by Penny Wylder
He really wants to spend his life with me. . .
“Why do you think I'm here? I didn't just come because of the storm, I came because I had to see it for myself.” My father strokes his chin and looks back at me over his shoulder. “What am I supposed to think, huh? I thought you took me seriously, I thought you respected me, but you don't give a shit about our name, do you? You'd rather just shit all over the Dean name, right? You want to make a fool of me? Is that why you're doing this?”
I can feel myself shrinking, my shoulders roll forward, and my body is getting smaller. But this isn't going to help, I can't shy away from a confrontation. I need to be honest with him. I need to stand up for myself.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I inhale a deep breath and straighten my back. “No.”
“Excuse me?” he asks.
“I said no. No, I don't want to shit all over our name. No, I'm not doing this to embarrass you or make you look bad. News flash, Dad, not everything is about you.” Side stepping around my father, I hold the sheet up high, and tuck myself into Kent's side. “I love him, and I'm not going to pretend I don't. I'm a grown woman, not a damn child, and you need to stop treating me like I'm one.”
“You promised me you'd take this seriously, Perri. Sleeping with the tenant is doing the exact opposite.”
“What about you?” I ask, crooking my jaw. “What about you planting him here to spy on me? How is that taking me seriously? To me, that was you shitting on me. By planting him here, you told me that you don’t respect me or trust me. So, what am I supposed to think of that?”
“I did it to protect you. I did it to make sure you did your job right.”
“And she did,” Kent says right away. “She took care of the pool, she got a plumber out here to fix the clog in the shower, she made sure the lawn was cut and those gorgeous flowers out front, yeah, she planted those herself. This woman knows design, Bryce, and you've been too blinded by your own misconceptions that you haven't even seen how amazing your own daughter is. Everything I told you on the phone was true. I didn't lie to you about that. And I'm not lying to you now. I love this girl, and one day I'm going to marry her, with or without your blessing.”
My father looks between us, and his eyes stiffen. “Why are you doing this to me?” he asks, shaking his head. “Is it because you want me to fail?”
“No, Dad, I don't want you to fail. I want you to realize that I know what I'm doing. I want you to see who you've raised, and it's not a stupid kid. Kent's helped me to see how much value I have, and you know what, I don't want this. I don't want to run your business. I want to run my own. I think I'm going to open up my own interior design company.”
“Really?” Kent asks, taking the chance to look down at me.
“Yeah, really.” Pushing up on the tips of my toes, I kiss him softly. Dropping back down, I turn to look at my dad. “So, do you think you're ready to let me lead something for once in my life, and not try to hold me back?”
My dad sways on his feet, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. “I've never seen this side of you before. You remind me of myself when I told your grandfather I wasn't going to be a lawyer like him, and that I wanted to be an electrician. He hated it. He didn't talk to me for over five years because of it.” He takes a step back and throws his arms up behind his head, laying his head against his hands. “I can't believe I've been doing the same thing to you, the same cold shoulder my father gave me. I've held you back, I refused to let you breathe. I'm sorry, Perri.”
“Dad, I just want you to see me for who I am, see what I've done, see where I want to go, see who I love. . .” I take Kent's hand in mine and squeeze it tight. “Life isn't planned, it isn't written in a daily schedule book, or plotted on a graph. Life is full of risk, it's full of choice, and it's also full of failure. I'm not perfect, Dad, and I never will be. But I'm not wrong either, I know what I want, and you can't change my mind about it.”
Kent wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. “You have an amazing daughter, Bryce, and you know me, you know I'm going to treat her right.”
My father lets his eyes drift over each of us. He nods his head and runs his hand down his face. “Get dressed, maybe the three of us can go check the damage from the storm together, and then go grab something to eat.”
“Really?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.
“Yeah, I'd like to hear more about this design company. The way you worked this living room is perfect. Maybe we can walk through the other properties too, see what you can do.”
“That would be amazing.” I'm smiling as I speak, and in awe over his offer. “I'd love to bring something else to the table here.”
“Good, I'll be waiting out front.” My father walks out of the room and closes the door behind him.
I look up at Kent, and my grin turns giddy. “Did you hear that? Was that my father or was he abducted by aliens?”
“I think you finally did what he was always waiting for. You took charge.”
Kent wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in a for a kiss. His lips are electric, they spark against my mouth, and make my heart skip a beat.
“I have something for you,” he says.
“You do? What is it?”
“One second,” he says, stepping away and digging around in his dresser. Walking back to me, he has this smile on his face. “When I told your dad I was going to marry you one day, I meant it.” Dropping to one knee, he holds up a small black box, and pulls back the lid. “Perri Dean, will you marry me?”
Throwing both hands to my face, the sheet drops off my body and I start to cry. “Are you serious?” I ask quietly between tears. He nods, his smile big and broad. “Yes, I'll marry you.” Shaking my head up and down, the tears fall effortlessly down my cheeks.
Kent slips the ring over my finger, and swoops me off my feet, spinning me around, and kissing me hard. “I love you, and I promise I'll always love you.”
And as I stare into his eyes, I know he means it.
I found the one, the person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with.
