**Nice work, tonight. She didn’t suspect a thing.**
I waited for a reply, but it didn’t take long.
**Don’t thank me yet. Wait until your wedding night. I set you up so good, Camden. Don’t you forget who shouted her last name to you when she was blowing you off. None of this would be happening if it weren’t for me.**
**I realize this. And I am grateful.**
**Just remember: my birthday’s in September and I like diamonds.**
**Haha, noted.**
**She loves you, Cam, and that makes you damn lucky.**
**I know that too. See you Saturday?**
**Wouldn’t miss it for the world.**
The next two days were a strange juxtaposition of passing slowly yet still not filled with enough time. There was so much to do, so many loose ends to tie up. I was afraid we wouldn’t get everything done, but somehow we managed. Thursday and Friday, Riley left for work like normal and I got up and readied myself for work just like I always did, but after she kissed me goodbye and drove away, I took off my suit, changed into jeans, and went to work on the plan that had a very short window of opportunity.
Truth be told, Friday night I probably didn’t get much sleep at all. I was too wired. Too nervous, too anxious, too excited, too scared out of my mind. But I was also so fucking happy.
When the sun rose on Saturday, part of me wanted to shake her as soon as the light filtered in through the window. I wanted to wake her up and shout my news to the rooftops with her, but I reined myself in—barely.
We’d worked everything out, planned every detail practically down to the minute, and I knew I needed to let her sleep as long as possible. The minutes ticked by slowly, but I cherished every one as I watched Riley sleep.
Finally she roused, eyes fluttering open, back arching, arms stretching over her head.
She finally met my gaze and smiled back at me with the warmth of so much love in her eyes.
“Hey,” she said, her voice still scratchy from sleep. “How long have you been awake?”
“A while,” I answered, opening my arms and watching as she scooted toward me, wrapping one arm around my middle and resting her head in the crook of my shoulder, just like I knew she would.
“Feeling okay?”
“Yeah, just thinking.”
“About?” she prodded.
“Us, the wedding, life.”
“So nothing too heavy for a Saturday morning,” she said with a laugh.
Her laugh. It was the best sound in the world. I never thought myself to be excessively sentimental, but I loved the way she looked when she laughed and how it made me feel. If Riley was happy, then everything was right in my world.
“Marry me,” I asked her quietly.
The side of her mouth tipped up into a small smile. “I’ve already agreed to that. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Marry me. Today.”
“Today?” Her head pulled back and she examined me closer, her brow furrowing in the middle.
“Go with me to Vegas. Marry me. Today.”
“We can’t get married today.”
I expected the resistance at first. Riley was a planner and needed control over all aspects of her life, so I was prepared for a small fight.
“Why not? You’ve got a dress, and some sexy things to wear under it. I’ve got a suit. Why wait?”
“What about our parents?”
I gave a shrug. “We’ll have a reception sometime this summer.”
“You don’t think your parents will be mad you got married without them?”
“They’ll get over it. Besides, the only person I really want at my wedding is you.” I leaned forward and kissed her gently. She kissed me back, but I could tell her mind was reeling.
“We can’t elope.”
I brought my hand to her face and rubbed my thumb over her bottom lip.
“We can. I want you to be my wife. Let’s be wild and crazy, throw caution to the wind, just like we did during halftime on the Jumbotron. Trust me.”
“You really want to just get on a plane and get married?”
My heart began thundering as she started to actually consider it. I wanted her to say yes, to agree to focus on us and do something for just the two of us.
“I really want to be your husband.”
“Today?”
“Today.”
Her eyes darted wildly between mine, back and forth, as she considered my words. I knew she was weighing everything in her mind, trying to justify leaving all our friends and family in the dust and doing something so incredibly huge without them. But finally she gave me the answer I was looking for.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Yes,” she said excitedly, nodding and smiling, eyes filling with tears.
I rolled over her, kissing her, hoping to show her what it meant to me, the relinquishment of control, the fact that she’d give up everything for me, even if I knew shortly she’d realize she wasn’t giving up anything.
She kissed me back, her knees bending and pulling up to capture my waist, allowing my hips to sink between her thighs. Fuck, how I wanted to peel her clothes off and sink into her, to take that moment and brand it with more than just a kiss, but we had to get moving.
I kissed down her throat and chest, then grabbed her hands and pulled her to a sitting position.
“We’ve got to get a move on. I’m going to start packing while you get in the shower.”
“Is this really happening?” she giggled.
“Yes, get up,” I said, tossing a pillow at her.
“Shouldn’t we check flights?”
“Babe, it’s Vegas. They’ve got flights all the time to Vegas. We’ll book one when we get to the airport.”
“Oh my God,” she cried, covering her face with her hands. “Hadley’s going to kill me.”
“She’ll be fine. Get. Up.”
She threw the covers off her body and went to the bathroom, mumbling to herself about her whole family hating her. But she was smiling, so I knew it was all right.
I heard the water turn on and could tell Riley had gotten in a minute later, so I grabbed my phone and sent off a text.
