by Ann, Natalie
“Dang. You guys all suck.” She pouted, then giggled, bouncing on her toes, her eyes filling with tears as she happily said, “I’m having a baby.”
Everyone rushed forward, offering their congratulations again, leaving Presley to take a few steps back toward the couch. She was happy for Cori, actually happy for everyone in the room, even though she still felt out of place.
But everyone was trying to make her feel welcome and she appreciated that. Especially Kaitlin, by requesting Presley hang out with the girls before the wedding. And yesterday for a spa day. Presley had never been one for going to the spa, but she had to admit, it was nice to lie there and let someone pamper her.
“Why didn’t you say anything? You of all people… I expected you’d be telling everyone,” Beth said, handing over a tissue to Cori and ordering her in the chair so she could fix her makeup.
“We were going to wait until after Kaitlin’s wedding.” Cori made eye contact with Kaitlin in the mirror. “When you two came back from Hawaii. We didn’t want to take anything away from your wedding. And besides, I’m only eight weeks, so really only a few ahead of you. Imagine that, Brooke and Beth were pregnant together, and now you and I.”
Kaitlin walked closer to Cori and put her arms around her shoulders. “Come here, everyone, group hug. I know it’s corny and I don’t care. It’s my wedding day, so I’m entitled. You too, Presley, get over here. Look at us, all just one big happy family.”
***
Presley watched Ben, standing at the alter gazing at his sister while she walked down the aisle. What a softie he was. There was moisture in his eyes. He couldn’t hide it from her, not that she really thought he was hiding it from anyone. Everyone there knew how close Kaitlin and Ben were.
Then he turned his gaze on her, and her breath caught in her throat. The look he was sending her was so full of tenderness and, well… love. At least it looked like love to her. It was the same look Ryan was giving Kaitlin as she walked down the aisle.
Three hours later, with Ben’s hands on her hips, resting just above her behind, and her arms wrapped around his neck on the dance floor, Presley said seductively, “I can’t tell you how good you look in that tux.”
“I could say the same about you in that dress,” he replied, running his hand up her bare back and shoulders.
“Do you like it? I picked it out especially for you,” she said. She didn’t need to tell him how long it had taken her to find the perfect dress for this wedding. Ryan and Kaitlin’s wedding was nothing like any other wedding she had been to before, and there was no way she had a dress in her closet for it.
She had been thrilled when she saw the long, blue, fitted gown in the boutique. Not that she had been trying, but the dress went perfectly with the blue suede heels Ben had bought her for Christmas. And if the back of the gown plunged low and revealed she was braless underneath, she didn’t care, because he seemed to appreciate every part of the gown. Nor did he seem to care that with those same heels on she was just a few inches shy of his height.
“I like it very much. Matter of fact,” he said, leaning in and whispering in her ear, “I’m going to like it even more when I see what is under it. Or should I say, what little there is under it.”
He ran his hand up and down her back once more for good measure and her body gave an involuntary shiver. “How long do we have to stay here?”
“Oh, I’d say about another hour and we can leave. Can you make it that long?”
“Of course I can.” She turned her head and whispered in his ear, “If you make it worth my wait.”
***
“Looks like you might have another wedding on your hands soon,” Thomas Mathews said to his good friend William.
The two men had been watching Ben and Presley on the floor for a few minutes, and William had to admit it did his heart good to see Ben slowly returning back to his normal self. There was still a ways to go, but Ben was getting there. And it seemed he was slowly getting somewhere else too. “She’s a good girl. I just hope it works out. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ben this happy.”
Thomas slapped William on the back. “Well, if there is one thing we learned from Ryan and Kaitlin, it’s to keep our distance. If you push, he will pull back.”
“I know,” William said. “Which is why I’m way over here when I would much rather be on the dance floor with Isabel close by to hear what they’re saying to each other.”
“I’m pretty sure we can figure out what they’re saying to each other based on the movements of Ben’s hands.”
“Well, he is my boy,” William said, chuckling.
Domestic
Ben opened his eyes to the darkness, reached his hand over, grabbed his phone off the bedside table, and checked the time. Just shy of five in the morning. Well, almost five hours of straight sleep. Not bad. More than he’d had in a long time.
He looked down at Presley sleeping on her stomach next to him with her hand on his chest. They had returned to the room over seven hours ago, urgently trying to undress each other, Presley even going so far as to shove him onto the bed, climbing on top of him and undressing him herself. Until he slowed her down.
He didn’t want to rush, not this time. He never considered himself a sentimental person, but watching his baby sister get married yesterday touched him. Those deep emotions flooded his body and soul, forcing him to go slow and savor the moment with Presley.
It was a change for them. They always seemed rushed, urgent, and frantic to get to each other, fueled by more desire than he ever had with another woman. Last night he wanted slow and steady. He wanted to hold her, feel every movement of her body, caress every inch of her—love her.
Afterward she had laid on his chest, her hand absently moving over his torso and abs. He didn’t think she was even aware of what she was doing. He had run his hand over her head, leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll try not to break your heart.” She stilled, lifted her head and looked into his eyes, and he saw them fill with tears. “I promise. I’ll try my hardest not to ever hurt you.”
