Music of the Soul

by Katie Ashley

  “So sweet,” Mia murmured, as she quickly wiped her eyes. From her expression, I knew she was thinking of how hard it was going to be for her own father at her wedding in a few months.

  The wedding coordinator appeared wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard. “Okay, I need the flower girl and ring bearer to line up followed by the bridesmaids.”

  After handing her bouquet to Mia, Lily bent down to straighten Jude’s shirt and tie. “You know what to do, right?”

  I could tell he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes at her. “Yes, Mommy. I walk down the aisle holding the pillow, and then stand next to Daddy. I’m not a baby, you know.”

  With a smile, Lily patted his chest. “I know, sweetheart. I just wanted to check.” She then turned her attention to Melody. After she fluffed out Melody’s frilly dress and adjusted her headband, Lily asked, “And what about you, Miss Priss? Do you know what to do?”

  “Throw the flowers!” she cried with a grin.

  I laughed at her enthusiasm while Lily shook her head. “No, you’re not supposed to throw the petals. You need to gently toss them on the sand. Do it just like we practiced. Okay?”

  Melody bobbed her head, but in my mind, I didn’t think she was totally onboard with the whole “gentle” thing. Lily rose up to give me a tight smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind her in case she goes crazy or something.”

  “It’ll be fine,” I reassured her.

  The wedding coordinator motioned for Jude and Melody. Just as they started around the chairs toward the aisle, the string ensemble started playing Ave Maria. As Jude and Melody started down the aisle, Lily followed close behind them. Then Mia went followed by Allison, who I had asked to be my maid of honor. There were friends in my past I could have asked, but Allison was about to become my sister-in-law. It felt like the right thing to do. And regardless of how Jake felt about his father, he truly loved his little sister with all his heart.

  “Okay, Abby, it’s time.”

  Unable to form words, I merely nodded. My arm trembled slightly as I slipped it through my father’s. “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he said, as he smiled down at me. The quartet changed music, and the sound of Here Comes the Bride filled the air. This was really it—the moment I became Jake’s wife.

  As the crowd rose from their chairs, I put one barefoot in front of the other. Craning my neck, I desperately tried to catch a glimpse of Jake. I could see Brayden, AJ, and Rhys in their island casual khaki pants, crisp white, button-down shirts, and pink vests. But there was no Jake. Finally, as we curved around the last row of chairs to start up the aisle, my eyes met his. The smile that spread across his lips caused my heart to still and restart.

  I couldn’t remember a time when he had looked more handsome. His dark hair was perfectly slicked back. His vest hugged his muscular frame while his biceps bulged against the fabric of his shirt. Even from my place down the aisle, I could see his deep blue eyes sparkling in the twilight. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be marrying this gorgeous man. But it wasn’t what he looked like on the outside that mattered to me. It was his caring heart and sensitive soul that made the true attraction for me.

  My mind was on sensory overload as I tried to take in every detail of my walk down the aisle. The smiling faces of friends and family, the gentle breeze that rippled through my hair, the way the warm sand squished between my toes, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore below us.

  When I reached Jake’s side, the sun had started its descent into the west, sending an array of reds and oranges across the deep, blue sky. In the fading sunlight, thousands of candles and twinkling lights lit our perfect piece of heaven on the shore.

  Kissing my cheek, my dad then left my side to take his place at the head of the altar. He was pulling double duty giving me away, as well as performing the ceremony. “Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony…”

  I couldn’t help tuning my dad out to glance over at Jake. I was rewarded with a pleased grin from him. Leaning over slightly, he whispered, “Oh Abby, you look like a dream…like my true angel.”

  Gazing up at him, I mouthed, “Thank you.”

  When my dad cleared his throat, both Jake and I jumped and then quickly gave him our full attention. “It’s normally at this part of the ceremony when I ask who gives the woman in marriage. Of course, I already know the answer to this question.” Smiling at Jake, my dad said, “Laura, and I, along with her brothers, proudly and happily give Abby’s hand to you, Jake.”

  “I gladly take it, sir,” Jake replied, with a grin.

