30. Brielle
Chapter thirty
Brielle
T he summer flew by. We made it to September without many big issues, wedding-wise, but I was so busy that I didn’t even notice the time passing.
I worked part-time as a photographer for children’s birthday parties while I waited for the gallery to reopen.
I only had one more shift at the party place before I started back at the gallery.
I knew I was going to miss working there.
I loved seeing the kids' faces light up.
I wanted to try to do the gallery and photography, but with the last semester of school approaching, I just couldn't.
Everything had fallen into place perfectly.
We had a wedding shower for the girls, which was super fun and girly.
We made it a tea party theme. I am not the biggest fan of frilly, girly things, so I was much more excited for the bachelor/bachelorette party.
Plus, that meant it was only one week until the wedding day.
The week was completely packed with events.
Eli came up to see me a few times over the summer.
He and Beck also surprised me and helped Amani and me move into our apartment.
While he was there, he made it a goal to go down on me in every room.
We did three rooms on the first day. He made a very detailed plan to knock out the other rooms when he came for the wedding week.
The most handsome man in the world stood by my car the moment I walked outside to leave work.
“Hello, Masterpiece.”
“Baby!” I exclaimed. I ran to him and jumped into his arms. His deep chuckle was officially my absolute favorite sound.
After kissing him senseless, he pulled away and put me down. “How was work?”
“It was sad. I don’t want to leave, honestly. One day, I'll be back, I'm sure.”
“I don’t doubt that,” he said.
I got into the driver’s seat, and he walked around and got into the passenger seat. I pulled out toward my apartment, and we fell into a comfortable conversation.
“How was your flight? It was delayed, right?”
“Yeah. Only by forty minutes, though. It wasn’t bad at all.” He pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed the center of my palm. I curled my hand around his chin.
“I like this extra scruff you’ve got going on.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get too comfortable with it. I have to clean it up for the wedding.”
“Damn,” I said jokingly. He moved my hand back to his lap and continued holding it. I gripped his hand a little tighter. “So, how is your dad?”
He looked over at me. “Not great, but okay.”
His dad had been progressively getting worse. He wasn’t expected to make it much longer. Hospice care was usually only given when the patient was expected to have six months or less. I was just praying he lasted at least until Eli got home. I didn’t want Elijah to not be there when he passed.
I actually suggested he not come until the day before the wedding, just in case, but he told me no. He said he could still talk to him daily on FaceTime.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t be home right now?”
“Brie, don’t do this. I am exactly where I should be. Okay?”
I knew he didn’t mean for it to come out curt like it did.
He and I had been getting into stupid little tiffs whenever I suggested something different than what he thought or wanted.
I tried giving him a little grace because I knew he was on edge, but it still pissed me off.
I pulled my hand away and put it on the wheel. “Got it.”
“Come on Brielle. You know I didn’t—”
“Don’t worry about it. I was just trying to be helpful.”
He huffed and looked out the window. “I am sorry, okay. I’m just…I’m on edge.”
“I know you are.”
“So just let it go, okay?”
“You got it. It’s forgotten.”
The rest of the ride was silent. When we pulled up to my apartment, Aubrey and Callie were also pulling in.
“Hey, Elijah. How was your flight?” Callie called out before coming over to us and giving him a quick hug.
“It was good, thanks.”
Aubrey chimed in as she walked up the stairs. “How's your dad?”
He looked at me, and then back at her. “He's fine.”
Aubrey caught on quickly that there was something off, so she just walked into my place without saying another word.
I grabbed his wrist. “They are going to ask. If you can’t handle that, then maybe you shouldn’t be around all of us right now. We care about you, and in turn, we care about your dad.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I know, I’m just frustrated.”
“And you have the right to be. No one is saying you shouldn’t be upset, but we don’t deserve the way you are acting. If you are going to have this attitude…respectfully, please don’t come.”
He walked toward me, pushing me against the metal railing. He put his forehead against mine. “I am sorry.”
I reached up to cup his face. “I know you are.”
“Forgive me?”
I kissed him quickly. “Always.”
We walked in, and he apologized to Aubrey before bringing his bag into my bedroom. They hugged it out, and everything seemed to be okay. I hoped it stayed that way.
