Eruption (The Hunted Series Book 3) (4 page)

I hadn't really been expecting the question. And I never
really knew how to answer it. "Um, in school. We ran into each other in a
coffee shop right before classes started." I smiled remembering the first
time I had ever seen him. "He bumped into me and spilled coffee down the front
of my shirt."

Anna laughed. "That's quite the meet cute."

"It was." I stared at my reflection in the mirror
as she zipped up the back. She added a few clips to the back, drawing the
fabric against my skin. It was tight down to my hips, and then the fabric was a
little looser against my legs. I thought I'd be used to the idea of getting
married after being engaged for so long. But for some reason it hit me the most
right now as I stared at my reflection. It made my pulse quicken. I didn't want
a simple dress like this. I wanted something that would make James' jaw drop
when he saw me.

"What do you think?" Anna said.

"I want something a little...more."

Anna smiled. "There are barely any embellishments on
this one. Would you still like to show everyone?"

"Yeah. It's a good starting point."

Anna opened the door and I followed her back to my mom and
friends. She said something about the designer as I stepped up onto the
elevated platform.

"Penny, you look amazing," my mom said.

"Gorgeous," Bee said.

"It's a little simple, don't you think?" Jen cut
in. Jen was always honest. I was so glad she was here. Especially since Melissa
wasn't.

"Penny was thinking the same thing," Anna said.
"A jeweled belt would add some character though." She grabbed one off
a display nearby and wrapped it around my waist. "What do you think?"

I turned to the mirror that was behind me. It did help, but
it still wasn't perfect.

"I think maybe you should try the next one," Jen
said.

"What do you think, Penny?" my mom asked.

"I think it's missing a wow factor."

Bee laughed. "Just wait to you see the one that Jen
picked out."

"Okay, let's go try on the next one," Anna said.

I followed her back toward the dressing rooms.

"Would you like to finish the dresses I picked out so
that you can get a feel for the different styles? Or would you like to jump
into the ones your friends picked out?"

"Let's finish the ones you brought first," I said
and entered the dressing room.

Anna unzipped my dress and helped me step out of it. "So
was your fiancé the same year as you in school?" She grabbed the next
dress off the hook.

I ran my thumb along the band of my engagement ring. I wasn't
ashamed of how I had met James. Why did I always skirt around the truth when
people asked? "No, not exactly."

Anna whistled as she pulled the next dress up my waist.
"Older or younger?"

"Older." I shouldn't have to beat around the bush
anymore. I wasn't embarrassed of how we met.
Screw it.
"Actually,
he was my professor."

Anna met my eyes in the reflection in the mirror as her fingers
stopped mid-zip of the dress. "You're not talking about James
Hunter?"

The scandal had followed us to New York. I just thought that
it had been so long ago that no one really remembered any more. "Yeah,
that's him."

"Oh my God, you're engaged to James Hunter?"

"Yes."

She finished zipping up the dress. "He is quite the
catch. I remember hearing about you two. I thought your story was so
sweet."

For some reason, that hadn't been what I thought she was
going to say. I turned toward her. "Thank you for saying that."

She smiled back at me. "Love has no age limit. Now, what
do you think about this one?"

The dress was beautiful. It was strapless and the bottom of
the dress was huge and poofy. I felt like a princess. "It's
gorgeous." I stared at my reflection for another second. "I think I
want something a little more sophisticated though."

She nodded. "Should we show them?"

"Yeah, let's see what they have to say about this
one." I lifted up the huge skirt and walked back toward the group.

"Oh, God no," Melissa said as I stepped up onto the
platform.

I laughed and turned around.

"Sorry I'm late," she said and sat down next to my
mom on the couch.

"What, is this one that bad?"

"It makes you look so young," she said. "Which
you've been trying to not be ever since you met James."

I pressed my lips together and looked back at the mirror. I
didn't want simple and I didn't want poofy.

"What you need is an elegant dress that is classy and
sexy at the same time," Jen said.

"I think you look absolutely beautiful," my mom
said. She looked a little teary eyed.

I smiled. When I was little I had pictured a big poofy dress.
But Melissa and Jen were right. I had tried so hard to seem older and more
mature the past few years. I wanted to look like a bride worthy of James. I wasn't
a student anymore and he wasn't my professor.

"What do you think, Bee?" I asked.

"Sexy and classy seem to go against each other. You look
beautiful in that one, though, not cute."

I smiled.

"Oh, please just try on the dress I picked out
already," Jen said. "It's perfect."

I shrugged. "Okay, I'll try yours next." I followed
Anna back to the dressing room. She grabbed a lace dress with some diamonds
embroidered into the design. It had elegant thin straps that were just wide
enough to accommodate the diamonds embellished on them. And the front looked
like it plunged way past where my breasts would be. There was a tan material
behind the lace at the top, which gave it an even sexier look.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pull this one
off," I said as Anna unzipped the poofy dress.

"I think this really might be exactly what you're
looking for. The lace is so delicate and it has just the right amount of
sparkle. And the top is indeed sexy. Plus this one is actually in your size, so
you get to see how it would really fit."

