by Marie Force
“Well, now you do, so let’s lose all this foolishness.”
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she reminded him as she raised her hands over her head to let him remove her shirt.
“Are you going to report me to the wedding police?”
“Not likely.”
“In that case . . . Get naked, and hurry up about it.”
“Is this the kind of husband you’re going to be? If so, maybe I should reconsider—”
He kissed her hard and fast, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. “No reconsidering allowed,” he said when he came up for air.
“I was teasing.”
“I wasn’t.” He slid his hand into the back of her pajama pants and pushed them down, taking her panties with them. “Are you really superstitious about me seeing you before the wedding?”
“I’m Irish! Of course I’m superstitious.”
“Turn away from me then.”
“Why? What’re you going to do?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He stole one more kiss while he could and then waited for her to turn so her back was to him. Will tucked her in close to him, running his hand over her belly, which quivered under his touch.
She pressed her backside into his erection, making him groan.
“It appears you aren’t that superstitious after all.”
“I’m very superstitious,” she said primly.
He moved his hand farther down, cupping her and dipping his fingers into her slick heat. “One part of you isn’t. Want me to stop?”
“Absolutely not.”
Laughing, Will slid two fingers into her. “I love how you’re always ready for me.”
“I can’t get enough of you.”
“I love that, too.”
He alternated strokes of his fingers deep inside her with circling caresses of her clit.
“Will . . .”
“I’m here. I’m right here.” Cupping her breast with his other hand, he pinched her nipple and felt her detonate. He loved the way she tightened around his fingers as she came. Removing his fingers, he raised her leg up and over his hip and slid into her from behind, going slowly at first, waiting until she was able to take him before he began to move faster. Then he pressed his fingers against her clit and kept them there as he pumped into her.
“I can’t believe we get to do this any time we want for the rest of our lives,” he whispered.
She took hold of his other hand and brought it to her breast. “Neither can I.”
“Cam . . . I’m close . . . Need you.”
With her hand over his on her breast, she encouraged him to play with her nipple. Once again, the combination set off her orgasm.
Will groaned and pressed hard into her one more time, thrusting as he came with her. Only afterward did he realize he was holding her tight enough to cause bruises. “God, you make me crazy. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Not at all.”
He kissed her shoulder and the curve of her neck. “We can’t have bruises on the bride.”
“The bride has a man in her bed the night before her wedding. It’s a scandal.”
“It’s because she’s so hot he can’t stand to spend even one night away from her.”
“Do you think he’ll always feel that way about her?”
“I know he will.”
“Even after they have kids and their lives get crazy?”
“Especially then.”
“She should marry a guy like that.”
“She really ought to.”
“I’m glad you came.”
He thrust his hips to remind her he was still inside her. “I’m glad you came, too. Twice.”
Laughing, she said, “That’s not what I meant, as you well know.
“Get some sleep, sweetheart. Biggest day of our lives tomorrow.”
“I was asleep until I was rudely and delightfully awakened by my future husband.”
“I can’t wait to be your husband.” With Cameron tucked in tight against him, their legs intertwined and their bodies still intimately joined, Will was finally able to sleep.
SIX
WILL WAS LONG gone when Cameron’s alarm went off at eight o’clock the next morning. How had he managed to leave their bed without waking her when she’d slept wrapped up in his arms? She smiled thinking about their middle-of-the-night visit and everything that awaited them today.
Only a few hours now until they’d have the rest of their lives together, and she couldn’t wait to get on with it. She bounded out of bed and into the shower where the scent of his bodywash was still in the air from his earlier shower. Cameron couldn’t believe she’d slept through it all—or that the dogs had apparently slept through his departure, too.
With her hair wrapped in a towel and Will’s robe tied twice around her waist, Cameron emerged from her bedroom to find Lucy in the kitchen, already chugging coffee. She handed a cup to Cameron, fixed just the way she liked it. The two women were silent until Cameron had consumed the first mug, just like old times when they’d worked together.
“Good morning,” Lucy said.
“Morning. Sleep well?”
“Until I was rudely interrupted.” This was said with a big smile that told Cameron just how much Lucy had enjoyed her fiancé’s rude interruption.
“They’re too cute, huh?”
“Extremely cute, but I was told Colton only came because he was dared to.”
“And I was told that Colton was a willing co-conspirator.”
“Of course he was.”
They shared a laugh that ended with a giddy shriek from Cameron. “I can’t believe it’s finally here.”
“Because you’ve had to wait all of six weeks,” Lucy said, rolling her eyes.
“I’ve been waiting forever for this.”
“I know you have, and seeing you in the midst of Abbott mania . . . You’re exactly where you belong.”
“As are you.”
“It’s a nice place to spend a life.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Molly arrived a short time later, bringing Hannah and freshly baked blueberry and chocolate chip muffins that Cameron and Lucy pounced on.
“Everyone sleep well?” Molly asked.
Cameron caught Lucy’s eye when she said, “Like babies.”
Lucy nearly snorted coffee out her nose. “What she said.”
