Falling for Autumn (16 page)

Chapter 18

T
here was nothing more perfect than witnessing a moment of true and undeniable love. As Autumn watched Winter and their father walk down the white sand beach, she couldn't help the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes.

They had been through so much as a family, and to see Winter so undeniably happy was truly the most precious moment. Winter's long A-line backless chiffon dress was a gorgeous snow white. The sexy lace V-neck and white-gold foot jewelry in place of shoes just added to the elegant grace of her look and style. It was hard for any of the attendees to take their eyes off her, especially Taheim, whose eyes watered as he watched his bride glide down the aisle.

The slight breeze in the warm weather and birds flocking overhead were in perfect rhythm with the slight waves crashing on the shore of the beach. Nature was so in tune with the wedding that it seemed as if everything came together for this one special moment.

When her dad gave Winter away, he wiped the tears from his eyes before leaning in to kiss her cheek. He was giving away his eldest daughter, and even though he was giving her away to an incredible man, Autumn knew it was hard for her father. He was the strongest man they knew, and there were only a few who knew the struggles he'd had to overcome. But when it came to his daughters, Vail Dupree was a softy. Autumn glanced behind her at her sister Summer, who seemed to be trying to hold back tears just as hard as she was.

Once the guests were seated, she glanced at Ajay, not surprised to find him already watching her intently. She'd known he was watching. She could feel his gaze by the way her skin tingled with awareness. The way it always did when he was watching her. She'd been hesitant to look back at him for fear that she would be more consumed in watching him than observing the wedding. She brought her attention back to Winter and Taheim, but as always, her gaze slowly found his again.

It was amazing how one day you could be living a balanced life and then, without warning, someone could swoop in and knock you off your axis. That was what falling in love with Ajay felt like. Love was messy and demanding. It took hard work to make a relationship successful, and even then, love made no promises. What she'd learned by giving her heart to Ajay was that love may not have the ability to make promises, but it was a great foundation for building promises together. Promises that you would forever keep. Love may be challenging and at times overwhelming. But love was also worthwhile. Loving someone meant trusting a piece of your heart with the person and having the confidence that the individual would take care of it. Love meant finding a person who made you want to get up every day and fight to be a better person.

The hardest part of falling in love was not turning your back on it when you found your soul mate. Not allowing it to slip through your fingers because of past experiences. Everyone had his or her own definition of what it meant to fall in love, but for Autumn, falling in love meant entrusting that person with every single part of you. Knowing that once someone learned details about your past that impacted the person you are, the individual would stay with you and love you that much harder. Ajay was that for her.

She smiled as she thought of the couple they'd noticed at the wine bar a month ago. Never in a million years had she thought she'd experience what they had...but she did. She still was. Even from a short distance, she could see his eyes change color. She'd been around him enough to realize that they didn't just change when he was aroused or intrigued. His eyes also changed—deepened even—when he was filled with any type of emotion. It wasn't limited to just one feeling. The way he looked at her was so intense. So intoxicating. He consumed her in every way possible.

Her eyes went back to the happy couple as the officiant told Taheim that he could kiss his bride. There it was. There was that look of complete and utter satisfaction on their face as they were officially announced husband and wife.

The next forty minutes were filled with excitement and pictures as the bridal party gathered to congratulate Winter and Taheim before they headed to the chic beach reception.

“I'm so proud of you, sis,” Autumn said as she pulled Winter into a hug after Summer hugged her.

“I couldn't have done it without the two of you.” She wiped a couple of tears from her eyes. “Everything turned out so beautifully.”

“It really did,” Summer agreed. “The wedding could not have gone better. It's going to be hard for Autumn to top this.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Why just me and not me or you?”

“Because I don't have a man like that,” Summer said, turning her to face Ajay. “Staring at me as if I hold all the answers to his future.”

Autumn glared at Summer because she'd said it loud enough for Ajay to hear. When she mouthed
sorry
to him, he said, “I'm not,” loud enough for her to hear.

“She's right,” Winter said when Autumn had turned to face her. “I know you don't do the whole wedding thing, but it's obvious how Ajay feels about you.”

She felt it, too, but they hadn't really spoken about their feelings, or continuing their relationship when they got back to Chicago.

“I'm actually starting to think that weddings aren't that bad.” Both Winter's and Summer's jaws dropped.

The conversation was soon forgotten as the other bridesmaids joined them and began sharing their favorite parts of the wedding. A couple of minutes later, the photographer had them get into position to begin taking the group shots. When Luke was positioned to stand right beside Autumn, Ajay quickly changed positions with him so that he was beside her instead.

“He was too close,” he whispered in her ear. His breath teased her neck in a way that had her quivering on cue.

“You're not supposed to talk,” she said between her clenched teeth. “You're supposed to be smiling.”

He focused for about two more shots before she felt his gaze on her again. When she turned to tell him to focus on the photos, he tugged her into a sugary kiss before she could voice her words. The way that he kissed her was flawless...perfect in every way.

* * *

The reception was just as beautiful as the wedding, complete with elegant beach decor. The white linen tables were garnished with tea-light candles and teal sea glass. Three glass vases of different sizes containing white rocks, seashells and faux turquoise sea coral were decorated with pearl beads on wire garland. White or teal wooden signs stuck in the sand were used to show guests the direction of the sweets table, gift table, beach and other places they may want to check out. Crisp white material hung delicately across the tented section of the reception while white hydrangeas intermixed with native island flowers topped off the chic look.

