breathed once everything was in place. “Poppy, babe, you look gorgeous.”
I moved quickly to the standing mirror in the corner of the room and sucked in a sharp gasp at what I saw.
“Told you,” Shane murmured, her voice hoarse. When I turned to look back at her, she was blinking quickly, trying to hide the dampness in her own eyes.
I looked them both up and down, finally taking in their dresses in their entirety for the very first time. “Are those—?”
“That’s right.” Shane lifted her chin haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m a bridesmaid and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
I managed to beat back the moisture welling in my eyes as I looked at my friends. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, honey.”
At that, Farah let out a little squeal and hopped in place, clapping her hands together. “All right then, it’s settled. Now, it’s time to get you married!”
Chapter Fifteen
Jase
“Well I’ll be damned,” Bennett said, coming to a stop beside me. “Lookin’ around this place, never would’ve guessed this was put together so damn fast.”
I could, considering the amount of torture Farah and Wynn had been putting me through. Since this was a surprise—at my insistence—for Poppy, I’d been the one who had to make the final decision on everything from flower arrangements to music, to the goddamn fabric of the tent. Who the hell cared about something like that? It was a tent, for Christ’s sake.
For days, I’d been living and breathing this wedding to the point that I knew way too fucking much and would never be able to get the knowledge out of my brain.
However, I had to admit that the girls, along with the help of Myra, had managed to pull off a miracle. Everything looked great, and I felt my chest swell when I thought of what Poppy’s reaction was going to be. The past few days had been tense as hell, what with my meltdown at Ben’s a few days before and the constant worrying about my parents’ sudden appearance, but I wanted to give her something to make up for how I’d been acting.
“I just want to get this done,” I grumbled, my eyes traveling through the crowd of people, anxiety clawing at my throat as I studied each face. “It’s too open out here. We should have rented a hall or something, anything with doors that locked from the inside.”
“Just relax, son.” Bennett grabbed my shoulder and gave it a fatherly squeeze, doing his best to offer comfort. “No way those two are getting in. Not with Jensen and his guys makin’ the rounds.”
After Bennett had set up a meeting with the guys earlier that week, it had become obvious they knew what they were doing, so I’d hired them to work security at the wedding to keep Geoffrey and Margo out. But even then, I was a ball of anxiety.
I couldn’t let them get to Poppy. At least not until I had her tied to me for good. Lord only knew what kind of poison they’d put in her head about me, and I couldn’t risk losing her. I couldn’t imagine going back to how my life had been before she entered it. Just thinking about that was a special kind of torture.
Myra came rushing over to us, her expression glowing with excitement. “She’s ready! She’s ready!”
Thank fucking Christ.
Cannon joined our circle then, wearing black slacks and a white button down to match Bennett since the two of them would be standing up for me. I was in similar attire, but where they didn’t have jackets or ties, I did. He gave me a smile of encouragement and clapped me on the back. “Showtime, brother. You ready for this?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I looked across the massive yard, locking eyes with Jensen Rose who was standing of in the distance, manning the perimeter. His guys were elsewhere, doing the same at different points on the property. He tipped his chin in silent indication that all was good, and I felt my shoulders slump in relief. “Let’s do this.”
“Okay, let’s get you three into place.” Myra began shoving me, Bennett, and Cannon toward the arch at the end of the aisle next to where the officiant was standing. I stepped up to my spot and gave the official-looking man a tilt of my chin, receiving one in return just before the music started pouring through the sound system on the back porch.
Farah came through the door, my sister looking beautiful as she clutched a bouquet of hydrangeas and roses in her hands, held together with a ribbon in that color Poppy loved so much—a color that looked like those gorgeous ocean blue eyes. She looked to me when she neared the end of the aisle and grinned huge before her attention shifted to her fiancé so she could give him a wink.
Shane followed closely behind her, and when she was in place, the music changed. My gaze shot back to the patio. I got my very first look at my bride, and all the air expelled from my lungs with one heavy exhale. She was a vision. Pure, unadulterated beauty, that golden light of hers glowing bright as she slowly made her way down the aisle toward me. The dress I’d insisted Farah get was gorgeous, but it was the woman wearing it who made it the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
Fuck me, I thought as she drew close, that beauty getting stronger and stronger with every step. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken those two words out loud until I heard the people standing
at the alter laugh and the officiant clear his throat. I could have turned to him and apologized, but that would have meant taking my eyes off Poppy—something that, at that very moment, was impossible.
The music cut off and the officiant started in, but all I could focus on was her as she took my hand and whispered a soft, “Hi,” with that telltale pink staining her cheeks.
“Hi back,” I returned, feeling my lips split into a grin. I thought it a thousand times every day, but I wasn’t sure there would ever come a time when I didn’t think what she did or said wasn’t adorable as hell.
“You’re very sneaky,” she continued to whisper conspiratorially, leaning in close so only I could hear as the officiant went on with his typical spiel.
Fuck me. Adorable.
“So I take it you like the surprise?”
“I love it.” Those ocean blues grew warm. “Thank you so much for my gown.”
My eyes drifted from studying her gorgeous face to that outstanding dress. “Trust me, Flower. The pleasure’s all mine.”
The officiant cleared his throat, drawing our attention. As soon as Poppy realized we’d been busted like two kids whispering secrets during class, her face began to burn red. She mouthed, “Sorry,” to the man before looking back to me with wide eyes.
He said the words again that Poppy was supposed to repeat, and when she said them with a little giggle, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
I followed suit shortly after, speaking those vows as she smiled up at me so wide and beautiful it was difficult to think. I was so lost in those eyes it wasn’t until I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked back to find Bennett silently laughing, the wedding band I was supposed to slip on her finger extended toward me.
We somehow managed to make it through the exchanging of rings and the I do’s without me fucking things up further, and when the officiant announced us as man and wife, and told me to kiss the bride, I reached across, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her flush against me.
Crazy Beautiful: a Redemption novel Page 11
