Beyond Promise (6 page)

I let out an ironic yap and shook my head.
“Not in Ayden’s world.”

“Not in Jason’s immediate world either, but
with some gently nudging, it can be done.” Gabby smiled and took a
sip of her latte. That was the one thing I missed about being
pregnant, not the wine, the coffee. “I know Jason is so used to
everyone always doing what he wants. In business, what he says
goes. Always has and always will. Sometimes that doesn’t translate
well at home though.” She furrowed her brows.

“I can’t imagine why not,” I chuckled. “It’s
the same with Ayden. He’s got that business running so smoothly,
and the staff respects him for it. But it’s kind of funny, he
sneezes and someone runs to find him a tissue. I can guarantee it’s
not like that at the house.”

Gabby nodded in agreement. She understood
exactly what I was talking about.

A few minutes of silence passed as we
watched people walk along the trail toward the beach.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but
I believe in Ayden. I know he’ll take the guy down. I’ve got to put
it out of my mind and focus on all the amazing things ahead of us.”
I let out a sigh, hoping if I voiced the positive outcome one would
manifest itself.

“Only you know what you’re comfortable with.
I guess it’s like me riding my bike. It doesn’t matter how many
people want me to stop riding because motorcycles are
dangerous
. But I love it and I won’t stop riding.”

“So you understand my dilemma.” I shook my
head, flashing a wry grin. I was one of the many who always hoped
she’d give it up.

“Perfectly. Now tell me about this wedding.
I’m literally counting down the days, minutes, and seconds to get
myself on that tiny island known as Bermuda. The pictures look
amazing, and I can tell you after all my wedding planning with
Carla, I need the vacation.”

My body instantly relaxed the moment Bermuda
settled into my mind. I’d sent over the final menu to our
coordinator and had shipped boxes of decorations and gift bags to
the hotel this morning. So far everything was coming together for
this destination wedding…if we could just get there.

“The ceremony is going to be on the beach,
barring any hurricanes.”

“Hurricanes?” Gabby’s brow arched.

“Well, technically hurricane season lasts
through November, but they’re really unlikely to hit when we’re
there.” I grinned.

Even with everything Gabby had been through
in her life, there were still some topics that made her uneasy.
Natural disasters were high on that list. It didn’t matter what the
statistics said, she focused on the what-if scenario. I wasn’t sure
it was healthy.

“Why oh why did I ask about the wedding?”
she teased. “And let me remind you how our luck usually goes.”

I chuckled and took a sip from my water
bottle.

“I looked up the weather on the extended
forecast for when we’re supposed to arrive, and there isn’t even a
hint of rain in the forecast,” I assured her.

Gabby wrapped her arm around my shoulders
and squeezed. “Now what in the world makes you think the weatherman
who can’t predict tomorrow’s forecast can predict weeks in
advance.”

“Valid point, I’ll admit, but I happen to
know there will be no hurricanes during our wedding or vacation.
There just won’t!”

“Whatever you say,” Gabby yammered.

“So like I said, our ceremony will be on the
beach, and the reception will be at a small restaurant near the
water that we’ll be taking over for the night. The pictures look
amazing. The building is open to the outside and the deck sits on
the sand, overlooking the ocean. Perfect for storm watching.”

“Hardee-har-har.” Gabby rolled her eyes and
freed her arm from my shoulders. “Well, one thing I already love is
our bridesmaid dresses. I think you picked out the very first
amazing bridesmaid dresses in the history of bridesmaid fashion.
And for that, I’m forever grateful.”

“What’s that saying about yours?” My brow
rose. “You picked yours out months ago.”

Gabby’s grin turned evil. “I’m one of those
brides who doesn’t wish to be upstaged by my best friends, and
there are only so many options to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Simple as that.”

“Is that what happened with those dresses?”
I teased. I playfully smacked her shoulder and she shrugged.
“That’s evil. Pure evil.”

“Not evil, strategic.”

“The evil genius strikes again,” I said,
ignoring her. “Well, I think Brandy and I will look stunning in our
emerald green dresses,” I told her. “So your strategy might have
backfired.”

“I can assure you that you two won’t look as
stunning as Brandy and I will in the ivory maxi dresses we get to
wear in Bermuda. Come on. I mean we even get to wear flip-flops? We
scored and I can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s not too late for me to change what
you’ll be wearing.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Maybe I’ll make it
so you have to wear a giant conch shell on your head or
something.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would. Just keep talking.
Besides, Brandy and I were discussing how we always wanted to dress
up as a living Christmas tree and now’s our chance. So thank you
for that.”

Gabby’s laughter echoed through the air, and
for a brief moment, I felt at complete peace. My only hope was that
it would last until after Ayden’s match.

“At least I’m not asking you to wear tinsel
in your hair.” She grinned.

“Was that an option?”

“I’ll never tell.”

I shook my head and let out a sigh. “This
was what I needed today.”

“Glad I could be of service. You know, Katie
is so excited about being the flower girl in your wedding. She’s
been practicing nonstop.”

Hearing that made my heart melt. We all
adored Katie, and she was the best little girl to have ever graced
the planet. I was sure of it. Something told me that I needed to
embrace the calmness of Katie because I wasn’t sure that’s what
we’d have in store for us. Between Ayden’s taste for danger and my
fiery temper, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the ride we were in
for.

“Well, are you making Katie dress up like a
polar bear for your wedding or how about an elf? I’m sure she’d
look cute in red and white striped stockings.”

“For your information, Katie’s flower girl
dress is beautiful. It’s white tulle layered over ivory lace and
there are tiny satin red roses at the hem.”

“Can we get matching dresses?” I begged,
clasping my hands together. “Hers sounds way better than ours.”

“Seriously?”