Giving the best man speech had been a lot harder than he'd thought. Taheim was so much more than a brother. Ajay often thought about what would have happened had Taheim not insisted on him coming over that day they met at the Boys & Girls Club. Taheim had found him once again at a time in his life when he'd felt as if he had no one. Would he have ever met the Reed family had it not been for Taheim? He'd like to think so, but it was unlikely. He owed Taheim everything...

Autumn's maid of honor speech hadn't left a dry eye in the place. They weren't just sisters; they were best friends.

Now that dinner was over, guests were either dancing or talking amongst each other. The sun would be setting in an hour and a half, and Ajay wanted to talk to Autumn before all the guests boarded a catamaran for the sunset cruise.

He searched the area and finally his eyes landed on her. She looked stunning in her knee-length chiffon turquoise dress that tied around the neck. The bottom of the dress swayed with even the slightest movement of her body. Selfishly, he wanted to steal her away from the people she was talking to, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.
Maybe I'll just wait to talk to her after the cruise.
He was pretty sure he knew how she felt, but what if he spoke with her and realized that she wasn't ready to enter a relationship?

“You know, staring at her isn't the same as talking to her.”

Ajay turned around at the sound of his mom's voice. “I know that.”

“If you know that, why haven't you taken Autumn aside already?” He hadn't spoken to his parents about Autumn, but as usual, they always seemed to know things even if he hadn't voiced the words aloud.

“We haven't even discussed the possibility of being in a relationship when we get back to Chicago.”

“Putting a title on your relationship is just a technicality.”

“There's still more that we need to learn about each other before—”

“Once again, just a technicality. I understand, Ajay. You've never laid your heart on the line like this, and after what you've been through, your father and I understand. But Autumn is a tough woman, and whether you see it or not, you've already decided that she was worth your love and that you were worthy of hers.”

He turned back to where Autumn was still standing. When she caught his eye, she winked and gave him a sweet smile.

“Are you afraid that she may not love you...or are you afraid that she does?”

His eyes flew to his mother's.

“Don't give me that look, Ajay. You've always given your dad, your brother, your sister and me a pass when it came to loving you because we knew you before your life got really complicated. However, for the women you dated in the past or the friends you let into your life, you've kept them at a distance and only told them what you wanted them to know. But I have a feeling with Autumn, you can't be that way.”

He didn't want to tell his mom that he was fine with telling her how he felt. That wasn't what he was nervous about. He had so much more he wanted to suggest to her. If it were a simple “I like you, do you like me, too?” he wouldn't be standing there trying to figure out his next move.

“Moments ago, you were about to take her aside and tell her how you feel...so go do it.”

He really didn't need any persuading since that had always been the plan, but he appreciated his mom limiting his procrastination. As he walked over to Autumn, no one else mattered but her.

“Can you join me for a walk?” he asked as he held out his hand.

“Sure.” She placed her hand in his. He led her past a couple of onlookers and down a path that led to an isolated area that overlooked a tropical cove.

“This is gorgeous,” she said softly when they arrived at the cove. Water drifted over black rocks as light waves broke gently on the shore. They walked barefoot on the soft sand until they arrived at a hammock that hung between two large palm trees. Even as he helped her into the hammock, he couldn't stop admiring her French-tip pedicure that she'd gotten that morning.

He sat and faced her instead of lying down. “You look breathtakingly beautiful.”

“And you look incredibly handsome.” She planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Is everything okay?”

“I just wanted to get you alone so I could talk to you before we went on the sunset cruise.”

“What's wrong?” she asked as she placed her hand in his.

“Nothing's wrong,” he replied as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Unless you think that stealing my heart is wrong.”

Her lips curled to the side. “I don't think anything is wrong with that. Especially since you stole my heart, too.”

“You did more than steal my heart.” He looked from their linked hands back to her eyes. “From the moment I met you, you challenged me in ways I never thought possible. From your suggestions for the menu at my lounge to the way your support encouraged me to share my story, you've been defying everything I ever thought about falling for a woman. It's always been hard for me to express myself and communicate my feelings, whether that be through words or actions. But with you, I find it easy to show you my affection in every type of way. My fear of being judged for decisions I made in the past or just my past in general... You've eliminated that by accepting me and understanding what I've gone through without passing judgment.”

Her hand cupped the side of his right cheek. “But you did the same for me. My past is complicated, and even though I try not to let it define how I view certain things in life, I'm a work in progress... When I'm with you, I feel understood...respected...protected.” Her lips briefly replaced her hand. “I know I'm not the easiest person to be around sometimes.”

“Who is? Even when you give me a hard time, I'm completely enthralled by you. Being with me isn't easy, either, and there will be days when we will fight... But I can't imagine fighting with anyone else but you.”

He gazed into her eyes and watched the emotion cross her face. “You
get
me. Simply put, I can be myself around you. Instead of a suit-and-tie type of guy, I prefer classic urban wear and on more than one occasion, you'll catch me wearing Timberland boots over any other style of shoes. I'm not a shower-gel type of guy, but rather a bar-soap-and-water type of man. Soap and water isn't complicated, and I enjoy wearing just the right amount of cologne. I dislike clutter, but on occasion, I get sentimental and hold on to the strangest things.”

His heartbeat accelerated. He took a deep breath before continuing, “When I'm around you, nothing else in the world matters. I've always hoped that I'd find someone I could spoil with kisses every morning and whisper words of affection to every night before bed. A woman I could come home to after a bad day who would comfort me without even having to know what happened. A woman who motivates me to want to be a better man...a better father for our future kids. A woman who would sneak into the shower with me when I least expect it and a woman who would let me love her unconditionally and know that my life is incomplete without her by my side.”