Devotion: The Beauty in Between (Beautiful Series book 4.5)

by Lilliana Anderson

  In the end, we both agreed that now was as good a time as any. It seemed that today, more than ever, the signs were pointing towards us getting married sooner rather than later. So we both figured – why not? We love each other and we were going to do it anyway…

  “So, first thing’s first – who do you want in your wedding party?” Lisa asks, opening up a notebook and clicking down the point of her pen.

  “Oh, um… well, I guess that’s a fairly easy one. Stephanie has been my best friend forever. So she should be Matron of Honour and I’d love for you and Paige to be my bridesmaids.”

  “You want me as a bridesmaid?” she asks, a slight grin playing on the corner of her mouth.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” I reply.

  “Oh wow. I’ve never been a bridesmaid before.”

  “Well, now you are. If you want to of course.”

  She grins. “Of course I do. I’d love to.”

  She writes the names down on her notepad and then looks over at Theo. He returns a blank stare as he holds his glass of rum and coke to his lips. “What?” he asks.

  I smile. He and Marcus were obviously talking about something other than our wedding. “Your side of the bridal party. Who do you want to be your groomsmen?” I ask, even though I already know the answer to this question.

  He holds out a hand and counts off on his fingers. “Marcus – bestman. Then Lachlan and Jack for the other two. Three’s enough right?”

  “Perfect,” I smile, nodding my head to the chair next to me. He walks over and pulls it out, draping his arm over the back of my chair as Marcus does the same next to Lisa. It’s easy to tell these two men are related. They have a lot of similar mannerisms.

  From that point, we begin to go over all the things we had been talking about for our wedding. Theo insists that he gets to organise the music, but the food and venue are something that we’re all very flexible on. It will just have to be something that we can get on short notice.

  Most of our time is spent writing out a list of guests, eating Indian takeaway and coming up with outlandish wedding suggestions for a laugh. It was suggested that I parachute in instead of walking down the aisle. Yeah – I wasn’t agreeing to do that.

  Eventually, Lisa and I tell the men to take their jokes and go and stuff around in the studio while Lisa and I seriously flip through the bridal magazines and plan out the vast majority of this wedding ourselves.

  By the time we’re finished, we have the guest list, the type of invitation, the colours for decorating, a list of suitable venues and celebrants to send to a wedding planner, and a huge list of other little touches that will make our day really special.

  I, of course, want everything to be purple. So we’re going to try and incorporate a bit of a musical theme in with that colour choice.

  When we say goodbye to Marcus and Lisa at almost 2am the next morning, I’m actually beginning to feel excited about doing this, and I wonder why hadn’t thought to plan and put together a wedding in a month before now. Everything is going to be perfect.

  Chapter Six

  As a result of the wedding plans moving forward, the next week makes both Theo and I feel as though our phones have managed to graft themselves to our hands. We’re forever on them.

  We’re either dealing with wedding plans or tour plans, interspersed with Mrs Bailey ringing up and crying in our ears because we hurt her so much with our ‘sordid display’.

  Theo disconnects yet another call from her and shakes his head, fuming. He’s stopped yelling at her whenever they talk, but he hasn’t stopped feeling angry with her for her reaction.

  “Seriously,” he says. “I know it would make things worse with her, but, I feel like having this wedding in another country like Marcus and Lisa did. Then she’d bloody well miss out on our wedding too.”

  “Don’t be like that. We can’t punish everyone we love because of one person making trouble. Besides, we’d end up having to move to another country and change our identities entirely because we’d never hear the end of it,” I point out.

  He shakes his head in annoyance and places his hands on his hips. “Sometimes I think that would be better than putting up with this family shit. When it’s just you and me, things are perfect. Family just complicates things.”

  I move over to him, sliding my hands up over his shoulders and gently running my fingers back and forth through his short dark hair. “You don’t want that, Theo. Family has always been everything to you – even though they piss you off. You’re just stressed out. Maybe we should tell Lachlan and Jack not to come around tonight to go over our set lists. We’ll take a night off, yeah? We could go out to that restaurant you like that serves the meat on the breadboard. And we could drink lots of wine and then come home and lock all the doors this time…” He grins as I say that last part, causing me to break into a smile too. “And then we can spend some very quality time together,” I suggest, keeping my eyes locked with his as I slide my hand down his firm chest, over his abs then just around his crotch in a tease before it continues down his thigh.

  His eyes darken and his hands move to grip my waist, pulling me toward him so we’re pressed firmly up against each other. I feel his hard length, pressing against my belly, then I rise up on my toes and plant a soft kiss on his lips. He moves his mouth to take mine in a more passionate kiss, but I catch his bottom lip between my teeth, slowly pulling back as I gently tug then release it.

  Grinning, his hands move down to cup my arse and he lifts my small frame with ease, bringing my face level with his.

  “Perhaps we should order in?” he murmurs, pressing his mouth to mine in a kiss that after all this time together, still has my toes curling.

  His phone rings. He groans in annoyance. “Ignore it,” I whisper. “No interruptions.”

  “No interruptions,” he agrees. Keeping me in his arms, he continues to kiss me as we walk around the house, switching off phones and making sure the doors are all locked.

