Her bright blue dress she’d decided on earlier beckoned her. But so, did a simple, all-white knee-length cocktail dress.
Eddie looked handsome in gray that he spelled grey--they both knew it was his color, and she’d complement his light complexation with her own in the dress. Her mother said, “Taylor.”
Still in her robe, she sat on the bed. “Mom.”
Her mother sighed. “I’m glad you answered.”
“What’s going on?”
Her mother's tone was similar to when she was excited and about to join her ladies' group for some event. “Your father and I have been talking about you, sweetheart.”
They hated how she played with a band on stage. Her need to play music somehow cheapened the Jones name. She’d heard all the mumbles before. She stiffened on the bed. “I said I’m coming to dinner.”
“And we appreciate it. We also like your Eddie.”
Huh? Taylor stood up and paced the room. If her mother complained that Eddie wasn’t a doctor, she’d need to be prepared. She’d never be the daughter they wanted.
She needed to be true to her heart.
She needed to know what she’d do.
She needed to know it now.
She straightened her shoulders ready to argue as she asked, “What are you saying?”
Her mother started with the usual, “He’s not a doctor." Then changed tune. "But Eddie has the ability to take care of you. And he’s a sweetheart.”
Wait. The heat in her body lessened though her face still had blotches from stress. “So, you want me to marry Eddie?”
Taylor grabbed the blue dress off the hanger and dressed as her mother said, “I can’t imagine another man for you.”
A knock echoed on the door. Taylor had no argument for that.
For this moment they agreed. Eddie was perfect and Taylor craved to know what it would be like to give into the temptation of his kiss. “Mom, I have to go.”
She hung up, tossed the phone on the bed and opened the door. Eddie stood there holding even more red roses. “Eddie.”
He wore a white shirt and black slacks with those devastating green eyes and the air smelled like roses around them. “You look beautiful, Taylor.”
She waved him in and held up one finger as she said, “My mom just called and slowed me down. Give me a minute?”
He laughed as if to say: "you’re always running late." She could read his mind, but he didn't, and checked his hair instead. “Of course. What did your mom want?”
She painted on her lipstick for one more coat and opened the closet for her shoes, but the white dress caught her attention.
Adrenaline pumped in her veins.
It was perfect for a Vegas wedding.
She glanced at Eddie and picked up the dress from the hanger and placed it in the bathroom as she said, “For me to marry you.”
She peeked around the door at his wide eyes. “Wow, I always liked Tanya.”
Her mind raced but maybe she could go a little crazy. If she married Eddie, she wouldn’t break her rule about dating. She half-closed the door and wiggled out of the blue dress in the bathroom. “You do know that’s the wrong way to get a girl.”
He stayed on his side of the door and asked, “What is?”
She shimmied into the white dress that clung to her curves. Hopefully they never divorced, but Vegas weddings seemed easy to get out of in every movie or book. The idea of marriage began to click. “Getting her parents to like you. Shouldn't you wait until after the wedding to try?”
“I always wanted parents like yours.”
She exited the bathroom, her hand on her hip. Eddie stood straighter and puffed his chest out as he stared down his nose at her. “Mine… they don’t call… you look even more amazing.”
“I’m wearing white.” She swallowed. How far should she take it?
Eddie was every woman’s dream. Hers even more so because she knew him.
He glanced up and down her body and sighed. “I can see that.”
She took his hand and a spark ratcheted up her spine. She wanted to trust her old friend, the only boy she’d ever truly cared about. “Eddie, here's the deal I want to make.”
His gaze narrowed. “You want to make a deal?”
She nodded to emphasize her point. This was probably a crazy stupid idea, but she’d always followed her heart. Right now, hers was blasting the red arrow at her actions so she needed him to ground her. “Yes, you say you love me, but I have a hard time believing in love.”
He tugged his ear which was his nervous habit she hadn't seen in a while. “You’ve mentioned that.”
She opened her lips that still tingled from his kiss. Maybe this was a dare. Maybe she was crazy but for her, that didn’t matter. She wanted Eddie to entirely be hers. “I want us to get married.”
He leaned down and she placed her hand on his chest as he asked, “You do?”
He was so close. His skin radiated with anticipation and ignited her desire. “Yes. It will be our secret.”
He sniffed her upper lip. “Have you been drinking, Taylor?”
Oh no. She stared into those pools of green that made her weak at the knees. “No, I typically don’t touch alcohol before dinner.”
His muscular frame tensed, and every ridge made her crave him when he asked, “So you’re serious?”
Now here came the lecture where he told her that she was acting crazy, but she didn’t care. Marriage wasn’t something she’d walk away from easily, which was good for them—if he really loved her. She pressed her palm against his muscled chest and could feel his racing heart. “We can do whatever you put on your list, but trusting you won’t disappear in the future? That’s scary for me.”
His forehead met hers. “Even though you know me?”
