The Sweet Bride
Ciara Knight
The Sweet Bride
Gone with the Brides Series
Copyright ©2019 by Ciara Knight
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Also by Ciara Knight
Chapter One
I stepped out of my car but didn’t even have time to stretch the kinks out of my neck before the front door of my sister’s bakery, Sassy, Sweet & Southern, flung open faster than Sadie’s arms did to hug me. “Zoey, you’re home! Tell me you’re staying for the entire break. I’ve missed you.” She stepped back and did a onceover of me. “Love the blonde hair. You’re stunning!”
“It’s good to be home.” I pulled her back for another hug, squeezing her tight, not wanting to release her yet. “Avery? Is she still going to make it home, too?”
“Yes, she’ll be here soon.” Sadie unwrapped her arms and turned to her husband Ashton. “I’m afraid that Dylan called Ashton and told him he couldn’t get leave and didn’t want Avery left alone for the holidays.”
“Strong, dark, and rich Ashton Dumont to the rescue, I assume?” I smiled at the tall man who worshipped Sadie. Who couldn’t adore a man who loved my sister so much that he’d stuck around to help raise her two little sisters when our parents went MIA. And if that wasn’t enough, he also took on his entire rich family to marry her. And taking on the Dumont's was no small task. He was a unique kind of man. Nothing like my strong, dark, and emotionally unavailable Edward Talbot III.
Ashton slid in for a brotherly hug. “I thought you were bringing your boyfriend so we could finally meet him.”
“Yes, we’re all excited to meet the mysterious man of culture, art, and intelligence.” Sadie hip-bumped me. “I always knew you’d end up with a professor.”
I tried to hide my disappointment in Edward’s inability to make the trip down here with me. “He’s up for a big promotion, so he had to stay behind to work.”
“Certainly he can sneak away at Christmas. I mean, it’s only an hour or so drive down here,” Sadie said in her sassy big sister tone.
I smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, he’ll be here. He promised. It’ll just be closer to Christmas.” Before anyone could see my doubt that I didn’t even want to recognize myself, I snagged my bag out of my trunk and executed a subject change. “On the way into town, I saw that someone was renovating the old plantation mansion outside of town. Do you remember when we used to walk the grounds and pretend we were Southern belles?”
Sadie’s eyes went wide and bright. “Avery used to tie her jacket over her head and play Scarlet O’Hara.”
Ashton opened the door for us. “I could see Avery doing that. What about you, Zoey? Did you act like Scarlett?”
Sadie laughed. “No, she was too busy trying to fix the old house. She got it in her head that we could live there someday.”
I stepped inside the bakery, and the aroma of cinnamon, sugar, and home filled my lungs and wrapped me in comfort. “A girl can dream, right?”
Sadie smiled. “You should have all your dreams come true.”
Brushing off the sense of unfulfilled wishes in my life, I eyed the scones in the case and smacked my lips. “Got any of that fancy clotted cream?”
Sadie raced to the kitchen and back, appearing with a plate that she sat in front of me. All my favorites situated in an elegant French-esque kind of way. “That culinary school paid off, I see. Talk about presentation.” Puff pastries, blueberry scones, fresh fruit with mint, and a dark-chocolate mousse with raspberries and homemade cream. “I can’t eat all this.”
“It was meant for two,” Ashton blurted before he turned to study a not-so-interesting speck on Sadie’s apron. “I mean…”
“You don’t have to eat it all. Maybe Avery’ll want some,” Sadie slid in with a quick interception of brother-in-law fail.
I ignored the statement hanging in the air about my missing boyfriend and dug into the most delicious bite full of rich chocolate with a smash of raspberry puree. Sweet and sinful. That was all I could think to describe the decadent flavor. “Mmmmm.”
A car door slammed shut, and I eyed the wall clock. It wasn’t time for the lunch rush.
Sadie went to the door and squealed. “Avery’s here already!” She rushed out the door, and I could hear the sisterly show of shouts and squeals. I’d normally join them, but I wasn’t feeling it.
I was excited to see Avery but not ready for all the questions about my love life. Why is it that once someone married, they thought everyone else should be married, too? I stuffed another fuel-inducing, massive bite of chocolate into my mouth before I stood to face my sisters. I turned to find Kevin Slayder standing in my personal space.
At that moment, it felt like Sadie’s oven was heating the room quick.
“Hey there. Hope you don’t mind. Sadie said you had some treats to share.” His gaze traveled from my hair, stalling for a second, and then down to my mouth, engorged with chocolate that I was sure had smeared all over my lips. “That is, if there’s any left.” He retrieved the napkin from the table and lifted it to my face. I couldn’t breathe, not with a mouth full of chocolate and not with the Oh-My-God-he-is-so-close thought stealing my breath. His hand stopped an inch from my mouth before he lowered his arm and handed me the napkin. He smiled, his high school football winning smile that had made every girl at Magnolia Corners’ high school faint.
