Prescription For Love (The Kingsley Series) (20 page)

"You ready to do this?" Tabitha asked, opening the car door and dropping into the passenger seat.

"I think so," Cameron muttered. "But I'm doing it, whether I'm ready or not. Mac was right when we talked, you know? And maybe he didn't say it outright, but he was kind of telling me that I need to reclaim myself. I was telling him about going to court, and all the other girls, the tattoos."

"I'm glad he seemed to get it. You need a man who can be understanding."

"I don't need a man at all!" Cameron exclaimed, laughing. "I'm getting a tattoo that says 'I am my own,' remember?"

"Still, doesn't every woman want a hero? Someone who can be there for her, and take care of her and be her protector? The old fashioned hero?"

Cameron smirked, the turn signal clicking madly as she drove out of Tabitha's neighborhood. "Other than my dad and my brothers? I don't know. I mean, I want that classic thing, that going to bed at night and curling up to someone's chest, having his arms around me. Knowing that if I hear something in the yard, I can wake him up," she laughed.

"Exactly. A hero. The modern version," Tabitha laughed back.

"But I don't need a hero, not in the old sense. I like to think that after I'd worked so hard to build my life to what it is, and we've built a business, I'm doing well for myself. You know? I like to think that I'm my own hero."

"Oooh, that's better than the other idea!" Tabitha shrieked, reaching out to flutter her hand against Cameron's arm. "'I am my own' is good, but 'I am my own hero?!' Oh my gosh, I love that!"

"Love it enough to get one with me?" Cameron asked, risking a look at Tabitha and arching her eyebrow to articulate the challenge.

Tabitha crossed her arms, frowning. "Maybe."

"Well it's right there," Cameron said, pointing as she turned into a parking lot. "So it's decision time."

Tabitha leaned back, sinking farther into her seat. She sighed. "How 'bout I wait and see if you cry? Because if it hurts and you cry, I'm probably just gonna get my kicks from holding your hand and watching.”

Cameron winked. "I shall endeavor not to cry then."

Three hours later, the women emerged from the tattoo parlor, tattooed and exhilarated. Walking gingerly, each fully aware of the open wounds in the flesh below their left breasts, they carefully lowered into Cameron's car. The slam of the doors sounded; Cameron looked at Tabitha, Tabitha looked at Cameron.

Both women burst into helpless giggles.

"God, Cam, don't tell my mom!" Tabitha giggled, her pose awkward as she was overly aware of her freshly tattooed skin.

"You're worried about Aunt Carrie now?!" Cameron gasped. "It's a little late at this point, Tab!" She grinned, evilly, her giggle growing more breathless as she struggled for control. "Oooh, I've got dirt on you now!!! You want my silence, you become my slave!!"

"Hell, no!" Tabitha laughed back, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. "I'll just tell her myself!!"

Finally sobering, Cameron sniffled and dabbed at her eyes. "Reclaiming myself might be my best decision ever. I can't believe how scared I was, Tab; thanks for coming with me. When the shakes kicked in, I'd have had to back out if I'd been there alone. I can't tell you what it meant to have you there."

"And now we match," Tabitha said, gently touching her side. "Self-possessed."

"Or just regular possessed," Cameron said dryly, sending them both into giggles again.

"I can't believe the set-up in here!" Tabitha gushed, leaning toward Cameron as they walked the center aisle on the reception deck. The wedding was to be held on a local cruise yacht, with the ceremony on a lower deck and the reception on an upper, outer deck that left the party open to the evening air and the night stars. The ship had been rented out for the night, and cabins were available to those who wished to stay over.

"I know, look at these," Cameron said quietly, trailing her fingers along the edge of a buffet table. The length of the room was divided by long buffet tables, the line broken here and there to allow passage between the tables. Each table was covered with a deep violet cloth that skimmed the floor, and the tables were already prepared with serving dishes and food warmers. Each warmer was elevated to maintain safety, and the bricks used to elevate the warmers were circled by wreaths of peacock feathers, accented with soft white babies’ breath and the elegance of white calla lilies.

"I'm glad they asked to have all the décor done in artificial flowers! And you really can't tell, with this quality," Cameron said. "These are really gorgeous."

Tabitha murmured agreement and drifted away, gently lifting and then replacing a fork here, a glass there as she wandered among the guest tables that lined the outer edges of the deck. "They are seriously going to love this!" she called, grinning over at Cameron. "I mean, I know you told the designers and caterers and stuff that this was a family event, but wow they stepped up in a big way, huh?"

"Yeah really," Cameron answered, reaching out to smooth a crease in a sapphire tablecloth. The guest tables were all covered in deep sapphire cloths, adorned with the same wreath and flower centerpieces that decorated the buffet. Walking to the end of the room, she stood to take in the emerald cloth of the sweetheart's table, the way it contrasted just enough from the other tables but was unified in the overlarge centerpiece that matched all the others except in size.

"This is just insane," Tabitha said, walking over to link arms with Cameron. "Makes me wish I was getting married, all this sparkle and fancy and stuff. Too bad I'm single. Could I do this and marry myself?" she joked.

"Well, that'd be easier than marrying someone else and having to pick up his dirty socks for the rest of your life," Cameron retorted. "Michael finally went back to his own house the other day, and I swear, my house feels so weird without him there. I can clean it, you know, and then it
stays clean
."

"Oh, that must be terrible for you," Tabitha laughed. She tugged Cameron's arm. "Come on; let's go check the rest of the ship. I'm pretty sure we can mark the reception deck as being perfect."

