Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
Casey woke to her alarm at eight o’clock that morning. After a mere two hours of sleep and performing some pretty rigorous mattress gymnastics with Jacob, she was exhausted. Despite being tired, she’d never been happier. She rolled onto her side and stared at the man who’d done some amazing things to her the night before. His chin was covered in the sexy stubble that had abraded her skin so deliciously. She brushed a kiss across his lips ever so lightly, not wanting to wake him. He needed the sleep, and she needed the uninterrupted time to coordinate Kalea’s wedding.
Asleep, the man was tempting. Awake, he’d be impossible to ignore.
Casey slid out of the bed, grabbed her tote bag and padded to the bathroom where she applied her makeup, doing her best to hide the bruise on her forehead. She smoothed her hair with her flat iron and dressed in the clothes she’d shoved into her tote the night before.
Today was the big day. Her best friend was getting married to the man of her dreams, and Casey was going to make her wedding so memorable Kalea would smile every time she thought about it.
So, things weren’t going to go exactly as intended, but that’s what a wedding planner did. She made arrangements and then rolled with the inevitable changes.
Her dress and the bride’s dress were at the chapel. She hoped Hawk was able to find something suitable to wear in place of the tuxedo that had been ruined in the scuffle with the cartel members.
She glanced at her watch. The first call needed to be to the photographer to ask her to come later in the afternoon. It wouldn’t be an all-day affair of watching the bride prepare for her wedding, surrounded by her friends, or friend, in this case. The photographer was fine with the change of plan and promised to be there two hours before the wedding to shoot the bride and groom getting ready for the big event, the wedding and the reception that followed.
The next call was to the hair and makeup artists.
She leaned against the counter, speaking softly so as not to wake Jacob in the next room.
“Layla’s Beauty by Design,” the receptionist answered.
Casey explained who she was and who was scheduled to be at the wedding venue at eleven, and that she needed to move the time to four o’clock that afternoon.
The receptionist asked her to hold.
Casey checked her planner as she waited for the woman to come back on the line.
“Miss Wesson, I’m sorry, but that time will not work for our stylist and makeup artists. Eleven is the only time they can make it. If you can’t work with that time, I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else.”
Casey straightened, her pulse pounding, her stress kicking up a notch. “Do you have anyone else?”
“I’m sorry. Everyone else is booked along with your original artist,” the receptionist said. “Do you want to cancel?”
Having promised Kalea she could sleep in, Casey hated to go back on her word, but the time just wouldn’t work. “Yes. Cancel my appointment.” She ended the call and tapped her cell phone against her chin.
A knock on the door made her jump.
Jacob poked his head in. “Everything all right?”
Casey’s lips pressed together. “Mostly.”
“Anything I can help you with?” He stepped into the bathroom, wearing only a pair of jeans with the button hanging loose.
“Mmm. Can you do hair and makeup?” Casey asked.
He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms.
She rested her cheek against his naked chest and inhaled the scent of him, relaxing a little.
“I can’t, but what about Camila’s cousin?”
Casey’s head came up, and she smiled. “Mina Perez. That’s a great idea.” She turned away from Jacob, pulled Mina’s card out of her tote and dialed the number.
While the phone rang on the other end, Jacob slipped his arms around her waist, pulled her back against his front and nuzzled her neck with his lips.
“Clips Ahoy,” a familiar voice answered.
“Mina, Casey Wesson here.”
“Oh, Casey, I’m so very glad to hear from you,” Mina said. “Rumor has it the family had a bit of a clash last night on Kauai. I hope you weren’t in the middle of all that.”
“As a matter of fact, we were. But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”
“Are you busy around three this afternoon? I need someone to do a bride’s hair and makeup.”
“If I was booked, I’d reschedule. I’d love to help you out. Maybe it will make up for my idiotic family. I swear, I’m going to change my name to Smith and move to the Midwest, someplace my relatives would never think to look for me.” She sighed. “All I need is an address. I’ll be there.”
“Bring a dress. I’m sure Kalea would like you to stay for the wedding—unless you have other plans.”
Mina snorted. “Seriously, I’d do the bride’s hair for free. Yours is the best offer I’ve had in a long time. I’ll be there fifteen minutes before three to set up. Tell your bride I’m in, and I’ll even help at the reception.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” Casey gave her the chapel address and ended the call. Immediately following, she ordered food to be delivered to Kalea’s room to keep the bride’s strength up.
