The wedding reception was held at a rather chic reception hall with a spectacular outdoor area. There were white love seats and gauzy drapes scattered around the grass and cement squares that covered the area. Cool, pink and lavender lighting set the tone for the evening that was slowly setting in as the sky transitioned from from blue to a deep violet. There were three open bars, tuxedoed waiters going around with hors d'oeuvres all accompanied by upbeat music being coordinated by a fantastic DJ. A combination of parents with money and pretty decent paying jobs made for some serious splurging.
Natalie wandered around to people watch. It was the usual interesting mix when people from different social circles are thrown together. Older relatives, younger friends, work associates, obligatory cousins. With an African-American bride and a Jewish groom, it was an even more motley mix. But everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Mia had brought a date; a brown-skinned woman who had to be at least 6 feet tall. The two were cuddled together on one of the love seats with glasses of champagne, smiling and whispering to one another, completely ignoring the distraught glances of some of the more conservative guests. Natalie laughed to herself…at least someone was making the most of the rather intimate seating. Again she thought of Jake.
The lights dimmed off and on again and an announcement was made that it was time for all the guests to come inside. The interior was even more lavish than the exterior. There were round tables everywhere, covered in white tablecloths and black napkins and place settings. Each held gigantic vases filled with white orchids and lilies. The walls were covered in white and black drapery giving the entire room a dramatic feel.
Before dinner was served, Denise and Ross had their first dance. The crowd gathered around the dance floor at the center of the room and watched as they held each other close and danced to Very Special by Debra Laws. Natalie could actually feel tears come to her eyes as she watched them, mostly out of complete happiness for her friend.
Afterward, Natalie sat at the main table with the rest of the wedding party and enjoyed the meal of salmon, asparagus spears, and fingerling potatoes. The champagne ran freely and eventually the room was abuzz with guests chatting one another up. After a few herself, Natalie was even beginning to feel a bit tipsy.
By the time the bride and groom cut the cake, the chatter and cheers were far more jubilant and less restrained. There was a loud cheer as each of them fed the other a tiny slice from the three layer masterpiece. Then everyone else rushed to eat their cake, ready to turn the reception into an actual party. Natalie supposed that’s what happens when you had an open bar and seemingly unlimited champagne.
It made the hora that kicked off the dancing portion of the reception a bit alarming. Natalie watched in excitement and terror as the bride and groom were lifted up in their chairs above the heads of the crowd. The couple’s expression radiated the same emotions as they smiled tightly at each other, holding on to either end of the handkerchief. There was a loud cheer and clapping when they were eventually set down. Natalie wasn’t sure if it was from relief or celebration.
Either way, the crowd was eager to start dancing and the DJ did his part to get it going. Natalie took turns dancing with various people she knew well or just in passing: Denise’s cousin, Ross’s best friend, Denise’s dad, Mia, even with Ross’s little niece. It was fun mix of R&B, pop music, disco, 80’s, 90’s even the occasional country line dancing song.
About an hour into it, Natalie was taking a break after dancing to More Than a Woman by the Bee Gees with her dad. They were sitting next to one another in a few vacated chairs next to the dance floor.
“So, I hope this wedding hasn’t given you any ideas” he warned. “Because if you think your mom and I can afford even these crazy flowers, you’re in for a disappointment.”
Natalie laughed. “At this point, I don’t even know if I have a real boyfriend,” she confessed.
“Oh?” her dad gave her a questioning look. “I thought you and Jake were…?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “We live on opposite coasts, for Pete’s sake. I mean, we do talk every night on the phone, and he flies out practically every other weekend so I can spend time with him.”
Her dad laughed.
She looked over at him and shrugged. “What?”
“Honey,” he said looking back at her with a gleam in his eye. “You’ve got a man who lives on the other side of the country but flies out ‘every other weekend,’ to come see you. Not only that but he talks to you every night on the phone. Men just don’t do that. Let me clarify, men don’t do that unless they are—what do the kids say—whipped? Either that, or this man is in love. I would like to think that I raised a daughter who knew better than to keep a man whipped.”
Natalie rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. “Don’t be ridiculous, dad. We’ve really only known each other for…goodness. I can’t even put a date on it, it’s been such a weird…relationship. Is it just these past three months? Do I even count—?” She quickly looked over at him embarrassed.
This only made him laugh out loud. “Oh come off it, Natalie,” he said. “I think at this point everyone in the whole family knows about Lake Tahoe. You can thank your Aunt Gloria for that one.”
“Ugh,” Natalie said cringing.
“Here’s my suggestion,” her dad said, reaching over to lift her chin up with his hands. “Stop trying to fit it into a box. Just let it be. Love doesn’t have to follow rules…it just is.”
