Just Breathe Trilogy Box Set (52 page)

At some point, I feel Joe tuck his arms under my waist and shift me on the bed before I’m covered with the blankets.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” Joe hums quietly in my ear.

“Nigh,” my voice breathes out as a smile curls on my face.

Once his body settles, I curl into his delectable form before sleep takes me over again.

As I attempt to lift my heavy eyelids, I discover a hazy darkness surrounding me. Blinking slowly several times, my half-opened eyes won’t focus to give me any clear indication of what’s around me and where the blurry, flashing lights above are coming from. My body feels heavy. Still unable to open my eyes all the way, I perceive that I’m laying down somewhere. A cool dampness near my left cheek reveals itself as a slight gust of air brushes past my face. Sliding my right arm up the side of my body like a snake, my fingers creep to my lips. Drool — or, at least I hope so.

Two large and oddly shaped figures materialize in front of me. They are so close, only a foot or two away. Voices suddenly emanate from the now more defined silhouettes. Their speech sounds muffled and trails off into the distance even as I try to concentrate on their words. Who are they? What are they saying? Why can’t I understand them? One of the voices almost sounds feminine.

Another mumbled sound gradually becomes more apparent as it grows louder and the ringing in my ears subsides. It’s the engine of a car. My brain starts to put the fuzzy pieces of evidence together. I must have fallen asleep in the back seat. The front right figure turns to face me, but the face is blurry at first until my eyes adjust to the odd lighting.

“Maggie?” my throat squeezes out in a raw, breathy, hoarse tone.

“It’s your turn,” her voice replies in a low sluggish tone.

A sudden rush of nervousness enters my belly. The car feels as if it’s flying down the road like a rocket ship as the speed of the flashing lights zooming above my head all blur into one.

“Maggie,” I shout, but not a single sound escapes my mouth this time. Confused, I try again. “Maggie!”

She doesn’t hear me. I don’t hear me.

A single, bright white light races towards us, growing larger by the second. Maggie turns her head towards me smiling. Why doesn’t she hear me? How does she not see the light?

“It’s your turn . . .” her voice says deeper and slower than before.

My body lurches backward as I scramble to grab for Maggie. Suddenly, my arms and legs are tied to the hood of a car. Stark white lights blind me as I yank at my hands to get free. I feel the rope burn into my flesh as the blood starts to drip, staining the car red.

“Maggie!” I yell again without a sound coming from my mouth. My head jerks back as I see Maggie behind the steering wheel. “Maggie?!” my throat shrieks with emptiness.

The sound of the car engine reviving reverberates through my body before Maggie steps on the pedal, sending us flying into the air.

“Maggie . . . no!” I howl as the vehicle launches towards what I can now see are hundreds if not thousands of other cars in front of us. My heart is filled with horror and fear as I desperately scream out one more time, “No!”

I gasp for air as my chest heaves from fright.

“Emma?! What’s wrong?” Joe says with grogginess in his voice.

“Nothing . . .” I evade.

His hands are on either side of my face. “Emma,” he pleas.

“Nothing . . .” I repeat a little more calmly.

“You had the dream again,” he states with concern.

“Yes . . . No . . . kind of,” I answer, confused by the vivid images rattling in my brain.

“What do you mean kind of?”

“It was different,” I admit.

“How was it different?” he searches.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I declare, throwing my arms around his neck.

Joe tightly wraps his arms around me as he lowers us back down on the bed. The sound of his breathing and heartbeat pull me back to reality. I press my lips to his, seeking distraction from the images of the nightmare. Joe returns my heated embrace until my hands slide to the bottom of his shirt trying to desperately remove it. My brain and body are willing to do anything to get those pictures out of my head.

“What?” I question confused by his sudden rejection. Not wanting to hear his answer, I seize his mouth again, this time trying to remove my own shirt.

“Not like this,” he contends, blocking my arms from rising higher.

“Why?” I ask, seeking his mouth.

Joe kisses me back, but I can sense his restraint. “You know why,” he points out.

He’s right, but there’s still a small part of my ego that is hurt by the rejection. I turn away from him embarrassed.

“Hey,” he calls, pulling me into him. “It’s okay.”

“No . . .” I object.

“Yes, it is,” he confirms.

“I should go,” I announce pulling away.

“No . . .” Joe tightens his grip around my waist. “Stay . . . please,” he begs in a softer tone, kissing me sweetly.

