He was silent for a moment. “All the damn time. I think I’m going to wait until after the baby is born.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Sounds like a good plan.”
“Oh hell, I think Gabi called Charity.”
“Why?”
“I just heard her scream you’re doing what?”
Laughing again, I walked back into the house. Gabi was standing there holding the phone out with a frown.
“We’ll call you guys when we land and then after the deed is done.”
Cole chuckled. “Sounds good. Have a safe trip.”
Gabi shook her head and smiled. “She’s listing all the reasons why we can’t elope.”
I lifted a brow. “Any good ones?”
She shook her head. “They’re all about her! She needs to be the bridesmaid, she has to throw me a shower because she’s always wanted to throw a shower and a bachelorette party.”
Covering her mouth, she whispered, “Oh, this is the best one. We have to wait until she has the baby so she can fit into a sexy bridesmaid gown.”
“While you have made valid points on a few of your arguments, I’m still leaving on a flight tonight to Reno,” Gabi said.
“I know you want to be there, but how about you throw us a shower when we get back?”
She rolled her eyes. “We both know that is a promise I can’t make, but I’ll try. If you want to close the bakery, you can since I’ll be gone. You sure? Okay. I love you too, Charity. Please don’t work too hard. We will. Bye.”
Gabi let out a long sigh. “I have a feeling that was a preview of what is to come with your mother.”
I tossed my head back and let out a roar of laughter before focusing back on her. “Baby, that is the calm before the storm.”
Gabi giggled then looked at me with a questioning look. “Are you sure?”
Pulling her into my arms, I ran my thumb over her lips. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
She smiled and my heart skipped a beat.
“Did you leave your birth control pills here?”
Her cheeks turned a beautiful rose color. “Yes,” she softly said.
“Good. We need to get in some serious practice on making a baby.”
Gabi put her arms around my neck. “I like the sound of that.”
Leaning down, I kissed her gently on the lips. If I wasn’t careful, I’d take her again here in the living room.
“You ready to head out?”
She chewed on her lip then grinned wide. “Never been more ready!”
Lake Tahoe in September was beautiful. The warm afternoon sun shined down on us, keeping things comfortable as we stood on the beach.
“We never usually have openings, but it looks like you lucked out.”
My eyes swung over to the wedding planner from the Hyatt and I grinned. “I’d say we did for sure.”
We had flown in last night, stayed in Reno and got our marriage certificate in morning before we drove out to the lake.
Gabi smiled as she looked out over the crystal blue lake. “I am going to owe Charity big time.”
My arm slipped around her waist. “She did good.”
Charity had called ahead to the Hyatt to see if the beach location would be available for a wedding today. Totally last minute, minimal wedding she told the wedding planner. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Charity’s family had been coming to this hotel for years and she had attended a few weddings here. We were walking in blind, but Charity had taken care of everything for Gabi. It was her way of being a part of the wedding.
“So, Ms. Rossi, would you like to see the bridal bouquet that Ms. Evans had designed?”
I wasn’t used to hearing people call Gabi by her real last name. Each time it threw me.
Gabi turned to the wedding planner. “No, I think I’ll be surprised.”
The older lady smiled. “Well, the ceremony is scheduled for seven. The sun will be setting at seven eleven this evening.”
“That’s perfect!” Gabi said with a little excited hop.
Glancing between the two of us, the wedding planner asked, “Will you need any help with anything?”
I turned to Gabi. She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m going to take care of my makeup and hair.”
The older lady nodded. “Well, you should have something delivered to your room by now. A gift from Ms. Evans.”
Gabi looked surprised. “Oh, okay thank you.”
“Now, if you’ll both be down to the reception area at six fifty. You may want to come a few minutes apart if you don’t want to see the bride before the ceremony, Mr. Drivas.”
I laughed and replied, “Yes ma’am.”
“You have my number. If you need anything, we are here to help. We want this to be the perfect day for you both.”
Gabi laced her fingers with mine and said, “It will be, Mrs. Mitchell. Thank you.”
With a nod, the wedding planner excused herself and started back to the hotel. Gabi and I faced each other and smiled.
Biting on her lip, Gabi asked, “Are you nervous?”
I chuckled. “Not in the least bit. You?”
She squeezed my hands. “A little. There is a little dress shop up the road, I’m going to head over there and look for a dress after we get settled into the room.”
I agreed. We had driven straight here, checked in and went straight over to the wedding coordinator’s office. When we landed last night, Charity had sent a text saying she had set up the wedding for today as her and Cole’s wedding gift to us. I had to admit, it was nice having the plans already made, and I knew Gabi felt the same way. We were totally going to fly by the seat of our pants and no matter what would have happened, I knew it would have been perfect. This plan of ours was insane, but at the same time it was perfect for us. Knowing that we were going to be able to spend something so special with just each other made it feel more magical.
We made our way back into the hotel and up to our room. When we opened the door, Gabi gasped.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. The only thing you could see was a wall of windows and the lake in front of us.