  “What about cancelling practice?” I ask breathlessly as he walks us to the bedroom.

  “We’ll cancel when we order food. First, I just need you. Only you. Everything else can wait.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Three weeks. I can’t believe you’re getting married in three weeks,” Stephanie says when I meet her and Paige for coffee before we meet up with Lisa to go bridal shopping the next morning. “When I asked you at the barbeque, you said in a year.”

  “Are you pregnant?” Paige asks immediately after.

  “No. I’m not pregnant. We just want to get married before we go on tour. We’ve put it off for long enough,” I attempt to explain.

  “Yeah but, why the sudden rush? You’ve already waited years. Why is it suddenly a ‘do or die’ situation?” Stephanie presses.

  I let out a sigh and tell them the story of Theo’s mother. Their mouths fall open as they share in my embarrassment, but when I say, “Then he blew his load into my face”, they burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny. I almost died from my humiliation. Plus, she called me a ‘puttana’,” I whine.

  Paige frowns. “Isn’t that ‘whore’ in Italian?”

  “Yep,” I reply in a dull tone.

  “Nice mother in law,” she comments.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” I say, lifting my mug to my lips and taking a mouthful.

  “She needs a swift kick up the arse,” Stephanie comments. “Why are you jumping through hoops for someone who walked into your house unannounced and is calling you names?”

  “It’s not for her. It’s for Theo more than anything. He hates that there’s dissention in his family. He says that he just wants to run off and get married on our own. But if I actually agreed to that, he’d be riddled with guilt and wouldn’t go through with it.”

  “Ok. Are you excited, though? You do want to get married don’t you?” Stephanie asks.

  I sigh. “Of course I do. More than anything. I just wish that it could be done on
my own terms and in my own time. I’m glad it’s happening, and I’m excited to finally be marrying my man. But at the same time I kind of feel like my own wedding has been taken out of my hands. Lisa and Marcus have some event planners organising it all. So, besides fielding phone calls and showing up to appointments like today, I don’t really feel like I’m planning my wedding, you know? It feels like it’s being done without me. It’s weird.”

  Stephanie reaches over and places her hand on top of mine. “Honey, there are very few women who get exactly the wedding they want. Look at my wedding – I ended up fighting with my mum who completely took over my planning. Gary’s parents invited half the world and it ended up costing us a fortune to entertain over a hundred people of which we only knew around forty of them. Focus on the fact you’re marrying the man you love. Forget the rest, it’s all for show anyway.”

  I sigh again. “I know. I know, and they are taking into consideration what I want. But the time constraint is making it hard to work everything out and a girl has dreams, you know?”

  “Well, speak up then Nomes,” Paige says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Be heard. If you don’t like the way things are going, say no. If you want to wait, then wait. Elliot and I didn’t have any of this drama in our wedding. It was sweet, small and simple.”

  “See, that’s the problem. With Theo’s family and the industry we’re in, it could never be small and simple.”

  “Wasn’t Marcus and Lisa’s small and simple?”

  “Yes. But look at the trouble that caused. We want to bring the family together. Not push it further apart.”

  “Ok, well, what do you want us to do?” Stephanie asks.

  “Well, for starters, I think we need to ditch these coffees for champagne.”

  Paige laughs. “That’s a great idea. You’re getting married. This is supposed to be fun and magical.”

  “That’s right,” Stephanie adds. “And you know what Nomes, I spent a year planning my wedding, and it was the most stressful year of my life. And it was all for one day! That’s it! You’ll be so glad once you’ve married your man and all that stress is over.”

  “You’re right. I need to put Theo’s psycho mother out of my mind and focus on the fact that I love Theo, and I want to be his wife – whether it’s in three week’s time, tomorrow, or ten years from now. Marrying him is what I want.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Stephanie says. “Now, let’s go and meet Lisa to get fitted for these dresses. It’s time to have fun with this wedding of yours.”

  ***

  The bridal boutique we’re meeting Lisa at isn’t far from where we were having coffee in Double Bay. It’s one of those fancy boutiques that only let you in if you’ve booked an appointment.

  When we arrive, Lisa is out front talking on her phone. She grins and waves at us as we approach and finishes up her call by the time we’re in front of her.

  “How are you?” she asks, giving me a friendly hug and a cheek kiss before moving along and doing the same with Stephanie and Paige.

  In the couple of years that Lisa and Marcus have been together, we’ve become quite close. She’s one of those fun, easy-going girls who fits in with any group.

  She met Paige and Stephanie when we all went out for my birthday not long after she married Marcus. Paige was very cool, but Stephanie almost died giggling when she first met her. She treated her like royalty because she’s a fan of Lisa’s father’s music and was obsessed with Lisa when she was still called Leisel and was dating movie star, Jonathan Masters. “You are. The bravest woman I have ever met,” she’d gushed, referring to Lisa’s gutsy choice to park Jonathan’s car in his living room after she discovered he was cheating on her.

  Lisa smiled and took it all in her stride, but you could tell it wasn’t something she wanted to spend a lot of time talking about. Thankfully, we moved on from that topic of conversation and we’ve all been friends ever since.

