Me And Mr. I.T. (Kupid's Cove Book 2) (27 page)

BOOK: Me And Mr. I.T. (Kupid's Cove Book 2)

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So I proposed, in a hospital room, while she was still on mind altering pain medication, but she said YES!

I pumped my fist in the air and everyone lost it, the laughter loud and happy, until I changed the card.

But, we aren’t officially married, yet…

The crowd awed softly and I held up a finger and changed the card.

I thought it might be fun to bring Operation Me and Mr. I.T. to a close tonight, and make it Mr. and Mrs. I.T. How do you feel about attending a wedding?

The entire crowd stood as one, clapping and whistling as I laid the cards down and stood at the end of the runway, after helping the minister up onto the stage. Tonight Ellie would be Mrs. I.T., if I had anything to say about it.

I could hear Mr. I.T. explaining to the crowd that the final dress would be arriving in a few moments, and then all I could hear was laughter and boo’ing from the crowd. I was turning back to find out why when I heard my name.

“Ellie!” Katie called, motioning me into a room. She had Hope in a blanket-covered stroller and standing next to her was… my mother?

“Mom? What are you doing here?” I asked, approaching the two women.

“I’m watching my daughter do her thing,” she grinned and I rolled my eyes again.

“Mom, you live in Honolulu, you could have watched it at the hotel.”

“It’s not the same as being here,” she insisted.

Katie pointed at the dress and then she excused herself while mom helped me out of the one I was wearing and into the one on the hanger. It was a gorgeous dress, white chiffon and beaded across the bodice. I turned one way and then the other, pleased that the shoes I was already wearing looked good with it.

I turned from the mirror to face my mom and she was crying, and grinning, at the same time. “Mom, are you okay?”

She nodded, taking my arms and rubbing them. “You’re so beautiful.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a note card, handing it to me.

I flipped it open and read the words written in my fiancée’s handwriting. “
Hi Ellie, just so you know, there is no sick model. I thought tonight would be the perfect night to say our vows, and start our life together. Your mom helped me design the dress you’re wearing, and it’s one of a kind, just like you. Your dad is waiting to walk you down the runway, and I’ll be waiting at the end of it to take your hand and never let it go. I’m sure you’re surprised by all of this, and need a minute to think, so no pressure, but think fast, there are lots of people waiting to hear your answer.”

I looked up from the note and my mom was watching me closely. I closed it and laid it on the makeup table. “What do you think? Do I look ready to get married?”

She leaned over my shoulder and I saw her smile in the mirror. “You look like the woman I saw in my mind twenty-one years ago when I found you in that crib. You were beautiful then and you’re beautiful now.”

I turned and hugged her, trying not to cry and end up marrying him with raccoon eyes. “Is Daddy really here?”

“I’m always here for you, kiddo. I promised you that twenty some years ago and I’ve never let you down yet, have I?” he asked.

I turned right into his arms and clung to him, so grateful to the two people who had rescued me, and made me whom I am today. I looped my arm through each of theirs and took a deep breath. “Let’s get married.”

We took the few stairs up to the runway and walked through the curtain, looking out over the crowd. Mr. I.T. stood at the end of the runway next to a minister on one side, and Katie and Winifred on the other side as my attendants, Flynn and Gideon as his. They all blew me a kiss and I could feel my smile grow bigger as a murmur went through the crowd. Maltrand still had the microphone and when the traditional wedding song began to play, he spoke.

“Our final gown for the evening is modeled by the mistress of ceremonies, and marketing director of Kupid Enterprises, Eliana Monroe. The dress is an original Akona Trabor, and she takes my breath away,” he said, the microphone dropping to his side. As I walked toward him, I saw nothing but the last year in my mind. The first time I met him, the first time we laughed together, the first time we kissed, and the first time we made love. He was a constant in my life and I found it hard to believe I ever thought he wasn’t my meant-to-be.

We stopped in front of him as he handed the microphone to the minister and took my hands from my father. He leaned into my ear and whispered, “I know how you like giving people their money’s worth, but are you sure about this?”

I laughed, resting my head on his shoulder. “This is one time in my life I don’t care what the people want. I want to be your wife, so let’s give them an encore they’ll never forget.”

We turned to the minister and as I looked out over the crowd, I felt Ke’aloha. Love was all around us, in the people who stood by us and by the nature that surrounded us. We bowed our heads for the Hawaiian Marriage Prayer, and my heart settled. In a few minutes, Ellie Monroe and Maltrand KeKoa would cease to exist as two separate people. In a few minutes, we would be ‘Me and Mr. I.T.’, for realsies, and forever.

