Finn (41 page)

“I want to give you your present.”

“You couldn’t do that in my heated truck? Or at your place later tonight?”

“No, it’s been on my mind for a while now.” She reaches between us, takes an envelope out of her coat, and hands it to me.

I open it and read through the document, not believing what it says. “Presley, what did you do?”

“You gave up the house, our house. It was killing me. My dad made a few calls, and the owners haven’t sold. This is a right to refusal. If you still want it, it’s yours.”

“Your name is on here.”

Her eyes start to dance, and she smiles widely. “I guess I should say it’s ours. I put the deposit in escrow, with the understanding that the final decision was yours. They know you were shot and that things have changed. Everyone involved has agreed, you have final say.”

“You’re giving me a house for my graduation present?”

“I hope so, if that’s what you want.”

“I want everything with you.”

She beams, and I drop to one knee, taking her gloved hand. “Marry me.”

Her smile falters, and she visibly starts to shake. “You don’t have to do this. There are no expectations.”

“For whom? I have expectations. I want a ring on your finger. I want to know you are mine forever.”

“I already told you I am.”

“Then say yes.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she drops down in front of me. “Is this about the house?”

“No, this is because I fucking cherish you. There is no one who will ever love you like I do. I wanted to do this tonight, alone and naked, with you in my arms and me whispering how much you mean to me. I’ve—“

“Hush! Please stop!” She’s crying openly now. “I don’t want to feel like this is out of obligation. I love you, too, but we can take this slow.”

I pull the ring box out of my pocket and flip it open. Her eyes drop, then raise back to mine. Her lips quiver when she says, “That’s the most exquisite ring I’ve ever seen.”

“This was one of your mother’s diamonds. I had this designed specifically for you. It’s unique and spectacular. Every angle shoots off a blinding sparkle in the light. Marry me… Make me the happiest man ever.”

She grabs the box out of my hand and starts wailing. “Yes!” she screams through tears. Her body flies into mine, knocking us both down, and I hold her close to cushion the fall.

“Can I put it on you?”

She’s crying so hard that I almost miss her nod as she lays her head on my shoulder.

I twist, pulling her into my body, remove her glove, then take the ring and slide it on her finger. “You are my reason for living,” I repeat over and over. “I will love you like no man has ever loved a woman before, and promise to give you everything your heart desires.”

I lean in to kiss her gently, tasting her tears and hugging her close. She winds her body into mine, deepening the kiss, as the familiar heat and energy starts to buzz through my body. Her hips grind against mine, and my cock jumps to attention. She doesn’t miss the bulge and teases me by wrapping her legs around my waist.

“Babe,” I say against her lips. “We need to stop.”

“Don’t want to,” she moans into my mouth. Her thighs tighten as she continues to swivel her hips.

I break away, running my lips along her jawline to her ear. “You keep moving like you are, I’m going to come. I prefer to be inside you when that happens, hearing my fiancée scream my name.”

She whimpers but stops moving and loosens her hold. Her head rests in the crook of my neck, her breath warm against the skin when she sighs softly. “Fiancée has a majestic ring to it.”

“I hate to do this, but there’s a house full of people at my parents waiting for us. We’ll do three hours tops. Friends, family, pictures… then it’s you and me.”

“Okay.”

“For days, Presley… I’m keeping you naked and in my arms for days.”

“Promise?” She leans back and looks at me with a gleam in her eye.

“Oh yeah, the thought of you wearing nothing but my engagement ring has the potential to kill us both.”

“Death by sex with Finn Black… I think that’ll look great on my tombstone.”

“Make fun now.” I shove off the ground and take her up with me. “But when you can’t move on Monday, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I look forward to every bone-chilling, heart-pounding, mind-boggling, toe-curling second of it.”

Presley

“W
ho does this? Presley Chambers, that’s who!” Reese runs around my bridal suite like a lunatic, looking for God knows what.

Ember stands in front of me, touching up my make-up, and we both roll our eyes at her dramatics.

“Would you please calm down?” My request falls on deaf ears because Reese is in full tizzy mode.

