Chapter Sixteen
Ava
Twenty minutes later, after a stop at a local pet supply shop, we arrive back at the hotel. Max scratches at the bars of his cat carrier as I carry him toward the hotel doors.
With his phone plastered to his ear, Reese is as prickly as Max. His other hand carries the bags from the pet store, a gold-plated litter tray, and a matching bowl set. When in Vegas…
The reality of what Leon’s trying to do to Aurora has hit Reese in the last twenty minutes, and he’s been on the phone to his suppliers to confirm what Leon said is true. It is. The mother-clucker has bought out the battery factory.
I wouldn’t like to be the person on the other end of the line. I’ve never seen Reese so cross. And that’s saying something.
He ends the call and I run my free hand up his back and knead the tension in his shoulders. “Let’s get Max settled then climb into the hot tub and I’ll ease this stress for you.”
Reese growls and shoots me a gaze filled with desire. I may not be able to solve the battery problem, but I can relieve his stress to help him think straight.
I’m thinking about all the ways I’ll make my husband come undone as the hotel doors slide open.
“There they are!” Reese’s mother sweeps toward us in a flurry of soft fabric and lace that billows out behind her.
The boom of a bass drum makes me jump and sends Max cowering to the back of his carrier. A French horn pierces the air, and before I know what’s happening, we’re surrounded by a marching band in red buttoned-up uniforms.
I spin around and catch Reese’s gaze. He’s as confused as I am.
There’s a loud pop and confetti falls from the ceiling as an enormous banner unfurls.
The banner proudly displays “Congratulations, Ava and Reese” in gold cursive script.
Max howls and Nina grins as a waiter weaves through the band with two glasses of champagne balanced on a tray.
“What is this, Mother?” Reese’s expression is stony and his tone low, which his mother should know is a warning sign.
Nina cocks her head and brings her hand to her ear. “I can’t hear you, dear.”
Reese turns to the nearest band member and pulls his trombone from his lips.
“Get this band out of here.”
The man is about to protest when he sees Reese’s expression and thinks better of it.
The music abruptly stops apart from one lone trumpeter who’s playing with his eyes closed and carries on for a good half a minute before realizing the music’s stopped. He opens his eyes, takes in the fuming Reese, and scurries away to join his bandmates.
The waiter is still standing before us with the tray of champagne, the painted smile on his face uncertain.
Nina wags her finger at her son, oblivious, or too accustomed to his sullen expression. “You didn’t think you’d get away with a quiet Vegas wedding, did you, dear?” Nina gives me a hug, and I’m caught in a cloud of lavender perfume and talcum powder. “We’ve got so much to organize, doll. I can’t wait for this wedding.”
Reese pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “We’re already married, Mother.”
“Of course you are, dear.” Nina pulls away from the hug but she keeps her hands on my shoulders. “But every girl dreams of her wedding day, Reese. I’m sure Ava wants a white dress and a party. We’ll do it all over again but properly this time. Nothing extravagant, just two hundred of our closest friends. I already have the guest list.”
Reese takes one of the champagne flutes from the waiter and downs the entire drink in one go. He puts it back on the tray, picks up the next glass, and downs that, too. By the time he sets the empty glass on the tray, his face is composed.
“If Ava wants another wedding day with a white dress and a party, then we’ll get married again. But Ava will decide how it’s done and together we’ll choose the guest list.”
Nina smiles indulgently at her son. “Of course. That’s why I’ve got a wedding planner waiting for us upstairs. Just tell her what you want, doll, and we’ll throw you two the best party Porter has ever seen.”
I smile weakly as she takes my elbow, not wanting to tell her the best party Porter has ever seen was back in 2001 when my Uncle Joe won five thousand bucks on the lottery and ordered a truck full of kegs delivered to the empty field behind his house and invited the entire town. My parents still talk about it fondly, and I’m pretty sure I was conceived in that field during the three days of drinking that ensued.
Thoughts of the hot tub sink away as I clutch Max to my chest and follow Nina across the lobby. I get the feeling there’s going to be less sexy alone times with Reese now that his mother’s here.
But she’s right, every girl dreams of a big wedding with a beautiful dress and perfect hair for a day. It is a shame Dad didn’t get to walk me down the aisle, and my cousins will be pissed they didn’t get to be bridesmaids. It would be nice to do it all properly when I’m sober and can remember, I guess.
Reese is back on his phone as we follow Nina across the lobby and into the elevator. Over her chatter about venues and color palettes, I strain to hear his conversation.
“Tell me what you know about alternative power sources for small devices.”
He must be speaking to the research and development team, but I hear nothing else because Nina has gotten too close to Max and he’s got his claw caught in the lace of her blousy-robe thing. I’m not even sure what it is she’s wearing. But the antique lace is unraveling in his paw.
