“You do?”
“Yep, where you proposed—the gazebo in the park. Since there won’t be lots of guests, I think an early morning ceremony will be pretty. What do you think? Saturday? At eight? The ceremony should only be fifteen minutes or so, and then we’re off to start our lives together.”
“It sounds perfect.” He kisses my forehead. “If it was your dad who encouraged this, he has my undying gratitude. That’s kind of a nice way of looking at things. I wonder if Brody’s been sending me signs, but I’ve been ignoring them.”
“I don’t know, but I can tell you that I’ve been a lot more open minded to the possibility since talking with Molly.”
Fletcher smiles. “So, which one of us is doing the packing?”
“You are. My apartment’s in a better location.”
“I like being in the middle of nowhere. At least as middle of nowhere as I can get in the city.”
“Why don’t we look for something we both like? Maybe even a house?” I suggest.
“Yes, let’s do it. Let’s look for a house with lots of bedrooms that we can fill with babies.”
I laugh. “Maybe I should finish school first?”
“Okay, school first, lots of babies after. Until then, we simply get to have fun practicing.”
The good thing about Triceratops expanding is that Fletcher’s job expands with it. He’s still able to work from home for the most part, but he’s been much busier. He and Ben have a meeting to iron out the salary, and suffice to say, Fletcher goes from making okay money to really good money. This means that I’ll be able to quit working and concentrate on school, and though I was excited to start before, I’m super excited to start now. But first, marriage.
Saturday arrives before I know it, and I smile broadly as I drive past the house that Fletcher and I will soon be buying. The offer has been accepted, but we’re waiting to close. Our house. Ours. It’s only a couple of blocks from Julia’s, where Lizzy joins me to put on the finishing touches before heading out to the park for the wedding.
The rule is that no one is to go crazy for this wedding. I want everyone to wear something comfortable, and something they already own. Molly is wearing a super cute white dress dotted with yellow daisies and a black tulle underskirt, while Julia dons a beautiful pale pink pant suit. Lizzy opts for an ice blue A-line with a bateau neckline and a wide matching belt. I’m wearing a white, empire-waist chiffon dress that falls to the floor. My hair is swept up into messy, loose curls accented with white daisies. The girls all go on about how I need a touch of this, and a bit of that, and once they finish, I must say that I’m more than happy with my appearance. My makeup is soft, perfectly matching the flowing chiffon of my gown.
“Are you ready?” Lizzy asks with a squeal.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” I say. Lizzy takes the box that contains our flowers and searches the counter top to make sure we’re not forgetting anything.
“I have the ring in my purse. Flowers are here. I think we’re good to go.”
Julia and Molly get into one car, while Lizzy and I get into the SUV her parents bought her. I make a comment about how nice it is, but she shrugs it off with an “ehn, it’s okay.”
We arrive at the park, and I’m even more excited when I spot Fletcher and Ben standing with the Justice of the Peace under the gazebo. Fletcher and Ben are wearing white button down shirts, jeans, and boots. I’m surprised to notice that Fletcher is clean shaven, and I can’t wait to see his face up close. I practically run from the car, but Lizzy quickly catches up to me and stops me.
“Girl, you need to take it down a notch. Give Julia a chance to park before she misses the damn ceremony with your impatient self. Here, duck behind this tree so he can’t see you.” She starts to touch up my makeup with her fingers. Julia smiles at me, and Molly blows kisses as they walk past us to join Fletcher at the gazebo.
“Okay, you give me to the count of twenty to get down there so you can make your entrance, okay. And don’t count as fast as you can either! Do the ‘one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi’ thing.”
“Alright, just get moving. I want to see my man.”
“Here, take your flowers. Remember, count slowly.”
“I said I will,” I tell her with a forced smile.
“I love you,” Lizzy says. “You look beautiful.”
“I love you too, Lizzy Lou. Thanks for being my best friend.”
