Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (27 page)

S
ITTING IN
Kyle’s office behind his desk, I glare at the notebook with a mile-long to do list in front of me. The longer I stare at the scribble on the page, the more frustrated I become. I may have gotten myself in over my head with this whole wedding deal. I had no clue how much went into planning a wedding. No wonder people take months to plan them. What the hell was I thinking? There’s no way I’ll be able to pull this off. “Son of a bitch!” I yell as I throw the notebook across the room.

“Hey, now, let’s not bring my mom into this,” jokes Angel as he saunters in. I swear this guy doesn’t have a care in the world. Always a smile on his face and a smartass remark on his lips. Right about now, I’d like to smack that shit-eating grin off his ugly mug. “Why so pissy? Bite off a little more than you could chew?” he asks, ducking to dodge the pencil I throw at his head.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping this pain in my head goes away. I could also do without the six-foot pain in the ass standing in front of me. “If you’re not here to help me, get the fuck out.” Angel throws his head back and lets out a deep laugh that makes me want to kick him right in the junk.

He grabs his chest. “Chill out before you hurt my feelings.” I can feel the vein throbbing along the side of my head as he leisurely takes the seat across from me. That grin still plastered to his face. I don’t think he realizes how close he is to leaving here with my foot up his ass. “I had a...I mean, I know a girl who is a wedding planner. She’s waiting at the bar to help you put this shindig together in time,” he says, his smile getting even cockier than before. I’m not going to admit it to him, but he may have just saved my ass.

“And the fact that you’ve slept with her won’t be a problem?” I know I’m being an ass, but I can’t help it. This has to be perfect. This is supposed to be the most magical and special day of her life. My job is to make sure that happens. Even if it kills me. With the way it’s going so far, that’s a very possible outcome.

“You know I never leave them anything but happy and wanting more. She’s no exception, just a little clingy. So, I’ll take one for the team to help make Holly’s day perfect.”

“I’m sure it’s a major sacrifice for you,” I laugh. Crap. He’s never gonna let me forget this. I wish I didn’t need his help so badly. “Okay. Bring her in,” I sigh. When the leggy, big chested blonde walks in, I know for a fact this isn’t a hardship on his part at all.

She bends down and picks up the list I threw earlier. I see her eyes scanning the page as she nods her head. Looking up at me, she gives me a wink and a smile. “No problem. I got it. I’ll let you know when I need help from you strong men.” Turning on her heels, she kisses Angel’s cheek then walks out the door. What the? She didn’t even introduce herself. Is this really what she does for a living? And if so, does she make any money?

“Trust me, Sasha is one of the best wedding planners in Miami. I promise you, Holly is going to love it.”

“So help me, Angel, if just one little thing goes wrong, I will kick your ass all the way back to California.”

“Yeah. Whatever. Now, get back to writing your sappy vows. You’re whipped. You know that, right?” he throws over his shoulder as he quickly walks out, closing the door just in time to block himself from another flying notebook. One of these days, I’m not gonna miss.

I look up at the clock. Two hours have passed by since I started writing these vows. Looking at the pile of crumpled up papers on the floor next to me, I wonder why I decided to do this in the first place. There are so many things I want to say to her. I feel the emotions, I just can’t seem to find the right words to describe them. Inspiration. That’s what I need. I reach into my back pocket and pull out my cell phone. Scrolling through the photos, I look for one in particular. My heart rate picks up to a rapid pace once I come across the photo I am looking for. It’s the first picture we took together. I was looking directly into the phone, but Holly was looking at me. We had just started dating and it’s when I started to see her begin to let her guard down with me. It’s so evident in her eyes. The trust. The love. They were both there long before this picture, but she wasn’t allowing herself to feel them. Not that I can say I was either.

“Hey, what’s got you so deep in thought?” Kyle asks while sitting on the couch in the corner.

“Trying to write my vows. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be,” I tell him as I sit back in the chair and close my eyes. My head is pounding. If it were up to me, we’d have already gone to the courthouse. No fuss. No muss.

“I have a feeling you’re overthinking it all. Picture her walking toward you looking more beautiful than you’ve ever seen her. Then, think about that one moment you knew without a doubt that she was it,” Kyle says with a sappy look on his face. It doesn’t take a genius to know he’s thinking about Amber. It’s so hard to believe that at one point Kyle and I did nothing but party. Booze, drugs, women, and music. The last thing on our minds was a wife and kids. That’s all we lived for. When Marcus settled down, we all called him a pussy, but now I get it.

“So, why don’t you take a break for a little while? The guys are here for a little impromptu bachelor party,” he says hopefully. Since Angel got the wedding planner, I do have more time and God knows I could use the break.

“Okay. But just for a little while.” Getting up from my chair, I follow a smiling Kyle out the door. As soon as we get in view of the main bar, all the guys stand up and begin to whoop and holler. Everyone’s here. Even Beasley. I’m really touched to have these guys here to celebrate our getting married. A pang of sadness hits me. I sure wish Reggie were here with me. He and Holly would’ve really liked each other.

