by J. L. Berg
Ready to Wed
Copyright © 2014 by J.L. Berg
All rights reserved.
Cover designed by Sarah Hansen at OkayCreations.com
Cover Photography by Kelsey Keeton
© 2014 K Keeton Designs kkeetondesigns.com
Editor: Ami Deason http://www.bookglam.org
Formatting by Champagne Formats
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Visit my website at www.jlberg.com
Find other titles by J.L. Berg on Amazon.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9903460-3-6
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Never Been More Ready
A short story
Coming Soon
Playlist for Ready to Wed
Acknowledgements
About the Author
~Clare~
“Where are my keys?” I shouted, running around the kitchen like a crazy person in search of my bright pink monogrammed key ring. It really shouldn’t be that hard to miss.
“Why do you need keys?” asked Logan, my smug looking fiancé, as he casually leaned against the door frame.
“What do you mean? Aren’t we leaving? Of course I need keys. Why are you just standing there? Start looking!” I commanded.
He didn’t budge. He just continued his casual lean and grinned, looking cocky and gorgeous, before pulling his own set of keys out of his pocket.
“I don’t really think we need both set of keys while we’re away…do you?” he asked.
I just stared at him. Why was I so frantic and nervous? I’d spent the last twenty minutes looking for keys that I didn’t need. I knew that. Logan was driving to the airport, so why did I need keys? Before the keys, I’d scrubbed down the entire kitchen from top to bottom after doing the same to all three bathrooms. Why? I have no freaking clue. Did I want the house to look nice just in case someone came to rob us? Because nothing says, “Welcome to our house, please take our television!” like clean bathrooms.
“You’re right. I don’t need my keys,” I said calmly.
He left his post at the entryway and walked towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulled me closer to him and I sighed, settling into the warmth of his body instantly.
“Are you okay Clare? You’ve been wired ever since we started planning this a week ago. You know, we don’t have to get married this weekend. We can postpone it. Like I’ve always said, I’ll wait for you.”
“No. I want to get married this weekend. It’s just…there’s a lot to do, and I feel like I’m going to forget something important,” I answered.
“There are two things you need at that wedding,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Mmmhmm….me and a ring. The rest is just for show.”
“Don’t forget me!” Maddie said, barreling into the kitchen from the hallway. My overly excited five year old couldn’t wait to hop on that plane and go to “the beach”. She didn’t even care what beach, only that we were going and she got to play in the sand. The fact that Logan and I were getting married was the icing on the cake. God, I was lucky. I gave Logan a once over, checking for signs of weakness, symptoms that he might be tired or sick.
Well, mostly lucky.
“You got all of your new meds?” I asked, looking at Logan with concern.
“Yes, there are only a few for now.”
“Are you sure….about waiting?”
Logan had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, and in an effort to not put our lives on hold, we decided to get married as soon as possible. His doctors were optimistic, saying that since it was caught early, his likelihood of recovery was high, but I still worried. My first husband, Maddie’s father, had died of cancer. I still remember every single day, every minute watching helplessly as he deteriorated in front of me. I had been useless, completely useless, and unable to stop it.
“I’m sure. It’s only a couple weeks. The oncologist said it would be okay to delay treatment for two weeks. I want to enjoy our wedding and time away with you. I’ll start the minute we get home. I promise.”
I nodded, giving him a hint of a smile before turning to Maddie.
“Are you ready?” I asked brightly.
“Yes, yes, yes!” she beamed.
“Well, let’s go!”
We loaded the car and headed to the airport for our two week long stay in St. Thomas. It had originally been our vacation for the summer…the first trip Logan and I would take together. He was my first ray of hope since Ethan died. He showed me love can exist after death, even when it seems impossible. When he proposed, we turned our vacation into an impromptu wedding, renting out a small resort and inviting our family and few friends. Logan still wouldn’t tell me how much everything cost. He just smiled and started whistling every time I asked. I had a feeling it was a crap load. I knew he could afford it, but it didn’t make me feel less guilty.
“When do Leah and Garrett fly in?” Logan asked.
Leah was my best friend and Maid of Honor. She was flying in with my brother, who was a groomsman for Logan. Leah and Garrett loved each other like brother and sister and always tried to hang out whenever they could. My brother’s crazy work schedule didn’t offer him much time off, so they decided to book their tickets together to give them some time to catch up.
“Um, I think they come in a few hours after us. Leah had to work late last night, so she wanted to take a later flight. Garrett is supposed to be picking her up around noon.”
“Do they…I mean, have Garrett and Leah ever…?” he asked, skirting around the question.
“Eww…gross! No!”
He lifted a hand from the steering wheel in mock defense, “Just asking…didn’t want to make assumptions. I’ve only met your brother a handful of times. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who works more than he does…and I’m a doctor.”