The Forgotten Lei

Book 3 of the Kupid’s Cove Series

I straightened my skirt and rolled my shoulders, the grass skirt brushing against my legs like a tender caress from an ocean breeze. I rubbed my hands together and tried to fight off the overwhelming panic that rose in my throat at the thought of going out there. I was about to face my biggest fear. It wasn't the grass skirt, the music, or the other dancers; it was who may be lurking on the beach, beyond where the light reaches. Trained as a hula dancer, and being hula champion for three years in high school, I knew how to do this old dance to the tiki gods without thinking about it. The last time I danced hula had been my senior year of high school. That was then, and this is now. I had to stop letting the fear control me. I had to put the skirt back on and let go of the anxiety it caused, so I could fall in love again.

"Are you ready, Leilani?" my friend Kendra asked.

"As much of a cliché as it is, I'm going to say it. Ready as I'll ever be," I answered, blowing out a heavy breath.

I joined the group of dancers waiting to take the stage. I stood in the back and followed them up the stairs to the platform. I forced myself to take slow even breaths and to keep my eyes trained on the backs of the other dancers. You don’t have to be the star, Lei, I reminded myself. All you have to do is prove that you’ve healed, and you’re ready to take your life back. The musicians began the song and my heart leaped with the feeling of joy I used to get when I danced. I wanted to break out from the group and do what I used to do best, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I stayed in the back row, moving my hips and hands in a familiar rhythm. I hadn't given up hula dancing altogether after that night, but I only did it at home, where my surroundings were safe and no one wanted to hurt me.

The ukulele twanged its familiar tune and my turn to move up to the front loomed as the musicians started the second half of the song. I didn't know if I could do it. I tore my eyes from the back of Kendra's head and let them drift to the palm trees at the edge of the beach. I knew this beach and the people on it. You’re safe, Lei. Kupid's Cove is where your friends live. You can do this, Lei. You can do this I chanted as my cue came and the back row moved to the front. I swung my hips, my head swiveling to follow my hands. After a moment it was impossible not to look out at the crowd. Relief flowed through me when I saw who occupied the front rows

Seeing them there to support me let me breathe a sigh of relief. My boss and his wife, along with half the staff at Kupid’s Arrow Resort sat smiling up at me as I danced. My friend, Ellie, gave me a double thumbs up, a huge grin on her face. Behind her sat my family and beyond that everyone else blended into the night. I'm safe, I'm loved, and I'm okay, I chanted to the beat of the music.

Stay calm, Lei. No one knows your secret and no one will ever find out. Keep your cool, enjoy the dance, and try to forget that night ever happened. I’d been trying to do that for eight years now, but the likelihood I would ever forget the night my life changed was slim to none.

About the Author

Katie Mettner writes inspirational romance from a little house in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. She's the author of the four-part epic family saga - The Sugar Series, The Northern Lights Series, The Snowberry Holiday Series, and The Magnificent Series. All of her series are set in the Midwest and are a mix of new adult and romantic suspense.

Katie lives with her soul mate, whom she met online at Thanksgiving and married the following April. Together they share their lives with their three children and two leopard geckos. After suffering an especially bad spill on the bunny hill in 1989, Katie became an amputee in 2011. It was while she was recovering that she found time to pen her first novel, Sugar's Dance. With the release of Sugar's story, Katie discovered the unfilled need for disabled heroes and heroines. Her stories are about empowering people with special circumstances to find the one person who will love them because of their abilities, not their inabilities.

Katie has a slight addiction to Twitter and blogging, with a lessening aversion to Pinterest now that she quit trying to make the things she pinned.

Other Books by Katie Mettner:

Sugar’s Dance ~ The Sugar Series Book 1

Sugar’s Song ~ The Sugar Series Book 2

Sugar’s Night ~ The Sugar Series Book 3

Sugar’s Faith ~ The Sugar Series Book 4

Granted Redemption ~ The Northern Lights Series Book 1

Autumn Reflections ~ The Northern Lights Series Book 2

Winter’s Rain ~ The Northern Lights Series Book 3

Forever, Phoenix ~ The Northern Lights Series Book 4

Snow Daze ~ A Snowberry Christmas Book 1

December Kiss ~ A Snowberry Christmas Book 2