A Will To Change (Hope) (42 page)

“Gabby, I need to fuck you bad. In fact, I think I’m gonna die if I don’t.”

She looked up at me and laughed. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

She lifted her nightshirt over her head, took off her underwear, and quickly removed my boxers. She pushed me down on the bed and climbed on top of me. As she leaned down, I circled her hardened nipple with my tongue. I watched as she buried me deep inside of her, placing my hands on her ass as she moved up and down. I was getting even more turned on when she threw her head back and closed her eyes. I moved my hands to her hips and guided her movements.
Oh fuck, I was almost there. Gabby always managed to turn my stamina into a sixteen-year-old boy’s.
“Oh, my god, Gabby.”  I quickly rolled her on her back and hovered over her and began moving in and out of her, making her scream for more. “I want you to be wishing that I was inside of you all day.”

“Too late. That’s what I wish for every day.” I began to move quicker and harder, and I felt my insides beginning to come undone. I was so glad when I felt her body tighten up around me because I couldn’t hold back anymore, finding my own release at the same time as her.

I hugged her tightly while I caught my breath. “Cancel your dress thing. I want you to stay in bed with me all day.”

“I can’t cancel it, silly. I have to make sure that it fits so I can look absolutely perfect for you,” she said, placing tiny little kisses down my chest.

I rolled over on my back and pulled her on top of me. “Gabby, I don’t care what the fuck you wear. All I care about is marrying you.”

“Well, I do. And since I basically have no one from my family coming, I have to look good for someone so it may as well be you.”

I pushed her hair from her face and looked up at the sadness in her eyes. “Gabby, you know you could still invite her, if you want.”

She quickly shook her head. “Nah. Besides, how big of a loser would I be, inviting my mom to my wedding and actually having her
not
show up? It’s better this way.” She sighed and forced a smile. “Now, I have to go jump in the shower really quick!” She placed her lips on mine and stuck her tongue in my mouth, turning me on once again.

“Gabby, if you want to get out of here on time, I suggest you get out of this bed now and get into the shower because I’m feeling like I could go another round.”

She kissed me on the forehead and quickly jumped out of bed. “Hey,” she screeched when I playfully smacked her bare ass. “Don’t make me jump back in that bed and get you all hot and bothered again.”

“Bring it on, Gabby girl, but you won’t be gettin’ back out.” She gathered up her clothes and went into the bathroom.

No matter how much she denied it, I knew that her mom not being at the wedding was bothering her. The look in her eyes just a few minutes ago confirmed it. I understood where she was coming from. If she did invite her and she didn’t show, Gabby would be totally crushed and that was the last thing I wanted to happen, especially on our wedding day. But if Gabby
didn’t know
that she was invited, then she wouldn’t be upset if she didn’t show up. I listened closely to make sure that the water was still running before reaching over and grabbing Gabby’s phone from her nightstand. I went through her contacts, stopping when I got to her mother. I hurried up and wrote down the address. Now I just needed to find out what the fuck her mother’s last name was. I texted one of my buddies in the PD and asked him if he could get me a last name.

“You’re still awake?” Gabby asked as she got out of the shower.

“Yeah. Hey, do you have any extra invitations?”

“Yeah, why?” she asked, pulling her shirt over her head.

“Umm…I forgot I wanted to invite an old buddy of mine that I used to work with.”

“Okay. I’ll leave one on the kitchen table for you.” She walked over to my side of the bed and kissed me on the cheek. “Get some sleep. You look like a zombie. I’ll see ya later.”

“See ya, Gabby!” I turned on my side and closed my eyes. I knew that I was taking a huge chance. Gabby might end up being majorly pissed off at me, but she allowed me to have no regrets with my Dad. I wanted to do the same for her. I didn’t want her to look back on her wedding day years from now and feel like something was missing. I knew that, in the end, it would be worth the risk. She couldn’t stay mad at me for too long…I hoped.

The day I had dreamed about ever since I was a little girl was here. Until Will came along, that dream was starting to fade. The funny thing was that beautiful fairytale wedding in my dreams from years ago didn't matter to me anymore. All that mattered was that I was going to be spending the rest of my life with my best friend. Still, I was happy that Will's mom and Hope went above and beyond to help make this day extra special for us. I was a little sad knowing that my aunt and uncle were the only two people that I would have here from my family. I sighed, hoping that I made the right decision by not backing down to my mother.
It’s for the best, Gabby. She probably wouldn’t have shown anyway.

I looked myself over in the mirror, hoping that Will would be happy with the girl staring back at me. My strapless, mermaid-style dress formed perfectly to my body, looking like it was made just for me. Delicate beading trimmed the softly curved neckline, while a beautiful hand-beaded design embellished the bust and the drop waist.

I gave my loose waves one last spray before taking a deep breath and looking out the window. I couldn't help but think how perfect the weather was, so much like that September from so long ago. Will and I were getting married outside at a beautiful winery close by his mother’s and brother's house. A hidden gem that I would have never known about if it weren't for Hope.

“Come in,” I said, hearing a light knock on the door.

A huge smile stretched across Hope's face when she entered. “You look absolutely gorgeous!”

