"Sean Wilder! That is not where I tied that!" Sean covered his head with his arms. I think he thought she'd hit him or something. Instead, she laughed and shook her head. "You might as well take it off. You've seen her now."
He pulled off the tie and ran behind me, cowering. "Protect me, Morgan."
"Annalisa!" Mel yelled. "You want me to hold him down for you? I know his weaknesses."
"Traitor," Sean yelled back.
"No." Annalisa smiled, but narrowed her eyes. "I'll get him back when he least expects it—maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday."
He relaxed a little and put his hands on my hips, pushing me toward the table of food. As he tossed pieces of fruit in his mouth, I made myself a small plate. I sat down and picked at it. When I saw Sean's eyes fall on Cerise, I thought he'd just been given a shiny new toy.
"Ceeerrriiiise!" He drew out her name as if he hadn't seen her in a year. "Well, well, well-well. How…are… you?" He walked over and scooted Mel out of the way so he could sit in between them. Cerise immediately hid her face in a pillow again, but I could see her shoulders shaking with laughter. "You know, I've been so worried." His overacting skills were hilarious. "You know, Anthony has the room next to Nathan's, and he said you and Nathan were sick all… night… long." He turned to me. "Poor things were just groaning in pain and suffering." He tossed his arm around her shoulders. "How are you feeling today, dear? You look a little tired." Everyone was laughing.
He pulled the pillow from her and threw it toward the chair. She glared at him, but was still smiling. "I didn't know you were so into revenge, Sean."
"Oh this is just fun." He chuckled. "Revenge would be grilling you with a hundred questions to make sure you're suitable for my friend."
"You didn't," I questioned Cerise.
She smiled proudly at me. "I told you I knew he wasn't a stalker. How do you think I found that out?"
Sean stood up and looked surprised. "You never told her all the questions you asked me?" She shook her head.
Mel turned to me. "She must have asked him a hundred questions."
"For the record." Cerise put up her hand. "He only answered about half of them."
Sean walked back over to me and kissed my neck. "I have to return to the menfolk where things make sense." He turned back to Cerise and yelled. "I'll tell Nathan you look as tired as he does." She flipped him off, and he turned back to me. "Text me?" I nodded, and he kissed my forehead and left.
When I'd finished eating a reasonable amount of food, they cleared the table and several people came in with all manner of spa treatments. They did my nails and my toes, gave me a foot massage, and put something cool and tingly on my face. The four of us had no trouble coming up with things to talk about, and before I knew it, Chavondra was walking back through the door to do my hair. Since it was a simple style, it didn't take long to complete, which is when my nervousness came back full-force. But it wasn't so much nervousness as anxiousness. I bounced my foot around as Remy, my makeup artist tried to get me ready. He smiled warmly at me and pointed at my foot.
"Sorry." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The girls had gone into the bedroom to change into their dresses. They were all wearing silver chiffon, but each dress was a different style. When Remy held out a mirror for me, I was a little relieved. I looked like me. I'd feared he might pile on the makeup like Andy had for the premiere, but instead, it was simple and natural. He made my eyes stand out and my lips look fuller and shiny.
"It's perfect." I smiled at him. He told me I looked beautiful, packed up his things, and left the room.
I went back to bouncing my foot. Sitting there alone was not doing my nerves any good. I stood up and walked over to the full-length mirror, but it felt very much like the moment Brent barged in on me on our wedding day. It didn't freak me out, but I just didn't want to remember that, so I walked toward the window. Finally, I pulled out my cell phone.
I'm lonely.
You'll be in my arms in a matter of minutes. Where are the girls?
Changing.
Want me to come up there?
No. I'm fine. Just wanted to talk to you.
My cell phone rang, and I smiled. "Hi."
"Hello, beautiful."
"You can't see me, how do you know I'm beautiful?"
"You were born beautiful. You're always gonna be beautiful. Don't start an argument with me on our wedding day. Especially since I have a whole room full of people who will agree with me in about twenty-five minutes and two cousins I nearly beat the shit out of earlier for expressing that very opinion."
