“Sounds good to me,” he smiled as he held my chair out for me.
“Such a gentleman,” I teased.
“Well I need to be right now because as soon as we finish eating…all bets are off,” he leaned in to peck my cheek.
“Can’t wait,” I murmured as I stuffed a forkful of waffle into my mouth.
Yes, today we had something to celebrate, I just hoped that Cam didn’t mind if it lasted all day.
Chapter 16
Leah
“So he really asked?” Avery squealed into the phone.
“Yes,” I giggled as I flopped back on the bed. “Oh Avery, it was so sweet. He wrote it in the sand,” I sighed dreamily.
“Sounds like it,” she giggled again. “I want to know everything.”
“Cam came and stayed with us. I don’t know if Nick asked him to or not, but he had to have helped. Avery, I’m sure it took him all night to dig all of that,” I rolled to the side and propped myself up on my elbows.
“So what’s the plan?” she questioned.
“We want to get married right away. No more waiting. We’re going to do it as soon as bowl season is done. Probably December,” I glanced back down at the diamond on my finger.
Nick and I had gone shopping the very next day to pick out a ring. He had claimed that he didn’t want me going one more day without the world knowing that I was his. He can be so caveman at times.
“December? You mean in three months? That December?” Avery choked out.
“Yes,” I grumbled.
“Leah…that’s impossible. There’s no way you can plan a wedding in three months,” she gasped.
I could hear Avery rustling around on her end of the phone. I knew she was going to flip out when I told her this, but we didn’t want anything fancy.
“We just want our close friends and family. Something small,” I blew out a breath and rolled my eyes as I prepared for the lecture I was getting ready to receive.
“What?” she screeched. “You are your father’s only child, and my best friend. We’re doing this right. Please tell me you’re planning to come home for this.”
I waited a few minutes before I whispered the words, “Uh, we were thinking of having it here on the beach.”
“No! Absolutely not! Leah Carmichael you better bring your ass home for this wedding. You owe me that much,” her voice wavered as if she was holding back tears.
Avery and I had talked about our weddings since we were little girls. We always said we’d get married in our town church with all our friends there. We were going to marry twin brothers. I laughed at what Nick had told me about where Avery was concerned.
“I don’t know if I can,” I blurted. “You don’t get it. The last time I was in that church, I buried my mom. She’s not going to be here for this. It’s just too much.”
“Oh Leah. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think…” she trailed off.
“Don’t…just don’t,” I interrupted. “I know you didn’t think about that. I want what we always wanted, but it’s hard for me.”
“We can do it there if that’s really what you want, but will you promise me that you’ll think about it?” she hedged.
“I’ll think about,” I surrendered.
“So,” I tried to change the subject. “How are things with Logan?”
“We aren’t talking about that,” she snapped.
“That good huh?” I bit my lip as I tried to decide how much to push this.
“Do you want to be with him?” I whispered into the phone as if it was a secret.
“I don’t know what I want anymore,” she began to cry. I could hear it in her voice. “It’s like…I don’t know. He just clammed up the first time I introduced him to our friends as my boyfriend. He did everything he could to put distance between us.”
“I’m sorry,” I soothed.
Avery’s had the worst luck with men. Ever since her high school boyfriend cheated on her, it was as if she was afraid to let anyone get close. Logan was the first one she truly let in, and now he goes and does this. I was worried that Avery was going to fall back into her old habits and start shutting people out.
“Have you talked to Cam?” I tried to sound neutral.
“Why?” I could hear the question in her voice.
“Just curious. He seemed to be interested the last time we all hung out,” I was trying to be subtle, but subtlety was not my forte.
“Leah…what do you know, that I don’t?” she pushed.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this,” I squeaked.
“You opened the door. Now spit it out. What do you know?” she growled.
“He likes you! Happy now? He likes you, but he’s afraid to say anything. He doesn’t want to compete with Logan, and he doesn’t want to be second choice,” I let the words pour from my mouth without taking a breath. “Avery…I swear if you tell him that I told you, I’ll kill you,” I warned.
“This cannot be happening,” she groaned on the other end of the line.
“What can’t?” I shot to a sitting position.
“This!” she shouted. “I’m not ready for all this.”
“So what does that mean?” I was confused and not really sure what she was getting at.
“It means that I don’t want a relationship right now,” she huffed. “I don’t want to be with anyone serious.”
“Well if that’s the case, you need to tell Cam the next time you see him that you’re not interested. Don’t string him along. He has a kid to think about,” my mouth kept running, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
“Don’t lecture me,” she snapped. “I know all about stringing somebody along. I watched you and Will for a year.”
“Don’t bring Will into this,” I growled back. “I loved him.”
“Yeah… you loved him so much that you used him to figure what you wanted out of life. I’m sure he’s real happy right about now,” her words hung heavy in the air.
“I can’t believe you just said all of that,” I gasped. “When did this call turn into you lecturing me about Will? I thought you of all people would be happy with where I’m at right now.”
“I am,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just really angry right now, and I haven’t had anyone to talk to. I didn’t mean it Leah. I’m sorry.”
