I Thee Wed (Wedding Dreams) (22 page)

I hang my head. She’s right. I
would offer this to every bride I work with. I’m just not used to being the
center of attention like this. I also can’t help but like the idea.

“Okay, Sierra. We’ll do this your
way. I’ll allow you to arrange for my pampering.” I have a huge smile on my
face.

“Great! Oh, I’m so excited, Lily.
It’s going to be beautiful. I picked out a light purple dress, I hope that’s
okay.”

“I think it’ll be beautiful.
Thank you for all you’re doing to help with this. It means a lot to me. And
thank you for last night. You were there when I needed a friend.”

“You are my friend, silly. I’m
glad to be there for you. By the way, I assume you talked to Drew since you’re
not stopping me from planning all of this stuff.”

“Yes, we talked. He told me he
loves me and he wants to marry me for real.” Sierra jumps up and starts
screaming.

“Oh. My.
God.
Lily. That.
Is.
Wonderful! Are you going to make it official
on Sunday?”

I laugh and shake my head. She
may be more excited than I am. “No, there isn’t enough time for a marriage
license by Sunday. We’ll figure something out.”

“Where are you going on your
honeymoon?”

“We aren’t going on a honeymoon.
I told him that was crazy since we weren’t really getting married.”

“Oh, I see. Well, then I guess
we’ll just plan another wedding after this one to make it official.” She
smiles, her eyes twinkling with excitement. I’m not sure why she’d be so
thrilled about that, but I don’t always understand what is going on inside that
woman’s head.

“Let’s get to work, Sierra. We
have a lot to do today.” She jumps up and heads out the door to pick up my
dress. I sit back and glance around my shop. I’m so happy with how things are
going; I know everything is just how it’s supposed to be.

A few hours later my phone buzzes
with a text message. Sierra has been gone the whole time, so I figure she’s
lost or something. I look at the display and it’s Drew.

Hope your day is going well. I
love you.

I text him back.
Day is great.
Hope yours is 2. I love you.

The huge smile on my face is
beyond my control. I can’t believe he feels the same about me as I do him. I’ve
never been this happy.

See you 2nite. We’ll have a quiet
dinner at home.

Sounds great.
See you later.

Sierra comes in with her arms
full. I jump up and take the bags as she hangs up my dress. “I got us some
lunch while I was out. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am. Thank you, Sierra, I
appreciate it.”

“What have you been working on while
I was gone?”

“I was getting all our financials
in order. Now that we don’t have to worry about the rent for a while, I wanted
to make sure everything else was paid up. Looks like things are going to be
fine, thanks to Drew.” I smile when I think about how wonderful he is.

“He’s a dream come true, isn’t
he? If I wasn’t so happy for you, I’d be super jealous.” We both laugh because
nobody has ever been jealous of me or my life.

We’re finishing our sandwiches
when the bell on the door rings. Sierra goes to wait on the customer as I clean
up our mess. I can hear her voice and she sounds angry. That’s not what I like
to hear with a customer. I walk out and see Brandy standing in my shop.

“I don’t give a fuck what she told
you. Drew is mine and she needs to back off!”

“Bitch, you need to take your
crazy ass out of here and don’t come back. You’re done fucking with my friend’s
life!”
Thanks, Sierra.

“Brandy,” I say as calmly as I
possibly can, “what are you doing here? I thought I told you you’re not welcome
here.”

She marches up to me and gets in
my face. With her this close, I can see her pores and it’s not a pretty sight.
I take a step back to get some breathing room because her breath is wretched.

“Listen, you
cunt
.
I don’t know who you think you are, stealing MY man. Drew is mine and you need
to get the fuck out of our lives. I’m sick and tired of you interfering.” Her
pupils are dilated and all I can see is black. However, I’m not scared of her.
I know how Drew feels about me and how I feel about him. She’s nothing to him
and I won’t put up with her shit anymore.

“You need to leave, Brandy. Drew
doesn’t want you, he never did. Acting like this won’t get you anywhere with
him, and I won’t be called names in my own shop. You leave now, and I won’t
tell Drew about this.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you
get out of Drew’s life. I can make you miserable.”

That did it. She crossed the
line. I take another step back and size her up. Sure, she’s about three inches
taller than me, but she’s wearing stilettos. I pull back my
fist .
 . .
and punch her in the face. My hand hurts like hell, but it’s worth it.

“You fucking bitch!” Brandy comes
at me and I’m ready for a full-on fight. I close my eyes and brace myself for
impact but it doesn’t come. I open my eyes and Sierra has tripped Brandy; she’s
flat on the floor.

I smile at Sierra and she grins
back. “I can’t stand this bitch. Do you want me to call the cops, Lily?”

Squatting down, I pull on
Brandy’s hair. “Are you going to leave on your own or do we need the police to
come escort you out? It doesn’t matter to me, but you may want to think about
what it’ll look like if you have to leave here in handcuffs.”

Brandy picks herself up off the
floor. She looks me in the eye and says, “He’ll never be happy with you. He
loves me and he’ll come back to me someday.”

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll be
sure to keep that in mind. Now get the fuck out and don’t come near me or Drew
again.”

She stomps out the door while
Sierra and I fall apart laughing. “That felt so good. I can’t believe you
punched her, Lily. I loved it!
Good for you, girl!”

“I can’t believe I did it,
either. I’m just so sick of her trying to push me around.”

“Okay, Mike Tyson, let’s finish
getting everything ready for your big day.” Sierra puts her arm over my
shoulder and we gather the things I’ll need for Sunday.

Chapter
19

Drew

Today is the day, as far as my
mother knows, when I’ll make Lily my wife. No, it won’t be legal, but it will
be real. With Sierra’s help, we’ve planned an unforgettable wedding I know Lily
will love. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Sierra. She’s not as dumb as I thought
she was, but she does talk too much.

