“I understand the sentiment, Mrs. Billings. My father hated the media and avoided scandal at all cost,” Gwen said. “There.” The last pin attached the diamond tiara to Eliza’s head and Gwen stood back. “Lovely.”
Eliza stared at her reflection in the mirror. The gown crossed in the front, dipping enough to show off some cleavage. The style similar to Gwen and Samantha’s. Only hers was floor length with a slight train. Her bare arms kissed by the summer sun had a healthy glow contrasting the white silk beautifully. Her mother would have loved it. Her father would have cried. Just thinking of them, remembering them, brought a well of tears behind her eyes.
“Oh, don’t you dare!” Tracy scolded. “You can cry after the pictures.”
Gwen laughed and Samantha moved to Eliza’s side. “You’re going to take his breath away.”
“My son is a lucky man.”
Eliza hid behind her smile. Abigail didn’t need to know their marriage was somewhat forced under a bizarre set of circumstances. “Thank you.”
“I have something for you.” Abigail reached into her purse and removed a small box. “It falls into the old and blue category. Samantha told me you were covered with borrowed and new.”
Inside the box lay a tennis bracelet with ice blue aquamarine and diamond stones layered on top of platinum.
“It’s gorgeous.”
“When Cash and I married we managed to anger nearly everyone in my family, except my nana. She gave me this to wear on my wedding day and ask that I hand it down to my daughter or daughter-in-law on her wedding day.” Abigail removed the bracelet from the box and attached it to Eliza’s wrist.
Again, guilt about the circumstances of the wedding plagued her, but she accepted the jewelry and hugged Carter’s mother. “Thank you.”
There was another knock on the door. “Ladies? Are you ready?” Blake asked.
Sam opened the door a small crack. “We’re coming.”
Abigail turned for the door. “I’ll see you after the ceremony.”
Gwen fussed behind Eliza making the dress drape perfectly, and Samantha handed her the floral bouquet.
This is it.
“Ready?” Samantha asked.
“I’d better be.”
They opened the door to find Dean standing in the hall. His mouth fell open when his eyes met hers. It seemed only fitting to ask him to walk her down the aisle. Eliza always felt closer to the man than any assigned to her case, and he couldn’t exactly say no. Besides, she’d told him at the time, if pictures of the two of them managed to make it to her enemy, he’d see that she was surrounded by protection. From the man walking her to the altar, to the man accepting her as his bride.
“Wow,” he managed.
“You clean up well yourself.” Eliza attempted to lighten the growing knot of excited nerves. But there was still a hint of water behind Dean’s eyes.
Downstairs the music started to play, and Gwen shuffled in front of them to take her place.
Dean offered his arm and leaned in to whisper. “I feel I need to offer you some kind of advice.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Good. I managed to get married, but I suck at staying married.”
Eliza chuckled and turned to look at Dean. He was completely serious and somewhat offended that she was laughing. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For caring.”
He winked. “C’mon. It’s about time I hand you off to someone else for a while.”
Eliza continued to laugh as she walked down the stairs.
****
All eyes were on his bride, which suited Carter perfectly. When she stepped out into the sun and glanced up the grassy path to his side, her eyes met his and his nerves flew away with the breeze. He knew how sappy it would sound if he told anyone his thoughts, but it didn’t matter.
Eliza was the picture of perfection. Every man’s dream. And she was about to become his.
She was smiling at something Dean had said, and the laughter behind her eyes made her glow even more.
Dean handed her over and waited until Carter looked his way.
“Take care of her,” he said.
“I will.”
Carter took Eliza’s hand, squeezed it, and turned toward the minister.
The minster spoke of tomorrow, of now…of love. He encouraged the both of them to consider each other every day of their lives. He addressed the audience and asked if there was anyone who thought the two of them shouldn’t marry.
For a moment, Carter held his breath. God help anyone who said a peep now.
They didn’t.
He glanced down at his bride, noticed the slight smile on her lips, and knew she was thinking the same thoughts.
When the minister addressed him and asked if he would hold, cherish, and always keep sacred his union with Eliza, he said he would and felt the commitment to his very core.
Maybe it was his look, or perhaps the expression on his face, but when it was Eliza’s turn to devote herself to him for always…Carter believed her.
The minister asked for rings and Carter turned to Blake. His best friend produced the ring he’d picked out for Eliza to wear. It was the first time she would see it.
When he turned to her, her gaze drifted from his face to his hand. Her face washed of color and he thought for a moment that he might have to hold her up. Her jaw dropped and she quickly swiveled her eyes toward him. They glossed over and a brilliant smile manifested behind her mask of nerves. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Carter accepted her ring, a simple gold band with a beveled edge and brush finish, and then finally the minister pronounced them husband and wife.
Both of them released a collective sigh, which brought a slight chuckle from the audience.
For a brief moment, it was only the two of them. The minster wasn’t there, the audience… the sea. No one. Carter stepped into her space, wrapped his hand around her waist, and lowered his lips to hers.
