Blessed (Book 2, The Watchers Trilogy; Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (21 page)

“They do it all the time on TV,” Tara chimed in. “Ain’t you ever seen that show where they build these 4,000-square-foot houses in less than a week? Did he get you any furniture?”

“No,” I said, remembering how empty it had felt without anything in it.

Brand looked troubled.

“I told him I couldn’t take it, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” I told him.

“No, you should accept it,” Brand said, completely stunning me with his easy acceptance of Malcolm’s gift. “He obviously went to a lot of trouble to do it for you. It would be rude to refuse it.”

“Does this mean I get to try skiing?” Tara asked. “You know, I would look hot in one of those ski suits.”

“It might be tempting fate to put skis on either one of us,” I told her. “Remember how we used to trip over each other in those ballet classes Utha Mae put us in? I don’t think we need a replay of what we did to the Swan Lake recital, on the side of a mountain.”

“Yeah, you might be right about that,” Tara said, rethinking her earlier enthusiasm. “Maybe we could get a couple of them snow mobiles, though. I bet that’d be fun.”

There was a knock on the door.

Tara didn’t even bother to get out of her chair to make sure it was Malik. She just yelled, “Come in!” at the door.

Malik walked in and smiled when he saw I was present.

“I was hoping you might be here,” he told me. “I wanted to know how yesterday went. Did you two find out anything?”

Brand and I told Malik what we had discovered. He, too, chastised me for not being more careful. At least he was the last person I had to tell. I wouldn’t have to hear ‘you shouldn’t have done that’ from anyone else.

“So, now we’re just waiting to hear back from this P.I. you hired?” he asked Brand.

“Yes. Hopefully she’ll have the information we need soon.”

“Well, keep me informed and let me know if I can be of any help.”

“Thanks,” I told Malik. “We’ll let you know.”

“Come on,” Tara said, grabbing her purse. “Let me give you a tour of the campus. Then you can take me out to eat somewhere.”

Malik chuckled at Tara’s brashness.

“At least I don’t have to worry about knowing what you’re thinking,” he told her.

“No, I pretty much say what’s on my mind,” she agreed. “See y’all later!”

After Tara and Malik left, I turned to Brand and made him stand up with me.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Home.”

I phased us inside his paint studio.

Brand looked around. “Why this room?”

“It’s where I first told you I love you,” I said, holding his hands in mine and gazing up at him to watch his reaction to my next words. “There’s something just as important that I want to say to you now.”

That statement definitely captured his attention. “And what would that be?”

“I want to marry you.”

Brand smiled, looking completely confused. “I know that, my love.”

“No,” I said, wanting to make sure he fully understood what I was saying. “I mean I want to marry you as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait four years.”

He looked almost afraid that he might have heard me wrong. “Do you mean it?”

“Yes, I don’t want to wait. I love you, and, honestly, I don’t really see the point in waiting four years. It would just be a waste of time.” Time I might not have, I thought, but didn’t say. “I want to be your wife as soon as possible.”

Brand put his hands on both sides of my face and kissed me long and hard. When he finally forced himself to pull away, he looked down at me with an expression of complete bliss.

“I will love you every day of your life as much as I do this very moment. I promise to make you as happy as I can, and I want you to know that you will always be the center of my world. Everything I am, or ever will be, revolves around only you, Lilly. I am completely yours in this life and the next.”

“Those sound a lot like vows,” I said, unable to hold back my tears of happiness as I stared at his earnest and joyful face.

“They’re my vows to you, and I will always keep them.”

Brand and I decided to spend a quiet day at home together. It was rare that we actually had time to just enjoy each other’s company, and not have to worry about things for a while. We pushed our problems out of our minds as far as we could and spent the day as any other normal couple would.

Brand finally showed me the painting he did of me on our perfect day together, when I’d wrapped myself in one of his paint cloths and sat on a wicker chair framed by the lake behind me. You would have thought I was draped in expensive silk the way Brand painted me. I still couldn’t get over how beautiful I looked in his paintings. When I mentioned it again, he still professed it was the way I looked to him. I wasn’t going to argue. Who minded if their fiancé had a completely distorted view of them, as long as it was a positive one?

In fact, the next three days made me feel like I was any normal girl going to school and arranging a wedding with the man she loved. I went to Malcolm’s house to tell him my decision about marrying Brand early. He didn’t seem surprised, and told me to let him know if there was anything he could do to help with the arrangements. I was glad to see him take my decision so well.