“No! Who kicks their bridal party out of the room one hour before their wedding? Who can’t tell their overbearing, possessive, certifiably crazy fiancé that he has to wait to see her walk down the aisle? Who lets this said fiancé maul her after hours of hair and make-up, so now the maid of honor must run around collecting shoes and missing earrings like a madwoman???

“You! That’s who! Where the hell did your sense go? Don’t you remember the whole ‘don’t see the bride before the wedding’?”

“Reese, we told you this from the beginning, then last night, and again this morning. We don’t believe in that superstition. And besides, it’s Finn’s birthday. I had to see him to give him his birthday present.”

She mumbles under her breath while Ember fluffs my hair and places the last jeweled clip on the side.

“I think it’s wonderful, if you ask me,” she says, low enough crazy Reese can’t hear her.

“Me too.”

When Finn and I started planning our wedding, a few dates stuck in my mind, all of them with sentimental meanings. But when we looked at a calendar and discussed it, I insisted on April tenth. I would have preferred April eleventh, but it was a Sunday. This date was significant because it was the date of Finn and Robbie’s accident in Iraq.

The date has haunted Finn for so long because it fell right after his birthday, but I vowed to him that this day would forever carry happy memories going forward. This gave us a little under four months to plan our wedding, but we didn’t care.

Reese panicked in the beginning, telling me I was insane and shorting myself the whole ‘bridal experience’. But she sucked it up and took her role as maid of honor seriously, helping with every detail of the planning. I thought she was going to lose her shit when Finn squashed her bachelorette party plans and instead planned a joint party at our new house. I had to depend on Tripp to help talk her down from that snit.

Finn and I made a pact in the very beginning that this would not turn into a stressful affair. We didn’t care if we got married at the courthouse, as long as we said ‘I do’ surrounded by our families and friends.

Only once during the last few months did I break down and cry, and that was when Ember gave me her Christmas present. It’s tradition that the Blacks spend Christmas Eve with the Hayes family. This year, my whole family was included in the festivities.

We agreed to keep the gifts to a minimum and only buy for the children, or in Ember and Robbie’s case, the upcoming baby. So when she handed me the present, I was surprised. The whole room went quiet as I opened the gift carefully. She held on to Robbie with white knuckles and wide eyes when I looked at her in confusion. In the box was a single paper. It was a sketch of a dress, more like a gown, that took my breath away.

The tears started falling immediately, and I clutched it to me, the significance of this gift piercing my heart. Ember had created the perfect wedding dress for me. Through my hysterics, I learned she had secretly spoke to my dad and looked through albums of my parents’ wedding photos. She took a picture of my mom’s dress and tried to modernize it, hoping to give me a piece of my mom on my wedding day.

The meaning of this gift went so much deeper than a dress. Ember repeatedly turns down offers to design wedding dresses, no matter the money, because she vowed to herself, she’d only design her own gown. I’ve heard stories of people begging her to reconsider, but she sticks to her guns.

So her designing this dress for me and my wedding to Finn broke the dam. I cried like a maniac, thanking her profusely and assuring her the design was perfect. Later that night, I asked her to be in my wedding party. It was her turn to cry, explaining she’d never been in a wedding other than her own.

Even with the short timeline leading up the big event, I never felt rushed. With the help of our family, friends, and celebrity resources, we had a full wedding planned in no time.

Everything I could ask for would take place in less than an hour.

“Okay, it’s time.” Ember dabs at my lip gloss as Reese bends to help me into my shoes. When Ember gives me the go-ahead, I turn to the mirror and suck in a breath at my reflection. Reese and Ember both grab my hands, and we all stare with tears in our eyes.

I’ve tried on this dress a dozen times before, but today, with the hair, make-up, and shoes, it takes on an ethereal feel. The sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice sparkle with metallic accents, shining in the light. But it’s the skirt and train that sparkle the brightest. Ember and her Aunt entwined large clusters of beads and pearl accents into the lace overlay. These were created to match the accents on my mom’s train when she married my dad.

“You are stunning.” Reese’s voice cracks as she locks eyes with me in the mirror.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Ember sniffs and wipes away a tear. “Damn hormones!”

