The Engagement Embargo

by Samantha Chase

  He ran a hand over his jaw. “Should I shave first?” he asked and then shook his head. “I should totally shave first, right?”

  “Hmm…I don’t know. I’ve never been with a guy with a beard quite like that…”

  Grinning, he finally did crawl over her. “Well then, I guess we owe it to ourselves to try it at least once.”

  “Yeah, we do.” And curling her hand around the back of his neck, she pulled him down and kissed him until they were both breathless again. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t wait for him to shave a bit, but for now she was more than happy to take him exactly as he was because she loved him.

  Had always loved him.

  And after today, she knew she was always going to love him.

  “I think that was too much.”

  “Pfft…no such thing.”

  “I’m serious. I have a headache from it.”

  Skye turned her head and looked at him with amusement. “Really? All that delicious icing gave you a headache? How is that possible? I ate twice as much as you and then licked even more of it off of you, so…”

  “Hey, cut me some slack. You’ve been training for events like this. You eat icing the way most people eat fruit.”

  “Although I bet I’m much happier when I’m done.”

  Pulling her into his arms, Elliott kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure you are too.” He let out a long breath and felt a contentment like he’d never known. They were quiet for several minutes before he said, “This is good.”

  “I agree.” She kissed his chest and snuggled closer. They were naked and in his bed and wanted to stay there for as long as humanly possible.

  “No, I mean it, Skye. This is really good–you and me.”

  Raising her head, she smiled at him. “I know. I feel the same.”

  “I was so happy with you before, but it feels different now. Better.”

  “Because we’re not sneaking around. It’s all out there for everyone to know about, and judging from the round of applause we got, I’m guessing they’re all happy about it.”

  “I kind of feel bad about skipping out before talking to my parents.”

  Resting her head back on his shoulder, she let out a soft hum. “Well, to be fair, they’re kind of the reason we were sneaking around.”

  “Yeah, but they’re also the reason we’re here now.”

  Her head popped up again. “How do you figure that?”

  “Well, if they hadn’t put me on the embargo, you wouldn’t have come home with me that day. And you certainly wouldn’t have kept coming around to make sure I stayed away from dating. So if you think about it…”

  “Wait, wait, wait…” Now she sat up and pushed her long hair away from her face. “That’s not true at all. I still would have gone home with you that day because you were still going to need a way home–embargo or no embargo. And I think we still would have been drawn together because of it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Definitely,” she said firmly before leaning in and kissing him. “Either way, we’re here now and…it’s after, so…”

  Right. The Q&A…

  Gently, he tugged her back so she way lying beside him again and then took a moment to collect his thoughts.

  “I don’t even know where to begin,” he admitted. “Every moment of our time together–from that first one after…you know…to the day we came home from the mountains–I really tried to tell myself I was okay with it being casual. It was like I had to keep giving myself pep talks to stop myself from over-romanticizing what we had and for that, I am so sorry. We wasted so much time because of it.”

  Quietly, Skye’s hand skimmed over his shoulder and down his arm and then up again.

  “Say something. Please.”

  “I wouldn’t say it was wasted,” she said slowly. “If anything, I think it gave us time to get to know each other in a way we never had before.”

  “You mean besides the sex, right?” he teased, hoping to lighten the mood, and when she gave him a playful shove, he knew he succeeded.

  “Yes, besides the sex. Ugh…men!”

  They both laughed, but he sobered quickly. “I know what you’re saying, and I agree. It was nice having that time without the pressure of…” He paused and shook his head.

  “Come on. Out with it. What were you going to say?”

  “I was going to say without the pressure of trying to impress you, but that’s just wrong and it makes me sound awful.”

  “Just a little.”

  He met her gaze and saw she was smiling. “You know what I’m saying, Skye. This is the most relaxed I’d ever been with a woman, and I couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing.”

  She shrugged. “A little of both, maybe? But there were extenuating circumstances. It’s moving forward that we have to worry about.”

  “Do we?”

  “Um…yeah. Are you going to turn into that guy who is all crazy obsessed with doing over-the-top stuff to impress me? Or are we going to go back to being so chill that we’re just sex buddies?”

  “Somewhere in between,” he said confidently. “Definitely somewhere in between. And you know how I know that’s the way it’s going to be?”

  “Um…”

  “Because it’s you, Skye. You know me and I know you’ll reel me in and keep me grounded. And I hope you’ll indulge me a little and let me spoil you because I’ve been dying to for so damn long. That weekend in the mountains was so not what I wanted for us. Next time we’re going to the beach and I want to see and do all the things you’ve talked about.”

  She smiled. “I would love that. And I think we’ll eventually find a good balance.”

  Swallowing hard, he took her hand in his. “I love you, Skylar. And I meant every word I said at the party. I want a life with you and I don’t want to wait. If that makes you uncomfortable and you’re afraid I’m reverting to the old me, then I’ll understand and we’ll take it as slow as you want. But just know, if we could, I’d move you in here tonight and marry you tomorrow.”

