I lean over to talk in his ear. “That was totally hot. We need to hurry up with this party so I can take you home.”
He turns his head to kiss me. “We’re not going home, remember?”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. And don’t keep asking because I won’t tell you.”
“So where did you learn to dance like that?”
“I was forced to take ballroom dance lessons. Everyone I grew up with had to. It was even a required class at my prep school.”
“Why?”
“Because you have to dance like that at parties and other social events.”
The night continues with more dancing and talking to people. Garret and I decided not to do the garter belt thing or the chicken dance or any of those other things people do at weddings. We also told everyone not to bring gifts because we really don’t need anything and we don’t have room for much stuff in the furnished house we’ll be renting this fall.
Harper kept insisting on getting us something but I wouldn’t let her. Planning the wedding was enough of a gift. And Sean’s gift was making all the food. Knowing Harper, she’ll send me something later and call it a one-month anniversary gift. She loves giving presents.
I knew Frank and Ryan would still give us a gift so I told them it had to be something small. Ryan gave us a toaster because he says everyone has to get at least one toaster for their wedding. It’s a nice toaster. It even has special slots for bagels. His girlfriend, Chloe, wasn’t able to be here but she still sent a gift; a silver picture frame for one of our wedding photos. And Frank gave us silver candlesticks; not the tall, skinny ones that look like old, stuffy people would use, but cool, modern ones that are kind of short and thick.
Grace is giving us a honeymoon trip for whenever we decide to take one. She told us to pick anywhere in the world and to make sure it’s for at least a week because anything less than that is not a honeymoon.
Pearce didn’t give us anything and I know it’s because he’s afraid the organization would find out. They said Garret couldn’t get any of Pearce’s money and although buying us a gift isn’t technically giving us money, it would be bought using Pearce’s money and he wouldn’t want to risk any of us getting in trouble for that. Maybe later, once some time has passed, he’ll give us something, but right now, it’s too risky. Besides, having Pearce be a good father to Garret is the only gift we need.
Later that night, as a slow song starts playing, Frank gets up from the table and says to Garret, “Would you mind if I steal her away for a dance?”
“Not at all. Go ahead.”
I get up and go around the table to meet up with Frank.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” I say as he leads me around the floor in a circular pattern.
It’s not like he’s moving fast but he seems to have some kind of footwork going.
“My wife, Ryan’s mother, loved to dance. I wasn’t a big fan of it, but it made her happy so we took some lessons and I took her out a few times a month.”
“That’s very romantic.” I look over and catch Garret watching us, smiling.
“That’s important,” Frank says. “Always try to keep the romance going even now that you’re married. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Sometimes the small things are even better than some grand gesture. That’s why I gave you those candlesticks. They make an average dinner more special. Don’t save them for holidays. Just set them out and use them and you’ll see that it changes the whole mood of the dinner.”
“Did you and your wife do that?”
“Yes. It was my wife’s idea. We didn’t have much money so we couldn’t go out for romantic dinners, but we could still have candlelit dinners at home. We received a set of candlesticks for our wedding and my wife used them almost every night.”
As the song comes to an end, Ryan taps Frank on the shoulder. “My turn.”
“She’s all yours.” Frank hands me off.
“You dance, too? What’s the deal with you guys knowing how to dance?”
“I have no idea how to dance, so don’t expect much here.” He’s doing the side-to-side shuffle, barely moving.
“You’re doing fine.”
He smiles. “You look really happy, Jade.”
“I am happy.”
“That guy better treat you right or I swear to God I’ll kick his pretty-boy ass.”
I laugh. “Please don’t ever call him ‘pretty boy’ to his face.”
“I accidentally did when we were driving up the coast the other day.”
“Ryan! What the hell?”
“He didn’t care. He’s a good guy. I just don’t like the fact that he’s taking you away from us so soon.”
“He’s not taking me anywhere. I’ll still come home and see you guys.”
“Yeah, but it won’t be the same. It won’t be just the three of us anymore. I know I need to get over it. We’re growing up and that’s what happens. But you’re still my kid sister no matter what.”
“And you’re still my overprotective older brother.”
When the song ends, Ryan takes my hand and leads me back to Garret who’s standing at the side of the room.
“You better take good care of her,” Ryan says to him. “If I hear otherwise, I’ll be on the first plane out here.”
Garret nods. “Understood.”
“I have to get Dad back to the hotel,” Ryan says to me. “It’s been a long day and he’s tired.”
“You guys will be over tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, probably early afternoon.”
I give him a hug and then Garret and I go over and tell Frank goodbye.
As we’re walking back to the dance floor, Pearce stops us. “Could I have a dance?” he asks me.
I’m surprised he wants to dance with me, but then again, he has changed. I can’t imagine the old Pearce asking me to dance.
“Yes, of course.” I look at Garret, who’s smiling as his dad takes me away. I don’t think Garret’s stopped smiling this entire day.
“Welcome to the family, Jade.” When Pearce says it, I instantly remember when he said those same words to me just months ago, right after I saw him shoot Royce Sinclair. It’s different this time. It doesn’t sound as scary as when he said it then, but still, it freaks me out a little.
