Story of Love (Josh & Riley's Wedding Novella): Love in Bloom: The Bradens

by Melissa Foster

  “No. I have to fix this.” He shifted his gaze to his father. “Did any of the girls see this?”

  Hal shook his head. “Do you think I’d still be standing here if they did? They’re Riley’s cavalry. They’d be all over me. I’m sorry, Josh. I let the boys out of my sight for only a few minutes while I changed the babies’ diapers.”

  Josh looked at his sobbing nephews, and his heart broke anew. Letting out a long sigh, he said, “It’s not your fault. Or theirs, really. They’re kids, and you’re only one person.” He met his father’s concerned gaze. “Despite the fact that you think you’re Superman, there’s no way you could have kept watch on all four of them.”

  Pacing, Josh reminded himself of the same things he’d just told his father, and tried not to picture Riley’s face when she caught wind of this debacle. “Maybe I can call our cousin Jax in Pleasant Hill. His specialty is wedding gowns. You know he’ll have it on hand. He can ship it overnight with morning delivery to—”

  “Don’t suggest anyone close to us, because if the paparazzi is trying to find you, then you’ve just given that dog a bone,” Rex reminded him.

  Josh cursed under his breath.

  “You have to tell her,” Dane said empathetically. “You’re not Superman either, Josh. It was an accident. She’ll be heartbroken, but she’ll understand.”

  The truth was, Riley would understand, but she’d also be crushed, and that slayed Josh. “If you knew Lacy would be heartbroken, would you just say ‘Oh, well,’ or would you do everything within your power to fix it so she was a little less torn up?” He eyed the ruined dress, ignoring the hushed remarks coming from all directions. The boys’ “decorations” were mostly along the front middle portion of the skirt. The gears of Josh’s designer mind churned as he imagined cutting out the marred area and angling the hemline higher in the front. He lifted the skirt, inspecting it more closely, and realized he could probably make it work. “Think Charlotte has a working sewing machine and about a mile of”—he knew now was not the time to be picky about proper threading for a wedding gown—“white thread?”

  “I’m sure her mother had one,” Hal said. “She used to make all of Charlotte’s clothes when Charlotte was a little girl.”

  “Then we need to find it. I think I can cut around the drawings and create a knee-length hem in the front. I’ll wait until Riley goes to sleep and then I’ll figure something out. I never thought I’d be thankful about sleeping in separate rooms.”

  “You can’t cut up her wedding dress without asking her,” Hugh said. “If I’ve learned one thing about women, it’s that certain things are untouchable.” Christian rested his cheek against Hugh’s chest and wiped his tears with his fist. Hugh pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

  “I know my fiancée,” Josh said. “This dress meant everything to her because we designed it together. The last thing she needs is to see it ruined. At least this way, she may be upset, but she’ll have a beautiful white gown that she can get married in.”

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Josh,” Christian said, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

  “My mommy can wash it in the washing machine,” Dylan suggested. “That’s what she does at home.”

  Despite the ache growing inside his chest for Riley, Josh smiled. “I wish that would fix it, little man.”

  Christian clung to his father’s shirt, and Dylan burrowed against Jack’s chest. Josh didn’t blame him, because just thinking about Riley catching wind of what happened to her dress made him want to hide someplace safe, too.

  “I know you were trying to help Riley make her dress prettier,” he said to the boys. “And that’s a really thoughtful thing to do. You’re both very creative, which is a good thing.”

  “Thank you,” they mumbled.

  “But as fun as it is to help Aunt Riley look beautiful for her wedding, you should always ask before making other people’s things look better, okay?”

  The boys nodded again. The look Hugh gave him—one of gratitude and approval—brought another wave of emotions to Josh.

  Focusing on the kids, he said, “Here’s the deal. Aunt Riley likes her dress a little boring.”

  Christian wrinkled his nose in obvious disagreement.

  Josh was completely taken with the little rascals, despite how bad the situation was. “I have a plan that will help make this situation better, but you’ll both need to help me make it right for Aunt Riley. Can you do that?”