Her eyes widened. This wasn’t hard to understand, was it? She refused to budge. He needed to be the one to stop her right now as she said, “I knew the old you, before you were a rock star.”
His hands went to her hips and her body zipped. “And you’re not just saying this to get back at me for talking to your parents?”
Her mother seriously had just told her to marry Eddie. Most women in the world had fantasies about him, but here he was, the rock god with hard abs, right in front of her. Taylor let out a small sigh. “That’s pretty impossible as they actually like you. But it has to remain a complete secret, just between the two of us.”
“Why?”
“Because I refuse to hurt your career and every teenage girl in the world is in love with you right now.”
“That’s not real.”
“It’s real to them.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He tugged her closer, his hard chest to her soft one. “Yes. Taylor, I’ll marry you.”
“Then open the door.” But she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He claimed a kiss, and his arms made her forget everything else in the world existed.
10
Eddie finished his pasta dinner from the elite Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand with a view of the strip outside and all the glittering Vegas lights.
Taylor sparkled just as brightly as she sipped her champagne.
Sharing dinner while he arranged their wedding gave Taylor a chance to back out of her suggestion.
His skin buzzed with… hope, but he could ignore that. He’d need to give her time.
But over the appetizer he realized he needed to give himself more time too--his shoulders were tight and his body hard as stone.
For years he’d wanted nothing more than a life with Taylor.
And she’d offered the dream of all dreams. After a conversation with her mother, which made no sense.
But if he asked, he’d rock the shaky ground they were already on.
He’d be foolish to pass this up.
So, he held his question.
Eddie finished his sip of wine and his phone buzzed. He reached for it in his back pocket and read the text. “Taylor, Tam booked us the Venetian.”
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She gulped from her crystal water glass and pressed her hand to her heart. “You told her?”
Someone needed to take care of details. He took her hand. “She’s sworn to secrecy at her job and signed agreements to that effect long ago. If she talks about my life at all, she’s to be fired and has to pay money back for breaking confidentiality--it's in her contract. And did you want to run to chapel after chapel to find an open time and get stuck with Elvis?”
She put the water down and picked up the champagne. Without a word she sipped from her one glass and then finished her steak. At last she said, “It’s good you have someone like her to handle details.”
Now came the hard part. His heart constricted, but his family legal team demanded that he protect his assets. “The lawyers need you to sign a prenup.”
She shrugged and sat back in her chair. “Is that it?”
She hadn’t run. He let himself relax a little as he said, “Yes.”
Taylor nodded. “Airdrop it to me and I’ll sign on my phone.”
He sent her email address to Tam and said, “It has to come via email. One second.”
Her phone beeped and she read the document as the chocolate cake was delivered. The waiter left as she pressed her last button on her phone. “Done.”
She picked up the spoon and they both dug into the small but delicious cake.
In no time, they'd completed the dessert they'd shared. She used her napkin and asked, “Are we finished with dinner?”
He signaled for the check and gave the waiter his card. The staff left and he asked while they waited, “You’re sure you want to go get married now?”
She took a deep breath and said, “Absolutely.”
And he had no argument--he was getting what he wanted. Even if this was a Vegas thing and Taylor wanted a divorce after.
At least he’d have had her for a wife which was better than he’d imagined a few months ago. He risked his heart, and he knew he’d regret it if he didn’t try. He’d be repeating his mistakes from Julliard. “They have dresses and a selection of wedding venues to pick.” He handed her his phone with the website open.
She scanned a few pages and pointed to the garden. “I want this one…”
His eyes widened. “Seriously? I figured you’d want the gondola.”
She gave his phone back. “We can’t pick the gondola as that would be too public and our marriage is a secret.”
True. They were keeping this a secret which was good because he wasn’t quite sure how he’d explain to his parents about Taylor. They both thought his songs about her were an excuse to hide his feelings and kept missing that she already had his heart.
He glanced at the phone options. “Okay. What about the fountain?”
The waiter came and he signed for the check. Once they were alone, she stood like they’d leave right away. “I’m sure it’s beautiful and all, but … a garden with fairy lights would be magical.”
He walked beside her as they headed toward the limo that would take them up the strip two miles toward paradise.
At 8:45 PM he’d be married.
The thought hit him that he was within reach of a dream. They climbed inside the black vehicle. “Taylor, you surprise me, every day we spent together in some small or big way. Today will be one of the bigger ones.”
She laughed and scooted beside him, holding his hand, which felt natural and real. “I loved making you laugh. I never should have gone radio silent on you these past three years.”
“You’re here now.”
She nodded and seemed to agree as she said, “True. And you’re always so good to me. It’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to tonight. I wish I’d known years ago that you and I were a possibility.”
“Let’s not discuss our missed chance. I’m happy with right here and right now, with you.”
She laughed and said, “Me too. Eddie, there is absolutely no one else I’d take this chance with.”