“Stay still, Max.” I unhook his claw and he retreats to the back of the carrier with a pitiful mewl. Poor thing needs some peace and quiet, and I get the feeling he’s not going to get that anytime soon.
“I just knew you’d want to see Max, and when Leon offered to fly us both down…”
The mention of Leon elicits a growl from Reese. He hangs up the phone and turns to his mother.
“I told you to stay away from that man.”
Nina shrugs dismissively. “He’s the only friend who’s made the effort to visit me in that backwater town you moved us to.” She turns to me with a kindly look. “No offense, doll.”
“None taken,” I mutter, ignoring the slight to my hometown.
“He’s not your friend, Mother.”
Nina giggles and covers her mouth coyly. “You’re right, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. Leon’s asked me to marry him.”
She’s beaming and blushing like a schoolgirl, uncaring about the thunderous expression in Reese’s eyes.
“I trust you said no.”
“I said I’d think about it.”
The elevator opens and Nina floats out of it, unaware of the heart attack she’s giving her son.
“It’s an interesting prospect at my age, marriage. I don’t love him, of course; I’ll never love anyone the way I loved your father.” She falters for a moment and a hand goes to her brow as fleeting pain passes across her face. “But at my age, it’s about companionship. You don’t expect that giddy kind of love again.” She pauses in her stride and turns to face Reese with a wistful look in her eyes. “We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, me and your father. He used to…”
“That’ll do, Mother.” Reese cuts her off before she can tell us exactly what she used to do with his father.
I giggle at Reese’s discomfort, but one glance at his face brings me to a sudden stop. He’s rattled. Leon’s gotten to him with the battery supply issue. I’ve never seen him so serious, and I’ve seen him plenty serious.
I’m glad we’re back at the hotel where we can have some quiet time. The wedding party planning will have to wait. Reese is distracted in a way I’ve never seen him. He needs time to think, and I need to give him whatever support he needs. There will be a solution to this; we just need to find it.
“This is our suite,” I say firmly to Nina when we reach the doors. “We need to get Max settled and we’ll meet you later for dinner.”
Reese swipes the keycard and the door opens. But instead of the quiet private suite we left this morning, it’s full of people with tables set up and more waiters with champagne.
“What’s this?” Reese growls.
Nina puts a bony hand on his chest. “We’re wedding planning, darling. I rustled up a few suppliers to meet us. Ava and I need to do girly things. You can work in the bedroom.”
Nina’s excitement about the wedding quells the last of the anxiousness I had about the marriage. I’m glad she’s on board, but all I want to do is sort my cat out and de-stress my husband.
I turn to him but Reese is back on his phone, a deep frown creasing his forehead.
Nina glides into the suite and I follow her, tucking Max by my side and hoping it’s not too distressing for him.
A row of flouncy white wedding dresses adorns the clothes rack, neat rows of satin shoes are lined up, and all manner of accessories are scattered across the chaise lounge, ready for me to try on. One table displays a riot of colorful floral bouquets, while another table is filled with stationary samples.
Nina’s only been in town for two hours, and she’s arranged a welcome party and my own private wedding fair. It’s easy to see where Reese gets his business skills from.
“I took the liberty of unlocking the adjoining door between our suites.” Nina looks pleased with herself, but I can only gape in horror at the previously locked door that is now wide open to her adjoining sitting room and bedroom beyond, a mirror image of our own except for her ginormous antique suitcase in one corner.
Max meows in his cage and I set him down by the chaise lounge. There’s no way I’m letting him out amongst this chaos and with so much tuille around.
I try to catch Reese’s eye, but he’s back on the phone again and I hear something about solar charging.
“Are you okay?“ he silently mouths to me, his expression softening for a moment.
I’m overwhelmed, I’m anxious about my cat, and I’m worried about him and the company, but I don’t want to add me to the list of things Reese has to worry about.
If I can keep Nina busy and out of trouble while he comes up with a plan for Aurora, then I’ll be doing him a service. So, I give him a bright smile and a nod.
“I’m good.”
He kisses me softly on the mouth and heat passes between us, igniting my body. His eyes flare with desire, and I know if I said the word, he'd order everyone out and let his company burn for a moment of passion.
It’s tempting, but I pull back. His company is at stake, and I won’t let everything he worked for crumble because of me.
He saunters off to the bedroom with his phone pressed to his ear and closes the door behind him. I can’t help feeling I should be there with him. I’m his wife, his support, and I’m still his assistant.
“Come and see the wedding dresses, doll,” Nina soothes. “I prefer lace but your style might be somewhat different so I requested plenty of options.”
I turn away from Reese and the closed bedroom door and follow Nina to the rack of wedding dresses.
