“Yes, but you would have married me a few months after we met too.”
Tony smiled when I said that.
“I can understand his eagerness, but he has never looked at a woman. I mean really looked at another woman.”
“I know. I tried to help him understand that waiting at least a year to officially walk down the aisle would be the best for the both of them. I think they should wait that long or even longer.”
“Good advice Jess.”
“But….”
“But….”
“But Jason wants to get married now.”
“I have to call mother. She’ll know what to do.”
Tony started dialing Jennifer’s number. I dialed Jason’s. He answered on the first ring.
“What did Tony say?”
“Hello Jason. Well—I talked to him and he thinks the same as I said earlier. You both need to wait at least a year before getting married.”
“I love her so much Jess.”
“I know you do. I don’t want you to panic, but Tony is talking to Mrs. Mureaux as we speak.”
“Oh Jess! She’ll only try and talk me out of it.”
“I don’t think so Jason. She’s very understanding and I’m sure she will help you and Abigail with the right choice.”
I waited for Jason to say something, but it was silent.
“Jason, are you still here?”
“I’m here.”
“Will you do me a favor?” I asked.
“What?”
“Talk to Jennifer first.”
“I don’t know.”
“Jason, you have nothing to lose.”
Jason didn’t say anything.
“Jason, please, will you talk to her?”
Jason took a long loud breath. “Okay, only for you Jess.”
I smiled. “Promise me, you will.”
“I promise Jess. Abigail is here. Will you talk to her?”
“Hi Jess,” she said in her angelic voice.
“Hi Abigail, how are you?”
“I’m over the moon. Jason wants to marry me.”
“Congratulations! I take it you are doing well.”
“Mrs. Mureaux is a dream to be around. She is teaching me how to be a proper lady. I’m having so much fun learning from her.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Have you met Mr. Mureaux?”
“Yes, I have. He’s teaching me about self-control so I won’t hurt Mrs. Mureaux. When will you come see me again?”
“I don’t know when, but I will. Just as soon as I get a chance I will, but you have to be patient though. Did Jason show you where I live?”
“Yes and it’s a long way from me,” she said disappointed.
“Yes it is. Have Jason give you my cell number and when you get to really missing me, give me a call.”
“Oh, I will.”
“Abigail?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t call me every day. Only when you are really, and I mean really, missing me.”
“Okay Jess. I’ll remember that.”
“Could you put Jason back on?”
“Sure—bye Jess.”
“Bye Abigail.”
Jason came back on the phone. “You didn’t mention....”
“No, I didn’t. She’s too excited and probably won’t listen to me anyway. Besides, when you talk to Jennifer, you’ll have some idea of what to do.”
“I see Mrs. Mureaux outside my door. I have to go.”
“One more thing before I go.”
“Yes.”
“I told Abigail to have you give my cell number to her. She is only to call me when she is missing me. One thing, please keep her busy so she will hardly miss me. I don’t want her in bad graces with Victor or Jennifer.”
Jason laughed, “You won’t have to worry about that.”
“Probably not,” I paused. “Anyway, I need to go. I’ll talk to you soon. Goodbye Jason.”
“Good bye Jess.”
Tony was sitting at the table waiting for me to get off the phone.
“What did Jennifer have to say?”
“She agrees with us. She’s going to talk to Jason. I hope she gets through to him.”
“You and me both,” I said cheerfully. “I’m glad they found each other, but this is too soon for a wedding.”
“Speaking of weddings,” Tony paused. “Have you picked out your dress?”
Not wanting to give anything away I said, “Yes I have, but you have to wait until the wedding to see it.”
Tony smiled and got up from the chair. He wrapped his arms around me and started kissing my neck. We headed to the bedroom.
Bright and early in the morning the delivery man knocked on the door. Getting up from the kitchen table, I went to the front door and signed for the packages. Tony was busy taking a shower, so I put them in the spare bedroom closet. Tonight, I would put on the lock in the spare room door and start on my wedding dress. I couldn’t wait.
On the way to the blood bank Mildred was sitting on her front porch. As we drove by she glared at the car. Tony didn’t look her way at all, but I couldn’t help but smile. Served her right for not leaving us alone, I thought.
Just outside of town, Detective Sean was working an accident. Two cars blocked the highway with no way around, but to go by the diner on the old highway which was hardly used anymore.
When Mayville was barely a town, old route twelve was the only road in and out of town. Today, it was ridden with pot holes and grass growing in the cracks of the pavement. Several houses stood along the road abandoned. Pine trees and brier bushes filled in the spots where others had once sat. An opening every so often showed where the house was, with the roof caved into the floor. It was a pitiful sight. Mr. Sprague still had his farmhouse, but used it more or less as a barn for his cattle. A bull was coming out of the doorway as we passed by.
“It’s a shame these houses went to waste,” I commented.
“Yes, it is,” Tony answered.