They drove toward the front of the Venetian hotel and the limo stopped. The driver opened their door and Eddie squeezed her side as they climbed out. “Then pick a dress and meet me in ten minutes. Since we are already here, you won’t be late.”
Her face beamed like she’d laugh but she raised her eyebrow and said, “Now that’s unfair.”
He winked at her as they headed into the wedding coordinator’s office. “It’s a test. Can you be on time?”
Taylor saluted like it was an order and followed the coordinator into another room. “You’re on.”
He signed the papers and bought a tie. As he fixed it in a mirror, he tucked in his white shirt.
Somehow he’d always imagined a country estate where the boys from boarding school, before music school, would all bring their proper British wives to a weekend event he’d plan and his mother would present them with some inappropriate painting she’d made that was worth a fortune.
His father would have created a stunning light show as his gift.
He’d have fireworks over his country home with the center of it all being Taylor Jones, in a white gown.
But maybe that made him sentimental and hopelessly old-fashioned, as his parents sometimes suggested.
He sorted through rings and picked out something he was sure they’d each like. If she wanted this kept a secret because of his career, he’d wear his around his neck.
Done. He paid for the sets he'd chosen for them both, confident that he knew Taylor's style.
His parents would no doubt approve of this instead, but as Taylor returned to him, this time in a full-length gown that clung to her hips and made her seem like a goddess, he glanced at his watch and smirked. “Ten minutes and twelve seconds. You’re late.”
She elbowed him in the side and said, “My shoe kept getting stuck in the lace. Are you canceling?”
He offered his arm and followed the black-robed officiant to the garden. “No, but I win.”
She pressed the red rose bouquet to her chest. “I thought getting to marry me was a win.”
“True.” He kissed her cheek.
The woman opened the door and white lights illuminated the secret garden with a twinkle of paradise that he could imagine to be a fairy garden. The night air carried a sweet floral scent, but then he was next to Taylor, the sweetest woman he’d ever beheld. Taylor spun around and pointed toward the moving white lights. “Wow, this is beautiful Eddie.”
If she was happy, he was happy. He had her, as his bride, and soon as his wife.
English reserves meant he should never be sentimental, so he held his rush of energy in check as he said, “I’d make anything happen for you.”
They followed the officiant who walked them to where the ceremony would begin. “I’m starting to believe you.”
He released her hand as the woman directed her away from him and said, “Take your places.”
And for one moment he lost sight of her.
If she ran, scared, he couldn’t stop her.
His heart would break deeper and longer than the Grand Canyon itself. But the music started, and he took his place.
He half-wondered if his dream would really come true…and then Taylor appeared.
She floated toward him in her white gown.
And he couldn’t breathe.
Fairy tales weren’t just romantic ideas that filled his songs.
The officiant said, “We are here to join the hands, hearts and minds of Taylor Jones and Eddie Williams. Are you both here to marry and prepared for this?”
They joined hands and said in unison, “Yes.”
The officiant wore a happy smile and gave them a curt nod. “Good.” She opened a black Bible.
Taylor stood and seemed to shake as she held her bouquet, but he winked at her before giving his attention to the officiant as she asked, “Eddie Williams, will you take Taylor Jones to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love, honor, and protect her, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”
“I will.” He gently s
queezed her hand.
Taylor sucked in her bottom lip and trembled as the officiant then turned toward her and asked, “Taylor Jones, will you take Eddie Williams to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you love, honor, and protect him, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”
For a moment she said nothing.
Half of him hadn’t believed she’d go through with this.
But she was here, it had been her idea, and then she said, “I will.”
Wow. Everything he'd ever wanted in life was right here and happening.
The officiant smiled and asked, “Do you have rings?”
Taylor froze, but he pulled the rings out, handing her his band to give him.
Her fingers clasped the band like he'd just tossed her a lifeline.
The officiant said, “Repeat after me.” He slipped the ring on Taylor’s hand and said in unison with her, “I take you to be my wife…” though Taylor had said “husband” in the same second, and his heart lifted.
She slipped his ring on his finger and they both continued repeating what they were told, “and my better half, I will take care and cherish you and our relationship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will always be open, honest, and faithful to you. I take you for my wife…”
And Taylor said again “Husband”…
They both continued, “to have and to hold from this day on, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to cherish and love for all the days of our lives.”
“Hold your hands with the rings higher,” the officiant instructed. They clasped their fingers together as the woman said, “From this day on and every day your days will be spent as one.”
He laughed and said, “I’ll rename my song.”
Taylor shook her head. “Don’t, just write a new one.”
For Taylor he’d write an opera if she wished.
The officiant said, “I now present Mr. and Mrs. Williams. You may kiss the bride.”
Eddie reached down and claimed her lips as his wife for the very first time.
She already tasted sweet, but this time, she tasted even better.
She clutched his suit lapels as the kiss ended. “Taylor, are you ready to go?”
Taylor’s Legendary Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 2 Page 8