by Bree Cariad
“Good for you,” she said, smiling. “You deserve a good guy. So what about the others?”
“Tal and Heath are rooming together in Seattle. I expect their first fight to happen within a week,” he admitted with a grin. “Teenie decided to go backpacking across Europe and put school off for a term. Supposedly she’s learning lots. So, how’s your friend in Coeur d’Alene doing?”
They talked as he helped her finish up and as they left the room, he followed her along toward the chapel. “DeLynn?” he asked, stopping before they reached it.
“Yes?”
“Would you mind meeting for lunch on Fridays like we used to? I know it’s just the two of us now, but—”
“I’d love to,” she said in a rush. “I always enjoyed our Friday get-togethers.”
“Sweet. See you next week.” With a wave, he darted up the stairs and she went in to join Zachary.
Autumn passed by quickly and before DeLynn was ready for it, Thanksgiving arrived. It was decided to have a dual family celebration. Konani had prepared several of her dishes and Liz had prepared quite a few as well. DeLynn was pretty sure they would have enough food to fill them for the next four days if not the next week.
Zachary’s parents arrived just before noon and the house was filled to overflowing with the scents of turkey and dressing combined with the more exotic scents of Konani’s Hawaiian dishes. For DeLynn, having everyone there was just about perfect. It was only missing three people, of which she’d have to add a fourth: Deeka, Curtis, Chrissa, and Davis.
Before dinner, Konani asked if she could see her in private. Taking her future mother-in-law up to her bedroom, DeLynn closed the door and sat on the edge of her bed. Konani sat beside her, placing a box nearby. Taking DeLynn’s hands in hers, Konani gave her a warm smile. “I don’t think we’ll see each other much between now and the wedding so I wanted to take this chance to let you know how happy Ander and I are that you’re marrying our son. We’ve never seen him as happy as he’s been with you.”
“He makes me happy as well.”
“I can tell and that’s the way it should be. Ander has made me happy for thirty years and I have no doubt you’ll be just as happy as I am when you two are celebrating your thirtieth wedding anniversary. This,” she said, picking up the box, “is a tradition in my family. A gift of the heart is always given from the mother of the groom to her future daughter as in my tongue, there is no ‘in-law’. Once you’re married to Zachary, you become my daughter.” Konani placed the box in DeLynn’s hands. “Open it.”
Her hands trembling, DeLynn opened the box. A beautiful nest of shells lay inside. “When I was a girl, I collected these shells,” Konani explained. “I always knew I would use them for something special one day. The day Zachary brought you to our house, I started to take them out and look at them, imagining them in all manner of ways. But you’re a sweet girl who isn’t prone to massive amounts of jewelry and I realized that a bracelet would probably be something you would like best.” She reached in and pulled out the bracelet, slipping it over DeLynn’s right hand.
“Thank you,” DeLynn whispered, turning her hand in several directions to view the several layers of shells now lying over her wrist. Wrapping her arms around her future mother-in-law’s shoulders, she squeezed. “I love it. And thank you for Zachary. You raised an amazing man.” She could feel Konani smile.
“You’re very welcome, DeLynn. Now, we should probably go back downstairs. We shouldn’t make everyone wait to eat.”
Chapter 11
Fidgeting a little, DeLynn stood quietly in the brides’ room of the church. She could scarcely believe she was about to become DeLynn Styles. It had seemed so long in coming and suddenly it was here. This autumn especially had been extremely busy as the organization she started had attracted attention and the school had reported to her that the enrollment of single mothers was now up, due to the help they now offered, especially the child care and the low-cost supplies. Jonah had become a fixture within the tiny group and she had been very thankful for him especially the last two weeks with her working hard to finish her assignments and get things done for classes.
DeLynn had lucked out in her choice of classes this term. None of them had finals. Two had research papers that she had spent countless hours working on and one had an oral presentation. Thankfully she had been able to give hers this last Tuesday, which meant she and Zachary could head out for their honeymoon immediately rather than waiting a week.
