by J. S. Scott
I could feel their energy around me, so I knew some part of them were hearing every word I said. “I hate the way you treated your daughters, and I really despise you for every hateful thing you said to them, but just for the record...Amy and Hayden will always be loved from this day forward. They deserve it, and they were always entitled to be loved.”
I’d always hated Amy’s parents, and had since the first time I’d heard her cry about the names they called her, and admitted to me how she’d always felt “less than” because of the criticism she’d endured when she was younger.
I continued, “Hayden is now married to my little brother, Jackson. And Amy is going to marry me. Honestly, I don’t really give a damn whether you approve of the men they choose to be with, but I think they’d both want you to know. They never stopped trying to make you happy, no matter how miserable you made both of them. I’d really like to think you have some kind of remorse now that you’re gone, and you’ll never have a chance to make things better. So just in case you do give a shit, your daughters are fine. You obviously weren’t capable of unconditional love, and it bugs the shit out of me that you could never love your daughters. But like I said, I’m glad you brought them into the world. Amy is my soulmate.”
I took a deep breath, feeling a big load lifted from my chest as I finished, “Maybe your girls weren’t happy as children, but Jackson and I plan on taking care of their emotional needs for the rest of our lives. You had your chance. We’ll take it from here.”
I straightened up, and realized that the energy force I’d felt when I walked up had disappeared.
“Damn.” Maybe they had cared enough that they were hanging around, a part of them wanting to know how their offspring had fared after they’d left them behind, unloved.
I turned, knowing there was nothing more to say.
I’d gone through most of Amy’s childhood with her, and every time her parents had made her cry, it had fucking hurt.
Back then, I’d wished like hell that I could tell them off.
But now that I might have had a chance, they were dead.
My only option to relieve the anger and resentment I still harbored was to hope they were still hanging around to hear me.
In connecting with them, I’d helped them, too. Because I’d spilt my guts, they were at peace. I didn’t really mind that because Amy would want it that way.
As I started back to the car, I saw my father waiting for me and grinned. It was so like him to be there for me or Jackson.
“Everything okay?” he asked with a concerned, fatherly look on his face.
I nodded as the grin on my face got even larger. “Yeah, everything is great.”
And it was.
I was about to finally get the woman of my dreams. Literally this time.
It didn’t get any better than that.
Chapter Fifteen
Amy
Everything was happening so fast.
But I’d gotten to the point that I didn’t mind the whirlwind marriage. I was going with it because when Levi and I were together, I felt like I could fly.
After all, the crazy, impulsive wedding had been part of my dreams. What I’d hoped I would get, but never really believed I would. And I wanted to cry because I realized that was exactly what Levi was trying to give me.
Everything I’d always wanted, and more.
I wanted to weep because my heart ached in a good way, but the last thing I wanted was to screw up my makeup. Not now.
Levi was my everything, and all the nerves I’d felt earlier were gone.
My dress was ready, I’d gotten a new haircut, new style, and beautiful wedding hair as well as a manicure, pedicure, and massage. Mrs. Gillette had stayed with me every step of the way until we arrived on the island.
Maybe she was afraid I’d be a runaway bride, but that wasn’t about to happen. Even when I’d been flustered about the breathtakingly fast wedding, I was also giddy with happiness.
Now, I was standing here alone in a stunning bridal suite overlooking the scenic stretch of vacant beach on Galveston Island. Staring at the gulf, I wondered what I’d ever done to deserve someone like my groom.
Levi had rented an event home for our wedding, and it was perfect. We were staying on the island for a while to honeymoon, in Hayden’s place.
He’d offered to take me anywhere in the world.
But I’d asked him to keep it in Galveston. Hayden and I had a lot of good memories here. In fact, all of our quality time together had mostly been here. I hadn’t been in her beach house for a while now because we’d gotten overwhelmed as our practice had grown.
“Hello. Hello!” Hayden rushed in with her arms ready for a hug. “Oh Amy! You’re beautiful!”
“My brother has been trying to tell her that for a while now,” Jackson said, following Hayden into the suite. “Congratulations. Twice in one month we’ve become family.” He kissed my cheek. “Do you girls need anything?”
“We’re fine,” Hayden said, giving him a smoldering kiss before he left the room.
As soon as we were alone, Hayden grabbed my hand, and dragged me to a dressing bench. We sat there sharing our stories. She couldn’t spiel her honeymoon truths quickly enough. Jackson was perfect, attentive, and the best at everything.
It was more information than I needed.
She was happy, hopelessly in love, and wanted to get pregnant soon. She was hoping maybe we’d plan our future children together.
Too much. Too soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I wanted children. Levi couldn’t wait to have them. It just seemed a little premature to discuss planned pregnancies when I hadn’t even managed the wedding vows.
Luckily, I was on the pill, so I wasn’t going to get pregnant until Levi and I were both ready.
“Do you love him?” Hayden asked, her voice dropping an octave.
“Did you love Jackson when you married him?”
“You know I did!” The blushing bride was testament enough for me.