It takes a few more times of Joe requesting for me to stay before I sheepishly agree. Joe holds me firmly to his body, and after a few minutes, he relaxes and his fingers are running through my hair. It doesn’t take long for me to fall back to sleep with him comforting me.

By six forty-five, I wake from the alarm I set on my phone. The alarm is still chiming as Joe tries to keep me in bed with him a little longer. “I need to turn it off,” I whine, slipping from his grip.

As soon as I turn off the sound, Joe scoops me up and carries me back to bed. He plants himself on top of my body as his lips greedily take mine, barely letting me breathe for several minutes.

“I need to go,” I state in-between kisses, finally getting the chance to get some air.

“What time do you need to meet up with them?”

“Eight,” I laugh as I can hardly free my lips to answer.

Joe turns his head for a second before immediately returning his mouth to mine. “You’ve got plenty of time to stay for a while.”

As I slide my hands down his chest, Joe growls with delight until I wiggle my fingers to tickle him. “Hey!” he objects, squirming to get me to stop.

“I need to get up.”

“You don’t need an hour to get ready,” he reports. “You’re already beautiful.”

My heart flutters like a baby bird learning to flap its wings. Panic at the feelings stirring inside me alter my mood abruptly. “I need to go,” I say in a more serious tone.

Joe lets me up, but he follows me like a puppy to the door. Not waiting for me turn, Joe spins me into him before my hand reaches the door knob. His sturdy, morning wood presses into my belly as my ass hits the door. My left leg lifts up, wrapping itself around his waist. Hot moisture releases from my cave as my lips part and come into contact with Joe’s erection with only a few layers of clothing in between. My sex can feel the heat coming from his throbbing penis as she rocks into him. Joe yanks his lips from mine and our lungs pant from lust and need.

“I should go,” I restate the obvious, knowing that it’s just a matter of seconds before I’m naked, whether my nakedness is done by me or him is unknown and doesn’t really matter.

Joe doesn’t say anything. He just stares into my eyes, holding me, but keeping himself just far enough away.

Once the hallway is clear and I’m able to get back to my room, I quickly swap out the batteries for B.O.B. and have a three-way with him and Master P. The boys do their job, curtailing the kitten’s itch for the time being with two intense orgasms.

Good thing I was already packed and prepped to head to Maggie’s suite last night, or else for the first time in my life I would have been late. All I needed to do was shower and grab my bag.

By the time all the bridesmaids are in the suite, the breakfast I scheduled to be delivered arrives. In the living room, we sit for a few minutes eating and chatting before Amelia and Barbara go over details with all of us and make sure everyone has their copy of the schedule I handed them last night. Jimmy and Allen pop in to say hello and see what we’re all doing — the men aren’t getting ready quite yet.

Jared and Nathan are wearing black tuxedos with red bow ties and handkerchiefs that match the red floral lace in the bridesmaids’ dresses. The groom and groomsmen have the same style tuxes.

The dresses are delivered by ten and the seamstresses are checking our fits one final time before they are steamed in the bathroom. Mŭqīn and Nǎinai are wearing matching gold qipaos with a lucky dragon pattern that have three-quarter length sleeves and trail all the way down to their ankles. For the bridesmaids’ dress, we also are wearing qipaos, but ours are red, with a lace collar and shoulder area. The lace drapes over the tight fitting solid red silk gown down to our ankles as well. The bridesmaids’ dresses have an open back that is elegantly draped with the red lace.

Maggie’s dress is the most exquisite of all of the custom pieces. Ali Jacobs created a mermaid style silk white dress with cap sleeves that round Maggie’s arms just below her shoulders. A see-through white chiffon circles around Maggie’s neck, down to her sleeves and flows out and over the edge of the poof bottom with a ten foot train in the back. Hand sewn into the chiffon are red floral lace and dragon designs that leave enough space to see Maggie’s collar bone area and half of the white silk fabric underneath. When Maggie turns, she has a more pronounced open back dress that starts from the base of the lace collar, stretches out towards her cap sleeves and ends at the small of her back.

All female bridesmaids and the bride are set to wear matching diamond strappy Jimmy Choo four inch heels, ruby stud earrings and ruby and diamond bracelets. Maggie gave us the bracelets last night at the rehearsal dinner.