  “You know, from the time Abby was born, Laura and I prayed that God would send her a companion. Someone she could spend her life in love with. Someone to support her in the good times and bad and be her true soul mate. Of course, we didn’t expect him to come in the package of a tattooed rock star.”

  Laughter echoed around us. When it had faded away, my dad’s expression sobered. “Two years ago when I first met you, Jake, I don’t think I could have ever fathomed being in this place today. I wanted Abby to marry someday—one day long, long in the future. But our time isn’t always divine, and I have no doubts that you two are meant to start your lives together at this very moment in time.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jake said softly.

  Dad nodded at my brothers and Micah. Jake and I had argued over what song to have played at the ceremony. Finally, after months of discussion, we finally decided on God Bless the Broken Road. As Micah began singing the familiar lyrics, Jake took my hands in his. He squeezed them tight before giving me a beaming smile. As my brothers’ voices harmonized, Jake’s thumbs rubbed circles over the back of my hand. Not once did he take his eyes from mine.

  When the song faded to a close, my dad opened his Bible to begin the vows. “Jake, repeat after me,” he instructed.

  Jake nodded and turned his attention away from my father and back to me. “I, Jacob Ethan Slater, take you Abigail Elizabeth Renard to be my lawfully wedded wife…” As he started to echo the words my father said, he blinked back the tears. Considering how Jake was usually so cocky and so sure of himself, his vulnerability broke me completely.

  When it became my turn, I could barely contain my sobs as I repeated my vows. I was a shaking, stuttering mess, but somehow I made it through them. “Love you,” Jake mouthed with a smile.

  “Love you more,” I replied.

  “And now, for the giving and receiving of rings,” my father said.

  I turned to Allison while Jake turned to AJ. “With this ring, I thee wed,” I murmured as I slid the platinum band on Jake’s left hand. After Jake slid mine on, we turned to my dad.

  “By the power vested in me by God’s holy ordinance and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” With a little less bravado, he glanced at Jake and added, “You may now kiss the bride.”

  A smile curved on Jake’s lips as his hands came to cup my face. Tenderly his thumbs stroked my cheeks before he leaned in to kiss me. While our lips lingered together, Jake dropped his hands to then wrap me in his arms. He squeezed me tight against him. When he pulled away, tears shimmered in his eyes. “I love you, Mrs. Slater,” Jake whispered into my ear.

  No matter how many times he said the words, I simply couldn’t grow tired of them. I knew I wouldn’t for the rest of my life. “I love you, too. So, so much,” I replied.

  My father’s booming voice cut us off. “I’m happy to present Mr. and Mrs. Jake Slater!”

  Applause cut through the air as everyone rose out of the chairs. The quartet struck up the Bridal March as I took my bouquet back from Allison. With my cheeks stinging from smiling so broadly, I slipped my arm through Jake’s, and we started down the aisle as man and wife. As corny as it sounds, it felt just like I was walking on air. I couldn’t remember a time when I had felt such joy, such love, and such contentment.

  After an evening filled with dinner
and dancing, I stood on the dock with Abby as we waved good-bye to the last of our wedding party. With one arm wrapped securely around Abby’s waist, she snuggled tighter against my side. We watched the lights of the catamaran get further and further away. Finally, we were alone. Just us. With an entire island all to ourselves.

  Gazing down at her, I smiled. “Man, I thought they’d never leave.”

  She giggled. “I know. I thought we were going to just have to go up to the house and leave them all down here.”

  “The sad fact is it’s only midnight.”

  Abby’s brows shot up in surprise. “Seriously? I thought it was at least three am.”

  I laughed. “No, the last boat for the shore leaves at midnight. If we hadn’t got their asses on there, we would have had a full house for our honeymoon.”

  Abby’s nose wrinkled. “That would have been a nightmare.”

  “Anxious to have me all to yourself, huh?”

  “Mmm, hmm,” she replied before yawning.

  “Are you tired, Mrs. Slater?”

  “Just a little,” she admitted sheepishly.

