Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (23 page)

Kyle took a step forward, tugging me with him, as Beth followed. I peeked around Kyle’s left side, hoping that A.J. would make the right decision. Wisely, A.J. was backing off, out of our path.

“Lily…” A.J. said in a pained voice as we passed him.

It was hard not to turn around as we continued. It hurt me to accept the fact that he was no longer the sweet, innocent boy I had grown up with. That person I once knew would have never tried to take my life. These last few weeks, it took everything I had in me not to let the picture of his face or the feeling of his hands around my neck haunt me at every turn.

As we approached the table, Kyle was still tense, and he kept a tight hold on my hand. Jason glanced between Kyle and me with a question in his eyes while rising from his chair. Beth dashed over to Damon’s side, and he rose from his seat, too.

“What’s going on?” Jason yelled over the loud music, looking between us.

“A.J. is here. I’m taking Lily home,” Kyle said with finality. He was not to be argued with.

Jason’s demeanor instantly changed. “What? Where is he?” he asked with venom in his voice. Then, he whipped his head over to me. “Are you okay, Lily? Did he hurt you?” he added with panic.

“No, he didn’t hurt me. We just collided on my way out of the restroom,” I answered. I stepped closer into Kyle’s side, knowing that A.J. could be lurking around somewhere nearby.

I felt on edge. Kyle was right. It was time to go home.

“I’ll walk you guys to the door to make sure that fucker doesn’t try anything,” Jason said.

“Let’s go,” Kyle said to me.

“Good night, Damon and Beth.” I smiled warmly. I felt terrible for souring everyone’s mood, and inwardly, I thought I’d jinxed myself for thinking of A.J. earlier this afternoon at my aunt’s house.
What an odd stinking coincidence to run into him on the same day.

Damon stepped forward to embrace me. “Sorry he had to ruin our night, Lily. Take care of yourself,” he said while pulling back.

“I will.” I smiled reassuringly.

“See you soon, man.” Kyle shook Damon’s hand while never letting go of me. Then, he turned us to follow Jason toward the exit.

My eyes constantly scanned the parking lot back and forth. I was on high alert even though I was sandwiched in between two huge men. I was irritated with A.J. for instilling that fear in me. Thankfully, we made it all the way to the car without any interference from A.J.

“Stay safe, Lily,” Jason said while pulling me into his famous bear hug. He drew back, holding me at arm’s length. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“Thank you, Jason. Good night,” I said before getting into the car.

Kyle and Jason shook hands and said they would be in touch with one another.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, I had the overwhelming feeling that we were being watched. It made every hair on my body stand on edge. It was the worst feeling in the world.

Kyle took my hand in his once again as if he could not stand the thought of not touching me. He didn’t let go even after we were back at my aunt’s house, and I was tucked into his embrace. The presence of his warm body around me was the only thing that allowed me to feel safe.

On Tuesday morning, we closed on the house without any problems. It was bittersweet to officially let go of my family home, but learning that the couple purchasing it had a two-year-old daughter with another baby on the way lightened my spirits. The house would become a home to another family.

After leaving the bank, we returned to my aunt’s house. Aunt Lucie greeted us at the door, and her eyes were glowing with excitement. She embraced me with open arms.

“Lily! Congratulations, dear!” She beamed while pulling back.

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Did the closing go smoothly?” she asked.

“Yes, everything went perfectly. It’s a done deal.”

“That’s wonderful news!” She motioned us inside.

I started to take off my shoes, but then she spoke up.

“No need to take those off, Lily. You and I are heading out,” she stated matter-of-factly. “And, Kyle, I have a surprise for you, too. They should be arriving at any moment.”

Kyle and I looked at each other with equally puzzled expressions. I shrugged, knowing my aunt was stubborn and would not tell us a thing until she wanted to. Not even a minute later, the front door opened, and Damon and Jason strolled in.

“What’s up, Mom?” Jason asked, apparently as clueless as Kyle and me.

“We are just waiting on Dan, and then I’ll tell everyone,” she said, sealing her lips.

An awkward moment passed, and then Dan walked through the door.

“What’s going on, Lucie?” Dan asked while stepping inside.

“Alright,” Lucie said while clapping her hands, positively glowing. She was definitely up to something. “Here are the plans. Lily and I are leaving to go wedding dress shopping, and I made appointments for all of you boys to get sized at Men’s Wearhouse.” She turned her attention to Kyle. “I trust you can pick out a good-looking tux for your wedding day?”

Completely bewildered, we all stared at Lucie.

Kyle broke the silence first. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You called me out of work for that, woman?” Dan huffed, exasperated, while rolling his eyes. “I thought it was something serious!”

Lucie put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at her husband. “This is serious!” she retorted. “It’s not every day someone in our family gets married! We only have one day to get this done, so chop-chop!” she added in her don’t-mess-with-me mom tone while clapping her hands.