“I know. My brother, the workaholic. Who knew he’d move back home from college and we’d still never see him,” I said with a shrug.
After checking our luggage, including the very precious garment bag that contained my wedding dress, we went through security. This was always a fun task with a child, and we of course got several glaring looks from the speedy businessmen. Once securely checked, we proceeded to our gate.
“I can’t believe they wouldn’t let me carry on my garment bag!” I said with a huff.
“Well, it was quite large,” Logan said, pointing to our gate and taking a seat in our designated area. Maddie immediately reached into the backpack of activities we’d packed, pulled out a book and began reading…or at least pretended. Either way she was being quiet, and I thanked the heavens for the few minutes of peace. I loved her more than I ever thought possible, but man…she could talk. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering who gave birth to her. I’m not known for being quiet, especially when I’m nervous. I babble a lot.
“It wasn’t that large! Okay…it was, but crap. They let that dude in front of us bring his guitar,�
� I pouted.
“Hey,” Logan said, pulling my chin level so our eyes were locked. “It will be fine. Nothing could ruin this week, okay? By the end of this weekend, you will be officially and forever mine. I don’t care if you’re in a burlap sack, Clare. The only thing that matters is that you say those vows and bind yourself to me for eternity, got it?”
“Yes,” I said, a bit breathless.
“Good.” He gave me a quick wink before pulling Maddie on his lap. She’d only learned a few words so far, so he assisted by helping her sound out the rest. I just watched, loving the perfect picture the two of them made. I would have never guessed, walking into that emergency room several months ago when Maddie had fallen and given herself a concussion, that I would wind up here. Logan not only healed Maddie that day, he’s been healing all of us ever since.
About thirty minutes later the announcement came that our flight was boarding, so we packed up Maddie’s things and headed for the gate to check in. With Maddie bouncing up and down in his arms, Logan ran his free hand down my cheek, his eyes suddenly filled with emotion.
“Ready to go get married?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
Smiling, he grabbed my hand and we walked towards our future.
~Logan~
So many emotions hit me all at once when we boarded that plane to St. Thomas. The child in my arms was about to become my daughter. The woman I loved was about to become my wife.
A family. My family, finally.
It was something I’d always wanted, and here it was, all because I opened the right exam room door and found my future on the other side.
After a quick changeover in Charlotte, we were flying over water and headed for St. Thomas. Clare and Maddie had fallen asleep, both leaning their heads against my chest as I tried to read. I puffed out a small laugh and gave up, my awkward attempts at holding my e-reader with the two of them wedged against me proved fruitless. I tucked it in the front pocket of the seat in front of me, and rested my head against the seat, looking down at my two red-headed angels.
Maddie looked like a cherub plucked right out of heaven. Her strawberry blonde curls cascaded down her back in a fiery display, mimicking her mother’s. Clare’s red hair was deeper, more intense; closer to auburn but it still having that crimson glow to it that matched her personality. Sweet with just a touch of fire— that was my Clare. I never knew what I was going to get from one moment to the next, and that’s what I loved about her. She kept me on my toes, loved me for who I was, and never let me be anything but myself.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew I was being poked in the head by Maddie. What did she have against my head?
“You’re awake!” she said brightly.
“Well, I am now, Princess!” I gave her side a pinch which caused her to giggle.
“Shhh! You’ll wake up Mommy,” I said, running my hand through Clare’s hair as she rested against me. She really had been running around like mad the last week, so much so that I’d barely seen her. I knew planning the wedding start-to-finish inside one week had put a lot of pressure on her, so I tried not to take it personally. I just hoped that’s all it was.
“So, Princess…what is the first thing you want to do when we get there?”
Figuring she’d say she wanted to go to the beach or swim in one of the many pools, her actual answer totally threw me for a loop.
“Ice cream. I want ice cream.”
I silently laughed, being mindful of Clare.
“We fly all the way to St. Thomas and you want ice cream?” Kids. Gotta love ‘em.
“Well, I’ve never been any other place but America. And ice cream is my favorite food. Is it different in different places?”
“Hmm…good point. I think we should check immediately, just to be sure.”
She nodded, and I gave her a wink. She asked if she could watch a movie on the individual TV screens we had, and I said sure, letting her navigate the channels and pick her own movie. With one hand free now, I picked up my e-reader and started reading again, happy to have Clare warm and safe in my arms.
An entire kid’s movie later, we were making our descent, and Maddie was plastered to the window looking out at the scenery below. It was quite the sight. Brilliant blue water contrasted with the deep green landscape. All I saw was my future. In a few days, on that island, I would marry Clare. I looked down at her as she began to stir and felt whole. Cancer or no…my life was perfect.
