The Next Level: A BWWM Billionaire Marriage And Pregnancy Romance (11 page)

She found the lacy dress she wanted, the gold accented
beautifully against her skin. Chelsea was glad she’d stuck to
her guns by saying no to the other dress, this one she was in love
with. When work started back the next morning, she was a whirlwind of
coffee, wedding planning and work. She woke up two hours earlier
every morning to work on the wedding, at night she didn’t fall
asleep, she passed out it seemed.

The
closer the wedding became, the more nervous she was. There was a
moment, briefly, if she wondered if getting married was what she
really wanted. Thinking of Matthew though, she knew she wanted to
spend the rest of her life with him. Still, as if her pre-wedding
jitters weren’t enough, Catherine was calling everyday. She
wanted an elaborate seating chart. Chelsea agreed, but changed the
seating herself. She wanted the colors of the wedding to stay
traditional, white and black. Chelsea refused politely saying she’d
already picked out the colors. Everyday Catherine seemed to become
more involved until she wanted to pull her hair out. Once she found
out they were getting married at a venue, not a church and with a
non-religious ceremony, Catherine really flipped.

Chelsea
slammed her phone down on the table. “Tell your mother to butt
out of our wedding! I am so sick of her adding crap. Doves, stupid
songs, she might as well parade a marching band through the place!”

Matthew
rubbed her shoulders, shushing her softly. “It’s
our
day, babe. You
do whatever you want to do, I’ll back you up.”

He
kissed her gently, making her relax against his chest. It was like
her nightmare all over again with all of the changes being made, but
this was real life. She was not going to let Catherine take control.

Two
weeks before the wedding, Chelsea went to visit Sangi. She found her
cuddled up with Andrew on her front porch. They both jumped when they
saw her, like kids who’d been misbehaving.

“
What
are you doing here?” Chelsea asked him.

“
I
just came to visit Sangi, talk wedding stuff. Matthew wants me to be
one of the grooms. I should really be going now though. Long drive
back.”

They
hugged before he jogged to his sleek, black car, slipping inside.
Chelsea raised an eyebrow at Sangi who shrugged. She rolled her eyes.

“
You
two are ridiculous. Why won’t you just say you’re
dating?”

“
And
have his mom freak out again? No thanks, I’ve learned from your
example.”

“
Heartwarming,”
Chelsea said with a laugh. Let’s talk about my bachelorette
party.”

The
last week before the wedding, she and Matthew decided to live
separately. He thought it was silly, but she liked the idea of
keeping him in wait. That way when he saw her, he’d fall in
love with her all over again. The sexless week would give them more
tension she told him, tension they could relieve on the honeymoon.
Matthew reluctantly agreed, kissing her deeply the day he’d
packed his bags.

“
I’ll
see you at the alter, babe.”

Chelsea
spent her last week both enjoying her last days as a single woman
with her friends and frantically scrambling to complete every last
detail of the wedding. She was almost glad to have the planner now.
Sangi completely left off everything Andrew related to help her. The
night before the wedding, she and Sangi curled up in bed together
like when they were children, falling asleep to Breakfast at
Tiffany’s.

*****

The
next morning, Chelsea was in full panic mode. She rushed around the
house gathering everything she needed to take with her to the State
Room. Sangi picked up after her, making sure she didn’t go
insane. When Chelsea needed her clothes, Sangi handed them to her.
When she lost her wedding shoes, her friend tucked them away in the
car. Chelsea was almost in tears before the day started, she wasn’t
sure how she was going to get through the day.

They
stopped at the hotel their friends were staying in to get ready. The
make up artist and stylist worked their magic. When they were done,
Chelsea hardly recognized herself. Her makeup was soft tones of lilac
and pink. Her hair had been pulled back, twisted into an intricate
bun and a Gardenia worked into her hair. Chelsea touched her face and
hair tentatively. Sangi walked over to her slowly.

“
Looks
like Catherine sent you a little gift,” she said holding up a
black bag.

Chelsea
unzipped the bag. Inside was the wedding dress she’d rejected
in Nantucket. It sat there in all it’s overdone glory.
Chelsea’s fists clenched at her side. Hadn’t she told
Catherine she didn’t want it?

“
Put
it back wherever it came from. Get my dress for me please.”

Sangi
helped Chelsea into the dress, zipping her into it gently. Once more
Chelsea admired herself in the mirror. She really did look like a
completely different person.

“
Am
I really doing this?” She asked herself.

“
You’ll
be fine, honey. You look beautiful.”

Her
mom kissed her on the cheek. Once more she felt like crying. She
wondered if it was normal to be this emotional, but then she brushed
the thought aside. It didn’t matter if it was normal or not. It
was her wedding. She could cry as much as she wanted to. Still, she
dabbed at her eyes so she didn’t ruin her makeup before the
ceremony.

There
was a knock on the hotel door. Chelsea’s friend Jenna opened it
and Catherine breezed past her. She was wearing a gray dress that
would match Matthew and his friends clothes. Chelsea was distracted
from her clothes, however when she saw Catherine’s face. She
looked pissed.

“
I
just got done talking to Helen. Can you imagine what she said to me?
You changed everything! You cut my guest list, rearranged seating
charts, used a different caterer, you’re not even wearing the
dress I brought you! This is just ungrateful, Chelsea. I paid for all
of this. If you’re going to be a part of this family, you’re
going to have to learn to play ball.”

Chelsea
stepped closer to Catherine. She watched the woman shrink under her
gaze. Sangi appeared at her side, a hand softly touching her arm.

