Hide My Soul: A Romantic Suspense Thriller Novel (Hide Me Series Book 4) (6 page)

The last Katerina had heard, the other men had also planned on wearing simple Hawaiian print shirts, but Jordan had them all in black tuxedos with vests and ties that matched her gorgeous plum dress.

Katerina turned to Jordan. "How did you do all of this?"

Jordan smiled. "We knew it was important to you. So we made it happen."

Katerina took her friend's hand and squeezed it, as tears threatened to fall again. Perfection. That's what Jordan had created for her. She turned away from Jordan's warm expression and stepped out of the ATV, onto the still-hot sand. It heated her toes deliciously, contrasting nicely with the slight breeze coming off the water. In the distance, the sun dropped lower and lower, a magnificent ball of fire heading to certain watery destruction at the far edge of their view.

Her dress clung tight to her waist as the bottom flared and flapped around her ankles in the salty ocean wind. The scent of flowers reached her, and she beamed at each of her tiny wedding party in turn.

Agnes, looking lovely and cordial at the far edge of the beach. Their onlooker brought to them only by the same strange twist of fate that had flung her into the arms of West.

Sam, wiping his eyes as he nodded and radiated a divine, nervous energy over the rest of them.

Brody, his legs slightly apart, holding a wooden box in his hands and favoring her with his kindest smile yet.

Blaise, his hands clasped in front of him, next to Sam and Brody, his face displaying confidence and his eyes telling her everything was right and good.

The pastor, a man younger looking than she remembered, holding a thick book in front of him, waiting patiently for her.

Finally, West, her fiance. Her almost-husband. Her savior and her hero. Her protector and her lover. Her guardian angel and her best friend. Her eyes settled on him and she tried to take a picture in her mind that would last for an eternity. His eyes sparkled at her and his face shone with delight and joy. As their gazes met she felt the spark, the promise between them of everything she had ever wanted and prayed for. He was for her, and she for him.

She clasped her bouquet tight to her chest and began the walk to him. The last walk she would ever take as a single woman. Her eyes fixed on the spot on the beach next to him. When she next moved from that spot, she would do so as a married woman. A partner to her soul-mate. 

Her mother's presence wafted in on the breeze, enveloping her, reassuring her, spurring her on.
Thanks Mom, I love you too.

She took the next step, and the next, over hot sand and smooth rocks, until she ended up next to her beloved. He smiled down at her and took her hand, then they both turned to the pastor, their smiles announcing their readiness.

Jordan followed behind, then stood next to Blaise as witness. The pastor turned to Katerina and addressed her, his voice mingling with the ocean waves behind him.

For Katerina, the wedding itself was both too short and an eternity. Words washed over her, prompting her to nod and smile, as the heat of her almost-husband's body beside her drove her slightly mad. Finally, the pastor turned to West and asked him to say a few words.

West turned towards Katerina and grasped both her hands. He took a deep breath, then began to speak. Katerina felt her emotions trembling inside of her, threatening to spill over at once. The energy of the moment doubled and tripled as the man she thought of as her rock began to profess his forever-love to her.

"Katerina, I wanted to say something special to you today, but I know it's all already been said before, by men much more eloquent than I. So I borrowed a few phrases from the Hawaiian poets that I hope will convey to you exactly what you mean to me."

He took another deep breath, gazed solidly into her eyes, and recited from memory, " 'O Ku'u Aloha No 'Oe. A O Ko Aloha Ka`u E Hi`ipoi Mau. Ka`u Ia E Lei A`e Nei La. Ua Ola Ae Nei Loko I Ko Aloha."

Katerina's heart quickened again as the melodious sounds flowed over her. When had he had time to learn all of that?

"It means, You are indeed my love. With you joy will ever be mine. May our love last forever. Life is once more alive within me for my love of you."

West inclined his head towards her and whispered, "Thank you for loving me. I will always be yours."

