The next appointment that week had her seeing the doctor so she could check her physically and make sure her birth control was good. She’d gained six pounds and was closer to a healthy weight range. Dr. Tucker let Vanessa know that she was happy in the overall physical and emotional changes she saw. Vanessa left the appointment with a smile on her face.
Their final appointment of the week was Wednesday morning. Nathan finally took her to take her driver’s permit test. She felt strange being in a room with teenagers, but she was gaining her independence in a way they’d never understand. When she walked out to Nathan, she couldn’t hide her smile. He looked up and saw her barreling toward him, so he stood and caught her as she jumped into his arms.
“I passed!”
He kissed her quickly. “I knew you would.”
Two hours later they left the Department of Motor Vehicles with her permit. “Are you going to let me drive your truck?”
Nathan tossed her the keys. “Sure.”
The closer they got to the truck, the more she didn’t want to drive it because of how high it was off the ground. “I think I’d rather wait until we find me a car.”
Nathan chuckled. “Sounds good. Are we going car shopping today?”
She shook her head. “I think after the wedding.”
It was now Thursday morning, and she was gathering her things to leave. What did she take with her, and what did she leave? They’d be married when she came back, but they never discussed living arrangements.
She sat on the bed as a huff left her body.
“Ness, what are you thinking about?”
“The past few days have been crazy. We haven’t talked about where we’re going to live. Where my stuff is going.”
“Do you need any of these clothes next week?”
“No, just my makeup and hair stuff.”
“Then, only take what you’ll need next week.”
“Are we coming back here? To the apartment?”
“Until we find a house.” Nathan packed a bag of clothes to leave at the beach house. “You do want to come back here, right?”
She walked to him as he straightened to his full height. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked into his eyes. “I want to be wherever you are. I’m good with coming back here, and I like this apartment for now.”
“We can call a real estate agent when we get back. I’m sure we can find a house around here somewhere. I like being in the middle of town, but Max will need some room to roam.” Nathan shrugged. “The beach house is close enough that we can go on my days off.”
“Not if I’m working during the week.”
Nathan raised his hands in surrender. “That’s up to you, baby. I’ll support your decision.”
Her smile spread wide, and a playful gleam showed in her eyes. “Smart man.”
They left Riverton Crossing with the knowledge that Sam and Cat both agreed to be their witnesses. Thomas and both sets of Riverton couples would be at the wedding on Saturday. With Vanessa and Max loaded in his truck, Nathan drove toward the coast.
“I don’t understand why you can’t just stay here, and we go down together on Saturday.”
“Nathan, I need to make sure everything is set up. Even though everything is simple, there will still be flowers, and I need to call the hotel and the bakery to make sure they deliver the cake to the restaurant.”
“But there won’t be a rehearsal or anything. Evan and Mitchell had a rehearsal.”
“Babe…”
Nathan quickly turned toward her with a smile that lit up his whole face. “You’ve never called me that.”
She giggled. “I’ve never called anyone that, but it just came out.”
“I like it. So, what were you saying?”
“The judge will tell you when to go to the beach with Sam and the others. Cat and I will come down the walkway from the house. We’ll be married in a short ceremony with everyone standing around us. Nothing fancy.” Her eyes widened as realization hit. “Did you want something fancy?”
“No, I just want you, but I don’t want to screw up the wedding pictures.”
They arrived at the beach house and unloaded the truck. Vanessa pulled out a suitcase and packed it full for Nathan to take back with him. She was bent over the bed when his fingers grazed her skin from the back of her knee up to her ass.
“Ness, I brought a condom,” he whispered in her ear.
She wanted this man but decided they should abstain until the wedding. Two days. They’d gone three months, so two days shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
“You can leave it in the bedside table. You know, just in case we need it one day.”
Nathan’s mouth was gaping open when he turned her around. “We haven’t even gotten married yet and you’re already cutting me off?”
A sheepish grin crossed Vanessa’s face. “I thought we should hold off for these couple of days. You know, make our wedding night special?”
“Our wedding night is going to be special because you’ll be my wife. Ness…”
“Please, Nathan, I won’t ask this of you again.”
“Until we have a baby.”
“That won’t be me asking, that’ll be the doctors telling. And that’s one reason why I want us to wait.”
Nathan closed his eyes. “Okay, fine. I don’t like it, though.”
She raised on her tip toes. “I know. Thank you.”
He held her tight. “We can have phone sex though, right?”
She giggled. “Yes.”
He slanted his lips over hers and pressed them together. His tongue requested entrance, and she gladly granted it. As her tongue mated with his, she felt his cock harden against her stomach.
Oh, this man.
46
The two days seemed to move as slow as frozen molasses. Nathan was climbing the walls without Vanessa. How could she get under his skin so fast? He didn’t know and didn’t care. He was just grateful.
He woke up early Saturday morning and cleaned the apartment spotless. What else was he going to do to kill time before he could go to the beach house? With everything perfect for when Vanessa came home to stay, he sat on the sofa and called her.
