Surreal (Divine Trilogy #3) (24 page)

Erin sighed and leaned back, taking another sip. “Her body has just gone through a huge ordeal, it’s only natural she’s tired, right? We told her we’d help. Besides, having the little guy around has been a great distraction from all the wedding nonsense.” She gave a light laugh. “Thank you so much for bringing in Samantha to help and getting your mom to back off. It made all the difference in the world in these last weeks.”

Jayden made a
pfft
sound at that. “At the end of the day, it’s our wedding, not hers. She gets that. At least, now she does.” He winked. In his arms, Matthew stirred and his face scrunched up seconds before his bum warmed against Jayden’s arm. “Did he just shit his diaper?”

Rolling her eyes, Erin stood with a laugh. “Here, let me get him cleaned up and put him back down in his bassinet. I’ll be along shortly.” That time she bent down, kissing Jayden on the top of the head for once, then scooped up the boy and disappeared down the hallway, the soothing lullaby coming from her lips once again.

Jayden finished off her cocoa, took Natalie’s untouched cup back to the kitchen, and headed back upstairs to wait for Erin.

Erin stared, awestruck, at the woman before her. What she saw conjured images of expensive, French porcelain dolls—the kind of dolls that were crafted from the finest materials and assembled with the most skilled fingers.

Champagne-colored chiffon clung to the woman’s torso, almost hiding the swell of her breasts, and cascaded down to her ankles in a flowing skirt. The copious amount of her crimson hair had been fashioned into three converging French braids, with the tails arranged into a pretty knot at the base of her neck below her left ear. Miniature red silk orchids and black pearl-tipped pins were nestled in the knot. Her makeup had been applied with an artistic flair to enhance her flawless skin, her green eyes were accented by purple and silver shadows that gave a smoky effect, and her full lips were painted a deep, glossy crimson. A matching set of champagne, bronze, and black pearls with diamond accents hung from her neck, ears, and wrist—a gift from Jayden for her ‘something new.’ The overall look was, in a word, stunning.

Erin was finding it hard to believe it was her reflection staring back at her from the glass. She was afraid to move, worried that the vision would fade and she’d wake up. A soft cough pulled her from her self-perusal. Using the mirror in front of her, Erin looked over her shoulder.

“Hi, Da,” she whispered, afraid she’d start crying if she tried to speak aloud, and turned around.

“Hello,
iníon
.” He seemed to be choking on his words as well. “My goodness, but you look like a princess, Cat. I feel like I missed watching you grow up. When did you become a woman?”

Heat crawled up into her cheeks at his compliment. “Thankya, Da. And you’re here now, so don’t think about the sad times of the past. We have a great future ahead of us, full of happiness. I just know it.”

Woody nodded his head. “Aye, I think ye might be right about that. I have to say, while I haven’t known Jayden long, and he is more than a bit older than you—”

“Da!”

“Let me finish, Cat.” He chuckled. “That man has been nothing but upstanding. He’s come through on more than one occasion, and I couldn’t imagine someone with better intentions in their heart than Jayden has toward you. So, um, are you ready to do this?” The old man’s nerves were showing more than the young bride’s.

Before Erin could reply to her father’s question, Paige bounded into the small dressing room. “Of course she’s ready!” chirped her Matron of Honor extraordinaire. Her crimson chiffon dress was done in a similar Grecian style to Erin’s, but with less fabric so the skirt wasn’t as full as the bridal gown.

“Except for her ‘something old.’” She shot a wink over at Erin’s dad. “Which I believe you are taking care of, Mr. O’Chancey?”

“Paige, I’ve told ye to just call me Woody.”

“Fine, Mr. Woody, then. Erin’s all set for new, borrowed, and blue. She just needs her old from you, though you’re anything but.” Her friend’s tinkle of laughter was chased with one of her trademark winks. 

To Erin’s surprise, her father’s sunburned cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and he toed the ground. Paige had made the old man blush.