“What else can I help you with?” Jacob turned her in his arms and nibbled on her ear.
“I need to double-check with the bakery providing the cake and also with the florist, caterer, and DJ.” Her eyes widened. “Right now, someone needs to find her father and make sure he’s okay—and not a word to him about what happened last night. He’ll pack up Kalea and take her right back to the Big Island in an instant.”
“I’ll take care of her father. What do you want me to tell him about why Kalea isn’t up and getting ready?”
“I don’t know. You can come up with something.” She leaned up on her toes. “I’ll need a ride to my SUV. I have some decorations I need to deliver to the reception hall.”
“We can help with the decorations,” Jacob offered. “Hawk’s entire team can pitch in.”
“Really, if you can keep Kalea’s father entertained for the day, that would be the best thing you can do.”
“I can do that,” Jacob said. “Oh, and I just got off the phone with Hank. He notified the DEA of what happened after we left Kauai. They sent in a team and caught Camila’s cousins trying to move drugs from the compound. Unfortunately, Camila wasn’t with them. We’ll want to keep an eye out for her in case she shows up again.”
“Damn.” Casey’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Surely, after what happened last night, she won’t make another attempt to stop the wedding.”
“You never know,” Jacob said. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…or something like that.” He kissed the tip of Casey’s nose.
Casey reached up and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. “Did I tell you how wonderful you were last night?”
His eyebrows waggled. “Are you talking about Kauai? Or are you talking about this morning in my hotel room?”
She laughed. “I forgot. It was this morning. But yes, you were pretty wonderful on both counts.”
“You weren’t half bad yourself.” He pulled her close and tipped her head up so that he could kiss her thoroughly. “Care to make a repeat performance?”
“I would love to, but I’d prefer to take a rain check for after the reception.”
Jacob kissed her again and set her at arm’s length. “Gotcha. Go do what you do. I’ll take care of Mr. Parkman. Let me know when you’re ready to go get your vehicle.”
Casey spent the next hour on the phone with the various vendors, ironing out delivery details and making certain they were on their way to the chapel and reception hall to set up for the celebration.
At noon, she stopped by Kalea’s room. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect,” she said. “Thank you for having food delivered to my room.”
Casey looked past her into the room. “Where’s Hawk?”
“He left me to get ready in my own time. I plan on taking a long hot bath filled with essential oils and shaving my legs. Then I’m going to wash my hair and blow it dry.”
“Take your time, relax, and have a glass of that wine I sent up.”
“I plan on it,” she said. “After all that happened yesterday, I refuse to be rushed or stressed.”
“Good.” Casey hugged her friend. “I’ll be by to pick you up at two-thirty. I’ve scheduled the hair and makeup artist to be there close to three. I think you’ll like her.”
“I’m sure I will. If she can do miracles, and I don’t have to do my own hair, I’m happy.” Kalea walked her to the door. “Now, go. My tub is filling.”
Casey went in search of Jacob and found him in the hotel bar with Hawk, Mr. Parkman, Hank and Maddog.
She smiled at Hank. “What happened to your Deltas?”
“They’ve never been to Hawaii,” Hank said, “so they’re out playing tourist until this afternoon when they’ll show up cleaned and pressed for the wedding.”
“We’re all very familiar with the area,” Maddog said with a grin. “Been there. Done it. Have the scars from SEAL training here on the islands to prove it.”
Jacob slipped off the bar stool. “Ready to get your vehicle?”
She nodded. “I’ll see the rest of you later. If you could be there around four-thirty, that will give you enough time to dress and for the photographer to get pictures while you’re getting ready.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hank said. “We’ll be there.”
Jacob dropped her off at her SUV and followed her out of the apartment parking lot before he went in one direction and she went in the other.
Casey dropped off items at the wedding venue, where she supervised the finer details of the decorations, making certain the florist had placed the arrangements in the chapel and the reception hall exactly as Casey had envisioned. She checked with the venue’s sound guy to ensure he had the correct music loaded and ready to go when the bride walked down the aisle. Kalea had gone with pre-recorded music instead of a vocalist or string quartet. She’d chosen the songs she wanted, including a traditional Hawaiian song called “White Sandy Beach.”
