Loving what He Wants (Celine and Rhyland Series) (3 page)

‘Have you been drinking?’ she asked rather amused.

‘Yes he has, I’m Violet by the way.’ The redhead introduced herself.

‘Hi, Harvey’s told me a lot about you.’ Celine smiled.

‘All good I hope.
’

‘Celine!’ Ava entered the room with a tray of cocktails. ‘
I didn’t hear you come in.’

‘That’s because the television’s blasting and you’re shouting.’

‘Oooh, what’s got into you?’ Ava asked.

‘Nothing I’m just tired I guess.’ She sat down leaving her luggage in the passage way.

‘Here have one of these.’ Ava handed her the lethal looking cocktail.

‘Can I trust this?’

‘No you can’t but drink it anyway.’ She took one herself.

Celine took a cautious sip of the drink, it didn’t taste too bad, she took a few more sips.

‘So how was New York?’

‘Yeah how was it? I’ve always wanted to go to NYC,’ said Violet.

‘It was amazing. A bit tiring for Rhyland.’

‘Yeah I’m sorry to hear about his illness,’ said
Harvey.

‘Yeah that’s sad,’ Violet added.

‘Ava?’ Celine could kill her for having such a big mouth.

‘You were going to tell him anyway so I did you a favour.’

Celine shook her head and took another sip of the cocktail.

‘I have some news.’ She smiled wickedly.

‘News? Oooh I love news do tell.’

She looked at them all eager for the news, including Violet who had settled into the group so easily.

‘Rhyland asked me to marry him.’ She beamed.

‘He did Wha!’ Ava almost chocked on her drink.

Harvey scratched his head to make sense of it all.

‘I know I hardly know him that well but I love him and he doesn’t have a lot of time.’

‘I can’t believe he’s blackmailing you!’ Harvey suddenly found his voice.

‘He’s not blackmailing me, I love him. I love him so much.’

‘You haven’t even been together long enough to know whether you love him or not.’

‘I don’t need time to know how I feel. What I feel is real and why are you so uptight about it?’

‘Yeah why are you?’ Violet asked.

He looked at both women not sure what he wanted to say.

‘This is amazing news Celine, if you’re happy I’m happy.’ Ava finally got over the shock.

‘Thank you Ava.’ She looked over at
Harvey. ‘Harvey?’

‘I just think this is all going too fast, how about your parents do they know?’

‘I’ll deal with my parents, what I need is support from my friends. I was hoping you’d help me put everything together.’

He was silent.

‘I don’t know how much time Rhyland has but I’ll be moving in with him. I want to be by his side.’

This time
Harvey got up and left the room.

‘What is his problem?’ Celine asked.

‘Too much to drink, I’ll go check on him,’ said Violet.

‘No let me… let me find out what’s really bugging him.’ She stood up to look for
Harvey.

He was in the kitchen pouring himself another drink.

‘Don’t you think you’ve had enough?’

‘You’re not my mother.’

‘Exactly, and yet you behave as if you’re my parent.’

He gazed at her.

‘What’s going on with you, I thought we dealt with all this.’

He sighed.

‘Talk to me please.’

‘I thought I had… I mean I have. I could deal with you seeing him but marriage and moving in with him is just too much.’

‘Too much for whom?’

‘For me. I guess you don’t just stop liking someone because they ask
you to.’

‘Oh
Harvey. You know how I feel about you, we can never be anything but friends. You’ve got to let this go.’

He looked at her Violet stood at the doorway.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘I don’t think I can,’ he said to Celine. ‘I think we better go,’ he said to Violet.

‘Harvey…Harvey!’

He chose not to respond and left with Violet.

‘Don’t worry he’ll come around.’

Celine sighed.

‘He’s acting like such a child,’ Celine said as she walked back into the living room.

‘Yep bu
t he’ll get over it soon enough,’ Ava answered.

‘Do you think he’ll come to my wedding?’

‘Yes, even if it means I have to drag him myself…hey look at you getting married!’

‘I know.’

They screamed… it was so exciting!

‘Who would’ve
thought?’

‘Isn’t amazing how your life can suddenly change in a split second.’

Ava nodded.

‘I just feel so happy and so sad at the same time.’

‘This really must be hard. You have the man you love but only for so long.’

‘I’m trying not to think of it that way. One day at a time.’

Ava nodded. They giggled and hugged each other and just talked about weddings and marriage. Celine asked her to be her maid of honour and she asked if she could help organise the wedding.

‘It would be an honour,’ Ava said.

‘It’s not going to be a big thing. Just us, my parents, I’ll try and find out if he has any close friends. He’s a very private man.’

‘You’re marrying a stranger.’

‘Yeah you could say that but he doesn’t feel like a stranger.’

‘You’re mad!’

‘I know!’

‘That’s what I love about you. You do what you want regardless of what anyone thinks.’

‘The thing about trying to please people is that you end up being miserable. I have to do what feels right for me.’

Ava took her into a hug.

‘Thank you for being with me through all this crazy.’

‘I’m equally crazy that’s what makes us great flatmates.’

‘About that.’ She withdrew for the hug.

‘Don’t sweat it, I’ll find someone else to move in.’

‘I’ll cover my half of the rent until you find someone.’

Again they hugged. It was such a great feeling and yet it terrified her. That evening they sat down and jotted down the details for the wedding. It was really going to be a small wedding. Ava was up to the task.

