Save The Date

by K. S. Thomas

  He grinned slightly, but I could tell he was being serious.

  “You don’t need to beat anyone up on my account. And he was an asshole, but he was right about what he said.” My hands were tingling and I tried shaking them to calm my nerves, when he reached for them and held them still in his, gently rubbing my palms with his thumbs. It worked wonders.

  “How could you possibly think that?” He was standing so close to me now I could have stuck out my tongue and flicked it all over that delicious looking chest of his. Not that I was thinking about doing that.

  “You wouldn’t understand.” I yanked my hands from his and turned away. Things were getting way too intense for comfort.

  “Why not?”

  “Because, Emerson. You don’t have any idea who or what I’ve become and I have a feeling we could spend the rest of our lives getting to know one another, and you’d still never be able to see past the sweet little girl in pigtails who needed you, when you look at me.” I ended my rant fully prepared to make a dramatic exit. Only I didn’t get very far. Two steps in and Emerson’s hand was wrapped around my wrist, pulling me back around with such force, my body didn’t come to a halt again until it landed safely against his. If I had been within licking distance before, now I was close enough to take a bite.

  “Well, you’re wrong about at least one thing,” he growled softly as he used his free hand to gently tilt my chin upward, “I sure as hell don’t see a little girl in pigtails when I look at you.”

  He kissed me. Tentatively at first, his lips grazing mine, caressing them patiently as if he was waiting for me to catch up to the moment. It didn’t take me long.

  All thoughts of why this was wrong and would never work went into the ether as I wrapped both arms tightly around his neck and allowed myself to fully sink into the depths of his kiss. His grip around me tightened, pressing me to his bare chest, making me instantly wish the slip I was wearing would simply disintegrate and vanish without a trace, eliminating the only physical barrier left between us.

  With the intensity mounting, my heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst.

  Then –

  “Good morning,” Steph said casually, as if she hadn’t just walked in on what had probably been the hottest moment of my entire life. “Weaning yourself off of coffee and working your way up to the real deal I see.”

  “I had coffee.” I slowly slipped out of Emerson’s arms, but his hands never left my body.

  “Apparently I don’t make it as well as you do,” he explained.

  Stephanie poured herself a cup. “Probably not sweet enough. I keep her on a constant sugar high. Anyway, probably won’t need one now.” She winked at me as she walked out of the room again. “Oh, if you guys are going to keep doing what you’re doing you may want to move it to the shower. Your mother called and she needs us to go sample some cakes. We’ll need to leave in less than an hour if you don’t want to be late.”

  Then she was gone again.

  Emerson’s fingers were drumming on my hips to a silent beat I couldn’t hear, but I liked the pulse of it.

  “I guess I better go and get ready.” But I made no efforts to remove myself from his hold.

  “Probably ought to.” Still, his hands stayed in place.

  “You should probably get going, too. It’s a long drive back to Lexington.” My eyes were skillfully dancing around the room, perfectly avoiding his gaze.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  And, for the first time since before our kiss, they were locked back onto his. “What do you mean? How long are you staying?”

  “When are you heading back?”

  It took me a moment to be able to think clearly enough and remember. “Monday. I have to round up the bridesmaids and take them on a last minute shopping spree.”

  He nodded. “Monday it is then.”

  “What about your job?” The last thing I wanted was for him to get in trouble on my account. But Emerson didn’t seem worried.

  He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. “It can wait.”

  I waited until the cab was out of sight and then walked out back to make the call.

  “Hey, Noonie.”

  “Emerson. Why do I get the feeling I won’t be seeing you today?”

  I laughed. There was never getting anything past her. So, I didn’t bother trying.

  “Is it going to be a problem?”

  “Missin’ work or fallin’ for my youngest grandchild?” As expected, Noonie Skeeter was already two steps ahead of me.

  “Both.”

  “No, no problem for me. In fact,” there was a sound of papers shuffling, “you’d be doin’ me a favor. By stayin, I mean. The granddaughter business you’d be handlin’ on your own behalf.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t really need you to clarify that Noonie.”

  “I wasn’t doin’ it for you. I don’t want to be in any way implicated in whatever has happened, is happenin’ or may happen in the future between you and Calista.”

  She sounded strange. Concerned maybe.

  “You worried people are going to start accusing you of match makin’ or something?”

  “Lord no, I don’t match ‘em even if I do tend to see who fits. Thing is, Emerson, sometimes even when two pieces go together perfectly, the rest of the puzzle doesn’t always come together as well as you’d like it to.”

  Not much of a euphemism there. I’d spent half the night thinking of all the reasons I should have jumped into my truck by the first sign of daylight and driven away from the lake house and Lissy without ever looking back. But then I’d kissed her and all those reasons had disappeared. Now, with her removed from my arms again, the reasons were slowly coming back to me, but I was prepared to plow through each and every one of them. And if Noonie had more for me, well, I’d tackle those, too.

  “I’ve always been good at puzzle’s, Noonie. I just keep matching up the pieces one at a time. It doesn’t have to be easy. Doesn’t mean it won’t get done eventually.”

  I heard the sound of paper one more time. “Good. In that case, I have some work for you to do.”

