59. Rose
59
ROSE
“How about this one?” Clementine shows me the last of the ten dresses she dragged from the back of her small store.
I bite my lip nervously. “I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know selecting a dress would be such a difficult task. An empty, nervous feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. If I can’t even make up my mind about a dress, how am I going to make all the important decisions in our marriage? Self-doubt rears its ugly head again.
Is this too fast?
“Don’t overthink, Rose,” Mom whispers. “A wedding dress is a decision that every girl struggles with. You’re not alone.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Clementine perches on her stool. “Tell me if you liked any of the dresses we’ve seen so far. This way, I’ll know where to look.”
“Um, I like this one, especially the lace.”
She smiles—maybe for the first time since I started rejecting her beautiful dresses. “It’s handmade.”
“But the bodice…is too revealing,” I whisper nervously. “I wo uld like something with a full back.” Mom’s grip on my hand tightens.
“Okay.” Clem writes something on her notepad. “What else?”
“I don’t know. These veils are very long.” I pause. “Also, there’s lots of frill.” I grimace as my gaze flicks at all the fabric hanging around the skirt of the gowns.
Clem bursts into laughter. “Ballgown style is so in these days. Believe me, Zander will go crazy.”
Only if I make it to the altar without breaking my neck.
“What about a sheath style?” Mom asks her.
When I look around in confusion, Kristy rushes to show me a picture on her phone. “It has less flare.”
My ears perk up. This style is definitely better for me and my balance.
Clem gnaws at her lips thoughtfully. “Unfortunately, I have nothing in that style. The wedding is next Wednesday, right?”
I nod.
Last night, after Zander and I returned to our new bedroom, we talked. A lot. Finally, we agreed that next Wednesday is definitely a day we don’t want to forget. But I can’t simply swap it with a day I’ve known as my birthday all my life. As meager as they are, that day has some memories, especially this year with Zander.
Clementine’s mumbling pulls me from my thoughts.
“To start something from scratch, hmm… I’ll have to order some new fabric.” She talks to herself, making notes as her eyebrows draw together in worry.
I’m about to tell her that I can wear my flannel and jeans when Mom asks, “Is it easier if you have something to start with?”
Clem nods absentmindedly while making long strokes on her notepad with a pencil .
“I’ll be right back.” Mom rushes out of the room, leaving me and Kristy in confusion.
But a minute later, she’s back with a huge box. Kristy and I jump to help her while Clem continues with her scribbling.
“What’s that?” Finally, we have Clem’s attention, and she looks up from her notepad.
Mom opens the box and scrapes away the tissue paper to reveal a wedding dress.
We all gasp, and after a beat, Clementine expertly draws the dress out of the box and holds it up.
It’s an elegant silk dress without overflowing yards and yards of fabric.
Clem hangs the dress on the mannequin and starts inspecting the different layers, adding some pins here and there.
“It’s my wedding dress,” Mom says. “We found it while we were cleaning the attic during the renovation. Your dad put it in the trunk of my car today, in case…you’d like to try it on.” She fidgets, rubbing her hands over her pants.
Sparing me not even a second to overcome the emotions coursing through my heart, Clem claps loudly and throws her arms around Mom.
I’m surprised by the flash of anger that hits me. I don’t like when she leaves me on the sideline and gets all chummy with my mom .
But then she springs to me and pulls me into a hug. “I’m going to transform this dress into your dream, Rose.” Pulling back abruptly as if she remembered something, she turns to Mom. “I can modify the dress, right? Um, like major changes?”
Mom chuckles and waves her hand toward the gown. “Yes, feel free to use your magic, but only if Rose wants it.”
“I’d love it, Mom.” I speak through the ball of emotions welled up in my throat .
Kristy squeals with a wide dazzling smile on her face. “This can be your something old!”
Her words cause a foreign tingling in my chest. I never thought I’d have a wedding, let alone all the cheesy traditions. “My…something old?”
“Yes. One of your four somethings. As your matron of honor, it’s my responsibility to make sure you have all of them.”
“You’re my... matron of honor?” My pulse races in surprise. How much my life has changed in the past year. I have my mom’s wedding dress, a sister putting together my bachelorette party, and a fiancé at home taking care of wedding arrangements with my dad.
Everything feels like I’m in a dream, and I plan to never wake up.
“Get up, Mrs. Teager.” Zander strokes my face, and I open one eye ruefully.
He smiles and my heart does a little jump. Spread out next to me, sun kissing his beautiful face, he makes me wonder, once again, how I got so lucky.
This man, this handsome man, is going to be my husband.
As he tucks a stray hair behind my ear, I whisper, “It’s too early.”
“It is. But it’s only two days until our wedding. I can’t wait for Wednesday to come, Mrs. Teager.” His wistful voice drifts my sleep away.
