I responded eagerly.
One of his hands slid around my back while the other gently held my neck, then his lips moved away from my mouth to my jaw. He tilted my head back and pressed tiny kisses along my neck, and when I moaned, his lips formed a smile against my skin.
Feeling like things were getting out of hand, I gently pushed him away. “Stop it, Trevor.”
“Come on, Lily. We’re engaged now. What’s the problem?”
I didn’t like the pressure he was putting on me. My hormones were just as powerful as his, but it was important to me to wait until marriage before giving that part of myself away. “The problem is, you’re not respecting my boundaries.”
He turned away with a loud sigh, then he turned back to me. “You’re just being old-fashioned.”
“I know some people might look at it that way, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to save that part of myself until my wedding night.” I hoped he would understand.
He shook his head, clearly irritated. “I know it’s a cliché,” he began, “but men have needs. And right now I have a strong need for you.” His voice dropped to whisper. “Please, Lily.”
I felt terribly guilty for denying him, which made me angry. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. In fact, his pressure on me was wrong. “No,” I said.
A bright flash of fury darkened his eyes, but he got it under control as he said through nearly clenched teeth, “I shouldn’t have to beg.”
A small feeling of fear tickled the back of my neck. “And you won’t have to, as soon as we’re married.”
He sighed, and his face calmed. “Okay. Let’s set a date then. And let’s make it soon.”
The tension in the room dissipated. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, we are in Vegas. We could get married today.”
My mouth fell open. I’d barely decided to marry him—I didn’t know if I was ready to actually make it legal that day. Plus I wanted the full experience, not some quickie wedding. “Trevor, I know you don’t want to wait, but I promise we’ll have the wedding soon. There’s planning involved.”
“Why can’t we just elope? The results will be the same whether we have a big wedding or a quick one.”
I sighed. “Don’t you know that every girl fantasizes about her big day? I don’t want to be denied that experience.”
“Fine,” he said, clearly not thrilled. “I guess I can wait a little longer.” Then he looked at me with intensity. “But Lily, you need to know that this is not easy for me.”
A small smile turned up the corners of my mouth, and I reached out and stroked his face. “Trevor, the fact that you’re respecting my wishes on this shows me how much you love me and it makes me love you even more.”
That brought a smile to his face and he pulled me into a warm embrace. “I do love you and I’d do anything for you.”
Relief swept over me that he wasn’t angry any longer, and I reveled in the love I felt from him.
“Thank you for bringing me to meet your family,” I said as we sat on my couch. I snuggled up to Trevor’s side and he put his arm around me. “I really like them.”
“They like you, too.”
“Do you really think so?”
He ran his fingers through my long, dark hair. “Trust me, they like you. They're happy we're getting married. By the way, when are we going to set a date?”
Now that I'd accepted his proposal, I enjoyed fantasizing about our special day. “I know you want to do it soon and I agree.” I tilted my face to his and kissed him with longing. He cradled my face in his hands as his lips met mine with urgency.
He pulled back. “Good.” His voice was husky. “Because if you want me to respect your wishes, we need to get this thing going.”
“Okay, do you want to talk about it now?”
“Unfortunately, Rob needs me to come in.”
“Why now?”
“Since I took all that time off to go to Vegas he needs me to help him catch up. I promised him I’d come in. What about tomorrow night? Can we talk about it then?”
“Okay. I’m meeting Alyssa for lunch, and then I’m going to buy my books for next semester since school starts in a week. But if you're coming over, I'll make sure to be home.”
He kissed me before standing and putting on his jacket. “I'll plan on it, then.”
I walked him to the door and gave him one last kiss before he left. Once alone, I unpacked my suitcase and admired the ring on my finger.
Now that we were engaged I didn't plan on taking it off ever again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I can't believe you're officially engaged,” Alyssa said before taking a bite of her salad.
I sat across from her at the restaurant, nearly beaming with my good news. “And all those things you hear about in-laws? Well they're just not true in this case. I really like his parents. They're very nice.”
“I'm happy for you, truly. It’s just, how sure are you that he’s given up his partying ways? ”
“He told me he has and I trust him. He would never lie to me. He's not like that.” I shook my head. “You just don't know him.”
Alyssa smoothed the napkin on her lap before looking at me. “Justin and Pamela have begun talking about marriage too.”
“Oh? Well, that’s great. I’m happy for them.”
“Yeah. It’s good he’s moved on.”
“So will you be able to come to my wedding?” I asked. “I want you to be my maid of honor.”
“You do? I'd love to. I'll make sure I can come.”
I smiled in relief. “Oh, I'm so glad. You'll be the only person there from my side of the family, so to speak.” Even as I said the words, I had to swallow over the lump that formed in my throat as I thought of my father and how much I wished he could be part of my wedding day.
“Of course I'll be there, Lily,” Alyssa said.
I smiled. “Thanks.”
We finished eating and paid the bill, and a few minutes later I stood. “Well, I’d better get going. I want to get my books for the new semester.”