“Aye, of course.” Woody reached into his inner pocket to pull out a velvet rectangular box. Inside was a silver chain. “This was your
maimeo’s
. It was given to her on her wedding day as her ‘something new’ by my da. Just before she passed, she told me I was to make sure you got it on your wedding day.”

Erin felt like she was in a haze while he reached for her unadorned wrist and fastened the bracelet around it. It was an interlocking series of Celtic heart knots, and she recognized it at once because she’d never seen her
maimeo
without it. The surprised bride had thought her grandmother had been buried with it.

With Jayden’s gift set, the borrowed pearl pins in her hair, and a deep blue satin garter adorning her thigh, the tradition was complete.

“There,” Woody declared and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You’re beautiful, Catherine, and I know she is here with you, proud as ever. She would’ve been so touched by your choosing today to do this.”

“Oh, Da.” Erin sniffled, the first tear on the brink of falling.

“Now, now . . . none of that! You’ll ruin your makeup, Erin,” screeched Paige. “Oh, and it’s show time, sweetie,” she added in a calmer voice, handing Erin the bouquet of deep red orchids. The flowers were an homage to those with which Jayden had courted her.

Taking a deep breath, Erin slipped her arm around her father’s. “Shall we?”

Woody harrumphed and Paige giggled, then the three of them moved from the anteroom to the main doors of the chapel. Paige poked her head through the door to signal the organist. While the first notes of the wedding march began, Micah and Warren—their ushers—pulled open the chapel doors, and the assembled guests rose to their feet.

Samantha’s little sister Meredith was standing in as their flower girl. Joon wasn’t walking well enough yet to manage the task, and they didn’t know anyone else with a young girl. Meredith’s dress was cream-colored satin and tulle, finished with an intricate sash about her waist that had been hand-beaded with seed pearls and rhinestones. Erin had choked when Jayden insisted that all the pearls be real.

A naughty grin crept onto her face at the memory of the argument she’d gotten into with him because of the cost. He hadn’t appreciated her tone. The disagreement had ended with her over her Master’s lap, receiving a thoroughly satisfying spanking, which had been followed by an even more satisfying fucking.

Meredith pranced down the aisle, sprinkling petals from a basket while she went.
Adorable
. Paige, followed by Ronnie in a matching crimson bridesmaid dress, went next. While Erin and her da waited for the girls to work their way down and take their places at the front, she took in the room from her vantage point.

Shawn was just inside and to the left, already snapping pictures. The assembled crowd was intimidating to her, but everyone looked amazing. Dressed in their finest clothes, they’d all turned to face the incoming bride, making her the center of attention. Her pulse began racing, and her eyes darted down, away from their beaming faces.

This is happening. I’m about to become Mrs. Jayden Masterson.
Her heartbeat gained momentum, thrumming in her ears.

Everywhere she looked, crimson orchids and pearly white roses graced the available surfaces. Steel gray bunting brought it all together, matching the gray runner down the center of the aisle—now littered with Meredith’s white rose petals. Jillian and Steph sat at the front with Benny and Joon, and next to them was Natalie, with Matthew asleep in her arms.

Erin’s gaze went back to her bridesmaids. They’d almost reached the front, so she allowed herself to look at the men on the right side of the aisle. Malcolm Masterson and Sir Landon had their hands clasped in front of them, looking impeccable in their dark gray tuxedos with cream silk shirts. Like her da, they had a single red orchid pinned to their lapels. Gray Stetsons were perched on their heads—Malcolm had insisted.

Next to her, her father tugged on her arm to begin the walk down the aisle, and her gaze drifted to Jayden.

Unlike his comrades, Jayden’s tuxedo and hat were black in color. His cream-colored shirt, patterned necktie, and crimson vest were breathtaking and complimented Erin’s gown. Her eyes met his warm, brown ones, and she lost her breath. He was beyond handsome. In the locking of their stares, the entire room disappeared.

All she was aware of was Him—her friend, her lover, her Master.

