by kj lewis
“All I want is for you to be happy, loved, and taken care of. I believe Graham will give you all of these.”
“I love you.” I smile at him.
“I love you, too. I’ll be there Saturday. Why don’t you let me buy you your wedding dress?”
“Jules is making it, but thank you. I just need you to show up and be there for me. Drinks Friday night, okay? Oh and tell Amanda, Joy, and Henry that I expect them to be there, but not a word to anyone else. I don’t want it announced until Graham’s team has the chance to get ahead of it. That reminds me, how is Joy today? Happier than usual?”
“Now that you mention it, she has been humming all day.”
Graham walks to the edge of the desk, giving me a stern look.
“Gotta go, babe. Tell her I asked about her.”
“Fess up,” says Jackson. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“I love you, babe. See ya Friday.”
“Love you, too,” he laughs before he cuts off the connection.
“There really is something not right about you,” Graham just manages to keep the curve off his lips.
“What did Jackson want?”
“To discuss you.”
“What about me?”
“What my intentions are. What he expects from the person you marry.”
“And?” Please let it have gone well.
“And I was respectful. I don’t need the lessons, but I respect the fact that he has your best interest at heart. He’s important to you, so I gave him the time to say what he wanted to say.”
“Jackson is important to me, but I don’t need his signoff. I know what my expectations are, and I know you will meet them in every way.”
He grabs my neck pulling me to him. His lips dance with mine.
“I wish we were home.”
“It won’t be much longer.” He plants one last kiss on me before we head out to join the others.
I sit cross legged on one of the leather couches in the seating area. Everyone is sitting in a circle, having a drink. Graham pours us each a scotch, but I decline mine.
“I don’t drink hard liquor.” He looks at me like he doesn’t believe me. “Except that one night of tequila,” I clarify. “So…did I miss the discussion about what happened with the lawyers?”
“No, we were waiting for you,” Ben replies. “They feel like we have a good case. We tried to get a restraining order against Tony, but we didn’t have enough for the judge to feel it was warranted. The next step will be having the nurses attest to Tony only visiting on days you are there. That will be enough to sway the judge. Smith is working on how Tony knows when you are in town. Someone at the hospital has to be alerting him.
“We were able to convince the judge to review a motion to have Addie moved to New York to participate in the next phase of the study at New York Pres. We feel like we have a really good shot at that being granted. Once we have Addie out of Memphis, we can really focus on Harry gaining custody.”
“I truly believe y’all could move mountains. What do you need from me next?”
“To plan and enjoy your wedding,” Harry says. “There is nothing else that can be done right now.”
“What kind of wedding are you thinking of having?” Ben asks us.
“I just want Emelia to walk down the aisle. I have no other preferences. Whatever makes her happy.”
“You’re a quick learner,” Harry slaps Graham on the back.
“The dwarfs probably want to invite a plus one. So I think my side will have max twenty-five. That includes inviting the Raines and Reggie’s family. How many people are you thinking you will have?” I ask Graham, who looks to Ben not really sure of that answer.
“Your mom threw a couple of lists together. One is an all-inclusive list. It has roughly five hundred on it.”
“People?”
“No, turtles. Five hundred turtles,” Ben says playfully.
“That’s one,” I warn him.
“How many do I get?” His brows rise as he smiles at me challengingly. It reminds me how much he and Graham favor one another.
“Three.”
“What happens at three?”
“Can’t tell you. But I would sleep with one eye open.”
“What are the other numbers she has?” I ask, getting us back on topic. “I might need a drink after all.” I look up at Graham.
“She has a one-fifty list and a list of thirty-five. Only family.”
“What do you want, baby?” I ask Graham. “And don’t tell me whatever I want. Seriously. You can probably guess by those numbers who is on what list. Plus, I understand if you need to make the decision based on business.”
“No. Our wedding is not a business deal. Let’s go with the list of thirty-five. I like the idea of it being intimate.”
“I don’t mean to be presumptuous,” I ask Harry, “but do you have anyone that you want to invite? It won’t hurt my feelings if the answer is no.” It occurs to me I don’t know much about his family.
“Not right now. I don’t want you overwhelmed with family coming at you from all angles.” There’s something off in his tone. I notice Graham catches it too. Eloise looks down at her hands.
“Harry,” Ben begins, but Harry shoots him a harsh look.
“You’re overstepping, Ben.”
“Tell her or I will.” Ben tells him.
“Tell me what?” I look from Ben to Harry.
Harry rolls his eyes in frustration. “Some of the family is questioning your sudden appearance in my life.”
My face pales and reddens all at once.
“You tell them to see me. I’ll take care of putting their concerns to rest,” Graham spits out. I rest my hand on his arm.
“When you’re ready to tell them, or when they’re ready to meet me, it’ll happen. Until then, give them time Harry. It’s a lot to take in. All that matters to me is that you and I are good.”
“So that leaves us with a guest list of sixty.”
“Sounds perfect.” Graham places a light kiss to my temple.