I stepped out of the poofy dress and into the other one.
"I guess we'll see."

"The top goes down too much in the middle for you to
wear this, though," she said as she unhooked the corset.

I instantly felt more relaxed as she began to pull the dress
up. I wanted to be comfortable on my wedding day. There was going to be enough
stress without the added element of not being able to breathe. There was a
layer of silk underneath the dress that felt soft against my skin. I closed my
eyes as Anna zipped up the back.

"You look beautiful, Penny," she said as soon as
she let go of the zipper.

I opened my eyes and swallowed hard. I don't think I had ever
looked this good. The dress hugged my waist and thighs and was a little looser
past my knees. Even though it was tight, it didn't look raunchy. It looked
elegant yet casual. And the top made it sexy. There must have been some kind of
built in bra, because it had pushed up my breasts despite the fact that I had
ditched the corset. The V down the front stopped a few inches above my belly
button, but it didn't look over the top. It was very narrow and the lace made
it look fancy.

"What do you think?" Anna asked.

"He'd love this." My voice came out as a whisper.
There was a lump in my throat, and I wasn't sure why. I felt like I wanted to
cry. I was always so worried about disappointing him. There wasn't a chance I
could do that in this dress. I'd look like I actually belonged beside him.

"Let's go show everyone." Anna opened the door and
I slowly followed her out, holding up the delicate lace so I wouldn't step on
it.

Everyone stopped talking when I stepped up on the platform. I
dropped the fabric so it pooled perfectly around my legs.

"Penny," Melissa said. "You look like a movie
star."

I laughed.

"Seriously," Bee said. "You look like a
million bucks."

I turned and looked in the mirror. I felt like a million
bucks. It was hard to believe it was me in the mirror.

"That's the one," Jen said. "It was made for
your body."

"Do you think James will like it?" I asked.

"James won't be able to keep it in his pants,"
Melissa said.

I laughed and turned back around to face them.

"Ew." Jen smacked her arm. "Don't be gross.
That's my brother. But yes, he'll love it."

Melissa laughed and stood up. She grabbed my hand and squeezed
it. "Penny, this is definitely your dress. Look at yourself." She
spun me back around to look in the mirror.

I felt like I wanted to cry again.

"Here," Anna said and clipped a veil into my hair.
She spread it across my shoulders. The diamonds in the clip matched the ones on
the straps of the dress. I could picture it all. Walking down the aisle. James'
smile.

"Mom?" I turned around to look at her. She was the
only one that hadn't said anything.

She had grabbed a tissue out of her purse and was blotting
her eyes. "You look so grown up, sweetie. You're absolutely
stunning."

I could feel my own tears welling in my eyes. "Do you
think it's the one?"

They all said yes at the same time.

I ran my fingers under my eye where a tear had rolled down.
"You don't think it's too sexy?" I looked down at the rather
revealing front.

"It's sexy, but it seems more elegant than anything
else," Melissa said.

"And it's so fancy, but you look so much more
comfortable in this one," Bee said.

"And happier," Jen added.

"That's because I'm not wearing that corset thing
anymore." I laughed and turned back to the mirror. I thought I'd be here
all afternoon. But they were right. And I knew it before they had said
anything. This was the dress I wanted James to see me in when I said I do.
There wasn't a doubt in my mind.

Sunday

"So, what do you think?" James asked. He was
staring at me intently.

"It seems so...cold." It didn't feel like a home.
And I didn't mean that the air conditioner seemed to be at full force.

He laughed. "That's because none of our stuff is here
yet. Use your imagination." He stepped past the foyer into the main room.
"Our couch can go here. And the picture of the beach we have can go on the
wall there." He pointed to the one spot of wall along the far side that
wasn't a window. He looked so excited. As if he could picture our life here
together. "And you have to come see the view. It looks right out onto
Central Park. It won't even feel like we're in the city."

I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "I love
it."

"You didn't even see the view, though."

"I like my view right now."

He laughed and pulled me into his arms. "You really like
it?"

"I'm happy wherever we are, as long as we're together.
Aren't you?"

He raised his eyebrow as he looked down at me. "Is that
why you're upset? Baby, I didn't buy this place because I wasn't happy in our
old apartment. You know that. I just want a fresh start."

"From what exactly?"

"We moved to New York to get away from all the rumors.
But it was hard to put it all to rest while you were still in school."

My stomach churned. I was a burden.

"Now you're not. Your graduating puts it all in the
past. I want to start our life together."

"James, we already have."

"You know what I mean. As husband and wife."

"We could have just rearranged the furniture or
something."

He laughed and pulled me toward the wall of windows.
"But then we wouldn't have this view."

I could feel my jaw drop. Dusk was just settling over the
city. A few lights had already turned on in Central Park. We were so close that
it almost seemed like the building was in the middle of the park. I could see
the Tavern on the Green in the distance. That was where we were getting
married. Every day, I was going to be able to look outside and remember our
wedding.

