Maggie said.
“Most men are that way, sweetheart. They don’t like to have
a woman with a mouth on her. They want their women to do as
they’re told.” “Just most men know in this day and age, they aren’t going to
find many women willing to do that.” My mother touched my hand
when she spoke. I looked up and smiled again.
“He really just wants me to be happy. He is always giving me
things, showing me things, or taking me somewhere he thinks will
make me smile. He tells me how much I mean to him all the time,
and how he doesn’t want to lose me.” I laughed. “He doesn’t
understand window shopping at all. I tell him I like something, or
stop to look at something, and he either buys it right then, or I find it
in my room the next day.”
“Well why would he? He has more money than God, right?
He doesn’t have to window shop, he can buy whatever he wants.”
Lorraine and my mother both looked at Maggie and she just
shrugged her shoulders.
“So why isn’t he here?” Lorraine asked. That was the
elephant in the room. I had told them we would be coming here
together. I was so excited for them to meet him. I really thought him meeting my family would make me feel
like Liam’s and my relationship was normal, or could be normal. Now
I was here alone.
“Oh he had some business to take care of, so he won’t be
able to make it.” My voice was quiet and I didn’t look at any of them
when I said it.
“Did you break up?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie,” Lorraine and my mother said at the same time.
“Well when she was talking about him she seemed to get a
little emotional, and now he isn’t here, so I thought they might have
broken up.” I could feel the tears in my eyes.
“Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” my mother moved to the floor
and wrapped her arms around me. I started to sob uncontrollably.
“Shhh. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,
Norah,” Lorraine took my hand. “The summer fling was over, huh? And things got real, right?
Meeting the family was too much for him, so he sent you here
alone….sent you away. Men are assholes, Norah. They like their
young little play things, but when things get serious the game is over
and it’s on the next little play thing.” My mother always had a way of
making me feel like crap. I was never good enough, never pretty
enough, and certainly never smart enough. I had realized in High
School that sometimes my failures made her happy. She couldn’t
stand that I had met a gorgeous, rich man that loved me and wanted
me to move to another country to be with him. She couldn’t stand it
that I had whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it…all I had to do
was ask. I pulled away and stood up.
“Liam isn’t like that. Yes, we fought, and things are
complicated right now….but he loves me! He isn’t off looking for
another young play thing. You just can’t stand it that he loves me,
and makes me happy!” I walked out. “Good one, Mom,” I heard Lorraine say as I ran down the
hall. I ran outside and almost right into Tiffany.
“Oh my goodness! Look at you! You look so different,
beautiful, amazing, this British man has done you well, my friend!” I
grabbed her and we hugged.
“It’s so good to see you, Tiff. Let’s get out of here,” I panted
and we turned back to her car. I didn’t speak for a while and she
could tell I was upset so she just let me look out the window. She
pulled into the parking lot of a dress store and I looked up. It was an
old store that sold formal dresses, but they were mostly out of date.
“You didn’t get our bridesmaid dresses from here, did you?” I
pointed to the shop. She laughed.
“Well it’s good to see you smile…..and no I didn’t. I just
thought we could have one of our try on sessions….and talk about
whatever it is that’s bothering you.” She touched my leg. “Tiffany, your wedding is right around the corner, you don’t
need to bother with my problems,” I said and fidgeted with my
fingers.
“Oh I know. You can’t even imagine the pressure I am under
right now. I have an appointment with the travel agent tomorrow
morning, the final meeting with the caterer, and then I have to pick
up some of Jason’s family at the airport, just before the big family
dinner his family is putting together tomorrow night. Thursday, is the
ladies brunch, which you have to be there for, I might add, which
shouldn’t be so bad, because that’s when I will get all these special
family gifts from his family. They pass down things like silver brushes
their grandmothers, grandmother used when she arrived at Ellis
Island in 1918 or something crazy like that,” she laughed a little.
“Friday we have the bridesmaid final fitting at my house, which will
be your first and only fitting, and the rehearsal and then the
rehearsal dinner.” She took a breath but kept going. “I have to check in with the flowers, the cake, and make sure
I have all the presents for our attendants. So I know I’m under a lot
of pressure.” She paused. “But I also haven’t seen my best friend in
the whole wide world in three and half months. She ran off to
England and started living with one of the beautiful people.” She
took my hand. “And right now, I can see she’s hurting, and needs
me….so here I am.”
We got out of the car and went inside. We spent over an
hour trying on the ugliest dresses we could find. We did it up right,
with shoes, hats and purses too. We walked around the shop and
strutted our horrible outfits. We posed in the mirrors and reenacted
scenes from ‘Steel Magnolias’. It was so much fun, and it made me
forget everything. It was exactly what I needed. We were sitting on
the floor laughing against the mirrors when I decided it was a perfect
moment to explain and apologize.
