Left Together (42 page)

“I’m
going to fucking bury you!” Evan glares at my best friend.

“Uncle
Evan, Jade said we’re going to a baseball game today.”

“She
did what?!” Now that actually makes me laugh. Serves him right for when he used
Ethan to get me on the boat!

“Here
you go.” She holds out the tickets. Kyle takes them from her, then cautiously
steps back from in between a determined Jade and an irritated Evan. “Good thing
there was a day game today. At least I got you a box. You guys are going to
have a blast. Don’t be trashed when it’s time to say ‘I do’. You’ll piss off
the bride. The car will bring you back in plenty of time to shower and get
dressed. One more thing. You’re getting dressed in my room with Kyle. Kacie
will meet you in the garden promptly at six for your pictures.”

“Don’t
you dare take my son anywhere inappropriate, either,” Jenna adds. She tries to
hold back a grin when Evan shoots her a look.

“Come
on, man. A few hours of baseball and beer will be fun,” Danny pitches in,
patting Evan’s shoulder. “That’ll give you plenty of time to come up with the
proper revenge for the feisty little one.” Jade laughs. Something tells me she
isn’t worried.

Evan
sighs, knowing there’s no way out of this. I feel bad that he looks miserable
as he pulls me to him and drops his forehead onto mine. “Your best friend just
took a one-way trip to my shit list.”

“She
means well.”

“That’s
not going to save her this time.” His eyebrows draw in. One of the guys, probably
Mike, says something about Evan being a possessive control freak, which causes
laughter to echo through our guests. He tenses for a second, then decides to
ignore it. “You’re still going to be there, right?”

“Do I
really need to answer that?”

“Please.”

“Yes.
There’s nothing that could keep me away. Not even Jade Quinn.”

“One
of these days, I’ll make her regret this.”

“I’m
so not afraid of you, Evan!” She reaches up to kiss his cheek. “Go before you
get stuck in traffic. I wouldn’t have done this for you guys if I didn’t love
you both. Now, let me have my best friend for a couple hours. I promise to
bring her back to you and she’ll look absolutely beautiful by the time we’re
done with her.”

“There’s
nothing you can do to make her any more beautiful than she already is, but
fine. You have a couple of hours. If you even think about taking her phone, you
won’t make it to the ceremony. That’s a promise and a threat I’ll have no
problem delivering on.”

“Deal,”
Jade says, tugging on my hand. Evan doesn’t let go until he kisses me.

“Consider
yourself dead if she’s not in that garden at five fifty-nine, Jade,” he calls
out over his shoulder, walking toward the other car. She laughs.

The
girls have already started piling in the car, but I have something to do first.
I was going to save it for later. Since that won’t work, I need to do it now.
“Hey, Noah?”

“Don’t
worry, sis. I’ll make sure he’s not late.”

“I’m
not worried about that. I was just going to say not to be late yourself because
I need you to walk me down the aisle. Showtime is seven.” He doesn’t respond.
My brother is frozen in place as the other guys part to walk around him. I run
over and fall into his arms. “Stop acting like you’re so shocked. There’s no
one else I’d rather have than you.” I kiss his cheek and head toward my best
friend. Addie is standing with her.

“I
think you just paralyzed him,” she whispers. Evan spins him around and directs
him into the car. He looks back to wink at me one last time before climbing
inside himself.

Our
car turns out onto the road in the opposite direction. My phone vibrates with a
text.

You
& me
.

I
reply with the same message. Is it six o’clock yet?

***

The
first few hours are spent at a spa. I’ve been to a few in the past, but this is
different. I’m surrounded by some of my favorite people and treated like
royalty. The staff is wonderful, very attentive, and caters to every single one
of us. It’s hard to remember the last time my body felt this good. It generally
takes a beating from the workouts and long runs I put it through on a daily
basis.

After
being massaged, we eat lunch at the country club my mom and Walt belong to. We are
the only ones in a room overlooking the beautiful golf course. The view is
amazing and the company couldn’t have been better. Prior to dessert, my mom
places a wrapped box in front of me. I open it to find a diamond bracelet. She says
her mother gave it to her shortly before she died. Apparently, it was a gift
from her parents on her wedding day. I tried not to accept it. I have no doubt it’s
important to have something of her mother’s to hold on to. She tells me it would
mean everything to her if I had it.