“Its fine,” I tossed my arm over my eyes. “Why don’t you come visit me this weekend? We can go look at dresses.”
“Sounds great!” her voice lifted with excitement. “I’ll come out Friday after work.”
“Alright. See you then,” I chirped back.
“Yeah…see you then,” she laughed and then disconnected the call.
ooooooooo
“So tell me again why you don’t want to stay in bed all morning?” Nick mumbled as he placed a trail of soft kisses up my neck.
“I promised Avery we’d go shopping,” I sighed as I rolled onto my back.
“Can’t you do that later?” he ran his knuckles down my cheek and across my collarbone.
“She came out here this weekend for me. I promised I’d go,” my words began to run together as Nick shifted on the bed, and pressed his naked body into my side.
“Please,” he begged as his hand drifted lower. “For me?”
“You are not playing fair,” I stuck my lip out as I glanced over at him.
“Who said I play fair?” he rolled to drape his leg over me pinning me to the bed as his hand went even lower.
“Ohmygod Nick,” I panted as I felt his fingers brush between my thighs.
“Stay,” he whispered as his sealed his mouth over mine.
“Mmmmm,” I moaned as he climbed between my legs, forcing my thighs apart.
“You know you want me right now. I can see the look in your eyes. You want me to fuck you. Don’t you?” he leaned down and braced himself over me.
His eyes darkened with lust, his nostrils flaring as the muscles in his jaw tightened.
“Yes…please,” I begged as I reach
ed up to grab him around the neck.
Nick leaned forward to kiss me just as his hips rocked back before slamming into me. The force was so great, I slid up the mattress. “Holy shit!” I screamed as he reared back and slammed into me again.
“You are so hot!” he growled as he kneeled between my legs, and grabbed my hips. His fingers pressed into me as a feral sound erupted from him. “Leah…what you do to me…I can’t control myself with you.”
“Nick?” I wrapped my legs around his waist and clawed my way to a sitting position. “More…I’m so close.”
As we sat facing one another, still connected, he began lifting me up and down. Slamming me onto him at a force I’d never felt before. It was as if something had taken over, something primal.
“Oh god,” I screamed just as Nick stilled me. He shook as he tried to slow his breathing. “I guess I can let you go now,” he chuckled as he turned to lay us down facing each other.
“Not funny,” I smacked his chest.
We had laid there for several minutes before we heard the knock.
“You know…you guys are a lot louder than you think,” came Avery’s voice from the other side of the wall. “I don’t need to rent porn when you’re around.”
“Oh god,” I muttered as I buried my face in Nick’s chest. He shook with silent laughter as I turned a dark shade of red.
“Thanks for ruining the mood,” he hit the wall as he shouted back at Avery in a teasing tone.
“Now that you guys have taken care of your animal instincts, do you think we can get ready to go shopping for a dress?” she called back.
“No!” Nick yelled back. “I’m keeping her in here all day.”
I pushed at his shoulder as I shook my head, “You are awful.”
“I’m only getting started,” he placed a kiss to my bare sweaty shoulder.
“Later Casanova. I promised her shopping,” I extracted myself from Nick’s arms and attempted to climb from the bed. “I’ll play with you later.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” he winked as he rolled onto his back and ran his eyes up and down my naked body while smirking.
“You’re rather proud of yourself, aren’t you?” I grinned.
“What can I say? I love hearing you scream my name with “oh god” in the same sentence,” he shrugged as he crossed his arms behind his head and propped himself up against the headboard.
I could feel my cheeks heat even more as I shook my head at him. I turned, and made my way into the bathroom to take a shower.
As soon as I was safely behind the closed door, I sagged against it. I was so in love right now. I glanced down at the sparkling diamond on my left hand. I hoped that rushing into this wedding wasn’t a mistake. If something went wrong, it wouldn’t break me…it would destroy me.
Chapter 17
Leah
When we pulled up to the front of Sparkle and Lace, Avery jumped out of the car beaming. She was like a kid on Christmas. She’d been yammering on the entire ride here, and it was driving me crazy.
The large window in front of the store was filled with puffy dresses and fake flowers. It looked as if a Vegas wedding chapel had thrown up. I had my doubts on this place, but Avery had insisted that we try it out. I sighed and shook my head as she grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her as we approached the front door.
“Just give it a chance,” she begged. “I bet its better on the inside.”
“I don’t know. This is a little tacky, don’tcha think?” I wrinkled my nose.
Once inside, we were approached by a sales girl who led us to the back. I told her what I was looking for, and we began combing the racks.
“Oh! How about this one?” Avery held up a beaded gown as her eyes widened.
“I want something simpler,” I mumbled as I continued to push through the racks. “Something more like this,” I held an A-line that had just a small amount of beading on the bodice. I don’t want all that,” I motioned to one she was holding up. “It has too much on. It’ll be heavy.”
“When is the wedding?” the sales girl, Susan, asked as she held up another suggestion.
“December,” Avery grumbled.
“Oh wow!” Susan gasped. “That’s gonna limit your choices then. You’re going to have to buy off the rack. We won’t be able to order anything and get it in time.”