Molly raised a brow but didn’t ask any questions. It was probably best that she didn’t ask.
The hairstylists Regan had hired arrived a short time later, followed by Ella and Charley, who’d brought Emma and a very excited Simone. Cameron gave herself over to the hair and makeup people. She’d already told them what she wanted—and didn’t want—so she relaxed and let them do their thing. Outside, the yard was full of workers making final preparations in the tent, and Regan was back and forth between the yard and the cabin, overseeing everything.
The cabin was almost too small for the wedding party, but they made it work, and by the time lunch was delivered at noon, they were almost ready to go. Only Emma and Simone were still in the chairs being fussed over as the others dug into the sandwiches and salads.
“I’m starving,” Cameron said, choosing a turkey and cheese wrap. “And everything looks good. I keep waiting to be nervous, but I haven’t been at all.”
“Nothing to be nervous about, because you know you got it right,” Lucy said.
The stark simplicity of her best friend’s statement brought Cameron to tears for the first time all day.
“Don’t!” Regan’s shriek made Cameron laugh. “Makeup! Lucy, if you’re going to make her cry, don’t talk to her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lucy said with a smile for Cameron.
Things began to move fast after lunch. The others changed into several different styles of the gold bridesmaid gown. Cameron had told them to choose the style they liked best, and each of them looked gorgeous in the rich color.
“Re
ady for the bride,” Regan said when the last of the girls had changed in the bedroom. “Cameron?”
“Here goes nothing.” Cameron followed Regan into the bedroom and shut the door. For the first time, a flutter of nerves hit her belly as she thought about her dress. All her life, she’d seen pictures of her parents’ wedding. They were among the pictures of her mother she treasured the most. So when it came time to choose her own dress, she’d gone right back to those photos.
With the help of her father’s housekeeper, Lena, the dress had been located in the attic of the penthouse apartment where Cameron had grown up. Lena had shipped the dress to her in Vermont without anyone else knowing about it. She could only hope Lena had kept the secret.
After the dress had been located and shipped, Cameron had held her breath for a week waiting for it to arrive. She’d had it sent to the store, and the day it was finally delivered, she’d taken it straight home to try it on. It had fit her as if it had been made for her. Standing that day in the bedroom she shared with Will, Cameron had sobbed for her late mother, for the moment they should’ve been sharing with each other, for all the moments they had missed. Wearing her mother’s dress, she’d never felt closer to the woman who’d been missing from her life since the day she was born.
The beaded antique-white sleeveless silk dress was simple yet elegant. It had a small train that was ideal for the vibe of their country wedding. Cameron knew she could’ve looked high and low for the perfect dress and not found one that suited her better than her mother’s did.
All her life, her father had told her how much she resembled her mother. Standing before a full-length mirror, wearing her mother’s dress, her hair swept up in a similar style to what her mother had worn the day she married Patrick, Cameron could see the resemblance. She’d wondered for weeks if her father would recognize the dress and had prepared herself for the possibility that he wouldn’t. And that was all right.
“It’s gorgeous,” Regan said after she zipped Cameron in. She was the only person besides Lena who knew about the dress. Lucy had been badgering her for weeks for details, but Cameron had refused to share her secret with anyone. “Like it was made for you.”
“It’s funny . . . I feel like I’ve been sharing this big secret with my mom.”
“I think it’s wonderful that you’re wearing her dress and that it fits you so perfectly. It’s a great story.”
“It’s the first big secret I’ve ever shared with her.”
“Don’t cry.”
Cameron smiled at her. “I’ll try not to.”
“Are you ready to let the others see you?”
“I think I might be. Will you ask Lucy to come in first?”
“Of course.”
Regan left the room and Lucy came in a few minutes later, drawing in a sharp deep breath at the sight of Cameron in her dress.
“Oh wow, Cam. Wow.”
Cameron turned away from the mirror to face her best friend, who looked like she was about to lose her composure.
“What an amazing dress. It’s so you.”
“It’s my mother’s.”
Lucy’s eyes widened with surprise and then filled with tears. “Cam . . .”
“Don’t cry. Regan will kill us.”
Lucy laughed and dabbed gently at her eyes with a tissue she produced from inside the bodice of her dress.
“You really like it?”
“It’s . . . incredible. How did you get it without anyone knowing?”
“My dad’s housekeeper helped me.”
“Do you think he’ll recognize it?”
“I don’t know. You know how oblivious he can be.”
“I don’t think he’ll be oblivious today. How could he be? You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you for that and a million other things.” Lucy took her outstretched hand. “Love you.”
“Love you, too, and I’m so happy for you and Will.”
“I’m happy for us, too,” Cameron said with a smile. “Is it time yet?”
“A little eager much?”
“A lot eager. I can’t wait!”
“Let me check with the boss. Is it okay to let the others in to see you?”
Cameron drew in a deep breath. “Sure.” While she waited, she took one last minute alone with her mother, silently thanking her for the enormous sacrifice she’d made to bring her into this world, to give her daughter life at the expense of her own.
