“Please,” I beg. I can tell he’s not happy with my request but he finally agrees with the condition that it ends. If she retaliates again, he says he will have no choice. I love that he’s so protective of me but this is something I have to do.
Chapter 22
“There you are,” Craig exclaims as soon as I walk in the door. I jump back as he practically pounces on me. “Did you get my text?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I got them, but Ace came home last night, so I wanted to spend time with him.”
“Oooohhhh,” he says teasingly. “I bet you did.” I punch him in the arm.
“Enough of that.”
He’s right on my heels as I walk into my office. “What did you say to Lisa? She was practically hysterical when she called me.”
I take off my jacket and sit in my chair. “Good. She deserves it.” I wonder why she felt the need to call Craig. Maybe she was hoping he would talk to me.
I give him the scoop about Lisa trying to destroy our reputation. This is my chance to test Craig. We’ll see where his loyalties lie; he helped to build up Sheer Happiness, so he should have some vested interest in our reputation and our future.
He looks very surprised. “Are you sure? I don’t think she would really go as far as to do that.”
“Considering she threatened me and then threatened me again when Ace confronted her, I’m pretty sure.”
Craig doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. “I can’t believe this.”
I give a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, Craig. I know you’re friends, but really, how well do you know her? You don’t know what she’s capable of.”
I watch his facial expressions. I definitely don’t expect what he has to say but I’m pleased.
“Not anymore. If she’s trying to destroy us, then I don’t want anything to do with her.”
I feel like I’m about to cry but I hold it in. I think I finally have my friend back. Not that we stopped being friends, but things were definitely not the same.
“Thank you, Craig,” I say gratefully. “I really am sorry.” He gets up from his chair and gives me a quick hug.
When Nicole arrives, Craig and I have already moved on from the Lisa drama and are discussing our upcoming event.
“All the craziness seems to have calmed down. Did you know that the bride actually wanted to do a private ceremony without any guests?” Nicole says after joining our discussion. “I think that’s incredibly romantic but surprising for a bride . . . don’t you think, Sienna?”
I nod. “Yeah, but you never know. Most of the time the bride wants the whole big event and the men don’t care. But I’ve seen it all,” I reply. “Madison’s fiancé would tease her nonstop about running off to a beach in Hawaii.”
Nicole and Craig glance at each other and I know exactly what they’re thinking. Poor Madison probably should have done that. She constantly had issues popping up, and it turned out to be one of our most difficult events to date. Looking back, I’m sure a private beach wedding would have been perfect for her.
“Anyway, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping things private if they want to. It does sound intriguing, doesn’t it? If you think about it, you could say anything you want to the person you love without worrying about what people will think or say, how incredibly intimate.”
I catch myself starting to daydream but realize Craig and Nicole are exchanging more curious glances.
“Well, enough about that,” I say, awkwardly changing the subject. “Did you finish your lists?”
They don’t answer me. “Hello? Lists?” I repeat
“Oh yeah, of course,” Craig lies. I suppose it was a ridiculous question to ask him because he rarely finishes the lists I give him. In fact, he will purposely leave one small item undone just to drive me crazy.
“Very funny,” I tell him. “Seriously, though, are we ready for Saturday?”
Nicole smiles proudly. “We’re ready.”
We all get back to our various responsibilities, but I’m distracted. I wish I could move forward with my own wedding plans but I continue to put it off.
*~*~*
“We have a major problem,” Nicole says, running up to me. “I just got finished solving a disagreement between the mothers of the bride and groom.”
“Oh really? Another problem,” I say sarcastically.
Sometimes this just happens, even when we plan everything down to the smallest detail at our events. In this situation, these problems are out of our control as it appears that the families of the semi-happy couple dislike each other, or as Craig likes to call it, Code RJ—as in Romeo and Juliet. He just recently started this whole code thing—but it does come in handy sometimes.
“The bride is MIA,” she whispers.
My heart sinks. As an event planner, this is one thing that has never happened at one of my weddings.
“We just saw her twenty minutes ago,” I exclaim.
“I guess when I was dealing with the bickering mothers she slipped out.”
I plaster a smile on my face so no one suspects anything. “Let’s search the entire church,” I whisper through my fake smile. “She’s here somewhere.”
Nicole and I head off in search of the runaway bride. We leave Craig in the chapel to field any questions and to keep the guests from becoming restless. I remind him to watch the mothers, just in case they start beating each other with their designer handbags.
While I’m opening doors, I find a small staircase at the end of a hall. Hmm . . . I admit this is a little creepy. These old churches have a lot of hidden little nooks, and I’m not sure where I’m going, but I head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I find a room with a door that opens to a balcony. How odd? Sure enough, that’s where I find her. She’s sitting at a piano in the corner with her arm slung over her head.
“There you are,” I say softly. I must startle her because she practically hits the ceiling she jumps so high.
“Oh, hi, Sienna,” she says nervously. “I, I just needed to be alone for a few minutes.”
I smile and sit down in the chair closest to the piano.
“Do you play?” I ask her, pointing to the instrument.