"You didn't?"
"No, but I was close. Ronnie and Dereck don't know when to keep their mouths shut. They were talking about looking at things they had no business to be looking at."
"Ugh. Which ones are they?" I tried to remember meeting them.
"Doesn't matter, love. Point is, you're beautiful, and I'm dying to see you."
I sighed softly. "I can't wait to see you too."
"You sure you're okay?" His voice changed; it lost its dreamy flavor and sounded much more serious.
"I'm fine, Sean, really. I just want to be in your arms is all. I can handle another twenty-five minutes."
"Twenty-three—I'm counting. Hey, do me a favor and go over to that painting next to the fireplace—the one with the sailboat in the distance." I walked away from the window and over to the painting as he continued with his instructions. "Pull on the left side of the painting." I did, and it opened up like a door, revealing a safe behind it. "Hang on, let me move away from these idiots."
I laughed a little. "Who are you calling idiots?"
"My uncle and Ronnie… okay, put in this combination: 749237473."
I put in the number, and it beeped a few times before swinging open. "Where did you come up with that number?"
"If you look at the letters on a keypad, it spells out Thx Cerise."
I giggled, but then my eyes fell on what was inside the safe. "Holy shit!" A thick pile of hundred dollar bills stared back at me. "Why—what is all this for?"
"You never know. I like to bring money with me just in case. Ignore the cash and pull out the black box underneath it. Cerise was going to hand it to you, but I thought you could pull it out yourself. Open it, sweetheart."
"Sean, you've already given me too much with the ring and—"
"I told you I would shower you with gifts. It makes me feel good to buy you nice things. Are you telling me I can't? That might be a deal-breaker for this wedding, you know?" I groaned into the phone, and he immediately said, "There's my girl. Now open it."
Taking deep breaths, I sat down in the chair next to me. I closed my eyes and opened the box, knowing I'd be overwhelmed with what I found inside. I wasn't disappointed. My earrings from the premiere sat in the center of a matching necklace of diamonds and more diamonds. The clusters of hanging flowers, circled the entire necklace.
"Morgan? Are you there?"
"Yuh—uh, yes."
"Sweetie, it's an antique from the Victorian era. I saw it and immediately thought of you."
"Sure, because I just scream massive pile of diamonds."
"Yes. You do," he said seriously. "You are a massive pile of very precious, intricately connected gems. Now there's a small Tiffany's pouch in there, too."
"Sean, no."
"This one is something you can wear every day. It's something you'll be more comfortable with. I promise."
I set down the pile of diamonds and dug out the baby blue pouch, sitting back down to let the contents fall out into my hand. It was just as beautiful. A delicate silver bracelet with alternating chain links, intricately engraved beads, and beautiful stones I wasn't sure the name of shined up at me.
"It's beautiful."
"It's a charm bracelet. It's platinum, which is much stronger than gold, so you can wear it every day and not worry that it'll break, and the stones are opals, which I'm told is your birthstone. Do you see the first charm?"
/> I moved the bracelet around in my palm and saw a small silver heart dangling from it. Lifting it to my eyes, in small letters, it read: "Sean Wilder's Heart."
"I love you, Sean."
"I love you too, sweetheart. You carry it with you wherever you go, you know? It's all yours. Cerise has something else for that bracelet, but she'll give that to you when you see her. I have to get back in there before Petey thinks I've run away. He's been giving me his own Spanish Inquisition about our future together, and whether I can provide for you."
I laughed, knowing Petey would ask about finances, but really be talking about emotions. It was his way. "I'm sorry. I'll see you soon?"
"You sure will."
I fiddled with the bracelet clasp and finally got it on then went to the mirror and took deep breaths as I stared at the necklace. I put in the earrings—I'd had those on before—but just picking up the necklace seemed a little scary.
The girls came out of the bedroom, laughing. "If Anthony gets too close to you when you two walk down the aisle, I think Nathan might kill him."
Cerise shook her head. "You should walk with Anthony. I'll walk with Rudy."
"Chicken," Mel teased.
