B my Forever: Wedding Novella (Sticks & Hearts)

by Rhonda James

  Table of Contents

  B MY FOREVER

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  OTHER BOOKS BY RHONDA

  EPIGRAPH

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  B MY FOREVER PLAYLIST

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR

  B my Forever

  Text Copyright © 2017 Rhonda James

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9984402-3-1

  Published by Rhonda James, Author LLC

  Cover Layout and Design by Taylor James

  Cover Image: Depositphotos.com

  Editing by Julia Goda

  Formatting by C.P. Smith

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  The following story contains mature themes, profanity, and explicit sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.

  DEDICATION

  To my readers…

  Thank you for loving JERSEY GIRL as much as I do.

  This love story is for YOU!

  OTHER BOOKS BY RHONDA

  STICKS & HEARTS SERIES

  Jersey Girl

  Fire and Ice

  Save My Heart

  TWISTED FATE SERIES

  My Only Regret

  Twisted Fate

  THE NOT SO BAD BOYS OF ROCK SERIES

  Across the Miles

  Miles Apart

  STANDALONES

  Alaska or Bust

  EPIGRAPH

  The first time I laid eyes on Brantley Cage, I knew there was something about him that made him different from all the other boys I’d ever known. After finally breaking free from a bad relationship, I was determined to prove to myself, and everyone else, that Cassandra Rivers could not only stand on her own two feet, but she could also live with reckless abandon and not feel one iota sorry for it. Nope. My days of regret were finished. Kaput. Sayonara.

  Waking up next to Brantley had been a bit of a shock; after all, I’d gone to bed wondering what it would feel like to have him kiss me only to wake the next morning and have his hands actually touching me. No, not touching. Fondling me. It felt oddly exciting and disturbing at the same time. Here was this stranger squeezing my breast, and to be honest, it had scared the crap out of me. It had been years since someone other than Justin had touched me, and I guess I panicked a little. What happened next still makes me giggle, but it had actually been just the icebreaker we needed. We were complete strangers, but even then it was as if his hands had a built-in roadmap to every erogenous zone on my body. Every press of his lips pierced something inside of me. Tattooing my skin with each kiss. We didn’t have sex that morning, but I walked away from the experience knowing only one thing.

  I needed more.

  A friendship blossomed and soon we were spending every available moment together. I’m not your typical girl. To say I spend my days scouring wedding sites or researching wedding photographers would be laughable. You’re more likely to find me writing song lyrics or strumming on my favorite guitar, Willow. But something changed after the first night B came running to my rescue. All at once, I became the girl who drew little hearts and penciled our names inside. I found myself dreaming of growing old with him by my side. And, given my love of music, I even caught myself quietly humming that dreadful childhood playground limerick.

  Brantley and Cassie sitting in a tree.

  K-I-S-S-I-N-G

  First comes love.

  Then comes marriage…

  I wasn’t supposed to want him, but I did… We weren’t supposed to fall in love, but it happened… Now, Brantley Cage has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes. He knows everything about me. My hopes. My dreams. My darkest desires. He’s my best friend. My lover. My hero. My everything. Most girls dream of their wedding day. The dress. The flowers. The reception. But none of that matters to me. All I care about is the man waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

  We started out as friends. Now I want him to B my forever.

  CHAPTER ONE

  B

  There comes a time in every man’s life when he has a moment of clarity.

  A single moment in time when everything stills and the world around him goes silent. And in that exact moment, everything seems to fall into place and the answers he’s been seeking are suddenly right in front of him.

  All because she walks into the room.

  Cassandra Lynn Rivers.

  Cassie.

  Dimples.

  Light of my life and my reason for being.

  Over the past year, I’ve stared into her soulful blue eyes, held her hand, touched her, kissed her, and claimed her with my body nearly every single day. I know everything about her. The sound of her laughter. The way her voice lowers when she’s turned on. The way she nibbles on her lip before asking me for a favor, sexual or otherwise. I know her greatest hopes, her sweetest dreams, and even her naughtiest desires.

  For the past year, I’ve been living the dream. Finally loving someone more than myself. Biding my time. Waiting for the perfect moment to ask for Cassie’s hand in marriage. I’ve thought long and hard about how I would do it. Where I would do it. Never once did I suspect I would consider doing it while on the ice, still dressed in my gear.

  But all that changed the moment she stepped out onto the ice and our eyes met.

  The entire team is on the ice celebrating a win we hadn’t seen coming. Mark Murray, our starting goalie, pulled a groin muscle during the first five minutes of regulation play, and with our backup goalie out sick, Rivers was our only hope. In true Rivers fashion, he stopped every shot on goal to shut out Winnipeg and give the Devils the win.