The hum of voices filtered through the walls and she could hardly wait to see everyone. They had chosen the largest church in Hyacinth due to the fact that not only did she have a lot of people to invite from town, but Zachary had a host of visitors as well. From all the people he knew in Longdale to his parents’ families, he had just as many people there as she did. DeLynn had only met them last night, but she already adored his mother’s family, and as they were spending their honeymoon in Hawaii, his grandmother informed them the family planned on a luau for their last day on the island before they returned home.
Glancing at the three-way mirror to her right, DeLynn’s eyes landed on the garland atop her head. One of the gifts his Hawaiian family had brought were lei they had made. Her headpiece was adorned with haku flowers and greenery and she couldn’t help but smile. Zachary had wanted to have a little bit of his culture in their wedding and the lei his family brought truly helped there. She knew her mother would present him with a lei made up of green maile leaves with small white flowers interwoven with them when he reached the altar. His mother had a lei for her as well, though she didn’t know what it would look like.
Her dress was the easiest part of the planning. She had always wanted to wear the dress her mother wore at her first wedding and Liz had been thrilled when she asked. Since she was the same size her mother was when she was married, almost no changes needed to be made. The only difference was that the sleeves had to be replaced because the lace hadn’t lasted, but otherwise DeLynn was wearing the same dress. If her sisters wanted to wear it at their weddings, DeLynn was quite willing to hand it on. If not, she would keep it tucked away for her future daughter.
DeLynn could almost hear Deeka’s voice as she looked at her reflection. “You look like a fairy.” With her long, straight white blonde hair and her pixieish features, Deeka always said she looked a little magical. In this dress, it just seemed to add to the illusion. She half expected to see wings behind her. Laughing at her silliness, she turned away from the mirrors.
As she turned, the swish of her dress against her back end reminded her of the day before. Her rear no longer hurt or ached, but having been spanked thoroughly less than twenty-four hours before kept everything in clear focus. They had kept up the maintenance spankings started in March and up until yesterday, he had never disciplined her with an actual spanking. When she would get upset because of something, he usually made her stand in a corner until she calmed down. But yesterday…well, she had needed everything he gave her.
After Thanksgiving weekend was over, with only two weeks until the wedding, she had turned slightly manic. Trying to make sure everything was covered and that she hadn’t forgotten one thing or let anyone down was her top priority. Unfortunately, Zachary had insisted that she had to put her and their needs before anything else. When her last paper was handed in on Thursday, she was technically done for the term. And when Zachary drove them home that night, he specifically told her to have a nice, relaxing day on Friday because his family was arriving Friday night and their wedding was the next day. He’d been unbearably sweet when he explained how much he wanted and needed her to relax and take care of herself for him.
But when she awakened Friday morning, remembering something that needed to get done for the Hands Up organization, she decided she could just get it done without telling anyone. Technically, she knew she could call either Zachary—who was working a half day—or Jonah who would get it done easily enough, but her nerves were pulled a bit tight and instead, she go
t dressed, left a note that she had things she needed to do, and had taken the bus to Longdale.
Afterward, she acknowledged to herself that she knew there was no possibility Zachary would never find out. Her office was very close to his. Just one hallway away in the basement of the Student Center. But her mind was going over so many things that she wasn’t thinking clearly. Inside, she knew this was wrong and completely unlike her. A little voice kept reminding her she’d promised Zach she would take it easy but she couldn’t seem to stop what she was doing. Her intent had been to make sure there were enough supplies out through finals, but had somehow dug out some paperwork and was going through it when a voice clearing from the doorway had caught her attention. Looking up, she stared into brown eyes she knew well. Only they didn’t look very happy.
“DeLynn,” Zachary had said, quietly, “What are you doing here?”
“I had some things I needed to get done.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Some things to unpack and once I got here, I needed to look something up.” Even as she said the words, she recognized them for how lame they were. But she persevered anyway. “I’ll be done soon.”
