The Complete Perfect Series

by Lindsey Powell

  Oh, she’s good.

  She’s real good.

  She looks innocent enough, but I know what game she is playing. And by the looks of it, it is a game that she is going to win. I stand up, lifting her with me, and she lets out a squeal of delight as I race like a lunatic back to the bedroom.

  “This will be quick,” I tell her, not believing a word of it.

  “That’s fine by me. You can make up for it again later.”

  Chapter Ten

  Stacey

  Okay, so our ‘five-minute interruption’ ended up being a lot longer than five minutes. I knew that it wouldn’t be quick. It was ridiculous for Jake to think otherwise.

  I look over at him on the phone, and I admire the way in which he commands every situation. We just had mind-blowing sex, and now he is in business mode.

  He is extremely hot in business mode.

  I am meant to be looking at flowers on the internet, but I am too transfixed by him to concentrate. He finishes his phone call and looks over at me, sat on the sofa, in his office. I avert my eyes too late as he catches me staring at him. He smirks, and I know that he loves the fact that I can’t get enough of him.

  “Aren’t you meant to be looking at flowers?” he asks me.

  “I am.”

  “Liar.” I can’t argue with him, because on this occasion I am lying. I sigh as I return my eyes to the computer screen. I am not a massive fan of flowers. I mean, they can be very pretty, but I don’t know the first thing about what types of flowers people have at weddings.

  I scan down the page and see nothing that interests me. All of the different flower names is also playing havoc with my concentration. I wouldn’t know the difference between any of them. I search through a couple more pages, but nothing catches my eye.

  I am about to give up and let Jake take over the choosing of the flowers, when I click on the fifth page and am astounded by a flower bouquet on there. It is stunning, as well as managing to stay simple and elegant. According to the description, this particular bouquet consists of pure white roses, orchids, and freesias. The arrangement of the flowers has been done beautifully, and I excitedly take the laptop over to Jake and point the bouquet out to him.

  “I want those,” I tell him. He studies the flowers and makes a “Hmm” sound as he does.

  “Okay. Done.”

  “Done?”

  “Yes, I will order them in a minute. Now you need to decide when you are going to go dress shopping, and where.” God, he really has got this all figured out. I feel like I should be the one bossing him about.

  “Um, I’ll need to talk to Lydia first to see if she can come with me.”

  “Give her a call now.”

  “I can’t tell her over the phone, Jake.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I just can’t. I want to tell her in person.”

  “Well, get your ass round there now and tell her then,” Jake says, keeping his tone light but dominant at the same time. I’m not quite sure how he manages to maintain a cool-yet-commanding vibe.

  I stand to attention and salute him playfully. “Yes, sir.”

  “Don’t take the piss, Stace.” He pulls on my arm and I lean down to give him a kiss. “Hurry back. We have lots more to organise.” I smile at him and go to walk out of his office.

  Just as I am about to step into the hallway, I turn back around and face him. “Don’t tell Martin. I want to be the one to tell him.”

  “Okay, fine.” Jake is already phoning someone else as I flounce from the room.

  I start to feel really excited as I return to the bedroom and throw on more acceptable clothing. I grab a pair of jeans and a fitted V-neck pink jumper. I run a brush through my hair and leave my face make-up free. When satisfied, I go downstairs, put my boots and coat on and shout bye to Jake. I pick up my car keys and head out of the front door. It is bitterly cold outside, and we have been forecast some snow, but I can’t remember the last time that we had snow in December, so I don’t hold out much hope.

  I get in my car and turn the heater up full blast. Once the car has de-misted, I pull off of the driveway and begin the short journey to Lydia and Paul’s house. I wonder if Lydia will be as excited as I am feeling right now when I tell her that I am getting married in a week’s time.

  The idea of it is crazy, but Jake and I have never been known to follow any protocols when it comes to our relationship.

  I let my thoughts consume me as I pull onto Lydia’s driveway. It still feels weird not driving to her flat. Lydia and Paul moved in together six months ago, and they have a four bedroom detached property with an annexe built onto the side. It’s not quite as big as mine and Jake’s house, but it is so pretty.

