Private Affair (The Private Series) (36 page)

“You saved me before we even knew one another. You are the reason I smile, cry and scream. When we have been apart, I hated every moment of it. The light in my day was dark and at night I felt like I was going to slip away. I am not the type of girl to wait to be saved, but rather you are at my side, we are equals and I agree that we have been on this journey longer than we even could know, this isn’t the start but the continuance of our story. I love you. I know there are probably a million other things I want to say to you, but we have the rest of our lives to do that.” I laugh through my tears. Ben hands me his handkerchief from his pocket.

Most couples like to pick their bands together, but not us. We exchange our rings and I am shocked to see that Ben has gotten me a band filled with a single line of tiny diamonds, but every other stone is pink, just like my engagement ring. I gasp when I see it. For Ben I had picked out a titanium black band and on the inside I had “My permanent” engraved. Judging by the look on his face, he likes it.

“Benjamin Mitchell, do you take Tess to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Ben’s gaze hits me deep in the heart and soul.

The Man at the altar asks me the same, “Tess Martin do you take Benjamin…”

“I do!” I jump right in, before he can finish. Everyone watching laughs and cheers, including the justice of the peace.

“Alright alright! I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now…”

We smash into each other and go in for a world crashing kiss. All we can hear are cheers and whistles from behind us. When we pull away everyone is standing and clapping. Many are wiping tears away. We cinch our hands together as husband and wife and we make our way back down the aisle
together
.

Once inside we run for the room I got ready in. We just need a moment to be together alone. I pull him into the room, because he had no idea which room I was in. He closes and locks the door. I back up until I feel the coolness of the tall wall mirror behind me. Ben unbuttons his jacket and slides it off. Dropping to his knees in front of me his hands reach for my ankles under my long dress. Lifting it slightly he sees my shimmering black and silver heels and groans. Hands going higher he feels for the tops of my tights, which are on by a black garter belt. “I am loving this sweet soft dress you have on and then black sexy hosiery you have going on. My sweet and sexy wife.”

I can’t stop smiling, “I am happy you approve hubby.” I giggle. “You look sexy in your tux.” Ben looks up at me and gives me a cocky wink. “I think we should go back out there, before they come looking for us.”

“Let them look. Besides I want to see this garter you have resting on your sexy little leg…” He starts to lift my dress up higher and I pat it back down.

“You can take a look when it’s time for you to take it off at the reception.” His eyes light up at the thought of showing off. I knew it would.

He gruffles and stands back up. “Okay you win this one, Mrs. Mitchell.”

“Mrs. Mitchell,” I repeat. “I love the sound of that.”

Holding his hand out for me, he tosses his jacket over his shoulder, “Shall we?”

“Oh! Hold on…” I remember I need to do something. Watching me intently, he sees me go over to the vanity and pull out a shoe box. “I just need to change my shoes.”

“Your shoes?” He asks confused.

I slip off my heels and pull out my sparkly pink Converse sneakers that he gave me. Lacing them up, I stand and show them off, “What do you think?”

“Perfection. Much more Punky.”

We are announced into the reception tent as Mr. and Mrs. Ben Mitchell and I squeal. And for a small wedding just as Ben had promised a private affair, the about fifty guests here are hootin’ and a hollerin’ as we come walking in. Nothing in the world could overcome this moment. This is the greatest moment of my life.

We go out to the dance floor first and a guitar starts to play and I hear a very familiar voice and I get chills…I turn and see Tony on a small stage sitting on a stool, he smiles and nods his head as he begins to sing my song that he and Ben had recorded for me. I turn and smack Ben on his chest, “You’re sneaky! Any other surprises up your sleeve that I need to know about?”

“One more, but you’ll have to wait.”

We dance to my song and I am in heaven. I am surround by all the people I love and in the arms of my husband. It’s just Ben and I on the dance floor, he pulls me in close. One hand on my waist and the other holding my hand. We sway to our song “I’ll Follow You” by Shinedown, the song he had played while he proposed to me. We move slowly on the dance floor, I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes. He rubs his thumb across the back of my hand and nuzzles my hair. When the song is coming to an end he pulls me away and spins me, making me blush and giggle. Coming back to his side, his arm is around my waist and we wave to everyone.

I nod over to the stage area so Ben comes with me, I grab Tony in for a big hug and he even lifts me up. “Congrats you two,” He tells us. Setting me down, he shakes Ben’s hand.

