Rise (Roam Series, Book Three) (24 page)

“Okay, go- out to the balcony, down the steps. I want to watch this.” I ordered.

He grinned and waved at Eva, and she waved back shyly.

West and I watched from the balcony as Logan moved down the stairs to the sand. I knew the moment that Violet saw him. She ran to him, colliding with such force that he was nearly knocked backwards. In seconds she was in his arms being thoroughly kissed, and I smiled, gripping West’s arm.

“That was like a movie,” my words
wavered with tears, and I turned, hugging him. “I just can’t relax. I keep waiting for something terrible to happen.”

“Not today,” he promised, tipping my face up to meet his lips. “Today is our wedding day. And tomorrow, I’m taking you on a honeymoon.”

“Oh, no, West, I don’t want to leave Eva…,”

“We’ll be gone for a day. We’re going on a cruise.”

“A… day cruise?”

“Trust me.”

“Haven’t I always?” I replied sweetly. He grinned, catching my lips in his before I could close them.

West spent the afternoon making arrangements for the small ceremony by the shore and our honeymoon while I took Eva shopping with me. As I strapped her in the booster seat in the Lexus, she hugged me around the neck, planting kisses on my cheeks.
She’s so familiar with me,
I marveled, smiling at her.

“Can I have a white dress like you?” She asked as I slipped the first of the three wedding dresses that the saleswoman chose for me over my shoulders.

“You can have whatever you want,” I promised, turning slightly in the mirror and grinning at my reflection. The long, white gown was an empire waist, the bust intricately beaded with mother-of-pearl. A thin, halter strap at the neck gave the gown vintage appeal. Light and cool against my legs, the material moved as I did, not at all like the heavy gowns in the horrible castle.

“This one,” I whispered, smoothing my hands over the skirt of the gown. The saleswoman nodded appreciatively.

“When is the wedding?”

“At six-thirty!”
Eva exclaimed, bouncing in place. The saleswoman laughed, waving her hand at the flower girl area efficiently.

“Well, then, we’d better get something for you, too, right?”

Eva ended up with a white dress with a wide skirt trimmed with forest green satin. “Bronze would be a lovely accent for both of you.”

An hour later, Eva and I left the boutique thoroughly spoiled. She pulled me to the back of the plaza, pointing over the railing of the boardwalk.
“Look- alligators! There used to be only turtles in here, but now there are alligators and they don’t eat the turtles!”

“Yikes,” I laughed, unnerved by the still-lying alligators in water. “Daddy and I ate dinner at this restaurant… a long time ago,” I pointed to the restaurant running along the water, and she nodded.

“I know Daddy told me.”

“He did?”

“He used to be sad all the time, but if we talked about you, he was happy. So we talked about you all the time.”

My heartbeat quickened, and I pointed to the Lexus parked along the boardwalk. “Let’s go back and show Daddy what we bought.”

“Don’t show me that dress,” West’s voice interrupted my words, and I grinned, letting him take the garment bags out of my hands. “I want to be surprised.”

Leaning in for a kiss, I warmed, his lips moving over mine in the sunshine. “How’d you get over here?”

“I walked. Abs- no longer immortal.” He patted his stomach, and I smirked as he loaded the Lexus.

“So… we’re on for tonight?”

“Everything is set. Six-thirty. Violet and Logan will keep Eva tonight, and we’re flying out after the ceremony. Babe,” he picked her up, placing her in the booster seat. “Mommy and I are going to take a trip for one day tomorrow. Vi and Logan will stay with you. Okay?”

“Okay, D
addy.” She twirled the cubic zirconium-encrusted tiara in her fingers before tucking it into her curls. “Where are you going?”

“Yes, Mr. Perry, where are we going?”

He slid into the driver’s seat, and I climbed into the passenger’s. “First, Chicago. And that’s all you’re getting from me.”

“I’ll just have to wait,” I murmured, staring down at my arm. As he pulled out of the plaza, a cold chill settled over my body.

I shivered, and he reached to adjust the air conditioner. “Do you feel okay? You’re suddenly so pale.”

“Something’s wrong,” I
murmured, my nerves fraying at the unrecognizable feeling. “I don’t know… how to explain it.”

“Nothing’s wrong, baby. Everything is finally right.” He reached for my hand, and I tucked mine in his, leaning against his shoulder.

Back at the house, I ate lunch with Eva before cuddling with her in West’s bed.
Our bed.
After the restless night, our eyes were heavy, and we were both asleep in minutes.

Darkness.

Where is my mirror?
I turn in slow, liquid circles with my eyes closed tightly; please, not the castle, not the castle.

When I open my eyes, I am in the pool at the high school.

Sighing with relief, I glance around. The pool is empty; the bleachers are empty. I dive under the water, opening my eyes. The bottom of the pool is my mirror.

I am… me.

As I burst to the surface, I immediately see him crouching next to the edge of the pool.

“Hi, Roam.”

Beat… beat!
I scream at my heart, finally realizing. I wipe the water from my eyes, backing to the center of the pool.

“Troy,” I tread water, taking deep, calming breaths.

He grins. “So, he’s already told you about me.”

“I’m not going to run,” I say evenly. The memory of his hands on my body nauseates me. “I’m going to climb out of this pool, and then you’re going to give me a fighting chance.”

He rises to his feet, amused. “You’re challenging me? Kid, be my guest.” He gestures to the ladder across from him. “This should be fun.”

“Okay, then.” I swim to the coping opposite him at the pool, nimbly pulling myself over the edge and climbing to my feet. He slowly rounds the edges of the pool, but I take a step back, watching him carefully.