“Thanks for being my best friend, too.” She quickly fans her hand in front of her eyes. “Dang it. I said I wasn’t going to cry.” With that parting sentiment, she pageant walks toward the gazebo with her head held high.
By the time I mentally count to fifteen-Mississippi, I say, “Screw it,” and begin the walk toward marriage. Lizzy turns once she arrives, and I see her gesturing her exasperation about my not listening to her. Her heart’s in the right place, but every minute I waste hiding behind a tree is one minute I’m robbed of being Mrs. Fletcher Reilly.
His smile beams just as brightly as mine when I join the guests. I love Fletcher with a scruffy beard, but I LOVE Fletcher clean shaven. I can’t wait to feel his lips on mine, his body… Okay, I need to stop and enjoy the present, but surely it can’t be a bad thing to be so incredibly attracted to your husband, right?
“You take my breath away, Savannah,” Fletcher says, cupping my cheek in his hand. His thumb softly strokes my cheek as his eyes intently search mine. “I love you.”
“My handsome man, I love you, too. I can’t wait to be your wife.” Fletcher smiles and gestures to the Justice of the Peace that he should start the ceremony.
The Justice of the Peace has a little table set up behind him which has the marriage license on it, and he asks us to be sure everything is correct on the pages before he proceeds. It is, so next he asks, “The wedding party: bride, groom, matron of honor, and best man? Correct?”
“Actually, sir, there will be four best men,” Fletcher says. “Ben Thibodaux.” He points to Ben.
I give a confused look as I search the area for any friends or family I might have missed.
Ben hands him a small duffel bag, and after Fletcher unzips it, he pulls out a folded American flag and places it onto the table. “Brody Halsey.”
I look to Julia, who is fighting back the tears. Molly, beaming with pride, grips her mother’s hand.
“Matthew Mason.” He pulls a well-worn oilfield hard hat from the bag and places it on the table.
“Daddy,” I whisper as tears well in my eyes. “You?” I ask Lizzy. She smiles and nods.
The next thing he pulls from the bag is a tiny little baseball glove complete with a matching stuffed ball. “Lucas Calloway.”
I recognize it as one of the few gifts I was able to give Lucas, and I keep it tucked away in a special box with the things I’d saved after his death. Red faced from all the crying, I grab Fletcher and hold him tightly. “Thank you for doing this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Lizzy passes around a box of tissues. The only dry eye is that of the Justice of the Peace, and that’s because I caught him dabbing the tears with his collar before the tissue disbursement.
“Who’s ready for a wedding?” the Justice of the Peace asks, sniffing hard.
I raise my hand, as does Fletcher. The remaining guests raise their hands, and the Justice of the Peace begins the ceremony. The service is short and to the point, and within a matter of minutes, I’m officially Mrs. Fletcher Reilly. Savannah Reilly. I say the name over and over in my head because I absolutely love the sound of it.
We go back to Julia’s for a little bit of cake and mimosas, but that was all lagniappe for me. I craved alone time with my husband, and I secretly wondered if he craved the same. I got my answer when, after opening the last of our presents, he slings me over his shoulder and carries me to his truck. No big or elaborate honeymoon for us. A beautiful weekend in the French Quarter is our honeymoon, and we enjoy each and every second of it. I’m riding a cloud of euph
oria, and I pray that I never, ever come down.
Chapter Thirteen
Eighteen months pass since our wedding, and I’m six months away from taking my board exams. My days are jumbled between classes and clinicals, and my nights are spent basking in the sweet bliss of newlywed life. Fletcher assures me that he has little time to miss me because business is booming for Triceratops, and he spends nearly the entire day working from our home office. Lizzy and Ben made the move about a year ago, and since then, we’ve seen them about once or twice a month, mostly when Ben makes trips in to check on things at the local restaurants.
I’m currently doing my pediatrics rotation, and I think I’ve found my calling. However, after a particularly taxing day, I need at least a five-minute breather. The only empty room is a playroom that’s under renovation at the far end of the hall, so I sneak a juice pack from the fridge, and head down to my private sanctuary. My back’s to the door and disappointment swells in my belly when I hear the hinges creak open. Please don’t be Darryl. Please don’t be Darryl. I’m about a hair away from getting a restraining order against the supposedly harmless janitor with a great big crush on me.
