Henry's eyes watered. Timber held his hand until he regained his composure. She decided she needed to change the subject.
"I'm finished with my soup and your plate is clear. Where did you want to go after this?"
"I know an old road a few miles out of town that's very seldom used," said Henry. "I thought we could see what the Corvette can do."
"I like that idea." Timber was suddenly struck by a thought. "I have an awkward question. Do you know if Dresden is single?" Henry looked completely confused about why his fiancé was asking if another man was single. When he asked why she grinned. "Something Xianna said a few months ago. Something tells me that they would be good together."
Henry chuckled.
"I think he is single although I'm not one hundred percent sure. I'll ask him later."
"How was your meal?"
Timber looked up to see Dresden with a small box in his hand.
"Every bite was exquisite," said Henry.
"I concur," said Timber.
"I am very pleased to hear you say that," said Dresden. "I have something for you Timber. Your mother gave this to me and I have carried it around with me for years. I have another copy, so I do not mind giving you this. I am afraid it is a little worn. It is old."
Timber took the small box and opened it. She put her hand to her mouth as she looked at a photo of her mother dressed in a flowing white gown and her father in his best suit. Timber had never seen a picture of her parent's wedding day before. Her mother was stunning and her father was very handsome. Timber got to her feet and flung her arms around Dresden's neck.
"Thank you," she said softly in his ear.
"I am very happy I was finally able to meet you," said Dresden. "Your mother saved my life. So did Henry. The debt I owe them is immeasurable. Seeing you; it is like seeing her again and for that I am thankful."
"It was wonderful to see you again, Dresden," said Henry getting to his feet. They shook hands and smiled at each other.
"It's time for us to go. I'll call you soon when we have an actual location for the rehearsal dinner."
"I look forward to it," said Dresden.
Henry and Timber walked out of the restaurant and got in the car. Timber's excitement levels increased as Henry drove south. She could feel the car vibrate as he took every twist and turn of the road with ease. He kept going a little way until they entered the tiny village of Little River. Henry turned left onto Park Road and drove east for two or three miles before stopping in the middle of the road and letting the car idle. He looked over at Timber with a wild look in his eyes that she had never seen before but it thrilled her.
"Are you ready to find out what this car can do?"
Henry pushed a button on the CD player and the speakers thumped loudly to the beat of AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell'. Then Henry put his foot on the gas. It was like the adrenaline washed everything out of her, spilling away as she got pressed back into the seat. The rear end sort of shimmied, and set, and the green spring branches whooshed and the trees turned into a blur of green and brown hues. Henry sped up the road without so much as a light tap on the brakes.
Timber was pushed sideways at each curve but she hollered at Henry for more speed. Henry grinned and pushed the pedal all the way down to the floor and the V8 engine roared like a lion. Timber glanced at the speedometer and grinned as the noticed that they were going one hundred and eighty miles an hour. Timber felt sudden bursts of energy as her heart rate increased. Henry took each corner with tremendous ease indicating to Timber that he had done this many times before. Timber noticed a wide turn out in the road and pointed it out to Henry.
He grinned and then he slowed down, shifted into first gear, and slowly started driving around in a large circle, then turned the steering wheel to do a tighter circle while at the same time pressing the clutch and pulling the hand brake. When the rear wheels locked up and the car started to skid, Henry floored the accelerator, released the handbrake and let the clutch out. The car started spinning and the tires began to smoke and produce an acrid smell but Timber didn't care what the smell was. She was having far too much fun in the passenger seat beside Henry.
Henry stopped the car and turned it off. Timber laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes. Her sides ached and her lungs were starved for air caused by her wild laughter. Henry was breathing heavily and grinning at Timber.
"So," he said as his chest heaved up and down, "How was your first date?"
"Perfect," replied Timber.
She leaned over and kissed him. She ran a hand down his chest and stomach, enjoying the feeling of his hard abs. Then, still feeling reckless, Timber unbuckled her seatbelt and swung her leg over Henry, straddling him in the driver's seat. She kissed him feverishly. Henry leaned the seat back as far as it would go and returned her enthusiasm. They were lost in passion. Timber's hands disappeared under Henry's shirt. She had never felt this area of his skin before. It was soft, rather than rough like his hands and she liked it.
Timber had stopped thinking and she made to unbutton his shirt but he stopped her. She opened her eyes. He was still smiling but his eyes were telling her to keep waiting. When she pulled away, she smiled.
"You know, when I first met you, you were this timid little thing and you would blush every time I spoke to you directly. What happened?"
"You unleashed a beast," said Timber grinning mischievously. "That first time you kissed me I was addicted to you. I wanted more. I still want more. I'm a little disappointed that you stopped me. I wanted to keep going."
"Eventually," said Henry.
"I would like to know where all of your self-control comes from."
"A strong will," said Henry. "Believe me. It's not easy when the only thing I want to do was take you outside, lay you down on the hood of the car, and remove every article of clothing from your body. I was fine. Then you jumped on me. I've never had to work so hard at restraining myself."
