It’s a day of fantasies, so I don’t mind imagining it could be true.
“There’s a post script to the letter,” Sheila says, through her tears. “It says, If a certain young lady named Crystal is at the reception, tell her to dump the jerk she’s with, and wait for me. I’ll be back—”
Crystal is at the reception, and on hearing that, she shoves Patrick. He stands, perplexed and alone in the middle of the ballroom.
Cruise shrugs and grins. “I thought he was too busy drinking and gambling to have any interest in women.”
Across the ballroom, Mrs. Poole and Mrs. Charleston ogle Cruise. Mrs. Poole has acquired an opera glass from somewhere, and she’s watching him throughout. When she catches my attention she gives me a thumbs up. Mrs. Charleston makes a less appropriate gesture. Both of them are decked out in sequins and diamonds.
The presents are still accumulating, and guests are still arriving. A huge cake sits on a pedestal in the ballroom.
“You want to get out of here?” Cruise whispers in my ear.
“We really can’t,” I say, electric shivers running up my spine at his closeness. “This is our party, all of these people are here for us.” And for the grand re-opening of the hotel, but I don’t mention that.
“Dad’s loving all the attention. He’ll stand in the ballroom and accept all the congratulations. C’mon, you can slip away with me for a few minutes.” Cruise grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door. I begin to protest, until Richard says, “Run along. I can handle the crowd for an hour or so. Just be sure you’re back for the cake. If I can’t host an actual wedding, at least you can be here to serve the cake.”
He’s barely finished speaking when Cruise has pulled me out the door. A line of limousines and fancy cars wait to drop their owners in front of the hotel. Cruise hops on his motorcycle, hands me the helmet I insisted he buy for me, and gestures for me to climb on behind him, and we speed past the line of cars waiting for valet parking.
The drive to the house is nearly hidden by trees, and that’s the way we like it. So far, we haven’t had any renovations done, we’ve just removed the dust covers, taken down the Bancroft family portraits and stored them in the closet, leaving those spaces open for photos with less emotional baggage.
“I found something today,” Cruise says.
“You mean, while you were hiding from all the work, as we got the hotel ready for the big night?”
“No, while I was cleaning out the bedroom, getting it ready for us to move in.”
He holds a small box out to me. A jewelry box. A ring box.
“I already have a ring.” I hold out my hand, with the sparkling diamond we picked out together.
“This one is better. I thought about giving it to you up at the hotel, since that’s always been our special place, but at the hotel you belong to everyone else. Here, you just belong to me.”
“Oh, Cruise.” I reach for the ribbon, prepared to untie the bow and see what’s inside, but he stops me.
“Wait. I have something I want to say.” He clears his throat dramatically. “You believed in me, when no one else did. You helped me believe in myself again. I love you.”
The box comes open. The ring is beautiful. I know without asking, that it belonged to his mother, because it’s different, a single gorgeous sapphire set in platinum.
“Only if you promise to always keep your music at a reasonable level,” I answer.
“Well, if that’s settled, let’s get out of these clothes,” he glances to the white rug that’s still in front of the fireplace.
“Cruise!”
“I’ve been wound up all day, I need to get rid of some of this pent up energy.” He nuzzles my neck and pulls me close.
I close my eyes and inhale the sea salt air as my fiance kisses me. I have everything I’ve ever wanted – a great job, a man I’m in love with, the support of my family. I’m happier in this moment than I’ve ever been.
“Are you crying?” he asks.
“I’m happy,” I say.
“Don’t cry.”
“It’s a good thing!” I say, through my tears.
And then he’s kissing me again, and I can hear the waves against the beach, rough but beautiful, strong and everlasting, just like us.
THE END
Bonus Content: For His Pleasure (Books 1-5) by Kelly Favor
FOR HIS PLEASURE (FOR HIS PLEASURE, BOOK 1)
Monday came too soon for Nicole Masters.
The most important day of her life, and she felt ill prepared.