  Nodding emphatically, their tears stopped.

  “You can’t tell anyone about this,” Dane said.

  Josh gave his brother a wry smile. “I don’t know much about parenting, but I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t teach them to keep secrets from adults.”

  “Man, you sound like Bree,” Hugh said.

  Josh cocked his head toward his father, and Hal winked. Hal had always made Josh take responsibility for his actions. Usually that meant Josh had to apologize to someone or clean out the horse stalls. Though it didn’t happen often, when it did, it made an impact. But there would be no apologizing to Riley before he had a chance to fix her dress. The best he could hope for was keeping the boys as far away from the girls as possible so they didn’t accidentally let it slip.

  “Okay, here’s the deal, boys. I need you to stick close by Grandpa Hal this evening…”

  Chapter Four

  THE LATE AFTERNOON took a busy turn. Riley and the girls were sidetracked from the cake by hungry children, cranky babies, and men who needed nourishment. It was nearly eight thirty, and Riley and Josh were finishing the dishes while the girls and their husbands put their children to bed. Riley loved that the husbands and wives handled bedtime together. She imagined her and Josh doing the same once their baby was born. Hal was outside with Hope, and Riley’s parents were due to arrive any minute. She was happy to have a moment alone with Josh.

  “How did the cake turn out?” Josh asked as he dried a bowl.

  She and Jade had wrapped the wedding cake layers and put them out of sight before dinner. They’d finish frosting it after the children were settled and the men had reconvened someplace other than the kitchen.

  “We had to make a minor adjustment to the recipe, but it’s going to be delicious.”

  Josh set down the towel he was using to dry the dishes and moved behind her. He gathered her hair over one shoulder and brushed his lips over her cheek, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. She closed her eyes, relaxing into his embrace. They’d been moving at breakneck speed since last night, when they’d left the resort, and all she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and be loved by him.

  “I’ve missed you,” she whispered as he kissed his way down her neck. With her eyes still closed, she felt for the faucet and turned it off, enjoying every blessed second of the alone time with her soon-to-be husband.

  Josh turned her in his arms, and when she reached for the towel to dry her hands, he took her hands in his and guided them around his waist.

  She scrunched her nose. “I’m wet.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he whispered seductively.

  She giggled, but he was all hands and lips, groping her ass as he sank his teeth into her neck and sucked so hard heat seared between her legs, turning that short-lived giggle into a needy moan. She craned her neck to the side, giving him better access to continue his tantalizing assault, but he grasped the back of her skull, angling her mouth beneath his, and took her in a kiss so intense she lost all sense of place and time. Reveling in the feel of Josh’s hands holding, caressing, taking, and his eager mouth, she went up on her toes in an effort to get more of him. Then his hands were on her hips, lifting her onto the counter without breaking their connection. Riley had always been amazed at the way he lifted her so easily. She was not a petite girl. She had real womanly curves, which Josh seemed to have an insatiable appetite for. Thank goodness, because she was only going to get curvier with her pregnancy.

  “God, I love you,” he said between frantic kisses. He
tugged the neckline of her shirt down and kissed the flesh he bared, filling his other hand with her breast.

  Her nipples pebbled, burning with the need to be in his mouth. Tugging her forward, he pressed his arousal to her center, and she was incapable of holding back another moan.

  “Josh,” she said breathlessly. “Kiss me.”

  And he did.

  Hard. So exquisitely perfectly, she yanked up on his shirt, needing to feel his skin beneath her hands. He grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his hips, lifting her off the counter as she explored his muscular back.

  “Oh, goodness!”

  Riley’s eyes flew open at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Mom!” She’d been so lost in Josh, she’d forgotten that anyone could walk in. She had Josh’s shirt up around his shoulders, her legs around his waist. She tried to shimmy out of Josh’s arms, but he moved carefully, slowing her down, and she knew he was being careful because of the baby. She loved him for it, but with her mother turning bright red and her father sauntering into the kitchen behind her, she really needed to put some space between them. Her parents didn’t need to see her practically tearing off Josh’s clothes.