From
there, we go back to the hotel and straight up to the suite my mom had reserved
for me and Evan for the night. It’s large, beautiful, and definitely
unnecessary, but since everyone keeps telling me to enjoy myself today, I thank
her. So we can relax and not worry about the time, Jade brought in people from
the salon she visits regularly to do everyone’s hair and makeup. Everyone returns
to their own rooms to get changed. By the time I’m ready to get into my dress,
it’s only Jade and Meg left in my room. I’m thankful they decided to hang out
with me because being alone would make the time drag.

“It’s
about damn time,” Meg says after the last girl walks out.

“I
told you we should’ve came last night,” Jade agrees as they both come over to
sit on the plush sofa with me.

“Imagine
my cousin’s reaction to that,” Meg teases. “He’s been texting me all day as it
is. The pain in the ass even called while we were at lunch.”

“Poor
Evan,” I say, grinning.

“Poor
Evan, my butt. What the hell does he think we’re going to do? Kidnap you and
keep you captive until we change your mind about marrying him?” Jade jokes.

“Probably.”

“He’s
ridiculous.” She rolls her eyes. “Kacie, he’s so in love with you, I can’t
possibly be mad at him.”

“I
know.” I rest my head on her shoulder as she wraps her arm around me. “Thank
you both for everything. For today. For being here. It means a lot.”

“Don’t
you dare get all mushy on me now. I already sent the makeup girl home.” A knock
on the door makes her frown. “If that’s your soon-to-be husband, he’s in big
trouble.”

Meg
runs to the door to intercept in case it
is
him. She comes back, holding
a box and reading a note. “I’m pretty sure you owe my cousin an apology.” She
smirks as she hands the card over to Jade and sets the box down on the table in
front of us.

“Aww,”
she says, giving me the letter. “He’s so damn cute.”

For my three favorite
girls.

I know you can’t get
ready without this.

Love, Evan

P.S. Hurry the hell up!

“Open
it already,” I tell Meg. She pulls out a bottle of wine and three crystal
glasses. Is there anything he hasn’t thought of?

“You
open that and I’ll get the thing,” Jade instructs.

“What
thing?” I ask, but no one answers.

“Do
you have any idea how much this bottle costs? My dad has gotten a few of these
for Christmas over the years for big time customers and suppliers.”

“I
really don’t want to know.” The wine is poured and handed out as the girls plop
back on the sofa next to me. Jade places a small, light pink gift bag in my lap.
“What’s this?”

“For
you, from us. Don’t you dare say anything, Kacie. You didn’t let us have a
shower for you, so we did this instead.”

“I
didn’t need a shower. I have everything. You guys didn’t have to do this. You
gave me today.”

“We
know, but we did anyway.” Inside the box are earrings to match my engagement
ring. “The day I saw the ring, I called Pete when I got home and asked him to
make them. He’s entirely too talented for his own good.”

“I
don’t know what to say…” My voice trails off.

Jade
clears her throat, and I can see she’s choked up. “You don’t have to say
anything.”

“I
love you both so damn much,” I say, reaching out to wrap an arm around each of them
at the same time.

Now is
as good a time as any to give them the pink diamond necklaces I bought for
them. I render them just as speechless, then disappear into the master bathroom
where my dress is. I admire it one last time before removing it from the
hanger. My first requirement was it had to be strapless, simply because of the
dress I was wearing in the mall the day Evan came to find me. The beaded lace
bodice and the chapel-length train were added bonuses. It’s not too long that
I’ll trip over it or need to hold it out of the way to walk. It’s simply
perfect.

Just
am I’m reaching behind my back to pull up the zipper, Jade comes in to tell me
the photographer is here. She helps me without saying a word. My guess is she’s
afraid she’ll cry if she does. Once it’s in place, she rests her hands on my
shoulders and her chin on one of her hands as we stare in the mirror together.

“Are
you ready to become Mrs. Evan Pierce?” she eventually asks.

