Daughter Trilogy Bundle (97 page)

“
You’ll see more,” he smolders.  “I love you.”

“
I love you.  Now let me get our wedding ready,” I say with a mock scolding tone.

I laugh a little more as I put the phone away, and Clara continues to fall in love with the coffee in her hands.

“This is the best stuff ever.  It’s like they brewed it especially for us,” she gushes.

“
Devin is good.  Now let’s find a new cake before the baker shows up,” I instruct, and she slides the design options over to me while she continues indulging in her hot cup of heaven.

“I’m very sorry for the
inconvenience, and I’ll be sure to have this ready by tomorrow,” the baker cordially offers at the end of our meeting.

“
Thank you,” I mumble as I lay my head on the table. 

Clara pats my back, and then her newly rejuvenated voice chimes in with her usual perky tone.

“Let’s hit the stores to get you some honeymoon attire.  Where are you going?”

“
Greece,” I say with a smile.

“
You’ve always wanted to go there,” she gushes.

“
I know.  I told you he’s amazing,” I say with a bit of sadness.

Now the aching I
’ve been feeling is growing.  It’s pathetic that I can barely go a few hours without him.

She stands and loops her arm through mine as we head out of the inn.  Dad must be busy tending to business because he
’s nowhere to be seen.

“
It’s so beautiful today.  Let’s just walk,” Clara says as we round the corner that leads us outside.

“
Sounds good.  It’s not like town is too terribly far away,” I chuckle out as I motion to the sidewalk that is just a few hundred feet from the first set of stores.

As soon as we fully make our way into the congested part of the city, a man jogs over to us.

“Mrs. Cole?”

I smirk a little. 
“Yes.”

“
Mr. Cole asked me to bring you this, and he said to wait until you left the inn.”

My favorite stalker is now asking others to stalk me.

I laugh a little as I take the gift wrapped box, and I pull open the paper to reveal a velvet case.  I shake my head as I lift the cover to find a dazzling diamond necklace and matching earrings. 

“
Oh my sparkling diamonds.  He’s not holding back,” Clara gasps as she strokes the gems with a delicate touch.

I hand her the box while pulling out my phone to repeat the same conversation I keep having with my eager groom.

“Please tell me that did the trick,” he pleads.

“
Since when am I a jewelry fanatic?” I chuckle.

“
It was worth a shot,” he huffs.  “What are you doing?”

“
I’m about to shop for stuff for our honeymoon,” I seduce.

“
Oh yeah?  I’m a great shopping partner,” he prompts.

“
I already have a shopping partner.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” I giggle out.

“
Fine.  Love you,” he exhales in disappointment.

“
I love you,” I chirp.

I put the phone away yet again, and then I follow the very impressed Clara into the store while tucking the newly acquired jewelry into my purse.

“I’m realizing that Henry has to start working a little harder.  I think I’ve been letting him get by too easy,” she snarks.

I laugh a little too hard, and then I pull a daring little number from the rack.

“Oh yeah.  You have to get that… is it a dress?” she wonders aloud.

“
I think it’s supposed to be a dress, but I wouldn’t wear it out.  I need something fully suited for the bedroom, and that’s it,” I say while motioning to the black, sheer gown.

It has a lacy bosom area, and then it splits the rest of the way down while the sides almost touch the floor.  The stomach is completely exposed, and the dangerously skimpy underwear carries the same lacy pattern as the bust area.

The underwear seconds as a garter belt offering dangling clips to hold stockings, which I will also be acquiring.

“
Wow.  Devin will totally flip out when he sees that,” Clara murmurs in a whispered tone.

I
’m sure she feels a little shameful for the indecent thoughts rattling around in her mind.

“
Why don’t you get something to wear for Henry while we’re here?”

“
I think I just might,” she chuckles.

It doesn
’t take her long to find something a little more respectable.

We pay the cashier, and stroll out arm in arm.  I see the street where we got into the first battle, and I get a little sick.  Just a few miles down the road is where I had to watch everyone die.

“What’s wrong?” Clara worries.

“
Just a bad memory.  What’s next?”

“
The flower shop,” she pops.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“
I’m fine.  Let’s hurry this along.  I’m starting to feel the effects from last night,” I lie.

“
Tell me about it,” she exasperates while gripping her head.

We walk two stores down to where I ordered the flowers, and the door dings too loudly for Clara
’s head to withstand, forcing a comical scowl to her face.  I chuckle lightly as a man comes to greet us with an obligatory smile.

I quickly hand him the list of things I preordered, and then I hand him my card to pay. 

“Ms. Titan?” he muses while staring at my card.

“
Yes.”

“
Mr. Cole requested I call you Mrs. Cole and give you these when you showed up,” he says with a more genuine grin.

He hands me a large assortment of flowers, and Clara slaps her head in complete frustration.

“Henry definitely has to step up his game,” she scoffs.

I smirk as I smell the glorious beauties, and Clara takes them from my hands before I even have to ask her.

“Go call him.  He deserves to be bragged on,” she sulks in envy.

My phone buzzes, and I answer it without even looking at the number.

