Ending with Forever (11 page)

“Good morning.” Carson stands up to offer me a tame peck on my forehead, respecting my mother’s presence. Can he be anything else but a perfect gentleman? “Are you okay? I heard you gagging in the other room,” he mumbles under his breath as he studies my face.

I nod to answer his private question and audibly reply, “Morning. Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” he answers. His stern expression tells me he’s concerned about me and he’s not going to drop the subject easily.

“Morning, Mom.” I lean my head past Carson’s shoulder to greet her. She offers me half a grin.

“Your dress is hanging in my room. Don’t forget to grab it on your way out.”

“You’re the best, Mom.”

“You’re welcome. Now come here and have some breakfast with us,” she insists.

L
il is off with Emma and Isabella for a pre-wedding get together. I won’t see her until 5:00 p.m., when the ceremony begins. With a stress-relieving drink in my hand, Luke and I are going over the strategy for nailing Bianca for Lil’s attempted murder. We have a witness in custody who’s willing to testify against Sasha. I’m hoping this will scare her enough to confess all of Bianca’s dirty deeds.

“Alpha reported that Bianca paid Sasha a visit last night. They made up and had sex,” Luke informs without any signs of emotion.

“Why would she go back to Sasha if she has the Montgomerys? That doesn’t make any sense to me—unless she’s planning on using Sasha again.”

“I agree. She’s up to something and unfortunately, Sasha’s going to take the wrap for her again, whether she knows it or not.”

“Let’s keep an even closer eye on those two. A visit with Sasha is due when I get back to Boston.”

“How do you want to handle the Montgomerys? Kevin is back in Boston like you instructed. He and Alpha are mapping out the Montgomery estate for all entrances and exits. The satellite views indicate that it stretches more than 20 acres and infrared imagery shows signs of underground buildings.”

“I still don’t have concrete proof that they’re behind the kidnappings, but I’m damn sure they are. Why else would they have underground buildings? I’m waiting for a call from a very reliable source. Once I get the confirmation, I’ll let Marcus handle them. He’ll mince them into untraceable pieces.”

“It sounds like you have a plan.”

“I do. Their days are numbered,” I reply as my mind sees the many cruel ways I want them to pay for the hell they’ve put Lil and me through.