  “I kept you up too late last night.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t regret one moment of that.”

  “That’s my girl.” Leaning over, I cupped my arms beneath her knees and swept her off her feet.

  Her eyes widened. “Jake, what are you doing?” she demanded.

  “You said you were tired, so I’m going to carry you back to the house like a good husband.”

  Abby snorted as I started trudging across the cold, wet sand. “This is really chivalrous of you, but you’re going to strain yourself.”

  I cut my eyes over to hers. “Are you insinuating that I’m not manly enough to carry you across this beach?”

  “Come on, Jake. This is silly. Put me down.”

  “All right. Fine. But don’t try to say later on that I never did anything romantic for you.” With her still in my arms, I sank to my knees. She squealed when I pitched her forward onto the sand.

  “What are—?”

  With a shrug, I replied, “You wanted me to put you down, so I was just obliging you.”

  She glared up at me in the moonlight. “Now I have a wet and cold ass, thanks to you.”

  “Hmm, we can’t have that now, can we?” Looming over her, I nudged her onto her back, which was what I had planned on when I let her down. “Let me warm you up.” I leaned in to bring my lips to hers when someone cleared her throat above me. Glancing up from Abby, I saw the wedding coordinator smiling apologetically at me. “Yes?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that everything is ready for you at the house. It should only be another thirty minutes for the catering crew to break everything down. Then you’ll have the island to yourselves.”

  “Thank you.”

  With a curt nod, she turned and started high tailing it away from us. “Glad she’s gone. Now where were we?”

  “The part where you get off me, so we can go to the house and have our well-needed privacy?”

  I groaned. “No, not that part. I wanted the part where I made love to you in the moonlight with the waves crashing over us.”

  Abby laughed. “That sounds wonderful, but not when we have a potential audience. You can take me in a hundred different ways all over this beach tomorrow when we’re alone.”

  “Damn, is that a promise?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Hmm, okay then.” In a fluid motion, I rose to my feet and then extended my hand to her. When she slipped hers inside mine, I pulled her off the sand. Keeping her hand in mine, we started walking up the beach to the house.

  As we went by the bustling caters, they kept their heads down and tried to be invisible to us. “Thank you all, again. Everything was just wonderful,” Abby gushed.

  A few “You’re Welcomes” were said while they kept working. “You’re too sweet for your own good, you know that?” I asked, as we walked up the stairs.

  “It doesn’t hurt to say thank you and show your gratitude for a good job,” Abby countered.

  “A lot of people wouldn’t. You’ve never let your stardom or fame go to your head. It’s just one of the million things I love about you.”

  “I’ll be sure to say thank you for the amazing orgasms you’re going to give me tonight,” she said, with a little smirk.

  My brows rose as I thought about her cocky little response. She was betting on some orgasms, and I sure as hell intended on giving them to her. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that one, Miss Sassy,” I said, reaching out for her. She squealed and ran ahead of me into the house. When I caught up with her, I started to grab her but then stopped. She stood stock still in the middle of the living room. With her back to me, she stared straight ahead. I knew she was taking in the flickering candles and rose petals that led down the hallway.

  Abby glanced over her shoulder at me, her blue eyes wide with surprise. “You had them do this?”

  I shrugged. “I made a few suggestions to their ‘romance package’.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, with a small smile. Gathering up the front of her dress, she began padding barefoot down the hallway. With the candlelight illuminating her golden hair and skin, she looked just like an angel. My angel—for now and always. Fuck, how did an asshole like me ever get so lucky?

  I heard her sharp intake of breath when she entered the master suite at the end of the hallway. “Oh Jake,” she whispered. Candles lit the interior of the room while on top of the bed, red, pink, and purple rose petals were formed into a giant heart.

  “You don’t think it’s cheesy?” I asked tentatively.

  “Never.” She turned around to wrap her arms around me. “The fact that it came from your heart makes it even more special.”

  “I wanted to make tonight beautiful for you. I know chicks dig shit like flowers and candles.”

  Abby smiled. “It is wonderful, Jake, but you’re all I need to make this night wonderful. You and your love.”