Alyssa stood as well. “Yeah, I need to get mine, too. But I'm waiting a few more days.”
“Thanks for inviting me to lunch. We should do it more often.” I slung my purse over my shoulder.
“Congratulations on your engagement to Trevor. I'm really happy for you.” She smiled warmly. “And if you need any help planning things let me know. I'd be happy to lend my expertise. I've helped my mother plan two weddings already.”
“Great. I'll probably take you up on that.”
Later that afternoon, after I'd purchased my books for the spring semester, I went home and played with my new eReader. I bought a few books with the gift card the Caldwell's had given me and then began reading one.
A while later I set the eReader aside and booted up my laptop, then clicked on the UNR web site and decided to check my student email account. I didn’t check very often—I had a personal account I used for all of my email correspondence—but I thought I should see if any of my professors had sent anything for the new semester.
A moment later I saw two email messages from the same address. Both emails had been sent before Christmas.
I clicked on the first one, and when I began reading it, I gasped.
You stupid girl! Don't you understand anything? I told you not to get involved with Trevor Caldwell, but from what I've observed you've been spending lots of time with him. I am very disappointed.
With a racing heart, I reread the message. I was scared to open the other message, but knew I had to see what it said.
I understand Trevor proposed to you. For your own safety I strongly recommend that you not accept.
I didn't understand why this person was so interested in my life with Trevor. Gathering my nerve, I hit the Reply button.
Who are you? Why do you care if I marry Trevor Caldwell? I don't understand.
I hit the Send button and exited the program, planning on checking
back later to see if I'd received a response. My hands trembled as I closed my laptop.
I couldn't get the messages out of my mind and was only able to wait half an hour before checking to see if the sender had replied. I signed on and was half disappointed and half relieved to find no messages waiting.
Trevor arrived before I tried to check again, and I debated whether to tell him about the strange messages. On the one hand, I didn't want to keep any secrets from him, but on the other, the messages were about him.
I'll wait until I receive a reply. Besides, he didn't seem too concerned about the other strange things that happened.
“How's my favorite girl?” he asked, enveloping me in a hug.
In his arms, I felt safe. “Now that you're here, I'm great.”
He pulled back. “What'd you do today? Anything exciting?”
I smiled as I gazed into his blue eyes. “I went to lunch with Alyssa, bought my books and then played with my new eReader.”
“Oh, so you liked my present. I'm glad.” He smiled, obviously pleased that his gift was a hit.
“I love it,” I said. “Let's sit, Trevor, and you can tell me about your day.”
He followed me to the couch. “Just a boring work day.” He held my hand. “Have you thought any more about a wedding date?”
My stomach tightened at his words. After the ominous messages I'd received, I was reluctant to make such a definite commitment. “I don't know,” I hedged. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Tomorrow?” he said, laughing. “Really though, I want to get married right away. How long would it take you to get ready?”
“I . . . I don't know. I don't even know what needs doing. Alyssa offered to help. She said she’s helped plan weddings before.”
His face lit up. “That's great. Call her right now and find out what we need to do to get ready.”
“Right now?”
He jumped to his feet. “Yes, now.” Trevor went into the kitchen and grabbed the notepad and pen from the counter and brought them back to me. “Here. You can write down what she says.” He glanced around. “Where’s your phone?”
“It’s in my purse.”
Jumping up again, he picked up my purse and handed it to me. I dug around and pulled out my phone, but I didn't know why I felt so hesitant.
I’m not going to allow some anonymous person to spook me from marrying the man I love.
Determined to move forward with my plans, I dialed Alyssa's number.
After explaining my reason for calling, I listened as Alyssa told me what needed to be planned and I wrote it all down on the notepad. I hung up a short time later.
Trevor took the notepad from my lap. “Okay. So what do we need to do first?”
Trevor’s excitement was contagious, and I began to feel more energized about planning our wedding. “It sounds like I need to find a dress right away. That way if any fittings need to be done there will be time for that. And then we need to order a cake and flowers. And of course we need to make arrangements for a place to get married and someone to do it.”
“What's the procedure on finding a wedding dress?” Trevor asked. “Am I allowed to help you find one or is that against the rules?”
I laughed at his question. “I think it's best if Alyssa helps me find one. But thanks for the offer. We could pick out the cake together though. Which brings me to the reception. Where should we have it? I don't know that many people here.”
“Hmm. Yeah, same here.”
“Did your parents say anything to you about hosting a reception?” I asked, thinking that would solve a lot of my anxiety.
“No, but if you want me to, I could ask them.”
“Would you? If we could let them be in charge of it that would be one less thing for us to worry about.” I paused. “What about the cost? How are we going to pay for everything?”
“Hmm. I think we should split the costs up. Like, you pay for your wedding dress and the flowers. I’ll pay for the photographer and the cake. How does that sound?”
“That sounds fair. What about any other reception costs?”
“I think my parents might cover the rest.” He paused. “There's still the matter of the date. Now that you've talked to Alyssa, do you have any idea?”