“Heck yeah, I’m serious.”

My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see a
text from Ayden. He was in the parking lot.

“Time for dinner. Ayden’s here.”

Gabby’s brows furrowed. “Have you guys
started hitting up the early-bird specials or something?”

“No. Thank you very much. We’re headed to a
happy hour by our house.”

“Huh?”

“It’s all-you-can-eat wings, and their
potato skins are like $2.99.” I stood up gathering my coat and
purse. The reds and oranges of the vanishing sun highlighted the
skyline. It would be dark in less than an hour, and by then,
hopefully we’d be snuggled into a booth snacking on appetizers.

“Well, good. I’m glad to see you’re eating
healthy for your—”

“For my what?” I asked, unable to hide my
grin.

We all knew. But I really didn’t want to
relinquish my telling of it until the day before our wedding. I’d
already packed the little announcements and shipped them to Bermuda
with everything else.

“Nothing.” Gabby flashed a knowing smile and
gave me a hug. “Absolutely nothing. Enjoy your chicken wings and
potato skins.”

“I will, and you know, I very well might try
to eat my way out of having to wear that green dress.”

Ayden was walking through the park, and he
gave a quick wave when he spotted us roaming toward him.

“Lily said you’re off to hit the early-bird
specials.”

A smirk fell across Ayden’s lips, and he
shook his head, giving me a big hug. I melted in his embrace and
felt him lift me off the ground slightly, my feet dangling a few
inches above the grass. I wondered how much longer he’d be able to
do that.

Ayden placed me back down and slid his hand
into mine. “It’s happy hour.”

“Sure. Tell yourselves that. I think you’re
just one step away from blue poodles and pink Lincoln Town
cars.”

“You’re making it easier and easier to
change your bridesmaid dresses,” I teased, as we all walked to the
parking lot. “You wait and see.”

“I dare you,” Gabby sneered. She stood next
to her car and smiled.

Gabby looked so at ease and happy. I loved
seeing how well she’d settled into her life with Jason and Katie.
It made me long for that same sense of contentment.

Ignoring Gabby’s last jab, I climbed into
our car and Ayden shut the door. I heard him tease Gabby a little
more, and then he waited until she got into her car before he
climbed into ours.

“Did you have a nice time?” Ayden asked,
turning on the ignition.

“It was great. I didn’t know how much I
needed to get away from the office.”

Ayden pressed his lips together and nodded.
He pulled the car onto the main street that would eventually lead
us to the chicken wings. I hadn’t realized how hungry I’d gotten
until the thought of food getting closer popped into my mind.

“You’ve been working like you’re on speed
since the weekend,” Ayden said. He put his hand on my knee, and I
immediately covered it with mine, holding it tightly. It was like I
wanted to capture every little touch and glance from Ayden and that
worried me. It made me feel like my subconscious knew something
more than I did about the upcoming event.

“I think it’s all the nervousness. I can’t
sit still, and once I’m at the office, I dive in so I don’t have to
think about the fight.”

“I never meant to do this to you,” Ayden
said softly. “I wish my brother hadn’t brought it up.”

“Wrong answer, buddy. If I found out after
the fact, there would’ve been hell to pay.” I eyed him and wondered
if he meant it. If he had that would send us backward in this whole
conversation from the weekend, not forward. “I thought we
established the whole
not keeping
things from one another
pact at Mason’s.”

He nodded. “We definitely did. I don’t know.
I guess I hoped things would turn out differently. I wanted to tell
you on my own terms.”

The anguish in his voice worried me. I
didn’t want him to be focused on us or fret over anything that
would distract him from the main goal in front of us, which was to
win the fight and get us to our wedding.

“Truthfully, my suspicion is that your own
terms would’ve included waiting until after you stepped out of the
ring declaring victory. Then you’d smother me with kisses to
distract me and it’d all blow over,” I blabbed.

He threw me a sideways glance, and he
shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you know me better than I
realize.”

“I hope so since we’ll be stuck with one
another for the next ninety years.”

“Ninety? That’s a lot. Are you sure about
ninety?” he teased.

“I don’t think I like the alternative so
ninety it is,” I countered.

“True. There’s nothing wrong with being a
hundred and twenty. I’m sure there’s plenty of activities we can do
to keep us young at heart.”

“Like get out of the bed every morning?”

“Not quite what I was thinking, but yeah. I
guess at a hundred and twenty, getting out of bed is a good
goal.”

“Probably one of the most important ones of
the day.”

Ayden smiled and squeezed my knee.

“Listen, don’t think about it for one more
second. You’re going to do what you always do when you step into
the ring, and I’ll be there rooting for you every step of the way.
We all will. And before you know it, one of us will be sipping
cocktails while hanging out on a beautiful beach. Sand between the
toes, warmth cascading over our skin, and amazing food morning,
noon, and night.”

My stomach growled again and Ayden chuckled.
“I’m going as fast as I can. I promise, I’ll feed you soon.”

I nestled into the seat and grinned.

“Can you believe we’ll be married by
Thanksgiving?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Hey, did you know we are
going to Bermuda during hurricane season?”

“Argh. Why does everyone keep bringing that
up?” I rested my head on the seat. “It’s very unlikely that a
hurricane will happen during our wedding.”

“It was also very unlikely that you’d get
pregnant while on antibiotics.” His smile widened and I couldn’t
help but laugh.

A truer statement could not have been
said.

Brandy figured out I hadn’t asked Ayden
about his estate planning so she took it upon herself to talk to
him about it that night after he came in from training with Derek.
It was good they were such close siblings. A conversation like that
would never happen in my family without wild accusations. Come to
find out, Ayden had already been in touch with his attorneys, and
things had been updated over the last few weeks.