They looked beautiful in their dresses, very angelic. I'd watched Remy put very natural-looking makeup on them as well, and their hair was pulled up in a simple way.
"Whatcha got there?" Annalisa asked as she walked over to me. "Oh my God, Morgan! This is like—I don't even know how many diamonds are here!"
"I know."
She looked up at my widened eyes and seemed to figure me out. "Well it's beautiful. Here, I'll put it on you." I shook my head, and she put her hand on my arm. "It's jewelry, Morgan. It's just a beautiful piece of jewelry. It was made to be worn, not kept in a box somewhere. It suits you—why shouldn't you wear it?"
"Because I'm not—I'm not—"
"You are." Mel put her hands on my shoulders. "You're elegant and refined, and you share a life with a very wealthy and famous man who loves you. You are this necklace, Morgan."
"No. This is me." I held up the bracelet dangling from my wrist. "Not flashy, just sweet and—"
"Why can't you be both?" Cerise joined in. "You speak to us differently than you speak to guests at the inn. You smile at Sean differently than you smile at anyone else. Why can't you be two people, Morgan? One is the public Morgan on the arm of Sean Wilder, and the other is the woman that just wants to watch movies in a pair of sweats with her man. It doesn't have to be all or nothing."
I turned to Mel. "I just don't want to become one of those women who chased after him before we met—only interested in money and jewels. I don't ever want him to think that."
"You don't have to protest every expensive gift to prove it, Morgan." Mel had a point. "He knows you're not like that. Why do you think he bought you the bracelet?"
I smiled at that. They were right. He'd used his gifts to make that just as clear as their words. I could be both. Annalisa put the necklace on me, and I was surprised at how heavy it was. It was so sparkly and caught every piece of light bouncing around the room. I did my best not to be nervous about losing it or breaking it.
Annalisa clapped her hands together. "Dress time!" My stomach lurched in anticipation. I went into the bedroom and changed into something I knew Sean would appreciate underneath the dress then came back outside where Cerise and Annalisa helped me into my wedding gown. Mel worked on the intricate crystal buttons on the back, and Cerise put my shoes in front of me as I took Annalisa's hand to step into them. The fabric swishing across my legs made me feel sexy and beautiful. As I stood in front of the mirror, my eyes got misty. I couldn't believe I was actually marrying Sean Wilder.
Annalisa stepped in front of me. "Your bracelet is new, but here is something borrowed, and it just so happens that it's blue."
I laughed as she put the small blue stud earring in my hand. I recognized it immediately.
"It took me forever to find it," she explained. "But I finally dug it out of the bottom of my jewelry box." We'd gotten the upper part of our ears pierced junior year of high school even though we were forbidden to do it. All three of us got a blue stud put in. The post was thicker than I was used to, but I managed to get it into my ear.
I looked over at Cerise, and she had tears in her eyes. Annalisa patted her on the back and stepped away from us.
She looked so serious. "One more thing, Morgan—something old." I put my hand out to her. She looked ready to burst into tears, but she took a deep breath and held out a small blue box. "You don't—I know you don't have any heirlooms from your mom." Her lip was quivering. "I don't have any idea how he got him to—" She took another deep breath. "But this was hers, Morgan. Your grandfather kept it all these years. It was part of a necklace she wore all the time. The necklace broke, so he stored it in his safe until he could take it to be repaired. She left before that could happen."
"Sean—spoke to my grandfather?" I couldn't believe it.
"Sean wanted you to have something from your mom. He wanted me to tell you that he refused to discuss anything else with the man."
I nodded. It was really overwhelming. Mom didn't wear any jewelry except necklaces I gave her, but even then, she only wore them on special occasions. I couldn't imagine her wearing a necklace all the time, even when she was younger.
Cerise held the box out to me. "Sean took it to Tiffany's and had them make it into a charm for your bracelet."
A tear slipped down my cheek as I opened the box. Several more fell as I recognized the charm. It was a small silver puzzle piece. "I've seen this in a couple pictures of her." My voice was so shaky. "She used to say—'Life is one big puzzle, and everyone's just searching for where they fit in.'"
