Dr Stantons The Epilogue

by T L Swan

  “Now she wants to get married in the barn...” I continue. “And I know how much she loves it so, obviously, I feel bad if I don’t let her have it there.” I shake my head in disgust. “I’m getting fucked up against the wall here...” I mutter. “Damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”

  “What was the old lady’s name? The one who left her this house?” Joshua asks.

  “Gloria,” I answer.

  Joshua laughs. “So, effectively, Gloria left you a glory hole and you’re the receiver.”

  Adrian chuckles. “Good one.”

  “Fuck off,” I snap. “Although it’s completely true.” I pull my jacket on over my shoulders. “Ass-fucked. And there’s another problem...” I add.

  “What now?” Adrian asks.

  “If we do have the wedding at the farm...where will we have our wedding night?” I shake my head at my predicament. “I want to take her someone nice for our first night together. I’m not spending my wedding night on a damn blow-up airbed in some barn.”

  They both laugh at my misfortune.

  “Well…” Adrian thinks for a moment. “You could do up the master suite.”

  I frown as I process his suggestion.

  “Oh my God. Yes. Do it up for her yourself in secret and surprise her with it on the wedding night as a gift.”

  I raise my eyebrows at the possibility.

  “Huge brownie points. Fucking huge,” Joshua says. “She would go ape if you did that for her.”

  “I wouldn’t even know where to start, though,” I reply.

  “Happy wife, happy life, Cam…” Joshua murmurs.

  Hmm. I guess that would be kind of cool to do for her. She would love it.

  We all open the changing room doors at the same time and step out into the store to stand in a line in front of the mirror. Adrian smiles broadly, and Joshua slaps me on the back. “This is it, big boy.”

  Adrian secures our cravats and we all look at our reflections again. “Vests or no vests?” I ask.

  “Vests,” Adrian replies as he fusses with my tie. “But yours will be white,” he adds.

  I scrunch up my face. “I’m not a fan of a white vest, I’ll feel like a pigeon. I think black.”

  “Black vest, black bowtie,” Adrian replies.

  “Okay, so where are the bowties?” I ask.

  “Dad!” Owen calls as he runs into the store and jumps into my arms.

  “Hey, buddy.” I laugh as I catch him and kiss his perfect little head. “You ready to try on your suit?” I ask as I tickle his ribs.

  “Uh-huh.” Owen smiles goofily. He slaps hands with Joshua and Adrian in a greeting.

  “Hey, big guy.” Joshua rubs his hair affectionately.

  Jenna’s hands go to her mouth in excitement as she sees me. “You look gorgeous, Cam.” She smiles.

  “Hi, Jenna.” I smirk as I lift the little black suit hung on a hanger from the back of my changing room door. “We going to try this on, Owen, so we can be ready for our wedding?”

  “Yes!” Owen cries out in excitement. “Mom’s going to love us in these.”

  Ashley

  Cameron sips his scotch, his sexy eyes locked on mine. “Don’t look at me like that, Bloss, unless you’re getting under the table and sucking my cock.”

  I raise my eyebrow and smile into my glass. It’s Friday night—date night—and my man is in a very naughty mood.

  He has that look in his eye... the one that I love.

  We haven’t talked about the wedding all week. I’m trying not to bring it up. I don’t want to push him. Renovating the house is enough for me, and he has every right to have a say in where we have our wedding.

  I’m thinking maybe his L.A. house is an option now. I really can’t stand those pretentious wedding venues. I know he went and got his suit this week with the boys, and I miraculously found a dress.

  It was the first one I tried on. Adrian lined up an exclusive appointment last night with a designer. Natasha and Jenna came with me. I didn’t buy it because it was the first one... but I’ve been thinking about it all day.

  It’s classically feminine and I know that Cam will love it. Jenna and Natasha are going to be my bridesmaids. Everything is falling into place, with just the damn venue to sort out.

  “We should get going,” Cameron whispers as his dark eyes drop to my lips.

  I glance at my watch. “It’s early.”