“Tiffany, I’m really sorry. I should have been there for you
these last months to help you, and I wasn’t……I really regret that.” I lowered my head and took off my horrible feather, beaded,
and lace hat.
“Norah, its fine. Shelly has been a fine maid of honor, she’s
really helped me.” She took a breath. “I mean it would have been
nice to have you here, to share all these experiences with, but I
understand. You were off meeting your own prince charming. I get it.
When you find love you never want to lose it.”
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t because I didn’t want to lose
Liam, it was because I was locked in a room and he wouldn’t let me
leave. I wanted to tell her I had been kidnapped and trained to be a
sexual slave and I wouldn’t be here right now if Liam hadn’t bought
me. I wanted to tell her she was right not to come to Europe with
me, because she would have been sold too, and since she wasn’t a
virgin, there’s no way we would even be together now. But I didn’t. I
could never share these things with anyone. I didn’t know what was happening between Liam and I, but
he certainly wouldn’t win any points with my friends and family if I
told them he bought me, locked me away, and hurt me when I didn’t
do what he wanted me to. The truth was, I didn’t even want to think
about it. Liam wasn’t the same person anymore. He had changed.
Being with me had changed him. He was still a prick sometimes
when he didn’t get his way, but I knew he was a good man that was
just into a lifestyle that seemed dark and cruel to people like me who
didn’t really understand it. He got caught up in something he
couldn’t control and didn’t know how to handle it. I couldn’t believe I
was actually defending him in my head.
“You needed your best friend here with you, though. I should
have stayed, and been a good friend to you, like you would have
been to me. I should have stayed and been here for you and the
twins….I should have never been there.” I leaned back against the
wall. “Yes, but if you had never gone, then you wouldn’t have met
Liam, and you wouldn’t be completely in love and about to change
your life for him. I mean, you do love him, right?”
“I think so….I mean, yes…I know I love him…but it’s just so
complicated right now. Everything is so hard with him, there’s so
many rules and he wants everything a certain way, and sometimes
he can be such an ass.”
“Well I don’t know about the rules part, but the other stuff is
typical, Norah. Men are asses! That’s just the way they are, they
can’t help it. But I can say, if he loves you….even with all the stuff
you don’t like, you can make it work.” She paused and I thought
about it for a minute. “You just have to give him the bullet test. If he
would jump in front of a bullet for you, then the rest is normal.”
We left the shop and went to get some ice cream. It was
October but in Las Vegas it was still pretty warm. It was so good to talk to her, and have someone who knew
me so well, understand my feelings. I couldn’t tell her the whole
truth of course but she still understood how I felt.
That night when I went home it was quiet. Everyone was
talking about other things, and no one addressed me directly, which
was fine. I ate quietly and went to my room. I wanted to call Liam so
bad. I wanted to hear his voice. It was after three in the morning in
London, but I knew he wouldn’t care if I called him. In my heart I
knew he wanted to hear my voice just as bad. But I just couldn’t do
it.
Over the next few days, I went to brunches, met with
caterers, got my nails done, my hair highlighted and trimmed. I
picked up Jason’s family at the airport and met with the flower
people, all instead of Tiffany. I tried to be the friend I should have
been all along, had I not been shackled in a basement. I spent time
with my family, her family, Jason’s family, and the bridal party. Jokes
were told, old stories were shared, and opinions were asked of me. The whole time I just sat in a daze, and usually asked for the
question or joke to be repeated. I couldn’t stop thinking about Liam.
Everyone had a partner, except me. Even my sisters who never really
dated anyone seriously for long, had dates, but I sat alone. Even with
our problems, I just wanted to be with him. Maybe I really did love
him.
Chapter nineteen
Norah
I was kneeling in my very expensive bridesmaid dress trying
to straighten out the skirt underneath Tiffany’s dress. Her dress had
so many layers and they were bunching after her third trip the
bathroom. I stood up and looked down to make sure my dress didn’t
get wrinkled.
“You look beautiful, Norah. Burgundy is a great color on you,”
she said. The dress was long, and cut in at the waist. It looked as
though there was a belt but it was just the way fabric cut in. The
straps were skinny, and the top was a sweetheart neckline. The
fabric was silk and moved with our bodies. I swayed back and forth
to watch it move. “Norah, the most beautiful man I have ever seen is outside
asking for you, and if you don’t go to him now, the vultures are going
to eat him alive,” Lisa another bridesmaid panted as she walked in
the room. I turned to look at her.
