Touched by a Phoenix (41 page)

“Well, when would you like to get married?” she asked.

“That depends. Do you want a large wedding?”

“Heaven’s no, just something small and simple…with family and close friends.”

He smiled lovingly at his soon-to-be-wife. Leave it to her to be practical on the most important day of her life.

“Alexis, I don’t want you to look back on our wedding day and have any regrets. I want it to be the most special day of our lives.”

She looked at him tenderly. “Sweetheart, the day you told me you loved me was the most special day of my life. Nothing else will ever compare.”

His heart skipped a beat…she was simply magnificent. “What about Christmas?”

“I don’t think so,” a brief flash of a smile tugged at her lips.

“Why not?” he asked with genuine curiosity this time.

“You promised me children, which means more than one by the way…and without the use of a cup, I might add,” she grinned devilishly. “When we decide to have them, I want Christmas to be a special time for our family. Call me selfish but I don’t want to share you on our anniversary.”

Good Lord—anniversaries, children, Christmas as a family. He looked into her loving eyes and there it was again…the home of every silent prayer he ever had. He saw her love for him—he saw his future.

His voice held a tone of reverence as he confirmed, “I will give you whatever your heart desires.”

She lovingly kissed him with all she was, “You already have.”

He broke away gently. “You are not allowed to change the subject or distract me from this mission. Do you have any ideas?”

“I’ve already given you a suggestion but you didn’t like it,” she pretended to pout.

“No, darling. I love the idea of marrying you tomorrow; I just don’t particularly care to die on Saturday.”

“Okay…okay. You’ll start the final work on the full-sized drone and testing when we get home, right?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Which means long hours again, right?”

“Yes, but I promise not to work as much as before.”

“How about mid-November? That should give me enough time to plan a small wedding while you are working long hours and we can be married before the holiday season begins.”

He leaned over as he kissed her tenderly. “That sounds like the perfect plan.”

The engines roared to life, startling Alexis from her sweet kiss. “What on earth?”

Brad chuckled, “Pete is turning the boat around. I have a surprise for you this evening.”

They retired to the upper deck for the evening. The night air was filled with Brad’s cigar smoke, which stimulated all of her senses and made her heady with desire. He held her hand—toying with her engagement ring as fireworks lit up the night sky. The colors were magnificent as the brilliant colors rose like stars in the dark heavens.

It was a spectacular evening in many ways, she thought as she led him to bed.

Chapter Seventeen

A
lexis glowed as
she walked into the chapel with Brad Sunday morning.

They had shared the happy news with Phillip and Catherine over the telephone the night before. Alexis was more than happy to introduce Brad as her fiancé. As they made their way through the small crowd towards her parents, Chaplin McKinney approached.

“Alexandria, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve been to Sunday service.”

A hint of blush tinted her cheeks as she smiled fondly at the older gentleman. “It’s good to see you too, Chaplin. Sir, I’d like for you to meet my fiancé, Brad Scott.”

“Well now Brad, I’ve heard a great deal about you son.” He offered a warm greeting as he extended his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Chaplin McKinney,” Brad nodded as he took the man’s hand.

“Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“When is the big day?”

“We’re looking at sometime in mid-November,” Alexis beamed.

“I’m looking forward to it,” the Chaplin smiled fondly.

Both Catherine and Phillip genuinely seemed pleased for both Brad and Alexis as they chatted over a late lunch with the calendar in-hand, discussing wedding plans.

“Alexis honey, November 8th is only two months away. We’ll be cutting it a bit close, don’t you think?”

“Mom, I want a small wedding. No more than a hundred people, if that. Dad can walk me down the aisle and I don’t think we are going to have attendants so it can’t be so bad.”

Catherine laughed, “Honey, even
small
has more details than you think.”

Alexis flashed her mother a beautifully sweet smile, “I was hoping you would help and if so, it should be a piece of cake.”

“Honey, you know I will help with the wedding. All you have to do is tell me what you want and we’ll take care of everything.”

Alexis beamed. “I’ll take the chapel and the Chaplin. I will buy my dress but I would like you to go with me, if you wouldn’t mind. And I will take care of the flowers.”

She took a deep breath and continued, “I would like an evening wedding and would like to keep the reception intimate with a sit down dinner. Other than that, I don’t care where the reception is or what you decide to serve for the meal. You can take care of the remaining details,” she stated proudly.

“Alexis,” her mother chimed in, “this is your wedding day! You have to want more than that.”

Alexis giggled, “No Mom, I’m taking care of the only thing that matters that day,” she assured her softly as she reached over and took Brad’s hand. “Becoming Brad’s wife—the rest is for the guests, so I’m good with whatever you decide.”

“Alexis!” her mother exclaimed in shock.

“No Mom, I mean it. The invitations, the reception, the cake, the photographer…all of that is up to you. Please just keep it simple. Whatever makes you and Dad happy will be just fine with us.”

“Alexis, do you at least have colors in mind?”

She laughed as she looked over at Brad. “I’d like white with a splash of red. Perhaps the roses could be crimson.”

Catherine gasped, “Alexis, are you sure you want such a dark color?”

Alexis saw Brad’s eyes darken, the storm brewing just below the surface. Yes, he was most assuredly pleased with her color selection.

His eyes held her captive as she replied, “Yes, Mom… I’m sure.”

Brad’s lips found hers. He did not try to hide his love for his beautiful wife-to-be, even in front of her parents.

“Mom,” she started again, “I promise not to dump everything on you but I want this to be our day and I want to enjoy every moment of it.”