“I’ve
never been more ready for anything.”

“Let’s
go.”

While
we’re still in the suite, then on our way downstairs, the photographers take a
few pictures of me and the girls in their light pink dresses. Jade sends one photographer’s
assistant to scout ahead to make sure we won’t run into anyone we know before
we get to the garden. She calls back that no one is in the hallway and the coast
is clear. Jade and Meg stop at the door that leads outside. I turn to Chloe,
the photographer, and she smiles at me.

“I
remember. I’m the only one allowed in and you want me to stay to the edge of
the garden. You won’t even know I’m there. I promise.”

She
takes what she needs from the two girls assisting her for the day, picks up my
bouquet, and heads outside. A light breeze blows in the open door, letting me
know it’s not scorching hot. The plan is to meet in the garden, so I follow
Chloe outside. The semi-private garden is picturesque. All of the flowers are
in full bloom. The trees are trimmed. There’s a pond with a waterfall over in
the corner, and a white wooden bench under the largest tree. I consider sitting
on it, but don’t want to wrinkle the back of the dress before walking down the
aisle. Chloe sets my bouquet of pink and white daisies on the armrest of the
bench, then searches for the perfect spot to capture our special moment.

To keep
my mind off of the fact that there’s still twenty or so minutes until Evan gets
here, I wander over to the pond. It’s full of fish and floating plants. It also
reminds me of how Gram and I had planned on putting one in our garden at the
house. Not wanting to ruin my makeup, I try not to think of how badly I wish she
was here. It proves to be impossible as a butterfly flutters past me, loops
around, and flies back again. Gram loved watching them in the garden. The sound
of the door opening distracts me enough to push away the waterworks.

Looking
over my shoulder, my eyes lock with Evan’s. He stands still and gazes at me for
so long, the distance separating us becomes painful. Eventually, he strolls in
my direction, allowing my heart to beat again. His hands are in the pockets of
his dress pants, holding back the jacket of his dark gray tuxedo. Only for a
minute do I wonder if Jade yelled at him to fix it. As he gets closer, his
smile grows. He stops a foot away from me.

“I
would be willing to bet every cent I ever made that you have absolutely no idea
how breathtaking you are,” he says softly.

I
smile and raise my hand out for him to hold. Why the hell am I feeling shy all
of a sudden? I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt that way in my life. “I clean up
pretty well, don’t I?”

He
removes one hand from a pocket to take my fingers in his. His thumb gently
caresses the top of my hand. “No. That’s not what I meant. Every time I see
you, you’re more beautiful than the last. What you’re wearing or how your hair is
done makes no difference. It’s just you, Kacie.”

Wanting
to be closer to him, I step forward and smooth his already perfectly straight
tie. “I know what you mean. The way I feel around you is like nothing I’ve ever
felt. It’s all I’ll ever need.” His other hand brushes my face, then cups my
cheek. “The other day, I was freaking out because I wasn’t sure what I’d say to
you at this moment. It was kind of ridiculous, actually. I tried writing things
down. That didn’t work. I tried talking out loud. That only made me look as
crazy as I sounded. I needed the words to tell you how much I love you, but
they just wouldn’t come to me,” I admit.

“It’s
because they don’t exist,” he whispers. My confused expression prompts an
explanation, “Not all that long ago, someone asked me to explain how much I
love you. I told him I wouldn’t be able to. I tried a bunch of times. It was so
damn important for me to express to you that very thing, but I had nothing. It
would keep me up at night. If I only had the right words to tell you, it would
make life perfect. So, instead of telling you, I show you. How I leave you
after a kiss…” He shows his sexy smirk. “At first, it’s almost like you can’t
open your eyes because you’re so damn stunned at how perfect it was. Then
you’ll let out a tiny sigh, which is adorable in and of itself, but it’s the
hint of a smile on your lips that finishes it off. I do things simply because I
know they’ll make you happy. Playing with your hair while we watch TV because I
know it relaxes you. Getting you a milkshake you weren’t expecting. Meeting you
for lunch in the middle of your day. I’ll do anything I can to make you realize
how special you are to me.”