On the outskirts of Portland the sun was peeking through the clouds. I smiled and gazed out the window as the sun bounced off the sides of cars. It was blinding, but I didn’t care. I was seeing the sun for the first time in three weeks.
Business never slowed down at the blood bank. Every day we had new clients eager to donate. Donors came from California, Washington, Idaho and Nevada. We had several tourists stop in during their vacation. They ranged from New York, Florida, and all the states in between. Tony and I couldn’t have been happier.
Customers would wait in line for hours to get in to donate. Tony had to order more equipment and use the back end of the blood bank. I ended up helping, which Tony didn’t care for. But I missed my nursing job and was more than happy to help. Tony on the other hand hired two more nurses to take my place because he wanted me in my office and nowhere else. Some days he would leave for a business meeting and I would take the opportunity to be a nurse again. I’d on purpose send an employee on break just so I could. Tony accidentally overheard the nurses talking in the break room about how experienced I was to their surprise. I thought my helping out ended the second he knew.
“Jess, we need to talk,” he casually said.
From that statement I knew he knew about my helping out.
Tony closed the door then sat on the edge of my desk. “I know you’re helping out with the donors. I don’t mind, but.”
“Tony, I love helping out. I miss my nursing job.”
“But,” he stressed. “You don’t have to. Your job is this office.”
“I get caught up on my paperwork and I want to help out.”
“That’s fine, but to give them more breaks than you should. Come on Jess.”
I had nothing to say.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. In the front room, I’ll have a chair installed and the equipment set up just for you.”
I smiled.
“But only when there’s a client waiting in the lobby and all the chairs are full.”
“Thank you Tony,” I said getting up from my chair. “You’re the best.”
“Melody will let you know when the chairs are full, okay.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I said and hugged him.
When we got home, I went straight to the spare bedroom to start sewing on my wedding dress. The wedding was a month away. The veil took me two days to complete and my going away dress, made from the blue material, was finished in a week. Finally, I finished sewing on the last bead of my wedding dress.
I kept the door locked even though I knew Tony never went in the spare bedroom, because I didn’t want him catching a peek of my dress when my back was turned. He would see the door closed and smile his crooked smile. The smile which melted my heart, the first time I saw him at the diner, three years ago.
Chapter Eight
Planning the wedding wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Tony wouldn’t let me lift a hand to help, for all he knew my dress was ordered, so to speak, and the only other thing he let me do was the cake.
My friend, Barbara, owned Barb’s Bakery in Portland. Two weeks before the wedding, I stopped in on my lunch break to discuss the cake.
“Jess what a surprise and congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thanks,” I said giving her a hug.
We were friends in high school. She went to Florida to attend culinary school before moving back about seven years ago to open up her bakery.
“What kind of cake did you have in mind?”
“Would it be possible to make a five-tier cake?”
“No problem there,” she said. “Would you like to look at the cake books for ideas?”
“I already know what I want.”
“Let me grab a pen and paper,” she said going back behind the counter. “Sit please.”
The bakery had a couple of small tables with two chairs sitting in front of the window. I sat in the one closest to the door. Barbara brought us a cup of coffee.
“How am I going to decorate the cake?” she asked, after taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yellow roses are the theme.”
“You have always loved yellow roses.”
I smiled.
“Let me show you a picture of one I know will be perfect for your wedding,” she said getting up.
Barbara came back with a book. A sticky note was holding the place of the picture she wanted me to see.
“You have it marked?”
“I was planning on making your cake the day I received the invitation.”
Barbara smiled and opened the book. She turned it around so I could see a picture of the most beautiful cake I ever laid eyes on.
She pointed to a three tier cake. “Is this what you had in mind?”
“It’s exactly what I had in mind.”
The cake on the page was decorated in yellow roses. The couple on top of the cake stood in the middle of yellow roses holding hands. A vine of roses wrapped around the cake with smaller ones along the edge.
“It’s perfect,” I gasped.
“I’ll bring it to the wedding myself. You won’t mind if I bring my helpers to help me with it.”
“No not at all.”
Looking at the clock behind the counter it was time for me to head back to work.
“I have to go. Thank you, Barbara. You’re the best.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said with chagrin.
We stood up and hugged. I left the bakery with a huge smile on my face.
I called Tony.
“Sweetie, is everything alright?”
“It couldn’t be better. I have one more errand and then I’ll be back at the office.”
“Okay, but hurry back to me.”
“Goodbye, Tony.”
I headed to Griffin’s flower shop which was on the opposite side of town from the blood bank. Mrs. Griffin took my order for my bouquet to be made with yellow roses and baby’s breath.
“Pearl/Mureaux wedding?” she asked.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“The yellow roses, dear, gave it away. The other flowers are already ordered and I figured it must be the same.”
“Well, okay, thank you.”
“Your bouquet will be delivered with the other flowers.”
“Thanks. How much do I owe you?”