Our nails and eyebrows are checked before we start to get hair and makeup done. Maggie is just getting to have her hair done when all of the bridal party flowers are delivered to Maggie’s suite. Once I’m dressed and finish pinning a red rose on Jared and Nathan I head over to Henry’s suite to pin the groom and groomsmen since I have a few minutes of time before Maggie will be getting dressed.

“Sexy!” Jimmy shouts when I enter the door after knocking.

I ignore his comment since I’m pressed for time. “I need all of you to line up with your jackets on.”

“What’s up?” Henry inquires.

“I need to pin you,” I explain, holding up the box of roses.

I watch the men gather together and I struggle to keep my eyes off of Joe. I purposefully dart my eyes around watching them, but my body’s response to seeing him dressed up is making it challenging to focus. Henry’s up first and seems calm considering how edgy Maggie was when I left her a few minutes ago. Next is Jimmy and then Allen who, once I’m finished with them, hover and verbally make comments about my dress and how I look. It takes everything I have not to show my nervousness as I pin Lee and Richard next. Fŭqīn follows with tears collecting in his eyes.

“You okay?”

“If you look this beautiful, I can only image how beautiful my daughter is right now,” Fŭqīn’s voice shakes.

With a smile and a tear threatening me, I confirm, “Definitely!”

Fŭqīn kisses me on either cheek. I know he wants to hug me, but is refraining from the outward gesture as to not mess up my dress.

“Mŭqīn and Nǎinai look lovely as well,” I add sweetly.

“I don’t doubt it for a second,” he returns with a tear escaping from the corner of his eye.

I lift my hand to wipe his face and Fŭqīn gently captures my wrist, kissing my palm. “Do you want me to come and get you when she’s dress?”

“No. I want to see her just as I’m about to take her to Henry.”

I nod my understanding.

Joe steps up for his turn as I clear my throat to evade getting choked up. Just as I’m about to push the pin in, Joe yells, “Ow!”

Joe and the rest of the guys chuckle as I punch him in the arm. “Not funny,” I remark with a lump in my throat.

Joe leans in to apologize as I finish putting the rose on. His scent alone sends my hormones into a frenzy and I feel the heat in my cheeks elevating. My gaze bounces back and forth from my hands and his eyes. The kitten purrs as she rubs up against the cage door inside. Focus, Emma.

Back at Maggie’s suite, a few tears break free from my eyes at the sight of Maggie in her dress. None of us have seen her in the dress, she wouldn’t let us see it other than on the hanger. She looks — like a queen. There are no other words to describe her. She is a queen.

When I’m not needed, I sit, frantically shaking my leg, still trying to decide on what to say.

Valerie, Ian’s wife, and her photographers request a few posed pictures before it’s time to head out to the room to wait for the wedding to commence. They’ve been taking photos the entire time since we got into the suite and a one of them followed me to Henry’s suite. I need to make sure that I don’t always look like a deer in headlights.

With a red rose bouquet in hand, I start off the precession with Joe. He models my steps down the curved staircase until we meet in the center. My body shakes from nerves, but Joe’s sweet smile eases some of the tension before we start walking arm in arm.

“You look beyond beautiful,” he whispers before we get to the first row of guests.

“You don’t look too bad either,” I playfully respond. Our eyes meet briefly before I quickly return my focus on where I’m walking in order to not to fall. We successful manage to make it to the alter without a step out of place.

Now the hard part, stand while the rest of the group makes their way down. They aren’t supposed to start until the pair in front of them have made it to their positions by the alter. Jared and Jimmy are next and they beam from ear to ear. A few gasps escape guests’ mouths when they see two men walking together and again when Jared stands behind me. Kim and Richard are the last two to come down before the parents. Mŭqīn is being escorted by Eric followed by Nǎinai being escorted by Peter. When the harpist changes her song, Fŭqīn appears at the top center of the stairway. Five seconds later, I know because I counted, Maggie emerges. A light buzz of chatter floats in the air as Fŭqīn and Maggie walk down on the same side together all the way to the edge of the first row of guests. Henry steps down to take Maggie’s arm from Fŭqīn and Joe helps Fŭqīn to his seat next to Mŭqīn.

