by Paige Steele
“Haha, I know but you said you’d do it.” I can’t control my laughing; the look on his face is priceless.
“You better be joking, girl.”
“I am, but the look on your face is hysterical.”
“Very funny, Ansley, now what can I really help you with?”
“Well…I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of walking me down the aisle and giving me away? I don’t have my mom here to do it, and she’d love knowing that you stood in for her.” I hadn’t even noticed a tear sliding down my cheek until he brushes it away. After standing up, he takes my hands in his, pulls me up, and wraps his arms around me.
“Of course I’ll do it, Ans. It’d be an honor.”
“Are you sure? Cause I could always ask Mr. Brewis or your dad to do it.”
“Absolutely not, girl. I will be giving you to Cooper.”
“Thanks, Ry. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to since you’re already being Coop’s best man.”
“I can do both for my two best friends, after all I was there when this little thing called love all started. I pretty much saw it before the two of you figured it all out.”
“Of course you did. But truly, thanks, Ry. There’s no one I’d rather have do it than you.”
“Good, now that it’s settled, what’s for lunch? I’m starved.”
He stays for another hour while we have sandwiches together and talk about how crazy it’s been. He starts telling me how his mom is hinting that it’s his turn next, but he says they are living together right now and will take it one step at a time. I’m not worried really, because I know they are meant for each other, just like Coop and I are.
Right after Ryan leaves, I hustle around to make the appointment to pick up my dress before I head over to where I am meeting up with my bridesmaids, plus the guys’ moms. Once I arrive, I see everyone sitting at a large round table at the sports bar. The sides of the building are slid open, giving it an outdoorsy feel while you sit inside. The warm breeze is blowing through on this hot spring day.
The ladies are all sipping on drinks when I sit down. I notice there is one in front of my chair, waiting for me, when I get settled. I’ve brought them their gifts for being in the wedding, and I can’t wait to give them all a token of my love.
We sit chatting for a while, the mothers are letting me know all the things they’ve taken care of, and what still needs to be looked into. There isn’t much the two of them haven’t done. I’m grateful for all their help. I realize as they talk, there is no way I could have done this without them.
“So, the real reason why I wanted to have this little get together is so I can thank you all for what you’ve done for Coop and me. Without each and every one of you, and all that you’ve done, we probably would be having this wedding at a drive-through chapel in Vegas.” A round of laughter breaks out.
“No doubt,” Maddie says.
“Over my dead body would that have happened,” Cooper’s mom states, causing another round of laughs.
Reaching over, I place a hand over his mom’s, to reassure her that I wouldn’t have let that happen. “No, but seriously that would have been a strong possibility if your son had his way. He told me just the other day that we could run away and elope and then just have a party.”
“I would have killed him.” She’s smiling, but I know she’s also very serious.
“Now I want to give you all something to say thank you for always being there for me. You are all my family. I love you all very much.”
“Stop it, Jesus you are going to make me cry already.” Kenna catches a tear in the corner of her eye before it falls.
“No freaking kidding,” comes out of Josie’s mouth.
“We got you, girl, always no matter what,” Maddie chimes in.
Both mothers express their love for me as well. I feel like I finally have a family again. One that I know will love me forever. I’m sure my mom is looking down, watching this, and resting peacefully, knowing that I am loved by all these ladies.
I start to hand out the bags I embroidered for them, with their initials on the front. One by one they all take out their packages inside. Everything they open also has their initials somewhere on the item. The silk robes, they open first, are all different colors to match their personalities. Maddie got hot pink, Josie’s is lime green, Kenna’s is fire red, and both moms receive light pink ones. Next is their Unstoppable Love silver bracelets and necklaces, each has a shimmering diamond that sparkles at every angle. Once I saw the title of them, I knew they were the ones that I needed to buy for them. Lastly are their flip-flops, each of the girls has a pair that says ‘bridesmaid’ written on them. When the mothers both pull out theirs; they read ‘Mom,’ this causes a round of tears from them.
“Ans, you did too much,” Kenna says.
“No, I didn’t. I couldn’t do any of this without you all, and I wanted you to know that.”
“These are beautiful,” Josie says, looking at the bracelet around her wrist.
“I fell in love with them when I walked into the jewelry store.”
The girls all jump out of their chairs, throw their arms around me, and squeeze me into a big hug. ‘I love yous’ are said by us all and kisses to each other’s cheeks. Mrs. Evans and my future mother-in-law start snapping pictures immediately.
I can’t help myself; tears blur my vision as I sit staring at my family. After another hour of storytelling, we call it a day and all head home. As I drive, it starts to set in that tomorrow will be the day before my wedding. Wow, I can’t believe it, to tell you the truth. Pulling into my driveway, I notice Cooper’s truck is here, when he told me he’d be gone for the day.
“Hey, I’m home!” I shout out as I walk through the door.
“You’re back early!” he yells back from upstairs.
“I didn’t know we set a time for me to return,” I shoot back to him with a scowl on my face. I’m a bit confused as to why it matters.
“Well, I just thought you’d be back in a couple more hours.”