As thankful and happy as I am to be hanging out with my friends, my only thought is still Holly. This time tomorrow, she’ll be my wife. A few months after that, I’ll be someone’s dad. Strangely enough, though, I’m not nervous about either event. I can’t say there’s ever been anything I’ve ever wanted more.

T
HE SUN
peeking through the blinds warms my face and coaxes my eyes open. As I lay there, a smile slowly creeps across my face. I’m getting married today. It seems as if I’m finally getting everything I’ve always wanted. Is it even possible? I’ve spent so much of my life being disappointed. Every time I think I’m happy, it’s ripped away from me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about that happening now. I’m terrified.

A soft knock sounds on the door before it slowly opens. Amber peeks over, checking to see whether I’m awake. “Good morning, almost Mrs. Walters,” she giggles out as she comes bouncing over to the bed. Plopping down next to me, she looks over and smiles wide. “Are you ready for this?”

I’m more than ready to be Paul’s wife. There’s just one problem. Well, actually, there are a few. First, I have no idea where or when this is happening. Then, what about a dress? And even if I did have one, how the hell am I going to fit into it? I look like a whale. And the worst thing of all, my face. It’s still a black and blue mess. I can’t take wedding photos looking like this. This is going to be a freaking disaster.

“Stop,” Amber says sternly. “Everything is being taken care of. Stop freaking out.” There’s no way they thought of everything in less than twenty-four hours.

“What about my face?”

“Chelsie can cover up anything with make-up. You won’t see the bruises in the pictures.

“What about a—”

“We have a rack full of maternity wedding dresses downstairs waiting for you to try on.”

“Fine. Then, when and—”

“I can only tell you it’s around sunset. The rest is a surprise. I promise you, it’s going to be perfect,” she says while giving me a look that’s daring me to come up with something else. I’m sure I could, but I think she might knock me into next week if I did. I give up. I’ll leave it in their capable hands. They’ll make sure the day is perfect. I know they will because it’s what I would do for any one of them.

“Okay. I give up. What do I do first?” I ask her.

“Go take a shower. We’ll all be in the kitchen making you a breakfast fit for a bride,” Amber says, and bounces out of the room.

I take my time in the shower. The hot water soothes my battered body and calms my nerves. I’m not nervous about marrying Paul at all. My nerves are from not being in control or even not knowing what’s going on. I know it’s not rational, especially in this case, but I just can’t help it. Ray was always so unpredictable that there was always this fear in me. I never knew what would happen next. Now, the unknown tends to frazzle my nerves. Again, an irrational thought in this case, but it seems to be hardwired into me now.

As if on cue, the baby kicks and all the negative thoughts leave me. I’m filled with pure love and joy. I’ve found a good man. A man who loves me. A man who would rather die before he did anything that would hurt me. He makes me feel safe even when I know there’s danger lurking about. And this little girl. She renews my faith that maybe I can have a happy ending. I‘ve beat my demons and I can move on and be happy. With my family. I’ll finally have a real family. Something I’ve always dreamed of, but never thought was possible.

A knock on the bathroom door startles me from my thoughts. “Hurry up in there. We have a lot to do today,” Becky yells from the other side of the bathroom door. Turning off the water, I grab a towel and quickly dry off. Wrapping the towel around me, I go into the bedroom to find some clothes. What do I wear? I have no idea what we’ll be doing, but if I’m trying on dresses, I need something comfortable and easy to get off.

On the bed is a white t-shirt with “bride” all blinged out across the front and next to it is a pair of very comfy looking black yoga pants. God, I love these girls. I slip into my new clothes and of course, they fit perfectly. Sometimes I think Amber knows me better than I know myself. After throwing my hair up into a high ponytail, I begin to make my way downstairs.

As soon as I hit the stairs, I can smell the food and my mouth begins to water. Everyone is chatting away when I enter into the kitchen. The amount and variety of foods they have spread out is unbelievable. A large platter of fresh fruits is in the center of the table, but it’s the food surrounding it that really get my taste buds excited. Pancakes, eggs, grits, toast, and, my absolute favorite, bacon. There’s lots of bacon. “Wow, ladies. This looks delicious. What are you all eating?” I say, grabbing the plate filled with bacon. They all look at me and laugh as if I’m kidding.

After overstuffing myself on breakfast, Amber announces it’s time to try on dresses. Just what I want to do now. I already feel fat and swollen as it is. Add the five pounds of bacon and other assorted food I just ate and nothing is going to fit. I reluctantly follow her into the living room. The rest of the girls stay in the kitchen to clean up. As we walk into the living room, I’m in complete shock. There’s a rack that takes up the whole length of the room filled with beautiful white dresses. Happy tears sting my eyes. How did they pull all of this off so quickly? When the Greek god with a name that fits to a tee comes into the room, it’s very clear. Zeus is the owner of the bridal boutique
Princess Weddings
. It’s the same place we went to with Amber to find her wedding dress. This man is beautiful. Coal black hair, eyes as blue as the sky, and a body that looks like it was carved from marble. Every woman would kill for a man like this, but he only seems to have eyes for Paul. I’m guessing my baby flashed him that gorgeous smile of his and that’s all it took for this favor.