I knew she had been worrying about that lately and their relationship seemed to be a little strained because of it. The Major Hoosiers had been offered the opportunity to open for a pretty big band and they would be on the road for a while if they accepted, which I was pretty sure they would be doing.
“Well, at least you have a little bit of time to decide on all of that. Hopefully, you’ll figure out everything with Mark.” Remy nodded her head silently, but I could tell she was stuck on the whole Mark thing.
I loved Chase with all of my heart, but who knows if we would’ve ended up staying together if he had continued to be in the band. I don’t know if I could handle having a boyfriend on the road even though I trusted him completely. It was those groupies that I didn’t trust.
“So Al, what did you end up doing for the rest of the night after we left? Seems like you were out pretty late.” I raised an eyebrow at her, but she avoided looking at me. Instead, her toes looked very interesting all of a sudden.
“Oh, nothing. Just danced a little, walked on the beach for a bit. Nothing too exciting.”
I snorted when she said it. I knew her too well, basically every word out of her mouth had just been a lie, but I decided to let it go. For now.
We were pampered for the rest of the day, getting our toes and nails done, and then getting massages. Lunch was brought to us while we were soaking in our whirlpool with our special facial masks on. I felt fancy eating those tiny little finger sandwiches with cucumbers on them. I had never before been so catered to in my life. Mary had really outdone herself with all of this and I was really going to need to figure out a good way to repay her.
After our soaking, all three of us were put into white fluffy robes and were escorted to the salon in the resort. We weren’t doing anything too fancy so I just got my hair styled with my usual curls and a crown of braids added to the front. Ally and Remy both got theirs put up into a simple twist and then we made our way up to their room where we were getting ready for the ceremony.
“Oh my,” Remy breathed out after helping me slip the simple white dress that flowed around my ankles, carefully over my hair. The minute I had seen this dress at the bridal store, I knew it was going to be perfect for our ceremony. There was a lace overlay over the thin material and it tied around my neck, leaving my back completely exposed. “You look gorgeous; I can’t wait till Chase sees you. He won’t have any idea what to do with himself. He’s probably going to faint.”
Chapter 5
Chase
The day had passed by slower than I had thought possible. Teddy, Mark, and I hung out at the beach all day, after my mom made sure I was lathered up in plenty of sunscreen, like I was five years old again. The girls definitely had more pampering to do on the wedding day than us guys.
Mark had hired a private instructor for us to try out scuba diving. It was something I had always wanted to try and it was an awesome experience. After spending almost half of the day learning how to use all of the equipment, and then exploring, we relaxed on the beach.
I sat up when I glanced down at my watch, seeing that it was about time to go up and get dressed, and punched Teddy in the shoulder. He had been passed out the minute we hit the beach. Probably from a very late night.
“Dude, leave me the hell alone. I need my beauty sleep, you know it’s a proven fact that the best man has to outshine the groom,” he mumbled out and then rolled over onto his stomach, burying his head in the sand.
“Right, not sure where you heard that, bud. Let’s go, time to get ready. Maybe you shouldn’t have stayed out so late last night.”
“Chase is right.” Mark stood up, brushing the sand off his trunks and grabbing up his beach towel. “I don’t think you came in till almost six this morning.”
“Quit tattling on me Mark, I thought we were bros. Besides, don’t think I didn’t see a certain red head in your bed. I’m not the only troublemaker around here. We’re on vacation, got to live a little boys.” Teddy smirked, finally jumping to his feet and pushing his sunglasses up to reveal bloodshot eyes.
“Whatever, Ted. Just do something about those, I’m sure my mom has some eye drops stashed somewhere. I don’t think they’ll turn out too good in the pictures.”
“Does that mean you two losers don’t want to hear about my night then? You know Chase, you’re going to be wanting to live vicariously through me now that you’ll be a married man. No more late nights for you. You’re going to be a one woman dude from now on.”
Oh, yeah. I forgot how much I partied before Leah, not really. And now just because I was getting married, I would be settling down. I think Teddy was just thinking about himself. “Sure, go ahead. I’m sure I’ll hear about it anyway.”
“Well, where do I begin?” He rubbed his hands together as we stepped into the elevator and Mark punched in the floor to my room where me and the guys were getting ready before the ceremony.
“There were plenty of hot chicks there, but I know how fun Ally can be. I don’t have to worry about some crazy bitch that gets all clingy and won’t leave me alone the next day. So after you all disappeared, without so much as a goodbye might I add, she dragged me down to the beach and practically attacked me. She straddled my lap in that short ass dress she was wearing, which she had nothing on underneath, by the way-”
“Whoa, whoa, dude.” I held up a hand as we stepped off the elevator and I pulled out my key card. “I don’t want to hear another word. Ally is practically Leah’s sister, so I really don’t want to hear about your sex life when it comes to her. Why do you keep going back to her if you don’t want a relationship? If you like her so much and she’s so much fun, make it exclusive.”