“Thank you. I just hope Will thinks so.”

“Oh, Will is going to flip when he sees you.” 

“Thank you so much, Hope. I really don't know how I would have done this without you.”

“No problem. I finally have a little sister. It took him long enough, but he finally did it,” she giggled. Her tone suddenly became more serious. “But that's only because he was waiting for you to come back to him after all those years.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me. My whole life, I've always felt like I had no one. I always wanted a brother or sister and now...” I took a deep breath, trying to fight the tears. Hope quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to me. “Now I finally have that.”

She pulled me to her and hugged me as best she could, trying not to mess me up. “I am so happy for the both of you,” she said.

“Gabby?”

I jumped and my stomach dropped when I looked up to find my mother standing in the doorway. Suddenly, my happy moment with Hope was fading away.
What was she doing here?
Will! He must have sent her an invitation!
I suddenly remembered the day he asked me for an extra invitation for someone he worked with. I took a deep breath while Hope looked at me with concern. I was pretty sure that apprehension was written all over my face. “Hope, this is my mother.”

“Oh, hi. How are you?” Hope said, extending her hand. My mother smiled and shook it. “Well, let me get back out there. Ten more minutes!” Hope smiled. Just hearing that calmed me down a bit. In ten more minutes, I would be removed from this awkward situation that I was in and be that much closer to becoming Will's wife.  

My mother walked into the room once Hope exited. Of course, she was meticulously dressed in a beautiful teal dress that cost even more than mine, I’m sure. She looked me over and tears filled her eyes. “You look...” She shook her head, crying even harder. “You look beautiful, Gabby.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Thank you so much for inviting me. I wish that I could have helped you plan everything.”

I shook my head, trying not to cry. “I wasn't ready for that, Mom. I still don't know if I'm ready for
this
, but I’m glad you came.”

“Well, I'm honored to be here.”

She reached into her purse and handed me a card. “Here's a little something to get you started with your new life together. I really do wish you both nothing but the best.” She must have sensed my hesitation at accepting it. “Part of that is from your father, as well.” I creased my forehead in confusion. She briefly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked out the window. “The day you were born, your father started a bank account for your wedding day.” I bit my lip to halt the tears. “He always said it was the day that he was going to dread the most in his life, giving his little girl to another man. But if he had to do it, he wanted to make sure it was everything you ever dreamed it would be.”

I grabbed a tissue and quickly dabbed the tears flowing down my face. “I think Daddy wouldn’t have minded giving me up to Will. In a way, he already did when he trusted him with my life all those years ago.” I handed my mom a tissue to wipe away her tears, as well. “Thank you for coming, Mom.”

For the first time in a long time, she pulled me into an embrace and it actually felt real. “I’m so sorry, baby. I really and truly am.” I nodded, knowing that my makeup was probably running down my face. “Well, let me get out there. Andre is waiting for me to take a seat,” she said, dabbing her eyes one last time. I nodded as I watched her walk out the door.

I took a seat in front of the mirror once again, trying to pull it together. But it was useless. How I wished that my dad was here to walk me down the aisle, instead of walking it all by myself. I blotted my eyes once again and suddenly felt a sense of calmness overtake me when I looked in the mirror and saw Will standing behind me, his hands in his pockets, looking absolutely gorgeous in his black tux. A smile rushed from deep within my stomach to my face. In just a few minutes, my best friend was going to be my husband. Mine forever. I stood up and his eyes widened as he looked me up and down, taking in everything about me.

“Gabby, you look…” He shook his head and smiled. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you, but you're not supposed to see me. It’s bad luck,” I said, wiping away one last tear.

He moved closer to me and gripped my waist. “Haven't you realized that we're different? And I don't believe in superstitions.” He titled my chin up to him and kissed me softly on the lips. “I wanted to make sure you were okay with -.”

“Well, it certainly was a surprise.”

“I’m sorry, Gabby. I know I should have told you, but if she didn’t show up, I didn’t want you to feel bad about it. I just know that, somewhere deep inside, you wanted her here. You made me have no regrets with my dad, other than I wish that he could be here today. I just wanted to do the same for you.”

I pulled him close and hugged him. “Thank you for being able to see what I was feeling deep inside my heart, knowing that I would be too stubborn to act on it. I'm happy that she's here. And your dad
is
here
,
Will, the same way that my dad is.”

“I'm marrying the most beautiful girl in the world,” he whispered in my ear.

I kissed him on his neck. “And I'm marrying the handsomest man in the world. We’re pretty lucky, aren’t we?”

He flashed me that gorgeous smile of his. “I love you, Gabby girl.”

“I love you, too. Who would have thought that all these years later, I would be back in your arms again, just like on that horrible day?” I caressed the side of his face with the back of my hand. “My sweet angel.”

He smiled down at me before kissing me on the forehead. “I better get out of here before my mom or Hope catches me. They’d kill me before we even got married.”

I giggled. “Wait. I want to show you something.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my journal, opening it up to the very last page which was dated for today. I placed it in his hands and watched as he read it over.

An angel saved my life today and, just like that, he went away.

A halo and wings he didn't proclaim, but I knew he was an angel just the same.