  “Yes, but we have to leave early in the morning.”

  I frown. “Why? Where are we going tomorrow?”

  He smiles sexily. “Pemberley.”

  My eyes widen. “Pemberley?”

  He smirks and runs his finger back and forth over his sexy big lips as he watches me. I feel his seduction all the way to my sex. “Well, we do have a wedding to prepare for.”

  My mouth drops open. “You mean…?”

  He smiles. “Yes, I mean.” He picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “Will you marry me at Pemberley, Ashley Tucker?”

  I stare at him through tears and I nod. “Uh-huh.”

  “Six weeks,” he says.

  I frown. “Six weeks?”

  “We get married in six weeks. The invitations have to go out this week.”

  “I-I don’t think that’s enough time, Cam,” I stammer. “I won’t be able to get time off work.”

  He runs his foot up my shin as his dark eyes hold mine. “I checked your schedule with Jameson and you can get six days off. The Friday before the wedding and then the week after for our honeymoon.”

  I watch him, half shocked. “We’re going on a honeymoon?’

  He smiles. “Yes, we’re going on a honeymoon. Just because we are getting married in a barn it doesn’t mean we don’t get a week to ourselves.”

  I grin.

  “And that’s the only week I can do, Bloss. I have no major surgeries and I can reschedule everything else. Six weeks.”

  “But...” I frown. “But...” I shake my head. “There’s so much to do. We won’t have time. Pemberley is a disaster.”

  “I can handle it. I know you’re snowed under. Adrian and I can handle it.”

  I smile softly. “Really?”

  “Really.” He thinks about it for a moment and then frowns. “Well, I hope.”

  I laugh.

  His eyes hold mine and he licks his lips as he picks up my hand and kisses the palm. “And tonight, Miss Tucker, I want the best fucking head job you’ve ever given me.”

  I begin to feel my insides tingle as I watch him kiss me.

  “What are you going to do with your cock in my mouth?” I whisper.

  His eyes flash with arousal. “Blow the house down.”

  Three weeks until the wedding

  I watch Cameron walk down the paddock with a huge piece of wood over his shoulder and I smile to myself. His little apprentice, Owen, is following him with a small piece of wood over his shoulder, too.

  He idolizes his father... and so do I.

  Cameron has worked his guts out every weekend to get this property ready for our wedding. His once-perfect hands are now covered in blisters.

  Each night we’ve had a fire, roasted marshmallows, and then camped in the barn on our airbeds. I’ve fallen more in love with the place and what it represents by the hour. Although he hasn’t openly admitted it I know Cameron is now attached, too. I overheard him talking about the property with pride in his voice to his doctor friend in the hospital cafeteria last week, telling him about the plans he has for the house. This weekend is the first weekend that we actually have nice bathrooms to use. They’re finally done, and the fittings are all white marble with designer brass fittings. Cam organized the whole thing.

  Unfortunately, upstairs has been ruled unsafe by the plumbers, so it’s now a no-go zone and roped off. We’ll tackle that nightmare after the wedding. I hear a truck in the distance. “It’s here, boys,” I call.

  Owen and Cameron make their way back from the paddock, and we go out the front to meet the truck. Four
hundred plants have arrived, as well as new turf. The man opens the back of the truck and my mouth drops open in shock. “Why…?” My eyes flick to Cameron. “That’s… that’s a ridiculous number of plants,” I stammer.

  Cameron frowns. “It does seem a lot, doesn’t it?” His eyes flicker to me and he shrugs. “I don’t know, that’s just what the website said I needed.”

  “How many people have you got coming to help us plant these tomorrow?” I laugh.

  “Well, Joshua and Natasha and the kids. Murph and Ben. Max, and two guards.” He shrugs. “That’s it.” He frowns. “Who else can I ask?” he murmurs to himself.