When she was sure everything was in order, she hurried back to the hotel to collect Kalea.
She wore the silky robe Casey had left for her. They sneaked out through a side door to keep the men from seeing her before the wedding.
When they arrived at the chapel twenty minutes later, they entered the rectory where Mina had set up shop for the afternoon. They spent the next two hours on makeup for Kalea and Casey. When Mina finished, Hank’s wife, Sadie, and little girl, Emma, showed up to help them get dressed. The photographer arrived early, snapping pictures of Kalea at various stages of preparation. When the bride was dressing, the photographer had Casey and Sadie pose with Kalea in place of her mother.
Casey hugged her friend. “Your mother would be so proud of you. You’re absolutely stunning.”
Kalea blinked back tears.
“Don’t cry,” Casey exclaimed. She grabbed a tissue and held it out for Kalea. “You’ll smear your makeup. And Mina did a wonderful job.”
After the bride was dressed in her simple white dress, Mina appeared carrying a beautiful white Haku Lei, the traditional Hawaiian headdress worn by Hawaiian brides.
Again, Kalea’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t know…”
“Your mother would have insisted,” Casey said.
Mina settled the wreath of flowers in Kalea’s dark hair, blinking back her own tears.
Casey grabbed several tissues and passed them around to all the ladies, including herself. “You’re beautiful,” she said and sniffed. “Hawk is a very lucky man.”
The photographer snapped photos of the bride and the ladies assisting her. “I’ll be back. I need to get photos of the men getting ready.”
Casey held Kalea’s hand. “At this point, I always ask the bride if she’s absolutely sure this is what she wants to do. But I can see by the happiness in your face that this is so right.”
Kalea nodded. “Hawk is the man for me.” She squeezed Casey’s hand. “I hope to be at your wedding next.”
Casey wrinkled her brow. “I’m not even engaged.”
“I think it’s only a matter of time.” Kalea winked. “Rooster only has eyes for you.”
Casey’s stomach filled with butterflies.
“How will he resist you when you look so beautiful in that dress?” Kalea said.
The reflection in the mirror showed two beautiful women.
Casey smiled at Kalea’s reflection. “ You’re the beauty today. This is your day to shine the brightest.”
Kalea laughed. “Sadie McClain is here.” She smiled at Hank’s wife. “No one can compete with her.”
“Honey, there is no competition here,” Sadie said. “You’re absolutely stunning.” She lifted Emma in her arms. “You’re the star of this show, sweetie.”
Emma stared at Kalea, her eyes wide. “You’re a princess.”
Kalea laughed. “I feel like one.”
The door opened, and Sylvia Rodriguez, Casey’s potential client, entered. “I hope you do not mind, but I could not resist. I had to see what was going on behind the scenes.”
“Please, come in,” Kalea said. “Casey has done a fantastic job pulling this wedding together. You can’t go wrong with her as a wedding planner. She goes above and beyond the call of duty.” Kalea winked at Casey, sharing their secret.
Casey glanced at the clock on the wall, and her heart skipped several beats. “It’s time.”
As the words left her mouth, Kalea’s father appeared at the door. “The groom is in place. Is the bride ready?” He stopped when he spotted his daughter, and tears filled his eyes.
Casey handed him a tissue.
He wiped his eyes as he held his daughter’s hand. “You’re beautiful. Just like your mother.”
Kalea hugged her father.
The music started—the cue that the wedding was about to begin.
Casey handed Kalea her bouquet of white flowers that matched her headdress. She took her smaller bouquet and handed Emma the basket of rose petals.
Sadie left the room, holding Emma’s hand. She would escort Emma down the aisle as the little girl spread flower petals in front of the bridal procession.
Casey was next. “Remember to breathe and look around. Commit this moment to memory. Otherwise, it’ll all be a blur.”
Kalea nodded. “I’m ready.”
Casey left the rectory and walked down the aisle toward Hawk and the best man.
Instead of the black tuxedo that had been ruined by the cartel, he wore his US Navy Dress Blue uniform, with its shiny gold buttons and several rows of ribbons hanging on the left side of his chest. Jacob stood beside him, also wearing his Dress Blue uniform, clean-shaven, and standing at attention.
She’d never seen more handsome men.
