by Rhonda James
“Not quite, but I’ve hinted at it, that probably doesn’t count huh?”
“No way man,” he laughed softly, “not even close.”
Everyone was running back and forth, making sure everything was decorated from floor to ceiling with purple and ivory fabric. During the commotion, I decided to make my way to the back of the reception hall, looking for a quiet place to bring Brooke after the obligatory wedding party dance tomorrow. As I made my way down a semi-darkened hall, I felt a hand shoot out from one of the doorways, pulling me into the corner, and before I could put up a fight I felt a hand move over the front of my pants. I gripped her hand firmly, putting an end to the unwanted invasion, and spoke to her through clenched teeth.
“Hilary, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, all I can tell you is that I don’t want any part of it. You know that I’m with Brooke if you can’t respect that then I’m going to have a talk with Nikki.”
“Oh, come on Sebastian, aren’t you even a little bit curious what it would be like between us? You know, I’ve always had a crush on you, even before you were famous, Nikki could verify that if you like,” she purred in my ear, trying her best to land a kiss on my mouth.
“Sebastian?” I heard Brooke’s voice behind me, and I groaned inwardly, wondering how in the hell I was going to convince her that this wasn’t what it looked like.
“Brooke, I can explain,” I began, but stopped when she silenced me with her hand in front of her.
“Don’t. Save your breath.” She turned to walk away as I pushed Hilary off me, then she abruptly stopped and made her way back to us, halting once she was face to face with Hilary, pausing only a moment before her hand struck the side of her face. The sound alone was enough to draw attention, but it was what she said afterward that was sure to stick with the foolish woman long after tonight.
“How dare you. Women like you think that you can take whatever you want, even when it belongs to someone else, and it’s that mentality that makes you worth nothing more than yesterday’s trash. This man loves me, and nothing you do can change that. By rights, I should hate you, but I don’t, instead I just pity you. I pity you, because one day you’re going to look back on your pathetic life and wonder why it is that you can’t find happiness, then you’ll remember this day, and only then will you realize that you’ll never find the satisfaction you were searching for because you were always trying to steal someone else’s. Now, what you’re going to do is walk away, put him out of your mind, and keep your distance, because if you don’t,” she stepped closer to Hilary’s reddened face, “that slap won’t be the only mark I leave on you.” Hilary gasped and slithered her way between us, holding a hand to her face while running down the hall.
“You,” she raised her hand to me, shaking a finger in front of my face, and I grabbed it, pulling it into my mouth. “What are you doing?” she breathed heavily, her heart beating wildly against her chest.
“You’ve got a touch of the green-eyed monster living within you,” I teased. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“Yeah, I guess I do and make sure you never forget it,” she replied, trying her best to hide the smirk that wanted so desperately to reveal itself.
“I didn’t touch her Brooke; I swear, she totally caught me off guard. You’ve got to believe that I would never look twice at her, and certainly not with you in the same building,” I huffed. She ran her damp finger over my lips, and I kissed the pad, nipping it gently with my teeth. “You believe me, do you?”
“For a brief moment I wasn’t sure what to believe, but as I started walking away I knew you wouldn’t do that to me. I knew there was something about her that I didn’t trust. I guess those are things that I will always have to worry about.”
“I’ve told you Brooke, you don’t have anything to worry about, but if you move in with me you’d never have to doubt me again.”
“Oh, well played baby, well played,” she chuckled as she pulled me back down the hall toward the commotion.
Brooke~
When I knocked on the door to the area being used as a dressing room I could hear loud voices on the other side of the door. I knocked once more before edging the door open, announcing my entry.
“What do you mean by something came up?” I heard Nikki screeching loudly. “You are the most selfish woman I’ve ever met; I can’t believe I ever called you my friend. Yeah, whatever, don’t ever call me again!” Then I saw a phone being flung across the room, landing just a few feet from me, and I let out a startled gasp as all eyes turned to me.
“Oh my gosh, Brooke, I am so sorry, I almost hit you!” Nikki exclaimed, rushing over.
“No worries, you just caught me off guard; that’s all. Is everything okay? I heard yelling,” I asked, somewhat concerned. At that moment, everyone crowded around Nikki to find out what had just happened to cause such an outburst.
“You aren’t going to believe this, that was Hilary; she’s not coming.” A collective gasp emitted from each woman’s throat. “Apparently, something more important came up. Can you believe that?” I winced and tried to swallow down the guilt that was currently trying to make its way up my esophagus; this was obviously related to yesterday’s scene. I felt horrible, knowing that I had to come clean.
“Um, I think I might know what happened to make her change her mind.” All eyes turned to me, what was it that made the female species such a curious breed. “I’m so sorry Nikki, but I am afraid that this is all my fault. Yesterday afternoon, while we were decorating the hall, I went looking for Sebastian and when I found him,” I paused, looking directly at Tracy, “he was trapped in a corner with Hilary and her hand was inappropriately fondling a specific part of his body.”
“No! I’ll kill her,” Nikki muttered, cursing softly.
“I don’t think that will be necessary, it seems as if she took the hint I gave her, but I’m truly sorry, I never intended for her to bail on your wedding, I just told her to stay away from Sebastian.”