I’m not particularly fond or appreciative of the supposedly innocent joke started by some fellow students. My classmates told the middle aged man that I was hot for men who carried big brooms, so he went from carrying a standard sized corn husk broom on his cart to a push broom that can clear an entire hallway in one pass. It’s so outrageously large that he regularly knocks the heck out of people, walls, objects resting on shelves, etc. Though I’ve tried everything from a sensible conversation to flat out letting him know I’m happily married and have no interest in him, he still chases me around the hospital like a lovesick teenager.
A normal person would announce himself or herself, right? Nothing. The person standing in the doorway is doing just that, standing and staring at me. “Darryl, please, for the love of God, they lied. It was a joke, and not one bit of it is true.”
“Should I go?” a perplexed male voice calls.
I whip around to notice a tall blond man with beautiful blue eyes standing in the doorway. He’s wearing a lab coat, and a pediatric stethoscope pokes out of his pocket. His name tag says that he’s Dr. Robert Goodman, and I wish that the floor would swallow me up.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” I say, jumping to my feet.
He shakes his hand in a gesture that says I should stay where I am. I slowly sit back in the tiny chair, and I’m suddenly very aware of how silly I must look sucking on a juice box while sitting in a chair three sizes too small for me. I’m not as self-conscious when Dr. Goodman pulls a chair next to mine and completely fails to sit down because of the length of his legs. “I guess I’ll just take the bean bag over there,” he says, sinking deeply into the bright orange ball.
“Should I…”
“Should you what? Should you introduce yourself? Absolutely.”
I smile. “I’m Savannah Reilly, and I’m a nursing student doing my peds rotation.”
“Nice to meet you, Savannah. Beautiful name, by the way. I’m Robert Goodman, and I’m an ER doc, but I’ve decided to change my specialty to pediatrics.”
“That’s quite a big change.”
“It is, but it’s long overdue. I was an Army doctor for several years, so combine that with the few years I’ve worked in the ER, and I’m burned out. I think taking care of kids will be a nice change of pace.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of tragedy.”
“That’s an understatement,” he says. “So, you found the only quiet spot in the hospital. I must admit, I was a little sad when I realized I’d have to share, but you’re alright, Savannah. I’ll happily share my secret spot with you.”
“Your secret spot, eh? Well, I’ll have you know this has been my secret spot for three weeks now.”
“Hate to burst your bubble, but it’s been mine for six weeks. Guess we’ve been just missing each other for quite some time.”
I laugh. “I guess so. Thanks for agreeing to share.”
“Likewise,” he says, stretching his arms high over his head. “I’m working a double, so I need to catch a few z’s. They will give me a room in the lounge if I request it, but it’s right in the middle of the busiest part of the hospital. There’s no way to get rest in there.”
“How do you get rest in here?” I ask.
He smiles as he wriggles himself from the beanbag chair then he gestures to me with his index finger. I join him at the back of the room where he moves a section of chairs away from the wall. Tucked behind the chairs are a pillow, sheet, and blanket. He opens the sheet and lays it on the floor behind the chairs, tosses down the pillow, removes his lab coat and shoes, then curls himself into the fetal position as he covers himself with the blanket.
“I’d be much obliged if you’d shut off the lights when you leave,” he mentions.
“Of course, Doctor.”
“Hey, if we share a secret hiding spot, we are on a first name basis, Savannah.”
I smile. “Okay, Robert. Rest well.”
“Thanks,” he says, closing his eyes and moving his head around until he finds the sweet spot on his pillow. I shut off the lights and gently close the door behind me.
“How was your day?” Fletcher asks. He’s still hard at work in front of the computer, so I drape my arms around his neck while kissing the top of his head.
“Busy. Looks like your day was pretty much the same.”