  I get out of the car and walk to the front door. As I knock on the door, I can hear the faint sound of Amber crying. The front door whizzes open a few seconds later and I am greeted by a frantic looking Lydia. As soon as she registers that it is me, she engulfs me in a bear hug.

  “Babes, thank fuck you are here,” she says as she pulls me into the house. “I don’t know what to do. Paul has nipped to the shop, and Amber has been crying the whole time. I have tried everything I can think of to soothe her, but she just won’t stop crying.” Lydia is rambling. She stops as we enter the lounge, and I see that Amber is led in her moses basket. I turn to Lydia, feeling that she needs my attention just a little bit more than Amber does at this point.

  “You go and make us a drink, and I will try to calm Amber down.” Lydia looks so tired and I feel like she is going to burst into tears at any moment. She doesn’t argue with me. She gives a slight nod of her head and then turns and leaves the lounge.

  I walk over to Amber, placing my car keys on the sofa, and I pick her up. She is screaming as if her life depends on it. I am pretty sure that I am going to leave here deaf. I turn Amber, so that her head is resting on my shoulder and I start to gently rub her back, hoping that it will create a settling feeling for her. She continues to cry, and then all of a sudden, she lets out a massive burp. I giggle and continue to rub her back, just in case she needs to burp again. Amber immediately stops crying and when I look at her, her eyes are closed.

  She is such a gorgeous little girl. Her little tuft of hair adds to her cuteness factor. I daren’t put Amber back in the moses basket for fear of waking her, and for fear of my ear drums becoming permanently damaged. Instead, I sit on the sofa and settle back with Amber still resting her head on my shoulder.

  Lydia comes in just as I get myself comfortable. She is carrying the drinks and looks astounded that I have managed to make the crying stop.

  “How the hell have you managed to get her to stop crying?” she asks me in disbelief.

  “She had wind. I presume that was the issue and she must have exhausted herself from crying, so she fell asleep.” I smile at Lydia, but she looks outraged.

  “Honestly, Stace, I tried to wind her, but do you think that the stubborn little madam would bring it up for me? She certainly doesn’t take after me.”

  “I think that we both know that isn’t the case,” I say, making Lydia narrow her eyes at me. “You can be quite stubborn yourself when you put your mind to it.”

  I am quite glad that I am holding Amber, she acts as a shield from Lydia who looks like she wants to scratch my eyes out.

  “Whatever,” Lydia says, conceding defeat and flopping down on the sofa opposite me.

  “So, how are you doing? Apart from having your ear drums deafened that is,” I say, keeping my tone light.

  “Oh, I’m just peachy. Tired, frazzled and bedraggled looking. It’s such a wonderful feeling,” Lydia says sounding miserable.

  “Oh dear. Do I detect a hint of the baby blues?” I ask, hoping that this comment won’t set her hormones raging.

  “That’s what Paul keeps saying. Maybe I should speak to my midwife about it when she comes here tomorrow to do the final checks?”

  “Final checks?” I ask, not having a clue what she means. I a
lways thought that the midwife buggered off from your life once the baby was born.

  “Vaginal checks. You know, make sure everything is still as it should be.” Lydia looks unfazed by her answer. She just comes out with it so bluntly.

  “Oh.” I have no idea what to say to this, so I opt to change the subject. I’m also hoping that my news may cheer Lydia up a little bit. “Well, I have something to tell you.”

  “Unless it is the fact that you are getting married or having a baby, then I don’t wish to know.”

  Christ, Lydia really is grouchy today.

  I wait for her to engage with me before answering. Her eyes look at me a minute later as she registers my silence, and I see a tiny flicker of hope spark to life within her with her next words.

  “Oh my God, are you pregnant?” she asks, excitement at the thought clearly visible on her face.