As Maggie climbs the three steps, our eyes lock and it takes everything I have to fight back tears. I feel Jared’s loving hand rest on my left hip as if he already knows what I need. All I can do is look down at the ground to prevent the water from dripping. I want to see Maggie, but I know that I’ll lose control if I do. I feel Jared take a step closer, sliding his left hand over my forearm and clasping the top of my hand. He holds me softly but firmly as my ears listen to the priest’s words.

When the time comes for me to take Maggie’s bouquet, I muster a quick glance at her face with a smile before lowering my eyes. That split second is all I need for her to know how I feel and for me her. Upon the priest’s cue, I turn and hand Jared Maggie’s bouquet before he hands me the box that contains Henry’s wedding ring. Once Maggie takes it, Jared and I swap again.

I’m able to finally peek up when the priest announce that Henry may kiss his bride. Just like in a fairy tale, Henry dips Maggie backward a little when their lips join for a second time. I find myself chewing on the inside of my lip as my gaze lifts and connects with Joe. I can’t help but smile when I see him, especially when he’s staring back at me.

Once Maggie and Henry make their way inside, the rest of us follow, awaiting instructions for photos. By the second photo area out of three, I manage to get Amelia and Barbara to get some of the waiters to sneak some food out to everyone in the bridal party. With a bottle of champagne, we have a mini toast at the third and final photo-op location.

In the reception, Mŭqīn and Fŭqīn are announced first, followed Mr. and Mrs. Wú, Kim and Richard, Amy and Lee, Nathan and Allen, and then Jared and Jimmy before Joe and myself. Once we are standing by our seats at the table, Maggie and Henry are introduced and the entire room cheers. Maggie and Henry start going around the room to greet and thank everyone for coming. Everyone mingles and enjoys hours d' oeuvres for the next half hour until dinner is served.

Some soft music comes over the speakers signaling Joe and I that it’s time to toast now that dinner is finished. Once the song finishes, Joe stands tapping his fork on his glass. Amelia hands Joe the microphone.

“Good evening,” Joe greets the room in Mandarin. “Henry. Maggie. It is my utmost honor and privilege to share this day, your day, with you. The love you have for each other is an old love that has cycled back around to find itself once again here in this present moment, and will continue to do so, growing and inspiring with each lifetime you two share together. Your love is endless and I hope to share the same kind of love with someone, someday. Live each day with love in your heart, no matter what the circumstances are, and you will be forever rewarded with love around you and within you. Love will test you. Love will guide you. But most importantly, love will make you stronger, so long as you let it. Lead with love in your heart every morning you wake and end with love in your heart every night before you go to sleep. To my seventh brother and my fourth sister, Henry and Maggie!”

My eye catches Joe as I do my best to stop the few tears that have rolled down my face. How am I to follow that?

After everyone takes a sip from their glass, Jared nudges me to stand. My lips purse as I watch the room’s attention turn to me. Jared kindly takes my hand. I look to him and he nods. “You got this,” he mouths.

My eyes circle back around through the crowd, but I force myself to only focus on Maggie and Henry. They are the only important people in the room right now. Envision that they are the only two people in the room right now, Emma. What would you say to them?

“Hi,” I begin in Mandarin. I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to start. “I’m not one for words, especially when it comes to expressing my emotions. I’ve had a lot of them since you two met . . . and some . . . not so good.”

I hear people laugh. Maggie and Henry both smile and laugh a little too. Jared squeezes my hand encouragingly.

“I’ve already lost one family and I wasn’t interested in losing another. I’m still not.” I look to Jared pulling him closer, and then back to Maggie. “But . . . even in this short time of getting to know you Henry . . . I’ve realized some things. To me . . . Maggie was already a perfect. The perfect friend, aside from Jared . . . .”

Laughs erupt.

“She’s the perfect sister . . . who I almost might not have ever known. But, seeing her with you . . . she is even more perfect than I had ever imagined she could be. Seeing Maggie light up when she’s with you . . . I now know that she can only burn brighter with each passing day. I haven’t lost Maggie. I have gained a brother. Thank you,” I pause, barely able to continue. “May you both shine bright together, forever. To my sister and to my new brother. I love you both.”

I try to sit down since it took all my energy to stand without falling. Just as my butt hits the seat, Maggie and Henry come over, hugging and kissing me. Maggie is a mess crying, causing a few tears to drop from my eyes as well. Jared wraps his arm around my shoulders commending me on my efforts when we sit back down. I hope I didn’t sound like a bumbling idiot.