by Dee Lagasse
As if on cue, the click of photographs being taken create the soundtrack of our entrance. There’s no time to explain the architecture of the room like I had planned on. We don’t get more than ten steps into the room before my father notices us and “borrows” Bodie to introduce him to a few of his friends.
Shrugging, I laugh as he looks back, a small trace of panic is written all over his face. If it had been anyone other than my father, I would have followed him. But my dad took Jameson under his wing at seventeen and he’s made it very clear to me and my mother that he approves of Bodie, I know he’s in good hands right now.
And when I see the woman with a sleek, black pixie cut approaching me, I know he’s safer over with my dad than here with me.
“Oh, Sutton darling, how are you?” She excitedly and very loudly adds, “And who was that handsome man on your arms during your entrance?”
Back off, bitch.
Chloe Higgins has been around for as long as I can remember. As the only child of clothing designer, Richard Higgins, Chloe is said to already have complete access to her one point seven-billion dollar inheritance and she’s never been afraid to flaunt it. When we were children, her father would bring Chloe to the palace during fittings for my grandmother and all she ever wanted to talk about was socialite gossip and money. She never understood why I would rather hang out with Clementine, watching movies or listening to music, than go on extravagant shopping sprees with her.
My friendship and my loyalty don’t have a price tag, like Chloe’s. Twenty-five years later, nothing has changed. With all that money right at her fingertips, she could do many wonderful things, but Chloe is best known for tabloid gossip, fast cars, private jets, and getting my cousin Estelle to tag along on her excursions.
“That’s a lovely dress, Chloe,” I remark, looking over the simple black sequined gown. The form-fitting mermaid style dress is not only completely inappropriate for tonight, but also a few sizes too small for her.
I am all for wearing whatever makes you feel good, but there is a time and a place for the top of your dress being so tight that your breasts are all but toppling out of them, and a royal reception celebrating the future queen of Windham’s fortieth wedding anniversary is not the time or the place.
Cue comment about the price tag.
“Isn’t it just divine?”she says as she leans in, presumably for the traditional greeting between most members of my family. Sure enough, she brushes my cheek with hers and kisses the air next to us. Only not to cause a scene, I reciprocate, fighting the urge to tell her the dress is divine, just not on her. “It’s part of Father’s new line that will be debuting in Paris in a few weeks. I practically had to beg him to let me wear it tonight. Can you believe that? It’s only an eight-thousand dollar dress.”
That could feed thirty-two lions for an entire month.
Unable to come up with anything that won’t sound crass, I offer her a tight-lipped smile. One of these days, I’m going to tell her exactly what I think of her. Much like her Jessica Rabbit-esque dress though, tonight is not the time or the place for that.
“So,” she starts. “You never answered me. “Who is that handsome fella over with your father right now? Please tell me he’s just a friend.”
“He is so much more than just a friend, Chloe. And you better st—” I start to warn her to stay away from Bodie, but like a perfectly timed life preserver, my cousin Estelle slides her arm into mine.
“Excuse us, Chloe,” she says, flashing a bright smile at her. “Our grandmother will be making her arrival any moment and Sutton needs to go take her place…at the front of the table.”
Without waiting for her response, Estelle begins to pull me forward toward the front of the room.
“Thanks for the save,” I laugh quietly. “I just hope she’s not seated near us. I understand Granny’s loyalty to Richard, but why they both need an invite to everything boggles my mind.”
“She’s not,” Estelle smiles slyly before explaining. “I helped plan the seating chart.”
The mischievous sparkle in her eyes is the same as the one she had when we were in Boston together a few months ago, but she’s carrying herself differently this time. Reaching out to Clementine before the reception for help with her dress, the traditionally classic, long black A-line gown is something that’s new for Estelle as well. With her head held high and a bright smile, it’s a confidence I’ve never seen in my cousin before. Pride fills me as we walk to the front of the room together, arm-in-arm.