He didn’t care that flashbulbs recorded the moment, didn’t care that his loving parents stood by and watched. This was for them. It was in that moment he knew that marrying Eliza meant more than protecting her from her past.
This was deeper.
This was lasting.
He ended their kiss and held onto her so she wouldn’t fall.
He paused for the camera when the minister pronounced them Mr. and Mrs. Billings.
She squeezed his hand, and he shuffled them down the aisle.
****
According to his tip, recreation time tonight would confirm or deny what he’d been told. It was impossible to deny the future governor a few moments of airtime on the local channels. Especially when that man was getting married.
The media ate that shit up.
He glanced around the room full of blue uniformed inmates and knew that many of them would hold out hope that the next governor would grant them a pardon.
He didn’t hold out that hope.
And if his tip was correct, there would be no question left in his mind what he needed to do.
The only way he could resolve what his meager existence had become.
Even then, it wouldn’t leave him whole.
But it was something.
It was something.
****
“Senator Hammond. The pleasure is mine,” Eliza prayed to God that Carter was nearby, but he was across the room talking with Blake and one of his influential friends.
Eliza extended her hand and Carter’s uncle leaned down, pretending to kiss her cheek. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” What else could she say? Eliza glanced over in Carter’s direction hoping that he could feel the weight of her stare and come to her rescue.
“I certainly hope you’re prepared to be a political wife, Eliza. The strain is taxing I’m told.”
Where are my supernatural powers when I need them? C’mon Carter. Look over here. “I’m sure
it’s not that bad.”
Hammond laughed, although his smile appeared forced…tight. “How is it I’ve heard nothing of you until last month with that unfortunate incident in the Texas bar?”
Carter!
“Discretion is key. Isn’t it?”
Hammond hesitated. “I suppose.”
His words hung on the air like a thick cloud of smoke.
“Max. It’s wonderful of you to have come on such short notice.”
Eliza had never felt like kissing another woman before as she did at that moment. Abigail stepped into the conversation and dominated it in seconds.
“It seems your son has followed in your footsteps, Abby. Instant marriage with someone the family barely knows,” he whispered so no one close by could hear.
“The best matches I’d say. Speaking of, where’s Sally?”
Maxwell glared at his sister, his hatred thinly veiled.
Lord, how could Abigail stand it?
“She’s helping Mother. Perhaps you can lend a hand.”
Abigail smiled and clasped onto Eliza’s arm. “Perfect idea. Come, Eliza, let me introduce you to the matriarch of our clan.”
They left Max standing alone, clutching his drink.
“Holy cow!” Eliza exclaimed when the escaped his presence. “Is he always so intense?”
“Yes. Sadly. He didn’t say anything truly nasty did he?”
“No. But I don’t think he likes me.”
Abigail dropped an arm around her shoulders. “That’s a very good thing. I’d have worried if he had.”
****
“Are you going to tell me why all the badges are here?”
Carter glanced over at his father and considered lying. Instead, he stalled. “What do you mean?”
“So that’s how you want to play it. Okay…” He turned toward the guests and nodded in Dean’s direction. “Dean is a cop, but not Eliza’s family. My guess is the man he’s talking to is his partner. They’ve talked to four other people here other than the wedding party. Of course there is Neil, but we know he’s a retired Marine. He still works for Blake, right?”
Carter swallowed his drink. “Yeah, technically.”
“There’s a rookie, a police dog with the valet, and those are only the ones I see. So I’ll ask again. Why all the badges?”
Carter hesitated. “It’s complicated, Dad. This isn’t the time or place.”
Cash lowered his voice. “Are you in…has there been a threat?”
Across the room, Eliza laughed alongside one of their guests. “I’m fine.”
Cash followed his gaze. “You know I’m here to help.”
For the first time in a while, Carter remembered how effective his father was as a cop. Maybe it was time to do some investigating on his own. As much as Dean and Jim were there to help, they weren’t free with the details that landed Eliza in her current the position.
Carter waved Neil over and asked the man if he had a pen. He scribbled Ricardo Sanchez’s name onto a napkin and handed it to his father. “He’s in San Quentin,” he whispered in his father’s ear. “Look back ten years.”
Cash shook his son’s hand. “Have I told you how proud I am of you, lately?”
Carter patted him on the back. “It’s been at least an hour.”
A photographer snapped pictures throughout the day. During Blake’s long-winded toast, Carter stood beside Eliza with a possessive hand around her waist.
When they cut the cake, Carter dribbled only a speck of icing on her nose. He avoided a messy chin by capturing her hand and licking off her fingers. For a moment, he caught her eyes and saw a spark of desire flood in them.
They hadn’t spoken of their wedding night, of what the other expected. In Carter’s mind he figured he’d let her set the course. With the slightest hint of passion, he would consummate their union and give into the sizzling chemistry that had been brewing for years. The thought of removing her wedding dress to see what she wore underneath, brought heat to his cheeks, and desire to his blood.
He finished chewing the cake while she watched and because he knew she wouldn’t pull away, he dipped his head to hers and kissed her. She was sweeter than the cake and breathless when he moved away.