  Lisa finishes greeting everyone then returns to my side and loops her arm through mine. “Let’s go inside. They’re all set up for us. There’s even champagne,” she smiles, leading me toward the door.

  An impeccably dressed lady in a tailored skirt suit greets us at the door as if we’re long lost friends.

  “Come in, come in. I understand we have a time limit, so I’ve collected all the dresses we have in your size.” She motions toward a rack full of ivory silk and organza. “Have you decided on the colour for your bridal party?” she asks me.

  I smile at the question. For some reason, I had thought that I wouldn’t have much of a choice when it came to colour for the bridal party. I thought it would just have to be whatever we can get that fits.

  “Purple. I want them wearing purple,” I say, exchanging glances with Lisa. It is possible that this wedding is going to look like a music sheet covered in Ribena, but I don’t care. I am obsessed with purple as a colour, and music is both Theo’s and my passion – so they’re both going to be heavily represented on our special day.

  Her smile widens. “We have some beautiful Vera Wang dresses in amethyst that are to die for.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. “Vera Wang?” All I can think is how much that’s going to cost everyone. I know that no one is hard up for money, but still, I can’t expect them to pay out for a designer dress that will only be worn once.

  Lisa steps in. “Relax. They’re not as expensive as you think, and besides, Marcus is covering this. I don’t even want you to think about the prices. Just have fun, ok. Here, have some champagne, relax. Choose whichever you prefer.”

  I take the flute of gently fizzing liquid from her hand and let out my breath as I nod and take a sip.

  Suddenly, I wish that my mother could be here with me too. But she and dad are overseas right now. They’ll be back in two weeks, so they’ll make the wedding. But still, I’m sure she would have liked to be here just as much as I would like her support.

  When I called my mum and told her the wedding was happening within the month, she was both elated and disappointed. I’m her only daughter, so she’d love to have more to do with the preparations. But with the timing, that’s just not working out. I am, however, calling her frequently to keep her abreast with our plans, and she’s expecting photos of this fitting to be sent to her so she can at least be a part of this remotely.

  “Ok,” the shop assistant says with a clap of her hands. “Who wants to go first – bridesmaids or bride?”

  “Bride,” the girls all chorus together before I’ve managed to form a word.

  I tilt my glass back and let the champagne flow straight down my throat in a single gulp. “Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden?” I ask, touching my hand to my cheeks as they flush pink.

  “It’s perfectly normal,” Stephanie assures me. “I think I ran around pink and blotchy for a good six months before my wedding day.”

  I stand up and hand her my phone. “Ok, make sure you take photos to send through to mum,” I tell her.

  “Definitely,” she grins, holding my phone against her chest as she watches me disappear into the dressing room with the first dress from the rack.

  The first one is a column dress in ivory silk that is very simple in design but when I try it on, I think it would be best suited to a much taller woman than I.

  “It’s pretty. But it reminds me of one of those silky nightgowns,” Stephanie says as she holds my phone up to me.

  “Try the next one on sweetheart,” I hear from my phone, and immediately I realise it’s my mother’s voice.

  I move over to Stephanie as fast as I can in the too long dress and beam happily when I see my mother’s face on the screen. “I FaceTimed her so she could be here,” Stephanie tells me.

  “Hi mum,” I say, getting all teary when I see her face.

  “Hello darling,” she smiles. “You look beautiful.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” I gush.

  “It’s the wonders of modern technology. Now, go and try on the next d
ress. I can’t wait to see it.”

  I nod and head back into the fitting room where a dress with a pink beaded bodice waits for me. It’s form-fitting right down to my thighs then trumpets out so it swishes as I walk.

  When I open the door, it’s to a couple of wolf whistles from the girls. It’s a beautiful dress, but I’m worried that it makes me look too cut in half. “I think this is another tall girl dress though,” I comment.

  “Not at all. You look gorgeous, Nomes,” Paige says as she snaps a picture with her phone.

  “How about you try this one?” Lisa says from beside the rack of dresses she’s been searching through. “It’s a lot of tulle. But it fits your theme.”

  In her hand, she holds out a white princess styled wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice with purple applique flowers that scatter part of the way down the flared skirt as if they are falling.

  “Oh, that is just gorgeous,” I hear my mother say from my phone.

  I smile. “It is, isn’t it?” I look around at the faces of my closest friends and see the agreement on their features.

  “Try it on,” Paige urges me.

  The attendant takes the dress from Lisa’s grasp and hangs it in the dressing room for me as I follow behind her and remove the dress I have on as she helps me into the new one.

  “Almost a perfect fit,” she comments as she zips me up. I smooth my hands over the wide skirt and look at myself in the mirror. “If you think it’s too much but like the style, we have the same where the applique flowers are white and there’s a silk purple belt that goes with it instead.”

  I shake my head. “I like this. It’s classic but with a little ‘me’ thrown in the mix,” I tell her.

  She nods, then opens the curtain so I can show everyone else.

  “That’s the one,” Stephanie says immediately.

  “That is just stunning,” exclaims my mother while the others all make their own comments in agreement.

  “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” I agree, looking at myself in the floor to ceiling mirrors in the main area.