by Sabrina York
“Well, it wasn’t technically a word,” Elena said, trying to be comforting.
“Da-da,” Jessica said again, this time waving her arms.
A knock on the door interrupted the discussion and made Caris’s stomach clench. She knew Dom wouldn’t disturb them unless it was an emergency. What if Brendan had shown up?
Elena opened the door, and a young girl wearing an apron from the florist’s shop entered. She carried a large arrangement of white and pink roses.
“That’s not the bouquet,” Caris said.
The girl blinked. “Uh, no, ma’am. I was bringing in flowers when another van arrived. Someone phoned this order into the shop yesterday, with directions to deliver it at ten-forty today.”
“To whom?” Elena asked.
“Caris Reese.” She pronounced Caris to rhyme with Reese.
She grimaced at the girl’s mispronunciation of her name, but didn’t bother to correct it. “That’s me.” Caris took the flowers from the girl when she walked forward. She felt like she might vomit when she set the flowers on the dresser. Who knew she was here, besides Mandy and Brendan? Mandy probably hadn’t gotten the package yet, so that left only Brendan. She searched for a card with shaking hands, finally finding it under a perfectly formed pink rose. She opened the plain beige envelope and removed a stiff, white card.
Dom and Caris,
Congratulations on your marriage.
Brendan
She dropped the card with a small cry as Elena hurried forward, using the cane for balance.
“Who’s it from?”
Caris frowned. “Brendan.”
Elena’s face tightened. “What does he want?”
“To congratulate us.” She shook her head. “It has to be a trick.”
Elena’s back popped, and she groaned when she knelt to pick up the card. She read it with a puzzled expression. “What kind of trick? I think he’s conceded that you love Dom and don’t want him in your life.”
Caris wanted to be reassured by Elena’s words, but she didn’t really believe them. Brendan must have something planned. He wasn’t the type of man who gave up easily.
The first sweet notes of Angel For Life reached Caris’s ears halfway down the staircase. Because their wedding wasn’t a formal affair, she had forgone attendants. She walked alone and saw Dom waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. She didn’t think she imagined the tears in his eyes as he walked up several steps to meet her. Maybe the tears were from her eyes, she mused, when she realized she was close to crying.
Dom kissed her lips through the veil before taking her hand to lead her down the remaining stairs. At the bottom, they twined arms and began a slow walk down the impromptu aisle formed by the folding chairs arranged on each side. A rented gazebo decorated with white tulle was at the end of the aisle. A man in a dark suit stood inside it.
As they neared the gazebo, the song cut off abruptly. A murmur of conversation swept among the guests, and Caris was afraid to turn around and see what had caused the distraction. Had Brendan arrived, intent on making trouble? Her stomach clenched as she imagined what he might say or do in an attempt to stop the wedding. She initially resisted Dom’s efforts to turn. When she did, her mouth fell open, and a hard laugh escaped her.
She was in no way amused by their unexpected guest, but relief caused her to be giddy. Lisa stood framed in the doorway, with her hair tangled and her face bare of makeup. She wore old jeans and a shirt that hadn’t been properly buttoned, causing it to hang at an odd angle. She didn’t seem the least bit intimidating to Caris. Especially when Dom’s hand folded around hers, and he smiled reassuringly.
“I’m early,” Lisa said. She seemed to be going for a cold tone, but her voice trembled and ruined the effect. “I guess we haven’t gotten to the ‘speak now or forever hold your piece’ part yet, have we?”
Dom nodded to two suited men standing near the door. “The ceremony is by invitation only.” He sounded bored.
Lisa flinched. “You can’t go through with this. It’s insane. You don’t love her—”
Dom’s mouth tightened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Please leave before you make a bigger fool of yourself.”
Lisa screeched and stamped her foot. “You can’t love her. When Aushon told me last night, I was sure it was a joke. I drove all night to stop this insanity, just in case.” Her voice softened marginally. “How can you do this?” Her face turned an alarming shade of purple, and her voice rose again. “How can you want that,” she swept disdainful eyes over Caris, “after you’ve been with me?”