Brad decided he would let Catherine and Alexis finish this conversation. Catherine’s disappointment was obvious. Every mother wanted to plan the perfect wedding for her daughter. Alexis would have her hands full keeping the ceremony to a dull roar…perhaps they should have married at sea.

He turned to Phillip. “Phillip, why don’t we let the ladies work this out. Perhaps you and I could discuss the upcoming work and potential test sites.”

Phillip looked relieved to be exiting this conversation. Catherine had waited a lifetime for her daughter to marry, and as usual, Alexis was being stubborn.

“I agree, why don’t we step outside for a while?”

When they reached the patio, Brad was the first to speak, “How is the investigation coming along?”

Phillip shook his head, frustrated. “There’s been no progress at all.”

“Then the sooner I finish the project, the better off we’ll be,” Brad decided with determination.

“I agree. Brad, I’ve never seen anything like this. We have nothing to go on. The individual responsible for this turmoil is one intelligent human being.”

“And dangerous. By the way…,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. Handing it to Phillip, he explained, “This is a GPS locator ID. I had it installed in Alexis’s engagement ring. She is not aware but keep this ID number in a safe place in case you ever need it.”

Phillip frowned, “Brad, are you keeping tabs on Alexis?”

Brad’s tone was calm and soothing, “No Phillip, I do not need to keep tabs on Alexis. However, based on recent events, I thought it prudent to be more careful with her safety. If someone were to take her, I would be able to find her.”

Phillip’s face softened at the love and tenderness Brad showed for Alexis. “This was an excellent idea Brad, but how were you able to do this without her knowing?”

Brad chuckled, “There are some perks to being a technology guru. There’s a tiny microscopic chip tucked safely into a small opening in the band.”

Phillip simply shook his head at Brad’s talent.

“While we’re on the subject of precautionary measures, John installed motion detectors and surveillance cameras on the exterior of both of your homes. John thought it would be best for you both to have drivers. We don’t want either of you to go out in public without security.”

“I understand and I appreciate the added security for Alexis but I can take care of myself.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter son. If something were to happen to you, it would destroy Alexis.”

Brad nodded in understanding.

She sank down in her chair. The last month had been nothing short of a whirlwind of activities. Although, love filled the air, Tiffany told her last week that Michael proposed and they were planning a spring wedding. Stephen and Jessica became an instant item and Jessica was considering going to California with Stephen at the end of his trip.

Everything had settled down at work with no further issues. She still took the stairs; the elevator gave her chills. They had sat down with John after their trip, and gone through everyone who might have had any knowledge about Brad’s work. Only a handful of people had enough knowledge to put some of the pieces together. Although John came up empty-handed at every turn, he continued to work side-by-side with Brad, keeping an eye on everything.

Unfortunately, they had no potential suspects and nothing to go on. Whoever sabotaged the elevator had created the perfect diversion and cover. John suggested backing down security in hopes of forcing them to make a mistake. Brad and Phillip had reluctantly agreed.

Nan was thrilled with the news. Between her and Catherine, they were making all the wedding arrangements. Brad’s sister, Monica, came into town for a long weekend a few weeks ago and had fallen in love with D.C. She was the perfect little social butterfly, full of life and youthful energy. Monica had loved the bustle of Washington and decided to stay after landing a job at one of the investment brokerage houses downtown. It was wonderful having her close by.

Brad’s parents had been less excited. Their happy news seemed almost irrelevant. Her heart saddened for him—he had been right about his parents. They were so wrapped up in their own lives they had forgotten they had two wonderful children who still wanted their love and approval, even as adults. They had shown no interest in the wedding nor had they responded to her Mom’s invitation to visit before the wedding. She tried to remain positive about the situation. Perhaps they would come around in time but if they didn’t, she would love Brad enough to make up for their shortcomings.

Brad set up a double date with Monica and Robert. He thought his little sister should meet someone nice—someone she could hang out with from time-to-time. Both financial whiz kids with much in common, they hit it off immediately, chatting and laughing throughout dinner. Alexis was a tad jealous of Monica’s stunning looks. With long black hair, blue eyes, and a figure to die for, she would surely break some hearts. Robert was just a hair shorter than Brad, perhaps right at six foot with the most charming sea green eyes and dark blonde hair. If they hit it off, Alexis thought they would make a striking couple.

Brad seemed to relax with each passing day. Rescue One was maturing and doing well. The test drone had completed several test runs with much success, and the wedding was quickly approaching. He had kept his promise, working only six days a week, and home by eight every night.

She opened her instant message…

IM: Alexandria Saunders - Conversation:

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:19PM

>
We should have let Pete marry us at sea!

Scott, Bradley:
3:21PM

>
I’m sorry, that bad?

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:24PM

>
Yes! Who would have thought a wedding for less than a hundred people would take as much effort as a large an extravagant wedding!

Scott, Bradley:
3:26PM

>
Darling, I love you. Is there anything I can do to help?

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:27PM

>
Not unless you want to elope!

Scott, Bradley:
3:29PM

>
LOL…don’t tell me you are ready to be a widow already?

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:34PM

>
No…but why must everything be so complicated? I wanted small and simple.

Scott, Bradley:
3:41PM

>
Darling, our day will be perfect. Stop fussing over what everyone else wants and do what makes you happy.

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:43PM

>
Thank you and I love you! What would you like for dinner this evening?

Scott, Bradley:
3:46PM

>
You!

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:49PM

>
Oh, I think I can arrange that! Would you like that as the main course or dessert?

Scott, Bradley:
3:52PM

>
BOTH!

Saunders, Alexandria:
3:55PM

>
Sounds yummy. Later my love :o)