by Kimi Flores
“Dude, don’t get your panties in a knot. I can control myself. I’ll just hang out with Bri and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. I’ve already eyeballed a couple of bastards checking her out.” Stefen strolled away using his best swagger.
Caleb couldn’t help his eyes from rolling and his head going backwards. “What a damn hypocrite.”
“Oh my gosh, who is Don Giovanni? I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Have you ever seen a hotter guy before?” Leah looked at her best friend. “Never mind, I know your answer. That’s fine by me, less competition.” She smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress before turning and rearranging her boobs to show off her cleavage.
“I think that’s Caleb’s cousin, but I haven’t met him yet.” Abby paused a moment while she glanced through the room for the man she loved. Turning back to Leah, she asked,” Where did you come up with Don Giovanni?”
“He’s the Italian version of Don Juan.” She shrugged her shoulders and pouted her lips. “You know dark hair, dark eyes, and strong jaw line with a little scruff, killer body and dressed in an expensive suit, the way a man should dress.”
“That’s your problem Leah. You love hot men. They are the most trouble.”
“Yours is hot and not trouble.” Leah challenged her.
“Well there are only a few exceptions. Let’s get you out of his line of site before you melt in a puddle at my feet, oh and you may want to wipe the drool off your bottom lip. It’s really not attractive.” Abby gave another quick look at whom she assumed was Stefen, standing next to Bri. He caught her gawking and smirked. He was definitely trouble. She could appreciate what Leah saw in him. Most men at the party were dressed in suits, but yeah, this guy did have that added something. Nothing like the man she was in love with though; her eyes met Caleb’s and her pulse picked up. Without a doubt, no male held a candle to her guy.
“I’ll be right back.” Abby announced to Leah, unsure if she even heard because Abby did not turn her head. She was caught in a trance with Caleb and unable to break eye contact as she crossed the room to meet him. He was so handsome in his designer fitted suit. He stalked after her as well until they met half way. They did not greet with words. After raking their eyes up and down each other’s dolled up bodies, they collided into each other, passionately kissing as if they never had before. Abby didn’t care that they were in a tent full of their friends and family. Wait, why were there so many friends and family members at this party? This was more of a business event wasn’t it?
Caleb saw the confusion on Abby’s face when she pulled away from the kiss he’d fantasized giving her for months now. “You look amazing, Love. It’s going to be difficult keeping my hands off of you.” Groaning, he knew this statement was truer than he wanted her to know.
“Who said you had to?” She flirted back. Damn. That was the most difficult part. She was so willing to do whatever he wanted.
It was almost sunset and time to get the show on the road. Grabbing her hand, he walked them over to Stefen and Bri. The two women embraced each other as if they were long lost friends. Caleb liked that. “Love, I’d like to introduce you to my other cousin, Stefen.”
Her face spread into a big grin, as if she held a secret, ”Nice to finally meet you, Stefen.”
“It’s very nice to meet you as well, Abby.” Stefen took her hand and kissed it, keeping his lips on his woman a little too long for Caleb’s liking.
He couldn’t help himself; Caleb pulled Abby to his side and announced that he was going to take her to the giraffes before the sunset. He saw what had to have been the most beautiful expression on her face. She recognized that he remembered what she’d said at their school field trip. Now he saw her eyes gloss over. Just wait Abby Rose. You haven’t heard anything yet.
Glad he had already made arrangements ahead of time, Caleb was confident that everyone would play their parts without any issues. Leah, Stefen, and Bri were the only ones who knew what was going on. They were to lead certain key people over to the giraffes. Madison was to be in the front as well as Abby’s mom, Leah, Bri, Stefen and Grace.
Lost in the breathtaking woman beside him, he didn’t realize until half way to their destination that he hadn’t even introduced Stefen to Leah. This fact did not bother him though. Shaking his thoughts away about them, he concentrated on every step, breathe, sigh, and smile Abby offered him at that moment. He adored this woman and loved her in a way he never thought possible.
Arriving at the giraffes, Abby sucked in a deep breath. Caleb couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“It’s gorgeous. Look at the ocean.” Abby snuggled into him under his suit jacket.
“It is.” Looking over his shoulder, he saw people arriving and crowding behind the bushes to the side of them. Madison was at the front of the crowd. Caleb took his own deep breath and held onto Abby whose head was resting on his chest while she looked out toward the ocean. Caleb looked over at the giraffe handler and nodded.
“Let’s go over here and see if they will let us feed one of the giraffes.” He pointed to the handler who motioned for them to come over to the feeding deck. He chanced a look at her face and the smile she held couldn’t have gotten any wider. Walking over to the deck, he prayed that this went as planned.
Abby was so thrilled that she was beyond herself. He actually remembered what she’d said. He was the sweetest, most considerate man she’d ever known, and she was head over heels in love with him. They walked up to the giraffe feeding area, and although she’d done this several times before, this one occasion was different. She was happy.
“Would you like to feed Penelope?” The handler held up a small baggie of lettuce.
“Yes, please.” She just couldn’t hide her grin.
