The Next Level: A BWWM Billionaire Marriage And Pregnancy Romance

by Stacey Pond

  After a while, Sangi seemed to forget she was upset as her bubbly voice filled the room as they ate. She and Andrew kept glancing at each other, little smiles on their lips before they looked away again. Chelsea wondered if she’d been transported back to high school. Just as breakfast was finishing up, Catherine announced she was taking her and Dorothy shopping.

  “Let the guys get a chance to know each other. Sangi, you’re welcome to come along too.”

  They left the dining room, ready to head into town. Chelsea had her wedding book tucked under her arm, purse on her wrist as she walked down the stairs. She was digging around in it when she ran into Matthew at the bottom.

  “Ouch! Sorry, honey.”

  He kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. I see you and my mother are getting along again. What did she say to you?”

  Chelsea shrugged. “She just apologized. I figure there’s no point holding a grudge when we’re all about to be family.”

  He nodded, looking thoughtful. “I agree. I’m just...surprised I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mother say sorry.”

  “Well,” Chelsea dragged out slowly, ”she didn’t. Not in exact terms, but I think her heart’s in the right place.”

  They heard the clicking of heels as Catherine walked to the entrance way. She held a small clutch purse. Sangi walked in to join them, followed by Dorothy who had pulled out all of the stops and was dressed in a long tropical summer dress, her salt and pepper hair pulled up and off of her neck. They said their goodbyes then began heading for the door when Chelsea turned back to Matthew.

  “Try and patch things up with your brother, okay?”

  Matthew looked at her in surprise, but returned the kiss placed on his lips. She followed the other two outside to a beautiful little red convertible that matched Catherine’s nail polish. They all piled in heading for a boutique in the city. It felt good to be in the open air, it felt like freedom to Chelsea who had began to suffocate in the stuffy house. She stretched out her hand, letting it float through the wind like she had as a child. Since the weekend had began, she really felt comfortable. Soft, classical music filtered through the speakers making Chelsea yawn. It was so comfortable. Her eyelids began to close, but she wanted to take in the scenery around her. More houses popped up as they drove, all of them huge, some of them much bigger than the Rawlins’ house. Chelsea could hear her mom and Catherine talking in the front seat, but she slowly dozed off.

  Chelsea felt a gentle shaking of her shoulders. “We’re here, honey. Wake up.”

  Slowly, Chelsea opened her heavy eyes to see her mom smiling down at her. She gave her a soft smile. Chelsea sat up, stretching before she followed behind the others into the shop. The place was small, but filled with elegant dresses of every color. As she looked at the slender dresses, she wondered vaguely if this kind of place even bothered to sell something besides a size two. A woman walked up to them in a thin, black skirt and blouse. She led them over to a seating area before handing them all glasses of champagne.

  “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” Chelsea mused aloud.

  “Never. Besides, picking out the dress is serious work, a little drink is required,” Catherine said as she took a sip and sighed. The others followed suit. “Now, choosing a dress is very important. You need something that says you’re traditional and well brought up, not too sexy. I don’t know what is with women these days showing so much skin on their wedding day,” Catherine said with a shake of her head.

  “Yeah, ridiculous,” Chelsea said with a nervous chuckle.

  Self consciously, she gripped her wedding binder just a little harder. She wasn’t going to tell Catherine she was one of those women. Personally, she thought a well done wedding dress could be sultry and romantic. In her binder there were already several dresses that were hip hugging with intricate lace designs and backless. The front dipped down low, just above the belly button and it showed off a small amount of cleavage. Catherine seemed to have entirely different plans. First she picked out a dress that was all white, long sleeved, with a high collar.

  “Did I transport in time back to the 1800’s?” Chelsea asked.

  Sangi and her mother giggled. Rolling her eyes, Catherine picked out another dress. This one was almost as bad as the first with a huge, puffy skirt. The sleeves puffed at the shoulders. This time it was Dorothy that burst into laughter as she stepped out of the dressing room.

