Resounding Kisses
Page 11
“And if it doesn’t?” she asked, biting her lower lip, tears making her dark eyes shine.
“If not, then my family is more than big enough for both of us. They’ll welcome you and love you as much as I do.” Still, he saw the worry in her eyes and it bothered him. A lot.
He spent the next few days trying to come up with a plan to make sure she wouldn’t lose her family by being with him. He came up with several ideas, but he’d need to do some planning before putting any of them into action.
A few days later, he picked her up from work and headed for the highway.
“Where are we going?” Ivy asked, watching the city pass by.
“We’ll have dinner at Velveteen Kitchen where we ate when we first met.”
“Any special occasion?” She gave him a suspicious glance.
Ter put on his most innocent smile. “Being with you is always special, lovey.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back before entwining his fingers with hers.
They reached the restaurant and it was just as good as she remembered. Their dinner conversation was light and Ter was happy to see an easy smile upon Ivy’s face once again.
After the waiter removed their plates, he suggested a walk along the beach.
“Sounds good. Let’s search for our star in the sky,” Ivy said, removing her high heels before walking onto the sand.
They walked until they were away from the lights of the buildings and he found a place for them to sit in the sand without getting wet. “Let’s sit here.”
He helped her down and then joined her, leaning back slightly and looking up at the evening sky. “Look, there’s the North Star.”
When she tipped her head back and looked up, Ter withdrew the small velvet box from his pocket. His heart was overflowing with love as he observed her silently until she turned to face him.
“This is for you.” He was holding the jeweler’s box on an open palm and smiling at her.
Ivy looked from him to the box and back, her pulse pounding in her throat. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
With trembling hands, she took the box and lifted the lid to reveal a gorgeous solitaire diamond in princess cut. “Ter. It’s stunning.”
“Ivy…will you marry me?”
She looked into his eyes, tears springing to her own and nodded. “Yes. Of course, yes. I want to marry you.”
Ter removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger, kissing her palm once he was done. She was crying, and he gathered her close. “Why are you crying, lovey?”
“Because I’m so happy,” she whispered through her tears.
He kissed her, using his thumbs to wipe her tears away. “Please don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it. I’m happy, but I’m also sad. It’s official. Now, I can never return to my family.”
“That’s not true.”
“But it is.” She looked away to hide another burst of tears, but he took her face in his palms and turned her head back to gaze into her eyes. His voice low and caring, he said, “I knew you would feel this way. That’s why I went to visit your parents yesterday.”
Ivy pushed him away. “You did what?”
A grin settled on his lips. “Like any good man, I visited your parents and asked your father for your hand in marriage.”
She gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing several times before she said, “I can’t believe you did that for me. And I can believe even less my father would agree. You’re kidding me, right? You’re saying this to make me feel better.”
Her trembling hands caught in his, he answered, “I would never joke with your feelings, Ivy. And you’re right, your father wouldn’t even let me into the house at first. He was downright rude, to be honest.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Sequoia let me inside. And your mother convinced him it would be polite to at least listen to me.”
“Sequi, of course. But how did you get him to talk to you?”
“I told him about the first time we met and how I had such a hard time concentrating on the contract because your beauty knocked my legs out from under me.”
Ivy was looking at him with wonder in her eyes and he continued, “I promised him I wanted to spend the rest of my life making sure you were the happiest woman on the face of the earth.”
“And he accepted your request, just like that?” She snapped her fingers.
He laughed. “Not hardly. Your mother helped. She kept talking to him, saying you had been so unhappy since we broke up and she wouldn’t forgive herself if you died of a broken heart. That you deserved to be happy and since I apparently loved you enough to make you an honest woman, what else could he ask for.”
“And that did the trick?”
He grinned sourly, remembering the uncomfortable scene at her parent’s house. “Not yet. Your sister asked him if he really wanted to lose you as a daughter, which earned her a severe rebuttal and she was sent out of the room. While leaving, she growled, “If you disown Ivy, I’ll be gone as soon as I finish college.”
Ivy gasped and he squeezed her hand again, and she felt the unfamiliar pressure of the ring.
“Your father was furious and he and your mother talked in a language I didn’t understand. I feared they were discussing the best way to have me disappear without a trace.”
Ivy barked out a laugh, her thumb tracing back and forth on his hand. “I’m sorry. He’s a good man, but he can be rather intimidating.”
“Lovey, I would do anything for you, even confronting ten of his kind. Anyhow, after some minutes, he turned towards me and relented with a growl. Albeit not before threatening me with the most severe methods of torture if I should ever lay my eyes on another woman.”
She threw her arms around him. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”
“I did that for us,” he said before he kissed her.
“So, when do you want to get married?” Ivy asked him.
“Well, I was thinking as soon as possible. I leave for our tour in just a few weeks…”
Her heart squeezed. “And you’ll be gone a lot after that,” she finished for him.
“Yes. So, what do you think? Can we get married right away?”
Ivy nodded. “I think we can do that. In fact, I know we can do that.”