“Here you go.” He handed the bag to her and called “Penelope” over. There was something around the animal’s neck. Was that a green ribbon? The closer she got, Abby could see something sparkling attached to the ribbon. Abby turned to tell Caleb when she saw him kneeling on one knee in front of her. Her heart sped up. She looked back at the giraffe that was now standing in front of her. Yep, that was an engagement ring hanging from the ribbon. The tears started immediately when she felt Caleb tenderly grab and hold her hand.
“Abby, Love, we’ve been together for a very short time, but you are the one for me. I will never want another woman the way I want you, I’m so blessed to have you in my life. You have shown me how to overcome life’s obstacles and learn to love again. There is no holding anything back. I am completely yours and pray that you would spend the rest of your life with me, as my wife. Will you marry me?”
She fell to her knees and held on to the man that she loved more than any other earthly thing. She shook while crying happy tears into his shoulder.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry. Was that not okay to do?”
Abby pulled away to see his face. “Oh Caleb I’m so happy. I can’t believe you just did that.”
“You haven’t answered my question yet though.”
“YES, of course I’ll marry you.” He brought them both back to their feet when applause broke out, and that’s when she noticed everyone standing behind them watching this all go down. Her cheeks blushed right away. When she turned back to Caleb, he had the ring in his hand. This man really did pay attention. He slid the emerald and diamond ring onto her finger.
“Is this really happening?” She looked from the giraffe to the handler then the cheering crowd and finally back to her fiancé.
“Yes, and you’ve just made me the happiest man here.”
Madison came running over to them, colliding into their legs and then wrapped her little arms around them. “Daddy, I’m so happy you asked Abby to be your wife.” Happy tears came out of Madison’s eyes as her body shook, lips quivered, and sobs broke free from her throat. They both reached down to scoop her up into a three-way embrace. “Now we have a mommy in our family.”
Abby couldn’t take it anymore, she had to look away, but what
she found were the closest women in her life all in front of the crowd holding on to each other sobbing. Each of these beautiful women was aware of the journey she and Caleb had to take to get to this night. She knew in her heart and soul how ecstatic they were for her and her soon-to-be husband.
Abby still couldn’t believe she was engaged. Caleb had planned the entire event to celebrate their engagement, not for the movie series Unlawful Encounters he had in the works. Stefen and Leah were the only two that knew ahead of time what was going on, so the proposal was a complete surprise to everyone else, including her mom and Grace. When the crowd made their way back to the tents, they found framed photos of Caleb and her, placed on easels, and scattered all over the area. Instantly, her heart melted when she noticed they were the ones taken by the photographer at the observatory. Caleb had not told her that he had seen them, let alone had them printed and framed. This was such a surprise. Her favorite was of them kissing before they were even aware of being photographed. The pictures showcased the love evident in their kisses even though they had just agreed to start dating moments before the shots were taken. The same photographer, Dawn, was on hand at the party to capture the special event for them. Her fiancé was so freaking romantic.
Caleb must have had a team of people come in and change everything around while they were by the giraffes because the simple black and white decorations were transformed into a scene she could have only dreamed to see. She was curious how long he was planning this event. He’d thought of everything from the shabby chic décor she adored to the Cuban cake with tropical mango cream filling from her favorite bakery, Portos. This man amazed her. He paid attention to every detail. She wondered if that would work to her disadvantage someday. Definitely not something to worry about now.
A few days later, Abby was still walking on cloud nine. One of the best feelings came as she walked into school. She happened to pass by a group of those cliquey moms while Sophie approached Abby to offer her congratulations. Her new co-teacher, whom she had recently come to adore, made such a fuss over the beautiful emerald and diamond engagement ring proudly displayed on her ring finger. Abby was sure Sophie did it on purpose. Of course, she did not mind, especially when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the cluster of those moms with their eyes bugged and mouths dropped as they stood salivating nearby. Damn that felt good.
The time came for Abby to meet Caleb’s family in Chicago. She had already come to love Bri, but was still unsure of how she felt about Stefen. He was sweet with Madison and very protective of Bri, despite being a slight flirt with every other female. He had definitely made an impression on Leah. The relatives Abby still had to prepare herself to meet were the ones she was most anxious about. The only woman Caleb had ever brought home before was Rene. According to Bri, his parents never really accepted her and this made Abby even more nervous about meeting them. Caleb had assured her that it did not matter what their opinion was, and that this trip was nothing more than a formality. He wanted everyone to become acquainted. He’d made a comment about her making sure she knew up front what she was getting into by marrying him. That didn’t make her feel any more at ease.
They had already booked their departure flight, but she had not heard what their final room arrangements would be. At first, Caleb thought they would just stay at Stefen’s apartment. Then he recognized that Abby would probably be more comfortable if they went to a hotel instead. She felt so loved by him; he always considered her well-being.
Since the shuttle was picking them up so early the next morning, Caleb insisted that Abby sleep at his home for the night. She was excited at the thought of them staying together. He was just finishing his packing while she sat back on his bed. ”Where did you end up booking our accommodations?”
“I got a couple of rooms for us at a hotel not too far from my parents’ house.” He looked up from the open suitcase, which was lying at the foot of his bed.