  “Uh, no.” Lydia’s shoulders slump. “But I am getting married.” I hold my hand out to her, so that she can see my engagement ring. Her eyes go wide, and she jumps up with a shriek.

  “Ahhh!” she shouts, making Amber stir.

  “Shhh,” I say to her. “You’ll wake the baby.” Lydia instantly looks terrified and stops jumping up and down. She sits back on the sofa and looks at me with a massive grin on her face.

  “Oh God, babes, this is so exciting.”

  “Wait, there’s more.”

  “More?”

  “Yeah. I’m getting married next week, and I would like you to be my maid of honour.” I wait with baited breath for Lydia’s reaction. I think that she is about to start screeching again, but she manages to exert some self-control.

  “Holy shit. Next week?”

  “I know that it sounds crazy, and I know that there is a lot to do, but it feels right, Lyd. I want this. Jake has already booked the venue and the cars, and by now he has probably booked the flowers as well.”

  “Wow. You guys don’t hang around, do you?”

  “Apparently not. So, what do you say? Will you be my maid of honour?”

  “Of course I will, babes. I’d be honoured.”

  “Fabulous. Now, we need to pick a day to go dress shopping.” Lydia looks like she could burst at any moment. Maybe this is just what she needed to take her mind off of the baby blues?

  Chapter Eleven

  Stacey

  I return to the house a couple of hours later. It was so nice to spend time with Lydia and Amber.

  I head straight to the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee, which I take upstairs to Jake’s office. As I approach the doorway, I see that Jake is still sat behind his desk, staring at his computer screen.

  “Hey, babe,” he says, keeping his eyes fixed on the computer.

  “Hey, handsome. Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” he answers, still keeping his eyes glued to the computer screen.

  “Are there naked chicks on that screen?” I ask as I walk over to see what has captured Jake’s attention. He quickly shuts the lid of his laptop down.

  “Uh, Jake?” I say his name questioningly, wondering what he would need to hide from me.

  “You can’t look.”

  “Well, I gathered that. Why the hell not?”

  “Because… It’s a surprise.”

  “A surprise?” I ask, my interest piqued even more than it already was.

  “Yes.” I am itching to ask more questions, but from the look of determination on Jake’s face, I’m guessing that my efforts would be wasted.

  “So, not only do you surprise me with a quickie wedding, but now there is something else to look forward to?”

  “Our wedding is not going to be a quickie wedding, Stace. A quickie wedding implies that we are eloping, which we are not. Ours is just being planned faster than usual, that’s all.”

  “If you say so,” I reply in a teasing manner. “So, you’re not even going to give me a clue about this new surprise?” I ask, just giving it one try to see if he will give me any hints.

  “Nope. Not a chance.”

  “You’re no fun, Waters.”

  “I think we both know that that’s not true,” Jake says. “And you may be cute when you pout, but I’m still not telling you.” Jake starts to smirk, and I poke my tongue out at him. His smirk turns into a full-on laughing fit.

  I take a sip of my coffee cup and walk out of his office and am climbing the stairs when Jake grabs me from behind, resulting in my coffee spilling everywhere.

  “Jake,” I shriek at him. “Now look what you have done.” When he finally lets go of me, I point to the spilled coffee all over the plush carpet. “That’s going to leave a stain.”

  “So? I’ll just have it cleaned,” Jake says with a shrug of his shoulders. He’s not concerned about a coffee spillage in the slightest. I playfully smack him on the arm. “Can we go out to dinner tonight? I can tell you about all of the other arrangements that I made whilst you were at Lydia’s. How did that go by the way?”

  “Good. Well, when I got there Lydia seemed to be having some sort of nervous breakdown, but I soon cheered her up. She is thrilled to be my maid of honour.”

  “Excellent. Although, I didn’t ever think that there was any doubt that she would say yes. That reminds me, I need to give Paul a ring and ask him to be my best man.” Jake starts to walk back to his office.

  “And you need to call Martin before I do,” he shouts at me, not even bothering to turn around. I watch him disappear from sight, admiring his physique as he goes before I go up to our bedroom, put my half empty coffee cup on the bedside table and pick up my phone, which I left here in my haste to go and see Lydia.