“What else did you do to her?” Tracy asked; a smirk already forming on her perfectly painted lips.
“I may have slapped her across the face and threatened her,” I said, covering my blushing face.
“That’s my girl!” Natalie proudly exclaimed, coming over to embrace me. “We girls have to defend what’s ours, am I right ladies?”
“You know that’s right,” everyone collective replied.
“So what are you going to do now? I’ve messed up your special day.”
“No you haven’t, I have an idea, you’re going to take her place.” Nikki declared.
“Me? I can’t do that, my dress isn’t the same; I haven’t rehearsed,” I stammered.
“Please, your dress is almost the exact shade of purple and all you have to do is walk down the aisle and dance with the man of your dreams. You could do that in your sleep.”
I was slightly nervous as I stood there waiting for the processional to begin; I had already watched the groomsmen walk out and take their place. Sebastian looked incredibly hot in his tux, he was going to flip out when he saw me come through the doors instead of Hilary, in all the commotion I never had a chance to text him about the change of plans.
After a few minutes, the music started playing and the girls in front of me began making their way down to the front, each one taking their place on the stairs, and when it was finally my turn I took a deep breath and prayed that I didn’t trip and fall. I kept my eyes forward, locked on Sebastian, and when it finally registered that it was me coming toward him I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head, he was floored. The smile that spread over his face told me that not only was it a surprise, but a pleasant one, we had been together enough to be able to read each other’s facial expressions and the wink that followed told me everything I needed to know, he thought I looked beautiful.
The wedding march started up, and Nikki began her walk down the long aisle, she looked radiant, and the look of love that adorned Ben’s f
ace brought tears to my eyes. As I brought a hand up to wipe away the moisture, I caught Sebastian staring at me, mouthing the words I love you just before Thomas passed Nikki over to Ben’s outstretched hand. The ceremony was in full swing, they had just finished reciting their written vows and the minister had begun the ceremonial vows, I watched Sebastian intently throughout each spoken word, his eyes never left mine, and when it came time for Ben to say the words “I do” my stomach flip-flopped as I watched Sebastian mouth the very same words to me. My heart melted on the spot, and I imagined myself standing before everyone we loved doing the same ceremony. I knew that he loved me enough to marry me, he didn’t have to say it, his actions had shown me all I needed to know, and for the first time in a long time I knew that I wanted the chance to profess my undying love to the man of my dreams before God and everyone I cared about.
Sebastian~
I’m standing here in this uncomfortable tuxedo, surrounded by two hundred people that I know fairly well, and I have to admit that I am slightly uneasy. Being in front of a crowd should come easily to me, but on stage I am in control, up here, I just feel out of place. I would much rather be out there in the crowd with Brooke; my eyes scanned the rows for her but I had yet to place her. I fiddled with my tie once more as the processional began, secretly dreading my upcoming dance with Hilary. After last night’s events, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her, or Brooke for that matter.
Natalie was the matron of honor, and she was stunning, I gave a quick glance to Travis, serving as best man, and smiled as I watched the look of pride fill his face. The next girl came out and took her place on the stairs, then Hilary was next, I looked over in Natalie’s direction, but decided that I was probably being rude by not looking forward like everyone else. What I saw coming toward me was a vision that I won’t soon forget, nor do I want to, it was Brooke, and she looked beautiful. My mind spun with questions as to what she was doing there, but common sense told me that Hilary hadn’t shown up and Brooke took her place, which was only fitting considering we would be matched up for the bridal party dance at the reception, and now I could spend the evening sitting next to her while everyone ate their meal. As she took her place in front of the stage, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The vows were recited and when it came time for Ben to say “I do”, for the life of me I couldn’t help it, I looked right at Brooke and mouthed the words right along with him, meaning every breath, and she saw me, and she knew that I had meant it. She knew that I would spend the rest of my life with her if she would let me, and in that moment, I think she felt the same way.
As the reception dragged on, and all of my groomsmen obligations had been fulfilled, I looked around the room to try and locate Brooke. I finally found her at the bar, getting a refill on her drink.
“Hey you,” I snuck up behind her, placing my hands on her hips. “What are you drinking?”
“Ice water,” she giggled softly into the wine glass currently being used as a water glass. “Would you like one?”
“Absolutely. Hey, what do you say we go out on the dance floor and cut a rug?” I wiggled my eyebrows, causing her to erupt into a fit of giggles.
“Who says that anymore? Cut a rug,” she shook her head, still laughing. I took her hand in mine and bowed low before her.
“Pardon me my lady, but would you do me the honor of sharing this dance with me?”
“I would be delighted, sir,” she curtsied.
We walked onto the dance floor, a fast song was playing, and I started dazzling her with my moves, she matched me step for step, and before we knew it that song had ended and a slow one started up. I circled my arms around her, drawing her in close, and we moved slowly around the floor as Ed Sheeran serenaded us with his hit, “Thinking Out Loud”, a song that could not have been more fitting for the way I felt about her.