‘I hope it snows so the wellies idea works.’

‘Let’s pray it does.’

‘Now…’ She felt nervous as she said it. ‘It’s time to pay my parents a visit’

‘Good luck with that.’

****

‘Run that by me again,’ Celine’s mother said as she dished herself some salad potato.

‘I said I’m getting married.’

‘Honey we didn’t even know you were dating, when did this all happen?’ Her father was a lot more understanding.

‘It’s only recent.’

Her mother put down the bowl and tilted her head. They had been fair parents and brought up their girls to be independent. Her father was generous and kind, the man she could run to when her mother was being too strict or unfair. Celine could tell her mother wasn’t going to let her get away with this one easily.

‘Celine are you dying, is something going on that we don’t know about. This is just odd and…’ She was lost for words.

‘My fiancé is dying.’

Mrs Clarke looked at her husband but he chose not to acknowledge her instead he looked at his daughter.

‘I met him a while ago, he’s an amazing man he just doesn’t have much time.’

‘But why marry him, it’s a huge commitment.’

‘I love him.’

‘Oh sweetness you don’t know that. You feel all fuzzy for him but that’s not love.’

‘You don’t know what I feel mother and I’m not a child anymore.’

‘But you’re young, you haven’t experienced life to understand fully what you feel.’

‘Mum I didn’t come here for your permission I came her to let you know and to invite you. This means a lot to me.’

Again Mrs Clarke gazed at her husband, ‘Gerald aren’t you going to say anything? Talk some sense into your daughter.’

‘As she said, she’d not a child anymore we really can’t tell her what to do.’

Mrs Clarke wasn’t please with his response and she wasn’t about to allow her child to make the biggest mistake of her life.

‘Marriage is a huge commitment. When he gets worse everything will be on your shoulders. You’ve got your studies how are
you going to cope with all this?’

‘I will, I’m strong, just like you mum.’ She knew just how to make her Mother back down.

Mrs Clarke wiggled in the chair and sat erect. It was true she was strong and she loved to hear it from her children.

‘Fair enough, I’m just worried for you.’

‘Don’t be, I’ll manage.’

‘You say that now but you have no clue.’

‘I think it’s a brave thing you’re doing.’ Her father interrupted.

‘Thank you daddy.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll ask Ava to send the invites once she’s done.’

They both nodded. Her mother still not satisfied but there was nothing she could do about it. Celine helped with the dishes and later sat with her dad to watch the news. She stayed over a couple of days and those days weren’t without a fight and power struggle between the two women. But at the end when she was about to leave they were in each others arms, hugging as if none of the arguing had ever happened.

‘Please take care of yourself.’ Her mother said finally.

‘I will and I’ll see you at the wedding.’

‘Be proud, she’s her
mother’s daughter,’ Gerald said to his wife.

Chapter Four

‘Would you like anything to eat?’ Celine asked Rhyland while the lay in bed.

‘I’ll just have some
fruit; my stomach isn’t too good at the moment.’ He kissed her.

Time was running up towards Christmas. It hadn’t been an easy transition moving in with him but it came at the right time. He’d spend two
days in hospital a few days before because he couldn’t keep anything down and had become dehydrated.

Celine was grateful it was the holidays, she could spend her energy on Rhyland, making sure he was okay. He had good and bad days. On the bad days he just stayed in bed and she helped him when she could. She wiped his forehead with a cool cloth to keep him cool. She’d read to him while he lay and just listened to her voice. She would rub his toes and just make him feel happy and relaxed when things were rough.

On good days he would be out of bed as if nothing had happened and at times it was hard to believe that his body was riddled with cancer. The doctors had said that it had spread but they couldn’t put a time on how long he would live. He was offered palliative care and for a while he tried it after Celine had begged him too but the sickness was the last thing he wanted.

‘You know you didn’t have to do this,’ he said as she slid out of bed. ‘You’re
young; you shouldn’t be tying your life to mine.’ He smiled lightly.

She sat besides him and gazed at him.

‘I want to be here and besides I’m going to be your wife soon.’

He laughed gently

‘What.’

‘I love you,’ he said.

‘And I love you and I meant what I said, I’ll be here till the bitter end.’

He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss.

‘You are an angel. God sent me an angel.’

She smiled tears gathered in her eyes.

‘No you’re my angel.’ She sniffed.

She’d grown up fast in just a couple of weeks. The feeling
s within her were strange. She felt whole and at peace and yet her mind couldn’t agree with what she felt. Everything around her was louder and bolder. She took time to listen to the birds tweet in the morning, appreciate the sun rising and she took time to smell the flowers she ordered every week for him. It was a feeling of gratitude and yet there was deep sadness somewhere in it all.

‘I’ll go and make myself some
thing to eat,’ she said finally one morning.

‘I’ll feel better tomorrow I promise.’ He lay back down.

She knew he was going to try but it wasn’t a promise he could make. The days moved along and the time drew closer to the big day.

Ava had outdone herself. Her organisation skills had really shone through it all. Caterers and decorators were in and out of the house now. The backyard was being transformed to a winter wonderland.

‘Any word from Harvey?’

‘Not yet but I’m working on it.’

‘Did you ever find out about any of Rhylands close friends?’

‘Sorry sweets, I couldn’t. The closest I could get was Finn his personal assistant and two of his partners. This is sad.’