“This is stunning. Hell, we could have gotten married here with this view!”
Gabi chuckled. “This room is amazing, Nic!”
Smiling, I drew her to me. “Well, if we’re in Lake Tahoe for our wedding and honeymoon, we had to stay in the honeymoon suite, right?”
Her lips found mine and we quickly got lost in one another. Then she pulled back and looked past my shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock. “She didn’t.”
Turning around, I saw two garment bags hanging up. One white. One black.
“I think she did,” I said.
Gabi raced over and grabbed the white bag. “Turn around, Nic! Let me open it!”
The excitement in her voice made my heartbeat pick up.
I could hear the zipper and then a loud gasp. “Oh. My. Goodness. It’s a dress! Nic, it’s a dress!”
“What’s in the black bag?”
Another zipper. “A tux!”
With a chuckle, I asked, “Can I turn around?”
“One second, let me take this in the bathroom and try it on.”
The sound of the bag rustling was followed by the bathroom door closing.
“Okay! Make sure the tux fits!” Gabi called out.
I did what she asked and tried it on quickly before she came back out.
“Fits like a damn glove. How in the hell did she do this?” I asked while walking over to the bar and pouring a small amount of bourbon into a glass.
“I’m not sure,” Gabi answered.
I walked around the giant suite taking everything in. There was a king-size bed that faced the wall of windows. A small living room area where the bar was at, and a small kitchen. Hell, we could order food and never leave the room. It was like a mini apartment with a killer view.
The bathroom door opened and Gabi stepped out. Her eyes were red and swollen. My heart
seized in my chest as I put the drink down and made my way over to her.
“Gabi, what’s the matter?”
She shook her head then buried her face into my chest. Shit. I was hoping she wasn’t having second thoughts.
Pushing her out so that I could look at her, I wiped the tears from her face.
“Gabi?”
She smiled and shook her head. “The dress . . . it’s perfect. It’s beyond perfect.”
I gently placed the strand of hair hanging in her face behind her ear. “That’s wonderful, baby.”
“Charity thought to take care of everything, and a small part of me feels guilty she isn’t here.”
My heart ached. “Do you want to wait?”
“No!” she said as she grabbed onto my shirt. “This is exactly what I want.”
Kissing the tip of her nose, I added, “Good, because it’s what I want too.”
We leaned our foreheads together.
“Ya know, since I don’t have to go dress shopping, we could do some baby making practice.”
My dick jumped in my pants. Reaching down, I picked up Gabi as she let out a small yelp.
Tossing her onto the bed, I slowly crawled over her, leaning down so that our lips were merely inches apart.
“How much time do you need to get ready?”
The grin that spread across her face had heat surging through my body.
“Two hours.”
“Good, until then it’s practice, practice, practice.”
Gabi giggled as she lifted my T-shirt over my head.
I slowly undressed my future wife and took full advantage of the hours I had before she would slip into the other room and get ready.
Life couldn’t possibly get any better than this.
I STOOD BEFORE the floor-length mirror and stared at my reflection. A slow smile moved across my face and I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach.
“Nic is going to die when he sees this.”
“He sure as shit is!” Charity agreed.
I’d propped up my phone and facetimed Charity as I got ready. That small part of me longed to have her here, but I was glad it was only Nic and I.
“Make sure you spray your hair again before you go out.”
Nodding, my eyes swept up and down the beaded lace gown. The sweetheart neckline showed the perfect amount of cleavage and the dropped waist in the back left little to the imagination. I wasn’t sure how Charity got a dress to fit me like a glove, but this dress did. All that and more.
“If this dress went any further down in the back you’d see my ass crack.”
Her laughter came through the phone.
“How in the world did you do this?” I asked as I turned to see the back. There was lace at the lower portion of my back, but with wide gaps, just enough to show it dipped low . . . very low.
“My ass looks perfect in this dress!”
“So, you know how I said we went to Lake Tahoe all the time when I was growing up?”
“Yeah,” I said as I touched up my lipstick.
“Well, a girl I practically grew up with lives there. Makes wedding dresses for a living. You guys are practically the same size. I told her I needed a sexy as hell wedding dress that was in her size.”
“And she just happened to have one?”
“Yep. She models a lot of her gowns, so most are in her size! It was pure luck.”
Shaking my head, I turned and picked up my phone. “Charity, thank you. For all of this. You’ve made this day so special.”
“Well, when you told me what you were doing, I felt like I needed to at least be a part of it somehow. Don’t worry though, you can pay me back with babysitting.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied with a lighthearted laugh.
Her smile faded some. “You scared?”
“No. It’s weird, really. I’m not really nervous at all about the wedding. It’s after the wedding that is giving me butterflies.”
Charity let out a roar of laughter. “Cause you know that man is going to devour you!”
“We’ve been in bed nearly all day. Nic’s stamina is like no other.”
“You know what they say about Greek men.”
