Blissfully Taken (Blissful, #4) (8 page)

Were the two going to duke
it out again? Why would Dan go to Ryan again? It didn’t make any
sense, unless…
Kelly!

It was excruciating to remain at
John’s apartment while she waited to find out the trouble Kelly had
caused. Jenny paced the apartment, but couldn’t find relief. She
finally pulled out the paperwork for the rentals they were
considering. There was a nice, but expensive apartment not too far
from John’s place, a neglected house near Dan’s work, and a modern
townhome located on the outskirts of town. She was leaning towards
the last one, but the drive would be annoying for both of them.
However, the price was right and it had an office and an extra
bedroom for guests. The longer she considered the pluses and
minuses of each, the more sure she felt about her initial choice.
Dan had left the final decision to her, saying all three were
equally viable.

Jenny needed to feel in
control, so she called the landlord to inform him of her decision.
That control was taken from her when he asked for her financial
history. The minute she mentioned that she wasn’t currently
employed, he told her that he would have to talk to Dan. Jenny hung
up, seething with anger. Kelly
still
had an influence over her
life.

She began pacing again, wondering what
the bitch had done to Ryan. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she
burst into John’s room and ranted. The poor man took it without
complaint, but she noticed his look of relief when her phone
rang.

“
Baby, I’m headed home and
will give you all the details when I get there.”

“
Are you okay?”

“
Yes.”

“
Is Ryan?”

Dan paused. “We’ll talk about it when
I get there.”

As soon as Dan entered the apartment
Jenny ran to his arms while checking for black eyes on his handsome
face. Seeing none she asked, “What happened? What did Kelly
do?”

“
She did the same thing to
Ryan that she did to you. I never thought to warn him. I never
considered she’d go after him like that…”

Jenny’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh
no. Tell me she didn’t distribute those damn photos.”

“
She did,” Dan said,
sounding drained. “We have been at the police station all night.
You will need to go tomorrow.”

Jenny collapsed on the couch. “Poor
Rye. He didn’t do anything to hurt her.”

“
It was a stab at you and
me. Kelly doesn’t care who gets harmed along the way.”

She looked at him fearfully. “Did…Did
Ryan lose his job?”

Dan actually smiled. “No, and you’ll
never guess who saved it.”

“
Who?”

“
Remember his little temp?
The one he complained about? According to Ryan, she may not file
papers properly but she is a natural born attorney. She argued for
Ryan until his boss actually apologized to him. Ryan has never seen
anything like it. No one wins an argument with his
boss.”

Jenny giggled in relief. “I can’t
imagine.”

“
Yeah, it’s been a surreal
day for Ryan, but he’ll be all right.”

“
Dan,” her lip quivered
when she asked, “did Ryan say why he didn’t want me
there?”

“
I don’t think you
understand. The only reason he called me is that I’m his only
friend and he was desperate. Ryan can’t forgive you for leaving
him.”

It crushed her to know that they would
never be friends again, but she understood. She’d hurt him in the
deepest way possible. “Well, I’m glad he called you.”

“
Yeah, I’m glad, too. You
should know that he filed charges against Kelly and expects you to
do the same. He understands now that she played him. I think the
full impact of her influence and the consequences of that are just
now hitting him.”

“
Poor Rye. We didn’t have
to break up…” she said sadly.

Dan cupped her chin. “As cruel as this
sounds, I’m glad things fell apart. Now that I have had a chance to
be with you exclusively, I can’t imagine any other
reality.”

In her heart of hearts, Jenny agreed.
She caressed his scruffy cheek. “Just you and me.”

“
Forever.”

Winter Wedding

The morning of their wedding was a
clear, sunny winter’s day. The chill in the air and the snow on the
ground were the only reminders of the season. The blue skies spoke
to warmer times. “Looks like the perfect day, Dan,” Jenny said
looking out the window. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear her. Her
mom had insisted that she stay with them overnight to preserve the
tradition of the groom not seeing the bride.

Her parents had flown in the day
before and met Dan’s parents for a formal dinner at an upscale
restaurant paid for by his parents. It had been an unpleasant
evening. Mrs. Hayes didn’t talk much, but that didn’t stop Jenny’s
dad from peppering her with questions. Neither set of parents were
enthusiastic about the upcoming nuptials. It showed on their faces
and in their conversations the entire evening. Jenny had looked
over at Dan sadly several times during the meal, wishing things
could be different.

But Dan had been sweet at
the end of the evening. When they’d said good-bye she’d felt close
to tears. He wiped the emerging tears away whispering, “Only one
more night.” She’d nodded and quickly jumped into her father’s car
afraid of losing her composure, but Dan motioned her to unroll the
window. He’d brushed his hair back all cute-like before saying,
“Then the next time we meet I will be saying I do.” He patted the
car a couple of times and turned away.
Maybe it had been hard on him too…

His words “I do” still rang in her
head. A smile spread across her face as she stretched in the hotel
bed. It was going to be a beautiful day and tonight she would be in
Dan’s arms - forever.

Jenny spent the morning primping. Her
mother then helped her to style her hair, keeping it down and long,
just the way Dan liked it. Her makeup was light and natural as
well, honoring his simple tastes. When it came time to put on the
dress, her mother unzipped the bag and carefully pulled out the
gown.

Jenny stared at it in shock. “It’s the
wrong dress.”

Her mother looked sick. “What do you
mean it’s the wrong dress? Oh my god, did the shop keeper mix up
your dress with another? What are we going to do?”

Jenny smiled with tears in her eyes.
“Mom, it’s not the dress I picked out. It’s the dress of my
dreams.”