Dom waved his hand at the men, and they advanced to either side of Lisa. He nodded again, and both put a hand on each of her arms.
Caris’s eyes widened as Lisa turned into a hellion. She tried bucking off the hold of the two security men, to no avail. She began to scream a stream of profanities at the crowd in general. She seemed unaware of the wedding photographer snapping shot after shot of her wild behavior. She was still screaming as the men physically lifted and carried her from the entertainment parlor, closing the heavy wooden doors behind them.
When they closed with a dull thud, Dom turned back to the gazebo and nodded to the organist. He took a step forward before he realized she hadn’t moved with him. He nudged her arm, and she walked forward a step. “The experience adds color to the ceremony,” he whispered.
Caris’s eyes widened at his casual acceptance. She swung her head in the direction of the videographer, realizing he had caught every moment too. She groaned, but kept her feet moving. The buzz of conversation among the guests was already fading. By the time they were in the gazebo, in front of the minister, the room was quiet.
As the minister began, Caris scanned the crowd. She saw amusement on the faces of some, but most seemed to have shrugged off the interruption. She brought her attention back to the minister as he said her name. Then she was too busy with the details of the ceremony to pay attention to the guests.
As Dom repeated his vows in a clear and steady voice, their eyes locked. Caris melted when she saw the love shimmering in his blue depths. She felt one-hundred-percent certain of their future and her love when she said, “I do,” in a voice that echoed around the room.
The next few minutes passed in a blur. She recalled Dom putting the ring on her finger, and she remembered slipping the heavy gold band that had been Elena’s father’s on his. She vaguely remembered the final prayer. Her only vivid memory was of the kiss—their first kiss as husband and wife. Dom lifted her veil and stared into her eyes for a long moment before his head descended, and he took possession of her lips. The contact had been explosive, if brief. She could still feel his lips on hers as they turned with clasped hands to the assemblage to be announced as husband and wife.
With amazing efficiency, a small group of staff whisked the chairs from an aisle formation to line them around the room. Buffet tables appeared from the kitchen, and a young man wheeled in a portable bar. In no time, the guests were talking, laughing, and drinking.
“They seem to have forgotten about Lisa,” she said to Dom as he handed her a glass of champagne.
He shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll rehash it later, when the pictures are printed in the papers. Right now, there’s free alcohol and food.”
Caris frowned. “What will happen to Lisa?”
Dom shrugged. “Whatever it is, she deserves it.”
“Yeah, but what about the pictures and cassette from the ceremony?”
He sighed loudly. “You want me to make sure they don’t leak out, don’t you?”
She nodded, feeling like a weak fool, but unable to further add to Lisa’s humiliation. After all, she had won. She could be generous. Caris decided to change the subject slightly. “Who were those men that showed her out?”
“They work for Jordan.” Dom grimaced. “I didn’t want to deal with any party crashers today.”
Brendan, she thought with a twinge in her chest. She never would have imagined the
poised and polished Lisa would appear in public without being painstakingly groomed, let alone appear to cause a scene at her ex’s wedding. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, Lisa was the least expected. Caris took a sip of the champagne and fervently hoped her interruption would be the only surprise of the day.
By six, she was ready for the last guests to leave. “Why aren’t they gone?” She grasped Dom’s arm and pulled him into a semi-private alcove. “Don’t these people know when to go home?”
Dom laughed and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. “We can slip away now. We should head to the airstrip anyway. The plane’s waiting.”
Caris lifted a brow. “Plane?”
He nodded. “You insisted on being surprised, so I’m not telling you our destination yet.”
She put her lower lip out in an imitation of a pout. “Can I have just a little hint?”
He grinned. “All the lovemaking you can squeeze into three days.”
She gave a mock sigh. “That’s not much of a hint.”