  “Mmm, I like hearing you say that,” I said, before leaning in to kiss her. As her ready mouth worked against mine, I knew how hard it was going to be to reign myself in tonight. But more than anything, I was ready to get the show on the road. When I pulled away, I stared into her expectant eyes. “Turn around,” I commanded.

  Abby quickly obliged. Her hands came to sweep up the long stands of her hair to give me better access to undress her. When I caught sight of the long row of fine pearl buttons, I sucked in a harsh breath of frustration. “Fuck me! Are you serious?”

  She burst out laughing. “It’s just a zipper, babe.”

  “Thank God,” I muttered. My fingers went to the middle of her back to find the zipper. I tugged it down. Once the dress bowed open, I leaned forward to bestow a trail of tender kisses across the exposed skin of her shoulder blades. I was rewarded with a dreamy little sigh from Abby as she arched her back toward me. After I’d given enough attention to the soft, creamy skin on her back and the base of her spine, my hands then went to the top of the dress to push it off her shoulders.

  All I could see on Abby was a white, lacy push up bra thing that extended down her back to her waist. I could only imagine how perfect she looked from the front with her tits all pushed up, just waiting for me to touch and suck on them. Just the thought sent my dick pounding against the zipper of my pants.

  I slid the dress off her hips and let it drop to the floor. Offering my hand, I helped Abby step out of it. “Mmm,” I murmured, as she stood before me in only a lacy, white thong and the bra thing that sure as hell did thrust her tits up into my face. A thousand and one different scenarios entered my head of fucking her fast and hard until we were a sweaty mess and she was screaming my name.

  “You look like you’re about to devour me,” she whispered, her cheeks flushing in the candlelight.

  “I want to—I really do. But more than anything, I want to make love you as your husband tonight.”

  “Oh, yes,” she gas
ped.

  I took her hands in mine and then brought them to my vest. Abby made quick work of unbuttoning me. She tossed the vest to the floor and then went to work on my shirt. To help things along, I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. When I was only in my boxer shorts, I gripped her waist and pushed her back to the bed. “Lie down,” I said.

  Without taking her eyes off mine, she eased on top of the heart made out of rose petals on the bed. I knelt down on the mattress. As I loomed over her, I couldn’t help being amazed at how beautiful she was. How in the world a bastard like me had been gifted this angel of perfection I would never know. She would always be too good for me—too sweet, too pure, too giving of herself.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Abby asked, her hand coming up to cup my cheek.

  “Nothing.”

  “Jake?” she implored.

  I sighed raggedly. “I was just thinking how much I don’t deserve you.”

  Her tender fingers rubbed my cheek. “Oh no, baby. That’s not true at all.”

  With a smile, I realized her love for me would always blind her of my faults. Her sweet words fueled me on. I kissed and licked across her collarbone, leaving little love bites as I went. My hands came to the clasps on the front of the bra, and I popped them open one by one. Her breasts sprang free and into my ready mouth. I sucked hard on one pink nipple. After increasing the pressure, I pulled back to let my tongue flick across it. As it hardened beneath me, I let it fall free of my mouth before blowing across the puckered tip.

  “Jake,” Abby moaned, her legs scissoring beneath us.

  “Patience, Angel.” I understood her frustration. My dick pounded against the front of my boxer shorts to get free and be buried deep inside her. But this was a once in a lifetime deal—the very reason why she had wanted to abstain. Tonight was supposed to be special, amazing, and heartfelt, and by God, I was going to make sure it was.

  I licked a wet trail from the valley between her breasts down to her abdomen. My fingers came to grip the sides of her thong before I slid it down over her legs. She opened wide, giving me a great view of her pussy, but I wasn’t quite ready for that. Instead, I rolled her over so she was on her stomach. Starting at her feet, I kissed and licked up her calves to her thighs. Then I alternated with the other leg. Little goose bumps puckered her flesh, as my mouth warmed over them. Abby’s fingers gripped the sheets as she writhed beneath me. Her little whimpers told me I was doing everything right to extend her pleasure as long as I could.