“No. You’re done now. Put that back and go home.”
“No,” she insisted. “I’m…I’m…I’m going crazy today and this won’t take long and I’ll feel better for getting it done. If I don’t, it will just bother me.” Though she knew getting this stuff done would not make her feel better. And yet she couldn’t stop. Why couldn’t she stop?
“DeLynn.” The note in his voice was not one she had heard from him before but she knew it well enough. It distinctly said she was in trouble. However, she wasn’t able to listen.
“Zach, it won’t take long. I promise once I’m done here that I’ll go home. And be as useless as you seem to want me to be.” Her tone was as churlish as her words, but she went back to looking through the files, ignoring his narrowed eyes and the way he stepped inside.
“Put that down,” he said firmly.
“No,” she snapped, unable to stop. It was crazy, but she couldn’t let go. She needed help letting go. Before she could react, he snatched the files away from her and dropped them on her desk. “Zachary!”
“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you today,” Jonah said as he walked in. The smile he wore dimmed a little as he looked between the two of them. “Should I go?” he asked, turning toward the door.
“No,” Zach said, shaking his head while keeping his eyes on her. “DeLynn’s just heading home. Would you mind checking the shelves to make sure everything is available?”
“Did that last night. We’re stocked.”
Grimacing, because of course Jon would make sure everything was good, DeLynn searched for a reason to stay there but couldn’t find one. There was only one thing she knew of that might help with how horrible she felt. Staring into her man’s eyes, she silently begged him for what she needed.
“Perfect. I’m taking my fiancée home. We’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow?” Zachary asked, his hands gently and yet firmly lifting her to her feet.
“Definitely. Wouldn’t miss it.”
Embarrassed, she followed him out of the basement and to his truck. She was annoyed at everything, but mostly at herself for taking him from work just because she couldn’t seem to stop herself from going a little crazy. DeLynn was in a lousy mood and took it out on him the whole way home.
Zachary basically ignored her, which just made her want to poke him. When he pulled up to his house rather than hers, she was surprised. “Why are we here?”
“Because we need to take care of something.”
Sighing loudly, she got out of the truck and followed him, acting more like a child than a twenty-year-old woman who was about to get married. He unlocked the door and ushered her inside and after shutting and locking the door behind him, which was odd enough to catch her attention as he had never done that before, he took her arm and led her into the living room. When he grabbed the high-back chair, everything slid into balance and all of her previous annoyance and petulance went out the window even as hope bloomed. “Zachary, I’m sorry. I’ve been all strung up with the wedding and finals and getting everything done. I know I shouldn’t have gone to school today, but—”
Her voice broke off as he pulled the paddle out of the box Barrett had given them and sat down. “Zachary?” she squeaked in astonishment. Sure, a spanking would help, but why did it have to be with the paddle?
“Come on, DeLynn,” he said, holding out his hand and grasping hers. “We both know this isn’t you and that the clearest way to deal with this is over my lap.” He tugged and she went willingly, knowing this was the only thing that would help and pleased he had read the need in her eyes.
Until the paddle came down.
“Ow!” she squealed.
Almost from the first fall, she knew this was not a maintenance spanking. Zachary was spanking with purpose and she could feel it. She squeaked and yipped, her body writhing and legs kicking as he continued to bring the paddle down on her buttocks. When he added in a lecture, tears poured out of her eyes.
“…You will take care of yourself, DeLynn. This morning is just a sign of how much stress you’re in and as you’re in need of reminding, let me remind you. I’m the head of this house, my love, and it’s my job to make sure you are well and happy. I take this job seriously. There is never a time when anything is more important than your peace of mind. Ever. Tomorrow you become my wife and I’m happier than I can say. Obviously I missed the signs you were sending me yesterday that things were too much for you. I won’t miss them again.”
