35. Meredith
Chapter Thirty-Five
MEREDITH
“Five more minutes,” Logan mumbles against my lips as the alarm goes off for the third time.
“You’re going to be so late.”
“I don’t care.”
He’s deep inside of me, one of my legs draped over his forearm, thrusting into me from behind, and I moan so loudly our new neighbors probably will leave a complaint letter on our door.
“We have a very important day, today,” I gasp.
“I still don’t care.”
A few more thrusts, and I’m coming hard around him.
The thing about minimal bedrest is that you don’t have to stop all activities, it turns out.
My doctor decided that quitting work and doing some bedrest was best after I fainted once more when my blood sugar dropped.
I’m almost six months pregnant, and I barely leave my bed, but I’m about to.
We’re having our wedding in two days, and I can’t wait. I’m so tired of lying in this bed I can’t stand it.
Not to mention, I cannot wait to marry Logan Matthews.
Logan groans and bites my shoulder when he comes, kissing along the mark he made with his teeth before slowly pulling out of me.
I have marks all over my shoulders. I love the sting of them when I press down on them looking in the mirror.
He kisses my cheek and hurries to get dressed.
He found a new location a few months back, and its grand opening is today.
I’ve been doing some work from home to help out, but not much. Logan can’t seem to keep his hands off me ever since I started to show.
I sit up and prop up the pillows behind me.
Dina is coming over tonight along with Lillian, Lola, and even Rita. I invited them all as an impromptu bachelorette party.
“Have fun tonight.” He kisses me again passionately. “I’ll miss you.”
Grayson and Logan are having their bachelor thing tonight, along with Bryce and a couple of other guys from work.
“No strippers,” he says at the door, and I start to laugh as the door closes.
The girls arrive around nine that evening, and I’m excited to let them in.
I swing open the door, and Lola hugs me tightly.
“I cannot believe you didn’t tell me you were sleeping with Logan Matthews! I hate that I had to be away for so long”
I laugh out loud.
“But I’m back. Of course, that means you must tell me all about it now.”
“Tell us all.” Rita comes in wearing a sequined blouse and a pair of slacks and looking ten years younger. She hands me a gift bag, and I put it with all the others.
There’s wine for everyone–and sparkling cider for me–and we all drink and talk and laugh for what seems like hours.
Time flies by, and it’s almost eleven before we start the games. I’m exhausted, but I’m having fun, and it’s not long before Logan starts to text me.
Did you get any lingerie? But “lingerie” is spelled wrong.
I smile down at my phone, and Lola nudges me.
“Is that the groom?”
“Yeah, I think he’s drunk.” I giggle.
“Perfect time to sext someone,” Dina teases.
My cheeks heat up.
“Plus, you did get lingerie,” Rita points out. “From me!”
It’s a thong with a pearl back, and my cheeks burned so hot when I opened it up.
“Logan will love it.”
“So, you have to tell us what it’s like,” Lola says in an exhaled breath.
“Yes, please,” Rita pipes up, and I widen my eyes at her.
“Rita, aren’t you old enough to be his mother?”
“I have eyes.” She shrugs.
“Whatever. A lady doesn’t reveal her bedroom secrets.”
Lola snickers. “You did in high school, only you neglected to tell me it was Logan .”
“I couldn’t! It was a secret romance.”
“Taboo,” Rita points out, sipping her third or fourth glass of wine.
We’d already decided they’d all crash here. It’s a five-bedroom, after all, so there’s plenty of room.
“Exactly. There’s something sexy and mysterious about the whole thing.”
I shrug. “It’s not that mysterious. It’s just… we met. Grayson introduced me to his best friend and well… I just knew.”
“You knew? Even then?” Dina leans toward me in interest.
“Even then.” I smile. “And I think he knew it too. He bought this ring while we were still teenagers.”
I show it off.
“I expected a four-carat diamond, with all the money he makes,” Rita says, and I snort.
“I wouldn’t want it. It’d feel too heavy on my finger.”
“To each her own.” Rita grins, sticking out her hand and showing off her three-carat ring. She does this every time she gets tipsy. Her husband, Harold, is quite the man, it turns out.
We talk about Harold for a while, and then one of Lola’s new beaus, and I’m trying my best not to doze off.
“I think we should retire, ladies,” Rita says, hiccupping, clearly tipsy.
Dina laughs and helps her upstairs while I go up with Lola.
“It’s been forever since we’ve been able to hang out.”
“It has.” I bite my lip. “I’m glad you’re back now. You’re not mad at me for not telling you, are you?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing like that. I just wish you’d know you could tell me anything. I wouldn’t have judged you, you know?”
“I know. It was less that and more I worried my mother would interrogate the truth out of you.”
“Like putting skewers under my fingernails?”
“Wouldn’t put it past her.”
We both laugh, and she walks me to my room before heading to hers.
I look down at my phone, which has a half dozen increasingly incoherent texts, and I look at the time.
Nearly two. He may already be asleep.
He picks up on the first ring.
“Princess.” His words slur, and I can’t help but laugh.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough. Can I come home?”