She nods. “Yes. I just haven’t in a while. I miss it.” She trails off.
I run my fingers along the top of the piano. “I always wanted to learn but I never got the chance.”
This is true. I wanted to learn but we never had a piano growing up, so the opportunity never arose. That’s one thing I wish I could have done.
“I guess you’re wondering what’s wrong with me, right?” she asks.
I shrug. “No, you said you just needed a few minutes. I can understand that, it’s a big day.”
She lowers her head. “There is just so much. Our families hate each other and my bridesmaids hate their dresses . . . it’s just . . . I just want to marry Bryan. At first, I thought I wanted all of this. All the fancy stuff, but now it seems less important.”
She runs her fingers along the keys.
“Please don’t take any offense,” she adds. “Your company has been wonderful.”
“None taken,” I reply. “You know I understand what you’re going through. As you know, I’ve seen a lot of weddings and each one is different in their own way. The months or years leading up to it can be brutal, but that moment when you say your vows, all the stress just melts away because that’s what all of this is about.” She listens intently as I give her my spiel. I can tell she’s calmed down since we started talking.
“There is someone downstairs anxiously waiting to become your husband,” I remind her. “Do you want to make him wait any longer?
She smiles and shakes her head. “You’re right. Thank you, Sienna.”
She stands up and gives me a hug and rushes out the door.
I sit still for a few minutes as I take it all in. I really should take my own advice. When it comes down to it, all of the planning, stress, and worry doesn’t matter. All that matters is Ace and me beco
ming husband and wife. There’s nothing more important than that.
When I head downstairs, I get a thumbs-up from Nicole. I breathe a sigh of relief, another crisis averted.
Thankfully, other than more family squabbles, the event is a success. I watch the happy couple throughout the night and it reminds me of what I have to look forward to with Ace. I’ve been involved in the plans of more weddings than I can count and now it’s my turn.
Chapter 23
When I got home from the wedding that almost wasn’t, I started making lists. I guess the months of avoiding plans finally caught up to me, and after my conversation with the bride and then seeing how happy she was, I knew that I was finally ready to move forward.
“You know all of this sounds perfect to me,” Ace says, looking through my list of plans. “You’re the professional, so I know our day is going to be perfect.”
“It sure is easier planning for other people,” I say, adding a few notes to my list.
Ace starts kissing my neck.
I shove him away. “You’re really bad. You shouldn’t be trying to distract me, especially since I’m finally planning our wedding.”
He smiles wickedly. “I know. I’ve just missed you,” he says before kissing me again.
I take a long look at the lists and pictures and Post-it notes as Ace continues to try to entice me away from planning. All of a sudden something comes over me . . . maybe it’s an epiphany or maybe just something that’s been building for a long time. I meet Ace’s glance and he gets a worried look on his face.
“Hmmm . . . I know that look,” he says. “What’s the matter?”
I let out a sigh. “Ace, do you want all of this . . . really?” I say as I point to the stack of papers I have spread out on the coffee table.
He looks back and forth between the papers and me. I know the poor guy is completely confused, but so am I.
“You don’t want to get married?” he asks sadly.
I look into his sparkling blue eyes and finally the courage that has been building inside me lets loose. I take his face in my hands. “I do want to marry you, more than anything. Let’s go tonight.”
Ace looks completely floored. “Um . . . tonight?” he repeats. “You want to get married tonight?”
I jump up from the couch, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel . . . free. I look down at the table where all my carefully laid out plans are waiting to be implemented, but I don’t care. I want to be Ace’s wife and that’s all that matters at this moment.
I sit back down to where Ace is still sitting in shock. “I know it sounds crazy but I don’t care. Please, let’s go somewhere . . . Vegas or Reno or maybe we can look for a twenty-four-hour minister? I will run home and pack.”
I’m talking so fast I realize I haven’t given him a chance to say anything. “What do you think?”
He’s staring at the floor. “Okay, love, let’s just calm down for a minute. What about . . .”
I interject. “What about our families and our friends? They will be fine . . . I can plan a huge party to celebrate. It will be an amazing party.”
“You’re serious,” he says, sounding stunned.
I nod as I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Yes. I’m more sure about this than I have ever been about anything in my life.”
He throws his head back in laughter. “You never fail to amaze me. And just to let you know, I’ve never heard of a twenty-four-hour minister. Maybe in Las Vegas?”
I giggle. “I know. I was just trying to make a point.”
“That you want to get married tonight,” he says pointedly.
“Yes.”
He stares off into space for few seconds. Either he’s trying to decide what we should do or he’s trying to figure out how to let me down gently. When he meets my eyes, I know exactly what he’s going to say.
“If that’s really what you want . . . let’s go for it.”
I jump up from the couch again and do a little dance around the room. Before I know it, Ace calls a friend and charters a jet for us. (OMG! A private jet!)
I rush home to pack a bag. Luckily being in the event industry, I have many appropriate outfits I could wear to a tacky Vegas shotgun wedding. For a second, I start to have doubts about my newfound courage. What will I tell Madison and Abby or my parents? I sit down on the floor in front of my closet and take a few deep breaths.