Annalisa handed us some tissues and wiped her own eyes. "I remember that."
Cerise smiled through her own tears. "I'm sure she said this to you, but—do you remember… Do you remember when Dave Gamble broke up with me in the eighth grade?"
I nodded. Cerise had been a mess. It was her first relationship, and she really liked him, but he went chasing after another girl.
"She told me—she—" She couldn't hold it together long enough to retell the story. Mel had come over and was looking pretty teary herself.
I grabbed Cerise's hand. "I remember, Cerise." I smiled, feeling so overcome with emotion. "I remember."
"What did she say?" Mel begged.
I didn't know if I could get the words out past the enormous lump in my throat. "She told Cerise—that she was just one puzzle piece—trying to smash herself into place beside the wrong guy." I closed my eyes. "She said—eventually, you'll find the right fit—the right puzzle piece and he'd help you fill in all the missing pieces to make your puzzle whole and complete."
"Morgan?" Cerise was looking serious again—almost scared. "What are the odds that that's the piece of jewelry he got his hands on? How is that even possible?"
I laughed, and more tears spilled down my cheeks. "I don't know. I have no idea. Fate must be very entertained with me, or we wouldn't even be here."
She smiled at last and hugged me. "She's here with you, Morgan. Can you feel it?"
I wiped at more tears and nodded but couldn't say anything.
"Well thank God for waterproof makeup!" Mel announced loudly, and we all laughed.
I looked in the mirror to find that it was in fact, doing its job well.
Annalisa looked down at her watch as someone knocked on the door. She looked up at me. "It's time, Morgan."
Fitting Together
My hands shook when Cerise handed me my simple bouquet of red roses, but it was more from adrenaline than fear. When we stepped into the hallway, a very familiar face greeted me. "Amber!" I put my arms around her.
She hugged me warmly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here last night. I made my staff call me every hour to tell me what was going on. I can't believe this is the guy you're marrying. I've never met someone so damn determined before. It couldn't have happened t
o a more deserving girl."
"God, I haven't seen you in like five years. You look amazing."
"Aww shucks. You didn't like the braces and thick black glasses I used to wear?" We laughed. Poor Amber had been sort of nerdy when she was younger, but she was in a pretty black dress with her gold nametag in place. She looked very sophisticated. She looked me over in my wedding dress. "You—you look absolutely stunning. You were always turning heads, though. I'm so glad to see you caught his eye. Speaking of which, how the hell did you catch Sean Wilder's eye?"
I laughed. It was like old times again. She'd tell me about the boys who were chasing after her, and I'd tell her all men suck. I didn't realize how much I'd missed her. "That's a long story that I'd really like to talk about over coffee sometime soon."
"Yes, we need to catch each other up, but let's go get you hitched to Sean Wilder." She laughed. "Sean Wilder, Morgan! Our mothers have got to be laughing hysterically up there."
It felt so good to hear her say that, to have my mom's charm on my bracelet, to be in the inn we'd had such good memories in—it was all as perfect as it could get. When we stepped out of the elevator, it got even more perfect. A long white runner stretched out in front of me with red rose petals the entire way.
Amber put a small headset into her ear. "We've exited the elevator. Please close the doors."
I smiled at her. "Gone high-tech?"
"I have some influence around here." We walked down the long hallway and stopped in the lobby. Amber straightened my dress. "In what order would you like your friends to walk down the aisle?"
"Oh—um. Mel, I was kind of hoping you would go first, and I know it's not really traditional or anything, but I kind of wanted my best friends to give me away." I turned to Annalisa and Cerise, and they gave me teary smiles.
Amber's face was serious, and she swallowed hard. "I think that's perfect, Morgan."
I realized this might be difficult for her, too. Being around me probably brought back memories of her mom. She smiled though and guided Mel toward the doors. Two attendants stood on either side of the doors, and a photographer was snapping photos like crazy. Remy appeared out of nowhere and touched up my makeup, carefully combing particular strands of my hair.
Accidental Texting: Finding Love despite the Spotlight Page 44