Well, except me. I never fainted. Nope, not me. My reaction was worse. An epic trip over my own feet down the front steps with knee scuff, skirt up, in front of the entire student body kind of reaction. The fantasy kind of crush, not the real-life romance like I had now with Edward. A strong, stable kind of man who had a bright future. A man nothing like my high school football star, knock up my mom and run father. Three times. I always thought she should’ve figured it out. Man came home, she got pregnant, he ran away.
“You okay? Sadie’s sweets shoot you into a sugar coma or something?” Kevin placed a hand on my upper arm, and I thought the chocolate melted instantly. I swallowed hard—too hard. A loud gulp echoed in the empty bakery.
I pressed the napkin to the edge of my lips, blotting each side like a proper lady. “Nope, plenty left. Sorry. You startled me.” There, that was a good enough reason to fall through the dark hole of childhood crushes and public humiliation.
“Thanks.” He sat in the chair across from mine and dug into the puff pastry. “How've you been? You look amazing.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “The blonde hair suits you. I mean, it’s been awhile, so I didn’t know you had changed it. Haven’t seen you since your Mario Andretti escape out of Magnolia Corners.” He leaned in, resting an elbow on a knee. “You were amazing. I have to admit I was a little shocked.”
“Shocked?” I cleared my throat and held my head high but lowered to my chair. “You think girls can’t drive or something?”
“Not saying that. And don’t ever tell my three sisters that you thought I meant that either.” He winked.
My heart fluttered.
“Then why were you shocked?” At least this time I manage
d to speak without a high pitch to my voice. Perhaps I could maintain my dignity in front of Mr. High School Crush after all.
“That a brilliant, talented, sweet, intelligent college scholar who lived for books could outrun the police. I mean, that took some real courage and skill. Avery and Dylan were lucky you helped them escape from the sheriff that night. If not, they wouldn’t be married today.”
Heat surged to my neck, and I worried I was turning brighter red than the raspberries on the plate. “You weren’t so bad yourself, leading them in the wrong direction. Not that I was surprised by the All-American Man of Magnolia Corners saving the day.”
He glanced at his construction-dust-covered work boots. “I haven’t been called that in years. Not since I stopped playing football.” He took another large bite of pastry and closed his eyes. “Wow, your sister really does have a gift. For all your intelligence, she equals you in baking talent.”
I wanted to ask why he stopped playing football—he’d had a full ride at Auburn—but the way he changed the subject quick told me it was unwanted territory.
The door jingled. The sounds of Ashton, Avery, and Sadie filled the room.
Kevin licked his finger free of a dollop of cream. “You Dixon sisters sure are something else.”
Ashton patted Kevin on the shoulder. “You got that right.”
Before I knew it, I was sandwiched between sisters and then pulled into a ring-around-the-rosy spin.
“I can’t believe we’ll all be together for Christmas,” Sadie squealed.
Kevin returned to his gorging on baked goods. How could he keep a body like an athlete when he ate like a Sumo wrestler? Edward would never put that kind of stuff in his body, and he ran daily. He was more lean than muscular, though. A man of astounding intellect, discipline, poetic conversation, and sophistication that matched the king of manners.
“Thanks for picking Avery up. We didn’t want to miss Zoey’s arrival, and I couldn’t leave the bakery with the short staff during the season. Plus, Sadie was hoping to meet…um, I mean…” Ashton returned to Sadie’s speck on her apron. This time he tried to flick it off, but the baked-in chocolate on her shoulder strap didn’t move.
Sadie jumped to Ashton’s fumbling rescue, again. “Yes, thank you, Kevin.”
The silence constituted a reply, so I picked up my fork as if to dive into the food again, despite my now swirling stomach. “You’ll meet him a few days before Christmas. Edward only needed to stay behind because he’s up for a big promotion,” I said in my most prideful tone.
Kevin’s smile faded like a sun behind a dark cloud. He cleared his throat. “I’m surprised any boyfriend would neglect you during the holidays.”
I dropped my fork with a loud clank. “Neglect? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I didn’t mean it harshly.” Kevin sighed and set his fork down. “I’m just saying that you deserve someone who gives you the attention you deserve.”
“Edward is an extremely important person with a lot of responsibilities.”
Kevin leaned back, stretching his leg out so his foot nearly touched mine. “Let me guess… He’s a college professor too busy to be bothered with us small-town folk.”
“Avery!” I snipped.
She flung her hands up. “I didn’t tell him.”
“Please, I may not be a college professor, but anyone could guess.”
I leaned across the table, boldly locking eye contact with Kevin. “Why? Because I was a nerdy bookworm who had to tutor the high school football player for him to pass half his classes?”
Kevin stood to his over six-foot three-inch frame. He looked down at me as if he stared through skin and bone straight to my soul. “Because you always had your eyes in a book and never noticed what was around you. Not even boys who tried to get your attention.”
I didn’t know if it was the way he said it or how close he stood to me, but my insides swished and swam like I fell 20,000 leagues under the sea and a giant squid wrapped around my middle.
