Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11)

by Crystal Perkins

  The flight is smooth, but my mind is still at war with itself. The voice on the phone was so damn familiar, but as hard as I try, I just can’t place it. I know that voice is the key to this puzzle, but the more I think about it, the more it escapes me.

  Literally the minute I step into the private terminal, my phone rings. “I’m here.”

  “Such a good little soldier. Too bad you won’t be rewarded.”

  “Just tell me where you are, motherfucker.”

  He tells me in a scolding tone, and I don’t hesitate to go. I pick up a rental car, acting as if I’m just booking it, when in reality, it’s been arranged for me. The gun is right where Nate told me it would be under the dashboard, and the sunglasses with the comm built in are on the front seat. Theo is in charge of ground support, because working for Aiden’s dad gave him information on all the ins and outs of the city.

  I drive to the location, praying that I’ll find my best friend still alive. Vicki and I have had our ups and downs, but she’s still the person I’m closest to, besides Isa. They’re super close now, too, which means I’m totally going to get hell for not including her on this. I couldn’t take a chance with either of them, and I hope they both understand that.

  I’ve got to keep up the pretense that I’m not hiding anything—namely the gun strapped to my ankle—so I walk right in the front door of the converted warehouse I was sent to. It looks like it’s being remodeled into a home, but I don’t get too much time to look around. I hear shuffling behind me, and turn to see Vicki being pulled into the room by Creed McCall. Yeah, the TV star half the women on this planet are in lust with. Now I know why his voice sounded familiar.

  “Hello, Jake.”

  “Have we met?”

  “No. But you’ve taken something that should’ve been mine.”

  “I’m not sure what that could be.”

  “Not what, who. Isa. She was supposed to be mine.”

  In what alternate universe would that have happened? “Does she know that?”

  “No. I was trying to take things slow while she was protecting me. I was being her friend.”

  “She’s a very friendly woman,” I concede.

  “I was getting ready to take the next step and ask her out. Then you came along.”

  “I’m not sorry, man. I mean, I get why you’d hate to lose her, but killing people is not the answer.”

  “I want to kill you, but it would break Isa’s heart, and I don’t want her like that. I need her whole. Killing your sluts will make her realize just who you really are, and send her running to me when I call.”

  “She knows I’m faithful to her. I hadn’t touched Skylar in years, and Vicki’s my best friend. She’s one of Isa’s best friends now, too.”

  “No! This is my plan, and it will work the way I want it to.”

  His crazy train is going full throttle right now, and I don’t know how to stop it without getting Vicki shot. I’m looking for a solution that I don’t end up needing.

  “Put the gun down, Creed,” Isa says, leveling her own gun at him as she walks in the room from another entrance.

  “Isa. You’re not supposed to be here.”

  “But I am, and you’re going to let my friend go.”

  “She’s not your friend. She wants him.”

  “No, she doesn’t. And even if she did, he only wants me. And I only want him.”

  “He can’t love you like I can.”

  “He loves me exactly how I need him to. Now put the gun down, or you’ll force me to shoot you.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would.”

  He pushes Vicki away, and then raises his gun to his head. I shoot the gun out of his hand before he has a chance to save himself from prison. “You’re going to jail today, asshole, not the morgue.”

  The police rush in and take him. Vicki gets checked out while I pull Isa aside. I know she’s pissed at me because she thinks I came alone, so I brace myself.

  “Are you insane?”

  “No.”

  “You came alone to meet with a murderer?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Aiden, Nate, and Theo are here.”

  “Oh. You still should’ve told me.”

  “I know how much stress you’re under with the wedding and everything. I was going to tell you when I got back.”

  “If you got back. What if he’d killed you?”

  “We wouldn’t have let that happen Double G,” Nate says, enveloping her in a hug.

  “I guess not. You’re really taking the wind out of my sails, you know. I was all ready to be angry.”

  “You can knock me around later when we’re alone,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms.

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  “Okay, and that’s our cue to leave,” Theo says. “Catch you guys back in Vegas.”

  “Thanks for coming with me.”

  “Anytime, man. We can’t let our women have all the fun,” Aiden says with a smirk.

  “How did you figure it out?” I ask her when they’re gone.

  “Tegan thought it was a woman who wanted you, but when she mentioned college campuses being used to post things, something clicked. I remembered seeing that Creed would be touring college campuses as part of some reality show. I know I’m naïve, but I could tell he wanted more than friendship. He got really angry when I told him I was seeing you. Ainsley traced him to D.C., and when you said you were coming here, I knew something was up.”

  “You tracked me, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, and aren’t you glad I did?”

  “I had everything under control,” I lie. She raises an eyebrow at me. “Or maybe not.”

  “You’re lucky I love you Jake Mason.”

  “I am very aware of that fact, Isabelle Carlton.”