  I put my hand over my mouth and smile as the two men unload our precious plants from the back of the truck. “We’ll get it done.” I smile. The funny thing is, because I’m so adamant that we are doing this ourselves, everyone seems to have caught the renovation bug. Joshua and Natasha came out last weekend, and Natasha helped me clean the barn while Joshua and Cameron mended and painted fences. I know that Adrian came out with Cam during the week for some of the planning, too. I had to laugh. Cam told me that, on the drive home, Adrian was writing to-do lists and got so stressed out with what had to be done that Cam had to pull into a bar and get him half-drunk just to relax him.

  Cameron begins to help unpack the truck and I watch him for a moment. He’s in grey designer sweat pants that are now covered in white paint, and a white Ralph Lauren shirt that’s ripped across the shoulder from where he got caught on a nail earlier. His big work boots are scuffed and dirty. Owen is covered in mud and is wearing odd clothes that, only six weeks ago, his father would have died if he saw him in. Cameron’s hair is crazy wild. Curls get the girls...

  Oh, they most certainly do.

  I take two of the plants and put them into the row with the others. Let’s get this done.

  It’s the Wednesday before the wedding and I’m in the corridor of the hospital checking on a patient. I catch sight of my beloved husband-to-be doing his rounds with his group of interns.

  My heart somersaults in my chest. He still makes my stomach flutter.

  He’s in his navy suit with a crisp white shirt and grey tie, and his hair in styled in that dark, messy look of perfection he rocks so well. His large, muscular body is the want of every nurse in the hospital. Everything about him screams power... and he’s all mine.

  They come around the corner and Cam smiles sexily. “Here she is, the lovely Ashley Tucker.”

  “Hello, Ashley.” The interns all smile. “Good luck this weekend,” one of them says.

  “She doesn’t need luck,” Cameron replies calmly. “She’s marrying me.” He runs his hand down his tie and raises his eyebrow. “No luck required.”

  The interns all laugh, and I smirk. “Thank you,” I reply to the intern who wished me well. “Although, I think I’ll take your luck.” I widen my eyes. “I’m going to need it.”

  They laugh again.

  “I’m just doing my final rounds and then I’m off.” He smiles.

  I melt.

  Cameron has taken the rest of the week off to go to Pemberley with Joshua and Adrian to prepare for Saturday. Adrian has been there all week in all his wedding-planning glory.

  God knows what they have in store for us, but Cameron does seem pretty damn pleased with himself.

  I’ve never seen him so excited. There have been secret phone calls to Adrian and Joshua which I’m not allowed to listen in on, plus folders of pictures of things that he keeps in his locked office drawer.

  If all those women who knew the former player version of Cameron Stanton could see him now, absolutely thrilled to bits about planning his own wedding, what would they think?

  Who knew?

  I don’t think he ever imagined being like this. I know I definitely couldn’t have predicted it. Although his control-freak tendencies are being appeased, as he’s getting to choose exactly what he wants.

  I don’t care what’s in the barn.

  As long as he, Owen, and the minister are there, the rest is just semantics.

  He can have whatever the hell he wants.

  The Wedding Day

  2:00 p.m.

  I exhale deeply as I look at my reflection in the mirror. My honey-blonde hair is down and has been curled into soft waves. My dress is off-the-shoulder and made from white lace, with long sleeves and a fitted bodice, plus a wide satin sash and a full organza skirt.

  It’s white.

  I never thought I would wear white to my wedding, but I’m marrying my first love, so I figure it’s fitting.

  This dress is over the top, a fairy tale dress. But you know what? This is my fucking fairy tale and I’m inhaling every second of it.

  I’m wearing a veil, and my makeup is gorgeous. She’s one hell of a makeup lady that we hired.

  Natasha is beaming when she walks into the room and takes my hand. I turn to my mother, who has tears in her eyes. “Jenna,” she calls out. “She’s ready.”

  Jenna walks in and her jaw drops in awe. “Oh, Ash, you look so beautiful,” she whispers.

  I tear up and turn back to the mirror to look at my reflection as my hands run down my ribcage.

  “You ready to get married, babe?” Natasha whispers.

  I smile at my reflection. “You bet I am. Let’s go.”