“Yeah, but I’m about to call it quits for tonight.”
“Okay, I’m going to jump in the shower. Have you had dinner?” I ask.
“No, but I picked up some stuff today.”
“You did? Thank you so much. That deserves a kiss,” I say, leaning forward. Instead of kissing me, he pulls me into his lap.
“If you’re going to kiss me, you’re going to do it right,” he teases. I happily oblige by giving him a deep, sensual kiss.
“Wow,” he says, blowing out a breath. I smile at his reaction. “So how was your day?”
“You already asked that, silly,” I say, playfully pushing against his chest.
“Still leaning towards pediatrics?”
“Yep, sure am,” I say, snuggling against him. “I fall more and more in love with the job each day.”
“Not only are you going to be the best nurse they’ve ever had, but I’m certain you’ll be the prettiest nurse they’ve ever had, too. I have to admit, I’m kind of lucky you’re dealing with kids. Zero competition.”
I laugh. “As if you’d have competition regardless. You are all the man I’ll ever want or need, Fletcher Reilly. End of story.”
“I love you,” he says, softly stroking my cheek with his finger.
“I love you, too.” I hug him tightly. “Now, I’m going to get in the shower,” I whisper in his ear.
“Is that an invitation for me to join you?” he asks.
“Absolutely.”
“I’ll be there in just a second. Let me finish up.”
“Okay, babe. Hey, Molly’s been burning up my text messaging with requests to go to the water park. Do you want to take her this weekend?”
He sighs. “This weekend is not good for me. I have some reports that need to be finished by Monday, and I’m completely swamped. Don’t let that stop you from going though. Maybe Julia can join you?”
“Julia. Your sister, Julia? At a water park? Did you seriously just say that?”
Fletcher laughs. “True.”
“We’ll just wait until next weekend.”
“No, go this weekend. Have fun.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’ll let little Miss Molly know.” I send the text then hop into the shower.
My thoughts immediately go to Fletcher. He sure has been missing out on a lot lately. I’m glad that Ben’s business is doing so well, but Fletcher’s always on the computer or shuffling through paperwork. Weekdays
aren’t so bad since I’m in school all day and some nights, but I wish our weekends could be spent doing something besides hanging out at the house while Fletcher spends hours in the office. The next time Ben comes to town, I’m having a talk with him. I wonder if Fletcher has bothered to mention to him how time consuming the work is? Knowing Fletcher, no. He won’t say anything because even though he’s drawing a salary, Ben’s still his best friend. If Fletcher’s not going to mention it, I surely will.
“You look in deep thought,” Fletcher says, joining me in the steam-filled shower.
“I guess I was. Sorry.”
“Whatcha thinking about?”
“Us, and the fact that we’re both so busy that we never go out anymore.”
“Staying in has its benefits.” He pulls me closer and eagerly runs his hands down the length of my body.
“That’s very true,” I whisper, my body teeming with want. Fletcher is an amazing lover, and there’s a certain way he touches me that sends all conscious thought out the window. It incites a deep primal urge for me to, for lack of a better phrase, screw his brains out. He’s awakened so much passion in me, so much desire, that I’ll do damn near anything to have him. The thing is, he knows it and regularly takes full advantage of it.
Two can play that game. I “accidentally” drop the bath sponge I’m holding, and as I’m on my way back up from retrieving it, his arm encircles my waist. He pulls me tightly against his chest, so that his lips fall beside my ear. “Do you want me?”
“You know I do.” His strong hand grips my thigh, and I’m instantly lost in the throes of his skillful lovemaking.
“Tell me you love me,” he whispers while thrusting deeply.
“I love you,” I say in between gasps. “Always.”
His lips trail kisses down my neck, and he lightly sinks his teeth into my shoulder. I can’t fight it anymore, and for the next few seconds I relish the release of intense pleasure that has been building deep inside me. Fletcher holds me tightly, and I’m grateful because my legs feel as though they’ll buckle under my weight.
Yours Always Page 16