When I called my mom to tell her the news, she was over the moon. She started talking so fast about dresses and flowers, that I had to ask her to slow down. I had never heard her so excited before. After talking with her about everything we would have to arrange, I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn’t be able to marry Brand as quickly as I had hoped.

After looking at the calendar, keeping in mind everything that had to be done, I decided to set the wedding date for November 17. It would give us plenty of time to do things right. Plus, it was the start of our Thanksgiving break. I had missed so much school as it was this semester that I didn’t want to miss any more than I had to. It was still my goal to have my degree in as little time as possible. The sooner I earned that small piece of my life’s puzzle for myself, the better.

I wanted to have the wedding in Utha Mae’s church, but I was hesitant to ask Brand if he could even step foot inside one. I remembered how he answered Utha Mae’s question about attending church, and I wasn’t sure if it was a decision he made for himself or if it was something his kind just wasn’t allowed to do. There really wasn’t any getting around the issue. So, I just asked him one day, while we were walking along the lakeshore after supper one evening.

“There is one detail of the wedding arrangements I need to ask you about,” I started, hoping my question wouldn’t hurt his feelings if he were, indeed, forbidden to walk on holy ground.

“You know you can ask me anything.”

I guess I wasn’t hiding my nervousness very well from him.

“I want to have the wedding in Utha Mae’s church. Can we do that?”

“Of course, if that’s where you want to have it.”

“Then… you can go into a church?”

“Oh,” he said, with an understanding smile, realizing what I was really asking. “You know all those myths about vampires aren’t true. The only reason I don’t go to church is because it reminds me of what I lost. It’s hard to worship and not actually be in His presence. It would be like loving you, but never being able to see you again.”

I’d never thought of it that way, but it made perfect sense to me now.

“Speaking of the wedding,” he said. “Why don’t you let me give you the money for the expenses? I’m sure we could hire someone to arrange everything for us.” 

“It’s traditionally the bride’s family who pays for the wedding,” I told him.

“But I have plenty of money, Lilly. We could pay to have things done much faster and not have to wait.”

“Are you in a rush?” I asked. “I did move the day up by almost four years, you know.”

“I know,” Brand groaned, taking me into his arms. “But now that it’s so close, it’s complete torture to have to wait a minute longer.”

“It’ll be worth it. I promise. Plus, just think about how happy you’ll make your future mother-in-law by letting her arrange everything for us.”

“She does seem happy about it,” Brand agreed.

“I’ve never seen her so excited. She’s planning a trip to Jackson for us this Saturday, so we can find dresses for me and Tara.”

“This Saturday?” Brand asked in surprise. “Will you be back early?”

“I don’t know. Why? Did we have something else planned?” I couldn’t remember planning anything for that day.

“Well, I have something I want to do that night. Do you think you can make it back by suppertime?”

“I’ll make sure we’re back before then,” I promised him. “Dress or not, I’ll be here.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When Saturday came, Tara and I drove to Dalton to pick up my mom and Utha Mae. As far as the financial arrangements for the wedding went, I told my mom I had some money in the bank from a gambling excursion with Malcolm to help out. The $5000 I won at his casino on that Sunday we spent together would definitely come in handy now. I had been saving it, not knowing when I would need such a large sum of cash.

My mom informed me that she had been saving some money up since I was a little girl, to pay for my wedding. I was stunned she had planned for something so far ahead of time, and wondered why she hadn’t planned as diligently for my college education. It made me realize how important my getting married really was to her.

Utha Mae told me she would be paying for the dresses Tara and I would wear. I wanted to argue that I could buy my dress with my own money, but she wouldn’t even let me get the words out of my mouth.

Since I wanted to have the wedding in Utha Mae’s church, we ended up only having to worry about the expenses for the reception and a few flowers. Having the wedding scheduled so close to Christmas was actually perfect timing. Utha Mae was in charge of the decorating committee at her church, and told me I had nothing to worry about as far as the church interior went. She planned to have two Christmas trees, large red poinsettias, and white roses festooning the interior. Her church already had candelabras, so all we would have to buy to make the picture complete would be candles, ribbon, and decorative gauze fabric. At least I didn’t have to agonize over what the colors for the wedding would be.

Utha Mae warned us that she planned to invite her whole congregation to the wedding. I wasn’t exactly sure how many people that would end up being, but I knew it would be close to at least a hundred, depending on how many showed up. Since we would be inviting many more people than I had expected, Utha Mae requested that we let her and the ladies from her church handle preparing most of the food. I had no doubt that they would make food far superior to anything a hired caterer could prepare.