  * * *

  Isa

  I look at myself in the mirror and can’t believe this day has finally come. I look like a princess with my dress that has a high lace back, but still gives me a little cleavage with the straight neckline in the front. The bodice is satin covered in lace, and the skirt is organza layers that flare from my hips to the ground, making me look like I stepped out of a fairytale. My hair is in a loose bun with some curls hanging down, and I opted for no veil. I’m reaching for my pearl necklace when Stella stops me.

  “Jake left this for you,” she tells me, handing me a jewelry box.

  I open it to see yet another gorgeous piece of jewelry from my man. This one is a strand of diamonds forming a bow and then curving up to surround a giant light pink stone. “What kind of gem is this?”

  “I don’t know. Do you really care?”

  “Not at all. It’s gorgeous.”

  “It is. So is Jake. He’s smoking in his suit.”

  “If anyone else was saying that to me, I’d slap them.”

  “You know I’m not looking at him like that.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Are you ready?” Vicki asks, handing me my bouquet. It’s got pink and white roses and peonies, and a sparkly handle thing. There’s probably a specific name for it, but I don’t care enough to ask. Which is weird for me, but hey, I’m getting married today.

  “I am. You can go take your place with Jake.”

  “Thanks for letting me get ready with all of you and wear one of these dresses. I wasn’t on board with the idea of wearing a tux.” She’s Jake’s “best woman”, so I wanted her to feel like part of the wedding party instead of wearing something else.

  “Of course. You know I love you.”

  “I love you, too. I never thought Jake would have a woman in his life who would accept our friendship, but I’m glad he found you.”

  “Me too.”

  Everyone lines up, and they start walking out. Our ceremony is happening in the Reading Room, which fits less people than the Grand Hall. Jake and I only want our friends and family with us for this part. The rest of the guests his mother invited can join us for the recepti
on, but this is our day, and we’re doing it our way. Well, mostly my way, but I have asked Jake about everything, and I even let him pick the cake flavor. Chocolate with cream cheese frosting—no surprise from him there.

  We flew in the Drago sisters, and Eliza. They used a rented kitchen to make the cake for us. No Society woman will be married without a cake from them. The idea of it is absurd to us. Over the years, they’ve become friends as well as our bakers. Having them as part of our days is a given.

  Gary Griffin offers me his arm, and we make our way into the room. Stella wasn’t kidding. Jake looks hot in his formal suit and pink tie. He’s got a big smile on his face, which makes me realize that he likes what he’s seeing as well. We reach him, and Gary gives him my hand.

  The Supreme Court Justice who’s officiating says all the words, and we say our “I Do’s.” We place our identical bands on each other’s fingers, looking at the secret messages from each other on the inside of them. The outside is platinum, and has both of our fingerprints with an “&” symbol in between. We found them online, and they’re perfect for us. I love my pink diamond, but the band is more practical for my day to day life.

  Jake dips me down into a dramatic kiss as everyone claps. “I finally made an honest woman of you, Mrs. Mason.”

  “Honesty is the best policy, Mr. Mason.”

  “I love you, Isa. More than anything.”

  “I love more than anything, too, Jake. Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.”

  “It’s been my pleasure. And it’s going to be yours once we can get away later.”

  “Not mine. Ours. Always ours.”

  “Yes, Forever ours, my love.”

  Tegan & Caleb

  Caleb

  “You’re sure pink is okay? Isa had a pink wedding. Is it too soon after for ours to be pink, too?”

  Stella looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Teeg loves pink. It doesn’t matter if your weddings were on the same day. We’d need to go pink.”

  “Yeah, okay. I just want this all to be perfect.”

  “I’m planning it, aren’t I?”

  “Were you ever humble? I mean, as a kid?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know. There’s nothing wrong with being confident.”

  “I guess.”

  “Do I intimidate you with my awesomeness, Caleb?”

  Yes. “No. You’re my wife’s best friend. Why would I be intimidated by you?”

  “Maybe because I remember the names you called her, and I’ll cut off your dick if you ever do that again.”

  My dick wants me to retreat now, and hide, but Stella can sense fear. All of the Society women can. I raise my chin and look her in the eye. “We both know that will never happen again.”

  “Yes, we do. Now stop worrying about the color pink, and let’s get the rest of this stuff finalized.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Our fourteen-month wedding anniversary is coming up this weekend, and it’s past time that I give Tegan the wedding she’s always dreamed of. She says she’s just happy we’re married, but I know the wedding chapel isn’t what she’d always hoped for. For a long time, I wasn’t the guy she’d hoped for, but now I am. She doesn’t expect anything from me except me, but I want her to have everything I can give her. Starting with this wedding. Her dream wedding by our creek.

  “I don’t have to wear pink, do I? I mean, I love Mama, but I have a rep to protect,” Ethan says, speaking up from behind my desk where he’s been doing his homework.

  “A rep? Really, E?”

  “Yeah. I’m cool.”

  “Ooh, are the little teeny girls wanting to get busy with you?” Stella asks.

  “Shut it, Stell,” I warn her with a glare.

  “They are,” he tells her, ignoring me. “I got five numbers today.”

  “You are way too young for that shit.”

  “I’m almost thirteen. Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll cover my snake when the time comes.”