Natalie looked down and sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she finally said.
“Good,” he said with finality. “Now this song coming on is my jam and I don’t want to go to the dance floor alone.”
Natalie laughed and got up to join him. He was taking her hand, leading her to the dance floor and that’s when she stopped in her tracks.
Jake was standing at the front entrance looking right at her.
JAKE
Jake looked at her and his breath caught in his throat.
She had on a flowing, black dress that highlighted the curves he loved so well. Her hair was up in some sort of fancy twist that left a few curled strands framing the sides of her face and neck. All of this was in the periphery of what he was really focused on: her face. The face that was looking back at him in shock.
His last weekend flight out to see her had been two weeks ago, right before he had to head off to London. Each time he saw her again it was like seeing her for the first time again. This morning he had been sitting in yet another breakfast meeting in London discussing minor details of the movie. Jake was beginning to think that Hollywood people just liked having excuses to get together at restaurants to talk to one another.
Jake had been staring out the window, thinking about Natalie as usual. They hadn’t talked the night before, which was a break in their nightly pattern. Even on another continent, he made it a point to call her. But last night she was busy with wedding preparations and hadn’t been able to talk. It hadn’t even been 48 hours and he missed the sound of her voice. It was at that point that he got up from the table, surprising everyone and completely stole a line from his favorite movie, Goodwill Hunting.
“I gotta see about a girl,” he proclaimed, leaving them confused and speechless.
With that he had caught a taxi to his hotel to collect his passport and pack a suit, then headed to Heathrow Airport to catch the first flight to L.A. It hadn’t been easy…or cheap. But looking at her standing there, more gorgeous than he’d ever seen her, it had been worth it.
She was with an older black man who had enough of her eyes and nose to make Jake think it was probably her father. The man looked at her in confusion as she stopped, then followed her gaze. His eyes shot up, then he leaned in to say something to his daughter. She gave a slight smile, her eyes never leaving Jake’s, and nodded.
Jake walked past the tables and onto the dance floor to meet her.
“Natalie,” he said smiling.
“Jake,” she brea
thed back, still astonished.
He stared at her for a moment longer, taking her in. Then he felt the eyes of the man next to her giving him a speculating look and turned to greet him.
“Oh, um,” Natalie said, flustered, “Jake, this is my dad. Daddy—Dad, this is Jake. Jake Cavanaugh. Jake Steele?” She was getting more flustered by the moment.
Jake smiled sympathetically but gave her dad a serious look. “Mr. Damond,” he said, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m extremely pleased to meet you.”
Her father was quick enough to take his hand, obviously not being the cliché type to make his daughter’s boyfriends work for his respect. Hopefully that meant she had been putting in a good word for him…despite how they’d met.
“Well, I’d say it’s about time I met the man who’s got my daughter so addled,” he said gripping his hand and pumping it twice.
“Daddy!” she cried, giving him an evil look.
Jake and her dad both laughed. That was a good sign.
“At any rate,” her father continued, “I was planning on dancing with my daughter again, but I think I’ll leave you two love birds to it.”
“Oh no—!” Jake began.
“Nonsense,” he put a hand up to end Jake’s protest. “I think I’ll get my wife to finally get on the dance floor. She’ll be wanting to meet you later on,” he said, giving Jake a pointed look.
“Yes, sir,” Jake said, amused at how deferential he was being towards the man, but certainly didn’t show it on his face.
With that her father left them alone. Jake wrapped his arms around Natalie and they made their way outside to one of the love seats. He felt the bare skin of her back underneath his hands and knew instantly that he had made the right decision.
“So,” she said, settling back into his chest as they sat down, “you decided to come anyway.”
“I decided to come anyway,” he echoed.
“That’s a long flight,” she mused.
“It is,” he agreed again.
She laughed and pulled herself up to twist and face him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, giving him a serious look.
“So am I,” he said, reaching up to cup her face in his hand.
She fell back into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a while, watching the night sky above them as the muted sounds of the dance floor inside wafted out to them.
“About New York?” Natalie asked, and he had an idea of where she was going.
“What about New York?” he proded.
“You know what about New York,” she turned around. “Did your publisher really pay for all of that?”
He stared at her. No lies.
“No. I wanted you there with me,” he confessed, staring into her eyes.
She smiled as she stared at him as if coming to an understanding. Still, her eyebrows shot up as she said, “That must have cost a fortune.”
“Not, quite a fortune,” he mused. “Still, that bed at the Ritz, though.”
She laughed and fell back against his chest. “Yeah, it was kind of nice.”