“If I find a dress off the rack, which would be much cheaper, we'd only need a month or so.”
His face brightened. “Only a month? That would be great.”
I smiled at his enthusiasm—it made me feel incredibly loved and wanted to know Trevor was so anxious to have me become his wife. I grabbed my calendar, and together we looked at the dates in January and February.
“How about Valentine's day?” I suggested, thinking it would be romantic.
“That's not for at least six weeks. I don't know if I can wait that long.” His eyebrows rose as he smiled.
I smiled in return then turned back to the open calendar. “Okay, you choose.”
He pointed to a date. “How about right here? The fourth Saturday in January?”
“All right. That sounds fine.”
Trevor set the calendar on the coffee table and pulled me into his arms. “Only four and half weeks. I can hardly wait.”
I snuggled against him and let myself be enveloped in his body heat, not allowing any worries to press on my mind.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alyssa and I flipped through the racks at the bridal store, searching for the perfect bridal gown. Shopping wasn't one of my favorite activities and I was already getting discouraged, but Alyssa showed no signs of slowing down. She had several gowns draped over one arm.
“Can I put those in a dressing room for you?” the saleslady asked Alyssa, reaching for the gowns.
“Thank you. That would be great.” Alyssa handed the dresses over.
“When is your wedding?” the saleslady asked.
“Oh, it's not me that's getting married. It's Lily.” Alyssa pointed to me as I looked for a chair to sit in.
“When is your wedding, dear?” the woman asked me.
I told her the date Trevor and I had chosen.
“That doesn't leave us much time now, does it?”
I tried to smile, knowing most weddings were planned many months in advance.
“I don't see anything else, Lily,” Alyssa said. “Why don't you try on what we've gotten so far?”
“Sure, why not?” I followed the two women to a dressing room and allowed Alyssa to help me try on the first gown, then I walked out of the dressing room and stepped onto a raised platform to admire myself in a three-way mirror.
“Well?” Alyssa asked.
“It's okay I guess. Let me try on the others.”
The third one I tried on was my favorite—the bodice hugged my curves, lacy sleeves reached halfway between my shoulder and elbow, and the skirt gathered in at the waist then flowed outward from there. It was simple but beautiful.
“This is it,” I announced. “This is my wedding dress.”
The saleslady brought over several different veils, and after choosing one, I slipped it onto my long hair. “That looks gorgeous,” the saleslady assured me. “And the dress should only need minor adjustments.” She looked at the dress from different angles. “Yes, I do believe we can have it done on time.”
As I wrote the check for my wedding dress, it occurred to me that my funds were diminishing a lot more quickly than I'd anticipated. The concern was fleeting as the woman handed me the appointment card for my fitting.
I dropped Alyssa off at her apartment and drove home, then decided to check my student e-mail account. As of that morning I hadn’t gotten a response to my reply, but I couldn't help myself—I was becoming obsessive about checking my e-mail.
I dropped my purse on the kitchen counter then went directly to my laptop and booted it up. I signed into my e-mail account and held my breath while I waited for it to open.
There was a message. I tried to control the shaking of my hands as I clicked on it, and my heart p
ounded as I waited for it to open. My breath came out in a whoosh when I saw it was junk mail.
It's not even the right address.
I signed off, upset that I hadn't gotten a response.
Two days later it was New Year's Eve. Trevor picked me up for a party one of his friends was throwing. Though I wasn't looking forward to the party—I was more of a homebody—the thought of spending the evening with Trevor would make it worthwhile.
By the time we arrived at the party it was in full swing. The crowd looked a little rougher than I was used to, but I tried not to make judgments about Trevor’s friends. Music blared from a pair of speakers as Trevor pulled me onto the small dance floor. When a slow song started I clung to him, hardly believing he would be my husband in just a matter of weeks.
After we’d been dancing for a while, Trevor asked me if I was thirsty, then led me to a chair to wait while he got me a soda.
A few moments later Trevor handed me a Sprite, then sat on the ottoman next to my chair. “Are you having a good time?” he asked, then he took a large swallow of his drink.
I couldn’t tell what he was drinking since the glass was opaque, but I hoped he was keeping his word that his partying days were behind him.
I sipped at my soda. “It's okay. I don't really know anybody though.”
“It's getting close to midnight. Do you want to get out of here?”
Relieved he’d made the suggestion, I smiled. “Yes, please.”
He took my hand as we walked out to his car.
“Where should we go?” I asked as I put on my seatbelt.
“I know just the place.” He grinned as he started the engine.
We drove for a while, and when we stopped we were overlooking the valley. Even though it was cold outside, the view was spectacular.
Trevor left the car running so we could stay warm. Even so, I cuddled up to him.
He gazed at me, the black of his pupils enlarged in his blue eyes. “It's midnight, Lily.” His voice was husky as he cradled my face in his hands. I closed my eyes, ready to accept his kiss, and a moment later he pressed his lips against mine—gently at first, then more urgently.
Lily's Story: The Complete Saga Page 12