I start up the stairs toward him as Cooper bolts out of the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He looks very secretive, and now he’s piqued my interest even more. What has he done? With him…hard telling.
“What are you up to?” I ask, smiling at him.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you blocking the door?”
“Because.”
“Because why, Coop?”
“It’s a surprise, okay?”
“When do I get to see it?”
“Later.”
“Later, when?”
“After dinner but before bed. How’s that?”
“Why not now?”
“Because I said so,” he says, as he lifts me up, throwing me over his shoulder. Swatting my ass, we make our way down to the kitchen. As he sets me on my feet, he locks his lips with mine until my breath is taken away. I open my eyes, staring directly into his. His hands are still on the sides of my face, holding me in place.
“I love you.”
“I love you more,” I whisper back as my breath hitches.
He lets me go slowly, and I take in the sight before me. There are flowers everywhere. Gerber daisies are my favorite and he knows it, so there is every color you can think of in vases spread across the room. The lights are on the dim setting, candles are flickering, and dinner is set out for us.
Right away I’m thinking…Did I forget something? What is going on?
“Coop, this is beautiful.”
“No, you’re beautiful.”
“Stop, I mean it. Wow, I don’t even know what to say.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Did you do all this?”
“I did.” He smiles down at me.
“So are you going to tell me why I deserve all this?”
“Because you are you. My best friend, the love of my life, and the person I will spend forever with. I love you, Ansley, with all my heart.”
�
��Cooper Brewis, I love you more than words can say.”
Our lips touch softly together, staying that way until I pull away slowly. We stay with our arms embraced tightly around each other for a while, before he suggests we eat. Our conversation starts out all about the wedding and what still needs to be done, then it turns to the races that are coming up, just one week after our big day. All the guys have been trying to practicing every day, early in the morning so they’ll be ready for the upcoming Motocross season.
After dinner, Cooper sweeps me into a dance across the living room floor, before cradling me into his arms as he walks up the stairs to our bedroom. Setting me on my feet, he kisses me once again. With one hand on my back and one hand on the doorknob, he smiles down at me. It’s finally time to see what he’s been hiding behind this door.
“Should I be scared?”
“No,” he says with a chuckle.
“Will I like it?”
“I hope,” he chuckles again.
“Coop, what have you done?” My curiosity is starting to get the best of me.
“You’ll see, but remember I did it for you, because you wanted to show me what you’ve learned.”
“What are you talking…” I start to say as he slides the door open, “about?” My jaw drops as he moves out of the way. There, in one of the corners of our bedroom, is a shiny silver pole. Oh My God!
“You didn’t?”
“I did. You like it?”
Turning around on my heels, I face him with one hell of shocked look on my face.
“You said you’d show me your moves, if you had a pole, and if you were sober. So…here ya go, Beautiful.”
“You do remember I was pretty hammered when I said it, right?” A giggle escapes me as I turn back around and stare at it again.
I step into the bedroom while continuing to stare at it. Can I really do it? Maybe I should see just how much Mr. Brewis can handle…a little strip tease show might be in order.
Cooper
Standing behind her, I try to gauge her reaction. I’m not sure if she’s going to swat me for getting her this or if she’s ready to swing around it.
“Honey, say something. I was hoping you’d agree to show me all those moves you were trying to master on the bus.”
She tilts her head to the side, looking over her shoulder at me. I immediately lean down to put a kiss to her exposed neck. Dragging my tongue up to her jawline, I nibble a bit on her earlobe before pulling her tightly against me, her back to my front. She drops the back of her head against my chest, letting me pursue her neck freely. Turning her to face me, I swipe my tongue across her lips. She surprises me by taking me by the hand, leading me to the lounge chair that’s in our room, and pushing me backwards until I fall down on it. This is where she starts to blow my mind, a vision I won’t soon forget.
First, she walks over and sets the Bose Wave Soundtouch stereo to the station that has all our favorite songs programmed in. As she struts back to me, Pillowtalk by Zayn starts to come through the speakers. She slowly removes the top she’s wearing and tosses it to me, reaching up; I catch it with one hand. Piece by piece, articles of clothing fly at me until she’s standing in just her black see-through bra and thong set. She makes her way over to the pole, wrapping one hand around it. Her other hand reaches up, allowing herself the ability to curl her legs around until she is swinging in the air in a circle. After a half-hour, she ends her performance when she flips upside down, gliding downward until she brings her feet back to the floor.
If I wasn’t already madly in love with her, I would be now. That had to be the hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. I sit in amazement for a moment before I pounce on her. I can’t help myself. Picking her up, her legs go around my waist, locking her ankles together against my back. Her hands are on my shoulders while mine are on her ass. She must know how turned I am by the way she starts grinding against my hardness as I attack her mouth with mine. She opens herself up to me like she always does. My tongue tangles with hers and we are lost in each other’s arms.
Walking over to the bed, I drop one knee, climbing us up into the center of it. Resting her back down, my body never leaves contact with hers. When her fingers start to lace through my hair and slightly tug, I’m turned on even more. I hear a small whine come from her mouth as I pull away to lean up, so I can strip off my clothing.
“God you truly are beautiful, you know that?”