  Chapter 9

  Steph and I were comfortably seated in the back of the cab she had insisted on calling and we were on our way to our first meeting of the day. Apparently this would be one of two different bakeries my mother had managed to scrape together and given all the excitement of my morning, I was definitely in a cake tasting kind of mood. Plus, I was freaking starving.

  “And…are we going to talk about what was cooking up in the kitchen this morning?” Steph was shifting around the computer bag at her feet, attempting to get more comfortable.

  “Haha, nice one.” I laughed, but averted my head toward the window in hopes she wouldn’t see me turn red. “There really isn’t much to tell considering you caught the live show.”

  “Well, I still missed the opening credits. Cal, I have been through every tedious moment between you and Tyler. Have suffered through countless tales of disastrous first dates and blind set ups. No way are you holding out on me now that things are actually interesting.”

  I made a face. “I’m really sorry my love life has been so taxing for you. It hasn’t exactly been a cake walk for me either.”

  “No shit. So let’s talk about Emerson, who by the way, speaking of cake, bears a tasty resemblance to icing.” There was a flicker of excitement in her eyes. Not the way I’d seen in Tori’s every time she’d conjured up another new guy for me to meet and fall in love with. This was different. Like she genuinely believed something significant was happening and she wanted in on it like it was a secret or something. Which, it sort of was.

  I gave in. Dramatically melting into the seat cushions much like I had Emerson’s embrace, I sighed loudly. “Icing. Steph, you have NO idea! This man can kiss like I’ve never been kissed before. I felt like I was being pulled into him by some magical force or something, like it was merging us into one. I know this sounds completely stupid. But I’m tellin
g you, no one has ever made me feel like that before. It was like…”

  Steph was leaning over the edge of her seat in anticipation. “Like what?”

  “Like I belonged there. Like there was a space within his arms that only I could fill perfectly.” It wasn’t until then that I noticed I had been touching my lips. I dropped my hand to my lap and made a face. “It sounds completely insane, doesn’t it?”

  Steph just shook her head. “It sounds beautiful actually.”

  “Shit, Steph. What am I going to do?”

  She smiled. “For now? You’re just going to enjoy it.”

  I definitely liked the sound of that.

  It was early afternoon when the cab dropped us back at the lake house and my belly flip-flopped at the sight of Emerson’s truck still parked in the driveway where I’d seen it when we left.

  “You didn’t really think he’d be gone when we got back, did you?” Steph teased, clearly having witnessed my reaction.

  “No. But I do kind of wonder what he’s been doing out here all by himself all day.”

  My questions only multiplied when we stepped out of the cab and were greeted by what I could only imagine at that point, was the sound of a chainsaw.

  “What is that?” Steph’s eyes were widening.

  “Some sort of power tool? Sounds like it’s coming from behind the house.”

  Hands full of bags filled with a day’s worth of cake samples and catalogs, we made a dash for the front door. I dropped my entire load in the foyer and kept going straight for the back deck. I had barely stepped one foot outside when it came into view.

  “It’s an arbor,” I whispered.

  Steph had just caught up to me. “Wait. That’s like the one from the collage your mother made for Savannah. Did he build that?” Only unlike my breathy tones, she had been shouting, ensuring she would be heard over all the noise Emerson was making.

  I just nodded. It covered all of the answers I had for her anyway.

  Slowly, we moved toward the mini-construction zone just past the pool area. Emerson killed the saw as soon as he noticed us walking up.

  “What do you think?”

  “What do I think? I think it’s amazing! How did you do this? And why?” Stunned I reached out to touch the elegant structure. The wood was smooth, sanded but raw and untreated.

  He shrugged. “When I called Noonie Skeeter to tell her I was staying out here for a bit, she said it was just as well. Said your mom called her asking if she knew a contractor that could do a job on short notice. Noonie was going to see if Joe the caretaker wanted the gig, but since I was already here, I got it. It’s been a few years since I’ve done anything like this, but it’s turning out alright.”

  “Alright? It’s stunning! Emerson, you have no idea what you just did for Savannah.”

  He reached out and hooked the loop of my trousers with his finger to snag me toward him. “Savannah’s not the one I did it for, Liss.”

  Oh my God, he was hot. His hair was a tousled mess, just begging to have me run my hands through it and the look in his eyes as they danced over my body before meeting my own gaze was enough to make me lose my mind right then and there.

  “You really shouldn’t have.”

  His brow knitted. “Why not?”

  I grinned, “Because now that my mom knows you can do this kind of stuff, the possibilities are endless and you, my friend, are going to be very busy for the next few days.”

  “Oooh!” Steph piped up from behind me. “Let me go get that folder of stuff that she liked but put in the maybe file!”

  The slight panic on Emerson’s face as he watched her run off into the house was priceless.

  “Don’t worry. It’s just a wedding. Only the most important day in a woman’s life. No pressure.”

  The expression on his face shifted when he realized we were suddenly alone.

  “I’m not worried. Besides, if doing a little wood work means I get to spend more time here with you, I’m all for it.” He was doing that tender growling thing with his deep voice and the mere sound of it sent a wave of goose bumps over my skin.