The ceremony was beautiful, located in the heart of a historical building, the Embassy Theatre. The walls and floors were laid with intricate marble and stone designs. I’ve never seen so many flowers in one room, not even at the Rose Parade in California. Nikki really outdid herself. I couldn’t imagine what she and my mother will come up with for mine and Lil’s wedding. Emma and Devan wrote their own tearful vows, which triggered most of their guests to cry in silence. Even I caught myself feeling somewhat sentimental, watching Lil standing by the altar. Soon it’d be our turn and then I’ll be able to call her my wife, my complete half. Several times she’d look out to me and bestowed demure smiles that melted me in my spot. Like always, Remée did an incredible job on her face and hair. I guess that’s why she gets paid a lot of money to do what she does. Lil was lethally gorgeous from head to toe. She looked like a goddess in her flowing blush-colored gown with gold accents and jewelry. The Greek goddess Hera has nothing on her when it comes to unparalleled beauty. How many times can I claim the title of Luckiest Man in the World? My mind was so distracted by her loveliness that I had no idea the ceremony had come to an end until I heard the pastor’s blessing. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Devan dipped Emma backward and gave her a much deserving kiss. All the guests stood up, clapped and celebrated with the newlyweds as they made their way down an elaborate staircase draped with garlands of pink flowers of many sorts. Lil walked down with Emma’s brother, Nathan. Her eyes fastened on me the entire time, smiling and longing to be next to me.

~~~~

Dinner was completed with at least a hundred kisses in between. Guests took turns clinking the side of their wine or water glasses with their silverware to goad the couple to celebrate their union with continuous kisses. I like this idea and may have to hire extra clinkers for my wedding in case we have a tame crowd. Lil appears anxious. We’ve been in the same room for several hours but worlds apart because she’s sitting with the wedding party and not by my side. The deejay hollers for the couple to cut the cake and then do their first dance as husband and wife. Lil uses this opportunity to come over and sit with me, Hayden and her mother. Isabella trails along and lands on Hayden’s lap.

“How’s everyone enjoying the wedding?” she inquires, standing behind my back with her hands resting on my shoulders.

“Great times,” Hayden volunteers as he flirts with Isabella. They’re both still giddy with puppy love.

“Everything’s so beautiful,” Lia praises. “I bet it must’ve cost a fortune,” she adds with a concerned expression. I see where Lil gets her thriftiness from and to think, Lia came from an affluent background.

“What comes after this?” I ask, taking notes for myself since I’ve never attended an entire wedding—just cameo appearances to appease my mother. Isabella tosses Lil a sympathetic look. Their reflective eyes meet desolately halfway. Did I say something wrong? They both appear depressed all of a sudden.

“Will you excuse me? I need to hit the lady’s room,” Lil tells everyone and slips her hands away from me. I’m really confused now. I don’t know what to say.

“I’ll come with you.” Lia joins her with her consoling arms around Lil as they walk off.

Isabella waits until Lil and Lia are out of hearing range to explain what just happened. “The father-daughter dance is next. Lily has never made it through one wedding without bawling her eyes out during this dance. Knowing that her father won’t be at her wedding to give her away or to dance with her is a painful realization for her. With him missing, her fairytale ending will never be complete.”

“I see.” My voice slumps along with my bruised heart. I hate seeing Lil in any kind of distress.

“Emma offered to bypass the dance to ease Lil’s sadness, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She told Emi that she’d watch her dance with her father and share that special moment with her. The tears that she’d cry this time would be joyful tears for her best friend.”

“I can’t imagine Lil ever agreeing to something like that. She’s too thoughtful and selfless.”

“She sure is,” Hayden corroborates. “When no one would go to prom with me because I was the boy no one noticed, Lily asked me to go with her.”

“That’s my girl. She’s pretty damn noble if she agreed to go with a geek like you, Hayden.” I attempt to lighten the mood while my soul hurts for Lil.

“Hey, be nice, Bradley. Ease back on the name-calling.”

“Hayden’s on the sensitive side,” Isabella adds. He tickles her ribs and sends her into a laughing frenzy.

“Excuse me,” I tell them. My phone’s been vibrating for the past few minutes, off and on. I glance down at the screen and see it’s Mateo. Shit. I have to get this. “Can you tell Lil that I stepped out for a minute?” They both nod their heads with worriedness, knowing it must be something severely important to pull me away.

I walk up two flights of stairs and purposely obscure myself in a dark corner on the balcony overlooking the wedding. Everyone is busy laughing and celebrating this joyous occasion as they should. Lil and her mother must still be in the restroom. I just see Isabella and Hayden at my assigned table. Again, my phone vibrates in my pocket and I waste no time answering it.

“Bradley,” I respond. My heart is pounding like hands striking bongo drums wildly. The rhythm’s fast and excited. Am I going to get the damn answers I need?

“Is this a good time?” he asks.

“No, but go on,” I insist.

“I somewhat have the information you’ve asked for,” Mateo informs. “I found the people who kidnapped your men, but they’re just the middlemen. They delivered the goods and took the cash without ever knowing who hired them. However, one did mention he heard the boss is a CEO of a very large medical company, possibly orthopedics. He couldn’t pronounce the word until I said it.”

“Looks like you’ve done it again. You came through and got what I needed.”

“Is this who you thought it was?”