Katerina bit her lower lip as her eyes and her heart overflowed. This man was so open and true and good to her, and her heart couldn't take much more.

The pastor turned to her and indicated it was her turn.

Katerina wiped her face, then tried to begin. Everything she had planned seemed to have fled right out of her head, but she didn't care. It had all been utter crap anyway. She would speak from the heart, right here and now. "West, I'm not good at this stuff either, and I've actually forgotten everything I had planned to say. So let me simply say, you are my life. You calm me, energize me, complete me, finish me, feed me, comfort me, love me, soothe me, cheer me, delight me, worship me, cherish me, and honor me. It's way more than one woman deserves and I know this. I promise you my everlasting love, my undying faith, and my ceaseless devotion." Katerina's voice broke on the final word and her heart seemed to swell in her chest. Her throat thickened as she licked her lips and tried to go on. But West had heard enough. Without waiting for the official word, he took her in his arms and crushed his lips to hers, his tears mingling with her own.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the pastor said triumphantly. "You may continue to kiss the bride!"

Jordan let out a jubilant cry and somewhere, someone clapped excitedly, but Katerina could only pay attention to her husband. He bent her backwards and plied her with a passionate kiss that went on forever. She flung her arms around his back and felt someone pluck the bouquet from her hands so she could hold him properly.

Laughter and talking tinkled around them, but the kiss went on and on.

Later, with the pictures taken, the forms signed, and everyone piled into the same limousine, the party began in earnest. Katerina noticed Agnes seemed a little quiet, a little strained, but she couldn't spend too much time worrying about it. All eyes were on her, and everyone wanted to speak to her.

"A toast!" Sam cried out. He raised a glass that had been thrust into his hand by Jordan, who was still pouring out the rest of the champagne. "To the bride. Son, you're a handsome man, but I don't know if you'll even show up in those pictures. Katerina, you're the loveliest bride I've seen in all my sixty-four years."

Katerina blushed and thanked him.

Jordan handed out the last glass of champagne and found a spoon to bang on hers. "Another toast! Who has something else to say?" she cried.

Brody sat forward and held up his glass. "
A toast to love and laughter and happily ever after
," he said, then clinked classes with everyone in the backseat.

"Ooooh, good one," Jordan said. "Who else?"

Blaise and Agnes only smiled at the happy couple when Jordan looked at them so she took center stage again. "Okay, I have a few." She pressed her lips together in a look of determination and then started.

"
Here's
 
to the groom with bride so fair, and here's to the bride with groom so rare!"

Katerina laughed and clapped her hands together. This was a side of Jordan she had never seen before. "More," she said to her friend.

Jordan didn't even miss a beat. "
May your love be like the misty rain, gentle coming in but flooding the river
- that's your department, eh West?" She waggled her eyebrows at West and everyone laughed.

Katerina felt the stress of a lifetime fall from her. She knew the darkness was over now. Nothing could touch her ever again. Her friend would speak blessing after blessing over them and they would have the perfect life. "Another," she pleaded.

"
Without love, the world itself would not survive
," Jordan said, looking like she was just warming up. "
May the saddest day of your future be no worse, than the happiest day of your past."

Katerina saw Blaise looking at Jordan with a new, amazed light in his eye. She caught his gaze and winked at him. He was getting a little more than he bargained for. Probably a little more than he knew how to handle.

Jordan had a few more toasts to give. "
May the most you wish for be the least you get. May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.
" She took a swallow of her drink. "Ok, one more for all!"

She looked around at each of them in turn. "
May God be with you and bless you, May you see your children's children, May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward
."

Everyone held their glasses out and clinked in the center. "Hear, hear!" West boomed and Katerina felt a new, powerful emotion bloom in her chest. Had a wedding day ever been more perfect?

Jordan had been right, this was a day she could look back at and unpack carefully, no matter how bad things got, and remember that there was perfect, divine light in this world. 

