“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” I groaned. “Thanks for the talk Charlie.”
“My pleasure sweetheart. Thanks for the coffee, and the company,” he saluted, playfully.
“I missed you,” Jesse said, kissing my forehead. I followed him back to the bedroom where we spent the next two hours cuddling and making love.
I spent the afternoon with Mel and Stefani shopping and taking care of my surprise for Jesse. I knew he was going to love it. When I left Jesse at the hotel I'd told him we would be gone all afternoon and would just see them backstage before the concert. We all went for pedicures and then parted ways for an hour while I popped into a little shop nestled between a coffee shop and an adult novelty store. I stepped in and looked around at the hundreds of sketches hanging on the walls, before browsing through the wide assortment of albums on the table. A sound that reminded me of the dentist’s office echoed faintly from beyond the main area. A young man who appeared to be my age stepped out from one of the back rooms to greet me.
“What can I help you with today?” he offered a warm smile, and I was instantly calmed.
“I would like a tattoo.”
“You ever had a tattoo before?” He looked me over casually
“Yes,” I pointed to my wrist and continued scanning the images. “I’m pregnant, is it safe to get a tattoo?”
“Well, it’s safe here because I follow all of the health codes. Our equipment is sterilized in the autoclave regularly and I use fresh tips with each tat that I do. I’m assuming that you don’t want the tattoo on your belly or any place around that area, right?”
“I think that I would like this one," I pointed to a photo that hung on the wall beside his station. "I'd like it on my hip, is that okay?." He smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Excellent choice. They are a kick ass band. You know, my older brother designed that one.” My eyebrows rose in question and he continued. “Yeah, the lead singer came in one night after a show and told him what he wanted. C.J. sketched it out and the guy loved it. He inked him right there on the spot, in this chair. This photo was taken a few days later when the guy stopped by with the rest of the band." I leaned forward and stared into the eyes of the man I adored, proudly showing off his new tattoo.
"How long will it take?"
“Shouldn’t take more than ninety minutes.”
Two hours later I walked out of the shop sporting an awesome tattoo. Mel had texted me multiple times while I was on the table wanting to know where I was. It had taken longer than expected, but the end result was totally worth it. I entered the pub and found the girls sitting in a booth near the back.
“Sorry ladies,” I pouted my lips. “What did I miss?”
“Oh not much, we spent way too much money on shoes and a handbag. Let’s see it,” Mel replied, reaching for my arm.
"It's covered right now, I'll show you later, but trust me when I say it looks amazing. Do you think he'll like the idea? We've never discussed how he felt about me getting a tattoo."
“He'll love it!” Stefani responded, certainly. “You are permanently marked as his. He will be over the moon,” she laughed, taking a sip of her beer.
“I think he’ll be pleased,” I smiled, wickedly. “But I think he’ll be shocked when he sees that it's on my ass!”
“Shut the front door! You got a tattoo on your ass? I thought you were getting it on your shoulder. Girl, you are two kinds of crazy,” Mel screamed.
“Well, I know at least one of us is getting sex tonight,” Stefani quipped. “When are you planning on showing him?”
“Well, it will have to wait until we’re back in the room. I don’t want to be responsible for the show being cancelled,” I joked. We finished up at the restaurant and I made a quick call to Jesse. He answered on the fourth ring.
“Hey baby, having fun?” I could hear music and loud voices in the background.
“Yeah. Are you rehearsing? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You're not interrupting me. I always love hearing your voice,” he replied, sounding sexy.
“That’s sweet. I’ve missed you too. So, what time should we be there, did we agree on seven?”
“That works. It will give us some time alone before we go on stage. I need some serious time with those beautiful lips,” he moaned.
“I’ll meet you backstage. I’ll be the girl with the neon “taken” sign flashing over her head,” I teased.
“You bet your ass you’re taken. You belong to me, baby. Always.” I heard someone call his name. “Honey, I’ve gotta run. Have fun with the girls. Oh, by the way, don't be surprised if I look a little different when you see me. I had my hair cut.”
Oh no, I loved his hair. "When you say cut, how short are we talking?" He laughed at the hesitation in my voice.
"It's shorter, but there's still plenty left for you to run your fingers through. I told the girl that was the only stipulation I had. Gotta keep my girl happy. I really need to go, can't wait to see you."
“Me too. Love you.” I stuffed the phone in my back pocket and sighed.
“Ugh, that face. I know that face,” Mel rolled her eyes. “She’s thinking about sex right now.” Stefani covered her face to hide her laughter.
“I am not! I’m just thinking about how much I love him. It’s not always about sex you know. That’s not all we do.”