“Oh my goodness! He came all this way to see you! Whatever
it is making things so complicated, it doesn’t matter. He wants you,
Norah!” Lorraine gushed. She pushed me towards to the door.
“It isn’t Liam, he wouldn’t come all this way,” I said, but
wasn’t so sure.
“Okay, well he didn’t give me his name, which I think could
be Mr. Sex, but his accent made me and the other women around
melt. So get out there!” I rolled my eyes and started out the door. I
walked down the hall and pushed open the double doors to the
garden. I looked around but didn’t see him. I walked to the end of
the patio and saw the groomsmen standing in a circle playing hackie
sack. They were supposed to be getting pictures taken. I turned to go
back in and there he was right behind me. He was wearing a black suit and burgundy tie. His hands were
in his pockets and he just looked at me. I waited for him to say
something but he didn’t, so I did.
“You look nice. What brings you to the United States?”
“I heard there was a beautiful young bridesmaid without a
date. I didn’t want to cause an international incident, so I got here as
quickly as I could.” He was trying to be funny.
“My not having a date is not really an international incident.”
“Well when it gets out that her boyfriend is from England, it
might cause one.”
“Not if she didn’t want him here,” I snapped. He lowered his
head. “What are you doing here, Liam? I told you I needed time. I
was thinking a little more than five days.” I crossed my arms against
my chest and then lowered them not wanting to wrinkle my dress. “If you want me to leave I will, but I missed you so much,
Norah. I’ve been a wreck without you. They told me you were
miserable too, I thought you might want to see me.” He didn’t raise
his head when he talked to me. He fidgeted with his hands like I
always did when I was nervous.
“Who told you I was miserable?” I asked. He looked up at me,
and I could see tears in his eyes.
“Your sister, she called me. Lorraine. She told me you were
unhappy.” He stepped closer. “Doesn’t that tell you we should be
together, Norah? I can’t think, work, even eat without you, baby.”
He leaned his head against mine and touched my arm. “But if you
want me to go, I will.” He pulled his head away. “I’ll leave and let you
contact me when you’re ready.” He waited for an answer.
“You would really just walk away, and leave right now, if I
wanted you to?” “It would be so hard……but yes.” He was still touching my
arm. I couldn’t let him go now. He was here, right in front of me, I
could smell him, touch him, and see his beautiful sad face. I couldn’t
let him go.
“I can’t talk about this now, Liam. The wedding will be
/>
starting in a few minutes.”
“Do you want me to stay or leave?” he asked looking deep in
my eyes.
“Stay….please stay.” He exhaled, and kissed my forehead
then rested his chin on my head.
“It’s so good to hear you say that.” I took his hand and turned
to walk to the garden when the vultures pounced.
“This is Liam? Good Lord, Norah, you said he was good
looking, but I had no idea!” Shelly’s comment.
“Wait until you hear him talk, it gets better!” Lisa said. “I told you it wasn’t complicated, Norah. He crossed the
ocean for you, I think that’s pretty clear,” Lorraine added. Liam
tightened his grip on my hand.
“Ladies, please,” I smiled. “He didn’t swim here! He has his
own private plane. Don’t give him a bigger ego than he already has,”
I laughed. “Yes, ladies this is Liam Hastings. Liam, this is Lisa, whom
you’ve met, Lorraine, whom you spoke to on the phone, and I will
talk to you later about that, missy! And Shelly, the maid of honor.”
Liam nodded and greeted all of them. When he smiled they giggled
like school girls. “Lisa, please take him to his seat, if you think you
can keep your hands off of him,” I gestured for Liam to go with Lisa.
“I’m not making any promises, Norah. Maybe I can just push
him to the end of the aisle and get the minister to marry us really
quick,” she took Liam’s arm and started walking away. I laughed and
waved as he was drug off by Lisa. Who knew, he might be married by
the end of this, and I wouldn’t have to worry about how complicated
things were between us.
“There is nothing complicated about that ass!” “Lorraine!” We all said in unison. She shrugged her shoulders
and went back inside.
The ceremony was very romantic and moving. I tried to focus
on anything but him. But I could feel his eyes on me. Every few
moments I glanced over and he would smile. Just having him close to
me made me feel relaxed. I had been miserable and cried more in
the last days than I had my whole life. Being away from him made
me tense. Then I couldn’t stop looking at him. I wanted to be with
him, touch him, and have his arms around me. I could see he was
feeling the same way. As soon as the ceremony was over I walked
through the crowd trying to find him. Most everyone was heading to
Sold (Keeping her in the Dark) Page 28
