by Thianna D
“No,” he said, sorrow crossing his face. “Being gay made that rather impossible.”
“What about adoption or surrogacy?” The way Jonathon’s expression closed down stopped him. “Sorry. I’m not trying to be invasive. You’d just make such a great parent.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I see Mommy?” Kayla asked, running up before Brent could figure out what to say next.
Smiling down at his little girl, Brent easily lifted her into his arms. “Soon. Let me go see how she’s doing, okay?” Kayla nodded. “Can you be quiet? This is a surprise for Mommy.” Her eyes lit up and she nodded emphatically. “Thanks, sweetie.”
Handing her over to Jonathon who was always able to distract his little girl easily, Brent turned to everyone else. “Stay quiet. I’m going to get Char out of the bath.”
“Are you going to—” It was obvious the words “tell her” were the next ones that would come out of Rose’s mouth, but Jason’s firm slap on her rump stopped them before they could be formed.
Brent’s father chuckled, barely covering his mouth even as his mother just watched the fire, ignoring it all.
Opening the door to the bedroom, Brent quickly closed it behind him. With no sound from the bathroom, he figured she was still enjoying herself. Opening up the garment bag, he removed the two outfits that were inside, along with the requisite shoes and socks. Once he laid those out, he opened the bathroom door and walked in. Char still lay in the tub, softly humming to whatever music was in her ears. Kneeling on the tile next to her, he drifted his fingers along the water and over her collar bone. Her eyes blinked open lazily and she smiled at him.
“Feeling good?” he asked.
“Mmhmm.”
“Good. Time to get out. I don’t want you to turn into a prune.” She giggled making him smile. “So wash your hair and style it.”
“Why, are we going to a party?” she teased.
“Something like that.”
She cocked her head in confusion but didn’t say anything as he pulled the earbuds out of her ears and took the mp3 player away. Instead, she reached over and pulled the plug on the tub. “Do I have another time frame?”
“Thirty minutes.” Her laughter followed him out of the bathroom before he turned and said, “Oh, and Char?” She turned and looked at him, her eyes wide and looking rather innocent which he found insanely attractive at the moment. “When you’re done, your outfit’s on the bed. Then come join me in the living room.” Before she could ask why, he closed the bathroom door.
As soon as the shower started, he quickly removed his clothes and dressed in the outfit he had laid out for himself. In no time, he was ready and he looked in the mirror.
Perfect.
* ** * *
Charmagne felt so relaxed from her bath that she could have easily stretched her shower to an hour, but with Brent’s parting words, her mind was fixed on whatever lay on the bed. What would he have chosen? He’d said many times he would love to dress her up as a sexy cupid, so many a cupid outfit. Or a cowgirl. Or maybe a nurse uniform… of course that was her fantasy, not necessarily his. No, knowing Brent, it was probably a sexy policewoman outfit, complete with hat. Smiling as she rinsed the soap out of her hair, Char finished up and turned off the faucet.
Grabbing a large fluffy towel that hung from a nearby hook, she dried herself off, wringing out her hair three times so it wouldn’t drip. Her overnight bag sat next to the counter, so she lifted it up and scavenged through it. Brent hadn’t forgotten a thing. Hair dryer, curler, straightener, and gel, along with makeup. Not that it surprised her. Brent never did anything halfway. From the way he took care of the community to the way he loved her and Kayla, he put one hundred percent of himself into what was important to him. Thrilled that he was going to such great lengths for whatever fun that lay ahead, she went through her entire morning routine, making sure her face was flawless and her hair hung straight down her back by the time she was done.
After dusting her skin with powder so it had a nice glow, she dropped the towel and opened the door to the bedroom. In six steps she was next to the bed. A soft gasp left her lips as her eyes took in the dress draped across the comforter. It was the dress she had pointed out to Brent months ago, before he’d even proposed, the one she had intended to buy to wear to Reno. “He remembered I liked it,” she murmured, leaning forward and enjoying the feel of the silk as her fingers drifted over it. Next to the dress was a garter belt, a pair of white hose, white high-heeled shoes, and a white strapless bra. No panties. Giggling softly, she took her time getting dressed. Something told her whatever he had planned was super important and she wanted to look her best for it.
When she pulled the zipper up the side and slid her toes into the heels, she walked over to the tall, standing mirror. “Wow.” It looked even better on than she expected. Sleeveless, with a high neck the silk slid smoothly down her petite frame. A slit started at her knees and went down to the bottom which ended at her ankles. Her features had a soft asian slant to them, but not much. With this dress, it brought them out more. Reaching up, she let her fingers slide along her skin, loving the image in front of her. As a child, she had shunned anything oriental because it got her teased by her peers. Now, she felt a need to connect with that side of her.
Moving to the right and left, she gazed at herself from all angles. Something was missing but she had no idea what it was. With a soft happy sigh, she turned around, intent to head to the door when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a box on the bed she hadn’t seen because of her focus on the dress. Square and covered in lace, her breathing ratcheted up as she picked it up. Trembling, she lifted the lid, unable to stop the cry that left her throat.