The paddle continued to fall but as she sobbed so loudly, she missed the rest of his words. When he was done, he lifted her up and sat her on his lap, holding her tight to his chest where she cried for a good fifteen minutes. As her sobs let up and she lay limply against him, DeLynn was surprised at how stressed she had been. Not once in her life did she ever remember feeling that out of control. Since it had grown slowly, she never really noticed. But now that he had spanked it out of her, she felt so much better.
Reaching back, DeLynn rubbed her hand lightly over her back end. It had ached all day yesterday but this morning there had been no residual soreness. However, now there was no doubt in her mind that her groom could take her in hand. And she loved him for it. She hated the way she felt and acted and even worse, how she had taken it out on him. Zachary had proven he could discipline her and the way he held her afterward and told her how much he loved her made her eyes burn with unshed tears. She was truly marrying the best man on earth.
The door opened and she looked up, smiling as her mother walked in. “Hey, Mom.”
Liz Williams beamed at her. “Oh, honey, you look beautiful. You and Zachary are going to make adorable babies.”
“Mom,” DeLynn said, blushing a little. “In the future.” Zachary wanted to wait two years to start a family and while part of her wanted a baby, she also recognized that being just the two of them for a couple years would be very nice.
“Are you ready?”
“Oh yes.” So ready that she wanted to run out of the room and down the aisle into his arms.
“Well, almost everyone is seated and your escort is ready to walk you down the aisle, so I had best go take my place. I hope I don’t mess up putting that beautiful garland around Zachary’s neck.”
“You’ll be fine, Mom,” DeLynn assured her. “Have you seen what mine looks like?”
Liz’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes. It’s absolutely beautiful. Cherise is already saying she wants a lei at her own wedding. And she’s eyeing several of Zachary’s cousins.”
Giggling, DeLynn nodded. It was nice that her sister was so taken with her fiancé’s relatives. She had to admit, he had a lot of good looking cousins, though none of them was as gorgeous as the man she was about to marry. After her mother left, DeLynn patted down her dress to make sure it fell right and waited. The door opened a couple minutes lat
er and she looked up and smiled. “Is everything ready?”
“Yep.” Blaine walked forward, looking more mature than normal in his tux. “You look great, DeLynn. I’m glad you found a good guy.”
“Me too.”
He held out his arm and she wrapped her fingers along the elbow, letting him walk her out of the room and into the foyer. When it came down to figuring out who would walk her down the aisle, it had been a decision between Blaine and Barrett. While most everyone figured she would ask her step-father to give her away, she and Blaine had always been close and it had felt natural to ask him instead. Barrett hadn’t been bothered at all and she felt he understood. Plus, she had the feeling that by the time Cherise and Charity were married, they would both ask him to walk them down the aisle.
Blaine straightened his tie and tried not to fidget.
“You look good, little brother,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I hope I just don’t screw this up.”
“How can you screw up walking me down the aisle?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. But I’m sure it’s possible.”
The chapel was filled to capacity, if not over. Every pew was filled and there were people standing around the walls as well. The two of them walked down the deep gold carpet and she felt she could burst into tears as she spotted Zachary standing at the end waiting for her. Dressed in a traditional Hawaiian wedding attire of a white shirt and pants, he looked dashing. A beautiful green and white lei hung around his neck and she found herself almost pulling at Blaine’s arm to move faster. He didn’t let her.
When they reached the last pew, he paused and Konani stood up, a set of four lei created from the tiniest white and pink flowers in her hands. She hung each one over DeLynn’s head, settling them on her shoulders before kissing her on each cheek. As she sat down, Zachary stepped forward, taking DeLynn’s hand and leading her to the altar. As she turned to face him, she caught sight of his best man. Davis winked, making her grin. Having Davis and Chrissa at her wedding was a bonus. She hadn’t expected them, so when they showed up last night at the pre-wedding party Deeka and Curtis threw for the two of them, DeLynn had been thrilled.