“I like being with you, Jake,” she said a moment later.
“I like being with you, Natalie,” he said, echoing her words again.
“I want you with me all the time,” she continued.
“You’ll get no complaints from me,” he said, smiling above her head.
They lay there, letting their confessions sink in.
“So where do we go from here?” she asked later on.
“Your place or mine?” he asked.
He could feel her laughing gently against his chest.
“Well, I have to admit, those fries…Animal Style, was it?” he asked. “Anyway, they were pretty impressive.”
“Indeed,” she said. “On the other hand, your apartment is way better than mine.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” he said. “Maybe I can find out later on tonight.”
She laughed, “No fair—I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Uh oh,” he said, teasingly, “Am I going to find your secret One Direction scrap book next to your bed?”
“Stop!” she said, laughing again while giving him a soft jab in the chest with her elbow.
“You know, there are a lot of libraries in New York,” he said.
“And a lot of mountains in California,” she responded.
“Hmm,” he continued. “My lease is up in a few months.”
“Well, let’s not be too hasty,” she said, “New York is…New York. And what about your sister?”
“Planes, trains, and automobiles,” he said. “I can afford all three. She’s been dying to take the kids to Disneyland anyway.”
Natalie pulled herself up again to turn and look at him. “Are we really having this discussion?”
He shrugged, “I just flew halfway across the world last minute to see you,” he said. “I guess we are.”
She leaned in to kiss him.
They were really doing this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Jake had just put the finishing touches on the next installment of the adventures of Nick and Naomi. It had been a stretch, but he had managed to work in a little detour to the Maldives so both of them could have a romantic getaway. He had been influenced by a very special individual, and who knew? Maybe life would imitate art.
He certainly hoped so.
He was idly staring into the fire, holding his first glass of whiskey and thinking about the past four months. How he had managed to pump out yet another full-length novel, while packing up his life in New York to move all the way across the country, was beyond him. Of course it helped to have a stunning muse.
He caught a figure at the bar in the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze to take in the shapely legs covered in thin, cotton stretch pants. They roamed over the very nice ass that jutted out temptingly as she leaned in to order something from the bartender. The only flaw he could see from the waist down was those god awful boots she had her feet stuffed into.
Her eyes wandered around the lounge as the bartender went to work making her drink. He saw that her face was just as alluring as the rest of her body. She caught his gaze and her eyes lowered with self-consciousness. He could see the creep of a smile forming at her lips. Perhaps this night would be more enjoyable than he thought.
She turned around to retrieve her drink and wandered over to where he sat near the fire. He could see it was a glass of something that looked like milk. His distaste must have been apparent on his face since she gave him a slight sneer.
All the same, she pointed to the seat across from him and raised an inquiring eyebrow. He lifted his hand toward the chair, inviting her to settle in. Gazing across the fire at her through his glass of whiskey was not a bad way to spend the evening. She settled in, bringing her boots up on the seat underneath her and placed the glass on the low table between them. Her eyes settled into the e-reader that she had brought with her.
Jake stared at the woman with a smile, watching as the flames danced across her gorgeous face. She reached out to grab her milk and that’s when he decided to make his move.
“I can’t watch you like this,” he said.
Her eyes shot up at him in surprise. “Excuse me?” she asked.
He got up out of his seat and went around the table to kneel in front of her. Her eyes were wild with confusion.
“You’re breaking the ritual,” she scolded.
“Well it served me well last time,” he responded. “But I can’t watch you without seeing this on your finger,” he said, bringing a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket and opening it for her.
She gasped at the rather large diamond that sparkled in the firelight.
“Natalie Damond, will you marry me?” he asked. He waited with bated breath as she stared at the ring and then up at his face.
Instead of responding, she leaned down, wrapped her arms a
round him and gave him the best and longest kiss they had ever shared.
Then she said yes.
Thank you for reading!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Camilla Stevens is a New York transplant from Los Angeles. By day she is a humble librarian. At night you can find her typing away, usually with a glass of wine, getting all the steamy Happily Ever After stories out of her head and down on the screen.
She loves writing about fun romantic adventures between lone-wolf, alpha males and the perfectly imperfect women who make them fall in love.
When she isn't writing, she enjoys sitting in Starbucks with the New York Times crossword puzzle, wandering around the city, gorging on tacos, traveling to foreign countries, and tulip season in New York! You can usually find tulips making an appearance in most of her novels.
Want to read the occasional follow ups to the Happily Ever Afters in her books (sometimes with happy little surprise updates)? Follow her on Facebook, where you can also find out about upcoming releases, Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) and promotional sales.
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One Night: A BWWM Interracial Romance Page 19