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  My father gathered up his duffel bag and stopped in front of me on his way out.

  “If you ever really want a relationship with me, you can contact me.” I didn’t know why I’d said those words to him. Clearly, he had no interest in me or anything that had to do with me. But the little girl in me would always want her daddy.

  He grunted and kept on walking. When the door closed, I let Stone pull me into his embrace. Watching my father walk out the door and knowing that he wanted nothing to do with me hurt just as much now as it had when I was younger.

  I wondered if he hated me enough to destroy my wedding.

  Chapter 12

  Dara

  “Dawa, Dawa!” Emma called as she ran into the room where my bridesmaids and I were getting ready. “Look at my dwess!” She promptly stopped right in front of me and twirled, billowing her dress out like a parachute.

  “You look beautiful, Princess Emma,” I complimented.

  Emma stopped and looked at me, a confused expression on her face. “I thought you had a pwincess dwess.”

  I smiled at her as I rubbed my palms across my jean-clad thighs. “I do, but I’m gonna wait until Scarlet’s finished with my hair and makeup before I put mine on. Then we’ll go get our pictures made.”

  Emma struck a pose, then lifted her fingers in front of her eyes and pretended that she was taking my picture.

  “You’re so silly,” I said.

  “I’m not silly.” She placed her hands on her hips and glared at me.

  “You’re not?”

  “No.” Then she turned and ran across the room. “Cwimson, look at my dwess!”

  “She is so excited,” my mom said as she looked at me and smiled.

  “Can you believe it’s finally here?” Scarlet asked as I watched her in the mirror. She released a golden curl from the curling iron and captured another section of straight hair, twisting it onto the heated surface.

  “I was starting to wonder if this day would ever get here,” I said, thinking of how long Stone and I had waited to marry.

  “I’m so proud of you, honey,” my mother said. “You and Stone have been so smart about everything, getting your education, saving for a house. I wish I’d been as savvy as you when I was your age.”

  “I’m very lucky that everything worked out.”

  My mother uttered a sound of disbelief. “Luck had nothing to do with it. You knew what you wanted, and you set your priorities. You and Stone have both worked hard. I’m really glad that y’all found each other.”

  “Me, too,” I agreed.

  “They make such a cute couple,” Scarlet said as she released another curl.

  “The photographer wanted me to let you know that he’s here. He’s taking photos of all the guys right now. Once he’s finished with them, he’ll take the ladies’ photos.”

  “Is he gonna make sure Stone doesn’t see me before the wedding?” I asked.

  “Yes, honey,” my mother said, laying her hand on my shoulder. “He promised that he would have the groom put away before he brought the bride in. Stone knows you don’t want him to see you before the ceremony, so he’ll make sure that he doesn’t.”

  “I want everything to be perfect,” I said softly, the thought of my father showing up and ruining everything gnawing at my stomach.

  “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Scarlet advised. “What matters is that the two of you are married by the end of the day. Looking back, I know I stressed out way too much over my wedding. I’m pretty sure I robbed myself of some of the small moments of joy. I don’t want you to do the same thing.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’ll try not to stress,” I promised.

  Scarlet pinned my hair up off my shoulders in a loose mass of soft curls accessorized with fresh, white flowers. When she finished, she applied my makeup in neutral shades with soft pink lip gloss.

  While Scarlet and Crimson finished dressing, Brandy and Chloe helped me into my wedding dress. Once we were all dressed, the photographer took wedding photos of me, the bridesmaids, and my family.

  As the time to start the ceremony approached, my nerves kicked into high gear. I breathed deeply, trying to remember to focus on Stone, not on the hundreds of people who would be in the sanctuary, not on the possibility of my father making a scene. I hoped that the promise of the money would be enough to keep him away, but in all honesty, I didn’t know my father well enough to know what his motivations were. If it was strictly money, I should be fine. If it was something more sinister, like the need to humiliate me or to seek revenge on Stone’s family because he’d been incarcerated, then he may very well burst through the doors and bring the ceremony to a heart-pounding stop.