***

West pulled Katerina into the nightclub next to their hotel excitedly. He'd rented them a balcony away from much of the noise and crowds, a place where they could relax. But he planned on partying a little, on shaking things up. He remembered back to the first night he ever met Katerina - they'd danced that night, but they had never done it since. Now they had a lifetime of dancing ahead of them and she would be his one and only dance partner.

Fierce longing and protectiveness rose up in him. He would never let her go. She was his - she'd stood before God and witnesses and pledged to love him forever, then taken his name. He couldn't wait to get Mrs. Shepherd alone - couldn't wait to slip that silky, white dress off of her and worship the body beneath it. He planned on making sure their wedding night was as memorable as their actual wedding.

As West threaded his way through the throngs of people, he pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text. He led his small group up to their table on the second floor where they could see everyone and everything. "Put your stuff down, dance if you want to, we have this balcony until they close."

He watched Jordan pull Blaise away with a huge smile on her face. He was glad to see those two getting along so well. He'd never seen Blaise so happy, even in the face of the devastating injury he'd recently suffered. But Jordan had nursed him back to health quickly. Or maybe that had been all Katerina's doing.

His father tapped him on the shoulder. "Agnes took off. She said she can't handle loud places like this."

"Oh that's too bad," West said. "Is she feeling okay?"

Sam looked out over the dance floor. "She seemed fine. I'll check in on her later."

"Thanks, Dad," West said. Sam looked him in the eyes and West saw something simmering underneath the surface. But Sam didn't say it, he hugged his son and moved away. "I see some chicas on the dance floor I want to say hi to."

West laughed. His father thought he was still a young buck sometimes. West approved, thinking it might keep him young and slow the awful disease that had him in its grips.

Brody had already disappeared, saying hi to a stunning redhead on the way in and never even making it up to the table. West bet he'd have her back at his hotel room within a few hours. But it didn't matter - no one would be happier than he was tonight. He'd married Katerina, and that meant his happiness was assured for a lifetime.

And kids! She'd said two. A boy and a girl maybe. Or maybe two girls – two tiny replicas of their beautiful mother. Maybe they would start trying tonight. Could life get any sweeter?

He turned to Katerina and saw her tapping her feet to the music as she watched the crowds on the dance floor.

He took her hand and pulled her away from the railing, turning her to him. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, telling her with his eyes how much he loved her.

"Mrs. Shepherd, may I have this dance?"

She brought her hand to her mouth and covered it like a seventies pinup girl. "Why Mr. Shepherd, I'd be delighted."

West pulled her in close, unable to resist her coyness. He covered her mouth with his own and kissed her deeply, tenderly, but only for a moment. They had to get down to the dance floor and quickly.

When they reached the first floor, people parted easily for them, some whispering and pointing, probably because they still had on their wedding outfits.

The music stopped and the voice of the DJ filled the room, finding its own beat. "All right, all tight, my babes and busters. I've got one tiny request for you. Clear the dance floor one and all, stand back and feast your eyes on the first dance as husband and wife of Mr. and Mrs. West Shepherd."

Katerina's hand stiffened in West's and he pulled her close, then stepped onto the dance floor and invited her to follow. The first chords of Better Together by Jack Johnson filled the room and West saw Katerina's eyes move nervously over the crowd, who had indeed cleared the dance floor.

He tugged her gently to him and she finally looked at him. He smiled, and she smiled back.
She was his.
Silky strands of her hair fell around her face, framing it in a bewitching manner. She softened and went to him.

West pulled her to him, and they flowed around the dance floor, as people clapped and whistled.

"West, when did you do this?" she whispered in his ear.

"The moment we set the date and decided for sure it would be here in Hawaii. I knew we wouldn't have many people here to celebrate with us, so I wanted to give you the feel of a big wedding, even if I couldn't give you the big wedding."

"You're amazing," she sighed.

"I am," he told her.

"Don't get a big head, now." she laughed.

"Never."

They danced and they danced, and even when the crowds came back on the dance floor and pressed against them, West felt like they were the only two people on the planet.