Chapter 28
Isat up in bed with Robert’s arm curled protectively around my midriff.
I must have drifted off after our marathon lovemaking.
Despite the nap, I was still exhausted. I’d probably need a few days to recuperate from the emotional turbulence of being kidnapped, starved, informed that I’d been impregnated by a vampire, nearly killed, and rescued by a teenaged grandfather I didn’t even know I had.
You’d think I’d finally give up and accept that there was always going to be turbulence in my life, but apparently I was stubborn.
I made a move to get up, having to pee something fierce.
Robert’s—my fiancé’s, though I was still amazed to think of him as such—grip tightened around my waist like he was worried the Nolans would come creeping back into the house and kidnap me all over again.
Vampires didn’t typically sleep during the night.
Robert was snoozing deeply, so I deduced the sun must have come up.
I thanked my lucky stars that we’d drifted off in his sleeping chamber and not anywhere else in the house, with all its large windows, unlikely as it was that Robert would ever let that happen.
At his age, he could sense when the sun was about to come up as much as he could see it in the skyline.
Without much success, I wriggled a hand up and tried to extract his arm from my body. I’d almost forgotten the stunning engagement ring on my finger. Grinning, I held my hand up so the lovely yellow diamond would catch the light of the nightstand lamp that had been left on.
“It reminded me of the sun, which is why I chose it,” Robert said, startling me. “The jeweler said it’s a radiant cut. I went out on a limb. You’re sure you like it?”
I provided him an incredulous look. “How could I not? It’s positively gorgeous and exactly what I’d pick out for myself.
” I curled my hand around the back of my vampire fiancé’s head and pulled him close for a kiss.
As I got up to use the bathroom, I added over my shoulder, “But I’d marry you even if you’d given me a ring made of twine. ”
When I returned to bed, Robert raised his eyebrows. “So, you want me to return the ring, then? We might have some twine out in the garage.” He gave my ring a tug to show that he was teasing.
I pulled my hand away. “Well, you already got it, so I guess I’ll have to keep it.”
“You’re so far away,” Robert said, pulling me closer. While he was at it, he gave me a few kisses.
“How long have you had this—the ring?”
“I got it right after we returned from Bali, though I knew I wanted to marry you since our night at Locomotive.”
“Really? Our first date?”
“Yes, my love.”
I wouldn’t have believed him had I not also fallen in love with him on the same night. Sometimes, when you know, you know.
I asked, “When do you want to do it? The ceremony?”
“When would you like?”
“Okay, I know this is old-fashioned . . .”
Robert sat up. “You, old-fashioned? Since when? Usually, you’re the one accusing me of being out of touch.”
“Maybe you’re starting to rub off on me, you old fuddy-duddy.”
“Perish the thought,” he said melodramatically.
“Anyway,” I continued, “Right after I got the news about being pregnant, I couldn’t help thinking about how the last two generations of women in my family had babies out of wedlock. I’m not looking down on Tilly and my mother, since I’m pretty much in the same boat . . .”
“But?”
“Maybe it would be nice if we tried something different.”
His brows winged up. “You’d like to be married before the baby comes?”
“Yes,” I said. “As long as you don’t think it’s tacky to have a shotgun wedding.”
“I had the ring before I even knew you were pregnant.”
“Right, but nobody else knows that.”
Robert frowned. “Since when do you care about what other people think? You and I don’t have to justify our choices to anyone. It’s our life, and we’re free to live it as we see fit.”
I loved it when Robert got protective of our love. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Damn right, I’m right,” he said. “Your friends—your true friends—won’t care when you got pregnant. Besides, it’s none of their concern.”
Nestling against Robert’s chest, I said, “You really are the best. Okay, so when?”
“That depends on how you want to do it. I imagine you’ll want a grand ceremony?”
I mulled it over. Robert had money to burn, so if I wanted to have a huge blowout—designer dress, gourmet catering, top-notch band, rare, expensive flowers—the sky was the limit.
Whenever I envisioned my dream wedding in the past, that was the sort of thing I’d had in mind.
I’d also imagined having a ton of guests in attendance, which was weird since I could count my closest friends on one hand.
I said, “You know what? When it comes down to it, the where and the how don’t really matter to me as long as I have what’s most important.”
“What’s that?”
“You, Robert. As long as I have you.”
A couple months later, Robert and I stood in front of a small crowd of our closest friends to declare our eternal love.
Under a canopy of stars, Liz, Sebastian, Joseph, and Marlena watched as Jerry walked me down the aisle in a beautiful Japanese orchid garden in the heart of the city.
Nature surrounded us at every angle. Jerry’s husband, Tim, officiated our wedding.
Robert and I promised to love one another and stick together, through sickness and health, until death do us part.
My vintage silvery-white gown was simple but sophisticated, echoing 1940s elegance with a long train and delicate lace accents that draped softly over my shoulders.
It hugged my growing baby bump gorgeously.
Robert was debonaire in a trim tux and dark top hat that would have looked ridiculous on a mere mortal. On him, it was fetching.
Since our attendees were both human and vampire, plus whatever Sebastian was, we served gourmet cupcakes, champagne, and, of course, blood. There was no press coverage and not a single member of the paparazzi present. Everything about the event was low-key and intimate.
It was perfect.
And, for a while, life seemed perfect—or as close to perfect as it could get. I had a loving husband that I adored. Nobody was out to kill me. The baby growing inside me was healthy and very much human, so no vampire fangs sucking at my uterus, thankfully.
For the first time in a very long time, I faced the future with optimism instead of grim uncertainty. I felt so happy that I could burst.
Unfortunately, as things tended to go in the life of Olivia Taylor-Bramson, such feelings couldn’t last forever.