When she’d first learned the circumstances of her mother’s death, she was nine, and a nanny blurted it out, not realizing that Cameron didn’t know. The information had messed her up for a long time, but she’d made peace with it, even if she’d never truly “get over” it.
“I asked for a moment alone with the bride,” Molly said when she came into the room, closing the door. “Oh, Cam, look at you!”
Pleased by Molly’s reaction, Cameron held out her hand to the woman who’d welcomed her into the Abbott family with open, loving arms. “It’s my mother’s.”
Molly took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s absolutely lovely, as are you. What a special way to pay tribute to your mother today. She’d be so proud of her amazing daughter.”
“Do you think so? Really?”
“I know so. She was so excited when she was expecting you. She’d love to see you today, wearing her dress, looking so much like her. Does Patrick know?”
Cameron shook her head. “And I’m fully prepared for him not to notice.”
“He’s a guy,” Molly said, laughing. “They don’t pay attention to dresses the way we do.”
Cameron knew Molly was helping prepare her for the possibility that her father wouldn’t recognize the dress. “It’s fine if he doesn’t. It was more about wanting her to be present here today than anything.”
“You’ve fully accomplished that, honey.” Molly gave her a light hug. “We love you so much, and we’re so thrilled to have you officially join our family.”
“I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I love you, too. All of you.”
“Let me get the girls. Simone is about to spontaneously combust from the excitement.”
Cameron laughed, filled with joy and anticipation and love for Will and his family. Despite the astounding stroke of bad luck that had marked her life at the beginning, today she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
Ella, Charley, Hannah, Emma and Simone came into the room in one big burst of excitement and chatter.
“Beautiful,” Hannah declared tearfully. “Stunningly, perfectly, incredibly beautiful.”
“What she said,” Charley added. “The dress is perfect.”
“It was my mom’s.”
“That’s so cool,” Ella said. “It could’ve been made just for you.”
Emma wiped away tears. “You’re killing us, Cam, and the wedding hasn’t even started yet.”
Cameron laughed and reached for Simone, who was dancing around waiting for a moment with the bride. Cameron wrapped her arms around the eight-year-old girl who so closely resembled her aunt Lucy, they might’ve been mother and daughter. “Thank you all so much for being here today and wearing the dress I chose and being my friends and favorite sisters-in-law. Love you all.”
“We love you, too,” Ella said for all of them.
Regan poked her head into the crowded bedroom. “Cameron, your dad is here.”
Cameron suddenly felt light-headed and anxious about her big surprise. While she was excited for him to see her in the dress, she had no idea what to expect.
“We’ll give you a few minutes alone with him,” Hannah said, ushering the others from the room.
Cameron took a series of deep breaths, trying to find some inner calm while she waited for her dad. Will had decided that the men in the wedding party would wear white shirts with khaki pants and brocade vests that matched the gold bridesmaid dresses. They’d gone round and round about ties or no ties, and in the end, Will had gone with no ties because he just wasn’t a tie kind
of guy.
Seeing the ensemble for the first time on her dad, Cameron had to agree that the no-tie look worked perfectly for the casual vibe they’d wanted for the wedding.
Patrick came through the bedroom door and stopped short at the sight of her. He’d been about to say something that died on his lips. “You . . . That . . . Your mother’s dress,” he said on a long exhale.
Until he said those words, Cameron would never have admitted how badly she wanted him to recognize the dress. “Yes.”
“Ali . . . God, Cam, you look so much like her.” He rested a hand over his heart, scaring her for a second until he recovered his composure.
“I wondered if you’d recognize the dress.”
“Recognize it? I see her in it every day when I look at our wedding picture in my office. Yes,” he said gruffly. “I recognize it. How did you get it?”
“With a little help from Lena. I hope it’s okay.”
“Cameron,” he said with a sigh as he wiped tears from his face, “of course it’s okay. It’s an amazing gesture.”
“I wanted her to be here today in some way, and it was the only way I could think of.”
“It fits you like a dream, and you look as beautiful as she did wearing it.” He withdrew a velvet box from his pocket and held it out to her. “I gave this to her on our wedding day, and I’ve been saving it for you.”
Cameron’s hands trembled as she took the box from him and opened it to reveal a diamond solitaire necklace. “It’s beautiful, Dad.”
“I used all the money I had in the world at that time to buy it for her, and after the wedding she said we should sell it because we needed the money more than she needed a diamond necklace.” As he spoke, he helped Cameron put it on, securing the clasp and then resting his hands on her shoulders to look at her in the mirror. “I told her I planned to make plenty of money, and there was no way she was selling her wedding gift.”
“She loved you so much. I’ve always known that because of the way she looked at you in the wedding pictures.”
“I loved her, too. I always will.”
“I’m sorry about the way you lost her.”
“I’m not, and she wouldn’t be either. We wanted you very much, and she’d never want you to feel guilty about something that wasn’t your fault. It was a terrible tragedy, but this isn’t the day for feeling bad or guilty. This is your big day, and you’ve honored your mother every day of your life, but never more so than today.”