“Thank you, Mr. Kensington.”
He laughs. “Jade, for the last time, you need to stop calling me that. You married my son today. You’re my daughter-in-law. You need to call me Pearce.”
“I know. It just doesn’t seem right for some reason.”
“Why is that?”
“I guess because you’re really important and it kind of seems weird to call you by your first name.”
“I’m not any more important than anyone else. I just have money. That doesn’t mean anything.”
That may be true but he still intimidates me. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s his money. Or his power. Or his sheer size. He’s so big I feel like a child next to him. I have to really reach to get my hands on his shoulders as we dance. He has big shoulders, like Garret, and they seem to be all muscle. If he wasn’t a rich businessman he could get a job as a bodyguard.
“It’s getting warm in here,” Pearce says as the song ends. “Do you mind if we step out in the breeze for a moment?”
“Okay.” I follow him out to the chairs that are still set up on the beach. As I sit down, he flips one of the chairs around and sits so that we’re facing each other.
“Jade, I just wanted to say that you’ve been a wonderful influence on Garret. I’m glad you two found each other and ended up together like this. I know I made things difficult for the two of you this past year, but I think you understand my reasons for that. It certainly wasn’t because I didn’t like you or didn’t think you were good enough for my son.” He pauses. “Anyway, I truly am sorry for my behavior.”
I nod and smile, not sure what to say.
“Garret will be a good hu
sband to you, Jade. And he’ll make a good father. I know he looks like me, but he’s actually very much like his mother. Generous. Caring. And he somehow always manages to stay positive. His mother was the same way. I wish she could’ve been here today. She would’ve loved seeing her son get married.”
“I wish she could’ve been here, too. I know Garret really misses her. He tells me about her sometimes.”
Pearce seems surprised. “I didn’t think he ever talked about her. What did he tell you?”
“He said she laughed a lot and liked to give hugs. And that she grew flowers. He took me to your old house and showed me where she planted them. And he showed me the tree that he—”
“Fell out of and broke his arm. Twice.” Pearce shakes his head, smiling. “He was always climbing that damn tree. I should’ve built him a treehouse. He would’ve lived up there.” Pearce gazes down at the sand. “Seems like a whole different life back then.”
I feel like I should leave Pearce alone with his thoughts. I glance back at the dance floor. “I should probably get back there.”
His head jerks up. “Yes. Go ahead. I think I’ll stay out here a couple more minutes. When you see Lilly, tell her we need to leave soon.”
“Okay, I will.” I stand up.
“Oh, and Jade. Don’t ever feel like you can’t come visit us. I know how Katherine’s treated you in the past but I promise you, I’ll deal with her. If I have to, I’ll make sure she’s not there when you come over. You’re family and you’re always welcome at our home.”
“Thanks.” I start to walk away but his mention of family makes me think of something and I turn back around. “Pearce, can I ask you something?”
“You finally said my name.” He smiles. “Go ahead.”
“Do you think your parents will someday accept Garret again? I know they’re mad at him for marrying me, but I also know that Garret really wants his grandparents back in his life.”
“I know he does. And I’ve spoken to my parents about it. Unfortunately my father sees the world a certain way and if you don’t go along with his way of thinking, he shuts you out. It upsets my mother a great deal when he cuts his family off like this. He did the same thing when I married Garret’s mother. He didn’t speak to me for years. But my mother eventually got him to accept me again and I know she’ll do the same with Garret. Just give it time.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I walk away, feeling a little more hopeful about the grandparent situation. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything to Pearce about it. I probably shouldn’t get involved with family issues I really don’t know that much about. But I want Garret to be happy. And I know that a part of him is sad that his grandparents didn’t show up here today.
So actually, I’m glad I said that to Pearce. I want him to fix this, or make his mother fix this. Maybe it’s not my place to intervene, but when you love someone the way I love Garret, you’ll do everything you can to make them happy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
24
When I get back to the reception, Garret is dancing with Lilly, twirling her around and making her giggle. I go up to them. “Are you having fun, Lilly?”
She doesn’t answer. She just twirls away and runs into Harper who picks her up and twirls her some more.
I replace Lilly as Garret’s dance partner. “Your dad’s leaving soon. He wants to get Lilly to bed.”
“What were you guys talking about out there?”
“Just stuff.”
“You’re not going to tell me, huh? You and my dad keeping secrets now?”
“Maybe a few.”
Harper’s parents wave at us as they leave. They said goodbye earlier.
“It looks like this party’s winding down,” Garret says. “Which means we’re free to go soon.”
“Are you anxious for this to be over?”
He leans down, putting his lips to my ear. “I’m anxious to have you all to myself.”
I’m just as anxious as he is. I loved the wedding and the reception and having everyone here, but now I just want to be alone with him.