“Uh huh. Sure. You’re just in there doing your nails together.” She shook her head and headed down the sidewalk back to the hotel.
We needed plenty of time to get ready. I had taken my leather outfit and make up to Mel’s room this morning. We spent the next two hours fluffing our hair and stuffing ourselves into tight fitting clothing. We looked hot! We made our way down to the lobby with fifteen minutes to spare. The casino was overflowing with gamblers and observers, making it difficult to get through the crowd.
When I made my way backstage I couldn’t find Jesse anywhere. I asked several members of the crew, but no one had seen him. I finally gave up looking and decided to wait for him to find me. I grabbed a bottle of water and waited, watching the other people around me.
“Your neon sign is flashing,” drawled a husky voice behind me, and I giggled with delight. “Damn girl, you are too hot for me. Are you sure you’ve got the right man?” he teased, wrapping strong arms around my mostly flat stomach. “Pregnancy looks great on you momma. I love you in leather.”
“Ditto,” I smiled, turning to admire his lower half. I looked him up and down, taking in the beauty that is Jesse Montgomery. His hair was now shorter on the sides and longer on top. He had it styled back, but ran his hand nervously through it when he caught me staring. The effect was a sexy mess that suited him and looked intentional. I licked my lips hungrily.
“Do you like it?” he asked, nervously. I responded with a wet kiss, intending to let him know just how much I appreciated the new look. His lips parted slightly and I claimed the vacancy with my tongue. When we pulled away, breathless, he smiled against my mouth. “I'll take that as a yes.”
“Hell yeah it’s a yes,” I drew my fingers through it, slowly. “I like it a lot.”
“I can tell,” he chuckled. “Seriously, Rhyann, I am really loving this outfit on you. I can’t wait to take it off later.” He planted a single kiss on my swollen lips. His hands reached down for mine and he stroked my knuckles with his thumbs.
"I've got something to show you. I was going to wait, but now I'm all turned on by your sexy hair." I laughed. He leaned in and rubbed my nose with his. "I got a tattoo." I smiled and he pulled back with a look of surprise on his face.
"What? Where? Let me see." He pulled at my clothing, trying to peer down my shirt." I swatted his hands away and lowered the zipper on my pants. "Um, babe, we don't have time--" He stopped talking the instant he saw it. His finger traced around it carefully, his eyes never leaving the ink. "I love it." He spoke the words softly as the tip of his finger traced over the cracked heart. I hoped he didn't mind that I'd had the b
and's logo permanently etched on the highest part of my ass.
"I'm so happy because I was afraid you'd be upset because we didn't discuss it first."
“Babe, you don’t need my permission to get ink, but I don’t want you marring up your beautiful chest. Those are off limits,” he declared.
The concert was another success and ran the full time as scheduled. The rest of the tour seemed to fly by. By the time they wrapped up the last show in Seattle, we were all ready to settle in and hide out indoors for the next month, and that is exactly what we did.
The last remnants of winter had disappeared and green had slowly taken over the yard. Pansies and daffodils reclaimed their places in garden beds that lined the downtown sidewalks. Steve's trial was scheduled to begin in May and I felt safe knowing that he was locked up and Jesse was watching over me. He'd seen Steve at the arraignment, and it had taken both David and Tyler to keep him from leaping over the seat and throttling Steve as he sat there looking smug in his two thousand dollar suit. My lawyer did her best to try and convince me that he would likely remain in prison for the next five years. Even though I dreaded testifying, May couldn't come soon enough.
Wedding plans were coming together, and Mel took me shopping for my wedding dress. We were renewing our wedding vows in less that two months and I had yet to find the perfect dress. Mel had brought at least thirty into the dressing suite and none of them had the wow factor I had been looking for. I had carted countless bags around the mall containing the perfect shoes, make up and accessories. I had even managed to find a few items to take on our belated honeymoon. Still, I couldn't find a dress.
“I give up!” I exclaimed, placing the last dress back on the hanger. “I can’t do this anymore. I’ll have to look another day. I’m tired and now all of them are starting to make me rethink this whole idea.”
“Let’s get out of here then. Don’t worry, you still have time,” Mel assured me. As we drove home I called Jesse to see when he would be home.
“Hey babe, any luck?” he asked, hopefully.
“No. I’ll keep looking though. There has to be one out there that makes me feel special.”
“I’m sure you will baby, but just so you know I would marry you if you were wearing a sack. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Come home and we can spend the night watching movies like old times. I’ll even take care of dinner,” he offered sweetly.
