Daughter Trilogy Bundle (98 page)

“
Thank you.  I’m happy for me too,” I squeak.

She pulls my phone out for me and gives me an expectant grin.  I dial the man who
’s probably sitting ready by the phone.

“
Please tell me you just left the dress shop,” he jokes.

“
I did.  I’m proud of you for finally holding true to your word,” I tease.

“
I can’t wait to see you in it again.”

“
I can’t wait to show you what else I bought,” I seduce.

I can actually hear him swallowing hard, and it brings a bigger smile to my face. 

“I love you.  Let me know when you fold,” he smugly taunts.

“
I’ll fold tomorrow at seven.”

“
We’ll see.  I’ll change your mind,” he teases, and it takes me back to our first few days of push and pull.

“
I love you,” I giggle while putting my phone up.

“
Definitely having a long talk with Henry when I get home,” Clara says with a matter-of-fact tone.  “Where to now?”

“
I think that’s everything,” I say with exhausted relief.

“
Awesome.  I’m so tired,” she says with slumping shoulders.

“
Go get some sleep.”

“
I’ll see you tomorrow,” she squeals excitedly, and a few tears scratch at the back of my eyelids. 

She releases me and jogs back down the sidewalk.  My eyes catch the street I
’ve been avoiding, and I look around to see how many eyes are on me before flashing to the one place I never thought I could return.

A few miles out of town lay the grounds where everyone died in front of my eyes.  The unscathed road betrays the untrained mind, and the oblivious drivers carelessly pass over the place where the world once ended.

My fingers stroke the place in the grass where Devin gasped for his last breath, and the wretched memory flashes through my mind with a ferociously painful force.

I sit down in the place where I saw the world burning under my power, and I feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as the painful memories continue to flood me. 

My phone buzzes, and I sigh when I see it’s Devin.

“
Hey,” I say in a forced happy tone.

“
What’s wrong?” he asks when he hears the pain I’m trying to hide.

“
Nothing.  Clara and I had a girly heart to heart moment, and now I’m all teared up.  How are the tuxes coming along?”

“
You’re trying to shift the subject, and you’re giving me vague answers that aren’t true.  What’s going on?” he softly demands.

He knows me far too well.

“I came to the first battle sight, and it just hit me hard to know how close we came to never getting our eternity.  I’m about to head back to my old place though.”

“
Baby, don’t be going places like that, especially not before our wedding.  I want my girl happy and thrilled to see me.  It sounds like you’ve just watched the gory show all over again,” he gripes.

“
Sorry.  I just wanted to remind myself how close we were.  It makes it easier to appreciate life when you’ve tasted death.”

“
Well, you need to go find something to make you happy again since I’m not allowed to be there to do it,” he scolds.

I laugh a little as I flash away from the doomsday sight. 
“I will.”

“
That’s better.  I love you.  Keep calling,” he beams.

“
I love you.  I will,” I giggle out.

I make it back to town unseen, and I casually walk into the ice cream shop.  I smirk as the double-dipped fudge is put in the cone and handed to my wanting hand.

Then the man in the blue blazer returns to me with a smile before I walk out, and he hands me a new package.

“
Mrs. Cole,” he murmurs secretively.  “Mr. Cole just called me to tell me I’d probably find you here.”

“
Mr. Cole has studied me too closely, and he’s scaring me with how well he knows my next step,” I chuckle out.

He offers me a boyish grin before walking away, and I open the new package.  I smile very large when I pull out a brochure for a horse-riding excursion in Greece.

He has several different types of rides circled, and the beach ones are marked out.  I laugh very loudly, and everyone in the shop turns to question me with their curious eyes.

I slink down slightly and walk out with my ice cream, flowers, and bags.  Devin has loaded me down without even being here.

I just shake my head, but I can’t call him because my hands are too full. 

My phone buzzes, and I know it
’s him wanting to know if I’ve given in to his relentless attempts to make me cave.  I just continue smiling as I walk back to my apartment. 

I struggle to open the door, but I finally manage to get in and put everything down.  I pull out my phone, but there
’s another package waiting for me on my couch.