“I love how it sounds.” My fingers glide over his short stubble. Zander knows how much I like it overgrown, and he’s seen that it grows to my liking.
“Mrs. Teager,” he repeats with a heartwarming smile.
I nod and pull a little on the spiked five o’clock shadow, making him groan. His eyes transition from dreamy to lustful in a fraction of a second.
“What do you do to me, Rose?” he whispers, closing his wild eyes as my fingers drift to his hair. I tug on it with more force.
Without any preamble, he lifts me up and places my body over his. I’m naked underneath the duvet, and my sex rests on his strong, muscular thigh. His hands skim over my shoulders and further lower to my sides until they stop at my waist. He then drags me further up, making me sit on his crotch.
“Zander,” I whisper, feeling him hard beneath me.
Without a word, he pulls my face down and kisses me mercilessly, taking my breath away. His one hand moves from my face to my neck, gliding across my back until he reaches my behind. He squeezes my butt, and it’s my turn to groan. His hand slides lower, from between my ass cheeks—ew—to my sex—ohhh…
My heartbeat picks up as he moves his fingers over my sex. In no hurry, as always. Just giving me all the pleasure. But I want to return the favor.
“Not so fast,” he protests half-heartedly as I take him inside me. “Babe, slow…down.”
I listen to him and move slowly up and down. He gazes into my eyes with so much love and affection that my throat chokes. Even in such an exposed position, I don’t feel shy or nervous, but cherished.
That’s how he’s changed me.
I’m no longer unlovable.
He loves me, my soon-to-be husband.
I pick up speed, chasing that amazing release. My gaze is fixed on his face as several expressions blend in. Adoration, excitement, and passion.
My hair falls over my face and shoulders, and for a moment, my view of his handsome face is blocked. But then Zander leans forward and captures my nipple between his teeth, making me insane and effectively forcing me to shut my eyes. I arch my back, unable to hold back. Sensing I’m close, Zander starts thrusting into me, matching my movements.
“Ah, Zander,” I cry.
“Let go.” He bites my earlobe, and that’s my undoing. I combust around him, and he follows me with a loud groan.
As we come back down to planet earth, my phone rings.
“Hello.” My out-of-breath voice sounds wheezy.
“Did I disturb you?” Kristy asks in an overly honeyed singsong voice.
“No.” I’m sure my face is scarlet. Zander smirks at me before pulling on his sweats. My gaze follows his movements as he grabs a glass of water from his nightstand and brings it closer to his mouth. There’s something erotic in the way his neck muscles move as he swallows.
I must have made a sound, because Kristy whispers, “I’m guessing you weren’t done.”
Her words startle me, and I reply without much thought. “No, we were done.”
“Then it looks like you can go for round two.” She mimics my throaty voice.
“Kristy!”
“Sorry, Rosie. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to satisfy your carnal needs.” She snickers, too proud of herself.
I don’t respond, knowing that whatever I say, she will twist it into something to tease me.
“We’re going for the first fitting of your wedding dress. I’m so excited to see what Clem has done.”
Her contagious excitement gets to me. I, too, can’t wait to see Clementine’s magic on Mom’s dress.
“You have twenty minutes to get ready before Mom and I pick you up. So, say bye-bye to your carnal needs for today.”
Wedding dress versus carnal needs …
I didn’t know this was such a tough decision. While my brain is still making a list of pros and cons, Zander strolls out of our closet dressed in a navy striped suit.
Wedding dress, then.
I pick up my robe from the couch and put it over me. On my way to the bathroom, he snags my arm and pulls me closer.
Kissing my neck, he unties my robe, and his fingers graze my stomach, causing goose bumps to rise on my skin. With him fully dressed in front of me, I feel more naked than before.
When he kisses behind my ear, my phone pings in my hand. I look down and see it’s a text message from Kristy.
Sis: Idea of round 2 was a joke.
Fish! She’s good.
Before my carnal needs make me change my decision, I get out of Zander’s arms. “Kristy and Mom will be here soon. I need to get ready.” I rush to the bathroom without looking at his gorgeous face, which will tempt me to do something stupid, like jump back into bed with him.
Once freshly showered and dressed, I walk down the stairs of our new house and find Zander in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading something, most likely business news, on his tablet.
“Is it wrong that I find you hot in the kitchen?” I whisper after placing my keys and cell phone on the breakfast bar.
He looks up and gives me his wide, sexy dimpled smile, which makes my heart race.
“No. I love that you find me hot.” Pulling me closer, he kisses my forehead and then my lips. Releasing a heavy breath close to my ear, making me shiver, Zander whispers, “Eat your breakfast before I get distracted.”
“I like you distracted.”
“I know, my bewitching Rose.”
Wow! Today, I’m bewitching.