Men like Kent only come once in a lifetime, and I'm never going to let him go.
10
Perri
“Knock, knock,” my father says, sticking his head into the room. “How you feeling? Are you nervous?”
Rocking my head back and forth, I smile. “Yeah, a little.”
“Of course you are, you're getting married.”
It’s only been a few months, but as Kent always says, “Why wait for tomorrow for what you can do today?” So days after he proposed, we started planning our wedding.
Dad steps up behind me and drapes a necklace across my chest. “I brought you something. It can be your something old.”
“My what?” I ask.
“You never heard of the saying that on your wedding day you need something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?”
“Um, no.”
“Don't worry, I got you covered.” He clips the necklace around my neck. “This was your grandmother's. She wore it on her wedding day when she married my father. This is your something old, your dress is something new. . .” Pausing, he looks around the room and grins. Going to a small bouquet of flowers on the table, he plucks the blue ribbon off the vase. Coming back to me, he wraps it around the messy bun in my hair, and ties it into a bow. “Something blue,” he says.
“What about something borrowed?” I asked.
Pulling the pin out of one of the cuffs on his sleeves, he attaches it to the ribbon in my hair. “You can give it back to me later.” Kissing my forehead, he steps back and looks me up and down. “You look amazing,” he says.
“Thanks, Dad.” I let out a deep breath and I can feel my stomach as it tumbles. “I'm so nervous.”
“Don't be, the second you see him, you won't see anyone else.” My dad chuckles and looks off out the window. “I, uh, I saw your mother outside.”
“Be nice, please. I just want everyone to get along today.”
My father folds his lips down and nods. “Don't worry, honey, I won't ruin your day. But her rock star boyfriend,” he says making air quotes and chuckling, “put on a few pounds. I don't think he'll be squeezing into those leather pants he once had.”
Laughing out loud, my eyes start to water. Snatching a tissue from the box, I dab my face. “Stop it, you're going to mess up my makeup.”
My dad holds his hands out and looks down at the floor. “I'm just saying. He was a stud all those years ago, but now, well, she might have to peel them off him instead.”
“Dad,” I say, drawing out my words with a giggle.
Knock knock.
The door pops open a little, and the wedding planner pokes her head in. “They're ready for you,” she says with a grin. Stepping inside, she picks up my bouquet and hands it to me.
The pink roses are all bundled up in the center, with a silver ribbon holding them together. A row of white orchids drapes down the front and covers my hand. She adjusts my train, fixing it to make sure it's fanned out properly.
My dress is fit tightly around the bust, with crystals running across the trim, and a glittering belt around my waist. The bottom bells out, and the crystals create sweeping designs across the back and down the train.
“You look beautiful, Perri,” my father says, bending his arm for me to take it.
Slipping my arm in his, I smile brightly. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Kent's a lucky man. I'm really happy you chose him. I know it took me some time to adjust, but in the end, I know he's going to treat you like the princess you are.”
“Dad—” I start to say, but he cuts me off.
“Let me finish.” I nod for him to keep going, and his mouth turns up into a soft smile as his eyes well up. “I wasn't the father you deserved, and I'm sorry for that. I promise to do better, I'm going to support you, and whatever you decide to do with your life. I'm proud of you, Perri, I haven't told you that enough.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Kissing his cheek he wipes his eyes.
“All right, enough of this mushy stuff, let’s go give you away.”
We head to the door, and I can hear the music lower as it changes. The violins start to play, the music is floating through the air, and following the wind. My father follows the wedding the planner, and she takes a step to the side as we reach the aisle.
I can see the back rows of people as they stand and turn my way. Looking down the aisle, every face around me goes blurry, as my eyes meet Kent's.
I suck in a salty breath of air. He looks so handsome.
He's standing at the alter on the beach, dressed in a white tux, with a black button up and white tie. Barefoot in the sand, his gaze is set on me, and his smile erupts, making me warm from head to toe.
My father leads me down the aisle, and as he releases me from his arm, he takes Kent's hand and shakes it firmly as he leans in and gives him a hug. My father whispers something into his ear, and gives his shoulder a hearty squeeze. Kent smiles, tipping his head to show his respect before turning his attention to me.
Taking my hand, I step to his side as he looks me up and down. “Wow,” he says, a single tear trickling down his cheek as his smile widens. “You look amazing.”
“So do you.” I smile back and the tears are already streaming down my face.
The pastor begins the ceremony, but I can't take my eyes off of Kent. He's perfect. There's no person I would rather spend the rest of my life with than him.
We say our I do's, and the pastor says, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Kent instantly wraps his arm around my waist, dipping me low, and kissing me with more passion than I've ever felt in his lips before.
I wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him back.
The beach explodes with cheers and applause as everyone stands in celebration.
It's a perfect day. A perfect wedding. A perfect life.
I finally have my happily ever after.
Epilogue
Perri
One Year Later
I groan as my alarm clock blares by my side, and reach out my hand to swat it off. I strike through air several times before I groan and sit up. My eyes adjust to the bright sun and I find my alarm, silencing it before it can scream at me again. No matter how early I go to sleep these days, it’s never enough. This last month of pregnancy is kicking my ass. Just as my mood is about to turn sour, I hear the stairs outside my bedroom door creak, and I know Kent is on his way up with coffee. My hero.