Teddy groaned as he flopped onto the bed and pulled his sunglasses back down. “Don’t start up with that shit again, Chase. Me and Ally like to have a good time together, nothing else. I don’t do relationships. She knows what she’s getting herself into when we’re together. I’ll leave that exclusive stuff to you two, and I’m not so sure how that’s gonna work out for you, Mark, when we go out on tour. You’ve heard of groupies, right? What we have back home, won’t be anything compared to what’s out on the road. I bet you won’t remember Remy after two days, when there will be girls throwing themselves at you.”
“Don’t worry about my relationship, buddy, I’ll handle that shit on my own. I don’t need help from you.” Mark crossed his beefy arms over his stocky chest; I could tell that he was a little uneasy about that whole topic.
I knew he and Remy had a good thing going, but he was definitely worried about how to keep a relationship going on the road. I was glad that I got out of the band when I did, even though I still missed it. I would choose Leah over playing any day.
We took turns showering and then the two of them got dressed in dress pants and simple white dress shirts Leah and my mom had picked out. I had pulled on my tan suit that was a little dressier but still simple. Leah had wanted things pretty casual when she planned everything out. I didn’t care as long as she was my wife at the end of the whole thing.
We found the spot on the beach where the resort had set up the area where the wedding would be held. Everything looked perfect to me. A white arch was set right at the edge of the water, wrapped intricately in flowers and the aisle was lined with lit torches. Leah and my mom had planned the ceremony to be right at sunset and the sun was a perfect, warm, orange ball, looking like it was almost ready to set straight into the ocean.
“Oh honey, you look so handsome.” My mom came over as soon as the guys and I found our spots up front, squeezing my cheek between her index finger and thumb. “I wish your dad could have made it to see you. I’m sure he’s so disappointed that he’s missing this. I’ll be sure to send him some pictures on my phone after the ceremony is over.”
Since we had set the wedding up sort of last minute, my dad couldn’t wrangle his schedule around enough to where he could make it. I knew how bad he felt, and yeah it was a little weird that he wasn’t there fo
r my wedding day, but I understood. If he could have made it happen, he would have. That was just the kind of man he was.
“Thanks Mom, you look beautiful as always. I’m sure there will be plenty of pictures for dad, but I know it won’t be the same. I think he’ll appreciate it if you send him some pictures right away; that’s nice of you.”
“I’m sure and trust me, like I said I’ll make sure there are plenty of pictures. It’s not every day my baby boy gets married. Now, I’m going to go check on the little ones again. They’re getting a little anxious. Belle probably won’t have any rose petals left by the time she makes it down the aisle, and Caleb is wiggling around like a little worm. I really don’t think we want to be searching through the sand for wedding rings. Love you, honey.”
I laughed at the picture my mom had just painted of my youngest sister and Caleb, sounded just about right, even though the whole ring thing made me a little nervous. “Love you too, Mom.”
“Oh and by the way,” she leaned up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear, her eyes twinkling. “Leah looks gorgeous. I can’t wait till you see her; you’ll be over the moon.”
My smile grew even wider, just thinking about Leah. I already knew how gorgeous she was, even when she rolled straight out of bed, grumpy as hell. I think that really was my favorite time of day.
I took a deep breath as I watched my mom disappear back inside. Mark and Teddy were making small talk with the minister that the resort provided, but I really wasn’t hearing much. Instead, I was running and rerunning over the vows that I had prepared in my head.
When I had first brought up the idea of writing our own vows, Leah freaked out a little bit. She had said that just because I had an English degree, didn’t mean she had a way with words, too. Then I suggested I just write one set of vows and we would repeat them to each other, and that seemed to ease her down a little bit.
Now I was sort of rethinking it. My palms were sweating and it wasn’t from the balmy heat. My stomach was twisted in knots and I kept feeling the urge to vomit rise up in my throat. I hoped that she liked them, that I didn’t screw them up, or worse, my mind completely go blank.
Teddy nudged me in the side with his elbow, interrupting the whirlwind of words running through my head that I was repeating over and over again. I was even more nervous than I realized. “We’re getting ready to start, dude. You’re about ready to have an old ball and chain. I gotta say though yours is pretty hot, if you ever get sick of her-”
“Teddy, shut it,” Mark interrupted harshly. “Are you really going to do this on Chase’s wedding day? You might think it’s funny, but it’s not. We all know Leah would never give you the time of day anyway.” Mark smirked at Teddy who just rolled his eyes and they both stepped back into place beside me.
My eyes drifted back to the end of the makeshift aisle in the sand, when the soft sounds of ‘Over the Rainbow,’ the ukulele version, started to play. I had considered playing this on the guitar as Leah walked down the aisle, but now I was glad I didn’t. My hands were so sweaty they would have slid right off the strings.
One by one my sisters filed down the aisle, all beaming with smiles, followed by my mom and Chris. Belle came next, dressed in a white tutu, skipping down the aisle, arm in arm with Caleb. Those two were always inseparable. Caleb was gripping the ring pillow tightly against his chest, so I guessed he had been given a warning or two from my mom. Those could be scary.
He smiled wide when he saw me and picked up his pace, coming to stand right next to me for the ceremony just like we planned. I ruffled his curls that were so much like his sister’s, but my hand stopped after I caught a glimpse of Leah who was behind Ally and Remy.