  “Awww, look at my little princess,” she cooed.

  “Thank mom, appreciate the support,”

  That did nothing, but make her mother and Sangi laugh harder as she walked back into the dressing room. She slipped the dress off, hanging it up before she was handed another. Chelsea slipped into it before looking at herself in the mirror. It almost had a Spanish feel. It was very close to the dress she wanted, lace covered every inch of it in soft flower patterns. It flared a little wide at the bottom, but it wasn’t horrible. The dress was cinched at the waist with a small, white ribbon. The veil flowed long and it had long sleeves. Chelsea could tell Catherine was trying to compromise, or perhaps just not be laughed at again as this dress let her bare her shoulders and dipped down between her cleavage just slightly enough that none showed. She gathered the dress before stepping out of the dressing room.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Honey, it’s so beautiful,” her mother said. She could see the tears in her eyes.

  “Lovely. I think we’ll take this one, don’t you?”

  Chelsea didn’t know how to respond. As much as she thought the dress was nice, it still wasn’t her. Being put inside of a little traditional bubble wouldn’t hold long either. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, causing Catherine to raise an eyebrow as a little frown appeared on her face.

  “I just don’t want to make a decision right now. I mean, it’s beautiful, but I don’t think I can agree to anything just yet. I’m not in love with it,” Chelsea said quickly.

  “Nonsense. Now, these dresses are one of a kind. If you don’t get it now, it won’t be here when you come back.”

  Chelsea shrugged again, a tight smile on her face. “If it’s not here, I guess it wasn’t meant for me to have.”

  Catherine sighed. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. How do you ladies feel about tea? We can go over more plans there.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Chelsea changed back into her clothes. As she headed out of the dressing room, she saw Catherine talking to the woman at the counter and laughing. She wondered vaguely what she was up to, before her eyes fell on Sangi beckoning her outside.

  Chapter 7

  Chelsea wasn’t sure she’d ever packed so fast. They’d enjoyed tea at a little restaurant with fancy lace and soft colors. For the most part, it would have been pleasant. That is if Catherine stopped going on about the dress. Even her mother could see she was becoming irritated. As soon as they were back at the house, Chelsea excused herself before running up to her room. She didn’t even bother packing them neatly, just tossed them into bags, stuffing them in deeper to fit. Matthew walked in as she sat on her black suitcase with her knees zipping the bag closed.

  Matthew raised an eyebrow at her hurried packing. “So, big outing with my mom, I’m guessing it wasn’t great.”

  “It was fine.”

  “Babe?”

  “Okay, fine. I don’t know how you’ve dealt with her for all of these years. I would have pulled my hair out before they assigned me a mandatory straight jacket.” She dug her knees in a little deeper, grunting as she zipped the bag closed. “I mean, she wasn’t horrible. She’s just...your mom has a way…”

  Matthew laughed. “Yeah, a way of making people feel like ants? Or make you feel like you don’t even have an elementary education, let alone a college degree? She can be that way?”

  Chelsea dusted off her hands before wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m just really eager to get back to our happy home. I miss our apartment. I miss our neighborhood. I miss sleeping with you.”

&nbs
p; “I know,” he said as he kissed her forehead, “I do too.” He watched her walk over to the bed to start on another bag. “What about your parents?”

  “Oh, mom said the hospital got slammed without her. They’re begging her to come back early,” she said handing Matthew a bag.

  What she didn’t want to tell him was that she also thought her mom was lying. It wasn’t like the hospital didn’t sometimes call her needing her expertise and efficiency, but it was the look on her face when she’s said it. She could tell her mom felt the same way about going home as soon as possible. Chelsea handed Matthew another bag before picking up one of her own.

  At the bottom of the stairs, her parents were already chatting with the Rawlins. Her dad excused himself to put their bags in the car after thanking the Rawlins for having them as guests. He shook Lyle’s hand. It didn’t take much for Chelsea to see that her dad really liked him, she trusted his judgment of character. Chelsea gave her mom a hug before kissing her cheek.