“I love this song,” she murmured into my chest, and I couldn’t resist, I started singing along softly with the music, swaying my hips in time with hers. “Hmmm, I love it when you sing to me.” The song finished, and we danced to a few more before I led her to where my mom and dad were seated.
“Hey, would you guys mind it if we snuck out of here, we’re kind of tired.” Mom gave me a look, but dad only gave a smile. No matter how old I was it would always be the same with them.
“Of course sweetie. Oh Brooke, thank you so much for stepping in for Nikki today, you fit in so perfectly up there. You’ll have to be sure and come by the house before you head back home.” They hugged and said their goodbyes as I stood by and watched, just seeing her with my family proved that asking her to move in with me had been the right decision, they had accepted her just as easily as I had.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Brooke~
“So, how is it out there in paradise? No, don’t tell me, I already know what I’m missing.” Jade had been moping around the apartment before I left on this trip and now that I was here, and she had been left behind, she was even more despondent. “Did he have a date for the wedding?” She and Dek has struck up a bit of a long-distance romance after his surprise visit to Michigan, talking on the phone regularly and texting cute little messages back and forth, which I only know about because she accidentally left her phone on the bathroom counter while I was in there getting ready for work.
“Well, actually, he did, but she was only there as a friend, he didn’t want to show up alone. He was asking about you,” I said sweetly, hoping that would smooth things over.
“Really? Are you sure this girl was only a friend? You can be honest with me,” she sighed.
“ I swear, I never once saw him hold her hand or kiss her, it appeared to be strictly platonic,” I assured her, as best as I could.
“How was the wedding, was it hard to watch Sebastian dancing with that back-stabber?” I had called Jade after my little incident with Hilary, telling her all about the altercation, which she, of course, had sided with me.
“Interestingly enough she failed to show up, she called an hour before the ceremony and backed out.”
“Oh my god! Are you serious? The nerve… So what did Nikki do, who did she pair up with Sebastian? Please tell me that hunk of a man did not have to dance alone while the rest of the bridal party paired up,” she gasped.
“Good heavens, no, she had me take Hilary’s spot. So, Sebastian didn’t have to dance alone; he had me.”
“Oh, that sounds so romantic,” she said dreamily.
“Oh, that’s not even the most romantic part, during the whole ceremony he couldn’t take his eyes off me, and when the groom said ‘I do’ Sebastian mouthed the words right as he looked at me, I swear I thought I would die on the spot. Can you believe that!”
“Oh my, that would have been something worth seeing. I would have died too if the man of my dreams did that to me. You are so lucky.”
“There’s more. When we were dancing, and he was holding me close, he serenaded me as Ed Sheeran sang “Thinking Out Loud.” I’m telling you; this man knows how to woo a woman.” I leaned back and fanned myself with my free hand.
“So are you still coming home on Wednesday?”
“Yes, but there’s something that I wanted to talk with you about.” I shifted the phone to my other ear as I made my way out onto the patio. “Sebastian asked me to move in with him,” I whispered.
“What!” Jade shrieked.
“You heard me,” I responded flatly.
“And you said…”
“I told him I need a little time to think about it. That’s a big decision, living together.”
“Not to mention the fact that you’d have to move out of state in order to do that. Hello? What about your job? How would you pay the bills?”
“I’m not too sure I would have a whole lot of those to worry about if I were to move in with him, he has made that perfectly clear. I know it seems off the wall, but I’m seriously considering it. I love him, and I want to be closer to him,” I told her honestly.
“So do you
think he is the one?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Then I think you already know your answer,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Ugh! How is it that you always do that?” I groaned.
“Do what?” she asked innocently.
“Somehow manage to know just what I need.”
“Oh, I don’t know, I guess that’s just what best friends are for, we tell you what you need to hear at just the right time you need to hear it.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too.”
I had just hung up the phone and placed it on the counter when it started ringing again; Sebastian was still in his studio, so I plopped down on the sofa and answered it.
“Hello,” I answered, cheerfully.
“Hello, is this Brooke Caldwell?” asked a strange, male voice.
“Yes,” I reply hesitantly, “who’s calling?”
“Oh, hello dear, this is Max Wolf calling, you interviewed at my restaurant in L.A. almost five months ago.” My heart nearly stopped beating, I leaned forward and gripped the edge of the leather sofa cushion.
“Yes, I know who you are. How are you Chef Wolf?” I asked, trying my best to keep it together. If he was calling me this could mean one of two things, he was either going to tell me that I didn’t meet his criteria for a chef, or that, by some stroke of luck, he wanted to offer me a job.
“Well I’m just great Brooke, I want to apologize for not contacting you sooner, things out at my London establishment aren’t going as well as I had originally planned and I just returned from there. Listen, I’ve spoken again with Kimberly and watched the video of your interview, and I have to say that I am most definitely impressed. I would really like it if you could come back out and meet with me, I’m sorry to make you fly all the way back out here, I will take care of all the necessary arrangements.”
“No, that won’t be necessary, I mean, no arrangements are needed, I am already here in L.A.” My heart was racing a hundred miles an hour and I prayed that he couldn’t hear it beating out of my chest, I wanted to come off as confident and secure, not nervous and damn near terrified.