Chapter Two
Avery plopped down on my childhood bed next to me. The worn comforter with pale-pink flowers took me back to many a nights giggling with her while Sadie yelled at us to go to sleep. The aroma of sweet perfume and a hint of damp wood reminded me of tough times trying to fix leaking roofs and buying girly products with coupons. This room had so many memories, unlike my dorm room with four white walls and a bunk bed.
Avery bumped shoulders with me. “Oh my God! Crazy Hot Kevin has a thing for Zoey.”
“Don’t even.” I tossed a pillow at her. “Sadie, you should run back to your mansion with Ashton now and abandon me to my fate. Our sister here is way too happy. Apparently she’s still in the honeymoon phase of her marriage.”
Sadie plopped down on the other twin bed and crossed her legs. “No way. I thought we’d never get to spend the night in this house again together, so tonight is special. I’m not leaving for nothing.”
I eyed the doorknob imprint on the wall from the day Avery chased me through the house with a dead mouse. In the corner above the door was a water spot from the storm that sent tornadoes through our town seven years ago. “Why haven’t you sold this shack yet?” I asked.
Avery smacked me in the face with the pillow. “No subject change. You should go for Kevin. I mean, he’s the most eligible bachelor in Magnolia Corners, if not the world. And if I remember correctly, you had a mega-crush on him when we were in high school.”
I hugged the pillow to my chest as a sister shield. “Not interested. I have a boyfriend, remember?”
“Yes, but Kevin is a real boy,” Avery said in a fairy princess tone.
“Edward is not a fake boyfriend,” I huffed.
Sadie shot a warning stare at Avery. “We know he’s real. It’s just…you deserve someone who treats you like you’re his everything. I mean, look at you. You’re beautiful and smart and going places in life.”
“So is Edward. And he makes me feel like I’m the only woman alive in the world when he’s with me. We sit by the fire, and he reads the classics to me.”
Avery mock-yawned. “Snooze fest.”
I chose to ignore her. “He’s hopelessly romantic, and I can’t wait until everyone knows we’re together.” I bit my lip, realizing I’d said too much. My sisters were like a vulture searching for decaying information.
“Wait, what do you mean until everyone knows? Are you in a secret relationship?” Sadie asked with her normal big sister inquisition.
“How scandalous!” Avery sat up on her knees and rubbed her palms together. “And I thought I was the bad girl.”
I pushed from the bed, throwing the pillow at Avery’s face, and paced the faded pink and sage area rug. “You don’t understand. He’s a college professor, and I’m a student.”
Avery gasped. “You’re one of his students?”
“No, I’ve never been one of his students. And he wanted to tell everyone when we were first dating, but he was up for tenure, so I told him to wait. It was my choice.”
“And now?” Avery gripped the pillow as if to keep from punching something. “Why can’t anyone at the university know now?”
“I told you, he’s up for a major promotion. He can’t be accused of anything inappropriate with a student.”
“Inappropriate?” Sadie shot from the bed. I hadn’t seen her face that red since Avery was caught with Dylan spray painting the police station in high school.
“Poor choice of words. That isn’t what we have. It’s just that other faculty want to be dean of the department, and let me tell you, academic politics is worse than Capital Hill. Someone would make our relationship out to be a problem when it isn’t.”
“So you’re supposed to put your life on hold while Edward moves up?” The way Avery said Edward made him sound like a monster.
“No, he encourages me all the time. You have it all wrong. Please, give him a chance.” I took a long breath, fighting the quake in my voice, knowing if I gave t
hem even a hint of my own doubts, they’d never give him a chance. “Listen, he’ll be here soon. Trust me, when you meet him you’ll know how special I am to him. You’ll see that he treats me well. He’s perfect for me.”
Avery bit her nails, and I could tell she was contemplating hiring our Aunt Cathy to go Southern Slap Edward in front of all the university faculty.
I collapsed back onto the bed and patted each side of the bed next to me for my sisters to sit. “We’ve always been there for each other no matter what. Do you remember how I’d wish upon the stars that I’d have a man of romance someday? A man who was strong enough to be soft hearted and soft spoken but would protect me?”
There was a unanimous eye roll before they both sat at my side and held my hand.
“Like, every night.” Sadie squeezed my hand. “But this isn’t fiction. This is real life. And Edward might remain the Mr. Darcy at the beginning that even his Ms. Bennet can’t change.”
Her words were heavy on my heart because I’d thought them before, but how could I give up on Edward? We were perfect for each other. We had plans. “You know, I’m waiting on him now, but he’ll be waiting a lot longer on me.”
“Why’s that?” Avery asked.
“We’ve talked about it, and I’m going to work on my graduate degree so that I can teach literature someday.”
“That sounds good,” Sadie said with less enthusiasm than a northern trying grits.
Avery sighed. “I always thought you’d write some classic literature.”
“No, you’re the writer in the family. I just enjoy the stories,” I said.
Sadie’s phone dinged. She squeezed my hand before she released it and checked her phone. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” I asked.
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