  I was more worried about the Hamiltons than I was myself. The pews would be filled with their longtime friends, many of them powerful and influential people, some of them business associates. The thought of them suffering from the gossip mills if my father pulled some crazy stunt terrified me. They’d been through enough because of my father already. I closed my eyes and tried to wipe the thought from my mind.

  As I was scurried into place for the wedding march, I cleared my head. I refused to allow my father to ruin this moment for me. This moment was about Stone and me, our love for each other, our life together.

  When Emma and the ring bearer walked up the aisle, Mr. Milton and I waited for the bridal march to begin.

  He smiled and patted my hand, his tuft of white hair neatly combed. “Your granny is so proud of you right now.”

  My skin tingled at the mention of her name, and as Stone and I had discussed many times, I was sure she was here with me, just like Luke was with Stone.

  “I know she’s happy that you’re the one giving me away,” I whispered.

  “It’s my pleasure.” He patted my hand again.

  When the sounds of the wedding march drifted through the sanctuary, I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the excitement of the moment. In a matter of minutes, Stone would be my husband, and as I let that knowledge marinate, along with the fact that we’d be consummating our marriage tonight, my legs trembled like a newborn foal.

  Mr. Milton delivered another reassuring pat, and I wondered if he’d felt my tremors.

  We slowly moved forward, and as the room came into view, I realized that all eyes were on me. Remembering to smile and breathe, I searched for Stone. When I saw him, an electric tingle rolled through my body. He was incredibly handsome in his black suit and bowtie, contrasted by a charcoal gray vest and a white rose boutonniere. But the most beautiful part of his image was the look on his face. It was a look that I’d never forget because in that one look, I could tell that he loved me deeply, that he was proud to have me as his wife, that he and I would be one of those great love stories that every girl dreams of. His crisp, blue eyes soaked in my appearance, and the pleasure that it gave him was reflected in the set of his jaw, the tilt of his chin. It was one of those moments when I felt my love for him increase, just when I thought it wasn’t possible to love him any more than I already did. If I could feel this kind of connection from his gaze, then tonight promised to be an explosion of love, lust, and our desire to be together. Tonight, we would become the inseparable Stone and Dara that the necklace that dangled around my neck had foretold.

  Stone

  Once my eyes locked on her form, I couldn’t turn away. Her beauty entranced me. Her golden hair was pinned up in gentle sweeping tresses and soft curls, the result emphasizing her elegant neckline and her dangling diamond and pearl earrings. A sheer veil partially covered her hair as it fell gently around her shoulders. I wanted to trace her collarbone and follow the scalloped V-neck down to the hint of cleavage. The dress hugged the curve of her hips, their feminine sway arousing my senses. As she approached me, our eyes locked together, she gave me a subtle smile before she cast her eyes down, her demure expression indicating that she was nervous. I wanted to kiss her right then, assure her that everything would be fine as long as we had each other.
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br />   My heart swelled with emotion: love, pride, honor. I knew as I gazed at her that I would be content in life as long as I had Dara. An ache of raw sensation settled in my throat, the reaction of a man who realizes that he’s about to receive a precious gift, something he’s longed for his entire life, something exquisite that must be handled with care, something that can never be replaced. I could search the greatest ocean, scour every continent, and never would I find a treasure that could compare to this one, beautiful woman. To me, Dara was everything.

  Even though I watched as the minister spoke to the crowd, I couldn’t concentrate on his words because my mind was filled with thoughts of Dara.

  When it was finally time for me to speak my wedding vows, I took her small, trembling hands in mine and gently squeezed them to reassure her.

  “Dara,” I paused, watching her, cherishing this moment, “sometimes we come across people in life who change us forever. When we first met, I thought I was everything a woman could want.” A gentle rumble of laughter erupted from the audience. When it died down, I continued, “But as I grew to know you, you showed me what it was to be compassionate and caring, to be a true friend, and for the first time in my life, I could see my own faults clearly. Through your actions, you have made me want to be a better man.