We all instantly kicked into gear, making arrangements. All the men were going to ride together in Damon’s truck, and Lucie and I would be traveling in her car.

Kyle kissed me good-bye before heading out the door with my cousins and uncle. “Have fun dress shopping, beautiful,” he whispered in my ear before pulling back.

“You, too,” I said softly. I smiled lovingly at him as I tried to picture what he would look like in a tux.

His eyes were full of happiness that warmed my heart. It was my favorite look on him, and I hoped to see it very often throughout our many years together.

“See you later,” he added before making his way to the door after the others.

“Bye,” I mumbled. Butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach at the thought of trying on wedding dresses today.

“Ah, finally!” Lucie exhaled. “Now, we begin hunting for your dress. Let’s go, dear,” she said while gesturing me toward the door. “No time to waste!”

Six hours and nearly two-dozen dresses later, I finally found the perfect one. It was elegant and beautiful and simple.

As soon as I stepped out of the dressing room, my aunt’s eyes filled with tears. I knew that this was the one, and she felt the same way, too.

Finding my wedding dress altered something inside me. It was as if all the pieces in my heart were shifting into place. It hit me all at once. August thirty-first could not come fast enough.

I was ready to be Mrs. Kyle Madison.

Utterly exhausted from our Colorado adventure, I slept the entire flight home even though I was beyond uncomfortable with a metal separator trying to keep me from using Kyle as my pillow.

I was pretty sure I even dreamed about what I would look like in my wedding dress with my hair done in flowing curls going down my back and light makeup, consisting of only mascara, cover-up, and a soft pink blush on my cheeks.

“Wake up, beautiful,” Kyle said in a whisper. He kissed my head tenderly. “It’s time to go home.”

I lifted my head, frowning at the ache above my hip bone. “We are here already?” I asked before yawning.

“Yes,” he replied. He shook his head with a baffled expression. “Only you could manage to sleep the whole way home with a bar digging into your side.”

I yawned again, unable to restrain it, and Kyle chuckled as we grabbed our carry-on bags. I was relieved that it would be a short trip back to Kyle’s house.

Kyle’s phone beeped from his pocket, and he pulled it out to read the display. He smiled affectionately and then glanced up at me. “Abbey said she’s keeping Harley until tomorrow.” He laughed while texting her back.

My eyebrows rose. “Oh, she must really be growing fond of him.”

He chuckled a little louder this time. “I think she is, but she’ll have to give him up tomorrow because I’m picking him up on my way home from work.”

“I’m sure she’ll return him the first time he chews on something,” I said jokingly.

“That’s very true.” He grinned as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. He reached for my hand and laced our fingers together while heading in the direction to exit the airport.

After making our way to the car, I sank into the premium leather seats of Kyle’s Ford Shelby Mustang. I gazed out the window as he began driving along the beautiful roads of Lake Tahoe. It was good to be back.

This time around, I felt like I was truly going home as we soon pulled into the driveway. Kyle drove into the garage and shut off the motor. We gathered our bags from the backseat and then walked into the house.

A peaceful tranquility settled over me as we crossed into the living room. I paused while thinking about how his house—correction,
our house
felt so cozy and warm.

Kyle enclosed his arms around me and then bent forward to slowly trail kisses from the corner of my cheek down to the side of my neck. “What’s the matter?”

I spun to face him, tipping my head up to see his eyes. “Nothing,” I said quietly, revealing a heartfelt smile.

His eyes continued gazing into mine as he waited for me to continue.

“It’s just that this time, coming back here feels like home.”

Kyle smiled. He
really
smiled, and it took my breath away. He picked me up into his arms and swung me around. I tightened my arms on either side of him to hold on. I was squealing and laughing as he spun me around the room.

He put me back on my feet, and the look of pure adoration filling his gaze left me breathless. I inhaled as he lowered his forehead against mine. We stood there for a moment, embracing each other, in the middle of his living room.

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” Kyle said lovingly.

“Me, too,” I whispered.

In an instant, Kyle lifted me into his strong arms again. With long strides, he headed in the direction of our bedroom.

“And where are we going?” I purred seductively, knowing the answer while holding him tightly.

Kyle shifted his eyes to me as we neared our bed. The feral look in them confirmed my presumptions. Longing for him surged through every part of me. My body was so in tune with his.

“I’m dying to make love to you,” Kyle breathed in a low, rough tone as he lowered us onto the mattress. His eyes never left mine. “It’s been days, and I can’t wait another minute,” he said.

He captured my lips, effectively ending our conversation. A deep rumble vibrated from his chest as he deepened the kiss. My lips molded against his, caressing them right until the edge of reason, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted his hands on me, everywhere. Frantic for more contact, I grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. His lips crashed down on mine once again as a heated growl erupted from the back of his throat.