  “I’m sorry,” her mother said with a knowing grin that unsettled Riley even more. “We knocked, but no one answered.”

  “We were…um…just…” Nearly going at it right here in the kitchen! Riley frantically smoothed her top and tried to blink away the lust fog from her brain. The fact that Josh was rearranging his shirt to hide his hard-on wasn’t making it any easier.

  Josh kissed her cheek, smiling in that easy way that usually made her sigh—but this time it just felt unfair. How did he remain calm every single time something went awry?

  “We were making out,” he said without apology. “But we’ll all pretend we weren’t.”

  Her mother laughed. “Why on earth would we pretend that? Love is a beautiful thing.” Her mother stepped forward and hugged Josh, while Riley tried to get over feeling like a naughty teenager caught behind the bleachers.

  “Come over here, sunshine.” Her father pulled her into a warm embrace. He was tall and slim, so different from Josh’s father, quieter, too. He held her for a long moment, then kissed the top of her head and greeted Josh while her mother hugged the daylights out of her.

  “I’m sorry we’re so late,” her mother said. “One thing after another went wrong when we were trying to get out of the house. Then we got halfway here and realized we had forgotten our bags. So we had to drive back home and get them. I swear my brain has gone on vacation.”

  “I’m sorry it was such a hassle, but I’m glad you’re here,” Riley said. “You can help me finish making the cake.”

  “I have to admit,” her father said. “I was a little worried that because of your social status in the city, you’d feel pressure to give the public what they so obviously want. I’m glad you went with an intimate gathering.”

  “It was an easy decision for us, although it wasn’t easy avoiding the cameras.” Josh put his arm around Riley and kissed her temple. “But it was worth the sneaking around to get the wedding we both wanted.”

  “Have you heard from Jake or the others since you left the Bahamas?” her mother asked.

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, Jake called earlier and said he let it leak to the press that Riley and I came down with food poisoning,” Josh said, surprising Riley. “We are supposedly holed up in the honeymoon suite at the resort right this very second.”

  She’d like to be holed up with Josh somewhere despite how happy she was to see them.

  “It’s a shame your extended family couldn’t be together,” her mother said. “You could have had a triple wedding.”

  “It would have been nice to have everyone together, and we talked about it, but we really didn’t want the chaos that came along with it,” Riley explained. “Just getting out of the Bahamas was crazy enough. I still feel guilty that everyone had to play along with our ruse.”

  Josh pulled her tight against his side. “They didn’t mind. And besides, you shouldn’t feel too bad. Jake and Ross are marrying their fiancées in a double ceremony tomorrow at the resort.”

  “I know, but still.” When they’d put the ruse together, Josh’s cousins Jake and Ross had decided it was silly to waste a gorgeous wedding venue. They and their fiancées didn’t seem to mind a little publicity.

  Jade, Savannah, and Lacy came into the kitchen with Max and Brianna on their heels.

  “You made it!” Jade hugged Riley’s mother, which started a flurry of eager greetings.

  Josh kissed Riley and whispered, “I think I’ll save your dad from the estrogen overload and take him out back with the guys.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  Riley wound her arms around his neck. “This is our last night as a unmarried couple. I had fun doing the dishes with you.”

  “Baby, I’d do so much more with you if we had privacy. Maybe we should ditch these guys and find a quiet coatroom.” A spark of heat flared in his eyes.

  “We do have an affinity for coatrooms.” She and Josh had snuck into a coatroom at Christos to fool around the night Josh proposed.

  His hands slid to her butt and he squeezed. “I have an affinity for you, babe. In the coatroom, the boardroom, the bedroom, the dining room…” He kissed her again, long and lovingly, and it was so good to be in his arms, having her wits about her this time, she didn’t mind that her parents were in the room. She could control herself.

  For a little while, anyway.