It wasn’t until her da responded in a boisterous voice to the pastor’s question of, “Who gives this woman to be married?” that Erin became aware of her surroundings again and realized they’d made the walk up the aisle. With painstaking effort, she pulled her eyes away from Jayden’s to pay attention to their pastor, but not before she caught Jayden’s enamored grin.

“Beloved family and friends, we are gathered here today . . .” began the minister.

Erin listened to the greeting and then his recitation of Corinthians with a fluttering heart. She was getting her happily ever after. Never had she felt more like a princess than at that moment, with her Prince Charming standing next to her, holding her hand while the pastor spoke.

The couple had decided to recite a poem to each other before their actual “I do’s.” Though the poem each had chosen was a surprise, they’d worked on the vows together. Some of their guests were aware, and even part, of the Lifestyle, but most were not, so Jayden and Erin had to be subtle with the inclusion of that side of their lives into their vows.

She had to steady her breathing when they turned to face each other. Taking Jayden’s hands in her own, Erin looked into his eyes and began repeating an Anne Bradstreet poem from the 1600s. Her lips trembled while she formed the words of “To My Dear and Loving Husband.” When a tear rolled down her cheek, Erin gave Jayden a soft smile.

His warm thumb brushed it away.

She took another deep breath, and another tear escaped while the lines fell from her lips. That time, he leaned in and kissed the tear away. His intoxicating scent, a mix of being freshly showered and the underlying hint of male, crashed into her senses and befuddled her for a moment.

Pivoting, Erin collected the inlaid gold and platinum band from Paige. Turning back to Jayden, she lifted his left hand and positioned the ring at the tip of his fourth finger.

“
Mo anam cara
, my soul mate, for the remaining days of my life, I promise to love and cherish you, to comfort and honor you, and to serve and obey you. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse as long as we both shall live, I promise to be a faithful wife and keep my body for you—it is yours to do with as you wish. I, Catherine Eilene O’Chancey, take you, Jayden Matthew Masterson, to be my lawfully wedded Husband, the Master of my heart, soul, and body. With this ring, I submit to you, and I thee wed.” She bowed her head and lowered her gaze while sliding the ring onto his finger.

He lifted her chin with a gentle touch. “Thank you, Catherine,” her Master whispered then cleared his throat and took her hands in his. “Eyes on me, my jewel,” he commanded before raising his voice again so that everyone could hear.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

Erin beamed, recognizing the opening to Browning’s well-known text. Jayden’s voice was strong and sure as he continued. When he’d recited the poem, her heart melting with every word, he collected her band from Sir Landon. Clasping her left hand in his, Jayden positioned the ring at the tip of her fourth finger and began his vows.

“My jewel, I promise to be a faithful husband and to keep my body for you, and you alone. I promise to love you and cherish you, to comfort and honor you, to guide you—and push your limits.”

A quiet laugh rippled through their guests. While those in the know found humor in his promise of ecstasy, those who were not still found humor in the idea of a husband pushing his wife’s buttons.

Jayden winked at her and continued over the interruption. “For all the days of my life. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse as long as we both shall live. I, Jayden Matthew Masterson, Master of your heart, soul, and body, take you, Catherine Eilene O’Chancey, to be my lawfully wedded wife. With this ring, I humbly accept your submission, and I thee wed.” Their eyes were fixed on each other while he pushed the platinum and gold
Claddagh
band that matched his own onto her finger.

Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he said the most beautiful words Erin had ever heard. “I love you, Mrs. Masterson.”

Smiling like fools, the couple turned back toward the reverend, waiting for him to finish and present them. “By the power vested in me by the State of Texas, and before these witnesses, I now pronounce you man and wife. Jayden, you may kiss your beautiful bride if you so choose.”

Her husband threw his head back and laughed. “Hell yeah, I so choose. Come here, Catherine!” he ordered and pulled her into his arms to capture her waiting lips. His tongue pushed into her mouth, and they kissed deeply to the sounds of applause and catcalls from friends and family.

When they broke the kiss, the pastor spoke again. “Ladies and gentleman, may I have the honor of presenting to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jayden Masterson.”