“I love them,” I say appreciatively.

“
Love what?” Jake laughs.

“
Oh.  It’s you,” I grumble.

“
Wow.  Love you too, sis.” 

“
Sorry,” I laugh.

I smile a little at his mocked offense, and then he continues.

“I’m going to hang out with Jane tonight instead of crashing at your place.”

“
Oh?” I muse.

“
Yeah.  We can talk about it later or not at all,” he murmurs with a touch of embarrassment.

“
Sure.  Have fun, but take my wine to the inn first,” I instruct.

“
Oh yeah.  Devin left you a gift there.  Where are you?”

“
The flower shop,” I say with a smirk.

“
Sweet.  I’m turning by there right now,” he says, and then I hear the roar of the new car he’s found complete joy in.

Clara and I make our way through the loud ringing of the obnoxious door, and her eyes glare at the box overhead where the sound is protruding from.

“Damn bells,” she gripes, and I giggle again just before Jake hops out of the car.

“
Here,” he says while tossing me a box.

I open it with giddy anticipation, and Jane is almost trembling with exciting butterflies as she mouths,
“Thank you,” to me.

I just give her a wink before looking down at the present that makes me gasp.

It’s my tiara Persia sent me when I was a kid.  It has been completely cleaned up, and all the tarnished pieces sparkle like new.

I feel a slight tear creeping up, and I nod to Jake as he struts back over to reclaim the driver
’s seat.  My fingers trace over the lines of the tiara in disbelief.

You can
’t see a speck of age on it anymore, and the diamonds I had assumed were fake when I was a child cast their glimmer to show how incredibly real they are.

I suck back the rising emotion as I connect the call, and the soft voice on the other end is ready to talk.

“So, how many things have you acquired so far?” he says with a grin I wish I could see.

“
I just got the flowers and the tiara,” I choke out.  “Devin, it’s so perfect now.  Thank you,” I murmur with genuine sincerity.

“
You’re welcome, baby.  I can tell I’m wearing you down now,” he seduces.

“
You are.  I’ve got more to do though, and I still want our moment to be epic,” I sniffle.

“
Don’t cry, baby.  I can’t enjoy playing if you’re upset,” he murmurs so gently.

“
They’re good tears.  I love you.”

“
I love you,” he utters so sweetly, and I put the phone back up.

Clara walks over and tilts her head curiously. 
“What’s that?”

“
I’ll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone,” I insist.

“
Sure,” she says with a baffled tone.

“
This is the tiara I got for Christmas the year I got the pink princess room.  My real mother is the one that sent this to me.”

“
Oh… Wow.  I thought you sort of hated that topic,” she stumbles out with a little shock.

I
’ve never spoken about my past with her more than the basics.  I’ve always been rather private though with everyone except for Devin.

“
I don’t anymore.  It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you what I can one day,” I say while wiping away a tear.

“
It looks brand new,” she murmurs while examining it.

“
Devin had it cleaned for me,” I sniffle out.

“
Aw.  I swear he’s making the rest of the world’s men look pretty pathetic in comparison.  That’s so thoughtful,” she sighs in a dreamy hue.

I smile a little and slide the tiara into my lingerie bag.  Clara holds onto the flowers for me as we stroll into the dress shop.

“So what sort of dress do you want for the reception?  I’m sure there were better options in New York.”

“
Yeah, but Devin’s always with me, and I didn’t want to order one off the internet,” I say with a shrug.

“
You know, I thought it was weird with how close you two always are, but now I’m starting to think my expectations for romance have been far too low,” she pouts.

“
Devin is just incredible, and he raised the standards to far surpass anything I had thought possible.”

“
You miss him, don’t you?”

“
Terribly, and it’s only been a day.”

“
Are you going to find a job in New York?” she randomly asks.

“
I don’t know.  I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything, and aside from sporadic business meetings, Devin works from home.  I like being with him, and he wants us to travel for a while.”

“
I think it’s great you found someone who makes you this happy,” she says with teary eyes.

“
Don’t do that.  I’m already about to cry as it is,” I laugh through a gust of emotion.

“
Sorry.  It’s just so good to see you like this,” she giggles as the tears roll down her cheeks.

She wraps me in an embrace, and a dress calls for my attention.  I walk over and smile as I see the dress I
’m going to wear to my reception.  It’s simple but divine at the same time.

It
’s white with a lazy neckline and a drooping back, but the length is just below the knees.  The satiny fabric offers a feel that begs to be touched, and it’ll be stunning next to my new jewelry.

“
It’s perfect,” I murmur.

“
Yes, it is.”

I hand my credit card to the cashier, and she smiles as she walks away to return with a brown package.

“Mr. Cole requested this be given to you,” she says with a girly grin.

“
Devin called every shop in town he thought you’d visit,” Clara laughs.

“
Apparently,” I say with a goofy grin.

I laugh ridiculously hard once I open it to see the red corset that almost exactly matches the one he shredded. 

“Wow.  That’s a little suggestive,” Clara teases.

“
It’s a long story,” I chuckle out.

“
I really am happy for you,” she adds.