“Rise and shine, Mama,” he calls out right before he appears in the doorway. Oh, he is a better alarm clock than anything. “How’d you sleep?”
He sits on our bed beside me and hands me the steaming mug. I take a greedy gulp before I can answer him. “I slept nine hours and I’m still tired. How is that even possible?” I complain, dropping my head on his shoulder. I take a few deep breaths, feel his steady body beside me, and stare out at the ocean. Slowly, slowly everything starts to feel better..
We moved into this house a few months after I found out I was pregnant. The baby wasn’t a surprise. Kent said he’d never considered being a father until he met me, and once the idea took root in his head, it’s all he could think about. By the way he talks about it now, it seems like he wants a big brood. So we started trying soon after the wedding and after a couple of months, I got two pink lines on a home test. The night I told him was one of the happiest of my life. I put a little bowtie on Blaze that said Big Brother. When he walked (well, more like dragged) himself into the living room when Kent got home, it was time for his surprise. Kent scooped him into his arms to nuzzle him hello. It took him just a second to notice the bow tie, but once he understood, his face transformed. He’s always doing romantic and surprising things for me. That was my turn to do something for him, and I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect moment. Ever since that day he’s been treating me like I’m a queen.
The house, well that was a surprise. I had decorated a few of my father’s properties, as a consultant, not as his employee, when he came to me with a special project. This house. Right on the beach, in a less touristy neighborhood that’s streets are lined with sweet boutiques and a farmer’s market. There’s even a school down the block. I couldn’t really understand why my father thought this would be a good vacation rental, but he usually has good instincts. And ever since my single stint managing properties for him, he keeps his business to himself, and lets me manage my own design business. He gave me instructions to decorate it however I thought was best. Spare no expense, he told me. The house was already beautiful, and in two months I’d furnished it, and it was perfect. The day the final pieces were delivered and placed, Kent and my dad met me at the house. Apparently they’d been up to their old scheming again, but this time I didn’t mind.
“It looks beautiful, Perri. Great job,” my dad said, walking around the living room, looking over the freshly painted cabinetry and carefully chosen throw rugs.
“I don’t know, Bryce,” Kent said. “This picture here, it just doesn’t look right.”
My dad and I joined Kent at the front door. I was really surprised. I’d never heard Kent criticize my taste before. He was pointing to a perfectly pretty picture of hydrangeas.
“I think you’re right, Kent,” my dad said, although he could barely keep a straight face.
When I looked back at Kent he had something in his hands, wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to me and I opened it. Inside was a framed picture from our wedding day. I looked up at Kent confused, and he was taking down the hydrangeas picture. “Go on,” he said to me. “Hang it up. I know you’re the one with the eye for design, but I think a couple needs at least one picture of themselves in their home.”
Their home?
Kent bought me a house. He bought us a house, and he and my dad made an elaborate plan to surprise me. And I was shocked. And elated. Even though I’d picked out every single piec
e of furniture in the house, I spent hours there that day, looking over every detail again and standing at the back deck, looking out over the view of the ocean. I couldn’t believe it was ours! And of course I went to one of the bedrooms and started planning the nursery for our little girl.
Today the nursery is complete, and in just a few weeks we’ll have the finishing touch on this perfect picture. But she can’t get here soon enough. I let out a groan as I feel her kicking me in my ribs. Kent laughs at my side, so I poke him in the ribs and then throw myself down into the bed again and shut my eyes. He takes my mug from me, right before I spill coffee everywhere, and puts my foot in his lap and starts rubbing.
“Have I told you lately that pregnancy looks beautiful on you?” he asks. I don’t answer because I’m lost in the bliss of what his fingers are doing to my foot. This man knows my body from head to toe.
“It never hurts to hear it again,” I say, opening one eye, catching him looking at me with lust in his eyes. It’s impossible to me that he still finds me sexy. When I’m not out of the house, I practically live in this roomy white linen nightgown. I feel like I’m as big as a whale, and my breasts are so huge it’s almost comical. Yet Kent’s desire for me hasn’t changed. If anything it’s just grown stronger.
He rubs his thumb up and down the arch of my foot, and it feels so good. “Mmmm,” I exhale. I feel Kent’s dick stir under my foot, so I make the noise again. “Mmmm, Kent, that feels so good.” I know what I’m doing, and I can see it’s having the desired effect. Kent’s lips are parted as he watches me, his tongue darts out and licks his upper lip, and his hand is now rubbing my ankle.
“You deserve it, Perri,” he says, a huskiness in his voice now. “And you know it’s hard for me to keep my hands off you.”
His hands are moving higher now, massaging my calves, finding knots there I didn’t even know I had. His fingers tickle over my kneecaps, and then he lays both hands flat on my thighs, rubbing hard, long strokes over my tired muscles, waking up every nerve along the way. He lies down beside me, propping himself up on his elbow, and keeps rubbing me with one hand. He reaches down and grabs the hem of my nightgown and lifts it up until my slit is exposed.