“That works for my budget,” I’m proud to announce.
“You don’t have a budget.”
“Yes I do. The bride pays for the wedding. I have five thousand in savings. If I plan it at fifty dollars a person, that will leave me two thousand to spend on flowers and dresses for Jules and Lucy. That reminds me. Jules is going to be my maid of honor and Jackson will be beside her. Lucy can be on your side or mine, but I want her in the wedding.”
“Adam is my best-man, so I’ll have Lucy on my side. Two each.”
“Perfect.”
“Let’s talk budget.”
“We just did.”
“Babe, you can’t plan a wedding for seventy-five people on five thousand dollars.” “Wait, seventy-five…”
“Wedding party.”
“Oh,” I forgot that the guest list didn’t include us. “Well, I can. And it will be pretty, too.”
“We’re taking care of the wedding,” Harry interjects, tired of this conversation.
“That’ll go well with the family,” I snark, only to receive a disciplining look in return.
“Seriously, I don’t want to spend a lot of money. I want it to be simple and beautiful.”
“Emme, you have to get used to the fact that you have access to money,” Harry tells me.
“Do you know what will happen when word gets out that the most eligible bachelor in the world has gotten married? It will be a feeding frenzy. I would like to get ahead of that with a planned release. I have a meeting set up with Graham’s media team in the morning. My experience is an exception. Not the normal reality. Little girls everywhere will think fairytales really do come true. When they aspire for their wedding to be like the pictures they see, I want it to be something attainable for them. Celebrities are spending ridiculous amounts of money on weddings these days. I’m not comfortable with it.”
“Let’s compromise. You pay for the wedding, and we will p
ay for the reception.” Eloise proposes. She stops me from speaking. “With respect to your desires to keep the cost within reason. Can you both live with that?”
“I can if you can.” I wait for Harry to answer.
“Deal.”
“Eloise, how about we meet tomorrow afternoon with Ruth to finalize the plans,” I suggest.
“Sounds perfect.”
“While we’re on the subject of money,” Harry says. I groan loudly. “We might as well get it all out in the open.” He reaches into his pocket and hands me a wad of cash.
“What is that?” I look from the money to him.
“The money you paid on Addie today.”
“How did you get that and how did you know? I slipped out and took care of it.” I frown at him.
“I asked for an administrator today and they told me you had already made a payment. So I asked for it back and then I paid the balance in full and had future bills sent to me. I told you Addie is my responsibility now. You’ve done it on your own long enough.”
We make it home earlier than expected. It’s only eight by the time we are back at the apartment.
“I’m going to go to my place and see some of the dwarfs. I need to tell them about the wedding.”
“Tonight? Don’t you think you’ve had a long day?” Graham asks.
“I have. But I don’t want them to hear it from someone else. It doesn’t feel right that they don’t know yet.”
“Take Teague.”
“I have my tracker, babe. Can’t I just do this one on my own?”
“He doesn’t have to go upstairs with you. Just have him drop you at the door. He can wait in the car.”
I mumble something under my breath.
“Emelia. Punishment spanking doesn’t end in sex, so it can still happen before the wedding. Just a friendly reminder to whatever you’re saying over there.”
“I conceded to passion spanking. I never conceded to punishment spanking.”
Graham crosses the room and stands so close to me my nipples almost touch him. “You should test me. See what happens. Teague goes with you.” He waits for my obedience. After a day of men making decisions for me, I almost push back but decide to pick my battles.
“Fine,” I say petulantly.
Teague drops me at the door, and I walk the five flights up to my apartment. It’s an odd feeling. On one hand it feels like home. On the other, it feels like somewhere I used to live.
I let myself in. Someone is in the shower. Checking the other rooms, the only other person home is Drew. I sit on the side of his bed and gently shake him awake.
“James!” He throws his arms around me and pulls me onto the bed with him. “I have missed you so much!”
I giggle. “I’ve missed you too, but I need to get up.”
“Why?” he nuzzles in my hair, being flirty Drew as always.
“Because. It’s not appropriate for a married woman to lay in bed with another man.”
He moves to a sitting position, pulling me with him.
“What?” He looks disgruntled.
“Well, an engaged woman.”
“Graham asked you to marry him?” I nod. “And you said yes?”
“I did.”
“Seems fast. I know you’re not pregnant.”
“Why is that the first thing that people say? Like Graham would only marry me if I was pregnant.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. It’s just… it hasn’t been very long and he’s the first relationship I’ve known you to have. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“I’m positive. Graham is who I’m meant to be with. He’s my soulmate.”
Drew studies me. “Well, then. I’m happy for you. Are you back to stay for a while or are you going to try living together?”
I take a deep breath “Actually…we’re getting married this Saturday. I wanted to tell y’all as soon as I could so you can get someone to cover if you’re working.”
“You aren’t serious.”
“I am.”
We sit in silence as he absorbs the news.
“I wouldn’t make this decision on a whim. This is what I want. A quick engagement and a small wedding.”
“Have you told anyone else?”