"Next time," said Timber with a seductive grin. She ran a finger down his chest and he shivered.
"Maybe," said Henry. "Though, it might happen. I don't know how much longer I can resist you." He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "We should head home now before I can't control the urge to rip your dress off. Also, if we don't leave now I won't have you home on time. We're several miles farther inland than I originally planned. I was having too much fun with the car. I haven't done that since I lived in Haven."
Timber got off of him and got back in her seat. She fixed her dress and then pulled the seatbelt across her body. When she snapped in, Henry started the car and turned it around, heading back towards the ocean. He drove Timber home as they made more plans for the wedding and the reception.
They decided on traditional Southern food for the reception and a two-tiered cake; one with chocolate and one with vanilla. Emily had previously volunteered to make Henry a groom's cake and Henry had chosen red velvet. They had also decided on a playlist on Timber's laptop played through speakers rather than hiring a disk jockey or a live band. They had even decided on which song they would dance to for their first dance and husband and wife, though it turned into a loud debate.
"I don't like county music," repeated Henry for the sixth time since wedding planning had started.
"Just listen to this one song," pleaded Timber. "It's perfect."
"Why are you so set on this?" asked Henry.
"You know I never wanted a relationship but every little girl dreams about her wedding day and I've had my heart set on this one song for seven years. Funny, right? I always pictured myself single but I had a wedding song picked out."
Henry sighed and allowed Timber to play it through her phone. Timber rocked in the seat to the beat of the music and watched her fiancé. Henry was listening to the words. When the song finished, Timber eyed him eagerly.
"Well, now I know why you wanted it so badly," he said with an amused grin. "After listening to it, I would have to agree it fits us nicely."
"More importantly,
it has my name in it," laughed Timber.
No sooner had the words left her mouth, Henry was forced to pull over to the side of the road and shut off the car. Timber had frozen, tensed up, and then she began screeching in agony. Her body was on fire for twenty minutes and she was circulating between forms rapidly, taking neither form fully. Her muscles contracted and released painfully. Henry helped her control her breathing and told her to try and stay in her wolf form though it was proving to be difficult. Henry had to unbuckle and hold Timber's arms because her claws were getting too close to the leather seats. When it was over, he let go and Timber explained the sensation to Henry. He smiled.
"That was the strength increase Lord Frost told you about," he said. "You're alright. It happened to me too when I was eighteen. It'll happen a couple more times, but you'll be fine. Your strength from your wolf was transferring to your human form. The next time will increase in both forms, and the last time, your wolf will get bigger. This is assuming of course that it happens the same way it happens in werewolves. Are you better?"
"Yeah," said Timber. "It was weird. I kept getting flashes in my head while it was happening. It was like photographs of memories that never happened."
"It happened to me too," said Henry. "I don't remember much of what I saw but I do remember something about the words, 'life-giving love'. That's it. What did you see?"
"Mom. White mist. Oh, and blue light. That's all I could register."
"Well, it's over for now. Let's get home before your aunt scolds me for being late."
All too soon, they were back in Fort Bragg and turning onto Livingston Street. Henry pulled into his driveway and walked with Timber across the street to her aunt and uncle's house.
"It's dinner time," said Timber when they stepped on her front porch. She looked up at him with pleading eyes that were almost sad. "Please stay. I don't want to say good night yet. I don't like watching you leave to go to your house at night. To tell you the truth, I don't like sleeping without you either. Not since that night on your recliner."
"Well in a few months you won't have to spend any more nights alone," said Henry pushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "I'll be right beside you, Mia Bella."
Timber kissed him deeply. When she pulled away she smiled at him and then opened the front door expecting her family to be enjoying dinner.
"SURPRISE!”
Timber jumped back a little in surprise, nearly slipping off of the threshold but Henry caught her. The front room was beautifully decorated with balloons and paper streamers in royal blue and silver. A large banner that said 'CONGRATULATIONS' was draped over the fireplace. On the hearth were beautifully wrapped gifts from each of her friends and some, Timber reasoned, were from the family in Louisiana. Standing in the middle of the room were all the people who Timber cared about most. Chad, Grace, Emily, Xianna, Kendra, Ashley, and Gina were grouped with smiles on their faces. They had all dressed up for the occasion in their best spring dresses and sun hats. Timber couldn't help but smile when she noticed the bowler hat on Uncle Chad's head to cover his patched, balding head.
"What's all this for?" asked Timber as she opened up her arms for Xianna's hug.
"This is your engagement party, slash bridal shower, slash Henry you're staying," announced Xianna.
She placed a white sash over Timber's shoulder that said BRIDE. Then she placed a beautiful, sparkling tiara on her head. Timber had no words. She could only hug her best friend again.
"Henry, did you know about this?" asked Timber.
"I had no idea," said Henry sounding overwhelmed but looking pleasantly surprised.
"Well, when you said you were goin' out today I figured it was a perfect day to throw a surprise party for the two of you," said Grace. "We haven't had a proper party in a while anyway."
"Thank you guys so much!" said Timber happily.
"This is very weird," said Gina.