  “Oh. My. God,” Stella says, nearly falling off the chair as she laughs. “Snake? Have you not had the talk with him?”

  “I have. And you’re more than half a year from being thirteen, so keep it in your damn pants.”

  “I know how it works,” he says. “I won’t take it out until I’m ready.”

  “Baby boy, if you think you’re man enough to be using it, you should be calling it what it is. No girl wants to hear your dick referred to as a snake. None. Trust me on this.”

  “Is that what you call it, Dad?”

  Kill me now. Or rather, kill Stella. I know she’s Teeg’s BFFL, but she needs to rein it in with our pre-teen son. He’s still looking at me for an answer, and I know he’s not going to let it go. I glare at Stella before answering.

  “Sometimes.”

  “What do you call it the rest of the time?”

  “We’ll talk about this later.”

  “Why? I mean, you’re not embarrassed to have me here while you talk about your ‘love member’ are you?”

  “Who the hell calls it that? Kace?”

  “Yeah, no.”

  “Come on Dad, just tell me.”

  “Cock,” I mumble.

  “Like a gun?”

  Stella falls off the chair that time. She’s on the floor holding her stomach when Tegan walks in. “What’s going on?”

  “Dad was telling me how he calls his wiener a cock. Like a gun.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s her fault,” I say, pointing at Stella.

  “Don’t act like you don’t love it when he cocks his gun for you, Teeg.”

  “Kill me now,” I say with a groan.

  “I just might,” Tegan says. “I fucking just might.”

  * * *

  Tegan

  I’ve been freezing Caleb out for a couple of days now. Stella and Ethan told me it wasn’t his fault, but he’s the most adult of the three, and he should’ve known better than to get sucked into that conversation. Our anniversary is tomorrow, though, and I’m planning to let him back into our bed tonight. I know most people don’t celebrate every month, but we do. We’re so happy to be back together after so long that we celebrate as much as we can. I have the perfect gift for him, and really, I’m punishing myself just as much as him when I make him sleep in the guest room.

  “We need to head out,” Stella says, coming into my office with a tentative smile on her face. I haven’t kept my anger at her a secret, either.

  “I have no place to be.”

  “Actually, you do.”

  “Where?”

  “Texas,” Ethan tells me, running into the room and hugging me. “We get to see Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Caleb tells me. He’s standing outside of the door, and I feel bad that he looks nervous and unsure.

  “You can come into my office, you know.”

  He shrugs. “I know you’re angry with me.”

  “Which is stupid,” Ethan tells me.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I asked Dad about his dick, and he told me. Isn’t that what he’s supposed to do? Or do you want me just watching porn and thinking that’s what sex should be?”

  I try hard not to have a panic attack, but my breathing grows heavy. “Have you been watching porn?”

  “Not yet. But it’s what guys do.”

  “Not just guys,” Stella says.

  “Not helping, Stell.”

  “She is. I want to know everything. You always say a person should know as much as they can so they can make an educated decision. I want to know all about sex, so when the time’s right, I’ll do it right.”

  He’s right. Darn kid. “I’m not sure we know everything, but your Dad and I will tell you what we know.”

  “Me and Kace too. In fact, I bet everyone would tell you things. Not details about our sex lives, because that would be weird, but we could try to answer your questions.”

  “Cool. Maybe
just the guys, though.”

  “I think we can arrange that,” Caleb says.”

  “Now that we’ve settled the sex ed dilemma, can someone please tell me why we’re going to Texas?”

  “We’re getting married,” Caleb tells me with a smile.

  I grab his left hand with mine and hold them up. “Been there, done that. I’ve been Mrs. Caleb Hall for over a year.”

  “We got married in a wedding chapel. Now it’s time for the real thing, in the real place.”

  My mouth drops open, and my heart starts to race again, but in a good way this time. “The creek?”

  “Of course.”

  I launch myself into his arms as I fuse my lips to his. He catches me and holds me in his arms until Ethan starts making gagging noises. We break apart with a laugh. “I need a dress, and flowers, and…”

  “It’s all taken care of,” Stella tells me. “Caleb and I have been working on this for over a month.”

  “Of course you have. Let’s go.”

  I can’t believe Cal is doing this for me. But actually, yeah, I can. Despite me telling him I’m fine with our Vegas wedding, he knows me well enough to know what I really wanted. I’ll never regret marrying him when I did, but I secretly hoped that one day we could go to the creek and do it all over again. It looks like tomorrow is the day. For his surprise, and mine, too.

  * * *

  Caleb

  “You’re really not going to let me see the setup?” Tegan says, running her fingers up and down my t-shirt. She plays dirty, but that’s more than fine with me.

  “Nope. It wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?”

  “But the pier is down there,” she reminds me, biting her lip, and moving her hands lower. “We’ve had some good times at the pier.”

  “We have,” I concede, grabbing her hands and bringing them to my lips. “Very good times. In fact, I’m looking forward to a trip down there tomorrow night.”

  “What about our guests? We are having guests, aren’t we?”