No, Sienna. Don’t chicken out, I tell myself. Ugh, I feel like Rapunzel after she escapes from the tower. I close my eyes and imagine being Ace’s wife. No more doubts, no more exes, just him and me.
I get up and continue packing things in my bag. I’m doing this.
Before I head back to meet Ace, I text Craig and Nicole to let them know that I won’t be at the office tomorrow. We have about two weeks before our next event and I have 100% faith in them to handle every that comes up for a few days.
Not a minute after I send the text, Nicole calls. I’m not surprised, it is pretty unusual for me to take time off.
“What’s happening?” she asks worriedly. I’m glad she’s the one to call instead of Craig. He’s been around for long enough to see through my story.
“Everything is fine,” I say cheerfully. “I’m just going out of town with Ace for a day or two. We have a pretty quiet week ahead. If something does come up, you and Craig can handle it.”
I must convince her because she doesn’t ask any questions. After we hang up, I debate texting Madison and Abby. I stare at my phone, as much as I want to I don’t want anything to change my mind. They will probably think I’ve lost my mind, and who knows, maybe I have. Anyway, I’m sure they will understand.
By the time I’m back, Ace has made all the other arrangements and booked us a room at the Wynn. This is really happening, we’re getting married.
Ace asks me to sit down so we can talk. I roll my eyes.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks as he grabs my hand. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets. We don’t even have wedding bands yet.”
I lean in to kiss him. “Do you think I’m having some kind of mid-midlife crisis?”
He kisses my hand. “Of course not. I just want you to be sure.”
“I am sure,” I assure him. “Let’s do this.”
*~*~*
For as I long as I can remember I had to have control over everything in my life. My days had to be filled with structure and order. I can remember being in middle school and having a really cool planner that I got at one of those book fairs. At the time, I didn’t have anything to write in it, so I wrote “school” every day and my weekly dance class and my brother’s baseball games. But I still loved having that planner.
The past several hours have been a whirlwind. From the moment Ace and I boarded a private jet, I felt as if I came alive. All of a sudden, plans didn’t matter (at least not for our wedding). I only had one brief moment of panic worrying about what my parents would say. I know they’d be happy for us, but I’m sure my dad will be hurt about not being able to walk me down the aisle. I meant what I said to Ace about having a huge party. Although the party is not for us, it is for our family and friends so they can feel like they took part in our day.
“Are you ready?” Ace asks after we land. I look out the window and I know there is no turning back now.
“I’m more ready for this than I have been for anything in else in my life.”
Chapter 24
When I wake up, I have no concept of time. It could be the middle of the day or it could be two days later. Isn’t that a normal thing in Vegas?
I can’t believe we did it. I’m married . . . we are married! I don’t even know what time we went to bed. When I finally look at the clock, I see it’s already lunchtime. Ace is still fast asleep, so I tiptoe around our gorgeous suite trying to find my phone. When I do, I’m greeted with several text messages.
From Craig: Seriously, missing work? You should be setting an example for all of us
.
From Madison: Craig called me. Where are you? You never miss work. Are you in the hospital?
From Nicole: Mrs. Canton wants you to call her when you get back. Something about gift bags?
From Abby: Madison is relentless. I’m trusting that everything is okay. You would tell me if it wasn’t, right?
Ugh, I probably shouldn’t have checked my phone. I curl up on the couch so I don’t wake Ace. I order some room service and start responding to texts without letting anyone know where I am or what I’m doing. I’m actually not sure how they’re going to react to my news. I know in the end everyone will be happy for us, once they get over the shock. I’ve never done anything like this in my life and I feel absolutely amazing. There was a time where doing something like this would have caused me severe anxiety, but I think after everything that’s happened over the last few months and years I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I don’t want to feel worried if something doesn’t go exactly how I plan. My fears and worries could have kept me from this very moment. And now, as I look around this beautiful hotel suite with my new husband asleep in the next room, I’ve never been as happy in my life.
“Good morning, or is it afternoon?” Ace whispers. I look up to see him standing in the doorway in his Under Armour workout pants and no shirt. I gasp at the sight of him. I’m really married to this man.
He wanders over and falls down on the couch next to me.
“You better not be working,” he scolds.
I shake my head. “I’m not . . . well, not exactly. I was just thinking about how happy I am.”
He kisses me passionately. “Good. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
*~*~*
As happy as I am, I definitely didn’t think this whole eloping thing through. Ace and I arrive home after spending the most amazing two days together. Tomorrow he has to leave town for a few days, and then he’s not going to travel for two weeks so we can get settled into married life. I’m busy making plans to move out of my place and avoiding my friends. Ace and I called my parents and his mother and gave them the news. To say they were surprised is an understatement. We explained that we’re still going to have a party-reception soon but that we didn’t want to wait any longer to be married. We asked them to keep it quiet until the weekend when we make the official announcement.
Not Quite Sheer Happiness (Event to Remember Series Book 3) Page 18