Their Navy teammates filled the chapel pews, also wearing their dress blues, hair neatly combed and all brass shining. The Marines and Deltas also wore their dress uniforms, looking amazingly clean-shaven and handsome.
Casey’s heart swelled with pride and gratitude for these men, who’d given so much to the defense of their country.
She stopped at the front of the chapel as the wedding march played, and Kalea appeared at the end of the aisle on her father’s arm. The colorful flowers in her hair contrasted beautifully with her dark tresses flowing down her back, and her face was wreathed in a huge smile. Her gaze locked with Hawk’s as she walked the aisle.
With a kiss on her cheek, her father gave her over to her soon-to-be husband.
As the preacher looked out at the audience consisting mostly of military men in uniform, he cleared his throat and started, “We are gathered today to join this man and this woman in holy?—”
A piercing screech echoed from the back of the chapel, drawing all gazes toward the sound.
Casey spun toward a woman flying down the aisle with her hands outstretched like claws.
“Camila,” Kalea cried out.
Anger erupted inside Casey. “Oh, no, you don’t.” She flung down her bouquet like a gauntlet and leaped into the aisle, ducked her shoulder and plowed into Camila, tackling her to the ground. She straddled the woman, pinned her arms to the ground then spoke through gritted teeth, “You will not ruin my friend’s wedding.”
The Brotherhood Protectors leaped to their feet. While Reid helped Casey rise, Hank and Maddog carried a kicking and screaming Camila to the back of the chapel. They handed her over to the off-duty police officer Casey had hired to stand guard in front of the chapel.
The officer apologized profusely. “I thought she was a guest,” he said, then escorted her out of the building.
Sylvia Rodriguez rose from her seat. “Miss Wesson, you’re hired!”
Grinning, Casey smoothed her dress down over her legs, lifted her chin, patted her hair and returned to the front of the chapel, where she retrieved her bouquet and took Kalea’s from her for the duration of the ceremony.
The rest of the wedding went perfectly.
Hawk and Kalea shared vows they’d each written for the other and exchanged rings. It was all beautiful and poignant. And it all passed in a blur for Casey.
She didn’t breathe until the preacher pronounced them husband and wife, and they were on their way back down the aisle together.
Jacob approached her and held out his arm.
She’d never been so happy to lean on someone as she was at that moment. Casey was glad Jacob was there and that he would walk with her back down the aisle.
As they waited for the bride and groom to leave the chapel, Jacob smiled at her, that one gesture making everything right with her world again.
“You are a remarkable woman,” he whispered. “I don’t think an NFL linebacker could have pulled off such an incredible tackle as you did today. And in a dress, no less.”
Casey fought a hysterical giggle. “It was an instinctive reaction. I didn’t even think.”
“Your instincts saved the day. The rest of us were too stunned to move fast enough.”
Her cheeks burned as she imagined what she must have looked like, flying down the aisle at Camila. “Any one of you would have stopped her.”
He shook his head. “Not in time.” Jacob squeezed her arm against his side. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how beautiful you are, Casey Wesson.”
She smiled up at him. “You look amazing in your uniform. You took my breath away when I came out of the back. A man dressed like that,” she said, waving a hand over his body, “could sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Then I’m glad I chose to wear this.” He leaned close. “Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?”
Casey shot a glance toward him, her gaze meeting his. “You’re kidding, right?”
Jacob shook his head. “No. I never believed in love at first sight…until I met you.” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer me yet. I can see you need time to get to know me. But I’m sure you’ll learn to love me. I’ll make sure you do. Because I know in my heart that you’re the woman for me, and I’ll do everything in my power to prove to you that I’m your guy.”
Casey’s heart pounded against her chest, and her vision blurred. “Jacob, I don’t need time to get to know you. I love you now, and I know in my heart I always will.”
Jacob smoothed his hand down her arm to grasp her hand.
They’d been speaking in whispers, but now that the bride and groom had left the chapel, all eyes were on them.
Casey’s face heated, and her heart swelled. “How fast can you run?”
“Faster than you. I’m not wearing heels.” He winked. “Ready?”
She nodded.
Holding hands, Casey ran down the aisle and out of the chapel, eager to start her new life with the Navy SEAL of her dreams. Who knew she’d fall for a military guy?
Hell. She of all people should have known.
Who could resist a man in uniform?