There was one more thing I needed, though; a ring for Brand. I had no idea where I was going to find something that represented how much I loved and adored him. How do you buy the perfect man the perfect ring? I planned to drag Tara ring- shopping sometime during the next week. Maybe with both of us, we could figure something out.

I drove us all to Jackson in my Mustang, but Tara directed from the backseat, telling me exactly where to go. She said Abby had asked her to take me to one particular store in Jackson, and that she planned to meet us there to help me choose a dress. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take to find dresses for Tara and me, but I made sure everyone knew we might have to come back the following weekend, if we didn’t find what we wanted that day. I needed to leave by at least 3:30, so I could keep my promise to Brand and have supper with him that evening. It seemed important to him, and I did not intend to break my word.

The wedding dress store was called Couture Collections, and looked a bit expensive for our pocketbooks.

“Are you sure this is where she said to meet her?” I asked, eyeing the store dubiously as we all got out of the car.

“Yep,” Tara said, coming to stand beside me as Utha Mae and my mom started walking toward the entrance to the store.

“Give me your phone,” Tara whispered to me.

I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and handed it to her.

“Who are you calling?”

Without answering me, she fished a piece of paper out of her back pocket and dialed a number.

“Hey,” she said into the phone, “we’re here.” There was a short pause. “Ok.”

She ended the call and handed me the phone.

“Are you going to tell me who you called?”

“Them,” Tara said, nodding to the front of the store.

Standing on the front steps of the boutique were Abby and Malcolm.

“They wanted to help. Said they saw a dress here for you that would be perfect,” Tara told me as we walked over to our friends.

I gave both of them a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you guys here.”

Abby’s presence didn’t surprise me that much, but Malcolm’s did.

“We thought you might like our company, dearest. It’s not every day you get to help a friend pick out her wedding dress.”

I couldn’t say anything. I knew if I tried, I would get too emotional and start to cry. Instead, I took Malcolm’s hand and brought him inside the store with me.

Every woman in the establishment immediately looked Malcolm’s way when we entered. Malcolm had met my mother and Utha Mae while I was in a coma in the hospital, so I didn’t have to make any introductions. I could tell my mother was interested in Malcolm, because of how flustered she looked being so close to him. When we went to the private viewing room, I made sure to sit Malcolm on the opposite side of the mirrored room from my mother. All I needed was for her to become obsessed with my friend.

The lady who was to help me pick a dress took me to a back changing room, and asked me questions to help me narrow down what style of gown I wanted. I had a vision of the dress I wanted in my head, but I just couldn’t seem to find the words I needed in order to describe it.

“I think I know the perfect one for you,” she said, and went to find the dress.

When she brought it back in, I marveled at how well the woman had deciphered my mangled description of my dream dress. It was a strapless, pristine white satin gown with a thin layer of veil-like material on top, which had been hand stitched with a multitude of pearls, crystals and off-white embroidery. It had a full skirt and mid-length train. 

The saleslady helped me put it on so I could get the opinion of my family and friends, even though I knew in my heart it was the dress I’d always imagined wearing on my wedding day. I was hesitant to ask how much the dress cost. I braced myself for the real possibility that we wouldn’t be able to afford my dream dress. Even if we couldn’t buy it, at least I would have the chance to wear it this one time.

“It’s a perfect fit,” she said, adjusting the full skirt and train around me. “Why don’t you go show your family? I’m sure they’ll love it, sweetie.”

When I walked out of the dressing room and down the short hall to the mirrored viewing room, I could hear everyone talking and laughing as if they were having a good time together. As soon as I stepped into view, they all became quiet.

“Well?” I said, standing in front of the mirrors, looking at how well the dress fit. It was as if it had been made for me. “What do you guys think?”

When I didn’t get an answer, I looked away from my reflection to Utha Mae first, and saw she had tears in her eyes. When I looked at everyone else in the room, they all had the same expression, except for Malcolm. He just had a rakish grin on his face and winked at me.

“Girl,” Tara sniffed, wiping at her eyes as she came to stand beside me, “I don’t care how much that dress cost. You’re getting it.”

Utha Mae wiped away the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief she’d pulled from her purse.

“How much is it, hon?” she asked the saleswoman, who was standing a little behind me.

“Well, you’re in luck,” she told Utha Mae. “That dress was marked down to $500 this week.”

My mother gasped in surprise.

“We’re taking it!” she said, almost as if she was afraid the saleswoman had made a mistake, and didn’t want to give her a moment longer to figure it out. I think my mother was more excited than I was about the deal we had just gotten.