  “Oh my goodness,” she whispered.

  “You’re it for me. And if you can handle everything that goes with marrying a guy like me–knowing my history and how I’ll forever be the butt of a lot of jokes–then know that I’m right here waiting for you.” He kissed her hand. “I’ll wait forever if that’s what it takes.”

  His heart was hammering hard in his chest and he realized that this–this–was what it felt like to be in love. All those other times had been infatuation, convenience, and just plain wishful thinking. But what he felt right here, right now, in this moment, was so much bigger than anything he’d ever felt before. And knowing it was with Skye–and for Skye–just made it feel that much sweeter.

  And he knew he would wait for her because she was worth it.

  But he secretly hoped and prayed she didn’t want to wait too long.

  Glancing at her, he saw she was studying their hands–undoubtedly thinking about what she was getting herself into–and he wished he knew what was going through her mind.

  One minute turned to two, and that’s when panic started to set in.

  Do I say something? Nudge her? What is the protocol here?

  Yeah, he was slowly losing it when she finally smiled at him.

  “What if…what if I said I would move in here tomorrow,” she said evenly.

  “Then I’d say let’s go see about renting a truck,” he replied in the same tone.

  She gave him a curt nod. “I know we can’t get married tomorrow because…well…it’s too quick to invite anyone…”

  “There’s always next weekend.”

  “Elliott, be serious!” she said with a laugh.

  “I am serious, Skye. Personally, I don’t care what anyone thinks anymore. I know what I feel for you and I know that I can truly be myself with you. It won’t matter if it’s tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year; I am still going to be the luckiest guy in the world because you want to be with me!�
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  Her beautiful eyes went a little wide. “This is crazy! I mean…there’s still so much we need to talk about!”

  He sat up. “Okay, then let’s talk about it,” he challenged. “Ask me anything. Tell me anything! Yell at me for all the ways I screwed things up. Whatever it is, we can talk about it and be honest with each other.”

  She stared at him for several minutes and he was sure she had a list of things she wanted to say. And when she finally spoke, she blew him away.

  “I’m going to want to have a baby,” she blurted out. “Sooner rather than later. Does that freak you out?”

  “Not at all. The thought of a baby with you is just icing on the cake.”

  Her expression softened, and she sat up and wrapped herself around him. “That was the perfect answer, and I love how you included icing in there.”

  His arms banded around her as he held her close. “We may need to ask Leanna to make us a couple of gallons of her best stuff to keep on hand. I want you to be happy.”

  “As long as I have you, Elliott Sullivan, I’m going to be happy.”

  Those were definitely the sweetest words.

  Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t have a ring, but…Skylar Jennings, will you put me out of my misery and end my embargo and marry me?”

  Nodding, she reached up and cupped his face. “Yes! Oh my God, yes!”

  And this time when he lowered her back down, he loved her the way she deserved and promised to love her every day for the rest of his life.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later…

  Don’t marry someone you can live with. Marry the person you can’t live without.

  Unknown

  “Hmm…this one’s good, but…I think I need to try that second one again.”

  “Really? Because I think the third one was the winner.” Dipping his finger in the icing sample, Elliott held out his finger for Skye to taste.

  “Oh my God, you two!” Josie cried. “Get a room! And keep your freaky sex stuff out of the office!”

  “I think they’re cute,” Leanna said with a big grin.

  “You realize you’re simply providing them with edible sex toys, right?”

  She blushed furiously. “Oh…um…yeah. No.” Then, glaring at Skye and Elliott, she said, “Knock it off, you two! We’re trying to finalize your wedding plans so…keep it in your pants!”

  “Oh, good grief,” Josie murmured. “That was like being yelled at by a Muppet.”

  “Hey!”

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Skye said, sitting up straighter. “Sorry. We’ll behave.”

  “Finally…”

  “So we were talking last night,” Elliott chimed in, “and now we’re thinking that we need to take away the sushi bar at the cocktail hour and replace it with a pasta bar.”

  “O-kay…” Josie said, making notes in their file.

  “And can we add pigs in a blanket too?” Skye asked. “With the honey mustard dipping sauce? I love those things!”

  “Good call, babe,” Elliott agreed. “And for the cupcake tower, I think we should do a variety of all three icings, just to play it safe. But for the cake, we want to go with the devil's food with the cannoli filling.”

  “You two realize the wedding is less than two weeks away, right?” Lea asked. “You can’t keep changing things. This has to be the final version.”

  They both nodded.

  “But just on the menu, right?” Skye asked. “I mean, we’ve made last-minute adjustments for other couples without it being a big deal.”

  Lea and Josie looked at each other and sighed. “Was there something you wanted to change for the reception?” Josie asked wearily.

  “We were thinking of maybe switching the flowers…”

  Josie stood up. “No. Just…no. We sat down and planned a fantastic wedding for the two of you on super short notice. I made calls, Lea made calls, hell, Skye! You even made them, and we called in a bunch of favors to get everything you guys wanted! So I’m putting my foot down! No more changes! Everything stands as-is! Understood?” she cried before storming from the room.