Her mother relaxed and brought the
dress to her. “You had me scared for a minute.”

Jenny touched the lace and played with
the buttons on the gown. “This gown cost a fortune, Mama. I can’t
believe Dan did this for me…”

“
It
is
exquisite, Jenny.”

Jenny slipped it on and her mother
helped with all the buttons. Both of them stared in the mirror
speechless.

“
Perfect,” her mother
sighed.

“
Yes.”

“
But I think I have
something that will make it even better. You need something blue,
my darling.” Her mother pulled out a black velvet box and handed it
to her.

Jenny recognized the box. When she was
a little girl she often played with her mother’s jewelry, but this
one was one piece she was not allowed to touch. “Oh,
Mama…”

“
It was the first piece of
jewelry your father gave me. I’ve always loved it and now I want
you to have it.”

“
I can’t. Doda meant this
for you.”

“
I talked to your father
and he is in agreement. We both want you to have it. I wish we
could give you more, darling. But times have been tough for your
father the last few years. Just know this is given in
love.”

Jenny opened the box in awed reverence
and looked at the diamond encrusted sapphire. It was delicate and
stunning. She took it out and handed it to her mother. Jenny closed
her eyes as her mother clasped the necklace around her.

“
Yes, it finishes the
look,” her mother said proudly, standing back and smiling. “You
look so beautiful, Jenny. I don’t think I have seen you this happy
since you were a little girl.”

“
I am Mama. I love Dan
more than I can say.”

“
I had my doubts about his
character being Ryan’s best friend, but his little surprise with
the dress…well, I can’t help seeing a bit of your father in
him.”

Jenny held back the tears as she
hugged her mom. “It means the world to me that you can accept this
wedding…him.”

“
I don’t understand why
you are rushing it, but knowing how I felt about your father when
we first met, I believe time doesn’t matter when it’s
right.”

“
Thank you,
Mama.”

“
Darling, your happiness
is my only concern.” Her mother hugged her one last time, being
exceedingly careful not to mess her dress and hair. It was a long
drive to the mountains, and although it was sunny in the city, the
higher they went the cloudier the skies became. Jenny became
concerned that the weather might ruin their wedding plans.
This is why outdoor weddings in the winter aren’t
done!
she scolded herself.

She was grateful when they
made it to the wedding site and saw that everyone else had arrived.
Her father helped her out of the car and held out his arm. Jenny
took it gratefully, walking beside her father bursting with joy as
she gazed over the small gathering. She instantly recognized her
future in-laws and Rose, but noticed a taller version of Dan
standing next to a lanky blonde. She had to assume it was his
brother Marcus because the guy looked just like Dan except for the
dark hair
.

Jenny’s eyes naturally gravitated to
her future husband. He was dangerously handsome in his tux, making
her quiver inside. When he turned to face her and his whole face
lit up, Jenny almost broke ranks and ran to him. It took great
effort for her to remain by her father’s side.

As she approached, Jenny tried to
imagine what Dan was seeing - her long dark hair styled in lose
ringlets, her stunning coat hugging the curves he loved so well,
and the hint of her leather boots peeking out with each step. But
he wasn’t looking at any of those things; his eyes were locked on
hers.

Dan stepped back as she came up beside
him, giving her an unobstructed view of the person standing behind
him. Jenny froze, unable to breathe.

Ryan nodded and said nonchalantly,
“Hey, Jenny.”

She was grateful for her father’s
supportive arm when her knees almost gave out. “Ryan, you’re…here.”
Tears unwillingly formed.

He walked over to her, shaking his
head. “No crying. I’ll leave if you do.”

She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled.
However, her bottom lip quivered from the effort. “I didn’t
think…”

“
Do you mind if I stand in
as your maid of honor?” Ryan asked with a teasing smirk. “I heard
you were lacking one.”

“
Really, Ryan? I…” a tear
fell down her cheek.

“
No crying, remember?” he
said sternly. She nodded and bit her bottom lip to stop it from
quivering.

“
Let us proceed,” stated
an unfamiliar voice. Jenny looked up saw the young pastor from the
local mountain church was ready with his bible clutched firmly in
his hand.

Dan kissed her cheek. “Meet you out on
the water, my little Kumquat.”

Jenny looked out over the
pond and gasped. A long scarlet path lined with red and
white
poinsettias
led out to the middle of the
pond
. At the end of the red path
was
a large arch cascading in white
flowers and red ribbons. Tall pines framed the icy pond as the
large snowcapped peaks towered above.

A fairytale come to life…
all but the gathering dark clouds.
They
looked suspiciously pregnant with snow. Jenny worried at the sudden
drop in temperature as the winds began to gently swirl around
them.

Rose handed her a bouquet of
gardenias, tiny crimson roses, with a hint of pine interspersed
with red and gold ribbon. A masterpiece in its own
right.

“
Thank you, Rose. This is
exquisite.”

“
Only the best for you,
sweetie. Knock ‘em dead.” She swatted Jenny on the butt, and winked
at Dan’s mother who stood several feet away looking serious and
foreboding. Jenny turned away from Mrs. Hayes. She wasn’t going to
allow that woman’s poor attitude to affect her wedding.

“
It’s time to make this
official,” her father announced in his low comforting voice, taking
Jenny’s hand back and giving it a fatherly pat.

She leaned her head against his strong
shoulder. “Yes, Doda, let’s.”

The small wedding party gathered on
the carpeted ice, leaving Jenny and her father behind. Her mother
gave Jenny one last hug before taking her place. “I’m wishing you
all my best, darling. Enjoy this moment, but know it only gets
better from here.”