“If weddings and marriage look this good on you, I see no reason to turn back now,” I said, not meaning anything by it. After I caught her look of concern, I added, “He’s the one, Hayden. He’s always been the one.”
“I know,” she said, nodding. “It’s great isn’t it?”
“It is,” I said with a sigh. “Levi is the man I’ve always wanted, but didn’t know existed outside of my dreams.”
“I’m surprised you’ve been able to keep your clothes on.”
I squirmed. “We haven’t exactly.”
“Get out,” she said, covering her mouth. “You haven’t fucked him?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Trust me, we’ve tried.” Somewhat. Until I’d screwed up and put him off in our dreams. I didn’t plan on sharing those details.
“But you’ve had experiences in your dreams. Right?”
I nodded. “It’s those experiences that have kept me sane.”
“Maybe he’s saving you for marriage.”
“Lucky for me the timer runs out in about an hour.”
We broke out in fits of laughter.
Hayden then said, “Oh, but we’re going to have a very long reception. The family catered a nice dinner. There will be music and dancing. We’ll go to the pier. Enjoy a quiet group walk on the beach. You know how these things are. They drag out forever.”
“I’m dragging my groom to the closest bedroom as soon as we say I do,” I said, not teasing one little bit.
Mrs. Gillette poked her head in the room. “Time to put on your wedding gown! Need some help?”
Hayden shook her head to answer for me. “We’ll take care of it, Mrs. Gillette. Thank you.”
“Girls, whenever you’re comfortable, call me Mom or Paige. Mrs. Gillette is way too formal.”
“Thank you,” Hayden said. “I’ll come and sit with you as soon as Amy’s dressed.”
I was already donning my dress when Mrs. Gillette exited the room. “She’s been a gem,” I s
aid lightly. “We’ve had a long day, but I couldn’t have done it without her.”
“She means well,” Hayden said. “It’s kind of nice to have a motherly presence around.”
“Yes, it is,” I agreed.
Hayden helped me with the small pearl buttons that ran up my back. She fluffed the lace shoulders before attaching the comb veil. It was a single layer classic style with traditional floral appliqués to match the design on the lace train which was floor length.
“You always wanted a puffy wedding dress,” she said, pasting on a smile.
“I’m sorry, Hayden. I feel like we rushed into this, and you weren’t here to help with my wedding, but I got to be there for yours. This even interrupted your honeymoon.”
I cringed. Lord knew I understood exactly how much it hurt to get interrupted.
“Don’t you dare apologize! If loving Jackson has taught me anything it’s that we only have the promise of today, right now in this moment. In another minute, it could all be over. You don’t want to postpone all this, and I would’ve been mad if you had. Besides, we’re not done with our honeymoon. We just took a little detour.” She kissed my cheek, and dragged a tube of rose-colored lipstick from her pocket. “Just a little more for the pictures. It looks like you’ve nibbled yours off.”
As I painted my lips, she draped a strand of pearls around my neck. “Something old. They were Mother’s. You gave them to me to wear on my special day, and I want you to wear them now. We’ll put them away for future Gillette weddings.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Your wedding gown is something new and…” She pulled a garter from her coat pocket, and unwrapped the ties on both sides of the plastic container. “Something blue!”
I laughed as she tossed the garter my way. We practically ruined our makeup when I couldn’t get the garter past my calf. It was tiny. It wasn’t going over my thigh, and I didn’t mind.
I was marrying a man who didn’t care if I was a size two or four. He certainly wouldn’t care if my garter was on my thigh.
When Hayden went solemn, I knew something more serious was on her mind.
“Mr. Gillette would love to walk you down the aisle, but if you don’t feel comfortable with that, he’d never hold it against you.”
Oh hell, my eyes were swelling up with tears. But I blinked them back. I’d actually already taken Mr. Gillette up on his offer to give me away, and his enthusiastic willingness had touched me.
In some ways, I was missing parents. Not necessarily my parents, but having someone older who cared about my future.
“I know. I already said yes to him,” I said, squeezing her hand. “What else?”
“If I tell you, it might ruin a surprise. I don’t know if Levi wanted to tell you himself.”
I rolled my eyes. Like Hayden I could ever keep a secret from one another? “You have to tell me now.” I waited and grew anxious when she didn’t blurt out whatever it was that she’d meant to say. “Hayden? What is it?”
“I know Levi’s a good guy, but I want you to know just how lucky you are to have him.” She dabbed her eyes as she started to cry. “He’s just the best. He’s the best guy in the world for you. This family…they’re loving and kind, and so family-oriented. We never had this when we were kids. It’s kind of overwhelming, and glorious at the same time.”
“We have it now,” I assured her. “We’ll get used to it.”
It was an adjustment, but one I knew we were both happy to make.
“Levi went to see Mom and Dad today,” she blurted out.
“He went to…what are you talking about?”
“He went to the cemetery. Levi told Jackson he was going. He wanted Mom and Dad to know how he felt, and that he’d always take care of you.”
As I dabbed the wet corners of my eyes, and completely embraced the love I felt for Levi, I quietly said, “Sometimes I think Mom would roll over in her grave if she knew how happy we were. She never wanted this for me.”