“That’s fine,” I waved my hand in the air as I wandered over to the next rack. “Oh…I think I found it.”
“Let me see!” I giggled as she ran over.
“What do you think about this?” I pulled the gown from the rack and held it in front of me. “This would be perfect for a December wedding.”
“Ooooh, I like it,” Avery nodded. “We want to try this,” she pointed to the dress as Susan round the corner.
“I’ll start setting up a room for you,” she took the dress and left us to continue to search.
After several more minutes of digging, I’d made myself a fairly large pile of dresses. Avery went to pick out some bride’s maid dresses while I made my way into the dressing room. I lifted the dress I’d selected first from its bag, and stepped in. Susan zipped the back, and I turned to face myself in the mirror.
It was a simple A-line that had a small lace embellishment on the sweetheart neckline. Along the bottom was the same lace. It looked almost like an hourglass with the symmetrical design. What made me choose it though was the belt. A red satin belt wrapped around the middle and was trimmed in a small row of crystals. It was perfect for a wedding at Christmas time.
When I stepped out of the dressing room to show Avery, she was coming out of a room herself. She had on a red satin floor length gown that matched perfectly with the dress I was wearing.
She laughed when she saw me, “This is a sign. You need to buy that dress.”
“I really like it,” I smoothed the skirt with my hands as I swayed side-to-side. “I don’t know though. It’s the first one I’ve tried on. How do I know if it’s the right one?”
“It’s like choosing a husband,” Susan cocked her head behind me as she grabbed a veil to try. “You just know.”
“Sounds simple enough,” I stated as I let her place the veil on my head.
After spending several hours trying on what felt like thousands of dresses, I did end up choosing that first one. I guess Susan was right, you do just know.
ooooooooo
“So you want to grab some lunch while we’re out?” Avery turned in the front seat waiting for me to answer.
“That’s fine with me, but I don’t want anything too big,” I yawned. I’d been really tired lately, but I also hadn’t been sleeping much.
“Ok…what do you want?” she lifted a brow.
“Maybe a salad,” I squeezed my eyes shut as my stomach grumbled.
“Uh…that sounds as if you need more than a salad,” she giggled.
“Well, it may sound that way, but it sure doesn’t feel that way,” I shook my head lightly. “I haven’t felt that great the last several days.”
“Are you sick?” Avery narrowed her eyes.
“Maybe…I think with the move, the new living situation, being back with Nick…” I trailed off. “I think maybe the stress has just gotten to me.”
“Shouldn’t you be less stressed now?” Avery wrinkled her forehead as if she was trying to solve a mystery or something.
“I guess,” I muttered. “It’s just different. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“We can go wherever you want, just as long as we eat. I’m starving,” she groaned.
ooooooooo
We stopped at a local pub to grab a bite, and then decided to go back home. I was tired, and hoping to get a nap in while Nick was out. He’d texted me letting know that he was going to go up to campus for a while to work in his office. He claimed that he was lonely at home by himself. Me…I just wanted to sleep. It seemed like I could barely keep my eyes open, and I knew that if Nick had been home, sleep would be the last thing on his min
d.
When evening arrived, I decided to be lazy for the night and order a pizza. Nick wasn’t home yet, and Avery and I didn’t feel like doing much. Basketball season was just starting, and we figure we’d watch a game while we waited for Nick to come home. Pizza and wings seemed like the perfect meal.
When Nick finally stumbled through the door, Avery and I were seated on the floor in front of the TV with a pizza box between us.
“How was your day shopping?” he grinned at me.
“It went well,” I smiled back at him. “I got a dress. How was your day?”
“Very productive. I went over the playbooks, and we’re ready for next week’s game,” he pulled his hoodie over his head and tossed it on a nearby chair. “Awesome! You got dinner already.”
“All you think about is food,” I groaned as I rolled my eyes.
“You guys are so sweet it’s kinda gross,” Avery laughed. “It’s like you’re already married.”
Nick ran his hand through his messy hair, “Why is that gross?”
“It makes me wanna gag,” Avery muttered.
“Gee thanks,” I shook my head at her as I slid the pizza box in Nick’s direction. “Here, help yourself.”
“Thanks,” he groaned as he shoved a piece in his mouth. “You know you’re wrong, by the way,” he mumbled around the mouthful he was chewing.
“What?” I turned as I crinkled my nose at him.
“You’re wrong about me only thinking about food. There are other things I think about too,” he wagged his brows as he leaned in next to my ear and whispered in a deep voice, “I think about you naked a lot.”
I blushed as the words dripped from his lips, “Nick.”
“What?” he smirked. “I’m just being honest.”
“Not here,” I mumbled as I darted my eyes in Avery’s direction.
“I know you’re talking about sex,” she grumbled as she continued to stare at the TV. “I don’t need nor want to know about that.”
Nick lifted his chin from where it had been resting on my shoulder, “You’ve had her all day. I missed her. Sue me,” he shrugged.
“Gross!” Avery stood and began walking toward the fridge. “I’m going to get another beer. Do you guys want one?”
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