After getting ready, we met up with Nick, Link, and a few other people at a place called Cue and Brew.
Link and Aubrey wanted to have it at a place where they could play pool.
However, I’m still unsure why, because my sister couldn't play pool to save her life, but it was their party. I just took care of the details, and Elijah paid for everything. He didn’t let me pay for anything.
He said he owed it to Link and Aubrey, though he never told me what for.
The party was off to a great start, and everyone was having fun. The pool hall actually brought in a karaoke machine, even though they wouldn’t normally have one. I assumed Elijah had something to do with that, too.
We made the bachelor and bachelorette more of a stag so more people could come. They didn’t have an interest in doing separate things. We had raffles and fun prizes, with buffet-style food and a few beers on tap, and then there was a full cash bar for any other needs.
Everyone was having fun, but I became more on edge the later it got.
I was only nervous about two things going wrong.
One was Elijah getting drunk. He told me he had been doing pretty well with not drinking as much.
The second was seeing Ellory and Caleb. Even though we rented out most of the tables for the party, it was still a public place that anyone could walk into.
I was leaning on one of the barstools when my second fear became a reality. Caleb walked in, hand in hand with Ellory, followed by a bunch of the people I hung out with back in high school. Ellory almost looked scared.
I excused myself to the bathroom and turned right into a hard, warm body.
“Woah. Did I scare you?” I wrapped my arms tightly around Elijah, and my breath calmed just a little. When I didn’t answer, he dipped his head to look at me. “Baby?”
Before I could speak, Amani came over to us. I knew she was there to tell me she saw them too. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.
Beck was standing behind her, looking around, then at Elijah, confused. “What did I miss?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Elijah answered.
Looking up at Elijah, I was no longer scared. This man wouldn’t let anyone hurt me; I can do this. I pulled his head down and kissed him gently. I hugged him and looked over at Amani.
“I’m good. They won't dictate my life anymore. The part we rented out is blocked off, so they can't get in here anyway.”
“Who?” Both guys asked in unison.
I put my hand on Elijah’s chest. “Nobody important. We are all good.”
He gave me a stern look. “Who is it, Brielle?”
He already knew, but I stood my ground. I assumed he didn’t even remember what Caleb or Ellory looked like, so he wouldn’t be able to recognize them. They only met once a while ago.
“Nobody important. Come on.” I pulled him towards one of the pool tables that was almost done with their game. “I am going to kick your ass in a game of pool as soon as you show me how to play.”
Beck laughed. “Elijah is a beast at playing pool. Don’t bet him anything. I warn you; you will lose.”
My eyebrows rose curiously. “You don’t say?”
He put his arms around Amani's neck. “I’m warning you, girl. You will lose.”
“We will see about that,” I said confidently.
Elijah was leaning on a pool stick, still scanning the room.
“What should we bet?” I asked.
He looked at me. “You’re the confident one. You tell me.”
“Hmm.” I tapped my chin like I was thinking. I stepped toward him so only he could hear me. “If I win, I’ll get the first orgasm tonight.”
He pulled me in even closer, biting his lip, and whispered in my ear. “You always get the first one.”
I laughed. “Well, if you win, you’ll get all the orgasms, and I don’t get any.”
He looked upset about that. “That really isn’t a good bet, baby. I’ll lose either way.”
“How so?”
He playfully bit my ear, “‘Cause I want to hear you scream my name and taste you on my tongue. If I win, I won’t get to hear that.”
“Guess you’ll have to lose then, won’t ya?”
“You sexy fuckin’ devil,” he said through gritted teeth as I walked away.
I won, of course, but everyone could tell he let me. When we finished, Elijah went to grab another beer while I watched as Aubrey and Link demolished Callie and Nick in a game. My sister knew what she was doing after all.
The moment he came back, I felt his warmth on my back. He sat down and pulled me into him, his legs were wide enough for me to stand between them. His warm lips kissed up the side of my neck and butterflies erupted in my core.
He whispered against my neck, his warm breath sending shivers down my entire body. “I am going to make you fucking scream tonight.”
I turned my head slightly so my cheek touched his. “Promise?”
I moved my hand behind me, and between us, I could feel his hard cock.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he said through gritted teeth.
I turned around completely and put my arms around him. “I’ve missed you too.”