A few minutes later, Pearce appears next to Garret. “We need to be going but we’ll stop by tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
Pearce picks Lilly up off the dance floor as Grace comes over to say goodbye. The three of them leave and the only remaining people are Sean, Harper, Garret, and me. We ask the DJ to play some fast music and we all dance for a few songs. Then Sean and Harper go out on the beach as a slow song starts to play.
I look around at the empty space. The sparkling white lights add a soft glow all around us.
“One last dance?” Garret asks, his arms closing in around my waist. “It’s just you and me.”
“Okay, but no fancy footwork this time. Just this.” I press my cheek to his chest and put my arms around him and we sway side to side.
“I love you,” I hear him say as he kisses the top of my head.
I look up at him. “I love you, too.”
We continue to dance and when the song ends, I look over at the DJ who smiles and nods, indicating he’s done for the night.
Harper returns and goes up to Garret. “Go change and head down there. It’s all ready. Sean and I will take care of this.”
“Thanks. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Harper gives me a sly grin. “Have fun, Jade.”
Garret and I walk back to our place.
“Okay, Garret, what is this all about?”
“Just wait and see.” He scoops me up in his arms. “It’s finally official. I can carry you over the threshold.” He steps through the door.
I laugh. “You and your traditions.”
He carries me all the way up the stairs to our room, then sets me down. I go to kiss him but he turns and walks away.
“Aren’t you going to kiss me? We’re finally alone.”
He comes back over, but only gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “If we start, we’ll never leave. We need to get going. We’ll do plenty of kissing once we get there.”
I don’t bother asking where ‘there’ is because I know he won’t tell me. He helps me out of my dress, then takes off his tux.
“What should I wear?” I ask him as I yank the pins from my hair and remove the clip. My hair falls down to my shoulders and I shake it out a little to loosen it up.
“Harper left you some stuff.” He points to the dresser. On top of it there’s a white tank top, white cotton skirt, and white flip flops with sparkly accents.
I put the clothes on while Garret puts on shorts and a white t-shirt.
“Aren’t we bringing anything?” I ask as I follow him down the stairs.
“Everything we need is already over there.”
We go back outside and start walking down the beach past the other houses. We keep walking for a good 10 minutes. We pass the last house and now we’re on the public beach and there’s nothing around.
“Garret, I’m starting to get worried. It’s really dark out here. It might be dangerous.”
“What are you worried about?” He puts his arm around me. “You’ve got me with you. You know I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who tries to hurt you. You’re completely safe. And we’re almost there.”
I look up ahead and see some flickers of light in a little alcove on the beach. As we get closer I see that the light is coming from a string of torch lights sticking out of the sand. And in the middle of them is a big blue tent.
“Garret, what is this?”
He leads me to the entrance of the tent and pulls the opening aside. “Welcome to the honeymoon suite.”
I step inside. The floor of the tent is covered in sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows. Dozens of flameless candles provide light. There’s a small table topped with chocolates and chocolate-covered strawberries that look like the ones we had on Valentine’s Day. And next to those are two champagne glasses and a bucket of ice with champagne.
“What do you think?” Garret is standing behind me
. He runs his hands down my arms and kisses the back of my neck, causing a shiver to run through me. I’ve been craving his touch all day so my skin is super sensitive.
I turn around and hug him. “I love it. It’s perfect. And not at all what I would’ve guessed when you said you had a surprise.”
“What did you think I had planned?”
“I had no idea. But not this.”
He moves around me and sits down, holding his hand out. “Come here.” I sit next to him and see him smiling. “Now we can start the kissing.”
He takes his shirt off and lays me down on my back. As soon as his lips touch mine, my insides get all fluttery like it’s our first kiss. Maybe because I’m so happy right now and the butterflies dancing around my stomach are, too.
I want to feel his skin against mine so I reach down and slip my skirt off, then break from the kiss to yank off my tank top. Garret quickly strips himself the rest of the way when he sees how anxious I am.
I’m left wearing just my white silk-and-lace bra and panties which I bought just for today.
Garret pauses to look at me. “You’re so damn beautiful.” His head dips down to my stomach and he leaves kisses along my hip and down my lower abs. His hand glides over my skin, hitting all my sensitive spots, stopping only to remove my special wedding lingerie.
The butterflies that were fluttering inside me have been replaced by an aching need to be with him, as my husband, for the very first time.
“Garret,” I whisper.
“Yeah,” he whispers back, his kisses trailing up my chest.
“I can’t wait any longer.”
“Good.” His lips meet up with mine. “Because I can’t either.”
His warm, strong body lays over me and I keep my eyes open as he brings us together. He gazes back at me. “I love you.”
As I say it back, his lips cover mine and our need for each other takes over, our kisses deeper, our bodies moving together.
I hear the ocean just outside the tent and realize that this is my fantasy. Having sex on the beach. That’s why Garret did this. He wanted me to have my fantasy. But this is so much better than that. My fantasy was just about sex. This is about love and sharing this moment with the man I’ll spend the rest of my life with. A man I trust more than anyone else and who I know I can always count on. I feel even closer and more connected to him now, being together like this as a married couple.
Forever You Page 19