Sliding up his body, she placed her lips on his and said in return, “I’ll try my hardest not to hurt you either.”
Now, looking over at her, he realized he would do anything for her. He would lay his life on the line like he did for any of his men in the Navy. And as much as he was falling for her, the pressure that those feelings evoked in him was hard to reconcile.
Especially after everything that happened over a year and a half ago. But he would find a way to resolve the stress of it. Looking down at the ring on his finger, he thought to himself, he had to, because he wasn’t willing to let her go.
With a sigh of regret, he slid out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes, took a quick shower, then slipped out of the room without a sound, making his way through one more check of the floor. He had already checked twice before he fell asleep last night—unbeknownst to Presley—just in case there was anyone lingering in the halls.
The halls were quiet, not a sound to be heard. They had the whole floor blocked off for family and friends. Several people chose to drive home last night, especially those with kids, but a handful spent the night. A big storm had been in the forecast, though thankfully as luck would have it, it was pushed back and wouldn’t start until later tonight. At least the newlyweds would get off on their trip with no delays.
As Ben reached the end of the hall, he heard voices coming from his brother Phil’s room. Moving closer, he realized one voice was definitely female. The lucky dog, Ben thought with a smirk, then wondered who it was, since Phil had attended the wedding solo.
With his back to the wall and his ear to the door, his eyes widened when he recognized the voice. Oh boy, that could be trouble. And it didn’t sound like the voices were too happy on the other side right now, either.
When he heard the door handle turn, he moved quickly around the corner and out of sight, then waited until the coast was clear before returning to his own room.
That had indeed been a shock, one he didn’t see coming… and he saw everything coming before it happened.
***
Later that morning during breakfast, Presley looked around the table at the remaining wedding guests. Very few people were left: Ben’s immediate family, Ryan’s parents, Ryan, Kaitlin, Jack, Cori and Sophia. Brooke and Lucas had driven home last night with Beth and Mac, since they both wanted to get home to their children.
Kaitlin and Ryan seemed to be having the time of their life, not even looking a bit tired, even though she would bet anything they didn’t get much sleep last night. She knew if it were her wedding night, she wouldn’t have slept much at all.
Gazing around the table some more, she felt different. She actually felt like part of the family, just like Kaitlin had said last night. And that was odd for her, having never really belonged to a family or group of people quite like the ones around the table.
Last night, the group of girls had no blood relation to them at all. A few were brought together by marriage, but other than that, it was friendships. Stronger friendships than any blood relationship she had ever witnessed.
She was amazed at how she longed to be part of it. The funny thing was, she never really went looking for it, yet here it was, right in her lap. Crazy how things happened that way.
“Enjoying yourself? Not too much family overload, I hope?” Ben asked, drawing her right out of her thoughts and making her wonder how he always knew what was going on in her mind.
“Yes, I’m enjoying myself. And no, no family overload.”
He picked her hand up under the table and gave it a squeeze. “Good, then maybe you wouldn’t mind going to dinner at my mom’s in a few hours. I thought we could stop on the way home.”
“Dinner? She is okay with us just stopping over without warning?” Presley questioned, feeling unsure of herself again at the moment, and not positive why.
Ben shook his head, amusement evident. “She doesn’t care. I eat over there almost every Sunday, the same with Alec and Phil. Even Ryan and Kaitlin stop in a few times a month. There is always plenty of food.” Her uncertainty obviously showed on her face, causing Ben to squeeze her hand tighter, then lean in and give her a quick kiss on the lips in front of everyone. “Really, Presley,” he whispered against her lips. “It’s fine, but I can ask her right now if you want.”
“No, please don’t. I feel silly as it is. If you’re sure it’s okay, then yes, I’d like that.”
“If you didn’t act silly, then you wouldn’t feel that way. And yes, it’s good. I’ll tell her after breakfast. My guess is we’ll eat early. That will give us plenty of time to get back to Albany before the storm hits.”
She looked at his face, saw hope in his eyes, saw he was holding back something, and took a guess at what it was. “Want to stay at my place tonight?”
He squeezed her hand again. “Actually I was going to suggest you stay with me. If we get the amount of snow I think, then I need to get up and clear the driveway before work. Plus, you will be able to leave your car in the garage, no rushing to clean it off before you leave.”
That would be nice. Actually, this whole weekend was more than nice. It was homey… and domestic, if truth were told. And downright scary to her right now. Maybe she should go home and give herself some space.
“No pressure, Presley. I can drop you off at your place and go back to my house if you think you need a little alone time.”
Damn, how did he always know what she was thinking? Then again, she seemed to always know what was going on in his mind too. She fought to take him up on that offer. Part of her wanted to be alone, but the other part didn’t.
The other part of her was becoming dependent on Ben. She didn’t care for that feeling at all. But she needed to work it out on her own. It was her problem, not his. “No, your house is fine.” She leaned over and gave him a reassuring kiss.
