A Beautiful Thought (The Beautiful Series) (31 page)

Her hands came to either side of my face with emotions shimmering in her big brown eyes. “My heart belongs to you, Damon,” she whispered against my lips. “Yes.”

That one word was all I needed from her. I cupped her face and kissed her, transferring and sharing all the love and happiness I felt inside with her in our passionate embrace.

She was my everything. My whole world began and ended with my girl. And we were just beginning our journey.

I rose with Gail in my arms, taking in her gorgeous baby-blue dress she had put on for this evening. Her hair fell around her shoulders as she held me tightly.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” I said, taking long strides, “but I don’t think we are going to make dinner tonight.”

“Why not?” she purred in my ear.

She kissed me with that sweet, warm mouth of hers.

“Because I’m going to make love to my future wife,” I replied with a mischievous grin.

“Fine by me, future husband.” She smiled against my lips.

~Gail~

With all our friends, family, and many of the townspeople gathered around, today was finally the grand opening of the office now known as M & J Construction & Co., short for Madison and Johnson.

I smiled over at Damon, filled with pride for all of his accomplishments. He was finally settling into the groove of things with William Rawn Associates and his office here in Lake Tahoe after peacefully parting ways from his other general contractor back in Denver.

Lily, Abbey, and I all held hands with nothing but love in our eyes as we watched our men cutting the big red ribbon outside of their new office.

“M & J Construction & Co., is
now
open for business!” Kyle announced to the crowd with pure delight in his tone.

Loud cheers filled the blue skies, and champagne bottles popped open. We all filled our glasses for a toast. Damon, Kyle, and Jason clinked glasses with one another and then threw back their drinks.

The three men came over to us. Jason pulled Abbey into his arms as did Kyle with Lily, all giving hugs and kisses.

Damon reached me, and I threw my arms around him as he linked his hands behind my back.

“Congratulations, handsome.” I nestled his neck and held him tightly.

He swooped me off the ground and spun me in a small circle. “Thank you,” he responded, elated.

Then, he set me down on my feet and gave me a chaste kiss. He drew away, leaving me wanting more, but we would have to wait until later.

Grace and Gavin Madison, Kyle and Abbey’s parents, came up to us, congratulating Jason and Damon.

A tall man approached on the other side of Grace and Gavin. With his matching blue eyes and impeccable strong build, he was unmistakably Jason and Damon’s brother.

“Congratulations, brother,” Blake said in a rich, deep voice to Damon.

“Thank you, Blake,” Damon replied, briefly embracing Blake. “I’m so glad you made it home in time for our opening,” he added.

Damon laced his hand with mine and gently brought me near. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée”—he motioned to me—“Gail Bennett.”

Blake turned his gaze to me and smiled kindly. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Gail,” he said, extending his hand to me.

I shook it with my own friendly smile. “And you as well, Blake. We are delighted you made it home safely.”

“Thank you.” Blake nodded.

“So, how long are you on leave for?” Jason chimed in with Abbey at his side.

“I’m not sure yet. Right now, I’m just looking for some R&R before I make any decisions of reenlisting,” Blake said thoughtfully. Then, he glanced between Jason and Abbey.

“This is my fiancée, Abbey Madison,” Jason said, introducing them.

“Nice to meet you, Abbey,” Blake said, shaking Abbey’s hand with a smile. “Would you happen to be Kyle Madison’s sister?” he asked with a handsome grin that reached his eyes.

“The one and only.” Abbey winked.

Kyle and Lily came over.

“How’s it going, man?” Kyle said to Blake, hugging him with a manly pat on the back. “Good to see you.”

“You, too,” Blake replied.

Lily stepped forward with tears in her eyes. “You’re home,” she cried, hugging Blake with a tight squeeze.

“I am,” Blake responded, pulling away with an affectionate smile at his cousin. “Congratulations on your recent marriage and upcoming baby. It seems like I’ve missed out on quite a bit while I was gone.”

“Thank you, Blake.” Lily beamed as she stepped back into Kyle’s arms. “We’ve missed you, and we have some serious catching up to do.”

“I see that.” Blake chuckled deeply, glancing between us all. “My cousin is happily married with a baby on the way, and both of my brothers are engaged,” he added in amazement. “So, when are the wedding bells ringing for each of you?”

“We haven’t picked a date yet,” Damon and I replied to Blake at the same time.

“In eight weeks,” Abbey said.

All heads whipped to Abbey and Jason, mouths gaping with a few gasps.

“Eight weeks?” Lily shouted.

“In less than two months?” Kathy gasped.

“How in the hell are we going to plan a wedding in eight weeks?” I screeched in shock.

“Aw, come on.” Abbey chortled. “We did it with Lily and Kyle. Surely, we can manage it again.” She winked.

Blake’s laughter filled the air. “Seems like you all have some planning to do.”

“We need Audrey over here,” I said, scanning the crowd.

“Definitely,” Abbey agreed. “She is a planning queen. If anyone can pull together a wedding in eight weeks, it would be Audrey.”