“Reese will want to help, as will Sam. They’ll be thrilled. Guess my mom was wrong. Allison isn’t the first Paxton to get married. I am.”
Ivy smiled and then whispered against his lips, “I don’t think she’ll mind being wrong in this case.”
“I think you’re right. And she’ll be even happier when grandkids arrive.”
“Oh, God, I totally forgot about my list,” she said in a joking tone and Ter kissed her. “Too late. You already said yes.”
As soon as he saw the devilish glint in her eyes, he knew he’d set himself up for that one. “Mr. Paxton, it’s not final until I say ‘I do’ in front of a wedding officiant. We better go through my list again. Last time I checked, you scored a measly five.”
They both laughed and he moved behind her to wrap his arms around her while she leaned against him. “Okay, so let’s see if my score has increased. I wouldn’t want you to get stuck with a five.”
Ivy counted on her fingers. “Intelligent. Check. Loving and Caring. Check. Romantic. Much. Strong. A bit.” He squeezed her tight until she protested. “Okay, Strong. Check. Humorous. Check. Advocate of equal opportunities. How about that?”
He whispered into her ear, “I’ll take care of our kids while you go out and earn our living. How does that sound?”
She turned in his arms and asked, “Are you serious?”
Ter chuckled. “No. But I believe we can share the chores.”
After kissing his nose, she turned back to her former position in his arms. “That will do and I think we covered the marriage and kids point as well. Where were we?”
“Incredibly good-looking and irresistible?” he said.
Now his tone grew serious as he turned her around and searched her eyes. “Ivy, I love you with all my heart and I can’t even imagine kissing another woman. I promise to always be faithful to you and only love you.”
She flinched when he mentioned kissing another woman and he asked, “What?”
Ivy shook her head, but he insisted. “It’s just when I visited your concert in Chicago, this girl kissed you.”
He paled. “You saw that? Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I was so embarrassed when she caught me by surprise and was grateful that you wouldn’t have to witness her kissing me.”
“But I did. And I was green with jealousy. I wanted to kill her,” she whispered.
Ter brushed her cheek with his thumb and said, “Ivy. That will not happen again. As soon as we’re married, I’ll have the record label announce it to the press and that should prevent other fans from trying to do the same thing.”
“I believe you,” she said, “I knew even back then it wasn’t you who had kissed her or even encouraged her.”
“I’ll show you what a real kiss from me feels like.” With those words, he took her mouth in a passionate kiss and leaned back into the sand to roll them over and position himself over her. When they emerged from their kiss, panting for air several minutes later, he asked, “So how did I score?”
“A not so measly eleven points.” She giggled. “Now, can I have another one of those irresistible kisses of yours, please?”
Chapter 25
Ivy stood in the back of the tent overlooking the rows of guests. She held a gorgeous bouquet of white Calla Lilies mixed with lilacs in her hand, ready to walk down the aisle in a few minutes.
The last two weeks had passed in a flurry of activities. Her soon-to-be sisters-in-law Reese and Sam as well as her sister Sequoia and her best friend Bella had been extremely helpful with the wedding planning of their wedding.
Thanks to Sam, her wedding would take place in the garden of the Velveteen Kitchen. The restaurant owner – a friend of Sam’s – had been super accommodating and had erected a large tent complete with heaters and lights to accommodate the wedding and the reception to follow.
Reese had offered to take care of the flowers and finding caterers to handle the reception. Unfortunately, the restaurant crew wasn’t able to handle that portion of the wedding, because with the holidays just around the corner, they were over worked and understaffed.
Sequoia had taken care of the invitations and had helped all the guests to arrange places to stay. Between the three women, everything was in place with plenty of time to spare.
Bella had asked her boss and owner of the fashion magazine Fashion Now to borrow a wedding dress from their extensive clothing archives. Funnily enough, it had turned out Sara Shaw neé Newsome was distantly related to Sam and as an advocate of true love, she’d happily granted her permission.
They’d found her the perfect wedding dress, and a gorgeous lilac bridesmaid gown for Bella. Ivy’s older sister Thalia, a seamstress, had made the necessary re-fittings of the two gowns.
Ivy smoothed her hands down the silky cloth of her stunning wedding dress. It was champagne-colored with Italian lace covering the bodice and draped in soft folds from her hips, accentuating her curves in the most elegant way.
Thalia nervously plucked the skirt into form until Ivy said, “Thalia. Stop it now. You’re making me nervous.”
Thalia giggled. “It’s just. Oh Ivy. I’m so happy for you.” Then she burst into tears and Ivy had to swallow back a lump in her throat. “Shush. Or you’ll make me cry too.”
“Okay.” Thalia brushed her tears away and took one of the lilacs from the bridal bouquet and secured it in her hair. “I love when you wear your hair down. It makes you look so posh, so radiant. Terrence is a lucky man.”
“I’m a lucky woman.”