“A couple of rooms?” She sat up straighter pushing herself away from the squishy memory foam pillows she had been resting against.
“Yeah, but they are right next to each other like we had in L.A.” Closing the suitcase, he moved it by the door. Next, Caleb walked over to the mahogany desk, located in the corner of his room, to pack up his laptop.
She moved from the bed to join him. His eyes said that he’d noticed her disappointment. He inquired, ”What’s wrong, Love? Are you nervous about going?”
“Of course I am, but…” Her expression quickly trailed, uncertain exactly how to word it without sounding like a hussy, but she continued, ”Can’t we just stay in the same hotel room?”
“No, Abby, I don’t think it’s a good idea. You are too tempting, and I don’t want us to be intimate before we get married. It also won’t set a good example for Madison.” He sat at his desk looking up from the closed laptop he was in the process of packing up. Leaning against the small table to his side, she felt her face flush as she watched him seated in his desk chair. With shame in her eyes, she glanced downward, self-conscious. Now, it was perfectly clear, the guest bedroom downstairs was her room for this night.
He rose, coming to stand next to her. Softly, he moved her chin up with his index finger while he stared meaningfully into her eyes, “Let me rephrase that. At this point in my life, I don’t wish for an intimate relationship with you until we are married. I didn’t always believe this way, and I don’t judge you for your past. For the record, mine is more scandalous anyway. This isn’t about not wanting you, Abby. It’s only about doing what is right for Madison, and for you. I would like the first time we are together to be the best night you have ever had. You should know this by now, sweetheart.” Offering reassurance, he drew her into his arms. Embracing her body with his own, he placed a delicate and loving kiss on her forehead.
She rested her head on his chest, trying not to show her hurt and mortification. “I do, I just thought it would be nice to spend that kind of time together now that we are engaged.”
He pulled her away from his body, before he took her hand in his and led her over to the couch located in the corner of his room. Motioning with his hand toward the leather cushion, he told her to take a seat. “I want to tell you a little more about what I learned from Rene.” She eased herself down onto the soft leather sofa with wide eyes. “You know how she and I met, but what you should also know is, after chasing her trying to ‘score’, she finally relented and said she would go out with me. Of course, she had a couple of conditions.” Abby noticed Caleb had cleared his throat as if seeming to struggle through telling this to her. As in times past, she wished he would fully understand it truely didn’t bother her to hear him speak of his deceased wife. Without too much delay, he eventually relaxed enough to continue, “Rene said I had to go with her to church a couple of times. Then, another condition was that I go out to dinner with her parents before she would go on a date with me. I still don’t know what drove me to do it, but I did. Once we technically started dating, she made me wait for her. I had to earn and merit her love. We didn’t have sex until we were married. I’ll tell you, before Rene, I had gone from girl to girl, so her conditions made this ’player’ work for her love which made waiting so very special. It may not make sense now, but you’ll see. When we do finally come together as man and wife, once I’ve done everything to warrant you as my wife, it is going to be incredible. I want you, but I intend for our first physical moment of loving one another to be more exceptional than that because you are that extraordinary to me.”
This was not what she had expected. Caleb was a man; obviously, he had needs. Abby was more than willing to fulfill whatever desires he had, but he wanted to wait? To earn her? “Caleb, you have me. You don’t have to do anything to work for me.” How could he think otherwise?
“I want to declare publicly, in front of God, and everyone else that we are fully committed for life. Being intimate as husband and wife is a completely different experience. It is the only way I want to make love to you –
to prove my love for you.” Just hearing him say, ’make love’, made her heart race and blood pump vigorously. ”It’s something I want us both to look forward to, not jump into, because of our intense hormones. Our attraction is evident, but I crave more for us.”
Could this man get any dreamier? “That sounds amazing, Caleb.” Her voice came out breathless. Still, she had to speak, “I actually did not enjoy sex before. Now, after you’ve shared this with me, you make me feel so special. I just assumed we needed to go there as our next step, but you’ve made me see that so much more lies ahead for us. I will admit though, despite how incredible it sounds, I still want to.” She bit her lip, self-conscious that she’d actually confessed that to him.
“I know, Sweetie. I will also acknowledge that although it’s going to be unbearable for me at times, I still insist that we wait.” He ran his index finger up her cheek before kissing the top of her head.
“We will wait then.” She would have done anything he asked of her, including wait to share their love.
Abby had a strange feeling when she, Caleb and Madison entered the foyer of his parents’ house and were greeted by a bleach blonde that slowly dragged her eyes up and down Caleb’s body. This girl was no family member, that’s for sure, so why was she here?
“Mmmm Caleb, it’s been too long. You look as good as ever.” The bimbo tried to grab his bicep when he stepped away. “Lisa.” He nodded his head politely, pulled Abby to his side, and introduced her. “This is Abby, my fiancé.” Emphasizing the last word, he then kissed his bride-to-be’s temple while rubbing her reassuringly on her lower back.
Although it was awkward, Abby extended her hand to shake the scowling fake-boobed blonde’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Man, Abby thought her own chest was enormous, but she definitely met her match.