I’m handed a glass of champagne and a prim-looking woman slides each dress off the rack. They’re all big and white and nice, but my mind is on Reese and the problems he needs to solve. It seems frivolous to think about a wedding dress when his entire empire is crumbling around him.
“Which do you want to try on?” the woman asks.
I glance at the row of puffy white dresses and take a sip of champagne. It tastes sharp and I wince as it goes down.
“It’s overwhelming isn’t it, doll?” Nina puts a hand on my shoulder and her perfume wafts over me.
“Should we look at the wedding stationary and come back to this, or perhaps try the cake samples?”
I glance around at a table I didn’t see before with large slices of elaborate-looking cake. My stomach turns and I feel like I’m going to be sick. And that’s when I know I’ve got to do something about this. I’m not usually a girl who turns down cake.
I’m not usually a girl who sits by during a crisis either. Because I’m not Ava Matthews anymore, I’m Ava Donovan. I’m Reese’s wife. I don’t need another wedding; I need to be in there with my husband, providing support in whatever capacity he requires.
I stand up abruptly and plonk the glass down on the nearest table. I clear my throat, and several pairs of eyes turn to me expectantly.
“Thank you for coming but I need you all to leave.”
Silence fills the room. Nina starts to speak but I cut her off.
“We’re not having another wedding. Reese and I are already married, and I don’t need a big dress and fancy invitations.”
The woman behind the stationary table bristles and I throw her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, they are lovely.”
Nina looks shocked and this may not be the best start to the mother-in-law relationship, but I need to set boundaries.
“But we didn’t get to celebrate with you.”
“We’ll hold a party when we’re ready to celebrate with our friends and family, but we don’t need another wedding. I’m already Reese’s wife, and I don’t need a white dress to prove it.”
“But…” Nina protests, and I silence her with a look that I’ve perfected from her son.
“Thank you for organizing all of this. But I need everyone to leave, right now.”
Everyone looks at me stunned, and I wonder what wasn’t clear. An image of my Gramma Erlene pops into my head and I realize what I’ve forgotten.
I smile sweetly. “Please.”
The silence breaks and there’s the scramble of cases opening and goods being hastily packed away.
I turn to one of the hotel staff standing awkwardly with a tray of yet more champagne. “Clear the tables and get this champagne out of here. And when it’s cleared, lock the door between our suites.” I glance at the cake stand. There’s thick, double-layered chocolate cake with what looks like raspberry frosting. “Leave the cake.” The woman nods and hurries off.
It takes less than two minutes to clear the room. Once the last of the tables is cleared away, I’m left alone in the room with Nina and an angry Max still in his cat carrier.
I turn to Nina, expecting her to be cross with me, but she’s looking at me with a newfound respect. “I knew there was fire inside of you. My psychic told me you’d be strong enough for my Reese.”
I’ve got a pounding headache and I long to close the door on Nina, but who can tell what mischief she’ll get up to next?
An idea occurs to me. Maybe I could put her mischief-making and incredible ability to wrangle resources at short notice to good use. Reese might kill me for this but I’ve got to take the chance.
“Nina, can you do something for Reese?”
She opens her arms theatrically. “Anything.”
I hesitate, not knowing where Reese draws the line with his mother and his business. But it’s obvious Nina’s bored and needs something to channel her energy into.
“Can you find me every alternative battery source in the country?”
Her brow creases for an instant, but then her mind gets to work. “Producer or supplier?”
“Producer. They’ve got to produce the goods in the USA; that’s part of our brand promise. I’m talking solar-powered batteries, but not the built-in kind. They’ve got to be removable.”
Nobody wants to leave their dildo out in the sun to charge.
“I’m on it, doll.” She’s already got her phone out with a look of determination on her face.
“Nina.” She glances up. “It’s important Leon doesn’t know about this. He’s trying to take over the business.”
She falters. “My Leon?”
“He’s not a nice man, Nina. Promise me, for the sake of your son, you won’t breathe a word of this to Leon. Even if he tries to bribe you with luxury items and pretty words. You can’t tell him anything about this.”
She gives me a conspiratorial smile. “You have my word. I won’t tell Leon a thing, even if he turns up with a hundred elephants.” Which is a weird thing for a paramour to turn up with, but perhaps not unusual in Nina’s world.
She heads back to her suite, and I shut the door and lock it with the key one of the staff gave me.
I lean against the door and exhale a huge breath, letting the silence settle around me.
It takes another few minutes to get Max’s items set up and release him to do his worst in the suite. He dashes off to hide behind the curtains.
I’ll have to leave him to get settled in by himself. My husband needs me. No matter in what capacity, I’m here for him. I open the door to the bedroom and go to Reese.