Sitting swathed in velvet was a tiara made of some sort of white metal. Lifting it out, she was pleased to find it didn’t weigh very much. In the front, the metal raised into roses, weaving in and out of each other to form a beautiful trellis of sorts. Rushing into the bathroom, she used the three small combs embedded in it to affix it to her hair. Once it didn’t move when she shook her head back and forth, she walked back out to the larger mirror. “Oh,” she whispered. That was it, the final piece of her outfit.
A knock at the door surprised her. “Come in, Brent.”
“Are you decent?” That voice was not Brent’s.
“Jonathon?”
“Yep.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and one of her favorite people walked in. He closed the door behind him but not before she heard laughter. “Who’s out there?” she asked, wondering what Brent had planned. With a smile he walked up and took her hands.
“He loves you, Charmagne, as much as Benjamin loves me.”
“I know.”
“And he wants you to be happy.”
“I am.”
“Good. Then may I escort you?” He raised an arm and with a laugh, she tucked her hand through the crook of his elbow. As they reached the door, he paused and she turned to look at him. He seemed to be considering something, so she didn’t interrupt. His other hand reached into his pocket and pulled out something lacy and bright blue. “For good luck.” Dropping her arm for a minute, he crouched down and picked up one of her legs, wrapping the elastic material around her foot and shimmying it up her leg until mid-thigh. Standing up, he took her arm again.
“Jonathon,” she whispered as everything from today suddenly made sense. “Am I getting married?”
He didn’t answer, but the smile on his face told her everything she needed to know.
“Oh, my god. How many people are here?”
“Me, Ben, Kayla, Brent’s parents, and Jason and Calbert and their wives.”
Joy exploded in her chest. “How long has he been planning this?”
“Three weeks since he told us.”
Brent had done it. He knew she didn’t want a big wedding and had found a way to make it nice and small for her. Yanking the door open, she forgot about the man beside her and rus
hed out into the living room, barreling into the arms of the most gorgeous man in the room. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, hopping up to kiss whatever part of him she could reach.
That deep rumbling chuckle she absolutely loved reverberated through his chest. “You’re welcome, my beautiful bride. Are you ready to get married?”
Looking up into his happy gray eyes, she nodded. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Mommy, you look pretty.” Turning her head, she spotted their daughter wearing a similar dress to her own, only Kayla’s was red. Squatting down, she held out her arms and as Benjamin put her girl on the floor, she rushed into Char’s arms. “You’re marrying Daddy,” Kayla squealed.
“Yes, I am,” Char said, having a hard time not tearing up. “I’ll be Charmagne Carmichael pretty soon.”
“Yay!” Laughing softly, she hugged her little girl tight before releasing her.
“All right. Do you want to stand next to Daddy and I? Or…?” Before she could finish her question, Kayla rushed back to the sofa and climbed onto it between Benjamin and Denton. Obviously she had found the perfect spot. Standing back up, Char put her hands into Brent’s. And then she looked around, confused.
“Um, who’s officiating? Have they not arrived yet?”
His eyes twinkled, letting her know something good was up. “In the state of Colorado,” he said in a clear voice so everyone could hear, “a member of the couple may officiate at their own wedding. So you could say that I am marrying us.”
How perfect was that! As he spoke again, everything outside the two of them disappeared.
“Charmagne Kendle, do you take me, Brent Carmichael, to be your lawfully-wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live?”
“I do.”
He squeezed her hands before he continued. “I, Brent Carmichael, take you, Charmagne Kendle, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.”
Releasing her hands, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two rings and for the first time she realized the man in front of her was wearing a tux. Brent looked absolutely stunning. He pressed one solid gold band into her right hand before taking her left in his.
“Char,” he said, his voice turning husky, “how can I even speak of the woman who lit up my life from the first day I met her on a chilly fall day? I was sure I would be alone, that no woman could ever fulfill me again and you popped into my life. You make every day brighter, make me smile, happy, and feel stronger. On top of being the most amazing person to me, you gave me another little girl to love. Charmagne, you and Kayla mean everything to me and I will spend every day of the rest of our lives doing everything I can to keep you safe and happy. I love you so much.”
She couldn’t fight the tears, had stopped trying as his words coursed through her. Jonathon was right. Brent’s love for her was magical, much like Benjamin’s was for Jonathon. Charmagne was the luckiest woman alive.
“Brent,” she said when she could speak. “I came to Corbin’s Bend to escape, to hide, and before I could do so, you swept me off my feet. Of course it was because I was passed out in my truck, but still.” He chuckled, making her smile. “I wanted to stay away from you, but somewhere in the middle of that first date at Endelé, I stopped wanting to stay away and started wanting to be with you all the time. From our first night together, you became incredibly important to me, showing me a world I had been shamed into thinking was wrong. You are the best man I know, the best man I could imagine as father to our daughter and all future children we have. I love you.” Her voice caught at the end but seeing tears glisten in his eyes made it not hard to give into the joy that made her gleefully sob.
“My beautiful Char,” he murmured, sliding a thin gold band over her ring finger so that it nestled against her engagement ring.
“My hero,” she responded, sliding the thick gold band onto his finger.