  “I’ll get to see you before the wedding, right honey?” Her mom asked.

  Chelsea smiled. “Of course, we’ll grab lunch.”

  “And you’ll attend one family dinner with Matthew here. I know how these things go. Once you get married you’ll forget all about us.”

  Chelsea chuckled. “Never.”

  She gave her dad a hug before she stood in the door waving as they crunched along the graveled driveway. Sangi was at her elbow doing the same. Chelsea sighed. The wedding was getting closer everyday. It brought a slight fluttering in her belly. Once her parents were out of view, Chelsea turned to see Matthew giving his mom a hug.

  “Whatever happened to grandma?” He asked.

  “She couldn’t make it. You know how she loves to be all independent,” Lyle said.

  Catherine smirked. She seemed to be more than fine with grandma not attending the weekend soiree. Chelsea wondered vaguely why that was, but more importantly she was getting impatient. She shifted from foot to foot, more than ready to get on the road.

  “She will be at the wedding though, right?” Matthew asked.

  “Of course. She said to send her love and say congrats. She’ll be home in time for the wedding.”

  Lyle gave Chelsea a tight hug before Andrew did the same. She and Catherine nodded at each other. It was the best it was going to get for now. Sangi and Andrew’s hug lingered a little too long, before they broke apart, clearing their throats and trying to appear casual. Chelsea stifled a laugh. Who were they fooling? As they settled into the car, Chelsea let out a long sigh, leaning her head against the seat as the summer wind rushed over her face.

  “You survived,” Matthew said smiling.

  *****

  The moment they stepped through the door, Chelsea became herself again and so did Matthew. He played around, kicked up his feet, disregarded clothing for the rest of the day. Chelsea settled in next to him on the couch. Slowly, the wedding was coming together. Catherine’s planner called later and they came to a tentative agreement. The planner, Helen, would keep things close to what Catherine wanted, but approve everything through Chelsea. That worked for her.

  She found the lacy dress she wanted, the gold accented beautifully against her skin. Chelsea was glad she’d stuck to her guns by saying no to the other dress, this one she was in love with. When work started back the next morning, she was a whirlwind of coffee, wedding planning and work. She woke up two hours earlier every morning to work on the wedding, at night she didn’t fall asleep, she passed out it seemed.

  The closer the wedding became, the more nervous she was. There was a moment, briefly, if she wondered if getting married was what she really wanted. Thinking of Matthew though, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Still, as if her pre-wedding jitters weren’t enough, Catherine was calling everyday. She wanted an elaborate seating chart. Chelsea agreed, but changed the seating herself. She wanted the colors of the wedding to stay traditional, white and black. Chelsea refused politely saying she’d already picked out the colors. Everyday Catherine seemed to become more involved until she wanted to pull her hair out. Once she found out they were getting married at a venue, not a church and with a non-religious ceremony, Catherine really flipped.

  Chelsea slammed her phone down on the table. “Tell your mother to butt out of our wedding! I am so sick of her adding crap. Doves, stupid songs, she might as well parade a marching band through the place!”

  Matthew rubbed her shoulders, shushing her softly. “It’s our day, babe. You do whatever you want to do, I’ll back you up.”

  He kissed her gently, making her relax against his chest. It was like her nightmare all over again with all of the changes being made, but this was real life. She was not going to let Catherine take control.

  Two weeks before the wedding, Chelsea went to visit Sangi. She found her cuddled up with Andrew on her front porch. They both jumped when they saw her, like kids who’d been misbehaving.

  “What are you doing here?” Chelsea asked him.

  “I just came to visit Sangi, talk wedding stuff. Matthew wants me to be one of the grooms. I should really be going now though. Long drive back.”

  They hugged before he jogged to his sleek, black car, slipping inside. Chelsea raised an eyebrow at Sangi who shrugged. She rolled her eyes.

  “You two are ridiculous. Why won’t you just say you’re dating?”