They had another hour tops at the reception before he could remove her from the crowd and gauge her desires. He could hardly wait.
Chapter Nineteen
Eliza was plucking tiny grains of rice from her hair in the back of the limousine en route to the airport. “Wow.” She took a full deep breath for what seemed the first time that day. “That was crazy.”
Carter leaned forward and helped her disengage the small grains. “Crazy good?”
Her cheeks actually hurt from all the smiling. “Yeah. Crazy good.”
He nodded and tossed the rice to the floor. “Have I told you how gorgeous you are?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Well you are,” he laughed.
The car moved into traffic leaving the guests behind to continue the party.
Eliza brushed rice off his shoulder. “You missed your Hollywood calling, Carter. I’ll bet you didn’t even rent this tux.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Yeah. It is.” She left her hand on his shoulder and slid it to his neck.
“Are you going to say yeah all night?” He placed a hand on her thigh, and lifted an expectant brow.
“Maybe,” she said to be trite.
His eyes narrowed with laughter. “Now she says maybe.”
Even if their marriage was one of convenience, there was no reason not to enjoy it. If there was a lesson learned from Samantha and Blake’s union, it was that denying a physical attraction proved fruitless when the man you desired happened to be your husband.
She pressed her lips to his and tasted his surprise. He pulled her into his arms and deepened their kiss. His hand stroked her bare arm as he moved his lips to her ear. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Eliza glanced at the glass separating them and the driver. “We’re adults, we kinda like each other, and the bonus is we’re married.”
Carter sat back and held her face in his hands. “I never assumed…”
“I know. Which makes it even better.”
He kissed her again this time with more fervor…more desire. Heat swelled in the pit of her stomach and traveled south. Her hand slid inside his jacket, and met with the hard ripple of muscle under his shirt.
Carter moved away, again. “We need to start talking or I’m going to embarrass us both,” he said.
She wiped some of the moisture off her lips and put a bit of distance between them. Carter glanced out the back window to the car that followed.
“How long of a flight do we have?”
“Too long.”
The bodyguards would be on the plane with them, which meant they wouldn’t be alone until they reached the hotel in Kauai.
The driver drove them through the airport and onto the tarmac. He stopped when they arrived at Blake and Samantha’s jet. Much to Eliza’s surprise, there were a half a dozen paparazzi clicking pictures of them as they boarded the plane.
“Looks like news of our nuptials spread.”
Russell and Joe flanked them as they climbed the steps and into the plane. Eliza swiveled at the top of the steps and sent the photographers a presidential wave. Carter shook his head and his eyes crinkled with laughter.
Once inside she asked Carter to help her with the zipper of her dress. He groaned as he slid it down her spine. They both eyed the bed on the plane and smiled at each other. Eliza was sure where his thoughts led. “I don’t think so, Hollywood. Two bodyguards, a pilot, and a copilot are too much of an audience for me.”
“There’s a door.”
“Not a thick one. What if we hit turbulence?”
“Kauai is five hours away,” he debated.
Eliza held her dress up with one arm and placed the other on his chest. “How long have you known me?”
“Over two
years.”
She shoved him out the door. “Five more hours won’t kill you.” She shut the door behind him and changed into a more practical dress.
****
Carter felt the ungodly urge to bang his head against the seat of the airplane. Eliza eyed the door to the bedroom more than once. The bodyguards were happily tucked into a service section of the plane and wouldn’t even notice if they slipped into the room. About the time Carter opened his mouth to suggest they “rest” the captain asked them to fasten their seatbelts and to expect some turbulence.
That was two hours ago. Outside of a trip to the bathroom and a refill of sparkling wine, they were glued to their seats.
“I just realized something,” Eliza said as she sipped her wine. “I’ve never been to your house. I didn’t even pack my things. And what is Gwen going to do?”
“I wouldn’t worry about Gwen. I think she likes her new life. And I’m sure Neil will tag a team of watchful eyes on her for safety.”
Eliza hadn’t thought of that. “Gwen will love his attention.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that. She’ll love Neil’s attention. I think she has a thing for him.”
Carter swiveled in his seat. “For Neil? Are you sure?”
“She hasn’t said so directly. But she does that dopey, girly look whenever she talks about him. Don’t you dare tell him I said that.”
He laughed. “I left high school some time ago. I admit I didn’t see that coming.”
“No one is coming.” Eliza stopped short when she realized what she’d said. “I mean, I don’t think Gwen has done anything about her attraction.”
Carter winked. “Something tells me she won’t. And I can’t imagine Neil initiating a relationship with Blake’s sister.”
“Because he works for Blake?”
“It’s more complicated than that. If there is an attraction then I’m sure Neil will take extra care to insure Gwen’s safety. So don’t worry about her. I can text Jay when we land and have him hire a moving company if you want. Your things can be in my home before we get back.”
“I’d rather do it myself. Besides, I’ll have extra hands around me for a while to help.” She glanced to the front of the plane and the bodyguards that were playing cards. “How long do you think we’ll have to have them around?”
Married by Monday (Weekday Brides) Page 16