I giggle as I walk over to it and slowly reveal its contents.  Tears spring to my eyes when I see the picture that almost exactly matches the one I gave to him the first time around.

It’s a close up of us kissing at Clara’s wedding, and a faint smile plays on both of our lips.  I sit down to wipe my tears, and I sigh as I pick up the phone.

“
Hey, baby.  You didn’t call me after the ice cream shop,” he pouts.

“
My hands were full, and now I’ve opened the picture too,” I choke out.

“
I love that picture,” he seduces.

“
You win.  I’m stupid for doing this.  I miss you so badly it’s driving me crazy.  I wish you were here right now,” I whimper.

There
’s a brief knock at the door, and I wipe away my foolish tears as I go to answer it.

I gasp when I pull it open and see Devin propped against the frame while still holding his phone and one devious smile.

“I guess I should have led with that,” he smolders into the phone before sliding it back into his pocket.

I almost crash against him, and he pulls me tightly to his body as he kicks the door shut behind him.  My hands vigorously scour his body, and it
’s all I can do not to rip his clothes off.

His breath pours divinity into my mouth, and his hands threaten to never let me go.  I can
’t help but smile against the kiss as he carefully removes my shirt until he struggles with the final button, and then he rips the whole thing off.

“
I’ll buy you a new one,” he breathes into my mouth.

My hands slide up to rip open his shirt, and I feel his grin now.  He picks me up at my waist, and my legs clasp around him as he carries me to my very breakable bed.

I smile the second it squeaks beneath us, and he smirks his wolfish, half cocked grin.  The heat between us intensifies the moment he pulls free my pants, and his body falls between my parted legs.

His fingertips trail down my electrically charged body until they find the lacy band of my underwear and his finger barely dips under it as he starts to peel them off.

My eyes roll back in my head from his teasing touch as my desire drowns me in need.  He’s so fucking perfect.

He kisses me softly on
the head as he strokes my hair, and the small drizzle of rain outside is gently tapping against my bedroom window.

“
When did you get into town?” I ask curiously while tracing the perfect lines of his abdomen.

“
About an hour after you.  I’ve been waiting all day to hear you say you had to see me,” he admits.

I laugh a little, and my lips play softly against his before I get up. 

“I saw your brother driving around in his new car.  He seemed rather pleased,” Devin chuckles.

“
He was.  I think he’d marry you at this point,” I dramatically roll out.

I feel arms around me as I pull out a bottle of vodka. 
“I think someone left some scotch here.”

“
Yeah,” Devin snickers.  “I told you I planned on being with you today.  I might have had someone drop off the scotch when they dropped off the picture.”

“
That’s very presumptuous of you,” I playfully scold.

“
Not really.  If you hadn’t caved, I was just going to barge in,” he seduces.

“
What if I had kicked you out?”

“
You wouldn’t have,” he smugly declares, and then his hands thrust me forward to pull me to his body.

“
You’ve made Clara very envious,” I giggle.

“
She should be.  I can promise you no man loves a woman the way I do you.”

“
I believe that,” I murmur just before his lips take mine.  

He pulls back smiling, and flashes to the room suddenly.  He comes back out with his pants on, and he tosses me a shirt and pants as well.

“Is my sheet not good enough?” I tease while clinging to the soft fabric wrapped around me.

“
Your brother and Jane are on their way up to collect his bag,” he snickers.

I flash into my clothes and finger comb through my thoroughly tousled hair.  Devin chuckles lightly while pulling on a tee-shirt, and then he plops down to leisurely rest on the couch while sipping his scotch.

The door starts to open, and I walk over to join Devin just before Jake pops in.

“
What’s up, sis?” Jake murmurs before he sees Devin.  “And guy I don’t know.”

“
This is Devin,” I giggle out.

“
Oh,” he gasps, and then he walks over to Devin who stands to shake his hand, but he smiles just before Jake wraps him in a hug.  “I love the car,” he gushes.

“
I’m glad,” Devin chuckles out while patting him on the back.

I laugh a little too, and Jane comes to give me a hug.

“Jake’s going to stay with me tonight while he’s in town, and then we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“
Well, now that I’ve acted like a total girl, I’ll see you guys later,” Jake laughs out.