I had told her what Katerina had said to me about Greek men and not being able to walk for a week. With a chuckle, I sighed. “Well, I guess I should head down there. Nic was going to go to the bar for a bit after he got dressed then come down after me.”
I watched as her eyes filled with tears. “You’re getting married.”
Blinking rapidly, I was thanking God I used waterproof mascara. “I know.”
“And in a few hours, you’ll be a part of that crazy-ass family!”
My hand came up to mouth as I laughed. “I know!”
“I love you, Gabi.”
“Love you too, Char. Rub the baby for me.”
She grinned and moved her phone down to show me she was rubbing her belly. Lifting it back up, she blew me a kiss. “Go get married for Christ’s sake.”
Nodding, I fought to find the words to speak.
“See ya later,” I softly said.
She lifted her hand and waved. “See ya.”
The call ended and I stood there staring at my phone before I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Leaning in, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. My blonde hair was done up in a French twist with curls hanging down to frame my face. I’d done a very light, natural eye makeup followed by a pink lipstick. Not too much, but just enough.
Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before opening them again. I was marrying the man of my dreams. My fingers came up to my mouth as I smiled at the thought.
Today was my wedding day. No more secrets, no more running, only happiness and hope from this day forward. The thought made me dizzy with happiness.
I took in a deep cleansing breath and made my way down to the reception hall that would lead out to the beach. I carefully looked around me as I made my way, making sure I didn’t run into Nic. Person after person smiled at me, each telling me I looked beautiful. I thought I would have been sadder when the actual moment arrived. Ten years ago I would have wanted a huge catholic wedding, now all I wanted was Nic and I holding hands and vowing our love to each other.
The door opened and Mrs. Mitchell wore a wide grin. “You look stunning, Ms. Rossi.”
“Gabi, please call me Gabi.”
She nodded then handed me a beautiful bouquet of white and red roses. The smell immediately hit me.
“Charity,” I whispered. This was her small way of having a piece of her with me. Roses were her favorite.
“Did you need a few moments or are you ready to make your way down to the beach?”
I gulped. “Nic?”
“He’s already down there.”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “Of course he is. He was probably here at six thirty.”
Mrs. Mitchell chuckled. “He was. I had to give him a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves.”
My hand landed on my stomach as I tried to calm my own set of nerves. It felt like every nerve ending was tingling.
Lifting her brows, she asked, “Ready?”
I nodded. “Never been more.”
My head was spinning. This was crazy! Insane! Twenty-four hours ago we were making love and now we’re getting married. I couldn’t stop the giggle if I had wanted to.
“Is that a nervous chuckle?”
Holding onto my bouquet of flowers tightly, I slowly shook my head. “No. It’s a joyful chuckle. I don’t think I’ll ever be this happy again.”
Mrs. Mitchell smiled wide and then she winked. “Trust me, you will be, if not more.”
I chewed on my lip.
A baby.
Following Mrs. Mitchell down to the beach, I was totally lost in thought. Nic wanted a baby. I’d dreamed for years of being a mom. Teaching a little girl how to bake and cook like my mother and grandmother did for me.
Katerina popped into my head and I couldn’t help but smile. After
the family had found out about Dante and that whole mess, I thought for sure they would tell Nic to drop me like a hot plate. But they didn’t. It was the opposite. I was welcomed into the family with such love and affection. Sure. They drove me crazy, but I loved their kind of crazy. Even Kilyn loved it . . . as much as she pretended not to.
The music started and my breath caught in my throat.
“It’s time,” Mrs. Mitchell said.
With a nod, I took in a deep, long breath and pushed it out. “Let’s do this.”
SHE WAS THE most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
Gabi appeared to be floating on a cloud as she walked down the white carpet to where I was standing on the beach. My eyes took in every ounce of her perfection.
The dress was captivating, and as amazing as it looked on her, all I could do was picture me taking it off of her.
As she drew closer, I could see the tears in her eyes. She was nibbling on that lower lip, causing my dick to twitch in my pants.
“She’s stunning,” the pastor said.
I agreed. “Yes, she is. Incredibly stunning.”
When she finally came to a stop in front of me, I let my eyes soak her up.
“You. Look. Beautiful.”
Her cheeks turned the same shade as the pink lipstick she wore.
Leaning closer, I pressed my lips against her ear. “I can’t wait to slowly take this dress off of you.”
She giggled. “Charity had one more surprise. It’s under the dress.”
I swallowed hard and almost had to reach down and adjust my dick as I took a step back. The pastor cleared his throat and began to talk.
Gabi’s blue eyes picked up the color from the lake and I was totally captivated by them. The color of the setting sun against her skin was a picture I never wanted to forget. She smiled and cried as she repeated her vows. My voice shook, and I fought like hell not to shed a tear, to which I lost the battle when I said the last vow.
When it came time for the kiss, I moved slowly. The need to burn this memory into my mind was strong. My hand lightly landed on the side of her face while the other hand brushed a curl back from her face. The reds, pinks, and yellows in the sky cast the most alluring light around us. It was magical.
“I love you, Gabi.”