Perfectly Ever After (Pieces) (6 page)

She smiled again, and I was taken aback by the genuiness of it. "Known that soul mates were real. Known that you were out in the world, just waiting for me to find you again. I wouldn't have wasted a second of my life with anyone else if I'd known what I could have had with you. This is a bump in the road for us. But we'll get over it. There's no alternative." She simply shrugged. "Without you, I don't even wanna be on the damn road. I'll endure the bumps, as long as I can endure them with you."

She intertwined our finger
s more tightly and rested back in her chair, signaling that there was no need for more words.

So I relaxed
and decided that, even though we weren't in the best place, I'd still rather be with her than anywhere else.

***

We arrived at the lodge and it was exactly as I’d remembered it from when we’d come up a year and a half ago to check it out. We’d known as soon as we laid eyes on the place that it was where we wanted our wedding to be. The expansive driveway leading up to it curved in an S, flanked on either side by tall evergreen trees. It made the drive up to the lodge seem like you were approaching a castle.

             
But it was the building itself that had sold me on the place. The architect in me just couldn’t resist it. Made of wood and stone, the outside resembled a luxurious log cabin, modernized only by its octagonal shape and the rectangular windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The inside of the wedding facility held a comfortable old-world charm with its numerous fireplaces and wooden beams that spanned across the cathedral ceilings. We both loved the balance that the cozy, yet elegant, space provided. The bellhop stacked our luggage and carted it inside while Carly and I checked in.

We each had separate rooms for the night, but she'd be joining me in my suite after the wedding. Eva had decided to bunk with my parents for the weekend so she wouldn't have to switch rooms tomorrow. I had already talked to my dad about keeping an eye on her. Cage was driving up in the morning and we had offered to let him stay the night in the room Carly would be vacating. That, of course, was before the full force of my contempt for him had reached its zenith, but I didn't feel it would be right to rescind my offer. Though I didn't want Eva getting any ideas. My dad assured me that he'd make sure she slept in her own bed. Alone.

Carly and I boarded the elevator and rode up before we had to go our separate ways with a chaste kiss and the promise of seeing each other in a couple hours at the rehearsal dinner. I watched her get off the elevator on the third floor, holding the doors back from closing so that my eyes could devour her all the way to her room. She turned once and smiled that sexy Carly smile I loved so much. We were going to be just fine.

***

By quarter to six, I was dressed and headed downstairs for the rehearsal dinner. It had been an exhausting week, and I would have liked to have taken a nap for an hour or so, but since we had family here—many of whom we hadn’t seen in a while—it was nearly impossible to steal a few minutes of relaxation. I stood in the lobby for a few minutes, waiting for Carly since she'd told me she wanted to walk in together. Of course, she'd said that a few days ago, but I hoped it still applied.

When I caught a glimpse of
her exiting the elevator, wearing her navy blue knee-length dress that hugged her waist and showed off the cleavage that peeked out from the low-cut neckline, every part of me perked up. Every. Part. “You look beautiful,” I told her with a kiss on her cheek.  

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she replied playfully as she ran her hands up the front of my dress shirt to feel my chest.

And just like that, the tension between us dissipated and we were back to being Adam and Carly: two people who were madly in love.
Thank Christ.

Eva, with the best timing
never
, bounded up beside us, overhearing our conversation. She rolled her eyes. But behind her exaggerated show of disgust, I could tell she was truly happy for me. “Will you two get a room already? No one needs to see that.”

If only Eva had known how much I wished I could grant her request. At
that point, I would have done anything to get Carly in a room alone. Tomorrow night suddenly seemed years away. “Hey, speaking of things that disgust us, what time’s Cage getting here tomorrow?” I asked with a laugh.

Despite trying to remain annoyed, Eva couldn’t help but smirk.
It was no secret that she loved having a boyfriend, especially one that her father wasn’t fond of. It was every daughter’s dream. “He should be here by eleven.”

“Just so we’re clear again, you’re staying with your grandparents and never setting a single foot in Cage's room, right?”

“Yes, Dad, for the millionth time.”

"All right
then," I replied as I led them through the lobby.

Finally, we made our way to the private room of the restaurant where most of the guests were already seated and waiting. The
cozy room was just large enough to fit all of us, and the French doors that separated the room from the rest of the restaurant assured me that whatever embarrassing stories were shared wouldn’t be heard by the general public.

“There they are,” my dad said excitedly.
“The groom and his bride-to-be.” He gave me a warm hug and then kissed Carly on the cheek.

As we rounded the table, we saw more familiar faces. Two of Carly’s bridesmaids
—Skylar and Marie—were friends of hers from college. Eva was the third bridesmaid. And Carly’s maid of honor was Katie. Carly hugged each of the girls, and tears immediately started to fall when she embraced Katie. Though she had come up the previous weekend for the bachelorette party and spent the majority of the week with Carly, the two didn’t get to spend much time with each other because Katie was a junior in college in Florida.

I said hello to some relatives before greeting Frank, Troy, Doug, and my buddy Tom from college.
Finally, Carly and I settled into our seats near our parents.

The two waiters assigned to our table filled our water glasses and took drink orders from those who didn’t already have them.
“I’ll take a Sam Adams if you have it,” I said after Carly had ordered a glass of wine.