I knew that James didn't care about having this view. He had
picked out this apartment because he knew it would make me happy. I felt him
wrap his arms around me and kiss the side of my neck. I leaned my head back
against his chest. Maybe we did need a fresh start. It was time to brush off
the chip on my shoulder whenever people snickered about how we met. I was ready
to let it all go. "When did you want to move our stuff in?"

He rested his chin on top of my head. "I took the whole
week off."

"What are your employees going to think? A whole week
off now and then time off for our wedding and honeymoon at the end of the
month?"

"They're going to think that my fiancée isn't starting
her internship until next Monday and I wanted time off to spend with her."

"If I don't get a different position."

"Of course. Although, I really only want you in one
position right now."

I laughed and turned around, clasping my hands behind his
neck. "Aren't you going to give me a tour of the rest of the house?"

His hands slid to my ass. "Is that really what you want
to do right now?"

I bit my lip and shook my head.

Before his lips met mine, his phone started vibrating.

"Don't answer it," I said.

"It's probably work."

"I thought you had off this week?"

He squeezed my ass before putting his hand in his pocket and
pulling out his phone. He turned around without even looking at the caller I.D.
"Hunter."

His body seemed to stiffen. He cleared his throat. "Hi,
Mom." He turned to me, put his finger in the air to signal he'd just be a
minute, and then quickly walked back toward the foyer.

I folded my arms across my chest and turned back to look down
at Central Park. The apartment suddenly seemed even colder. I closed my eyes,
picturing myself in my wedding dress. All that mattered was that he wanted to
marry me. His parents didn't have to be there. They didn't have to ever even
meet me. James' love was enough.

I opened my eyes and stared down at the Tavern on the Green.
The lights hanging in the trees outside the restaurant were shimmering, dancing
in the summer breeze. James' love was all that I needed. But Jen said that
their parents not wanting to meet me was weighing on James too. It was hurting
him. Which meant I was hurting him. And it killed me. I ran my hands up and
down my arms. It was freezing.

A few months ago, I had found their address and gotten a taxi
to their house. I had stood outside the gate for several minutes before
retreating. I had wanted to barge in on them and tell them they were being
ridiculous. That they were horrible for treating their own son like this. I
hated them for making him feel like he was unlovable. They had hurt him, in
more ways than James would ever admit. But my telling them that wasn't going to
help. They didn't respect me, so they wouldn't care about my opinions. I
couldn't force it.

What it came down to was that they didn't want him to be
happy. They put their own wants in front of his. And that wasn't what parents
were supposed to do. It certainly wasn't what I was going to do with my own
kids. I shook the thought away. That was just another reason to despise them.
James said he was scared to have kids because of his problems. But really, it
was their fault. He was worried he'd be a horrible parent because they were so
awful.

"So, that was my mother."

I jumped. I hadn't heard him come back over to me.
"Oh?" I used to get so excited whenever she would call, hoping that
it meant she had changed her mind. Now I knew better.

He smiled. "They want to meet you."

"Sure." I laughed. "Let's set a date so they
can cancel at the last minute. Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Apparently they found out the Caldwells were throwing
us an engagement party. They've decided to commandeer it."

"What?"

"Jen told them about it or something. The party is being
thrown at their house now. Apparently they just needed to feel like they were
being cast aside." He shrugged.

"I think that's awfully rude to the Caldwells when
they've been so nice."

"Yeah." He ran his hand through his hair.
"That's what I said. She assured me the Caldwells were fine with it."

Now that it finally seemed like it was happening, I wasn't
sure why I felt so hesitant. "What are the odds that they'll cancel a
whole party?"

"It wouldn't look good. So, not very high."

"Does that mean they're coming to the wedding?"

"She didn't say. She just said we have a lot to talk
about."

"You don't look very excited."

"Because you don't look very happy."

"I'm sorry." I took a deep breath. "They've
just canceled plans with us so many times that..."

"She sounded serious this time. I think they're finally
coming around. She said she was excited to meet you. She's never said that
before."

I bit my lip.

"And she said to tell you congratulations on
graduating."

"That was nice of her." I tried to dismiss all my
negative thoughts from earlier. "I'm so disappointed that my parents won't
be there. They were really looking forward to meeting your parents."

"They can't change their plans?"

"My parents aren't their own bosses like you." I
smiled at him. "I guess they'll just have to meet your parents at the
rehearsal dinner."

"It's probably best if you meet my parents by yourself
first anyway. They can be rather intimidating."

"Do you think they're going to try to scare me
away?" I laughed.

He lowered his eyebrows for a second. But the worried look
was fleeting. "No, they wouldn't do that. We should have set Jen on them
awhile ago. They rarely ever say no to her."

"I should have known she'd interfere when she told me
she wouldn't."

He laughed.

"Does this mean I get to see where you grew up?"

"You can make fun of my old bedroom." He smiled and
pulled me back into his arms. "But like I told you before, there really
aren't tons of embarrassing photos of me or anything. My parents aren't like
your parents."

I closed my eyes as I pressed my face against his chest. I
knew he didn't mean that as an insult. He meant that his parents didn't care
for him like my parents cared about me. I didn't want to go into meeting them
feeling like this. But I wasn't sure if I could ever like them. Not after
everything they had put James through.