"What?" asked Ashley.
"Seeing Mr. Santelli outside of school," said Gina.
"And seeing him in jeans and a hat," said Kendra.
"He looks better in jeans than slacks," said Xianna.
"You're right," said Gina. "That hat looks good on him too. He should wear it at the wedding."
"No hats, Gina," said Ashley. "It's a wedding. And shouldn't we call him Henry outside of school? He is with Timber after all."
"I guess so," said Gina.
"Sorry," Timber muttered to Henry. "They do this to me too. We all kind of do it to each other, actually."
Henry smiled down at her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"So where did he take you?" asked Xianna.
"Trillium Cafe," said Timber.
"Really?" said Kendra in surprise. "I heard reservations are hard to make."
"I know the owner," said Henry. "He's an old friend of mine."
"So we just made finger food instead of a meal," said Grace. "It's all on the dinin' room table you two."
Timber walked into the dining room to see the table elegantly decorated in blue and white with a decent variety of snacks resting on Grace's best silver. There were Kentucky hot brown sliders, little smokies, pimento cheese and crackers, Mississippi sin dip in a bread bowl, Timber's favorite whiskey meatballs, and a vegetable platter. On the buffet table, there was pink lemonade in champagne glasses garnished with a lemon wedge. Beside the glasses was sweet iced tea in Grace's mason jars she liked to use as cups and small crystal bowls full of colorful candies.
Timber helped herself to a bit of everything and went back to the living room with Henry right behind her. Timber stopped in the center of the room and took everything in. Henry was walking over to Chad. Grace was talking with Xianna and Gina and Ashley and Kendra were laughing about Kendra's bad choice in toenail polish.
"How long did it take Aunt Grace to make all of this?" Timber asked Emily who had come up from behind her.
"Only a few hours," said Emily. "As soon as you and Henry left, Mama called everyone. We all set up and cooked in the kitchen. We've been planning this in secret for a week. Enjoy yourself. You deserve this." Emily glanced around the room and then said, "I'm going to go laugh Kendra's feet."
Timber smiled as Emily pranced away and she focused her ears on the different conversations around the room as she munched on her food. Her ears first picked up the conversation between Henry and Chad who were standing beside the fireplace holding glasses of lemonade.
"Have you guys decided where you want to have the rehearsal dinner?" asked Chad.
"Not yet," said Henry. "We're still looking for a place Timber and I can afford. She wants most of the money for the wedding and reception. I agree."
"Why not have it here?" asked Chad. "Grace won't mind. She loves cooking for so many. Cooking seems to keep her relaxed. It's odd."
"Thank you," said Henry. "Timber is going to like that."
"You have the RSVPs on the invitations, right? How many are coming?"
"About fifty," said Henry. "Mostly from yours and Grace's family. I don't have many family members. I know my older brother and his wife and two kids will come but I don't know about anyone else. The rest of my family thinks I'm dead. I haven't bothered to set them straight. They wouldn't show up anyway. You guys are truthfully the closest thing to family I've got aside from my brother."
Timber was suddenly angry with Henry's mother again and was very glad that most of his family was not going to come to the wedding. To calm herself down, Timber tuned in on Grace and Xianna who were talking about bridesmaid dress options. Timber had let her bridal party pick out their dresses as long as they were the right color. She didn't want them to be uncomfortable and she trusted their judgment when it came to style. She knew them well enough to know that they would find one they all agreed on and match anyway. That was just the way they worked.
"I like the chiffon gown," said Xianna. "I like how light the fabric is even though it's floor-length. I like the satin one too, though it's a little short."
"Timber would
love all y'all in chiffon," said Grace. "I would too. You know, we still need to take Timber dress shoppin'. She still needs to figure out what shape she likes on herself. I know of a place in Willits that has nice gowns for a decent price. We'll find boots for y'all while we're there for the line dance. Y'all are learnin' it, right?"
"We've got it down, don't worry. Timber's not losing weight anymore and the wedding is in five weeks, so maybe next weekend we'll steal her away."
Timber smiled and wondered what Grace and Xianna would say if they knew that she hadn't even looked for a dress other than her great grandmother's yet despite the wedding being so close. She turned her ears to the largest group and tried not to laugh at the conversation.
"Timber will have a mental breakdown if you do that at the wedding," said Emily with a grin.
"I told Timber already when she got married, I was going to color my hair blue," said Kendra. "Same for the rest of the girls."
"What color are you going to dye your hair for my wedding?" asked Gina with a grin.
"Bright orange," said Kendra. Gina and Emily burst into laughter.
"Your mother is going to throw a fit," said Gina. "You crazy child!" she added with an impressive impression of Kendra's mother. "Never in my life have I seen such ridiculous things from a young woman!"
"You're pretty good, though her accent is a lot thicker," laughed Kendra.
"Timber, Honey, come over here," said Chad. Timber walked over and stood beside Henry. "So I was talking with my doctor and he said I will be able to walk you down the aisle though chances are I will have to use a cane or a walker. You don't mind do you?"
The Timber Effect Page 31