As everyone was crowding around me, looking at the detailed embroidery and crystal beading, I noticed Malcolm get out of his chair and go over to the saleswoman. I watched him in the mirrors as he leaned down and whispered something to her while shaking her hand. She looked down at the hand he shook and discretely put something in the pocket of her dress, all the while nodding to him, quietly saying, “You’re welcome”.

“Excuse me,” I said to everyone around me. “I should probably take it off before we get it dirty.” After I carefully rotated the full skirt and train so I wouldn’t knock anyone down, I walked over to Malcolm and yanked on the sleeve of his shirt, making him follow me down to the end of the hallway.

“What was that all about?” I asked him quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear.

“What was all what about, dearest?” Malcolm asked innocently.

“What did you hand that woman just now?”

“Just a tip for her help today,” he shrugged.

It took me a second to put the pieces together. It made sense, though. The fact that Abby told Tara where to go to find the perfect dress, the cheap price of the dress, and Malcolm’s involvement could only mean one thing.

“How much does this dress actually cost?” I asked him.

“Dearest,” he said, taking one of my hands into his. “Why do you insist on worrying about things which mean nothing? Just enjoy the dress. It looks wonderful on you.”

“Did you pick it out?”

“Would it matter?”

“It matters to me,” I said. I could be just as stubborn as he could.

He sighed, realizing he had been caught in his little scheme. “Abby and I saw it in Paris and thought it looked like you. Don’t ruin what’s supposed to be a happy time, dearest; just consider it an early wedding present.”

“And the $500?”

“Commission for the saleswoman. It’s what she would have earned for selling a dress in a store like this. She was more than willing to help me with my little ruse.”

“How much does this dress actually cost?” I pressed.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s a gift.”

I didn’t want to argue with him. He was just trying to make me happy, and he and Abby had done a perfect job picking out the dress of my dreams. I rose up on the tips of my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you,” I whispered, so only he could hear. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you.”

“You’re more than welcome.” He cocked an eyebrow at me and grinned. “Now, do you think you need my help getting out of it?”

I just shook my head in exasperation and turned towards the dressing room, leaving him chuckling behind me. I supposed some things would never change, whether I was getting married or not.

We ended up buying some shoes and hair accessories at the store to complete the ensemble. I bought a simple veil and some thick-heeled satin pumps.

Finding Tara a dress took a bit more time and ended up costing about half as much as my dress did. Nevertheless, it fit her personality and the theme of the wedding perfectly. It was a red, mermaid style-dress with half-capped sleeves and a shimmering crystal brooch in the shape of a leaf attached to the left side of the bodice.

It wasn’t until we made our purchases that I worried about stuffing my dress inside the trunk of my car.

“We can take it home with us, love,” Abby offered, knowing I would much prefer them just phasing it back home, and not having it cramped up in the back of my car for two hours.

“We can just keep it at my house,” Malcolm said. “I seriously doubt Brand will see it there.”

I thanked them both before they left.

The drive back home was filled with chatter about the wedding. It was one of the few times Tara and my mom actually got along. Tara was usually so overprotective of me whenever my mother was around. She always had her guard up, ready to defend my honor at a moment’s notice if my mother said anything negative about me in her presence. Nevertheless, with the conversation dedicated to the wedding, I didn’t have to worry about my mother saying anything that would ruin what had been a great day of shopping.

After we dropped Utha Mae and my mom home, I didn’t even bother wasting time driving all the way back to Lakewood. I simply phased Tara and me, car, packages, and all, to our apartment.

“I just don’t know if I like that,” Tara said. “Seems like cheating.”

“It is cheating,” I laughed. “But I told Brand I would be back in time for this special supper he has planned. It’s already 4:30. I’m barely going to have time to get ready for our date, as it is.”

No matter how much I hounded him that week, Brand refused to tell me what was so special about having dinner together that evening. He simply said it was important to him and, to be honest, that was all I needed to know. When we got our packages unloaded, I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of black slacks and a maroon two-piece sweater set before phasing home to Brand.

He was sitting in the living room, watching a football game on the new TV mounted above the fireplace. We had just bought the TV a couple of days before, since I liked to watch television on occasion and he didn’t have one in his house. I hadn’t expected him to splurge on a 65” plasma screen, but it was the best he could find in town.

“I’m home,” I announced, walking to stand in front of him.

He quickly turned off the TV and stood up, pulling me into his arms, kissing me as if he hadn’t seen me in a year.

“I missed you today,” he whispered, trailing kisses from my forehead to the side of my neck, unwilling to let me go. “I think I’ve gotten spoiled having you so close all the time these past couple of weeks.”

“I missed you, too,” I told him, “though we did have fun shopping for dresses today.”