“Hey, handsome.”
He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that greeting. “Hey, beautiful.”
“What are you doing?”
“I just finished cleaning the apartment and wanted to hear your voice. I’m ready to leave. Do you need me to pick up anything on my way?”
“You can’t come now! It’ll be five hours until sunset by the time you get here. You can’t see me until I walk down the aisle. Cat doesn’t have my hair done yet or makeup. Please, Nathan, wait a little longer.”
“Ness, I’ll wait in the other bedroom. I just need to be close to you.”
“I want you here, I do, but I still need a little tradition.”
Before Nathan could respond, a knock sounded at his door. He was warring with himself as he looked out the peep hole. “Thomas is here. Would you happen to know anything about that?”
“Cat called him and told him to take you to lunch before you drove down.”
Nathan opened the door. “Fine. I guess it’ll be a few more hours before I get there then.”
“Have fun, and think of this as a bachelor’s lunch or something.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Nathan disconnected the call. “I hear we’re supposed to go to lunch.”
Thomas laughed. “That’s what I’ve been told. Evan, Mitchell, and Sam are meeting us at the diner. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready to go to the beach,” Nathan grumbled.
They walked into the diner to find the others waiting on them.
“You look like shit,” Sam said.
“I haven’t been able to sleep much. The whole apartment smells like her, but she’s not there.”
Evan chuckled. “You’ve got it bad, man. I’m glad you’ve only got a few more hours to
wait.”
“Fuck you.”
Evan burst out laughing. “I do have to admit, you’re a lot more pleasant when you’re with her. She’s good for you.”
Nathan scrubbed his hands down his face. “She is.” He looked at Sam. “Do you have the song for the DJ at the bar?”
“Got it, and the rings.”
“Rings. Yeah, we need those. Don’t forget them.”
Mitchell laughed. “Damn, Nathan, I’ve never seen you flustered before.”
Nathan flipped him off. “I need to make today everything she wants because her last wedding was a farce. Today needs to be perfect.”
Thomas clasped his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “Relax.”
“How, Thomas? I’m here, and she’s there. How the hell am I supposed to relax? I’ll relax when I know we’re in the same place.”
It was close to five when they all arrived at the beach house.
“Cat said you can come in the front door and go straight to the guest bedroom,” Thomas said.
“Well, please let her know I’ve got to take a piss and will be using the bathroom first.”
“Do not put Cat in a pissy mood, or I will hurt you.”
They walked into the house. Max greeted them with a wagging tail. Nathan squatted. “Does she look beautiful, Max? You’ve kept her safe, right?”
Before Nathan stepped into the guest room, he tapped on Vanessa’s door. “Ness?”
“Don’t come in here, Nathan.” Her voice was panicked.
“I won’t, beautiful. I just wanted you to know I’m here, and I’m waiting for you.”
“Do not make her cry, Nathan!” Cat called from inside the room with Vanessa.
“I’ll see you soon, beautiful. I’ll be the one standing beside the judge.”
“Did you wear those off-white linen pants?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll know who you are.” She giggled.
He placed his palm flat on the door. He couldn’t wait to touch her again.
Sam walked in the guest room where Nathan was pacing the floor. “Dude, are you hanging in there?”
“Yeah, have you seen her?”
“No, only the girls have gone in that room.”
Sam’s phone buzzed. “Baxter.” Sam looked at Nathan. “I think that’d help a lot.” He disconnected the call and waited for it to buzz again. “This is for you.” When he turned the phone toward Nathan, there was a short video of Vanessa blowing him a kiss.
“I love you. See you in a bit.”
Nathan’s fingers touched the screen. He couldn’t see the dress, but he saw her face and heard her voice as he took a calming breath. Before he could hand the phone back to Sam, a knock sounded.
“Nathan, are you ready to head down to the beach?”
“Yes, sir, Judge.”
Everyone was in the living room waiting for them to walk out. They all walked down to the beach in their casual attire and flip flops and turned toward the house with the ocean at their backs. The sun was starting to set, and the photographer would get gorgeous pictures. As they watched the walkway, Cat came down in a flowy blue dress and barefoot. When she was in place, Vanessa slowly made her way barefoot down the walkway in a soft candlelight dress that was perfect for a beach wedding.
Nathan moved toward her, but Sam grabbed his arm. “Wait for her.”
Nathan nodded as he held himself in place. He wanted to meet this wonderful woman where she was.
When she arrived by his side, the Judge asked, “Vanessa is there anything you want to say to Nathan?”
With watery eyes, she looked at him with a loving smile on her face. “Nathan, I didn’t ask anyone to walk me down the aisle because I wanted to do it myself. I wanted you to know that I choose you, that I want to stand by your side and make a life with you.”
She could not have picked any better words to pierce his heart.
“Nathan, do you have anything you’d like to say to Vanessa?”
He nodded. “You’ve often said that I’ve been your protector and maybe I have, but you’ve been my savior. You’ve saved me from a life of loneliness and added purpose to my life. You, Vanessa Calhoun, are who I want to make a life with.”