**Operation Vegas Shenanigans is go for green. I repeat, Operation Vegas Shenanigans is go for green.**
**Read you loud and clear. Bridal squadron is on the move and our ETA is eleven hundred. All soldiers present and accounted for. Over and out, old buddy.**
**You totally ruined the military theme of this whole operation by calling me old buddy.**
**Beggars can’t be choosers, Camden. I am far from a military man.**
**Right, but your sign off sounded more like a trucker than a navy seal. I’m just saying.**
**Shut up and get your bride to Vegas.**
I had to laugh. It was going to be a great day.
I helped Riley pack, which turned out to be more of a production than I’d anticipated. Packing for a quick trip was not the same as packing for your wedding. That was obviously an oversight on my part. She was putting things in her bag I’d never even seen her use before. Who knew eyelash curlers were even a thing? And more contraptions to straighten, curl, or dry her hair went into the bag than I even knew she owned. Needless to say, by the time we got out the door, we were pressed for time. I couldn’t let it show though. No, there was still one more surprise in store for Riley, and I desperately wanted to watch her enjoy it.
Chapter Nineteen
Riley
The Batmobile sped down the freeway toward the airport and I still couldn’t believe what was happening. So many thoughts were filtering through my mind, and I couldn’t land on just one. I was worried about my mom, about hurting her feelings by getting married without her. I was also worried about hurting Hadley’s feelings. I’d just asked her the night before to be my maid of honor and now I was completely ditching her.
I felt terrible.
But I also felt wonderful.
I
wanted nothing more than to end the day as Camden’s wife. I wanted to fly to Vegas and find a chapel, get married, and just be with my husband. Sure, I wanted my family and friends around, but I wanted Camden more. I wanted this experience with him, to wake up one sunny morning and just get married. It was crazy and perfect.
In the back of my mind I suspected that everyone I cared about would be understanding in the end. They might be shocked or surprised, but they’d know it was perfect for Camden and me.
And of course Camden would do something like that. He’d listen to me, hear my worries and frustrations, and he’d take matters into his own hands to ease whatever was a burden to me. So there we were, getting ready to fly to Vegas and become husband and wife.
“Do you think I should text Hadley? Just tell her what’s going on? I don’t want her to be hurt.”
He shrugged and said, “If it’ll make you feel better.”
Camden took the airport exit off the freeway as I pulled out my phone and tapped out a text to my best friend.
**Don’t be mad. Camden and I are eloping. It was a last-minute decision and I’m so happy, but I don’t want you to be hurt.**
I waited for a reply, but after a few moments of nothing, I knew I’d just stress until I heard from her.
“I should’ve called. Now I’m just worried that she’s read the text and is really mad.”
Camden’s hand came to rest on my knee.
“It’ll be okay, babe. Promise.”
He parked the car in long-term parking and we loaded onto a shuttle, all the while my nerves starting to get the better of me. Was this really the best decision? Were we being irrational? Impulsive? Just when I hit my anxiety threshold, the point where I felt like I might start hyperventilating, Camden took my hand and brought the back of it to his lips, kissing me gently, absentmindedly. He didn’t even look like he’d done it on purpose or with any thought or consciousness. It was within his nature to comfort me, to smooth my rough edges.
And I decided to simply let it go. At that moment, I was at peace with the decision we’d made. In fact, I was downright excited about it.
“I love you,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder as we drove toward the main departure terminal.
“More than anything, I love you,” he replied, kissing the top of my head.
Yeah. We were going to be all right.
The shuttle stopped and everyone unloaded. I immediately realized I had no idea what we were going to do. We still needed tickets. We had no plan whatsoever besides being unprepared.
“Should we go check the departure board and see if there are any flights coming up? Or should we just start at one carrier and try our luck?” I pulled my phone from my purse. “We could probably find out online.”
Suddenly my phone was snatched from my hand and Camden put it in his back pocket.
“No phones.”
“No phones? We’re going to Vegas, not back in time. Give me my phone back.”
“Just trust me.”
He arranged the luggage, stacking it in some magical way so he could take my hand, and led me through the airport. My free hand was holding the garment bag with my wedding dress. I could think of no reason to not do as he said, so I followed.
He walked until he came to the beginning of the line to a major airline, then took me with him as he wove his way through the serpentine line.
“So we’re just going to see when their first flight is?” I asked anxiously.
“Babe, relax,” he said and kissed me on the nose condescendingly. Well, he more than likely didn’t mean it that way, but I didn’t like being shushed.
“I can’t relax. We’re at an airport with no real plan. This is, quite literally, my worst nightmare.” Panic was edging every word I spoke.
Camden bent his knees so our eyes were even and said, “Trust me.” He held my gaze for a moment and then stood up straight. All I could do in response was let out a breath I’d been holding for too long. He squeezed my hand and it almost helped. Almost.
It took a few minutes to get to the front of the line, but finally we were called to a customer service agent and she greeted us with a smile.