“Yes. Will you do one more thing for me?”

“Of course.”

“Can you see if the Montgomerys are involved with anything illegal? And make sure you
find
something eventually,” I stress. One good thing about what Mateo and I have is unspoken understanding. I don’t have to spell anything out for him. He knows exactly what’s expected of him and he does it well.

“I’m sure I’ll have no trouble finding something,” he tells me. “Those types are never clean.”

“Thank you. Owen will contact you in a few days. Tell him whatever you want and he’ll get it to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

As soon as I disconnect the call, I catch Lil sneaking up the marble staircase to perch over the balcony opposite me with her arms cradled tightly around her body. She’s staring down at the glimmering dance floor, watching Emma’s father dance with his little girl in an emotional embrace. My angel hasn’t looked this fragile and disheartened since the miscarriage. It’s killing me to see her spirit crumble before my eyes. To heighten her suffering, unintentionally, guests are offered a glimpse into Emma’s years of happiness with her father via a video slide show. Of course they would choose “Butterfly Kisses.” The moving lyrics are an added insult to her wound, even for someone who’s unfamiliar with the song.

In haste, I rush to her side and circle my arms around her trembling body. Tears trickle down her cheeks as she sniffles. I’ve never felt more powerless as my heart tumbles into her desolate brown eyes. The perfect words I need to erase her sadness are failing me. What can I say to take all those years of emptiness away?

“Lil…I’m…”

“I’m fine,” she interrupts me. “They’re happy tears,” she cries and tucks her lean frame securely into me. “I just need you to hold me,” she insists, “and never let go.” She sobs even harder into my chest. Her body is quivering.

“I’ll never let go, baby,” I whisper, holding on to her for eternity if she needed me to.

“I don’t want a traditional wedding,” she tells me between each hitched breath after pulling herself together.

“You can have whatever you want. My love’s your limit.”

“I want a small wedding with just close friends and family. I want it to be about us and nothing else.”

“Sounds doable,” I grin against her forehead. “Anything else?”

Looking up into my eyes she tells me, “Just for one night, I want to be swept away to a magical place where sad memories are bad dreams, and beautiful dreams are reality.”

“Still doable,” I reply, nodding my head and wiping her smeared makeup with my handkerchief. “We’ll make our own fairytale. The CEO and his Wise Princess.”

“Really?” she pants. “What’s their story?” she asks, interested.

“The handsome CEO had always believed he was the smartest man in the land, being the founder of a drug more powerful than any other drugs that cured a vile disease that had stricken many unfortunate souls,” I begin my story. Her eyes brighten as she forces back the birth of a smile. “His obsession grew so out of control that it hardened his heart, making it unreachable to all fair maidens. He was alone, caged in his beautiful castle, secretly hoping one day a Wise Princess would come along and rescue his heart.” Her cheeks begin to rise, allowing her smile more room to grow. “Unfortunately, an evil witch tricked him into believing she could. A magical bird came out of nowhere, clasped him in his claws and dropped him into a violent ocean to keep him free from the witch’s deception. He woke up in the arms of the most beautiful maiden he’d ever seen. When she spoke to him, he knew she was the Wise Princess from his dreams. The solid casing around his heart began to crack little by little. Each day they spent together it became more and more unbearable for him to leave her. His heart needed her every aching moment. He had to make her his Princess. The CEO thought he could win her over with his boundless fortune. She wasn’t impressed, not one bit. All she wanted was his love and nothing else. Once he figured that out, the path to their happy ending became more visible. He swore to her that he’d spend the rest of his life offering her his love if she’d repay him with her gorgeous smiles and hot quickies here and there.”

“Omgeez,” she whacks me in the chest and giggles. “You had me until the ending—so cheesy, but I love it.”

“See that smile on your face. My cheesy story put it there,” I tell her proudly and kiss her lips breathlessly.

“You make me so incredibly happy, hazel eyes.”

“Together, we make us happy,” I amend, crushing her into chest.

“Legs and Lashes,” the deejay hollers out several times over his mike. It must mean something to Lil because she peels her body from me to listen and look down into the crowd. “Lips wants you to come join her in the best friend dance. Please meet her on the dance floor.”

“I’ve never heard of a best friend dance,” Lil turns to tell me. I shrug my shoulders. How would I know anything about that?

Peering down the balcony, I see her two friends searching for their missing third musketeer. “You better not keep them waiting. They’re both ransacking the room for you.”

Hugging me one more time she tells me, “Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs.” She descends the steps with elegance like my Wise Princess would as she makes her way into her friends’ loving arms.

Only a person with as big and kind of a heart as Lil’s can win over so many people. During the rehearsal dinner, I received the ‘if you ever hurt her’ lecture from both Emma’s father and brother. They genuinely love her and only want what’s best for her. Nathan mentioned that Lil’s the nicer
sister
to him, so it’ll be a personal matter if I break her heart. I assured him there would be no hurting coming from me. He sealed his approval with my first fist bump—nice kid. Dr. Tanner couldn’t praise her enough. “She’s a beautiful girl, inside and out. All my patients and staff loved her to pieces when she volunteered at my office. Take good care of her or you’ll have a lot of people to answer to.” I gave him my word and was welcomed into the family.