Letting go of me once we’ve reached the safety of being surrounded by a gathering of our family that Chloe wouldn’t dare try to infiltrate, Estelle winks and leaves me to go talk to a few of the guests. I had heard she was helping my grandmother with the party preparations, but I have a feeling Granny let her take the reins on this one.
A collection of horns sounds off, letting the room know my grandparents are en route to the room. People scatter, scrambling to find their places before the horns sound again, announcing their arrival.
I take my place, the same spot I have been sitting in since Jameson joined the family. As my guest of honor, Bodie will sit to my left. Looking around frantically, I let out a small breath of relief when he comes walking up in between my parents and Simone and Jameson. Quickly, my parents, sister, and brother-in-law take their places at the head table. My mom, my dad, my grandmother, my grandfather, Simone, and Jameson would make up the head table once my grandparents joined the reception. Before Jameson, my seat was next to my sister. I won’t say I was overly disappointed to be bumped down to one of the two long banquet tables that hold thirty people each.
The only time the seating chart changes is when there is a guest of honor and they take Simone and Jameson’s places at the head table, and then I move two seats down and when their children are old enough and have spouses or children of their own, I’ll move down more. The line of succession determines the line of seating. The farther down I go, the more comfortable I feel, so I’m more than happy to get a seat bump here and there.
Especially now with Bodie at my side. Hell, stick us in the hallway and give us table scraps for all I care.
“What are you so smiley about?” he leans in and whispers, touching my hand slightly.
“You,” I admit. “Us. Not having to hide anymore.”
“It is kind of nice,” he admits as the trumpets from the back of the room begin to sound off in the “Queen’s Announcement.” The chorus of notes played before my grandmother enters a room at events like this. Standing at attention, Bodie lets go of my hand and wipes the smile off his face.
As she walks by us, Bodie nods just as I showed him, and I quickly curtsy. Normally, she wouldn’t stop until she’d made her way to the front of the room, which is what I prepared Bodie for, so it’s a shock to us all when she pauses and leads my grandfather over to the two of us.
“So, you must be the infamous Bodie Cambridge.” She turns, winking at me.
My ninety-year-old grandmother, the QUEEN OF WINDHAM, just winked at me and is currently trying to intimidate my boyfriend. Something my own father hadn’t tried doing. Oh my goodness. This is too good. Stifling a giggle, I look over at Bodie, who smiles genuinely at the woman before him.
“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He nods again. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesties.”
“I assure you,” my grandfather starts as he leans in to kiss me on the cheek. “The honor is all ours. We can’t wait to hear all about how you managed to break through the icy walls of our little Puffin’s heart.”
“Puffin?” Bodie asks, looking over at me. “I can’t wait to hear how that nickname was acquired.”
“Well, I do believe they’re waiting on us, darling,” my grandmother starts, encouraging my grandfather to keep moving. “We’ll chat after dinner, yes?”
“I look forward to it.” Bodie smiles brightly as they walk away. As soon as they’re out of earshot, he looks at me and chuckles softly. “Well, that was only slig
htly terrifying.”
“Where did you come from, Bodie Cambridge?” I ask, completely in awe of how he handled himself in front of my grandparents. “I swear on all things holy, you’re perfection in human form. You handled that better than anyone else on this earth would have.”
“The night is still young,” Bodie laughs as he pulls the red cloth napkin onto his lap.
Over the next two hours, Bodie and I take turns leading the conversation between us and my aunt and uncle that are sitting across from us and my cousins that are sitting next to us. Typically, I just add my input when asked during these dinners, choosing to keep most of my life to myself. Even though we’re family, I have felt that my cousins have always felt a little slighted that Simone and I tend to get the most attention.
Being here with Bodie gives me a security I’m not used to having. No matter what anyone else thinks of me at this table, I know that there’s one person who will leave this reception still thinking the world of me. Though I can’t detect the slightest bit of jealousy from any of them tonight. Every single one of them are completely consumed by Bodie Cambridge and his magic.