“
Look,
lady. This is my wedding, not yours. This is me and Matthew’s
life, not yours. So, stop with the bullshit, go to the venue and get
ready for the wedding, because I’m going to be a part of this
family whether you like it or not.”

Catherine
sneered. It turned her almost pretty face, very hideous. It was
almost as if that sneer showed who she really was. She took another
step back from Chelsea.

“
I
knew it. You’re just like the rest of them. I stand by my
statement I made a few weeks. You don’t belong in our world.”

It
took every ounce of self control Chelsea possessed not to walk over
and punch her in the face. Sangi and her mom both seemed to sense
this. They held her gently, their touch almost comforting. She knew
however that they were less trying to soothe her and more trying to
keep her from killing Catherine. Chelsea pushed the woman out of her
mind. It was her and Matthew’s day. She wasn’t going to
let Catherine ruin that.

The
ride to the State Room flew by. Chelsea found herself trying to calm
down, breathe. Her mom held her hand. When they’d arrived, they
took the elevator up. Chelsea could already hear the swelling of
strings before the doors opened. Their wedding was being held in a
harbor side room, the view of the water mixed with the setting sun a
perfect combination of beauty and elegance. Chelsea’s dad
switched places with her mom. Sangi handed her the bouquet of
gardenias, their aroma strong and sweet.

Chelsea
laced her arm through her father’s. For once, she could see the
emotion written all over his face. She was scared for a minute that
he would cry and she knew she couldn’t see that and keep her
makeup on straight. The wedding march began. She glanced over at her
dad, his composure slowly coming back. He nodded, kissed her on the
cheek and they waited to begin their walk down the aisle.

They
walked behind her cousin, Nina, the tiny girl throwing lilac petals
as Matthew's cousin carried the rings. Once the bridesmaids and
grooms were well on their way, Chelsea sighed. Slowly, she and her
father entered the room. Everyone turned to look at her as she walked
in, their faces glowing with pride and happiness. Chelsea could only
see Matthew. He was dressed all in gray, he looked stunning standing
up there, waiting for her, a smile on his face. It was a smile so
genuine she thought his cheeks would crack. She felt her heart
beating faster. She was going to marry the man she loved, there was
nothing better than that.

At
the altar, her father left her with another kiss. He did cry then.
She fanned at her eyes vigorously. It was the most beautiful thing
she’d ever seen. She had never known her daddy to cry. She
stood before Matthew, eyes bright, a wide smile to match his own on
her lips. The entire thing was like a dream. As he spoke, she
couldn’t stop looking into Matthew’s eyes, seeing the
life that she would have with him from now on. All at once he was
saying I do, slipping the ring on her finger gently.

“
I
do,” Chelsea replied, slipping his ring on his finger.

“
By
the power invested in me, you may kiss your bride!”

Matthew
kissed her softly. Without warning he dipped her low, giving her one
of those old black and white movie style kisses she loved so much.
When they came up for air, the sound of applause was deafening. They
turned to their family and friends, hands locked, knowing they’d
made the right decision.

The
reception was a blur of too much champagne, dancing and eating
exquisite food. Matthew had insisted he pick the cake out for the
wedding. When they wheeled it out, Chelsea covered her mouth in
shock. It was huge, taller than her head on the cart they carried it
in on. The cake looked like a mansion, little purple flowers all over
it. Somehow they’d even worked little lights into the scheme.
It was so beautiful she didn’t want to even cut it at first.

After
they’d cut the cake, danced a little more and had one too many
glasses to drink they sat down together. Chelsea kicked off her
shoes, opting to go barefoot rather than spend one more minute in the
heels. Matthew was massaging her feet as they looked out at everyone
having fun, when his parents walked over. With them was a stunning
woman. Chelsea could tell she was older, her hair white, but she was
tall and held herself as if she were thirty. She smiled at both of
them. She had those same stunning blue eyes at Matthew.

“
Grandma!”
Matthew hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“
I
wouldn’t miss it,” she said kissing his cheek. “And
you’re Chelsea. You’re so beautiful, dear. Give me a
hug.”

When
they pulled away from one another they smiled. Chelsea liked her
right away. Catherine seemed to want to do everything in her power to
get away.

“
Oh
stop fidgeting Catherine. Did you know she used to be a dog walker?
Now, she acts like she’s too good for anyone. Chelsea, don’t
pay her even a little bit of mind. I’ve heard the awful things
she’s said, it’s ridiculous. You’re a wonderful
woman and you make my grandson happy, that’s all that matters.”

Chelsea
tried to stifle a laugh. “Thank you.”

“
Mom,”
Lyle said, “be nice.”

Catherine
was a deep shade of red. Matthew’s grandma scoffed, shaking her
head. She wished them a good honeymoon while Catherine stormed away,
little miss drama as always. As the night wound down, Matthew checked
his watch.

“
Ready
to head for the airport? Our flight’s coming up pretty soon.”

Chelsea
nodded. “Let’s go.”

The
women of the group gathered around as she announced she was going to
throw the bouquet. Closing her eyes, she turned from the group and
tossed it over her shoulder. Excitedly she turned around to see Sangi
holding it with wide eyes. Chelsea laughed so hard, she felt tears
prick at her eyes. Finally, after everything was done, they made
their way to the waiting limo, slipping inside. Matthew leaned
forward, kissing her so deeply she moaned against his mouth. She
couldn’t wait for the honeymoon to start.

*****

A
fourteen hour plane ride wasn’t exactly her idea of fun, but
doing it on a chartered jet was a lot better than being cramped into
coach. She and Matthew were so exhausted they fell asleep no sooner
than the jet had taken off. They leaned their chairs back, holding
hands as they drifted off together.