Later that evening, after a delicious dinner from our favorite Chinese restaurant, we were sitting on the sofa watching a romantic comedy. It came to the part where the couple was getting married and the bride appeared on screen wearing a dress that strongly resembled the one I had worn the night we said “I do” for the first time.
“That’s it!” I sat up quickly and pointed at the television. “That’s the dress I’ve been looking for.” I flopped back against the sofa, sighing heavily.
“I’ll be right back,” Jesse muttered, as he stood and left the room. I must have been driving him crazy with all of my complaining about the dress. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should just keep it simple and be done with it. After a few minutes I heard him calling for me. “Rhyann, can you come into the guest room for a minute?”
“What are you doing in the guest room?” I asked, as I made my way down the hall. I entered the room and lying on the bed was a replica of my original wedding dress. “How did you get this?” I whispered, running my hand over the delicate fabric.
“I made a few phone calls last week,” he shrugged his shoulder. “You’ve been so stressed out about finding the perfect dress, and I remembered how beautiful you were in this one.” He fingered the material lightly and chuckled. “Remember how I tore it trying to get it off you that night? Man, that was a wild night. I know how special you felt in it when we were at the gala, how sexy it made you feel. I want you to feel that way again. If you don’t want to wear it that’s fine, but it’s here if you need it.” He put his arms around my waist and pressed his forehead to mine. “I don’t care what you wear, I just want you to be happy.”
“It was perfect the first time, and it’s even more perfect now,” I smiled, wiping away a tear. “Thank you. You know Mr. Montgomery, have I ever told you just how much I love you?”
“I think I have an idea, but tell me again,” he said, playfully.
“Oh, I think it’s better if I show you.” I replied, pushing him back onto the bed.
“Damn, I love it when we play show and tell,” he growled.
EPILOGUE
The sun was shining brightly the day before our ceremony. Mel and Stefani spent the afternoon decorating Bill and Cheryl’s backyard. When they got back to Seattle they stopped by the house and surprised me by taking me out for a few drinks, well drinks for them and water for me. I was now five months pregnant and beginning to show. If I had to wait another month for my wedding I would have had to buy a new dress. Mel informed me that she never got the chance to give me a proper bachelorette party the first time around so she and Stefani wanted to spend time with me before my big day. I reminded both of them on multiple occasions that I was already married and this was just a formality. But they insisted, so we spent the better part of three hours at a nightclub dancing.
Tyler brought Sam and David over to have a guy’s night with Jesse while we were gone. Before I left Jesse hugged me tight and told me how much he would miss me. The way my emotions had been all over the place these days I wanted to shove everyone out the door and just crawl up onto his lap and stay there all night. We had only been at the club for three hours when I told the girls that I wanted to go back home. I was tired. It didn’t take a whole lot to wear me out these days. Stefani teased me and called me a party pooper, but they obliged and dropped me back off at the house. I found Jesse sound asleep in our bed. It was obvious that he had been waiting for me. The room was aglow with candles and there was a large vase of red roses and a note on the bedside table.
Mrs. Montgomery,
There is a rose for every time I thought of you tonight. I can’t wait to renew my promise to spend the rest of my life loving you.
Love, Mr. Montgomery
My heart warmed after reading his note. I quietly undressed and climbed into bed. His breathing was slow and steady and I leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips. He moaned and pulled my body against his warmth.
“I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow,” I whispered into his neck. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he mumbled, groggily. “Night.”
“Good night,” I smiled, closing my eyes and sleeping peacefully the night before my wedding.
Rhyann, honey, may I come in?” Cheryl knocked softly on the door before stepping through. I was in one of her guest bedrooms, standing before a full-length mirror, admiring my wedding gown one last time before Sam walked me down the aisle.
“Oh my, aren’t you a vision. That dress is spectacular honey.” She leaned forward and hugged me gently, not wanting to mess up the dress or my hair. I had left my hair down; the way Jesse preferred it, in long curls that cascaded down my back. Mel had come over early to help me get ready.
“Thanks mom,” I kissed her cheek. Back when we announced to the family that we were having a baby, Cheryl and Bill had insisted that I call them mom and dad from now on. I hadn’t complained, in fact I welcomed it. My own mother had basically written me off after she remarried. I did call her, back when Jesse first mentioned renewing our wedding vows, and invited her to share in our special day, but she politely refused. Her excuse was that they had a trip to the Caribbean planned for that month, in other words she would rather lay on a beach than watch her only child get married. I hadn’t been surprised, not even the slightest bit disappointed either. Jesse had been pissed, vowing to never let her lay eyes on her grandchild. I made it clear to him that I never had any plans to allow that to happen, regardless of her decision to join us.
My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) Page 28