18. Ugly Cry
UGLY CRY
REX
Fifty-thousand red roses later and the last major wedding decision was done, after meeting most of the morning and early afternoon at the florist shop with Miriam.
Light red, dark red, and just plain red roses would be mixed together everywhere, from the bridal bouquet to cascading roses down our multi-tiered cake, to similar arrangements on tall candelabras on every table at the reception. The Plaza Hotel ballroom would be dripping in red roses. Plus, the Fifth Avenue Church would feature a red rose arch with twinkle lights and roses down the aisle.
It would be a sight. But the only one I cared for was Chelsea walking down the aisle. While she worried about the costs of the florals, as far as I was concerned, we were almost on easy street now.
Other than the seating chart, Miriam shouldn’t have much more to bug us about. We could sit back and relax, enjoying each other before our big day, and maybe find some sense of normalcy together.
Today also marked our last day of filming with India. Good riddance to that nosy woman and cameras. Our life could go back to being all about us, without being cautious about what we said or did for fear of it being made public.
I’d love it if Chelsea and I redecorated my apartment together, to blend our tastes and make her feel more at home here. Although I’d already planned our honeymoon to the Maldives as a surprise for her, if I could convince Chelsea to take off a year from work and sail around the world with me, we’d have a great time. Kids could come later.
But first, I needed to find space to talk to Chelsea about the prenup situation. I didn’t want one between us. I feared even talking about it would ruin the trust we’d built. But with more and more pressure coming from Mom and Richard, it might be best to discuss it honestly and openly and see how my bride would feel about it.
“Aww look,” Chelsea exclaimed, holding up her phone next to me as we relaxed on the couch after the florist meeting with Miriam. “A bunch of posts just updated on Maisy’s social media. The boat must have finally pulled into a port with good Wi-Fi.”
Photos of Maisy on her travels appeared in posts one after the other as she swiped through, each one putting a smile on her face. Some showed her sister with a large group of people, probably the other researchers on the vessel. Others had amazing scenery from ports they’d visited. And several were of her and a man.
“That’s her professor. Looks like they’re working hard, by all the photos of them in the lab. Oh, spoke too soon, here’s some of them eating and dancing in Brazil. How fun? He’s cute. Seems like she’s doing well so far.” Chelsea sighed and brought a finger to the corner of her eye. “There’s a long email from her, too. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear from her and that she’s doing well.”
I squinted at the photos of Maisy and the professor. They appeared rather friendly, maybe more than friends, but I didn’t want to say anything to worry her. Suddenly, the couch shook, and I realized she was crying.
“Sweetness, what’s going on? Come here.” I reached for her, but she pulled away.
“Please, Rex, I just need a good cry. We’ll talk later.” She leapt from the couch with her face in her hands and ran for the bathroom. I immediately followed, bewildered.
I knocked on the door, hearing her sobs. “Baby, I can’t stand you crying in there without my shoulder to lean on.”
“No. Please Rex. I’m an ugly crier.”
“I’ve seen you cry before.”
“Not ugly like this,” I heard her say between sniffles and blowing her nose.
“This I have to see because I doubt it.”
“No, please, it’s worse than you think. I’m a snotty crier. My nose runs faster than my tears. Seeing those photos of Maisy makes me miss her and my family so much. Give me space. Go for a run or something.”
“I can’t leave. I’m worried you’ll pack your things. That I’ll get back to the apartment and find you’d gone back to Holly Creek. I swear you’d rip my heart out if that happened. I’d be a soaking mess myself. And I’m not usually a crier. Please, don’t leave me, Chelsea.” I’d grovel on my knees for this woman if needed.
“You think I’m leaving you because of this?”
She threw open the door, and I raised a brow at her face. She wasn’t kidding. The ugly crying was a sight, red faced, cold sweat, tears making rivers down her cheeks, snot bubbling through her nose, but she was still the most beautiful woman to me.
“See. Get out now while you can,” she groaned.
I grabbed her and held her tight to my chest. “I’m never leaving you. So cry all the snotty tears you want. Soak my shirt. You’re stuck with me.”
She shook in my hold and all I could think about was how to make the ache of missing her family less. Her brother in the military, Maisy somewhere in the world, her mom and friends back home, and all she had in New York was me. Somehow, I’d make this up to her.
Several tissues later, she was almost her old self, except for the constant flow of tears. “I’m never leaving you, Rex. Unless you do something monumentally stupid.”