My hands slide up her legs until my thumbs hook on her thong. I take them off slowly and then her bra follows. Once there are no barriers between us, I glide into the most perfect spot in the world. Now that she’s on the pill, there is absolutely nothing that separates us, and it feels amazing. Her body hugs me tightly and I’m in heaven.
I tuck her closely against my body until we both fall asleep. Since she will be sleeping over at Kenna and Ryan’s tomorrow night with the girls, I’m keeping her as close as I can tonight.
Waking up Friday morning, I know she’ll be leaving me soon, so I take advantage of our time together by making love to her one last time. She responds like she always does, never hesitating, never denying me, but always willing to welcome me into the very spot that was made just for me.
Ansley informs me that there are only three things I need to worry about today: grab the tuxes with the guys, stop by the jewelry store to pick up our rings and then our rehearsal dinner tonight. Though I also can’t forget to ask the jeweler for the special item I bought for my future wife, that she knows nothing about.
After I finish running around, we are going to get a ride in. Considering Ryan was kicked out of his house for the night, he’ll be staying over as well as Jesse and Adam. Trey and Cole will be over to ride, and to meet up for dinner, but will be heading back to their house tonight.
“What time is Kenna picking you up?”
“Shortly after ten, she said. What time are you meeting up with everyone?”
“I think about the same time.” She pulls a purple sundress over her head, slipping it on. I stare because, well, I can.
She walks out, heading down to make coffee, while I dress and follow shortly behind her.
The day passes by quickly, and once again, we are getting ready together to head out; this time for the rehearsal dinner with friends and family. My father took care of everything tonight though. He picked the location, the menu, and paid the check. I’ve enjoyed having both my parents and Ryan’s here. Now it’s time to call it a night, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
“Say goodbye, big boy. It’s time for your lady to sleep with me,” Kenna says with a wink, right after we walk out of the restaurant.
“Sleep in your house, yes, with you…no.” I wink back her.
“What you don’t know, won’t hurt you,” Maddie laughs.
“Not worried.” I pull Ansley in my arms and kiss her hard. She melts against me and justifies my answer perfectly.
Whispering in her ear, I let her know I’m not happy with this tradition. “This is the fucking stupidest thing, you know this, right?”
“You’ll be okay for one night,” she states, placing one hand on my cheek, and a small kiss to my lips.
“Just tell them you don’t care and come home with me.”
“I can’t do that and you know it.”
“You can.”
“I love you. Tomorrow I become your wife. Don’t forget to write your vows tonight, keep them clean.” She smiles at me before placing another peck to my lips.
“Dirty vows would sound so much better, don’t ya think?”
“Not in front of our family and friends.”
“So I’ll write two, one for them and one for you behind closed doors.” I smirk back at her.
“You do that,” she giggles, “until tomorrow, my love.”
Wrapping my arms completely around her waist, I hold her tight. Dropping my forehead to hers, I close my eyes, taking a deep breath of her scent in. We say our goodbyes one more time, with words and connecti
ng our lips together. Then she walks away with Kenna, Josie, and Maddie, while I climb into Ryan’s truck.
Once home, Adam decides we need to have a toast to my last night of bachelorhood. Shots are poured and then speeches are given.
“Here’s to the first night being husband and wife.” Jesse keeps it short.
“Here’s to you, bud, but you know what they say…have fun, be good, if you can’t be good…be careful, but if you can’t be good or careful then here’s to you naming it after me. Good luck,” Ryan says with a chuckle.
A round of laughter breaks out then it’s Adams turn. “I wish you all the luck in the world, and thank God, it’s you and not me tying the knot.”
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, knowing that I’ll be with Ansley forever is everything.”
“Jesus, boys, he’s more pussy whipped than I realized,” Adam comes back with, which causes Trey and Cole to immediately pick up their glasses and clank theirs to his. Jesse and Ryan laugh as well, while holding up their cups.
“Fuck you all, wait ‘til you find someone, Jackass, you’ll see. You’ll be right behind me, just ask Ryan.”
“Don’t get me involved in this one,” Ryan says holding up his one hand.
“You’re fucking crazy, my life is perfect the way it is, going from city to city, enjoying a warm body and then saying goodbye.”
I just laugh, he’ll figure it out one day, and when he does, I’ll be there saying, “I told ya so.”
After a few rounds of pool, and a whole bunch of stories told by all, we call it a night. Lying in bed, I think back to when I first met her, started noticing her as a ‘girl’ and not just my friend, how I thought she was beautiful, and when my feelings really started to develop for her. She knocked my socks off several times, but I fought it because I kept telling myself that she was just a friend, then I became somewhat nervous, just like she felt, that we’d lose our friendship.
I can’t sleep past five so I give up; my mind is already racing at a hundred miles an hour. Rolling over, I pick up the ring box that sits on my nightstand. Opening it, I stare at the one I’ll be slipping on her finger in just a few hours. I then reach over and pick up the wedding gift from me, which she’ll be getting delivered to her dressing room at the church. Getting up, I get a shower in before I even head down to get coffee. Walking out of my room, I shoot Ansley a quick text.