I need to get out of bed and into
the shower. Lily decided to sleep in her room last night to preserve the
tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding. She also hasn’t
let me touch her since Thursday and I feel like I’m going to explode. Our
guests better leave early tonight because I have a lot of plans for after the
ceremony.

Now I’m going to need a cold
shower. I make my way to the bathroom and turn toward the mirror. There’s a
note taped there and I smile. It’s from Lily.

Not long now and I’ll see your
handsome face. I can’t wait to be your wife. Love, Lily.

I don’t know how she got that
note in here without me seeing it. I bet she snuck in while I was sleeping.
Well, she’s in for some surprises too, and I can’t wait to watch her discover
them all.

As I’m brushing my teeth, I go over
what needs to be done today in my mind. The chairs need to be set up in our
living room for the ceremony.
Our living room, I like how that sounds.
There’s a long list of things to do. I also need to make sure Lily gets her
necklace just before she gets dressed.

I have to pick up my mother and
make sure she’s ready. I hope she’s having a good day, but in case she isn’t,
the videographer will be here so she can watch the ceremony whenever she wants.
I also hired one of the assistants at the facility to sit with Mom and make
sure she has what she needs. She’ll also be here to help her get dressed for
the wedding.

I shouldn’t be nervous, I know,
but I can’t help it. I know Lily is going to marry me today. I suppose nerves
are normal on your wedding day.

Once I’m dressed in my casual
clothes, I go downstairs to start setting everything up. I reach the bottom of
the stairs to find everything in place. As I walk into the kitchen, Sierra’s
checking things off on a clipboard. She looks so professional, which is
something I never thought I’d see after the first time I saw her working a
wedding.

“Good morning, Drew. How are you
doing today? Are you nervous yet?” Sierra winks with the last question.

“Good morning, Sierra. I’m fine,
and if you must know, I’m pretty nervous. How’s Lily doing?”

“She’s terrific. She’s having her
massage now, which will help relax her even more. I think everything is on
schedule. What time are you picking up your mother?” Wow, she’s really handling
things well.

“I’m going to head that way after
a cup of coffee. I don’t know what she’ll be like today.  I hope she’s
lucid. If not, we’ll just have to go with it. Julie, her helper, will be here
around two so she can help her get dressed. I assume you have all her clothes
here and ready?”

“Yes, everything’s set up in the
guest bedroom. Lily’s in her room and you are not to go anywhere near her until
the ceremony. She’ll kill me if you do. Got it?”

I salute her. “Yes, ma’am, I
promise to be on my best behavior.” I smile and she smiles back. Once I’ve my
coffee, I sit on the patio for a moment to myself. I can’t wipe the smile off
my face. The patio is decorated and ready for the celebration to follow the
ceremony. Sierra has really stepped up and I know that’s going to make Lily
feel much better, especially when she finds out we’re going to Hawaii for two
weeks and Sierra will be running the shop while she’s gone. After what I’ve
seen so far today, I’m confident in Sierra’s ability to handle the
responsibility.

After I finish my coffee, I take
off to pick up my mom. I hope she’s excited about today. She’s been waiting so
long for me to get married and I know she’s going to be really happy it’s
finally happening. At the facility, I’m greeted by one of the nurses as I walk
through the door.

“Good morning, Drew. Your mom is
in the solarium this morning.” She smiles warmly. 

“Thank you, Diane. I appreciate
the help.” I find Mom sitting on a lounge chair with a book in her lap. Her
eyes are closed and she appears to be sleeping. As I approach her, she opens
her eyes and she smiles. I hope that means she knows me.

“Drew, it’s lovely to see you,
dear. What brings you by today?” Okay, at least she knows who I am. That’s half
the battle.

“I came to get you and take you
to my wedding. Lily and I are getting married today.”

“You are? I completely forgot. I
don’t have anything to wear!” She’s getting louder as she gets more upset. I
put my hand on hers and squeeze gently to try and calm her.

“Don’t worry about it, Mom. Lily
and I have taken care of everything. All you have to do is come back to my
house with me. You have a dress and shoes waiting for you there.”

“Oh, well, that is so nice of
you, sweetie. I guess it’s a good thing I had my hair cut yesterday.”

I smile as I help her to stand.
“You look beautiful, as always. Now, let’s get your purse and we’ll get going.
Lily has her hair dresser coming and if you want, he’ll do yours, too.”

“That sounds wonderful, dear. I’m
so happy for you. Lily is a lucky girl.”

“I’m the lucky one, but thank
you.” I kiss her cheek as we head down the hall to get her purse.
I’m so
glad she remembers Lily.

*
* *

Lily

It’s my wedding day. I never
thought I’d have one. I’m still in bed staring at the ceiling trying to wrap my
mind around what today means. Drew loves me. I love him. Even though today
won’t make us legally married, it’s still a big day. Today we profess our love
for each other in front of our family and friends. It’s way more important than
a piece of paper. My phone buzzes, taking me out of my thoughts. It’s Sierra
and she’s at the front door. I look at the clock; it’s still early. What’s she
doing here? 

I run downstairs and let her in.
She’s smiling and hands me my favorite coffee. I give her a hug.

“Okay, Lily. We have a lot to do
today. I want you to go back to your room and drink your coffee. Max will be
here in forty-five minutes so you have some time to wake up. The guys from the
rental company are on their way with the chairs, and the florist should be here
in an hour. Is Drew awake yet?”

I’m overwhelmed at her
professionalism. She seems determined to make today perfect.

“I’m not sure if he’s up or not.
I slept in my room last night so he wouldn’t see me before the wedding.” Of
course it was horrible trying to sleep without him next to me. I miss him
already and it’s been less than twelve hours since I kissed him goodnight.