The music changed and everyone stood as Thalia gave her a nudge and she began to walk down the aisle. Alone. She kept her eyes fixed on the man she loved. While she would have loved for her father to walk her down the aisle, he’d made it clear that while he’d allowed her to marry Terrence, he still didn’t think he was the best choice for her.
On her way down the aisle, she noticed her brothers, Corbin and Barrett, with their wives and four kids combined. Sequoia was sitting beside an empty seat that probably belonged to Thalia, who’d preferred to fuss over her in the back of the tent.
The entire Paxton clan had cleared their schedules to attend the wedding and they all beamed with pride, happiness and love. She’d received such a warm reception from everyone in his family down to little Jackson; it brought tears to her eyes.
She looked over the rows of guests and tried to remember everyone’s name. Russell and Allison with their toddler Jackson dressed in the cutest suit, including a makeshift tie. They’d get married in a few weeks from now.
Sitting behind them were Grant and Sam and then Reese and Nikos. Ter’s twin was a professional organizer and Ivy had watched in awe how she pulled this wedding together in record time. Nik, her fiancé and the heir to the Petridis shipping empire had turned out to be as nice and down-to-earth as everyone else.
Ethan and Hazel sat next to them. Hazel, a hairdresser, had offered to do Ivy’s hair for the wedding and she’d outdone herself. Ivy had never felt more beautiful – and desirable – if the look in Ter’s eyes was anything to go by. The way he devoured her with his eyes sent a warm feeling of love from her heart into every last corner of her body.
Yes, he’s the one. No doubt.
His parents, Mitch and Bridget, were sitting in the front row. Chase and Pearl, both competitive athletes were next to them. Her own parents were on the other side, next to Bella’s parents.
Her mother turned around to look at Ivy and she could see tears in her eyes. What was it with everyone crying today? I hope I’ll make it through the vows without my voice faltering.
Bella was already standing at the front of the tent with Ter’s best man Jason from the band. Electric Flow would later on provide the dance music for the reception, which was a guarantee for everyone to have a good time.
Ivy made it through the ceremony without crying, exchanging simple vows and rings, and everything else faded into the background when the minister said, “You’re now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Their kiss seemed to go on forever and she didn’t care about the other people, or the applause, or her stone-faced father in the first row. Now she officially belonged to Ter until death do them part.
Friends and family lined up to congratulate, and soon they retired to the head table. Everyone except her father – who was determined to have a bad time and remain unhappy – moved about the tent. She knew he only wanted what was best for her, but he had a strange way of showing it.
Ivy looked up to see members of the band taking their places on the makeshift stage. They had been playing a mixture of soft ballads over the PA system, but now it was time for some live music and some dancing.
Right before Electric Flow played, Ter escorted her to the open dance floor and grabbed a microphone. “Hey, if I could have everyone’s attention for the first dance. Several months ago, I wrote this song about a beautiful woman who had completely turned my world upside down. Today, I’m proud to call her my wife. I’d like to dedicate this song to her as we share our first dance as husband and wife.”
When the music started and he sang “You’re All I Ever Want”, tears sprang to her eyes. As they reached the chorus, he handed the microphone to one of his band’s backup vocalists and told them to carry on. He pulled Ivy into his arms and began to twirl her around the floor.
Once the song ended, everyone applauded and Ivy saw tears on more than one face. Their wedding had been a magical day, and she felt blessed to be surrounded by such loving fam
ilies.
“I love you, Mrs. Paxton,” he whispered in her ear.
Ivy tipped her head back. “I love you too, Mr. Paxton.”
Ter nuzzled beneath her ear and then whispered, “What do you say we sneak out of here?”
She looked shocked, but then giggled. “Can we do that?”
“Leave it to me. Hey, here comes your sister. Make it quick so we can get away.”
“Promise. I’m just as eager to have you alone as you are.”
Sequoia hugged her. “You are the most beautiful bride ever.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“I wanted to tell you that. I also wanted to tell you that I overhead Mother and Father speaking a few minutes ago.”
“Sequi, you know you shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
“How else am I supposed to find out what’s going on?” Sequoia pouted and put her hands on her hips.
“You know what I mean. Anyway, what did you hear?”
Sequi rolled her eyes. “After the song Ter dedicated to you, Father said maybe he isn’t such a bad man after all.”
Ivy smiled and was still doing so moments later when Ter wrapped his arms around her waist. “What’s put that smile there, lovey?”
“This was such a good idea. Me marrying you.”
“You think so?”
“I do. Gee, that’s the second time I’ve said that today.”
He kissed her and then backed her out of the tent. “Let’s make our escape while we can, Mrs. Paxton. I feel the need to have you all to myself.”
Nothing could possibly make her happier than she was in this very moment. “How about you stop talking and start doing?”
Ter lunged for her, sending her into a fit of giggles as he carried her from the tent. They had some celebrating to do.
***The End ***
This was the fifth book in the Love in Sandy Beach series. The next book will follow up the story of Karen and Robert in the Falling for Him series. It’s about time those two get their happily ever after.