Devin laughs under his breath while wrapping his arm around me.  I
’m happy to see he closed the door to the very destroyed bedroom.

Jake walks over to give me a quick hug before taking Jane
’s hand.

“
Oh,” Jake mutters hesitantly while turning back around.  “You can say no if you want to, but Bret asked if he could come tomorrow to hang out with me while I’m here.  I know you two dated a couple of months, but-”

“
No!” Devin and I both exclaim in panicked unison.

“
Sheesh.  Okay.  I’ll tell him no,” Jake says with a taken aback reaction.

Devin cracks a grin, and I stammer to explain.

“Sorry.  It’s just… we’ve already maxed out the inn’s capacity, and it’s too late to try and squeeze someone else in,” I lie.

“
No problem,” Jake warily responds, and then he and Jane disappear out of the room.

I guzzle the remainder of my vodka, and Devin comes over to kiss the back of my neck while I pour another glass.

“I’m glad you launched a preemptive stalking expedition today.  You actually prepared for almost every place I went,” I muse.

“
The lingerie shop was a bit of a surprise, though it shouldn’t have been,” he seduces.  “I love knowing you the way I do.  How did you like being referred to as Mrs. Cole?”

“
That was my favorite part of the day,” I mutter softly, and his lips envelope mine instantly before he scoops me up to carry me back to the collapsed bed still heaving in pain.

Tomorrow.

Chapter 3

Wedding Day; Take Two

“No.  You can’t see me while I’m getting ready,” I assert.

“
I’ll just be a minute,” Devin smolders through the door.  “Please.  I just want to kiss you for good luck.”

“
No.  It’s bad luck… remember?” I caution.

He laughs a little, and I laugh when he knocks like a little kid.

“Stop making me laugh.  You’re holding up the getting ready process,” I scold playfully.

“
Just one kiss, and I swear I’ll go away,” he pleads.

“
Devin Cole!  Go away right now,” Clara admonishes, and her tone isn’t playful like mine.

“
Can’t do it.  It’s still two hours before she walks down that aisle, and I know she’s not wearing her dress yet.  Please let me come in, or I’ll just force my way in,” he threatens jokingly.

Clara tries to wipe the grin off the face she
’s trying to show exasperation on, but to no avail.  I laugh harder when the door finally does open, and Clara inserts herself to be in the way.

Devin just smirks as he scoops her up and throws her over his shoulder the way an old-school barbarian would.

“Whoa,” Clara gasps.  “Put me down,” she says with an accidental chuckle.

Devin
’s eyes burn into mine just before his lips consume my smiling ones, and then he jerks me to his body while sliding Clara back down to the floor.  She crosses her arms in a huff, but a smile she’s trying to suppress still shows up.

I
’m wearing a very sexy underwear ensemble that Persia bought me for the wedding.  The single white garter rests high on my thigh, while the lacy, see-through, corseted top leaves nothing to the imagination.  The frilly underwear offers nothing but an enticing peek as to what he’ll be getting tonight, and the stockings rise up to clasp to the lacy garter belt.

“
Oh my goddess,” he says to mimic Kry’s humorous line.

“
You like?” I seduce while humoring him with a little twirl.

“
Oh… I love.  I’m starting to see why I couldn’t come in now,” he smolders.  “I don’t know if I can leave.”

“
Well you have to. Now out,” Clara scolds insincerely.

He smirks, and her face blushes as she grows comically irritated.  She brushes her hair down, and then takes a minute to overcome her flustered, slightly turned on, moment.

Crap.  We have to behave a little better in front of mortals.  Our intensity is too much for them.  Poor Clara.

“
You can’t be in here.  Now go, Mr. Muscles,” she urges.

“
Hey, Dev.  I need you-” Kry stops, and Ther crashes into his back when they walk in to the unexpected surprise of my skimpy attire.

I prop my arm up on my side as my hip juts out.  I stare very disapprovingly at the gawking duo drooling over me.

Hale starts to walk by, but suddenly he’s walking backwards to see if he just saw what he think he saw.

“
Holy white epiphany.  Please tell me that’s the new wedding dress,” he dreamily drools out.