“You know, I had to all but force Sutton to go to that fundraiser in Boston,” Estelle laughs as the attendants take away plates before dessert. “So I’m a little responsible for you two being together.”
“Well, I am all about giving credit where credit is due,” Bodie says, tipping an imaginary hat to her. “Thank you very much, ma’am. I’ll be sure to also send you flowers on our anniversaries.”
Reaching for my hand under the table, he begins to run the pad of his thumb against my index finger just as my uncle, Estelle’s father Lawrence, and my aunt Anna, burst out in loud laughter.
“I like this fella,” Uncle Lawrence says, pointing to Bodie. “You, sir, you belong here in this family.”
“Well, you know what they say,” Bodie starts, looking at me. “A man is only as good as the woman standing next to him.”
“Don’t I know it.” Uncle Lawrence smiles looking at his wife. He raises his glass in appreciation toward Bodie before taking a sip of his champagne.
As the vanilla cake with strawberry filling that replicates the cake my parents had at their wedding forty years ago is brought out to the table, my sister stands up, clinking the side of her glass with her knife.
After giving a toast that doesn’t leave a single dry eye in the room, my sister takes her seat, very proud of herself. Catching her eye, I raise my glass to her, giving her my sisterly approval. Nodding in appreciation, she scrunches her nose and smiles before turning to my grandmother who stands up herself.
“Forty years ago, in this very room,” she starts. “James and I toasted to a newlywed couple. In the last forty years, they started their own family. Raising two independent thinkers, who have kept not only their parents but their ol’ granny and papa on their toes often during their teenage years…”
A chorus of laughter fills the room as she narrows her eyes, smirking at Simone and then in my direction.
“It was all Simone’s bad influence,” I shout out, throwing my big sister right under the bus.
Gasping in mock disbelief, my sister pretends to look mortified as Jameson crosses his arms acting cross with her.
“Darling, I might believe that,” Granny laughed. “If the tradition of getting in trouble didn’t trickle down to Estelle when you and she became thick as thieves.”
“She’s got you there,” Estelle points out as the rest of the room joins our grandmother in laughter.
“Anyhow,” Granny continues. “These two crazy kids with eyes for adventure and a great love for our family and this country have created a life full of love and laughter that could make even the greatest love stories look lackluster when compared to theirs. Sara and Sterling, I hope you spend the rest of your lives looking at each other the way you did forty years ago. Thank you for proving everyone wrong. Except me, of course. I knew you two would last.”
“To Sara and Sterling,” my grandfather adds, standing up next to my grandmother, raising his glass.
Olivia Newton-John’s “I Honestly Love You” fills the room and my father pushes his chair back, offering his hand to my mother. With an ear-to-ear grin, she accepts his hand and the two of them take the dance floor.
“I’m calling it now,” Bodie leans in and whispers. “That’ll be us in fifty years.”
Following his gaze, my eyes settle on my parents. As my father spins her and pulls her back into him, my mother tips her head back, laughing at something he whispered just for her.
Turning to Bodie, I tilt my head, smiling at his certainty. “Oh yeah? You don’t think it’s a little too early to be calling that? How much have you had to drink tonight, Mr. Cambridge?”
Before he can answer, the song ends, and a loud applause fills the room. My parents each take a small bow before walking over to the small table that the DJ has set himself up at for the night.
Everyone around us has gone back to their conversations, but I don’t hear anything being said. Not realizing I was watching, my mother had pointed to Bodie and me while talking to the DJ and as soon as the microphone was handed over to my father, I know they’re up to no good.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming and celebrating a love that to this day, I consider myself the luckiest man on earth to have,” my father starts. “We heard there’s a special dance that brought our daughter Sutton and her new beau Bodie together, so in honor of love, both old and new, we’d like to invite Sutton and Bodie to the floor.”