The white dress she had on was simple, but stunning, playing off the darkness of her skin even more than usual and just skimming her bare ankles. Her dark curls fell past her shoulders, just brushing the middle of her back and I just wanted to run down the aisle to scoop her up and never let go. She was absolutely…breathtaking.
Her gray eyes were wide when our gazes finally met. I was expecting her to be nervous. I knew how she was when it came to these kind of things and truthfully I was surprised we had made it this far. But her eyes weren’t filled with fear, instead they looked glossy with unshed tears and her full lips were curved into a smile about as wide as mine.
“Hi,” she whispered out, looking up through her thick eyelashes at me. I couldn’t help myself, that look was absolutely killing me. I dipped my head down and laid a gentle kiss onto her soft lips, something I felt like I had needed to do as soon as I saw her.
She let out a soft moan against my lips, clasping her hands behind my head to bring me closer, the feelings of want mutual. What started as just a simple kiss turned into more, I needed a taste of her sweetness and our tongues mingled together. The minister cleared his throat, ruining the moment, and we both pulled back with a laugh, our eyes never leaving each other.
“And now may we proceed?” he asked with a smile. We both nodded our heads and our family and friends around us laughed.
“Chase and Leah, today you celebrate one of life's greatest moments and give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, as you join together in vows of marriage. Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions…” His voice drowned out after that. I couldn’t pay attention to anything but the beautiful girl across from me. The beautiful girl who was about to be my wife.
Her small hand in mine, the way it fit perfectly. The softness of her skin that I wanted to rain small kisses over every inch. Her stubbornness that sometimes got on my nerves, but was one of the things I loved about her most.
“Now Chase, I understand you have written your own vows. You may proceed with those now.”
I took a deep breath, my eyes flicked back to Leah, who gave me a reassuring smile. I was sure she could feel the sweatiness on my hands. Here goes nothing, hopefully I don’t screw it up.
“Leah, I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife, knowing and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine.
I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make you and Caleb’s happiness my first priority.
“I will be yours in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph.
I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever journey our lives may bring. You are now my wife- my love and my life, today and always.”
I blew out a breath as I said the last word and wiped at my forehead. I was seriously going to need to shower before the honeymoon got started. I don’t think I had ever been this nervous in my life, even when I had performed in front of hundreds of people. I could tell by the tears that were streaming down Leah’s face though, that I had done a pretty good job. I mentally patted myself on my back and gave her hands a small squeeze.
She repeated my words back to me slowly and I helped her along the way, in between both of our tears. I knew I was going to get serious shit from Teddy for crying like a baby, but I seriously didn’t care. The only person I cared about in that moment was Leah.
“Chase, do you take Leah to be your-”
“I do,” I interrupted and Leah let out a quiet , musical laugh.
“Okay, good. Anxious, I see,” the minister chuckled out. “And Leah, do you take Chase to be your-”
“I do,” she interrupted, apparently in as much of a hurry as I was to officially be married. At those two simple words, all of the nerves that I had for the day disappeared. She was now my wife, and was no longer running. Along with Caleb, we were a family and our journey together was just beginning.
Chapter 6
Leah
“Baby,” Chase murmured out, his warm breath blowing against my bare stomach. I had been sound asleep but really didn’t mind being woken up this way. I reached out a hand and ran it over the short stubble that covered his head. He had cut it all off again right before the wedding
, I thought I would miss it, but really, I loved seeing him exactly the same way as when we had first met.
We had gotten back late the night before, our vacation/honeymoon over far too soon, but it was nice to be home. Caleb had passed out the minute we left the airport, and stayed that way when we got home. Chase had scooped me up to carry me over the threshold after he had Caleb tucked in to bed, but as soon as our heads hit the pillow, we were out. Our vacation had been fun, and something I would remember for the rest of my life, but it had definitely been draining. Who knew getting married could be so much hard work?
“What are you doing Chase, shouldn’t we be resting up?” I teased as he placed open- mouthed kisses farther up my stomach, sending shivers straight down to my toes. I was so happy that he still made me feel that way with the simplest touch. I had a feeling it would be like that forever.
He pulled his mouth away and looked up at me, a sexy smirk playing on his lips. “Well, we both passed out last night, so I figured we needed to get busy christening the bed. Now that we’re married, we’ll have to redo all of the spots in the house. And I mean all of ‘em.” He winked a twinkling green eye at me and went back to work with his mouth, pushing the T-shirt that I had slipped on in the dark last night, up even farther.
I knew exactly what he was talking about when he said all of them. We didn’t get the house to ourselves very often with Caleb, but when we did, Chase liked to have sex just about everywhere. And I mean, everywhere.
I let out a gasp when he took my breast in his mouth, the cool silver from his tongue ring that he rarely took out, flicking against my nipple. I knew when he started teaching next week, he would obviously have to take it out, but that would seriously be the only time I would allow it. I mean, I was his wife now, I had certain demands that he needed to fulfill, right?
Limitless (Journey Series) Page 3