“
Get out,” Devin admonishes.

Clara starts pushing them all out of the room, and then Devin smirks one last time before sliding his heated hands against my nearly bare body.

“I can’t wait to see this later,” he smolders.

“
I can’t wait until you see it later either,” I giggle.

Clara starts pulling very ineffectively to remove him because Devin
’s feet have been concreted to the ground as he continues kissing me.

“
Damn.  What are you made out of?  Lead?  Steel?” she gripes.

“
Heaven,” I smolder.

“
Oh good grief,” Clara exasperates for my corny remark.

“
I’ll help,” Camara giggles as she walks into the room, and her stronger body shifts Devin back enough to start his reluctant exit.

“
I love you,” he murmurs with a devious smirk.

“
I love you,” I giggle out like a fool, and then the door shuts behind him.

Clara heaves for air as she leans against the door, and she shakes her head while fanning herself.

“I realize why you’re so in shape now.  Holy crap.  That man is solid muscle, and damn that was hot,” she ruffles out.

I laugh a little harder as I pick the curling iron back up to continue styling my hair.  Camara grins as she walks over to unzip the bag containing my new wedding gown.

“This dress is completely different from the last one,” she whispers so that only I can hear.

“
That was intentional,” I whisper back.  “I don’t want anything to remind me of that day.  I want this day to be special, and it shouldn’t be tainted by previously failed attempts.”

She giggles lightly, and the door creaks open to a familiar face.

“I’m here,” Lana says with a chipper tone.  “Sorry I missed the bachelorette party, but I’m ready to pull off the bridesmaid gig,” she adds.

“
Your dress is over there,” Camara says softly while scrolling through her phone and pointing to the corner.

“
Wow.  Adisia, that little bit is enough to turn me on, and I’m solely into guys,” she spouts while staring at my barely there underwear.

“
Thanks,” I giggle.  “Unfortunately, all the groomsmen got a peek at it as well - except for my brother, thank goodness,” I mumble.

“
I suppose that should make for an interesting wedding march,” she adds with a  chuckle.

I slide into my new dress and a smile spreads when I see myself in the mirror. 

The dress is sleek, not fluffed like the last one.  The strapless neckline dips to reveal a peek at my cleavage, and the diamond studded trim on the front starts just between my breasts, and rides down in a diagonal before gathering the fabric in a sexy cluster on my hip bone.

The dress just barely grazes the floor in a sweeping motion, and the back is just slightly longer to offer a tapered train.

I pull on the new necklace and earrings Devin surprised me with, and my hair falls freely to my shoulders, unlike the last time when it was pinned to the side.

“
Wow,” Lana repeats.  “Has Devin seen that dress?”

“
No.  I’ve kept it a secret, though I don’t know how.  He’s been pretty determined to break the rules,” I giggle out.

“
I’ll say,” Clara huffs, and then Jane walks in to join us with my other absent bridesmaid.

“
Hey, so, so, sorry we’re running behind.”

“
It’s okay.  Camara, Lana, this is Cheryl, my cousin, and you already know Jane,” I introduce.

“
I don’t know Jane, but it’s nice to meet you both,” Lana says with an extended hand.

“
Is Jake getting on his tux?” I ask Jane.

“
Yeah.  He’s with your groom and all of his unbelievably hot groomsmen.  Did Devin just pull them off the hot guy assembly or something?” Jane dreamily inquires.

“
Something like that,” I laugh.

“
It’s almost time,” Persia says while walking in. 

Her eyes tear up when she sees me, and I hug her like an automatic reflex that I once thought I would never have with her.

“You’re beautiful, daughter,” she whispers, and it’s too low for the mortal ears to overhear.

“
Thank you, Mother,” I whisper back, and her tears swell up bigger at my endearment.  “Devin loved the underwear,” I joke to lighten the mood.

“
That boy can’t stay away,” she chuckles while wiping away her escaped tears.

“
Oh, there’s my girl,” my other mother gushes, and the tears are streaming down her cheeks in a relentless flow.  “You look so gorgeous,” she declares, and Persia steps back to allow Mom to hug me.

“
Thanks, Mom.”