“Thanks man and thank you for making it,” Ben kisses the top of my head, “I knew it’d mean the world to her.”

I look up at my husband and smile, “And it did!” Looking to Tony, who looks quite dapper in a little dress wear, “Thank you for coming and making that song for me.”

“It wasn’t just me, your guy here was more than willing to help me out. When he told me that he could sing and play I was surprised. I am pretty damn fucking proud of the single.” Tony explains.

Jennifer comes up to all of us, “You guys look adorable together! Hey Tony…” She looks him up and down. Tony laughs and puts his arm around her.

Then the light bulb turns on, “You two?” I point back and forth between them.

“Yeah, once we started talking and our true selves came out, we just connected.” Tony tells me.

I actually awe at them and then we hear Jacks voice come over the speakers, announcing that dinner was being served. “I want a dance before you leave,” I tell Tony.

“You got it.”

After we eat and have a champagne toast, everyone close to us had a speech planned out. They were long and beautiful, all well wishes for the future. Then it was cake cutting time, which by the way is more than what anyone here could eat. It’s a beautiful four tiered pink and white cake, with black edible pearls pressed into the sides. Very romantic and over the top, but hey we are only doing this once right? We go through the motions of any traditional wedding and then it’s party time.

Ben hops up on the stage and announces the band, “Just for my gorgeous wife, I had flown in her friends and her favorite band,” Just then I see Uliana and Leon along with the rest of the band. “Cilver!”

Hopping down he comes back to me and kisses me hard on the mouth and my adrenalin kicks up, when Ulinana’s stellar voice begins to sing. When they are done with the first song they come down to say hello. I scream and I give Uli a huge hug and then Leon.

“Thank you so much for coming, I am surprised Ben talked you into it.”

“We told him we wouldn’t miss it for the world! We love you!” I am getting tired of people making me cry so much, but at least they are all finally happy tears.

The night goes on where everyone is happy and dancing, drinking and having a great time. Ben doesn’t leave my side all night and I didn’t want him to ever again. So for the night we take in the beautiful atmosphere. I dance with James and then Jack and finally Tony. Ben does his customary dances with the women in the room as well. Never being more than fifteen feet apart.

My Mom tells me how happy she is for us and tells me that we have plenty of time to make a family and not to worry or stress. Erin wants details from our week in London when we get home, specifically the dirty stuff. Caroline and Dan are happy at the pace they are going and I am so relieved to see her smiling and being herself. Ben and Dan have come to amends and are the best friends they used to be when they were younger, if not more now.

Everyone is happy and I used to believe that too much happiness will eventually end in heartbreak or tragedy. Now? Well I say take it as it comes, because life is too short to worry all the time. If we all lived in fear we wouldn’t be living.

And I am living my dream with the love of my life.

My Permanent.

“Hey, baby I am looking up flights for our anniversary trip back to London and I am about to choose an airline, do you have a preference? I know it’s early, but they book fast for the spring and we don’t want to wait any longer after that.” Ben calls for me from the office. He wanted to make it a thing where every other year we go visit the city we got married in. I was more than willing to jump on bored with that idea.

So, here we are two years later. It’s two months before our anniversary and we are planning that trip. Ben and I have also just moved into our first small house just outside of the city. He had asked me if I wanted to move away and try something new, but I couldn’t leave the city or the people that I love. It’s a modest home, three bedrooms and a backyard, which I am looking forward to using in the summer. I actually want to be that couple who has barbeques out back with our friends and family.

We both still work for
Tones
and agreed that we would stick to the local shows, unless we get to work together on a tour, but Ms. Fuller hasn’t assigned any away tours, as of yet. Ben and Charles continue to run Chatz, but Ben wanted me to come up with a fresh idea for the place. So, I told him that it’d be pretty cool if we could get the space next door and open a small café. As of right now it is being remodeled. Ben wants to put me in charge of the café, because out of everyone he knows, and this is from his mouth not mine, ‘No one knows coffee better than you Tess.’

When I don’t answer him, he comes looking for me. I can hear him walking into the other room down the hall from our shared office. Pushing the door slowly open he comes up behind me, “How are my beautiful girls doing?”

I turn around and show him the cutest pink dress I had just put our baby girl in. He rolls his eyes, “More pink eh? Oh, well I do love it.” He reaches out for our daughter, who was born four months ago. “Hey there my ladybug.” He kisses her forehead, cheeks then lifts her to get her belly.