“What would that entail?”
“Cheating.”
I snorted. “That’s never going to happen. You have me whipped, don’t you know that by now? I’d never be able to stick my dick anywhere else ever again. I’m yours, baby.”
“Then you not standing up to your mother for me.”
“Yeah, well, with my mother, it’s complicated.” I sighed. I wouldn’t say I was a mama’s boy, but there was deep respect and love for Miriam, and I didn’t want to let her down. “But I can promise you this…my darling wife-to-be, I will always put us first. With this wedding, it’s hard not to side with Mom because I would spend every cent of my fortune to put on the biggest wedding this planet has ever seen so that I can show you off to the world as my wife.”
“But I told you before, money isn’t the answer to everything. Would a huge wedding really make you happy?”
“Yes.”
She cocked her head at me with an arched brow.
“Um... No?”
“All I ever wanted, Rex, was a cute wedding in Holly Creek. I saw myself married by the Christmas tree in the square with snow falling all around, me wearing a cloak of fur and my hands not freezing in a white fur muff. Saying I do, and kissing the man I love with cold, red noses, with all my family and friends there looking on. Simple can be very satisfying, too.”
“Wish we would have talked seriously about the wedding before we talked to Miriam. I could have made all that possible.”
Her laughter returned with a vengeance. “Not with your mother, you couldn’t. Somehow, she’d have blown up a wedding in Holly Creek to gigantic proportions.”
She had me at that, and we enjoyed a good laugh together. “You don’t regret saying you’ll marry me now, do you?”
“What? Not at all. How could you think I regret this? I don’t.”
“Chelsea, I love you for you, even with all your small town dreams, even under the cloud of ugly tears,” I teased.
“See, I told you I’m an ugly crier.”
“You could never be ugly because you have a beautiful heart. I know this wedding planning has been too much. But we’re in the home stretch, yeah? And I’m counting down every second until you’re my wife, Sweetness,” I assured her, swiping my thumb across her wet cheek.
While I loved Chelsea’s inner strength, how she could get through anything life threw her way, was it sick that a part of me loved this vulnerable side of her, too? Maybe even hoped I’d see it again soon? “Now. I need you to dry up these tears and put on something casual. I figured today with the florist wouldn’t be easy, so I set up a surprise for you.”
“You did? What is it?” She blew into a few more tissues and turned toward the mirror to dab more at her face.
“I booked the La Sur Del Mar spa for you this afternoon for a massage and facial and whatever else you need. The entire staff is at your command.”
With her hand at her heart, her head shook, and she turned to face me. “Oh, Rex, that’s too much.” I boxed her in with my hands on the bathroom vanity behind her.
“You absolutely deserve this treat. Besides, after the last time you came home from the spa and you gushed about Serge’s hands all over you, loosening up your gorgeous muscles and body—and afterward about the incredible sex you and I had that night—are you saying you don’t want another massage?”
“Hm. Good point. He really did dig deep into my knots.” A corner of her lips curled up, and she winked at me.
I didn’t bother holding back a growl at the vision of his hands on her. “And I pay him damn well to keep the massage PG and not get anywhere near certain parts of you. He’s to loosen you up, not give you any happy ending whatsoever. That’s my job.”
“I guess a little pampering would be nice. And when I get back, I’ll be all relaxed and ready for you .” The smile full of golden sunshine that I’d come to love on my Chelsea returned.
“I’ll be ready and waiting.” My cock inflated to the size of a huge ego mushroom shaped head, knowing no amount of Serge’s hands could compete.
Chelsea threw her arms around me for one last squeeze. “What will you do while I’m gone?”
“I thought I’d get a start on writing wedding vows.”
“Really? You’re the greatest, my love,” she purred.
“About time you give me all the praise I’m due.” I grinned, giving her rump a swat as she sashayed away to clean up.
Big ugly cry session over? Yes.
One relieved and soon relaxed wife-to-be because I was better at navigating this relationship stuff than I thought? Double yes.
Finding all the right words I wanted to say to the love of my life in our vows? Not easy—I didn’t think words yet existed that could describe the depths of my love for this woman. My phone chirped, taking my focus off that topic for a moment.
“Brooks? What’s up?” I answered. Some heavy breathing came through the line…or crying?
“I fucked up. Help me, Rex,” he blubbered on with some drunken nonsense I couldn’t understand. The only word I could make out was a name…Maisy.