I can see more tears falling from Persia
’s eyes.  I’m sure this is incredibly hard for her.

She has to watch her daughter
’s wedding as if she’s a guest instead of the mother of the bride.  I did make sure to put them just behind my other parents to give them silent inclusion.

She turns to Persia and tilts her head curiously. 
“Are you a member of the groom’s family?”

“
No.  I’m just a friend of Adisia’s,” Persia lies, and more tears stream freely down her face.

“
Well, it’s lovely to meet you.  Have you seen her groom?  He’s hot enough to melt the cake and wilt the flowers,” Mom crudely adds.

Persia starts laughing, and it helps to ease her tears. 
“I’ve met him.  He’s a really wonderful guy, and I’m glad Adisia found someone to love her so loyally.”

I feel my own tears swelling up, but I refuse to cry and ruin the makeup I just finished applying.

“Me too.  He’s also rich.  It’s like the market for unbelievable tilted and fell into my girl’s lap,” Mom drools.

“
Please stop,” I exasperate.

“
I can’t help it,” she giggles.  “He’s just so yummy.”

“
Really?  Yummy?” I laugh.  “I’m going to have to restrain you during the reception, aren’t I?”

“
Momma is dancing with Mr. Sexy.  Sorry, but it’s my right as your mother,” she chuckles out.

Persia flinches and I rub Mom
’s hand in mine.

“
One dance, and keep your hands where I can see them,” I kid.

Everyone chuckles, and then there
’s a knock before a muffled voice strains through the door.

“
Everyone decent?” Dad asks, and I feel my tears starting to return.

“
Yeah, Daddy.  Come in,” I murmur shakily, and he does as I bid.

His eyes begin watering when he sees me, and I see him straining with all his strength to hold back the wave of emotion flooding him.

“You look so beautiful,” he gasps, and I rush over to hug him. 

“
We’ll give you two a minute,” Mom says with a soft tone.  “See you out there.”

Everyone follows her out, and Persia
’s hand clasps mine lightly before she disappears with the crowd.

“
I love you, Daddy,” I whimper as soon as the door shuts, and his arms wrap around me instantly.

“
I love you, sweetie.  I’m glad you found someone you want to be with, and I’m happy he’s good to you.  I’d have to rough him up and send him away if he wasn’t,” he chuckles out while a tear squeaks free.

I laugh too, considering he
’d only hurt himself if he tried to inflict pain on my immortal piece of perfection.  He hugs me tighter for a minute, and then he sighs as he releases me.

“
You ready?” he chokes out.

“
Can I have just a minute?” I ask shakily.

“
Yeah.  You’ve still got ten of them before your groom gets anxious,” he teases, and then he disappears out the door to steady his own nerves.

I don
’t get my minute, though, because the door opens almost as soon as it shuts, and Kahl walks in.

He swallows hard as the tears try to sneak into his eyes.  I
’m trying so hard to accept him as I do Persia, but it’s taking a little longer.

“
I wanted to give you something before the gifts come pouring in,” he says with an emotional ring, and his eyes widen when he sees me in full.  “You look astonishing.  I know we haven’t acquired a full reconciliation, but thank you for letting your mother and I pay for the wedding.  It means a lot.”

It
’s almost a comical statement since they sort of forced me to accept their wealthy donations.

“
Thank you for doing it.  My other parents couldn’t have afforded such a lavish backdrop, but they would have tried, and I would have felt guilty if they had,” I murmur while sucking back my tears.

He smiles before pursing his lips and handing me a small, gift wrapped box.  I sit down as I tear it open, and I tilt my head curiously when I pull out a beautiful bracelet with a dove emblem on the plate of it.

“It’s Aphrodite’s signature symbol,” he explains.  “Your mother and I fell apart when we gave you up, and this was what gave us hope.  We had it made for you, and we held onto it knowing one day we’d be reunited with our daughter.  It’s the only thing that gave us solace in our time of grief.  Now you’re here, and we can be a part of your life again.  I just hope you’ll let us,” he chokes out.

I wipe away my slithering tears and rush over to hug him.  His arms grip around me so tightly, and I worry he
’s not going to let go.  Years of resentment wash away from my heart as I lean against his chest.