“Hello, there. Where are we headed today?”
“Las Vegas,” Camden said coolly, placing his driver’s license on the counter. “Babe, give her your license.” He nudged me with his elbow.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“I’ll just need your license to check you into your flight,” the woman on the other side of the counter said with a smile.
“What flight?” I’d never been more confused than at that moment.
“The flight I booked us a few days ago,” Camden said, as though he’d just told me about loading the dishwasher.
“What? You booked a flight a few days ago?” I practically screamed.
“We can talk about this while we’re waiting in line for security. Our flight leaves in an hour, so get a move on, yeah?” he said, a smile twinkling in his eye.
I gaped at him for a moment but then finally pulled myself together enough to get out my license.
“Any exciting plans for Las Vegas?” the woman asked as she typed on her keyboard and checked our IDs.
“We’re getting married,” Camden said proudly.
“If I don’t kill him before then,” I added, only half joking.
“I’m sure you’ll work it out.” She winked at Camden and gave us our boarding passes. He handed over our luggage and then took my hand again. “Enjoy your trip,” she said sweetly as we walked away, heading toward security.
“Camden Joshua Rogers, you better tell me what the hell is going on. Right now.”
“You came home from Arizona and were talking so much about getting married sooner than later, so I decided to just make it happen. I didn’t want you to stress about it, so I booked the tickets ahead of time. I wanted to surprise you.” He looked over at me. “Did it work?”
That sexy, playful, mischievous gleam was back in his eye, and it was difficult to stay mad at him when I knew he did all this because he thought it would make me happy.
“I’m definitely surprised.”
“Mission accomplished, then.” He leaned down and kissed me quickly, then pulled me to the line that would lead us through security.
I tried to ask him questions, to figure out how he got all this past me, but he seemed preoccupied with getting through the security line.
I gave the TSA agents a very thorough lecture about how my dress was very delicate and instructed them to be very careful as they ran it through their machine. Lucky for them they heeded my advice and used gentle hands.
“What gate are we at?” I asked Camden as he pulled his shoes back on his feet after being scanned.
“E-14.”
“Are we late?”
He looked at his watch. “No, we’re good.”
I held out my hand to him. “Let’s go, then.”
We walked silently through the airport, both of us familiar enough with it to know which direction to go in.
I saw the E gates starting at number one, and my stomach slipped a little thinking that we were getting close to boarding a plane to get married.
“This is crazy,” I said quietly, almost to myself, but he heard me.
“It is crazy, but it’s also awesome.”
I laughed. “That too.”
“Anything in particular you want to do in Vegas aside from marry me?” He tugged me closer and I went willingly.
“Anything, really. I’ve never been there.”
“I’ll have to show you a good time, then.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, making me laugh.
The numbers on the gate were getting higher, and when fourteen finally came into view I could hardly contain myself.
“This is probably the best surprise in the history of surprises,” I said wistfully. I looked up at him, hoping he could see how happy I was.
“Well, hold off on that award for just a minute.”
“Surprise!”
I heard a chorus of voices yell and startled at the noise, my head snapping toward the gate. It was then that I realized what was really happening.
Standing in front of me was everyone I was sad would be missing our wedding. My mom, Hadley, Camden’s parents, Justin, Tripp, Jasper, and Rachel.
“What the fuck?” I gasped, my hand covering my mouth. Everyone swarmed me, laughing and hugging. When Rachel wrapped me in a hug, she took my dress from me, giving me a wink. “What in the world is going on?” I asked, still overwhelmed at the sight of all the people closest to me waiting at the gate for our flight. “What are you all doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you go to Vegas without me, did you?” Hadley asked.
“But how?” I asked, my hand still covering my face.
“Your husband-to-be put us all to work planning this whole thing,” Jasper added with a smile. “You came back from Arizona all dreamy-eyed and armed with a dress, so Camden made a plan and we executed.”
I turned to look at Camden, who had stepped back and was now just observing the situation.
“You did all this? You planned this?”
He shrugged, always trying to let my praise roll right off him. “I knew you wanted to get married, I knew you’d want your friends and family around you, and I knew if you tried to plan it you’d lose your mind. Vegas seemed like a fun way to combine a wedding and a family vacation.”
I walked straight to him and threw my arms around his neck.
“I love you so much, Camden Rogers.”
His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me so close I could feel his heartbeat through his thin shirt. I loved the way his body felt pressed against mine, and I wanted to feel the way we lined up perfectly for the rest of my life. “I know, Riley. There’s nothing I love more than what just happened. Watching you smile and light up with happiness, the last few days was worth all the stress just for that moment.” He pulled back and smiled widely. “You should have seen your face. You had no idea.”
“I really didn’t,” I said through laughter and a few tears. “And you.” I turned, pointing at Hadley. “You knew about all this and didn’t tell me? I sent you that text a half hour ago so worried you’d be mad at me for eloping and you didn’t even respond.”
Riled Up (With A Kiss #2) Page 18