“They’re already paid. You have a nice wedding, okay.”
“Okay,” I said stumped.
On the way back to the blood bank I wondered if Tony had already made the arrangements for everything because it couldn’t have been anyone else. I’ll mention the cake to be on the safe side.
It was two o’clock before I made it back. Tony was in his office when I walked in and shut the door.
“Jess, did you finish your errand?”
“I did and I ordered the cake. Barbara will deliver it the day of the wedding.”
“Great,” he said.
“You’re not going all out for this wedding, are you?” I asked.
“Jess,” he said getting up from his chair. “I only want the best for you. You’re getting married once and I want it to be a memory you won’t forget. Did you get your bouquet ordered?” He asked putting his arms around me.
“I did.”
“Well then, all you have to do is hang tight until the twenty-fifth.”
“I’ll count the days.”
Tony lightly kissed my lips. “Now, I have phone calls to make. I’ll see you when we close,” he said and gave me another light kiss on my lips.
I went back to my office and started in on the paperwork thinking, what a wonderful man I had whom I was going to happily spend the rest of my life with and I didn’t want it any other way.
The next two weeks seemed to drag on forever. Time seemed to have slowed because I was excited and nervous at the same time.
Excited because I was going to be Tony’s wife, and I would be the envy of the entire female race who stared at him. I have to admit, he turned heads everywhere we went. Not because he was plain or ordinary, but because he was strikingly handsome and I was the one who caught his eye. He never looked at another woman that I knew of.
Nervous because I didn’t know the place Tony had picked out for the wedding. I had no idea where he planned on taking me for our honeymoon and I hadn’t thought to ask him either. I had been busy making my wedding and going away dresses.
He thought I had ordered my wedding dress, but I actually made it. He was going to be surprised when he saw me walking down the aisle.
My wedding dress I made strapless with long sleeves attached to the dress under the arms. Just below the waist, the dress flared out to the floor. Not a big flare, but a flare enough to cover my shoes. The back was made of lace with tiny yellow rose colored beads for buttons. The bodice came around my neck like a choker attaching to the back of the dress with a single yellow rose I embroidered on the front.
I tried it on several times to make sure it was exactly how I wanted it before I was satisfied. Placing the dress carefully in a bag I hung it in the closet.
My veil was made of mosquito netting and lace. Embroidered yellow roses I spaced throughout the veil; except for the front that would hang over my face. It trailed four feet behind me. My hair band wasn’t noticeable. I attached the lace with a hot glue gun and covered it with yellow silk roses and baby’s breath.
I was ready to marry Tony.
The evening before the wedding Tony went over to Mike’s to spend the night because he wanted it as traditional as possible. He told me, ‘our marriage will last forever.’ I would never have another desire for anyone else as long as I lived. Malinda came over to my house and stayed with me. Mike and Malinda had taken the day off so they wouldn’t be so tired for the wedding.
Before Tony left he said, “I promised I would never leave you and here I am leaving.”
“It’s only for one night. Tomorrow we’ll be married and never have to leave each other again.”
“I know,” he said and kissed me
passionately.
After the kiss I asked, “You can handle it for one night?”
“Can you?” he asked.
“It’ll be hard, but I’ll try.”
“Then I’ll try too.”
Tony went to the bedroom and grabbed our suitcases. He took them to the car with me on his heels. We didn’t want a reason to come back to the house after the wedding because we would be heading to the airport to catch our flight, for the destination of the honeymoon, Tony was keeping secret.
Malinda pulled up as Tony was getting in his car. I went to the driver’s side and waited for him to roll the window down. Leaning into the window, I put my hand on the back of his neck kissing him as if it was our last kiss. Not wanting him to go, I held onto his neck without success. He had to be the one to release my lips and hand from him. Gently he pushed me away.
“I know this is hard for both of us, but tomorrow we’ll never be apart again,” he said tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Tomorrow,” I said.
He started the car and slowly backed out of the driveway. I watched the car until it was out of sight.
“Jess,” Malinda said. “We are going to have a great time tonight. You won’t have time to miss him. Now let’s go inside and you can show me your dress.”
Before I went inside I told myself to stop thinking of Tony and enjoy a single girl’s night with Malinda. It was one night I was never going to have again.
Malinda and I put her overnight bag in my bedroom. Unlocking the spare bedroom door and getting the dress out of the bag Malinda gasped. “It’s so beautiful. Who did you order it from?”
“I didn’t order it. I made it myself. What do you think?”
“No way, you made this. It’s too.”
“Perfect,” I added.
“If I ever get married I know who’ll be making my dress.”
I laughed. “You will someday,” I commented.
After the excitement over my dress, Malinda and I made a big bowl of popcorn, popped a scary movie into the DVD player, turned the lights off and settled back on the sofa. The movie was supposed to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and give you goose bumps on your arms.
Dhampir Love (Dhampir Secrets) Page 12