“I think she might have,” Hayden said. “I’ve come to understand her more in these past few weeks. Mom had a thriving career when Dad swept her off her feet and pulled her out of Hollywood. Texas is a great state, but even Texas wasn’t big enough to hold her. Mom loved the spotlight. She belonged in Hollywood or New York. Thank God she came here, and we settled here, too. Because of that decision, I can’t completely hate her. But I’m not going to keep looking for approval anymore. Slowly, Mom’s voice in my head is going away, and it’s being replaced by Jackson’s.”
God, I only hoped that would happen for me eventually. Maybe I could put on a good façade, but I was never quite as confident as I might appear to be.
I finally spoke. “Mom was a selfish and bitter woman, but maybe you’re right. Maybe Texas wasn’t big enough for a glamorous supermodel.”
Lucky for me, Texas was just the right size for my dreams.
MMM
Levi
I held my head as high as I could as Jackson straightened my bowtie.
“You’re a handsome devil,” Jackson teased. “And wait until you see Amy. She looks like a million bucks.”
“If any other man gave my future wife such a compliment, I’d deck the bastard.” I grinned.
“You’ll be happy with her, Levi,” Jackson said. “Really, that’s the only thing that matters.”
“I’m already happy,” I assured him. “And once the wedding party clears out, I’ll be the happiest man in Galveston.”
Jackson laughed at the hilarity. “Just for that, I’m keeping the drinks coming, and you’ll be too drunk to do much more than snore.”
“Try that out and see how far you get,” I rumbled, silently acknowledging my later goals for the evening. I couldn’t wait to bring our illicit dreams to life.
It was going to be all I could do to not want to drag Amy off the moment she walked up the aisle.
“We’re all here,” Mac said as he arrived, patting me on the back, and sliding the rings in my pocket. “You’ve got this.”
“I do now,” I said, jiggling my pocket.
“She’s going to love the ring you picked out,” said Jackson.
“Luckily, I didn’t listen to my overzealous mother. She thought it needed more diamonds,” I said dryly.
My Mom couldn’t understand, and probably never would, that I knew Amy almost as well as I knew myself, and a gaudy ring wouldn’t be her style.
“I heard that,” Mom said, joining us.
Mac, Jackson, and I surrounded her with a loving hug. Mac had always been like a second brother, but he had come and gone over the years. His dad was an international banker, and they’d spent most of Mac’s youth overseas. Still, he always came through for Jackson and me for the big occasions in life.
“Let’s do this,” I said, turning to my dad and motioning him to Amy’s door.
Dad knocked on her door and, once he poked his head in her bridal suite, I went to the gardens below.
I was about to take the ultimate plunge into commitment, and I couldn’t think of taking it with anyone else. Amy knew me better than my own folks. In many ways, she knew me better than Jackson.
We’d been together throughout our lives, and shared pieces of ourselves that we’d yet to address.
I’d fill in the blanks where necessary. Maybe Amy hadn’t recovered every single memory yet, but mine were crystal clear.
The wedding march started. I straightened my shoulders, and waited for my bride.
Dad was by her side as she made her way up the aisle.
Saying that Amy looked gorgeous would be an understatement.
Mine! She’ll always be mine. She was always meant to be mine.
The ceremony took all of ten minutes.
The reception was a four-hour ordeal that had me chomping at the bit.
Mac and Jackson had a great time dragging it out at my expense, but I held true to my promise. I wasn’t going down as the man who had too much to drink on his wedding night.
> I wasn’t much of a party animal, and Amy only had two glasses of champagne herself.
We had other plans in mind as we said goodnight to our loved ones, and watched them walk away to find their own accommodations.
The wind kicked up a notch, and Amy’s wedding veil blew in the wind. She was a picture, a captured memory that I’d never forget as long as I fucking lived.
“Come inside?” I opened the door of the beach house once we’d gotten up the stairs, and led her into our candlelit bedroom.
Earlier, while Hayden kept Amy distracted, I turned the bedroom into the perfect honeymoon palace. A hot bath awaited us, complete with bubbles and champagne, plus heated towels.
I took her hand, and led her to the bed. Once there, I removed her shoes, and massaged her arch. “You’re so damn fucked,” I said hoarsely. “Now that you’re mine, I’m never letting go.”
She rolled her eyes. She didn’t seem one bit worried about the fact that I was never going anywhere.
Her laughter was mesmerizing.
When had she become so happy?
At what point had the worry slipped from her eyes?
When had the stress lines faded away?
“Don’t believe me?” I asked, and raised a brow.
“I don’t know…our track record isn’t great.”
“I’m about to change that like a boss,” I said, pulling her upright. I took her hand and gave her a spin, but it wasn’t because I wanted to dance. I was trying to figure out the best way to get her out of the dress, and into our bed.
Hayden had jokingly said I’d never figure out the buttons and zips, and after a couple of attempts, I had to agree with her.
“If this thing doesn’t come off in about two minutes, I’m finding a pair of scissors.”
“Slow down, handsome,” she said, peering over her shoulder. “We have all night.”