He pulled her close, putting one arm around her shoulder and giving her a hug. Then she caught his mother’s knowing look and quickly averted her eyes, only to see Alec elbowing Phil while his brothers watched her and Ben’s every move. There was no escaping family at the moment, and she found she really didn’t care in the least.
***
“Getting a little cozy there, aren’t you?” Alec asked Ben a few hours later when Presley stood up to go to the bathroom.
“Alec,” William interrupted, “leave your brother alone.” There was no way he was letting his other sons mess this up for Ben. And if they started in on Ben, that could happen. He wouldn’t interfere any other way, other than to prevent his boys from ruining a good thing.
“Yeah, Alec. Leave me alone,” Ben said, laughing at Alec’s disgruntled look.
“Hey, Dad, you’ve never gotten in the middle of us before. Why now?” Phil asked, curiously.
William hated what he was about to say, but it had to be said. He just hoped Phil understood. “Because I like Presley. And if you two boys mess this up”—William stopped mid-sentence, then turned to Ben—“or you mess this up—then I’m taking you out of my will.” All of his boys laughed at him. He had made that threat plenty of times over the years, and they knew he was only kidding. But he wasn’t kidding about not wanting Ben to mess this up.
Stubborn
“Presley,” Ben said, leaning over and giving her shoulder a little nudge. “Wake up.” No sound or movement on her part. He bent over and gave her a kiss on the lips. “Hey, babe, wake up for a minute.”
“What?” she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open to see him looming over her.
“You can go back to sleep in a second, honey.” He ran his hand across her cheek. “There is a lot of snow out there and the streets aren’t cleared yet. The driveway is, though, and your car is fine in the garage. I’m going to work now. Don’t leave until the roads are clear enough though.”
“Okay,” she said sleepily.
He closed his eyes, breathed in her scent that he knew would be on his pillows and sheets later tonight when he went to bed, then gave her another kiss and walked out the door without making a noise.
***
Driving into work hours later, Presley marveled at the mess on the roads. Though they were clear enough for driving, they were still pretty slick. This type of weather always brought the crazies out and flooded the ER. She was never so glad to move over to the Pediatric Ward. Her one-year stint in the ER on third shift had been enough for her.
She parked her car, loving how easy it was to get up and just start it up and drive away this morning, something she had never been able to do in the dead of winter in her life. She always hated how long it took her to clean her car off and warm it up before she left in the winter.
Work for her should be slow tonight. She would be willing to bet most visitors were staying home, so the kids would be bored. She would have to think of something to entertain them so they didn’t get antsy.
For the most part, she loved her job. Loved working with the kids, even the seriously sick ones. They were such a challenge—and an inspiration.
She hated watching their fights and their struggles but loved their triumphs when they left healthy and strong. That more than made up for the few that didn’t leave at all, or didn’t leave strong enough to make it. She tried not to think of those children.
After punching in, she walked into Sarah’s room, saw her smiling face and thought this was one of her kids—because she thought of them as hers when they were here—that was going to leave strong and healthy. She refused to think otherwise. “What’s up there, girlie? How are you feeling?”
“I feel good,” Sarah said, then looked out the window and sighed.
“What’s wrong, Sarah?” Presley asked. Sometimes the teenage girls were the worst. She knew there was something on Sarah’s mind and guessing games could get tiring, but Presley was feeling too good this morning to even care.
Ben’s little endearments this morning when he woke her had warmed her good, sent her he
art fluttering, and made all those nervous feelings about getting too close to him start to vanish.
“Nothing.”
“This is me you’re talking to,” she said knowingly.
Sarah changed the subject. “Is it really cold outside?”
“Yes, it is. And messy. I’ve never liked the winter or the snow,” Presley said with an exaggerated shiver.
“I do,” Sarah replied. “I like to ski.”
Ah, Presley thought, then walked over and sat on the corner of the bed. “You will be back out there this time next year.”
“Do you think? I mean honestly, Presley, I can take it. I can take the truth,” Sarah asked, fighting through the tears in her eyes and looking much older than her sixteen years.
“I really do, Sarah. You know I’m not a doctor, but your treatments are working. You’ve been told all of this. And you are strong and stubborn. Sometimes stubbornness is a good thing,” she said, patting Sarah’s hand.
“Ben doesn’t think so.”
“What? What doesn’t Ben think?” Presley couldn’t imagine Ben saying anything negative to Sarah regarding her recovery.
“He doesn’t think stubborn is a good thing.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I heard him one day on the phone. He didn’t know I was there, but I heard him tell someone that you could be so stubborn, but he thought you would come around. Then he laughed, so maybe he thought it was funny.”
She just bet Ben did find it funny. Now she needed to figure out what he thought she was being so stubborn about. “When was this, Sarah?” Then Presley fought back the urge to cringe. She couldn’t believe she was talking to a sixteen-year-old about her relationship with Ben. It felt so juvenile even to her. Of course, it did make sense at the moment.
“It was a week ago. I think he was talking to his sister maybe. He said Kaitlin, and he told me his sister’s name one day. I didn’t hear everything, just that he would talk to you about it and not to worry.”