“I know.” Dom squeezed her once more and took a step back. “Do you need to change, or can we just disappear?”
“I think this dress is fine for traveling. I have to throw my bouquet, and we can’t leave without saying goodbye to your mother and Jessica.”
He pointed to the corner of the room, where his mother and Jessica held court in the midst of a small group of people. “That shouldn’t be a problem. There seems to be a lull in admirers.”
Caris bit her lip. “Are you sure it’s okay to leave them?”
He put his arm around her waist, and they walked toward his mother. “Mom will cope just fine with the nights, and Lindsay’s coming to stay and help out during the days. We’ll be back before she starts school again.”
“It’s just—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Don’t worry so much, love. I’m taking the satellite phone so Mom can reach us if she needs to. It’s only three days.”
Caris nodded and dropped the subject as they walked up to Elena and Jessica. She held out her arms for the baby, taking her, and holding her close. She rubbed her cheek against Jessica’s hair, smiling when she noticed the bow was askew. After a hug tight enough to elicit a whimper of protest, she passed the baby to Dom. Then she knelt by Elena and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for pulling all of this together.”
Elena gave her a serene smile. “It was a pleasure. Truly.” She squeezed Caris’s hand. “Just as it is a pleasure to have you officially in the family.”
Tears filled Caris’s eyes at the easy acceptance, and she cleared her throat to hold back a sob. She licked her lips, feeling nervous about uttering her request. “While we’re gone, I’d like you to think about something, if you would?”
“What’s that?”
“Can I—Would you mind, that is, would you be offended if—” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Can I call you Mom?”
Elena’s dark eyes softened, and a single tear splashed onto the mauve dress. “I would be honored,” she said in a choked voice.
Dom interrupted, seeming to be unaware of the poignant moment. “We’re going to escape while we can, Mom. You have the phone number if you need us. We’ll be back on Friday.”
Elena nodded. “Have a wonderful time and don’t worry about anything.”
Dom shot a look at Caris and grinned. “Easier said than done, but I might be able to think of a few ways to distract her.”
“Dom!” Caris’s cheeks bloomed with hot color, and she bowed her head. Secretly, she couldn’t wait to see some of his methods of distraction, but she wasn’t about to admit that in front of Elena. Mom, she silently amended.
They moved through the crowd to the staircase. Caris climbed up three steps and waved the bouquet. “Single ladies, please,” she called out, and a small crowd of women gathered around the staircase, as the single men in the area suddenly, noticeably backed away. She turned around and pitched it over her shoulder. She heard a scuffle, followed by a squeal of delight, and turned around. One of the regional sales reps—Joan, she thought—of McNeil Worldwide grasped the silver and white rose bouquet.
“We’ll be going now,” Dom said in a voice loud enough to carry to all of the guests. “Thank you all for coming. Feel free to stay as long as the refreshments hold out.”
Amid cheers and bubbles, they left the house through the mudroom. Dom held the keys to the truck. “We’ll leave the Prius for Mom.”
Caris nodded and climbed into the Toyota, careful not to snag her white dress. “What about luggage?”
“Packed and waiting on the plane.”
She bit her lip, eating off the remainder of the salmon shade. “I don’t have a passport.”
He patted her knee before backing out of the garage. “You won’t need one. I didn’t think you would want to go too far from Jessie and Mom, so I chose some place just a few hours away.”
She laid her head back against the seat and felt the tension in her neck dissolve. “I can’t believe it. We’re married.” Her eyes darted to the plain white-gold band that had joined her engagement ring, before moving her gaze to his band. She took his hand from the seat and rubbed the ring on his finger.
Dom smiled at her. “I sure didn’t expect this when you walked through the door that first day. I should have known though.”
Her forehead furrowed. “How?”
His grin dripped charm. “You knocked my socks off.”
Caris giggled. “You left me breathless.”
He waggled his brows. “Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said in a slow, sexy drawl.