“Jules and Jackson. We’re not announcing publicly until after the wedding. I was hoping there would be more of you here.”
“Matt’s in the shower. Kyle and Russ are picking up food. Scott and Luke are on a shift.”
As if on cue, “Food’s here!”
“Might as well rip the Band-Aid off.” Drew winks at me and nudges me to stand. I’m not sure why I’m nervous about the dwarfs’ response.
“Emme!” Russ picks me up into a bear hug, Kyle following suit.
“Hi, boys. Y’all act like I’ve been gone for months.” I smile at them both. This will always feel like home.
“It feels like it. God, have we missed you. It’s just not the same without you here. We have pizza. Want to change into your pj’s and we’ll put in a movie?” Kyle asks.
I must have a moment of hesitation on my face because Drew whispers “Band-Aid” softly next to my ear.I take his advice and just jump right into it. I tell them about the engagement, the wedding, and how I want them to be there. They both have several questions for me and once all is said and done, we sit in awkward silence for a few minutes.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Kyle eventually says. “We’re happy for you and want nothing more than for you to be happy, but we also want to make sure you’re thinking this through and making the decision you want to make and not being pressured by Graham.”
“I’m a big girl. I make my own decisions.”
Crickets.
“Hey, James.” Matt greets me coming out of the shower still towel drying his hair. Kyle starts to say something, but Matt cuts him off.
“I heard the commotion. Congratulations, James. We’ve never known you to back down to anyone. I don’t think you would start now. But marriage is about compromise.” He looks from me to the guys. “James knows the difference between letting Graham make her decisions for her and compromise. I’ve spent time with her and Graham. It works. I’m happy for you.” He kisses the top of my forehead.
“I’m already off this Saturday so I’ll be there,” he adds.
“Graham is sending a plane for Becca. Think we can call her and tell her the news?” Matt doesn’t waste any time getting her on the phone. Not surprisingly, her response is much more immediate and generous than was the others’. She seemed particularly excited about the private jet shuttling her around the country.
An hour later, Teague is there to pick me up. He opens the back door to the SUV while I open the driver’s door.
“Yeah. That’s not happening,” he says.
“Do you own this car?”
“No. Neither do you for that matter. My boss tells me to drive. I drive. Why are you trying to get me in trouble?”
“I’m not. I just want to drive.”
“I have the keys. You aren’t driving. So instead of standing in the middle of the street arguing like a bunch of idiots, let’s just make this easy and get in.” He motions to his door.
“You get this one, ‘cause I’m giving it to you. Next time I win.” I walk around to the passenger side and get into the front seat.
“Emme.” Teague is frustrated.
“Teague. I’m not sitting in the backseat when it’s just the two of us. That’s ridiculous. Either get in and drive like you wanted to, or I’m taking the subway.” I click my seatbelt into place, looking straight ahead waiting for him to get in. He mumbles something under his breath.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I don’t know if there is anyone that can push me to the edge of patience like you can.”
“That’s sweet. I love you too. Ice cream?”
We swing by Big Gay Ice Cream on the way home. Teague keeps the conversation light and airy and off topic from anything remotely clo
se to everything that has happened in the last few days. It’s a welcome relief, since I’m completely over telling people about the engagement.
He pulls into the portico and sees me to the elevator. Once inside he tugs me into an awkward one arm hug, something off character for him.
“You’re doing just fine.” He releases me.
“Are you becoming human, or is it Joy?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your sudden ability to give and accept affection.”
“Goodnight, Emme,” he says as the elevator closes on our conversation.
I go in search for Graham, only to find him propped against the doorjamb of the closet. His arms are folded across his chest. He’s wearing the sweats I love and his hair is all over the place. He looks younger than his twenty-nine years. You would be hard pressed to know he’s the king of an empire.
I sit on the bench in his closet, quickly losing myself in my own thoughts.
“What are you thinking about?”
“A little bit of everything,” I say absently.
“Are you okay?” he asks, taking a seat next to me. I nod. “Want to talk about it?”
“I’m okay, baby. Just taking a minute to breathe.”
“We don’t have to get married this weekend. I understand you have had a lot of changes. If you need more time…”
“I don’t. I want to marry you, so why not do it now instead of later? Three days of stress instead of 6 months like most brides? I’ll take the three days. I always knew I wouldn’t want a long drawn out planning time. But you’re right. It has been a lot of changes. I was thinking about what you said in the car in Memphis. About Teague and about how I hand out affection.” I hold up my hand to stop him when he starts to speak. “I’ve always thought of myself as someone without a family. Losing my grandparents, Mama, and Addie. I always thought I was on my own. Today when you were talking about how I have a connection to everyone, I realized it’s true. I do have connections. When I first came to the city, Pearl, Reggie, and Terrance were like my family. Next I met Jackson and Patrick. Then Matt and the dwarfs, and instantly I had six brothers as well as Jules, Adam and your family. Then one day I met you.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “And now Harry and Eloise. I’m blessed to have so much family.”