“Absolutely not. We’re not supposed to see each other until the wedding, you know? It’s tradition.”
“Fuck tradition. I want you on my tongue.”
My neck and face start heating up. “Logan! What if the girls were still awake?”
“I don’t care. Put me on speaker. I want you to sit on my face.”
I dissolve into semi-embarrassed, semi-ecstatic giggles.
“Maybe on our honeymoon.”
Definitely on our honeymoon.
“I miss you.” His voice cracks in a yawn.
“Sleep it off, mister. We have a big day coming. You’ll be working until then, so remember, I love you.”
“I could never forget. Love you, princess.”
We hang up, and I smile fondly at the phone as if it’s his face, missing him so badly my chest hurts.
Two more days.
It seems like an eternity.
* * *
It’s the morning of my wedding.
I’ve been up since five trying to set my hair.
Both my mother and Logan tried to talk me into getting a hair and makeup girl for myself, but I like doing it myself.
I put on some reddish-brown eyeliner and eyeshadow and do a bit of a glam look on my face and my hair is in curlers when my mother rings the doorbell incessantly at six in the morning.
I sigh, wishing that we had a gate like my mother’s estate. Sometimes, my mother can be too much, and it’d be nice to have a little warning.
“Your little baby bump!” my mother squeals.
It’s been a couple of weeks since she’s seen me, and I guess it has grown.
I smile.
It’s funny to hear her celebrating my weight gain instead of discouraging it, but I can’t deny it’s a nice change.
“My grandson is getting big.”
I roll my eyes. “You don’t know it’s a boy, Mother.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve had one of each, and you’re carrying low.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
Lola, my maid of honor, and Dina and Rita, my bridesmaids, show up next. We’re having the wedding in my huge backyard because as soon as Logan showed me the place, I fell in love with it.
It’s currently all decorated with my favorite flowers, roses and lilies and tulips. My father spared no expenses and insisted on paying for the wedding and the honeymoon despite Logan’s protests.
“It’s tradition,” he’d said firmly, and written Logan a check, which I haven’t been able to get him to cash.
Logan gave me a limitless credit card to put everything on, but we work hard to make our money, regardless of how much we have, so I make conscious decisions before spending it.
But I do feel spoiled in my lacy dress with spaghetti straps and a detachable skirt, diamonds encrusted on the very bottom of the train, which I had bunched in my arms as I ran around trying to dry my nails while also fixing my makeup.
“This is chaos.” Dina laughs.
“I told her she should have hired a girl.”
“I like doing my own makeup, Mother.”
Lola grabs my hands.
“Relax. Let them dry!” She smiles at me. “You’re going to be Mrs. Matthews soon. Remember?”
I sag. “You’re right. I am.” I beam at her. “I’ve wanted this since I was sixteen years old.”
My mother huffs out a breath. “Sixteen? I thought you said you started dating at eighteen!”
I snort out a laugh. “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t in love with him since I met him.”
I look out the window at the gazebo they’d set up and the catering table.
We’re having a dual ceremony/reception before heading off to Maui. I can’t wait to see the sandy beaches and clear water.
My breath catches in my throat as my father walks up to me, his eyes red-rimmed like he’s been crying all day.
“Daddy.” My voice shakes. “You'll make me cry and ruin my makeup.”
“You just look so beautiful.” His voice shakes, too, and I hug him tightly, sniffling and fighting the tears that threaten to stain my face.
We both manage to get it together before the music starts, and he takes my hand as we walk down the aisle.
Logan’s talking to Grayson and laughing about something before he sees me, and then his eyes rove over me to land back on my face.
Tears fill his eyes and tumble down his cheeks, and he wipes them away with the heel of his hand.
Oh, God, I’m totally going to cry .
I do, but thankfully, my expensive makeup saves me–thanks, Mother–and it doesn’t get eyeliner all over my face.
I barely know what’s going on until the priest asks us to recite our vows.
I go first, my voice and my hands trembling as I look down at the notes I scribbled down.
“Logan, I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you holding a pool stick at Bennigan’s.” I smile and focus on him. He’s still wiping tears from his eyes. “And we were apart for too long. But you’re back, and I can’t be more excited about our future with our baby.”
“Princess,” he breathes, speaking from the heart, no notes involved. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I want to love you and our child until the day I die, and if there’s an afterlife, even after that. I can’t help thinking that fate brought us back together, and I want to honor our love forever.”
I let out a shaky breath when the priest pronounces us husband and wife, and Logan kisses me so passionately that my knees go a little weak.
Hours later, after he’s taken off my garter with his teeth and thrown it to Bryce and Dina has caught my bouquet, I lean against him, tired.
“Are you ready for Maui?”
“A ten-hour flight? Tonight? I might die.” But I’m smiling.
“We could always put it off until tomorrow. Your father rented us a private jet.”
I look at him. “Could we? Just have the night to ourselves tonight?”
“Anything you want, princess.”
I know in that moment that Logan means it—he'll give me anything, do anything to keep our love alive.
This man will spoil me with love and support.
And if that’s not the right kind of spoiled, I don’t know what is.