She giggled again, turning her head to look out the window. The last bit of twilight was fading from the sky. Already night was making its presence known. She continued to relax as the distance between them and the ranch grew. It seemed unlikely that Brendan would try anything now.
When they drew up to the small airstrip outside of Corvallis, two men in coveralls greeted them. They stood near a small eight-seat plane. One of the men handed Dom a clipboard. “It’s all set for you, Mr. McNeil. Skip filed your flight plan, just like you asked him to.”
“Thanks, Bill.” Dom put his arm around Caris’s waist and pulled her along the tarmac. “Have you flown before?”
She eyed the plane with wide eyes, turned her face to him, and shook her head. “We aren’t going up in that, are we?”
Dom nodded. “It’s perfectly safe.”
She swallowed apprehensively. “It looks like a toy.”
He laughed, displaying a flash of white teeth. “I’m certified. You trust me, don’t you?”
Caris hesitated. “Can I say no and avoid having you take it personally?”
Dom’s smile didn’t fade as he prodded her up the steps. “We don’t have to go,” he said as they stepped into the small, but elegant, cabin. “If you would rather spend our honeymoon on the ranch instead of San Francisco, we can go back.”
She eyed the six beige leather seats in the main cabin, and then looked into the cockpit and saw two more. “San Francisco?”
“I have reservations for La Boheme, but if you don’t want to—”
“La Boheme?”
“It’s an opera.”
She saw Dom gesturing to the crew on the ground to close the door as he spoke, but she didn’t stop them. Caris sighed. “Where do I sit?”
“Up front with me, if you’d like.”
She slid through the narrow opening leading to the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot’s chair. Dom slid into the pilot’s seat and put on a headset before fastening his belt. She followed suit, examining the various buttons, knobs, and switches. It looked more complicated than the cockpits of large planes she had seen in movies. “You’re sure you know how to fly this?”
Dom leaned forward to steal a kiss. “We wouldn’t take off if I wasn’t certain. You’re too precious to me to risk.”
She melted into the seat and let out another sigh. Caris managed to avoid voicing any furth
er uncertainties as Dom completed the pre-flight checks and finally coasted down the runway. She bit her lips and closed her eyes as they lifted off, but discovered it wasn’t too bad in the air.
As they put miles between them and the M & M, she found herself completely relaxed, except for a low-grade fear of crashing. Dom had been right about his brother. Brendan had accepted their marriage with aplomb. If he hadn’t done anything before the wedding, he never would.
It was late when they checked into their suite at The Palace in San Francisco. She could barely keep her eyes open long enough to appreciate the heart-shaped bed with a crimson spread, white carpets, and white furniture of the honeymoon suite. Caris was so tired she almost didn’t have the energy to undress down to the slip and fall into bed. She thought about apologizing for her lack of energy, but when she turned her head in the pillow to look at Dom, she saw his lashes resting against his cheeks. She found the energy to grasp his hand before she fell into a deep sleep.
It was late in the morning when she awoke. Dom lay beside her, reading a paper and sipping coffee. She sat up and stretched. “Good morning.”
He turned to look at her. “Good morning, wife.”
She lifted a brow. “Wife, is it?”
He nodded, looking pleased. “Did you sleep well, wife?”
Caris laughed. “I have a name.”
“I know, but I like wife better.”
She rolled her eyes and slid from the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To shower.” She eyed his rumpled appearance. “It wouldn’t hurt you to join me.”
He eyed her from the top of her head to her toes. “I know it won’t hurt.” Dom set his coffee on the nightstand and tossed the paper aside before getting out of bed. He wore nothing, and his state of arousal was obvious. He walked forward and put his arms around her from behind. “Do you have any idea how painful it was to lie in bed beside you, waiting for you to wake up? The blanket was tucked just perfectly under your beautiful breasts, and that plunging thing you’re wearing leaves nothing to my imagination.”
She snuggled closer to him. “Why didn’t you wake me?”