For a moment nothing happened and then Brent grinned, his face totally lit up. “My wife,” he said in a much louder voice, the growl apparent as he lifted her up and kissed her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she surrendered to the kiss, giving as much as she received. A few cleared throats bought the two of them back to the moment and he broke their lip lock, placing her lightly on her feet. “Friends and family,” he said, turning her to face the small group smiling widely at them. “Let me introduce you to my wife, Charmagne Carmichael.” The pleasure in those last two words made her grin even as everyone called out their congratulations and Kayla hopped off the couch, barreling into them a second later.
Chapter Five
Brent picked their daughter up and held her in his left arm as his right held Char close to him. He couldn’t even explain to anyone how happy he was in that moment. Pure joy coursed through him as their close friends and family hugged and congratulated them both. It was perfect.
His mother took picture after picture and within the next hour everyone had had their picture taken once or twice, the three of them in every shot. To his surprise, Jenna had made a Jamaican wedding cake for the adults to eat and a small chocolate cake for Kayla. One bite of the rum confection and it brought memories back to him of other sweets she had made over the years. He really needed to go visit Jamaica if this was the kind of wonderful food they served.
“Thanks so much,” Char said as Jenna and Calbert walked up to them. “For coming and for that amazing cake.”
“You’re welcome,” Jenna said with her usual soft smile. “I’m glad your day turned out as you wanted.”
“And,” Calbert encouraged.
She fidgeted a little. “I was wrong to get upset at you, Brent. It’s obvious in this case you did know what your wife needed.”
“Why did she get upset at you?” Char asked, looking up at him.
“For surprising you with our wedding.”
“Oh. Best present I’ve ever received. I didn’t have to do anything,” Charmagne admitted making both he and Calbert laugh.
“Well, at least we’ll have the reception to look forward to,” Jenna said before turning and walking away.
Char grasped his arm. “Reception?” The worried expression on her face made him chuckle.
“We had to give the town something, dearest. In June, we’re going to have a huge party in the community where you will wear this lovely dress and Kayla will wear hers and all of our fellow residents can get together and congratulate us.”
“Yeah, and we don’t have to walk down an aisle, Mommy,” Kayla said, nodding her head as if that was the most important part.
Smiling, his wife – oh, how he loved thinking of her that way – nodded. “I suppose that’s true. And there will be tons of cake.” Kayla beamed.
“You ready to go?” Denton asked, walking up to the two of them. Kayla leaned further into his arms and Brent kissed her forehead. “Welcome to the family officially, Char,” his father said, hugging her. “We’re glad you’re a Carmichael now.”
“Me too,” she said, wrapping an arm around Brent’s waist. “Are you taking Kayla to Denver?”
“Yeah. We thought we’d take care of her this week. If it gets to be too much, we’ll bring her back up to Jonathon and Benjamin. And this way,” he added, a twinkle in his eyes, “you can pick her up next Friday for our family celebration.”
“Celebration?” Char asked.
“Of your wedding. The only reason the rest of the family agreed not to come today was that we promised them a party next weekend.”
“Before we do anything else,” Calbert said, his voice carrying. “The couple has some signing to do.” He waved a piece of paper. “Come put your John Hancocks on your wedding certificate.”
Once they signed and it was a joy watching Char sign with her new married name, everyone left rather quickly to let them start their honeymoon. Kayla clung to him for a few minute
s, not wanting to let go, but after promising her they would see her on Friday, she finally allowed her grandparents to wrap her in her winter coat and take her from the cabin. When they were gone, the only sound was the crackle of the fireplace.
Charmagne stood watching the door as though expecting one of them to walk back in. Wanting her to know that wasn’t going to happen, he walked over and threw the deadbolt before turning back. Silhouetted with the fire as a backdrop, he was slightly mesmerized by her curves, but remembering what he had seen earlier, he removed his jacket, cummerbund, and tie as he walked up to her. “So,” he murmured, stopping right in front of her. “I see you went commando.”
To his surprise she laughed. “Well, you didn’t put any out, so I assumed this was a no panties kind of day.”
“I didn’t…” Confused, he walked into the bedroom. No panties on the bed. Picking up the garment bag, he opened it, laughing at the contents. Walking back out, he held up the lace thong. “Something psychological, I assume. They were in the bottom of the bag.”
He quickly removed the rest of his clothing except for his boxers before raising an eyebrow at her. “Oh, did I not explain the rules to our honeymoon?”
Spluttering a laugh, she shook her head.
“No clothes allowed.” Looking at the top of her head, he amended, “Though the tiara can stay. It’s a nice touch.”
Her laughter, wonderfully free of stress tinkled through the room as she undressed. “I thought I’d have to warn you to be careful of the dress,” she admitted as she stepped out of it. “It’s so beautiful I didn’t want you ripping it.”
“When did I ever rip your clothing?” he asked as he tossed his boxers aside and walked toward her. “Oh, and keep the garter belt and hose on. Those are definitely a nice touch.” Standing straight ahead was an object of pure love and lust for him. Such a perfect little body and standing in the white lace garter belt and white hose with no panties she was a wet dream.