  “And have his mom freak out again? No thanks, I’ve learned from your example.”

  “Heartwarming,” Chelsea said with a laugh. Let’s talk about my bachelorette party.”

  The last week before the wedding, she and Matthew decided to live separately. He thought it was silly, but she liked the idea of keeping him in wait. That way when he saw her, he’d fall in love with her all over again. The sexless week would give them more tension she told him, tension they could relieve on the honeymoon. Matthew reluctantly agreed, kissing her deeply the day he’d packed his bags.

  “I’ll see you at the alter, babe.”

  Chelsea spent her last week both enjoying her last days as a single woman with her friends and frantically scrambling to complete every last detail of the wedding. She was almost glad to have the planner now. Sangi completely left off everything Andrew related to help her. The night before the wedding, she and Sangi curled up in bed together like when they were children, falling asleep to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

  *****

  The next morning, Chelsea was in full panic mode. She rushed around the house gathering everything she needed to take with her to the State Room. Sangi picked up after her, making sure she didn’t go insane. When Chelsea needed her clothes, Sangi handed them to her. When she lost her wedding shoes, her friend tucked them away in the car. Chelsea was almost in tears before the day started, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get through the day.

  They stopped at the hotel their friends were staying in to get ready. The make up artist and stylist worked their magic. When they were done, Chelsea hardly recognized herself. Her makeup was soft tones of lilac and pink. Her hair had been pulled back, twisted into an intricate bun and a Gardenia worked into her hair. Chelsea touched her face and hair tentatively. Sangi walked over to her slowly.

  “Looks like Catherine sent you a little gift,” she said holding up a black bag.

  Chelsea unzipped the bag. Inside was the wedding dress she’d rejected in Nantucket. It sat there in all it’s overdone glory. Chelsea’s fists clenched at her side. Hadn’t she told Catherine she didn’t want it?

  “Put it back wherever it came from. Get my dress for me please.”

  Sangi helped Chelsea into the dress, zipping her into it gently. Once more Chelsea admired herself in the mirror. She really did look like a completely different person.

  “Am I really doing this?” She asked herself.

  “You’ll be fine, honey. You look beautiful.”

  Her mom kissed her on the cheek. Once more she felt like crying. She wondered if it was normal to be this emoti
onal, but then she brushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter if it was normal or not. It was her wedding. She could cry as much as she wanted to. Still, she dabbed at her eyes so she didn’t ruin her makeup before the ceremony.

  There was a knock on the hotel door. Chelsea’s friend Jenna opened it and Catherine breezed past her. She was wearing a gray dress that would match Matthew and his friends clothes. Chelsea was distracted from her clothes, however when she saw Catherine’s face. She looked pissed.

  “I just got done talking to Helen. Can you imagine what she said to me? You changed everything! You cut my guest list, rearranged seating charts, used a different caterer, you’re not even wearing the dress I brought you! This is just ungrateful, Chelsea. I paid for all of this. If you’re going to be a part of this family, you’re going to have to learn to play ball.”

  Chelsea stepped closer to Catherine. She watched the woman shrink under her gaze. Sangi appeared at her side, a hand softly touching her arm.

  “Look, lady. This is my wedding, not yours. This is me and Matthew’s life, not yours. So, stop with the bullshit, go to the venue and get ready for the wedding, because I’m going to be a part of this family whether you like it or not.”

  Catherine sneered. It turned her almost pretty face, very hideous. It was almost as if that sneer showed who she really was. She took another step back from Chelsea.

  “I knew it. You’re just like the rest of them. I stand by my statement I made a few weeks. You don’t belong in our world.”

  It took every ounce of self control Chelsea possessed not to walk over and punch her in the face. Sangi and her mom both seemed to sense this. They held her gently, their touch almost comforting. She knew however that they were less trying to soothe her and more trying to keep her from killing Catherine. Chelsea pushed the woman out of her mind. It was her and Matthew’s day. She wasn’t going to let Catherine ruin that.