  “You should probably stop doing that, Emerson,” I said quietly while playing with a patch of sawdust on his white T-shirt. I could feel his ribcage contracting underneath my fingers with each breath.

  He leaned into me, his chin coming down beside my temple. “Stop doing what?”

  “Making me feel like I’m important. It’s weird. And…I’m afraid I might get used to it.”

  He kissed my cheek and murmured, “That’s kind of what I’m counting on.”

  I didn’t have a chance to say anything else. Steph was back with the folder and already spreading out its contents all over one of the patio tables. “Hey Emerson, you think you could build some of these freestanding window and doorframe things? I love how they used them here to hang pictures of the groom and bride from past to present in them. Cal, I bet you could put together some fab drapery to hang around them!”

  Happy for a distraction I could actually use to my advantage, I let myself get wound up in her excitement and dragged Emerson over to see what she was talking about.

  “That’s brilliant, Steph. Dude, between the three of us, we could take my mother’s vision up to a whole new level. We might not even need her by the time she finally gets here.” I was joking. Although, she deserved it considering she had more or less dumped me in Kentucky and then abandoned me until further notice. Not that I was complaining. Anymore. But it remained to be seen if she would really show up tomorrow. As of yet, I had heard nothing beyond the text she’d sent the previous morning.

  Emerson tugged the page Stephanie had been referring to over to get a better idea of what we were talking about. “This? Hell yeah I could build that. It’d be easy too. I’ll need to run out for more wood though. How much more stuff like this you girls gonna need done? ‘Cause I got a buddy I might call up to come out and help me.”

  “Yes, definitely call him!” Steph and I looked at each other and literally squealed like a bunch of twelve year olds.

  “Oh my God! This is going to be awesome!” I was beside myself with giddiness. This was what it was all about. That moment you could see the big picture. The fairy tale unfolding. The perfectly orchestrated happily ever after. The best part was, I had control over my own piece of it – the dress. And yes, I realize the unhealthy implications of this minor admission. I wasn’t about to be making it out loud anytime soon, so who cared?

  “I think it’s time we get Savannah out here.” Steph handed me my phone and continued pulling out different pages displaying a wide variety of ambiance enhancing structures we would need to fulfill our new vision of the perfect Lake House Wedding and Reception.

  I nodded, beamed at Emerson and walked off to make the call.

  “Hey girl, how’s my wedding dress comin’?”

  “Oh it’s coming, but that’s not why I’m calling. My mom found a venue and I think it’s perfect! It has everything you wanted. It’s romantic and elegant with a definite country vibe about it and best of all, it’s available and won’t cost you a penny!” I hoped my enthusiasm would be contagious.

  “Lord, please don’t tell me my wedding is taking place in one of Noonie Skeeter’s barns.” Apparently it wasn’t.

  “No, no barn,” I laughed. “The lake house. I’m here right now with Emerson. My mom had him build this amazing arbor which is just, well, it’s like something out of a freaking wedding fantasy actually, and Steph my assistant is busy pulling together some accent pieces for him to work on. We went and sampled cake at two different bakeries out here today and they were both fabulous. I saved some samples for you, by the way.” I paused when I noticed I was still the only one in love with the idea. “Look Savannah, I’ll admit that when I first heard that my mother was planning on using the lake house, I thought she was doing it out of desperation. Except coming out here, seeing how it’s all going to come together, honestly, if it were my wedding I would choose this
over any other venue. Trust me on this, Savannah. You want the most magical moment of your life to happen right here.”

  There was still silence. “Savannah? If you really hate the idea, I’m sure we can still scrap it. My mom will be here tomorrow, and we all know she can work miracles when it comes to weddings –“

  “No, it’s not that.” Her voice was all choked up like she’d been crying. Then I heard her sniff before she went on, “I’ve been sold on it since you said ‘the lake house’. Then, listening to you talk about it and everything you guys are doing, going above and beyond to save my wedding…I just realized that having that bitch planner run out on me was the best thing that ever could have happened. What you and your mama are putting together is going to be so much more than one day of celebration, it’s going to stick with me forever.”

  “Oh thank goodness. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me it sucked.” I laughed in a nervous ‘is it safe to feel relief now’ sort of way. “How soon can you come out here?”

  She did a little something that sounded like slurping air up which I assumed was her attempt at regaining her composure, followed up by her standard cute girl giggle. “You said your mama was coming out tomorrow? How ‘bout I catch a ride with her. Or rather, she can catch a ride with me. Think that might work?”

  “I think that would be perfect. I’ll call her tonight and make sure she knows to get in touch with you as soon as she lands.”

  “Wonderful. I can’t wait to see what you’re doing up there. And, thank you. Thank you so much. It really means the world to me that you would put so much effort into doing this for me.”

  I nodded. To myself since she couldn’t see it. “You don’t have to thank me at all Savannah. Truth is, I may end up getting more out of this than you do.”

  It was the first time I’d admitted it out loud. Even after we ended our conversation, the same sentence rang in my head over and over again. Which begged the question, what exactly was I hoping to gain? And more importantly, how badly would it hurt if I didn’t get it?