Nodding in agreement, Cameron allowed Tabitha to tug her from the reception area, her dark eyes silently sweeping one last time over the finery that would celebrate her brother's new love.

"You're thinking of Mac, aren't you?" Tabitha asked, stepping into the elevator with Cameron and pressing the button for the lower floor. Even the elevators had been decorated, with lavish versions of the reception table wreaths hung on the walls. In one corner, there stood a large floor vase, heavy but slender at the bottom and bowing out beautifully toward the top. The upper edge of the fluted vase was delicate, rippling and folding out like the open flute of a delicate flower. From the opening, peacock feathers stood proudly, swaying gently with the motion of the yacht, their colors somehow both brightly encouraging and quietly muted.

"You know, I always seem to be thinking of him lately," Cameron said. "But it's just life; it's the newness of everything. Really, though, right this second, I'm just so touched that the companies we use have gone out of their way like this, knowing it's a family thing for me. And I'm so excited for Drew, and for Cass. They will seriously love all of this, every bit!"

"Well, with their request to be 'surprised' and see it all for the first time on the wedding day, I sure hope they love it. Once the day is here, there's no turning back." The elevator doors slipped open and the women stepped out, taking the hall to the bridal chambers. In the other direction, they would eventually inspect the groom's rooms, and then the actual ceremony area.

"Oh, wow," Tabitha said, walking into the bridal chamber. Off to one side was an open door that led to a giant bathroom. An entire wall in the bathroom was mirrored, and a comfortably upholstered couch rested in front of the mirrors. Cass's bridal slippers were already there, tucked sweetly beneath the silk peacock corsage that would be pinned to her hip during the ceremony. Behind the door, there was a sign that read "For the Lady," and beneath that were the hooks meant to hold the bridal gown when it was delivered.

"Look at these," Cameron called. In the corner of the main room, there was a closet that hid a refrigerator; one side held bottles of wine, bottles of water, and a prepped platter with cold cuts, fruit and cheese for the bride and her small bridal party. The other side was open, and Cameron was leaning eagerly inside, her fingertips gently stroking the sapphire ribbons that circled and spilled from Cass's wedding bouquet. On a shelf beneath it were two smaller bouquets with emerald ribbons, meant for the identical hands of Cass's sisters, the twin children of the foster mother Cass still thought of as her family.

"Without the dress being delivered until after the final fitting, it looks like everything else is set up," Tabitha said. "Food for Cass and her sisters, plenty for her mom too, the flowers are here and safely refrigerated. Corsage and slippers ready. The hair will be simple enough, and the makeup girl Cass wanted said she'd bring her own supplies."

"And my mom isn't finished with the jewelry and stuff yet, but she said she'll bring it the morning of the wedding. She wants to surprise Cass," Cameron laughed. "Shall we move on to Drew's room?"

"Absolutely. Saving the best for last," Tabitha said with a wink. "I can't wait to see the set-up for the ceremony!"

Closing the door to the bridal chamber, Cameron fought back the sneaking bit of jealousy that nibbled on the edge of her consciousness. Sure, she wanted to be married someday. Sure, she wanted to crawl into bed at night and curl up in the arms of someone who loved her. She wanted to spend hot nights sweating under the efforts of her man, and cool evenings wrapped in the blanket of his body. But there would be time for all that, someday ... wouldn't there?

Driving the thoughts from her mind, she sighed and followed Tabitha's excited chatter down the hall to the groom's suite. Once there, the envy abated as Cameron was swept into the essence of a man's sanctuary. There was no need for a large and elegant bathroom here; the men were afforded a small and clean bathroom, though it was nothing like what the women of Cass's family would be treated to. Here, the colors were darker, and the wedding-themed decor was somewhat muted.

The men's tuxedos were all hanging elegantly along the wall, lined neatly together, bright with their colored vests. The absence of bow ties made Cameron laugh, remembering how hard her mother had fought for them, and how hard Drew had fought against them. Tucked into a corner was a table, and tucked beneath that was a miniature refrigerator. Inside, there were bottles of beer, along with the little cases that held the boutonnieres for the men to wear. The table was weighed down with boxes of various crackers, bags of chips, and sleeves of cookies. Along the edge, a stack of bowls waited to be filled with the opened food, along with a small food warmer that would eventually hold barbequed sausages for the men to snack on as they helped Drew prepare for his wedding.

"Well this is just boring," Tabitha laughed. "What a letdown from the bridal chambers, huh?"

"I don't know," Cameron laughed back. "Knowing my brother, and judging from the other grooms we've worked with, I'd say this room is more settled for them, more relaxed. More manly," she said, waving her hands to indicate a lack of better words. "Ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah," Tabitha muttered. "This room might be more suited to the men, but as a woman, I find it boring. Let's go see the ceremony set-up!"

"I'm in," Cameron said, moving toward the doorway.

They walked together down the hall, taking the shorter route that Drew would be taking, a narrow hallway that led to a door beside the wedding altar. Stepping through, Tabitha gasped, reaching to grip Cameron's hand.

"Oh. My. Goodness," Cameron said, her eyes flickering over the room as she tried to take it all in. "We've planned so many weddings, but none like this. This is better than Christina Dawn's last wedding, for crying out loud!"

"Oh jeez, don't let anyone hear that," Tabitha laughed. "If the press thinks someone upstaged Christina Dawn, we're in a world of hurt. That woman's got an ego bigger than the land mass in Russia. Come on, let's look around."