I spotted her and called her over. “Audrey!”

Audrey shifted through the crowd and approached us with a broad, stunning smile that reached her bright green eyes. Her long blonde hair blew in the wind along with her gorgeous white dress.

All heads were turned to Audrey.

I said, “Abbey, Lily, and I are going to need your help.”

“Of course.” She smiled coyly. “With what?”

“I’m getting married,” Abbey chimed in, “in eight weeks.”

Audrey’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she grinned at Abbey, Lily, and me. “I think all of us can manage that.”

“Wonderful,” I beamed over at Audrey and hugged her dearly.

Then, Abbey embraced her next. “Thanks, girl. You’re a lifesaver.”

“You’re going to need it, lady.” I glared over at Abbey playfully and pointed my finger. “Because you’re in trouble for not telling me your wedding date before.”

Abbey rolled her eyes at me. “We only settled on a date a few days ago.”

“It’s true.” Jason laughed as Pearl came up and embraced him.

“Saved by the fiancé.” I winked at Abbey, making her chuckle.

Suddenly, I caught Blake’s eyes. They were intently locked on Audrey, watching her, as she laughed and conversed with Lily. When Audrey finally glanced over at Blake, the blush in her cheeks did not go unnoticed by me.

As I smiled, I peeked over at Abbey to see she had the same smile on her face. Without a doubt, I knew that she’d caught the shared look between Blake and Audrey, too, because she gave me the biggest grin.

“What are you smiling about?” Damon asked, pulling me off to the side.

He stole a few kisses from me, and I eagerly obliged him.

“It’s a secret,” I murmured in his ear when I came up for air. “But I’ll tell you later.”

“Promise?” he probed in a husky tone before softly biting my bottom lip.

“Promise.” I laughed and then thoroughly kissed him again.

All the love I had for him flooded throughout my heart and soul. I found myself feeling blessed beyond what my heart could bear. Never in my wildest hopes and dreams had I expected to find a man who would complete me in so many ways and love me as I loved him. He was my best friend, my partner for life, and most importantly, the man of my thoughts and dreams.

Today was my brother, Kyle’s, wedding.

Only a few short hours ago on a sandy beach in Lake Tahoe, California, he had said, “I do,” to his bride, Lily, the woman who had stolen his heart.

Nearly every guest had been moved to tears as the loving couple had pledged their vows to one another in front of their family and friends under the clear blue skies. I was unbelievably happy to see my brother so in love. I had felt truly honored when Lily asked me to be one of her bridesmaids.

It was only times like these that made me wish I had a special someone in my life. The rest of the days, I would be perfectly content with being alone. I had been blessed with a great job and wonderful family and friends to keep me busy. But when I was surrounded by love, I couldn’t help but yearn to have it myself.

Every man who had caught my eye always seemed to be taken already, or he would be a one-night kind of guy. Even worse, I would find the ones with no aspirations who were seeking out a free ride in life. Sometimes, it had seemed like the odds were stacked against me.

I wanted a partner, someone to share my hopes and dreams with, a man who would kiss me good night, and a companion who would pull me close after a long, hard day of work or just because he wanted to. I wanted a fairy tale and my career. Tying those two notions together had not been working out in my favor so far. Therefore, I’d pushed aside those romantic daydreams of falling in love someday and locked them tightly in a box as I decided to focus on advancing my profession to its fullest potential.

Many mixed emotions flooded my thoughts while I observed Kyle and Lily dancing at their reception in the newlyweds’ backyard. I felt like that locked box was being rattled.

“I can see your mind racing a mile a minute, sweetheart,” my mother, Grace, said, coming up from behind me.

She stood at my left side. I turned my head to meet her gaze as she warmly put her arm around me.

“I’m just so happy for Kyle, Mom,” I said.

“Me, too,” she sighed. Her eyes shimmered as she watched her son and new daughter-in-law dancing together under the beaming lights. “I feared that his military days had wounded his chance at love and happiness, yet that beautiful woman waltzed into his life and shifted the very ground he had been walking on. I feel like I owe her so much for saving my boy.”

I leaned my head against hers, savoring this moment with her. “I couldn’t agree more, Mom,” I said softly. “She gave us our Kyle back.”

“Yes, she did,” my mother agreed while rubbing my arm affectionately. “I can’t wait until it’s your turn to be swept off your feet,” she added, catching me off guard.

Gosh, I love my mom so much.
This woman was my rock. I would be lost without her unconditional love and support.

She was one of those people who always knew when someone was lost in deep thought, and she would come to soothe away the worries. Whether one of her children had needed tending to a playground wound or had just wanted a loving hug, my mother would always be there. It was one of many traits that I endlessly admired about her. She had a heart of gold.

I let out a quiet, nervous laugh at her reassuring outlook on my nonexistent dating life. “Uh…I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon but maybe someday,” I offered, not wanting to get my hopes up.

“Love happens when you least expect it, Abbey,” my mother replied.

I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was glowing on the inside. And next, she would bring up my dad, Gavin.