Scared of Forever (Scared #2) (28 page)

Tyler arrives early
this time, just as I finish pinning my hair into an elegantly braided
French twist. He hands me a corsage. “That is so cheesy!” I
laugh. “And very cute.”

“I knew you’d say
that,” he laughs. I take him in. He looks resplendent in a
perfectly fitted, gun metal grey suit with a lighter grey dress shirt
and a straight, thin black tie. “We match,” he says, with a grin,
his eyes roaming my body leisurely with approval.

“You need to change,
right now. Before we end up becoming one of those middle-aged couples
who wears matching polo shirts to the tennis courts,” I tease.

“Not likely,” he
quips. “If we are middle-aged with a few hours to spare, we
definitely will not be playing tennis.” He leans in and kisses me
tenderly, allowing his lips to linger over mine, his breath warm
against my skin. I close my eyes as I mentally capture the moment.

Tyler rubs his palms
over his pants legs for the hundredth time as the town car we’re in
ferries us to our destination. The driver takes us to a hotel, which
looks vaguely familiar. “What’s the matter?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he says
simply as we exit the car. The hotel staff opens the doors to the
ballroom. We bypass the room itself, and take the fire escape up to
the roof. I take in the sight before me in awe. In the very center of
the rooftop is a single, lonely table, dressed in a crisp white
tablecloth. Its only company is a champagne bucket on a stand next to
it. The space is illuminated by the lights of the big city and small
tea light candles, placed along the floor lining each wall.

“Mac mentioned you
never went to your senior prom. So I readjusted date four slightly.”
Tyler says. Quietly, I look up to see a monstrous disco ball turning
above us, suspended by a rope and pulley-looking thing.

“Tyler,” I say,
tears filling my eyes. I turn to face him. “Every time I think I
can’t be more amazed by you, I am.” He leans down and kisses me
softly, deeply. My body livens under the touch of his lips. Soft,
slow music fills my ears as Tyler reluctantly removes his lips from
mine and leads me to the table by my hand.

“What’s on the
menu?” I ask, sitting down as he pulls out the chair for me.

“Guess,” he grins.

I know it has to be
something sentimental. Tyler is sentimental. I search the recesses of
my mind to think of what else we could have eaten together. Just as
I’m about to admit that I have no clue, a penguinesque waiter walks
over with the entrée.

“Chinese chicken
noodle soup,” he says, placing the dishes before us. I can’t help
but laugh out loud. The waiter shoots me a disapproving glare.

“I insisted the chef
use only the same ingredients you did. Although, to recreate the
experience to my standards, I am going to need you to remove that
dress and put this on,” he says throwing me a white t-shirt from
under the table.

“Funny!” I laugh.

“Who said I was
joking,” he says with a straight face. He even frowns
melodramatically when I throw it back.

The main course is
served. New York style hot dogs, smothered in ketchup, mustard, and
chili, just how I like them.

“For the record,”
Tyler says. “The chef asked me to tell you that the combination of
those three sauces is
not
a food marriage made in heaven.”

“The chef does not
have awesome taste buds,” I reply sarcastically, taking a huge bite
of the hot dog for good measure. I take extra care eating the hot dog
slowly, devouring it, owing to its phallic appearance. I hope I’m
making my point clear. Tyler can’t steal his eyes away from my
mouth. And as I finish my hot dog, I notice that his is still on his
plate, untouched.

“Not hungry?” I
tease.

“Distracted,” he
says cheekily. The sexual innuendo is high on my agenda. Every word
that leaves both my and Tyler’s mouths for the rest of the evening
can be twisted to allude to us fucking like animals. The sexual
tension is stifling, even though we’re on the roof in the open air.

“Shouldn’t we be
dancing? It is my senior prom after all,” I say with a smile.

“Not yet. First I
think we should talk,” he says.

My stomach bottoms out.
“I actually do need to talk to you,” I reply.

“Hey, I was
pretending to be serious. You look like you
are
.”
His brow furrows in concern.

“I am,” I say.
“Last week, Sadie and I went for a walk. I saw you at a jeweler,
with this gorgeous girl, and Mac said to stop overthinking it, but I
don’t know
what
to
think of it. And I was afraid to ask because, well, just because. But
now I have to, and now I am!” My speech had started out metered and
calm, but then quickly turned into a bout of verbal diarrhea and
incessant rambling.

“Emily, that was
Mary. She’s my PA. I had errands to run, so she tagged along and
took notes while I ran them.”

“Why didn’t you
mention her to me? And why is she so hot?”

“She’s been in
Texas with her family since we got back because I didn’t need her.
And she’s attractive because God made her that way. She also has a
diploma in event management, is a PA with a number of years
experience, and she has degrees in both business management and
accounting. She’s starting her own consultancy firm as well, so
working for me suits her fine. It’s not a full time gig.”

“She sounds perfect,”
I say, feeling more than a little jealous.

“I hired her because
of her resume, not her face. Mary is a good PA, nothing more,”
Tyler says firmly. “I love
you.
Why in the hell would I need anybody else? I’m not my brother,”
Tyler finishes, looking down.

“I know. But why were
you at a jeweler?” I ask.

“For this,” he
says, pulling a small, teal velvet box from his inside jacket pocket.
My heart leaps and gets stuck right in my throat. “You actually
gave me the perfect lead-in with your question,” he says with a shy
smile.