  We continue celebrating as the crowd begins to disperse, though thousands still remain seated waiting for the crowd to thin out before attempting their own exit. I turn to a fellow defenseman and ask him to do me a quick favor. He heads to the locker room, and before long, he’s back and handing over the small box I’ve been carrying for the past eight months. Cassie, along with Skylar and a very pregnant Laney, had been watching the game from up in one of the suites. As the girls begin making their way across the ice, I find myself mesmerized by the sight of Cassie’s glowing smile.

  I’ve always been a sucker for a girl with a pretty smile, but Cassie has these two little dimples that appear when she’s really happy, or just after we’ve kissed. Then, there are moments after we’ve just made love when she’s lying in my arms and she’ll peer up at me, offering a sleepy smile, and those sexy little divot
s stare back at me. When those dimples appear, in some small way, a part of me believes they’ve popped just for me, and I can’t begin to describe what a rush that gives me.

  Looking back on our relationship, it hasn’t always been this easy. We started out as friends, friends who became inseparable almost immediately. During those months, hardly a day went by where we didn’t speak or spend time together. By the time we first slept together, Cassie already knew she had fallen for me and she hadn’t been afraid to admit it. I, on the other hand, hadn’t been ready to confess my feelings, but we’d both seen something we wanted and went after it. Pretty soon, just being near her wasn’t enough. No matter how close she was, I always found a way to take more, and it hadn’t always centered on sex. It was more about the way I felt whenever I was around her. Cassie Rivers completes me, and it took me walking away before I was able to come to terms with just how lost I am without her.

  Hockey was the one thing that brought us together. If Rivers and I hadn’t played together, I might have never met Cassie. The rink had been where I asked her to trust me with her heart, and tonight it feels as if we’ve come full-circle.

  Looking at her right now, I know I will never be able to create a moment more perfect than this. It may not be everyone else’s idea of the perfect setting for a proposal, but this isn’t about everyone else.

  This is about our perfect.

  Cassie gets within three feet of where I’m standing and launches herself up and into my open arms. This is her signature move; has been ever since the first hockey practice she attended after receiving a B+ on her calculus exam.

  “Congratulations, baby! You were amazing out there tonight,” she gushes before bringing her lips to mine for a chaste kiss.

  “I only played for fifteen minutes,” I murmur against her lips.

  “Best fifteen minutes of the game.” She cups my sweaty face with her hand and smiles so sweetly that both dimples adorn her cheeks.

  One look at those dimples, and my heart flutters in my chest. I brush her lips with mine once more before easing her back down onto the ice.

  “Cassie, sweetheart,” I begin nervously. “There’s something I’ve been dying to ask you. I’ve spent so much time trying to create the perfect moment, but somehow, I don’t think I could find a time more perfect than this single moment in time right here. Right now.”

  I drop down on one knee and take her left hand in mine. There’s chaos happening all around me, but right now all I see is Cassie.

  Her hand immediately covers her mouth and her eyes water as the hand I’m holding starts to tremble.

  “Cassandra Lynn Rivers,” I begin nervously. “You are the center of my universe and the best thing to ever come into my life. From the moment we met, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Never stopped wanting you. Needing you. This isn’t how I planned on proposing; then again, I never planned on falling in love, but I’m so happy I did.” I pull out the ring and slip it over the tip of her finger, pausing before I slide it the rest of the way down. Our eyes lock and she’s smiling through her tears. “When I think about where my future will take me, it’s always you who’s there by my side. I love you more than anything and I don’t want to spend a single day without you. Marry me, Dimples. Tell me you don’t want to be without me. Make me the happiest man in the world,” I pledge before sliding the ring the rest of the way down her delicate finger. Cassie, still sobbing, falls to her knees before me and wraps her arms around my neck.

  “Oh, B,” she cries. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I will marry you.” Her lips crush against mine as thunderous applause erupts around us, and when we break apart, she lifts her hand in front of her to look at the ring. “It’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

  “Just like you,” I whisper.

  “I love you, B.”

  “I love you, too, Dimples.”

  I dip my head for another kiss, but before our lips meet, I hear a loud shriek and the sound of Laney’s voice carrying across the ice.

  “Um, Derek. I think my water just broke.”

  Oh, shit!

  The next few minutes play out like a scene straight out of a movie.

  “We need a doctor over here!” Rivers announces with authority while Davis, not one to wait, scoops up Laney and carries her across the ice to meet the medical team.

  “We’ll meet you at the hospital!” Cassie calls after him before turning her attention to Rivers and me. “You two, meet us outside the locker room in fifteen,” she orders, and we both snap into action. We shower and change in record time and manage to arrive at the hospital in time to catch Davis just before the nurse takes Laney up to a room.