“Thank you, Ember. This dress is exquisite. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve created.” I suck in a deep breath and try to stop the tingling in my own eyes.

There’s a knock on the door, followed by a high-pitched shriek as Winnie comes running in, squealing. She spins in a circle, showing off her own princess dress I bought to match Reese and Ember’s.

“You look very pretty.” I squat and wrap my arms around her.

“So do you, Aunt Presley. I can’t wait for you to be married!”

I’m not surprised at her statement, but for some reason, her excitement is amped up today. “I can’t wait, either, but why are you so excited?”

“Because Finn says once your married, you’re having a baby. I want you to have a baby.”

“He said what?!?” I screech a little too loudly, holding on to her for support. If she wasn’t still in my arms, I’d fall on my ass.

“Yep, just like Miss Ember. He said you were going to have a baby.”

Ember starts to giggle, and I swing my head to find her holding her very pregnant stomach. Reese purses her lips and starts to turn pink as she tries not to laugh.

“We’ll talk about that later but please, don’t believe everything Finn tells you.” I kiss her forehead and stand as Evelyn walks in. She stops dead when she sees me and covers her heart with her hand.

I hold my breath, waiting for her response. She sucks in a deep breath and smiles. “You’re an incredibly beautiful bride, Presley. Today may be the day I see my grown son shed a tear.” Her eyes start to shine as her lips tremble.

“Evelyn, please don’t make me cry,” I half-whisper, half-choke as a lump forms in my throat.

The sound of Finn’s ringtone fills the room, and Reese grabs it, holding it to her chest.

“Don’t you dare think about seeing him again before you walk down the aisle! I will hold you down myself if you even try!”

I roll my eyes again and snatch my phone. “Hey.” I walk to the other side of the room for privacy.

“Any chance I can get a kiss before heading into the church?”

“Hmmm, I wish but I think she may actually have an aneurism this time if I sneak away.” He chuckles at my reference to Reese.

“Just open the door. I’ll be quick. Promise.”

“Finn, I’m already dressed. You can’t see me.”

“All these wedding rules and traditions are fucking stupid. If it were up to me, I’d walk you down the aisle.”

“Think that may hurt my dad’s feelings, baby. He’s kinda been looking forward to this for twenty-five years.”

“Yeah, he’s told me about a dozen times today. He’s twitching so much you’d think this was his wedding.”

“He wants everything to be perfect. It’s kind of cute.” I giggle at the fact my dad has been a nervous wreck since the rehearsal dinner last night.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’ll be prefect the second you become Presley Black.”

“I really like the sound of that.” Butterflies dance around my stomach.

“Are you doing okay?” Concern seeps through his tone.

“Of course, why?

“Your dad told me Elisa called.”

“She did,” I whisper through the lump forming in my throat. “I’m okay. The purpose of the call was to congratulate me. Then she thanked me for being such a good role model for Winnie and loving her so much.”

“How did you guys leave it? Did she mention visiting?”

“Not anytime soon, but I left that door open. I’ll never deny Winnie a relationship with Elisa as long as it doesn’t disrupt her life.”

“You truly are incredible.”

“So are you.”

“Look down, babe.”

I do as he says right as a small piece of paper is slid under the door.

“What’s this?”

“A little note.”

“Finn, I have dodged two breakdowns in the last ten minutes. Please don’t make me cry.”

“I’m standing on the other side of the door. If I hear sobs, I’m coming in.”

I unfold the note and smile at the simple message:

When I first saw you, with your smile so tender

My heart was captured, my soul surrendered ~Elvis Presley

I lay my forehead against the door and breathe deeply. “I love you, Finn.”

“Love doesn’t come close, but it’ll do. I’ll see you soon.” He disconnects before I can say anything else.

Winnie comes up and tugs on my hand, pulling me back to the rest of the group. Within minutes, there’s another knock at the door, and my dad and Johnny walk in.

Dad takes one look at me, and I fight another impending breakdown. He must see the tears welling up because he shakes his head and blows me a quick kiss. Then he helps Johnny hand out champagne and sparkling juice.