  7

  The stretch limousine pulls in to the tree-lined driveway of Pemberley where cars are strategically parked in lines on the front paddock. I feel my nerves dance in my stomach.

  “I hope everything’s okay,” I whisper. For the first time since coming up with the idea, I feel anxious about the farm meeting everyone’s expectations. God, this could be a real disaster.

  Poor Cameron. What was I thinking putting him under so much pressure?

  I imagine Adrian, Joshua, and Cam racing to beat the clock through the week to get everything done in time, and I smile to myself. They’ve been working so hard.

  The place looks amazing.

  White organza sprays hang sporadically from the oak trees. The lawns are all freshly mowed, and the fences have been painted a crisp white.

  Gardenias line the driveway, and a white screen has been put around the house to block it from view. Huge palm trees sit in pots along the screen to blend it into the surrounding greenery.

  I knew he would cover up the house.

  This place looks just like one of the swanky places that Cameron liked, only it’s actually a hundred times better.

  I catch sight of Ben and Joshua standing outside the barn, and I smile as the car comes to a halt. Ben is in a navy suit and Joshua is in his best-man attire.

  Joshua looks up, and smiles as he waves to the car.

  “Look at that hotty.” Tash sighs as she sees her man. “Meow.”

  “Thanks for loaning Joshua to us for the week,” I whisper as I take her hand in mine.

  “Looks like they’ve been busy,” she says as she looks around.

  “Holy crap,” Jenna whispers. “This place looks amazing. Poor bastards must have worked their fingers to the bone.”

  We all giggle.

  The people start to buzz around, and I can hear someone yell in the distance, “Everyone into the hall. The bride has arrived.”

  My heart starts to thump.

  “This is it, baby girl.” My dad smiles as he picks up my hand and kisses the back of it.

  I blow out a deep breath. “Gosh, I just want the formal part over with. I’m so nervous to walk in front of everyone.” I put my hand on my stomach. “What if I trip or something?”

  Tash smiles sympathetically. “You won’t. Relax.”

  The car door opens, and the photographer appears. He starts to snap away, and I smile and try my hardest to look calm while my insides are jumping around in nervous anticipation.

  I’m marrying Cameron...

  In minutes.

  My heart is overwhelmed with emotion as I smile for the camera.

  He keeps clicking, clicking, and clicking, and final
ly I can’t take it anymore. “That’s enough.” I smile. “I’m getting married now.”

  I climb out of the car and glance at my two bridesmaids. They’re wearing a simple version of my dress, only in a pale lemon. They have capped sleeves, with a lace bodice and an organza skirt, although theirs aren’t as full as mine. I wanted something timeless, that I could look back at photos in fifty years and still love.

  I look down toward the hall and I smile. A blue stone path has been laid that leads all the way from the car to the barn. White flowers are planted on either side of the pathway and there’s a white timber arch that’s covered with white and lemon roses.

  Oh, this is so special.

  Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry!

  I’m not going to be one of those crazy chicks who sobs down the aisle. Or am I?

  Please, God, no.

  Tash hands me my flowers—an arrangement of white and lemon flowers that Owen helped me pick out—and I exhale deeply. “This is it,” I whisper.

  Natasha and Jenna beam with happiness before they both kiss me on the cheek.

  “You ready?” one of the ushers asks.

  I nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  The usher nods to someone down at the barn, and moments later piano music starts to play. It’s the Bridal March. I smile when I get a vision of Cam and Adrian picking out this song.

  Oh, I love this man.

  Natasha walks down the blue stone path first, with Jenna slowly following behind. I blow out a breath and link my arm through my father’s.

  “You look beautiful, baby girl.” He smiles as he kisses my forehead.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I whisper as I choke up.

  We begin to make our way down the path toward our hall. My heart is somersaulting hard in my chest. Every step feels like a mile and I want to run.

  I want to run as fast as I can into Cameron’s arms.

  We get to the double doors at the back. The guests are all standing and watching, waiting for me to arrive.

  Oh my God. Oh my God.

  I look up the aisle of red carpet and there, at the end, he stands.