Tyler opens the box and
inside is a ring. A platinum ring, with a perfect, yellow solitaire
diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds. The lights surrounding us
bounce off the stone and the effect is positively blinding. Not that
I can see anything, my eyes are completely filled with unshed tears.

“A yellow diamond?”
I ask.

“The color of the
dress you wore here that night,” he says with a sweet smile.

I reach forward and he
pulls the box away coyly. “You haven’t said yes yet,” he says
softly.

“You haven’t
actually asked. But
yes
,”
I whisper. Tyler stands, walks over to me, and slips the ring onto my
finger. Then he spins me round and round, twirling in my prom moment
under the reflection of the stars above. He stops and kisses me
deeply, and I’m left feeling like he’s delving into my very soul.
To a place only he knows, a place only he will ever own.

We dance. We talk. We
laugh. We plan. Plan the rest of our forever.

“So, how soon do I
get to change your name?” Tyler asks as we sit on the bar, feet
dangling over the edge.

“Today, tomorrow,
whenever you like. I’m gonna be with you for eternity, with or
without a fancy ceremony. Wait, these dates always get bigger and
better. How are you going to beat this one?” I ask, staring at my
beautiful ring. Then I frown with the next thought. “I’ll be Mrs.
Carson,” I say. The name is not exactly synonymous with the kind of
wife I’d like to be.

“You’ll be the best
Mrs. Carson that has ever lived. Regarding forever, I have a few
ideas,” Tyler responds mysteriously. He slides off the bar and
comes to stand between my legs. I loosen his tie.

“So, if there’s no
penetration, does a sexual act still count as sex?” I ask, filthy
thoughts filling my mind. “I feel bad not thanking you sufficiently
for my ring.”

“Yes, Emily, it
does,” Tyler says lowly. “I’ll have you know that I’m feeling
a little intimidated by your constant pressure to take my clothes
off. Just because we’re at senior prom—”

“Date five is next
week,” I interrupt with a sigh. “Only next week—”

“You shouldn’t be
complaining. Five dates was
your
rule. Do you really think I enjoy cold showers?” he
laughs.

“Date five,” I say
miserably.

“Date five will be
worth the wait,” he promises, the words quiet and gentle.

Perfection is not easy
to achieve in a week. Well, actually, I’ve had two.
But
totally not the point
. Date five has me pooling every
single resource I have, even Eliza Carson. Mary has been working her
ass off this week, on a matter wholly unrelated to my photography
business. She has probably the hardest task of all of us. Sending
group texts to keep everyone updated has been a lifesaver.

I feel a little
disappointed that I have to skip seeing Sadie one or two days this
week. I’ve become so accustomed to seeing her adorable face every
day. At first, I looked at her and I couldn’t imagine creating
something so perfect. Her eyes mirror mine exactly. When she curls
her small fingers around mine, or smiles, my spirit absolutely soars.
Lord knows I never imagined a feeling like that, but it’s the most
joyous feeling in the world.

I sent Maia to a baby boutique to
buy a dress for Sadie today. Knowing exactly what I had in mind, Maia
texts me picture after picture, all of which I decline. Eventually,
she sends me a picture of an older Chinese lady. I stare at it
baffled, until the next text arrives.

My feet are sore. Call me ASAP so you can tell this nice lady
exactly what you want so she can make it!

I call Maia and give
the description of what to make to the dressmaker.

Lying to Emily is not
ideal. But date five will be worth it.
It
will be spectacular
.

Monday night, I decide
to de-stress by visiting Emily and Sadie. When I arrive at eight, Mac
tells me that they are both already asleep. I creep softly into her
room. Emily lies peacefully on her bed. Sadie lies nestled in the
crook of her arm, legs flayed in a starfish shape. Both look angelic,
carefree. I stare lovingly at the both of them until an idea forms.

“Mac,” I say
walking into the living room.

“No more favors,”
he warns.

“One more, please?”
I beg. “Plus, I know a stylist who would be perfect for you. Rich
and well, I don’t particularly think so for obvious reasons, but
good looking. And single. One more favor, and I’ll hook you up with
him.”

“You have my
attention,” he replies with a small smile.

“I need you to take
photos of Emily and Sadie every night, asleep.”

“Like a fucking
voyeur? What the hell for?”

“You’ll see,” I
say with a smile.

“Tyler, after all
this planning and shit for this date five, you are going to have to
send us all on a vacation to the Maldives.”

“I may just consider
it,” I say, grinning. “Emily has some awesome friends.”

“So do you,” he
says with a sincere smile.

I’m really humbled by
Mac’s words. I never really considered that everyone was busting
their balls for me. But now that I think of it, I owe them all so
much.

Friday creeps up so
quickly. Today is the day that we have to lie the most to Emily.

Maia and I are walking
through a department store mid-morning when her phone rings.

“It’s Emily!” she
whisper-shouts.

“Don’t tell her
you’re with me!” I say quickly.

“Hello,” she
answers. “No, yeah sorry, I can’t do lunch today. Why? Umm,
Jackson and I had a fight. No, we’re okay. No, I don’t need to
talk, I just need some time alone. What do you mean, we’ve all
disappeared recently? Emily, don’t be ridiculous. Okay, I have to
go, I’ll call you later.”

Maia breathes deeply as
she hangs up the call and exhales with relief. “She’s not dumb,
you know. You’re lucky this date is tomorrow. I say, two more days,
and she would have figured you out.”