When we’d planned the rehearsal dinner, we hadn’t wanted to do anything too formal.
And as I looked around at our guests in their dresses and button-down shirts, I was glad we'd decided against a specific agenda for the night so we could all just relax and enjoy the company—just a dinner together with family and friends before the chaos of the wedding day. The only thing we needed to accomplish was giving the gifts and telling some of the people—especially the kids—what to do. Carly’s cousin’s four-year-old twins were the flower girl and ring bearer. I knew how difficult raising one child could be, and as I watched Emma and Noah squirm in their seats as their parents struggled to keep them entertained, I couldn’t imagine having two of the same age.

The waiters brought out our salads, and the guests easily conversed with one another.
“This is nice,” Carly said softly to me as she took a sip of her wine. “Everyone together like this.”

I brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear as I thought about how gorgeous she was.
“Yeah, but I’ll definitely be glad when I can have you all to myself again. Then we can make up properly,” I whispered below the surrounding chatter.

Carly’s expression changed, and I knew that look immediately: desire.
It was good to know I had the same effect on her as she had on me. She squeezed my thigh with the hand she had rested on it, and I jumped slightly in surprise. But she kept it there until the waiter brought out the main course. As soon as she moved it to resume eating, I missed the feel of her hand on me.

“
Mmm, this is so good, Adam. Try this,” she urged, holding up a bite of her pasta primavera for me.

I let Carly feed me a bite before offering her some of my steak.
“Here, you’ll like this.” I dipped my filet in the peppercorn sauce and hovered it inches away from her mouth. Her lips parted, inviting me to slide the steak inside. Her eyes never leaving mine, she closed her mouth around the fork and let me pull it out slowly. She chewed carefully with her eyes closed, savoring every taste before she swallowed.

The sounds that came from her as she enjoyed the food made me harden further than I already was.
It was almost as if she could sense my arousal because she put her hand on my thigh again and worked her way up slowly to stop right below my balls, which were currently pulled up high with an unbearable need for release. For a moment, I wondered if anyone would notice if she jacked me off under the table. At this point, it would probably take all of about twenty seconds, and if Vince Vaughn could get away with it in
Wedding Crashers
, why couldn’t I?

Her hand grazed my stiff cock as she moved it out from under the table to take a sip of her drink.
And when she swept her wet tongue across her lips to catch a drop of wine that had dripped, I knew I needed to get the hell out of there. “Excuse me for a minute, everyone. I’m just gonna get some fresh air.”

“Are you okay, Adam
?” my mom asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just a long day.
I have a little headache, that’s all. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I pushed my chair back abruptly, needing to move quickly so my entire family didn’t see the real reason I was leaving. And that reason was currently pressed firmly against my pants.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and made my way to the exit, relieved when the cold night air hit me.
One more day. Then you can do whatever you want to her. One more fucking day.
After a few minutes, I got my thoughts—and my dick—under control and headed back inside, just in time to see Carly headed right toward me with a look of confusion on her face.

“What is it?
You’ve been gone for like ten minutes. Are you feeling okay?” She ran a hand along my forehead and cheek like she was trying to see if I felt warm.

“Yeah, sorr
y. I was just a little . . . turned on. I’m okay now.”

“You sure?” she asked, her voice holding playful concern.

“Probably not,” I sighed with a smile. “You might not want to touch me again ‘til tomorrow
.
I've wanted you all week and
with everything that happened yesterday . . . let me just say I have a lot to make up for.”

“I think I like the sound of that."

“I'll like the feel of it even better. But for now, I'm begging you, no more touching. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”

“Guess we’ll find out tomorrow night,” she replied, hovering her lips just
centimeters from mine as she spoke.

I opened my mouth to tell her how unfair that was, but she cut me off before I even had a chance to speak.
“Not touching,” she whispered, raising her arms up innocently and turning back toward the private room.

I stood still for a few moments, admiring the way her dress fit snugly to her ass, but thinking it was probably just loose enough to hike up around her waist.
This is gonna be a long fuckin’ night.

Chapter 5:
“Teenage Love Affair” (Alicia Keys)

I returned to the rehearsal dinner about five minutes later, thankful that everyone was preoccupied with their desserts and paid me little mind. Explaining that I’d been taking deep breaths outside in order to quell the bulge in my pants wasn’t exactly a conversation I wanted to have around the dinner table.

             
Carly sat back in her chair next to me, listening intently to a story her father was telling. It was moments like these that reminded me how well I knew her. Because while her eyes said she was paying close attention to the story, I knew by the tenseness in her shoulders, the fidgeting of her hands, and the crossing and uncrossing of her legs that her mind was on me. Whatever fantasy was running through her head, I wanted in on it. I wanted to bring it to life for her. And tomorrow, I would.

             
Dinner ended quickly after that, and I walked Carly out into the lobby to say my goodbye. It was only nine o’clock, but we were ready to go our separate ways, knowing that the quicker this day ended, the quicker the next would come. We stood there facing one another, both of our hands intertwined between us, shooting each other shy looks and demure smiles. It was so perfectly innocent, so completely fulfilling. I didn’t want to let her go.

             
“Okay, lovebirds, time to break it up,” Katie interrupted. “We all have a big day tomorrow and need a little beauty sleep.”

             
Carly rolled her eyes at her sister before looking back at me. “Guess we have a curfew this evening.”

             
“Guess so,” I chuckled.

             
“Don’t give me a hard time. Mom sent me over.” Although Katie had propped a hand on her hip, her tone was playful.

             
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I responded before I leaned in to brush a light kiss against Carly’s lips. Once we parted, we dropped each other’s hands and Katie moved in, wrapping an arm around Carly’s shoulders.