  I look at the screen and see that I have a picture message from Lydia waiting to be opened. I open the message quickly as I know that it is going to be a picture of my beautiful god-daughter. I am greeted by the sight of Amber sleeping. Lydia has put a little caption by it that says, “she is still sleeping! You are a life saver!” This is followed by the image of a thumbs up sign. I smile and am so pleased that I was able to help, even if the peace will only last for a little while. I save the picture to my photos and then pull up my contacts list, selecting Martin’s name when I get to it. It only rings twice before he answers the call.

  “Hey, baby girl. What’s shaking?”

  “Hey, I need to speak to you about something.”

  “Oooo, intriguing. Is this another sex revenge plan? Oh, please tell me that it is. They are so much fun.” Martin sounds very excited by the prospect of another one of these plans.

  “Afraid not, but I am sure that there will be another one of those in the pipeline at some point.” I hear Martin tut and sigh, clearly disappointed by my answer.

  “Okay, so what’s up?” he asks me.

  “Well, uh, something happened last night that I need to tell you about. Are you sat down?”

  “No. Do I need to be?”

  “Depends on how shocked you are going to be, I suppose,” I say, wishing that I was having this conversation with him face to face.

  “Oh God, nothing bad has happened, has it?”

  “No, no. It’s good news,” I say reassuringly.

  “Well, come on then, woman, don’t keep me in suspense,” Martin says a little impatiently. I take a deep breath and get ready for what I know will be his fabulous over the top reaction.

  “I’m getting married––” I am cut off by the sound of Martin screaming down the phone. It appears that I was wrong when I thought that Amber would be the one to deafen me today. It turns out that it will be Martin instead.

  I pull the phone away from my ear until I hear him quieten down. “That’s not the best bit.”

  “How is that not the best bit?” Martin says, excitement evident in his voice.

  “Will you let me finish?” I pause for a second to make sure that he is going to remain quiet. When I am satisfied that he isn’t going to speak, I clear my throat and carry on. “I am getting married next Friday, and I would like you to plan the reception.” I hear Martin ga
sp.

  “Oh my gosh, baby girl. Are you serious right now?”

  “Deadly.”

  “Of course I’ll bloody do it. O.M.G. I am going to make it oh-so-fabulous.”

  “I know. But nothing too over the top.” I know exactly what will happen if Martin is left to his own devices without a bit of guidance. I’ll end up with pink flamingos in a fucking fake pond if Martin were to have his own way. “It needs to be simple and tasteful.”

  “Of course it will be. What do you take me for?”

  “Do you really want me to answer that?” I ask him playfully.

  “Probably not.”

  “Whilst we are on a roll, there is one more thing that I need to ask you.”

  “There’s more?”

  “Uh huh.” I hope to God that he says yes to my next question.

  “Okay. What else could there possibly be?”

  “Well, I would rather have asked you this question in person but seeing as it is going to be manic around here for the next week, I need to ask you sooner rather than later.” I pause and take a deep breath, feeling a little bit nervous all of a sudden.

  “I would love it if you would walk me down the aisle and give me away.” Another gasp on the end of the phone ensues and I wait with baited breath. When Martin doesn’t answer after a few minutes, I start to panic that he doesn’t want to do it. “Listen, if you don’t want to then that’s okay.”

  “No, I…” Martin’s voice breaks, and I hear him sniffle.

  “Are you crying?” I ask.

  “Of course I’m fucking crying. You have just asked me to do the most precious thing, so I apologise if I have come over all emotional,” he says, a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone.

  “Okay, I’m sorry,” I say. “So, is that a yes then?”

  “Of course it’s a yes. Oh, baby girl, I am so privileged.” The smile beams from my face. I couldn’t think of anyone else I would want to give me away.

  “Yay! Oh my gosh, we need to go out and celebrate. Are you free tomorrow night?” I ask him.