~Clare~
“Where is it?” I asked again, as we watched the endless luggage go around the noisy carousel in baggage claim. Maddie was doing circles around Logan’s legs which he did an excellent job of ignoring. He was settling into his Dad role nicely, I laughed silently to myself.
“I’m sure it’s coming,” he answered, although I could see even he was starting to doubt his words.
All of our bags had come through the carousel…all but one. My garment bag. The one the stupid perky blonde lady at the counter had made me check. The garment bag she had assured me would be fine. Where the hell was it? How could I get married without a dress?
Just when I had created the ultimate list of ways in which I was going to let the customer service reps have it, my garment bag appeared, like a beacon from heaven.
“There it is! Oh thank God!” I squealed, running to the carousel like a manic child, only to be immediately halted when I saw the huge gash in the side. My once mint condition ivory dress was now spilling out of the hole in the side and ripped to shreds.
I heard Logan curse right before the tears started to sting my eyes. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Taking charge, Logan grabbed the garment bag off the carousel before it made another long journey around the airport, and held it up for inspection. Yep, it was a total loss unless we wanted to change things up and have a themed wedding; if I wanted to go as the Bride of Chuckie, I was golden.
“Do you think it’s fixable?” he asked gently.
“No,” I moaned, before covering my face with my hands.
“Oh no Mommy, your pretty dress is all messed up!”
Logan patted her on the head and said it was okay to give Mommy a hug. She happily came to my side, offering her sympathy in the form of child-sized hugs. They helped for about five seconds until I saw that humongous gash again, and then the misery came rushing back.
Stupid airline. Stupid dress.
“I don’t have a dress! What am I supposed to do without a dress? Do you think it’s a sign? Maybe we aren’t supposed to get married this week. Maybe this is one giant ivory colored sign that we are supposed to wait…go home, and get married later.”
“Whoa…babe, you’re babbling. Like, a lot.” He gripped my shoulder and pulled me close. He smelled like aftershave and mint. Familiar and safe.
“Calm down. This is a wardrobe malfunction, not a cosmic sign from the universe, okay?”
I nodded, and pulled him closer, resting my head on his shoulder, knowing he was right. It was just the fact that with every step we took further away from home, away from that hospital and his doctors, I felt the panic growing and multiplying a bit more. I looked up at him and wondered, Were we making the right choice in putting off his treatment?
~Logan~
“Oh, thank fuck you’re here!” I said, seeing Leah enter the hotel, with Garrett in tow.
“Well, it’s nice to see you too handsome,” she answered with a wink and a sly grin. I helped them with their luggage and gave Garrett a friendly guy hug before turning back to Leah, my savior for the day.
“So, why are you so glad to see me? Not that I don’t appreciate the welcome.”
“Clare. She’s freaking out. Her dress was trashed on the trip over here, and she is literally losing her shit. I don’t know a thing about dresses. I don’t have a clue on where to look, what she wants. And now she’s got it in her head that this is some sort of sign that the entire wedding is doomed.”
I started pacing the lobby because I really d
idn’t know what else to do. I know weddings always had kinks, but ours was supposed to be low key. There were only a few guests, and yes…we threw it together in a few days and did it destination style, but still. Low key. What happened to that?
“Logan.” I didn’t answer, I just continued to pace, hoping an answer would magically appear to fix my freaked out bride.
“Logan, seriously. Look at me.”
Leah sounded pretty damn serious, so I did as I was told and met her gaze. I’d learned to not mess with Leah. She could be kind of scary.
“Garrett, go take Logan out for drinks or something. I’ve got it from here.”
“Wait, what?”
“You’re dismissed. Didn’t you hear me the first time?”
“Uh..”
“Go do dude stuff, and I will handle the distraught bride. I’m pretty sure I can find a wedding dress a lot faster than you can! We’ll meet you for dinner!”
And just like that, Leah saved the day.
~Clare~
“Okay, get up,” Leah said, pulling my arm in a vain attempt to get my ass out of the lounge chair I was currently occupying.
“Nooo….I don’t want to,” I whined.
She looked at the little table next to my lounger and laughed.
“How many of those fruity cocktails have you had, Clare Bear?”
“Um…two, maybe?” I hiccupped a bit, and laughed. Okay, maybe a bit more than two.
“Was your plan to drink yourself a new wedding dress?”
I slumped back into my cozy lounge chair, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on my bare skin. After we arrived at the resort, a truly breathtaking place I might add, I dropped my ruined wedding dress in our suite and decided to take my sorrows poolside. The pool had sweeping, endless views of the ocean and the water seemed to disappear right into the blue horizon. Maddie was enjoying the kid’s day program the resort offered, and I figured putting on my bikini and ordering a few drinks might improve my sour mood.