Panic rapidly fills me as I feel people turn to us. All eyes are on Bodie and me as he extends his hand for me to take it.
“Did you know this was happening?” I ask under my breath as we walk together toward the middle of the now open dance floor. “How did they find out?”
“Nope, but it doesn’t matter. We got this. Just look right here,” he says, pointing to his eyes. “It’s just you and me, babe.”
“Save the Last Dance for Me” by Michael Bublé fills the ballroom and I’m instantly brought right back to Bodie’s dad’s coffee shop. The rest of the room slowly disappears as Bodie takes the lead, twirling and spinning me around the dance floor. Keeping our eyes locked on each other, we only allow our connection to break if our dance turns me away from him.
With one hand in mine and the other on my hip, he guides my rhythm until I feel secure enough in his arms to let the music take control on its own.
Before I know it, the song is over. Before I can rush back to my seat, the entire room is on their feet, cheering and clapping for us. A slew of photographers I hadn’t noticed while we danced fill the outer perimeter of the dance floor.
Offering me his arm, Bodie leans in, just for me to hear as he escorts us back to our seats. “This feeling, the high I get when I’m with you…That’s how I know we’ll be back in here forty years.”
My head tells me to disagree with him. An argument can be made that it’s too soon. It’s only been a few months and we still have so much to learn about each other. We’ve spent more time apart than we have together our entire relationship.
But my heart knows better. My heart knows there is no one other than Bodie. There will never be anyone else.
We had been one of the last couples to leave the party last night. After my grandparents left the party, it’s like the entire room exhaled, finally breathing for the first time all night. The music got louder, the dance floor got fuller, and the drinks were more plentiful. At some point, I lost a shoe. After quite a few glasses of champagne, I decided four-inch heels were not in the plan for the rest of the night, but only one of them made it back to Pearce Cottage with us.
Bodie, ever the gentleman, stayed relatively sober. Falling asleep on the fifteen-minute ride from Briallen Palace to my house, he not only carried me inside but managed to take off my dress and put me in pajamas too. Before he got into bed himself, he made sure Roxy went out and left a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin on my bedside
table for when I woke up.
Sleeping away most of the morning, we finally pulled ourselves out of bed. Only to find ourselves back in it before we even got the chance to eat breakfast.
“What are you hungry for?” I asked, standing in front of the refrigerator door looking for answers.
“Sutton a la naked,” Bodie shrugged as he pulled me back from the refrigerator.
With his hands in my hair, he tilted my head up before kissing me, pulling my bottom lip gently with his teeth.
“Mmmmhm,” he murmured against my lips. “This is what I want.”
Leaving behind a trail of clothing, we ended right back where we started. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. Bodie’s insatiable hunger only satisfied after he’d had his fair share of “Sutton a la naked” as he very specifically ordered.
Satisfied and sleepy, I couldn’t fight the urge to close my eyes again, promising to only take a short nap. I woke up in the same spot Bodie left me three hours later, alone and covered only in my black satin sheets.
Never knowing who could be in the house, I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before heading into the bathroom connected to my room.
At the sound of the bathroom door opening, I sigh. Now don’t get me wrong, I love what happens when I’m naked in Bodie Cambridge’s presence, but shower time is Sutton time. Normally when he isn’t here, I bring in my waterproof speaker and pour some wine in my insulated tumbler to keep it chilled while I stand in the scalding hot water.
As if he can read my mind, he laughs, “Don’t worry, I’m not coming in. Just wanted to check on you since this is the first time I’ve heard movement in a few hours.”
He’s perfect.
“I’m okay. Head hurts a little,” I admit as I scrub the shampoo out of my hair. “Think I need to grab some coffee and something to eat.”
“I’ll have it ready by the time you come out,” he says, the bathroom door closing right after.
With a towel wrapped around my hair, I find Bodie in the sitting room, watching sports news on the television.