  “How’s Laney doing?” We bump fists as I search his face for any sign of fear and finding none. In fact, he appears to be quite calm and collected.

  “She’s amazing. I think we’re both just ready to meet our kid. Listen,” he says while backing away, “they’re taking her upstairs to the fifth floor. The nurse said there’s a waiting room just down the hall from where we’ll be and you guys can wait there if you want,” he says hopefully.

  “Yeah. Of course we’ll wait. Give Laney our love.” I smile as the rest of the group sends along their love as well. We watch him join Laney in the elevator then wait for another to take us upstairs.

  “Any idea how long this may be? I’m starving,” Rivers rubs his belly.

  “I’ll run and grab us some dinner.” Skylar holds out her hand for the car keys before addressing us. “What about you two? Are you hungry?”

  I look at Cassie and shrug my shoulder. “I could eat. Where are you going?”

  “I was thinking Thai food. There’s a really great place not far from here, and they’re open past eleven,” she says.

  “Yum. I’ll have some Pad Thai,” Cassie chimes in. “And I believe B will have the same. Right, babe?”

  I wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her in tight as I chuckle. “My fiancée knows me so well.”

  “That I do.” She pokes me in the chest. “And you’ll do well to remember that.”

  “Is that so?” I tease. “In that case, why don’t you tell me what I’m thinking right this very moment?”

  “Well, I could tell you, but I don’t think it’s something I should announce with my big brother standing less than four feet away.” She giggles. I steal a glance at Rivers, and the strain on his face tells me he is none too pleased at being subjected to our vague sexual references. “Babe, I think I’m going to ride along with Sky to keep her company.”

  “Fair enough,” I concede and bring my lips to hers for a quick kiss. “But we’re finishing this when we get home.”

  Cassie tosses back her head and laughs heartily. “I’m counting on it, because I can assure you I’m thinking the exact same thing; only this time, let’s try it on the living room floor.”

  With that, she turns and shakes her cute ass as she walks away, and all I can think about is how sexy that ass is still going to be even after all the carpet burns I’ve given it.

  CHAPTER TWO

  CASSIE

  It’s two in the morning when I stretch my arms over my head and steal a glance around the waiting room where we’ve all been stationed for the past four hours, not so patiently waiting. Scotty is sitting on the sofa across from me, eyes closed, head tipped back against the cushion, while Skylar uses his thigh for a makeshift pillow. One eye opens to meet my gaze, and he lowers the lid in a lazy wink. I can’t resist smiling at the picture of sweetness they portray.

  I’m still adjusting to the idea that my brother is now a married man. Considering it’s been less than two months since they flew off to Vegas and eloped, I’m sure it’s something they’re still adjusting to as well. However, I must admit that love looks good on him. Real love. Nothing like the love he once shared with his former girlfriend. With Ashley, he was constantly trying to be someone else just to please her. Now that he’s married to Skylar, he seems happy and content and it feels like I’ve got my big b
rother back.

  “So… My baby sis went and got herself engaged. I’ll admit, we were all wondering when he’d finally get around to popping the question,” Scotty teases.

  My smile stretches across my face as I stare at the delicate pear-shaped diamond adorning my finger. “I didn’t mind waiting. You can’t rush Brantley; he does things his own way, and I’m perfectly okay with that.” I glance down at the man sleeping beside me, and my heart does this little flip inside my chest. “Besides, he’s worth the wait. I would have waited years if that’s how long it would have taken him.”

  “You know, sometimes I still can’t believe you’re dating my best friend, and then I see the two of you together and I’m struck by how perfect you are together.” Scotty’s mouth curves downward, and for a moment he goes quiet. “I’m really sorry for all the shit I caused for you two. If my head hadn’t been stuck so far up Ashley’s ass, I would have noticed the way you looked at each other. Guess it’s a good thing you were both bull-headed enough to say ‘Fuck it’ and go after what you wanted.” He laughs, and I join him, causing Brantley to stir next to me.

  “It’s only fitting, seeing as how I learned from the best,” I quip.

  “Burn!” Brantley chimes lazily before giving me a high five. Scott simply rolls his eyes without responding.

  “So, what do you think is happening back there?” Scott asks quietly so as not to wake Skylar.

  “How the hell should I know?” I shrug.

  “You’re a woman. I thought all women knew this stuff,” he scoffs.

  “But I’ve never been pregnant, dipshit,” I deadpan, shaking my head as my eyes roll toward the ceiling.

  He shuffles his feet and releases a frustrated groan. “I don’t understand what could be taking so long. In movies, a woman’s water breaks and the kids pops right out.”

  “Hate to break it to you, Scotty, but this isn’t a movie. It’s real life, where babies come on their own terms and in their own time. At least I think that’s something I once heard Mom say.”