  IT WAS AFTER eleven, and the men had turned in already in preparation for the early-rising babies. There was no way the girls would be up early, since they were all spending the night together in the biggest suite at the resort. Riley told them they didn’t have to sleep in the same room with her, but they insisted. Not only that, they moved mattresses to the floor with fluffy pillows and blankets, like a giant sleepover. Even her mother said she was going to stay with them, for most of the night, anyway. Riley couldn’t wait. As ridiculous as it sounded, she was excited to have this time alone with the girls. They’d broken out the wine and the box of brownies Elisabeth had given Riley, and everyone was sipping the good stuff and chowing down. Except Riley. She couldn’t drink because of her pregnancy, and after the ganache fiasco, she was too nervous about preparing the cake to even think about eating.

  They’d finally stopped chatting long enough to frost the cakes with the jam Charlotte had given them. They’d used several jars, and Riley was pleased with the addition to the recipe. She kneaded the fondant until it was the perfect consistency, just as Molly had taught her to do, and now they were taking turns rolling four portions of fondant to frost each layer of the cake.

  “What do you think Hal did to keep his sons from turning into self-centered jerks?” Max stood in the open doorway, looking out over the deck. “Because whatever it is, I want to do it with Dylan. I hate jerky guys.”

  Jade laughed and grabbed another brownie. “You mean because of their good looks, or as I like to call it, the ‘Braden curse’? Haven’t you learned that Hal’s influence is bigger than any curse could ever be?”

  “Hey, way to leave me out. I’m a Braden, too,” Savannah complained, stuffing another piece of brownie in her mouth.

  “And gorgeous as the day is long,” Riley said.

  “Aw, thanks almost-sis-in-law.” Savannah gave her a sticky kiss on her cheek. “Dad would never have put up with us being jerks, but my brothers had their moments. While I was a perfect angel,” she said with an air of sarcasm.

  “Looks don’t make the jerk. Jerks make the jerk.” Lacy laughed at her own joke. “Sometimes I try to imagine Dane bald.”

  Max laughed, and a piece of brownie shot out of her mouth, causing an uproar of hysterical laughter.

  “Shh,” Riley said. “Everyone’s sleeping.”

  “It wouldn’t matter if Jack were bald. I’d still be all over him.” Savannah opened a cabinet and pulled out a bag of chips. As she dump
ed them into a bowl, Brianna grabbed two and put them on either side of her brownie. Savannah arched a brow.

  “What?” Brianna took a bite of the chip-brownie sandwich. With a mouthful, she said, “Sweet and salty is the bomb.”

  At that, Savannah and Max each piled chips on their brownies and stuffed them into their mouths, emitting a loud, “Mm.”

  “I’d like to add ‘Banks curse’ to that, please,” Riley’s mother said. “My hubby might not be rugged, but he’s strong in all the ways that matter, and I adore him.”

  Riley looked up from the fondant she was working with, feeling thankful for the love in her mother’s voice. There was a time when she thought her parents had a less-than-passionate marriage. Her mother had explained that in any marriage desires waxed and waned, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a good marriage that was full of love and commitment. When those amorous feelings waned, she and Riley’s father worked harder to rekindle the passion. Riley couldn’t imagine ever not getting all revved up by merely catching sight of her smoking-hot fiancé, but if that time ever came, she hoped they could take a page from her mother’s marriage book and rekindle the spark rather than let it go out.

  “He’s definitely on the list, Mrs. B,” Jade said, handing the roller to Lacy so she could take her turn rolling the fondant. “I need to get another brownie and try it with chips. Want one?”

  “Of course. Everyone knows you can’t have just one.” Lacy began rolling the fondant.

  “Mrs. B,” Jade said as she made two chip-brownie sandwiches. “Your man is as cursed as the rest of them, and I adore him, too. Even if he was a little strict with my girl Riley when she was younger.”

  “Let’s not relive my teen years,” Riley pleaded. “Besides, it’s time to finish the cake, and I’m sure I need all hands on deck for this one.”

  “You mean you don’t want to remember how you pined for Josh every minute of the day?” Jade asked.

  The girls and her mother gathered around the table, licking their fingers and nibbling on chips.