3. Bex - Present Day
Chapter Three
BEX - PRESENT DAY
As I stepped into the bride’s dressing room, I watched Cassie help Brie into her wedding dress. The filmy white dress with the beaded bodice and cap sleeves fit Brie perfectly. My sister-in-law-to-be wanted a dress that wasn’t too clingy and still feminine and sexy. Nothing too poofy or cupcake-y.
Despite the wine estate venue, just outside town, and the exorbitant catering bill, Brie was the most laid-back bride of all my brothers’ wives. And two of those weddings were quickies; one at a courthouse and one in Vegas.
Even when it came to what her bridesmaids wore, she didn’t have any hard and fast rules for us.
She wanted us in a neutral shade, but the style and exact color was up to each individual woman.
Cassie wore a champagne empire style tea length dress with a butterfly hem that left enough room in case she had started showing, which she did not.
I had seen the other two bridesmaid’s dresses and they were both above the knee, but still respectable.
Mine was… well, let’s just say there was a reason I still wore the burnt orange trench coat, despite the heat.
Cassie gestured to me as she zipped up Brie’s dress. “Show us. You’ve been keeping this under wraps, that dress better be worth all the hype.”
“Where are Lilly and Anna?” I hadn’t shown anyone my dress.
I bought it just after I found my ex-fiancé cheating on me.
I knew when I found it, that the dress would only serve one purpose.
To get the attention of the one I drove away.
“I want to get all the snappy and sarcastic comments out of the way before everyone else sees me.”
Brie waved her hands. “Just show us. How much trouble can one dress actually be?
With that, I untied the belt of my trench coat and pulled it off. Two pairs of eyes widened and stared at me.
“Oh my.” Brie blinked hard. “That dress is… a lot of trouble.”
Cassie stuttered and then found her voice. “That’s… that’s… well, it’s a naked dress.”
“Let’s not exaggerate.” Although she was more accurate than I would like to admit.
The dress was a Missy K original, I found at a vintage store.
It was as close to my skin color as it could get.
Soft nude was what it was advertised as.
Silver shoe-string straps sparkled on my shoulders, but the V-neck didn’t show too much cleavage.
The A-line skirt hit mid-thigh with silver trim around the hem.
The fabric left no room for a bra, and I learned just how unforgiving body tape could be, even when your curves bordered on the side of slight.
“It just makes you take a second glance.”
Brie nodded as she slipped into her silver heels. “I take it that is the exact effect you’re going for. To make a certain someone take a second look?”
“Oh, please.” Cassie rolled her eyes. “A certain someone has been looking at nothing but Bex for months. If he looks any harder, his eyes will pop out.”
That wasn’t entirely true. “We’ve both been dating and he’s only been back in town for just over a year. Logan went out with that nurse. And I was on a date last week.”
Brie shook her head. “Everly used to say, it’s not a date unless there is the possibility of sex sometime in the future.
And let’s face it, that police officer was never going to get any from you.
As for the nurse he had dinner with, well, I don’t know, but Mason said nothing happened between them. ”
I raised a brow at my friend. “You speak to my brother about his best friend’s sex life?”
“We speak about how two idiots can circle each other for more than a decade and would rather do toxic relationships or non-starters than deal with each other.”
Brie and Cassie high-fived while I huffed and rolled my eyes. “It’s not that simple. We have a lot of baggage.”
Cassie sighed. “Look, whatever that baggage is, it’s old. It’s time to let it go and see that whatever happened hasn’t diminished how you feel about one another.”
“Did Jake —?” I half expected my brothers to tell their significant others.
She shook her head. “Whatever the secret is, Jake's said nothing.”
“Neither has Mason.” Brie nodded in agreement. “He as much as said it wasn’t his story to tell. No one but the three of you know whatever it is.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Lily and Anna, my other two sisters-in-law, knew.
I needed help making sure that Louis DeMarchis, the psychopath with a vendetta against my family, never discovered my secret.
That meant I couldn’t make the enquiries I needed by myself.
After I spoke to the two of them, Lily did the necessary communication and kept everything discreet.
As it turned out, DeMarchis never found out about the kid I had in high school.
The kid who was now a teenager. After establishing that Dominic was safe, I never made further enquiries.
He was happy and healthy and that was all my heart needed.
As we finished getting ready, my mom walked in stooping somewhat, allowing each of Brie’s twins to hold a forefinger.
My mother’s eyes widened as she took in my dress. There was no judgment, and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “I assume that dress is for Logan?”
“Mom.” I pretended to look scandalized. “Not everything is about a man.”
She raised a brow. “This better be for a man, or I’ll not defend you when your brothers try and force you into some oversized pants suit.”
Salinger matriarch or not, my mother was not above anyone doing what it took to get what they wanted.
If she could have, my mother would’ve locked Logan and I in a room together a long time ago.
She never understood why I had broken up with him.
But I was used to people not understanding my motives.
Logan never understood why I was willing to give up our son for adoption.