  Skye and Elliott exchanged glances before looking at Leanna. “Um…what was that all about?”

  With an apologetic smile, Lea sighed. “I think she’s feeling a little left out.”

  That was…not what she expected to hear. “Why? We’ve included her in everything and she swore she didn’t have a problem with us being together.”

  Another small smile. “It’s not that. Not really. I think after your engagement party when she saw that pretty much everyone there had a date…”

  “You didn’t,” Skye pointed out, and her hands immediately flew to cover her mouth. “That’s not what I meant. I mean…I didn’t mean that in a bad way! I swear!”

  Lea waved her off. “Oh, I know. Don’t worry about it,” she said with a laugh. “But Tyler was there with his girlfriend, Jared brought a date, and Alex and his girlfriend stopped in before he left for the airport so…I think it just hit her that maybe she might like to have a plus one, too.”

  “I still can’t believe those guys have had girlfriends all this time and no one told me,” Elliott grumbled and Skye simply patted his knee.

  “I know, baby.” Then she looked back at Lea. “So what are we supposed to do? Is there anyone we can fix her up with?”

  “I don’t think so. Besides, you know how she is. She’d want it to be her own idea or she’d feel like we were pitying her or something.”

  “Maybe,” Skye replied with a frown.

  “Oh, come on,” Lea told her. “I think you know better than anyone that you never know when and where you’ll meet your perfect someone. Look at the two of you! Twenty years and it was only this last year that you realized how perfect you were for each other. Josie just needs to get out more and meet some new people.”

  “I can’t believe none of you have ever met a guy at one of your events,” Elliott commented. “I would think there would be plenty of single guys at the weddings you handle.”

  Both Lea and Skye shrugged. “It’s not like we’re out mingling with the guests,” Skye explained. “It’s not like that.”

  “Oh, but how I wish it were,” Lea said with a grin.

  “So, what’s next on your calendar? Don’t you have a consult for a dessert weekend or something?”

  Lea’s smile was instantly gone. “Yeah. My cousin Charlene just got engaged and she’s having this ridiculous four-day engagement party extravaganza.” She groaned. “Her future husband’s family is mega-rich and they live on this huge estate in Chapel Hill.”

  “What do they do?”

  “I think something with hotels and corporate convention centers.” She shook her head. “Apparently the groom’s family is handling all the food and all the arrangements for the party, but Charlene only wants me doing the desserts.”

  “Oh, well…that’s nice, right?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Charlene’s a bit of a handful on a good day and I have a feeling the groom’s family is going to be a bit challenging to work with. I’m not a fan of being treated like the hired help when family is involved, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen here.” She paused and let out a long breath. “Maybe I should tell her I’m not available or…”

  Reaching across the table, Skye squeezed her hand. “Or…you can meet with her and feel her out first. And no matter what you decide, Josie and I will support you, okay?”

  “You’re right. I’m getting myself all worked up before I’ve even met with them. Silly, right?”

  “I’m sure it’s all going to be fine, Lea.”

  With a nod, Lea stood and told them she had shopping to do and when she was gone, Skye leaned against Elliott and let out her own long breath.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m just worried about my friends and feel guilty that I’ve been a little MIA for them lately.”

  “Well, to be fair, we’re planning our wedding
and…have had a few other things on our plates.”

  Her hand immediately rested on her stomach. “I haven’t told them the news yet.”

  He laughed softly. “If you wait a few more weeks, a month tops, maybe they’ll figure it out for themselves.”

  Glancing up at him, she gave him a bland look. “This is big news and I was trying to find the right moment, but it seems like they’re stressed enough. Maybe I’ll just wait until after the wedding to tell them we’re having a baby.”

  “We were planning on waiting to tell everyone until then so…it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” Tilting her face up to his, he kissed her. “Although if it were up to me, I’d be broadcasting it everywhere. Do you have any idea how excited I am about this?”

  “The fact that you already ordered a jungle gym for the yard was a big clue,” she teased, kissing him.

  “Ugh, we get it! You’re happy!” Josie called out as she walked by the room.

  “I think that’s our cue to leave,” Elliott said, helping Skye to her feet. “Come on. Let’s go home so we’re not flaunting our love all over the place.”

  That made her laugh. “Well, we had to hide it for so long so I think we’re entitled to a little flaunting.

  “In that case…” he reached out and scooped her into his arms and strode through the Meet Me at the Altar offices, making sure everyone saw them.

  And that was more than okay with her.

  She’d waited long enough for her happily-ever-after, and every moment she and Elliott shared told her it was all worth it.

  Which meet me at the altar girl is going to find her happily ever after next?

  * * *

  It was eight-o-five on Monday morning and Leanna Baker was already stressed.

  Not a great way to start the week…

  As she pulled up to the Meet Me at the Altar office, the only thing keeping her sane was the fact that one of her business partners and best friends, Skye, was back from her honeymoon and they were going to hear all about it over breakfast.

  Which Leanna was currently going to try to juggle to bring in.