The judge finished the ceremony and ended with, “You may kiss your bride.”
Nathan didn’t hold back as he kissed her, trying to make up for the days they were apart. Sam tapped him on the shoulder. “Save it for the honeymoon.”
A round of laughter erupted.
When Nathan ended the kiss, he pulled her close to his side. “I’ve missed you,” he softly said.
She looked up him and gave him another gentle kiss.
47
They all went to the hotel in Charleston where a meal was planned and a fun night before everyone went their separate ways for the weekend. They’d just finished eating and got out of the elevator at the rooftop bar when the DJ announced, “Tonight, we have a small wedding party in our presence. The groom has requested a special song for his bride, so if you’d please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Cox to the dance floor.”
Nathan led Vanessa to the dance floor as “Like There’s No Yesterday” by Mark Wills began to play. He pulled her in close and whispered into her ear, “Listen to the words, Ness. This is for you. Look in my eyes. It’s all about love. We begin today with our clean slate.”
Tears ran down her face. “Oh, Nathan, thank you.”
As the song came to an end, he cupped her face and placed a reverent kiss on her lips. They left the dance floor in a round of applause and approached the table reserved for them.
“Damn, dude, I didn’t think you had it in you,” Evan said.
“It’s all her fault,” Nathan jokingly replied then kissed Vanessa’s head.
“That was such a perfect song,” Ginger managed to say between sniffles.
Vanessa cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “It may be a little late for this, but thank you. Thanks to you, Sam, for helping us see each other. Thomas and Cat, thank you for helping us not only see each other but find each other. And to the rest of you, thank you for your blessings, but especially to Ginger for being protective of the man who owns my heart.”
When she stopped speaking, the women had tears running down their faces, and the men were pinching the bridge of the noses. There wasn’t a dry eye at the table.
Nathan ordered a round of drinks for everyone and enjoyed several toasts. Afterward, Evan, Ginger, Mitchell, and Kayla left while Sam, Thomas, and Cat stayed. Nathan was whispering in Vanessa’s ear when someone cleared their throat. Everyone turned to the woman standing beside the table, and Nathan’s eyes widened.
A sad laugh left the woman. “I guess I picked the wrong night to go out with friends.” She turned to Vanessa. “I’m Diane, and I just wanted to tell you that you’re a lucky woman. He’s a good man.”
Vanessa cut her eyes to Nathan in question, and he nodded. “Thank you. I know he is,” Vanessa said.
Diane nodded and walked away as a woman finally talked Sam onto the dance floor.
“Three times must be a charm,” Cat said as she tilted her head toward Sam and the woman.
Vanessa’s mouth fell slightly open. “Has she really asked him three times?”
“Yes,” Thomas replied.
Vanessa grabbed Nathan’s leg. “Oh no.”
“Is that Carrie walking in?”
“Yes, and it looks like Sam noticed her too.”
When the song finished, Sam walked the woman back to her table and quietly sat in his seat.
“Are you okay, man?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because Carrie is here?”
Sam looked up and his brows furrowed before he turned back to his drink. “We have an understanding, but we aren’t exclusive.”
Vanessa continued to watch Carrie. Her voice softened but was urgent. “Sam, I think she may be in trouble.”
48
Sam looked in the d
irection where he’d seen Carrie. A man was pawing at her as she tried to push him away. He was too big for her to handle in a dress and heels.
“Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath as he made his way to them.
“Please don’t touch me. You’re drunk, and I don’t know you.” Sam heard Carrie saying before he was within arm’s reach.
“Hey, sweetheart. I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?”
“Hey, go find your own girl. This one’s taken,” the drunk man said with a slur.
“She is my girl. Now, you need to leave her alone before you get into more trouble than you’re looking for tonight.”
“You weren’t with her.”
“I’m with her now.”
The man looked at Carrie. “Do you know him?”
“Yes, we’re seeing each other.”
The man held up Carrie’s hand. “I don’t see a ring, so you’re fair game.”
Sam signaled toward a bouncer. “This man is harassing my girlfriend.”
The bouncer took the man to the elevator, and Carrie turned on Sam. “Girlfriend? Is that what you call it? I thought we were just fuck buddies, Sam?”
Sam cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, I thought that’s what we agreed to.”
“Well, is the bimbo staring daggers at me your fuck buddy for tonight? ‘Cause that’s not what we agreed to.”
“She asked me to dance three times tonight, and I finally agreed.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had to work.”
“One of the other girls needed some extra hours, so I split my shift with her.”
“So, you’re free tonight?”
“I’m out with my friends.” She pointed to the group of girls who were staring at them.
“What about tomorrow?”
“I’ve got plans tomorrow.”
“What kind of plans?” he asked with a devilish grin.
Carrie shook her head.
“Then spend the night with me tonight. You can leave in the morning for your plans.”
Unbridled Passion: A Riverton Crossing Novel Page 22