“Wait.” I gather my hair, twisting out the access water.

“I’d forgotten how innocent you looked,” his filthy smile heats my veins.

“As compared to the whore you turned me into, in your castle?”

He stops advancing, staring at me. “You remember the castle?”

“I remember that I
almost
killed you… and I won’t make that mistake again.”

He took a step forward.
“All this for your red-haired brat.”

“Mommy,” Eva stood over me, shaking me gently. “Vi says show time!”

“Hair, makeup, and I got you white roses… they’ll be beautiful for that bronze holder you bought.” I blinked, watching Violet rush around the bedroom.

“Thank you,” I sat up, reaching for my phone.
5:00.
“Where’s West?”

“You can’t see him until the ceremony. I’m thinking we pin your hair half up, and…,”

“Violet,” I stilled her hand as she gathered my hair, smiling at her. “Are you happy?”

Her wide smile answered my question. “Roam, I’m sorry, I had to tell you. Logan is… he’s the only one I will ever want. You understand that, right?”

“Of course I do.” I reached for her as she sat next to me, on the bed. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Daddy said I can’t have a
popsicle in my dress,” Eva pouted, twirling in circles until she teetered, dizzy. I grinned, jumping to my feet and catching her before she fell.

I’ve missed two years of her life.
The certainty of my love for her astounded me. 

“I love you, Eva,” I gripped her in my arms, still unsettled after the nightmare of Troy.

“Dress up, mommy!” She giggled, dancing to the garment bag hanging over the door.

“Show time,” I repeated, kissing her forehead.

The sun lit the ocean from low in the western sky as I took the stairs over the dune in my bare feet. At the top of the stairs, I froze, my eyes focusing on the shore below. I saw West first, and I had to reach for the railing for support. Logan stood next to him in full dress-blues, and as their eyes turned on me, he started toward the stairs.

An officiant stood next to West, and to the side, a woman holding a violin sat in a white, folding chair, waiting. An elaborate arch had been erected and entwined with white roses and bronze ribbon. Eva’s fingers curled around mine, and I looked down at her.

“Daddy said we’re the prettiest girls in the world.”

I smiled and nodded as Violet gave me a small hug before gathering Eva into her arms. “Logan will give you away.” She said softly, sending him an enamored glance before walking ahead.

“Okay,” I watched them descend the stairs, my heart pulsing unevenly against the inside of my chest.
This is real… this is real.

Logan kissed Violet as they passed each other in the sand. I walked slowly to Logan, watching his smirk turn into a full-on grin. “Hottest I’ve ever seen you.
Better than prom.”

“Thanks,” I whispered, my voice shaking. He recognized my nerves immediately, linking his elbow through mine.

“I have a question for you, before I give you away… forever.” He leaned over, his mouth close to my ear. “Even after you’re Roam Perry, can I still call you Cam?”

I burst with breathy, nervous laughter, and he kissed my cheek as I nodded. The violinist began playing, and I waited for the wedding march.

Instead, I recognized
Can’t Help Falling in Love With You
, the Elvis Presley violin cover masterfully integrating with the sounds of the waves at the shore. Tears immediately filled my eyes.

Well, I made it three minutes without crying.

We reached the shore, but strides back I’d already focused on West. He wore a black tuxedo with a classic Windsor tie that matched the green color in Eva’s gown. His face was freshly shaven, his sandy-blonde hair curled just slightly at his forehead, and those beautiful, blue eyes locked with mine.

I was captivated.

“I guess we’re history, Cam,” Logan said softly, lifting my fingers to his lips for a parting kiss. Violet stood with her arms wrapped around her small sister, her green dress matching Eva’s satin ribbons.

“He looks like Santa Claus,” Eva whispered loudly, pointing at the reverend. Logan laughed, and the man grinned, winking at Eva.

West reached for my hands, pulling the roses that I had nearly crushed to potpourri from my wringing fingers and handing them over to Violet. The officiant of the ceremony cleared his throat, smiling over bi-focal glasses at the two of us.

“This evening, we will witness the joining of two souls in marriage. Throughout their journey, they have not always understood where life has taken them.”

West cupped my face in his palm, his thumb brushing over my tear-stained lips. I closed my eyes, covering his fingers with mine.

“Through the words of Socrates, we are reminded that true wisdom comes to each of us… when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”

I opened my eyes at the quote to focus on West, and the loving smile on his face told me that he had prepared the entire ceremony. Tears slid down my cheeks, and I made no attempt to wipe them away.

“West, do you take Roam to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day, forward?”

The ocean wave nearly reached where we stood as the tide came in. He carried my hands to his lips, nodding. I watched as Logan handed him a diamond ring and wedding band; West separated my fingers, sliding the platinum over my skin.

“I vow to love, honor, and protect you, Roam… for longer than we both shall live.”

Swaying on my feet, I remembered the first time he kissed me, and lost my breath.

“Roam, do you take
West to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day, forward?”

I nodded, trying to form words. Violet
attempted to give me a matching, platinum band, but I missed her hand as I reached for it.

Finally, West leaned down to my ear. “
Just breathe, baby.
”

I took a steadying breath, taking his left hand in mine and sliding the band onto his finger. “I do…
I will love, honor, and protect you, West… for longer than we both shall live.”
I repeated his words, my voice breaking by the end of the most important sentence I’d ever spoken.

The reverend smiled brightly. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. West, you may kiss your bride.”

He wrapped both arms around me, lifting me up and against him as his lips met mine. I turned into his familiar kiss, sliding my arms over his neck and holding on.

My feet no longer touched the ground as I kissed my husband for the first time.