Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (32 page)

Thursday, I was relieved because I was finally feeling better, and I was able to keep down some wheat toast with only light butter.

I forced myself into the shower after sleeping in until nearly ten. I was not going to dwell on losing a few days of work since Kyle’s birthday was in two days, and I still had no gift for him. Plus, I had yet to pick out his wedding ring, and since he would be taking next week off, my only chance to do it was now. It was time to hit the stores.

Wanting to be comfortable, I dressed in a pair of loose Victoria’s Secret sweats and a short-sleeved tee before walking out to my car to head over to the mall where Brooke, Abbey, and I had gone shopping last weekend. The mall had to have something that would be a great gift for Kyle.

By some force of nature, I was able to make it there without getting lost. I smiled for the first time in two days. I was quite proud of myself for making it from point A to point B without any wrong turns. It was the small things in life that made me happy.
Ha!

I strolled around the north side of the mall first. I knew Kyle did not need any dress clothes since he had a closet full of them, so I narrowed my search to beach clothing for our honeymoon, and I made it the theme for his birthday present.

First, I found him a deliciously sexy pair of dark blue Under Armour swim trunks and a pair of black sandals to wear on our romantic getaway. I stuck with darker shades because I’d never seen him wear bright colors. Luckily, I was also able to find us awesome matching
Mr.
and
Mrs.
towels. Some might think it was cheesy, and it kind of was, but it was also cute at the same time. After all, it was our honeymoon. I found a few more items before carrying my bags out to my car and placing them in the trunk.

Next stop was to find Kyle a wedding ring. I drove around for the next fifteen minutes until I found a jewelry store off of Lake Tahoe Boulevard. I quickly parked and made my way inside.

A woman approached me right away as I glanced down at an enclosed case with brightly shining diamonds. Then, I looked toward another one filled with watches.

“Hello, ma’am. Can I help you?” she asked.

I tipped my head up, and I smiled shyly at her. I didn’t have the slightest clue what kind of ring to get Kyle. I wanted it to be perfect.

“I’m looking for a wedding ring for my fiancé,” I replied.

“Congratulations on your engagement.” She smiled politely. “The gentlemen’s wedding bands are this way,” she added while gesturing me to follow.

I let out a nervous breath and trailed along behind her. Stopping at another case, my eyes broadened for a split second at the wide selection. I wondered how I was ever going to select only one. Then, as my gaze made it to the third row down, fourth one across, I saw it—the perfect ring for Kyle.

A warm loving glow spread throughout my entire body, especially my heart. I lifted my hand and pointed. “That one,” I said with absolute certainty.

“Of course,” she responded. “Just let me get some paperwork for you.”

I continued to roam around the store while she readied my order. The cases were filled with many choices of cuff links, necklaces, earrings, rings, and watches.

The saleswoman returned with my total, and I handed her my Visa after telling her that I wanted to purchase another item.

She took it and then walked off to finish the sale. I walked back over to where Kyle’s ring was, and I lowered my eyes to look at it one more time. My cheeks started to ache from smiling so much.

As I flopped down onto the couch after hiding Kyle’s gifts, I was relieved that I had felt well enough this morning to shop for him. My only regret was overdoing it. The stomach bug came back with a vengeance. It was quite ticked with me for not giving myself adequate time to recuperate. Feeling drained, I draped my hand over my head to shield the light coming from the living room window, and I closed my eyes.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” my favorite voice whispered in my ear.

I felt his hand affectionately stroking down the side of my head.

“Ugh,” I grunted incoherently, feeling miserable.

Kyle chuckled softly. “Still feel sick?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

I nodded while keeping my hand in place. “Yes…it won’t go away.”

He brushed his knuckles down my cheek. “You don’t have a fever.”

“I started to feel better, and then it came back with full-blown retaliation, dirty style.”

His husky chortle was louder this time. “Viruses are known to linger,” he replied in a gentle tone. “How about I make you some broth? Then, you can use me as your pillow again.”

“Okay.” I looked at him, smiling tenderly. I loved the way he wanted to care for me. “I think I should be able to keep that much down,” I added, disliking my noncompliant stomach.

As I lowered my hand, he bent forward and kissed my cheek softly.

“Alright, beautiful, broth is coming right up.” He rose to his feet and headed for the kitchen.

I stayed in my position on the couch, trying to wake up, while I heard Kyle moving about as he prepared to start cooking.

After a moment, I stood and slowly ambled toward the bar stools at the kitchen island. “So, how was your day?” I asked, making easy conversation.

“The usual.” He shrugged while still facing the stove. “I should be finished by a decent time tomorrow,” he added. Then, he turned to walk over to the other side of the island.

“That’s good,” I replied.

“And then, I’m all yours for the next five weeks,” he said with a grin forming across his lips.

“Even better.” I smirked back, feeling slightly better.
Maybe all I needed was my handsome sexy alpha.