I hoped never to tell him my reasoning, but if I stood any sort of chance with him, I needed to be honest. Not just about the past but about my future, as well.
Not right away, of course. My brother's wedding was not the time. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t catch his attention.
I looked at the twins, they looked so much like the photos of Mason and I at that age. With Madison in her cream flower girl dress and Knox in his little tux, my niece and nephew were absolutely adorable.
My mother walked them over to me. “Why don’t you take the opportunity to show off that dress and take the twins to see their dad before the wedding.
” She winked at me and I knew what she was trying to say.
Logan was one of the groomsmen and he was likely with Mason.
He’d been my twin brother’s best friend since kindergarten and knew how to keep Mason calm.
Brie crouched down and kissed her sweet children. “That’s a good idea. Then we won’t need to hustle them downstairs.”
After the twins had given their mom a cuddle, Cassie and I each picked one up and carried them past the many doors from the bridal suite down to the room where Mason was getting ready.
I knocked on the door and immediately opened it, with my youngest brother, Jake, standing in the doorway. “Checking up on us?”
I pushed past him and into the room the men used to get ready. “Squishball wanted to see her Daddy. Brie thought it would be a good idea to take them down before the ceremony started.”
My gaze drifted and landed on Logan. The man rocked his ER scrubs. In jeans and a T-shirt, he was sexy as hell. Standing across from me in a tuxedo holding a whiskey tumbler while his gaze took in every inch of me, had me relieved I thought to wear nipple covers.
Goosebumps erupted over my body, and as his eyes met mine, I swallowed hard.
His dark skin was clean shaven and I wanted to rub my palm over that smooth jaw.
Those dark eyes pulled me in and I was rooted to the spot.
Neither of us said a word while I took my brother’s drink from him and swallowed the amber liquid in one shot.
The whiskey burned my throat and still it was not as hot as my blood was watching Logan.
Cassie tapped my shoulder and with reluctance, I looked away. “Let’s go.”
I nodded and followed her. We returned to the bridal suite and got ready for the ceremony.
A few hours later, the reception was in full swing.
Mason and Brie had just finished their first dance as husband and wife.
My parents were on the dance floor with Brie’s mom and dad.
My youngest brother Jake, took Brie’s sister, Julie, to the floor.
The other bridesmaids, Cassie and Everly, were already on the floor with my older brothers.
Logan held his hand out to me and it took me a long, shaky moment before I reached for it.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to dance with him.
Quite the opposite actually. In fact, the whole point of the dress was to get into close proximity with Logan.
I stood and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor.
Logan’s palm landed on my lower back as he pulled me close. The half smile on his lips was downright sexy and should be banned in all fifty states. “You look really beautiful this evening.”
I looked down at my dress and back to his eyes. “Thanks. Now that I have you this close, I’m rethinking the dress.”
“Don’t.” He twirled me once then swayed to the music again. “The dress does the job it's supposed to without being too revealing.”
I cocked my head to the side. “And what job is that?”
Without missing a beat Logan tugged me even closer. There was no mistaking the bulge poking at my belly. “Satisfied?”
“Not even a little.” My response was swift, honest, and without thought. “If you knew half of what was going on in my imagination, you might run a mile.”
“Becky, I’ve been hard since you walked into the room earlier.” Logan held me close, his mouth to my ear. “You have never stopped being the star of my imagination.”
We danced together for a few more songs while Logan tried to will away his erection.
Eventually he got me to lead the way, covering him as we made our way to the bridal party table.
As the night continued, I had to admit neither of us were subtle.
We shared smiles and whispered words. I wanted to go home with him, but no way was Dr. Hotstuff going to help me remove body tape and pasties.
I needed to come up with a good enough reason to go around to my place first before meeting him.
My face must’ve given something away because Logan’s concerned eyes focused on me. “Becky? Is something the matter? This doesn’t have to go any further than a few more dances tonight and then we can see where things lead tomorrow.”
“No.” That was not what I wanted. “I want tonight. I just don’t want to ruin the mood.”
“The mood?” He pushed his chair closer to mine until our thighs rubbed against one another. “I’m not following.”
“I’m not seventeen anymore, Lo.” Falling back into that nickname came naturally. I waved my hands in the direction of my body. “Things don’t stay where they’re supposed to without help anymore.”
His gaze narrowed on my breasts, then he looked back up at me. “Body tape?” When I nodded, he continued. “I have rubbing alcohol in my medical bag, that should do the trick.”
“First, I don’t want to know how you know how to remove body tape.
” The thought of him being that intimate with another woman made my blood run cold, despite the fact that just under two years ago I was engaged to another man.
“Second, Logan, let me have this. We can be as intimate as we want but I need this illusion for now.”
He took a moment before answering. “Whatever you do, I want you in those heels when you get to me.”
I couldn’t help the smile that formed. “I like it when you’re bossy.”
“Babe.” That half smile played on his lips. “You haven’t seen bossy yet.”