“I haven’t had that much time off in…” He paused while drawing his brows together. “Forever.”

“Me either.” I laughed.

He turned back to the stove to check on my dinner that was sizzling in the pot, and then he turned off the heat. He sidestepped, opened the cabinet to pull out two bowls, and carefully filled them with the broth.

Kyle set my glass bowl in front of me, and then he slid his over to the empty bar stool next to me. At the fridge, he pushed the ice button and walked back to dump a cube in my soup.

“What are you doing?” I asked with amusement.

He placed an ice cube in his bowl, too. “It’s another one of those traditions.” He grinned while sitting in his chair. “Whenever my mom made us soup when we were kids, we always put ice cubes in it to cool it off faster.”

I lifted my brows at him. “I don’t know whether to be bummed out because you weakened my broth or be impressed and think you’re a genius,” I teased.

“I’m going to go with genius,” he stated matter-of-factly.

I laughed and shook my head. “Of course you’d say that.”

Our broth slowly cooled. I sipped tiny spoonfuls of my dinner, not sure how my stomach would react.

So far, so good.

“So, what’s on the agenda next week?” Kyle asked in between mouthfuls.

“I think we are pretty much set to go. We just need to decide if we want to do a rehearsal or not,” I replied.

“What do you want?” he questioned.

“I don’t think it’s really necessary since our wedding party is rather small. I think the six of us can handle it,” I said, referring to our wedding party that consisted of Abbey, Brooke, Kate, Ryan, Damon, and Jason.

“Okay.” He turned to face me. “So, when do we leave for our honeymoon?”

I could not help but unleash a huge smile, loving the idea of having him all to myself for a month. “We leave the day after the wedding at one o’clock.”

“Mmm, then I get you on a beach, all to myself for one whole month,” he responded dreamily, sharing my feelings.

Sometimes, we were so similar with our thoughts.

“What all did you select in our package?” he asked.

“An oceanfront room, convertible car, breakfast each morning, one boat trip to another island, and even a helicopter ride to tour the island,” I answered, feeling quite ecstatic about my awesome all-inclusive deal.

His spoon stopped midway to his mouth. He looked at me with inquisitiveness. “I thought you hated to fly?” he asked, confounded.

“I do,” I agreed. “But the helicopter doesn’t have a great big engine roaring in my ears. I think I’ll be okay because it’s smaller. And for our airplane tickets, I personally selected seating near the front, so we won’t be stuck in the back again.”

“Uh, Lily, the helicopter is smaller, yes, but sometimes, that actually makes it
worse
for people because a helicopter makes more sudden movements,” he clarified.

My face paled.

He continued since I could not form any good retort, “Are you sure a tour by air is a good idea?”

“Well, I
was
until you just told me all that,” I muttered, waving my hand aimlessly in the air.

Kyle chuckled softly and then reassuringly rubbed my arm. “You never know…” he countered, rising to grab two glasses from the cabinet. He opened the fridge to grab the milk, and he poured us each a cup. “You might be surprised and like it,” he added while passing a glass to me.

“Thank you. I’m so thirsty,” I said while lifting the glass.

As soon as the smell of milk assaulted my nose, I cringed. My belly rumbled in protest, and Kyle stared at me with wide eyes.

I set the glass down with a loud thud and leaped out of the chair. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I said, running for the bathroom.

Thank the heavens I awoke feeling refreshed on Friday. I could not bear to be friends with the white porcelain god for one more day. I definitely was going to get the flu shot next year to save myself from this awful monstrosity of an illness.

Kyle was already gone for work, so I excitedly retrieved his presents from my hiding spot. I laid them out across the living room floor to wrap them while listening to the radio. I had never shopped for a man before, so I hoped he liked everything I’d gotten for him.

After I finished wrapping his presents, I hid them on my side of the closet behind some long garment bags. I glanced at the clock on my cell phone to see that it was only noon. I made my way up to the loft and worked for a few hours.

I was expecting to be able to write a great deal today. Usually, after having a few days off, my mind was on overload, but today, I found myself too eager for Kyle’s birthday to focus.

I closed my laptop at four sharp. Dinner with Kyle’s family would be in only two hours. I went downstairs and into the bathroom to start getting ready.

After a quick shower, I dried off and walked into the bedroom to open my drawers. Wanting to feel sexy tonight, I picked out my black lacy bra and matching garter set and slipped into them. I ambled over to my closet, and my eyes roamed over my selection of clothes. I reached for one of my favorite plum skirts and a white V-neck silk shirt.

I reemerged into our bedroom and put on my top. I stepped into my skirt and pulled it up the length of my shaved legs. When I went to lift the zipper, it suddenly felt snug. I sucked in a sharp breath, hoping to wiggle it up, but the zipper would not budge. I bit my lip, pondering how I could make my wardrobe selection work. I refused to select a different outfit. Then, an idea came to mind, and I marched over to the bed. Lying down, I tried again.