  “Your beauty astounds me—both your outer beauty and your inner beauty. And every morning, I wake up, knowing how fortunate I am that you have chosen me.

  “I promise that I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am worthy of your love. I will cherish every moment with you, share all of life’s dreams and joys. And when life gives us sorrow,” I paused, thinking about the horrible things we’d already dealt with, thinking about the gaping hole that was left in my heart the moment Luke died, and I knew Dara’s heart had suffered the same fate when she’d lost Granny. I gritted my teeth, trying to tamp down the emotion that wanted to rise up in my chest, the hurt and pain that we’d never be able to touch them, to hear their voices, to tell them we loved them. Taking a deep breath, I started over, “And when life gives us sorrow, I promise to hold you close, to kiss away your tears, to take your heartache as my own.

  “I have nothing left to give you but my name because I have already given you everything that I have to offer: my love, my heart, and my life.

  “I want to make mud pies with you for the rest of my life, Dara, and I vow to you that I will make you just as delirious as you have made me. I promise that I will always put your needs ahead of my own and that I will be the best husband that I can be. Baby, you are my world.” She smiled as tears welled in her eyes.

  “Stone, you are the love of my life, my soul mate, my kismet. I promise to walk hand in hand with you wherever life’s journey takes us. If at any time that journey happens to be on the back of your motorcycle, I promise to hold on tight and never let go.” I shot her a grin and squeezed her hand. Part of our journey would definitely be on a motorcycle. “I promise to stay by your side in both good times and bad, in sickness and in health. I have given you the key to my heart, the combination to my soul, and I promise that I will love you always.”

  Sliding a wedding band on her finger was the most satisfying moment of my life. This beautiful, loving, sensitive woman loved me enough that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. I watched her slender fingers as they slid my ring on in return, and as I stared at the band around my finger, I knew that it signified we were bonded, that we would stand together no matter what trials we faced, no matter what successes we earned. Neither of us would ever be alone until death saw fit to part us.

  I hoped that we would have a long life together because I never wanted to leave her. She’d been left alone so many times already that I couldn’t stand the thought of her ever having to endure being alone again. I wanted to watch over her, protect her, love her for the rest of our lives.

  Kissing Dara was something I’d always enjoyed, but kissing my wife for the first time was a moment I wanted to treasure. I knew everyone was waiting for us to get on with it, but I didn’t let that thought pressure me as I slowly closed the distance between us, watching her soft pink lips slightly part as she waited for my lips to touch hers. As my thumb traced her jawline, my eyes roved over her face. I wanted to remember the eager look in her brilliant green eyes as she watched me, the gentle tilt of her face as she instinctively reached for me. She was everything I wanted and more than I deserved.

  I gently pressed my lips to her, conveying the tenderness that overwhelmed me. She was precious, and I felt privileged. My kiss was slow and deliberate, one I wanted her to remember for a lifetime. Our kiss became more intimate, and I wished that we were alone. As a barrage of whistles coming from my groomsmen got louder, I reluctantly ended the kiss.

  The remainder of the ceremony went by in a blur. We had so many things to do, and my mind was preoccupied with the thought that I hadn’t seen Dara’s father yet. I hoped that the money was enough to entice him to stay away.

  Once the photographer finished taking the photos of us together, we left in a limousine to join our guests at the reception, which was being held at the Quail Mountain Country Club.

  After our arrival was announced, we immediately began our first dance as newlyweds. The overhead lights were dimmed as lights began twinkling in the dance floor. I tucked her body in close to mine and whispered words of love, words that didn’t begin to capture what I felt for her.

  I pressed my fingers against the slender column of her throat, and I could feel her pulse thundering. “Nice to know I haven’t lost my effect on you, my little hummingbird.”

  She took a deep breath, which emphasized her collarbone. “I’m thinking about tonight,” she whispered.

  “Are you nervous?”

  “No…yes.”

  I smiled and kissed her temple as I pulled her close. “Don’t be,” I whispered in her ear. I was glad that I’d be her first. It wouldn’t have made any difference if I hadn’t been, but I couldn’t deny that being the first man, the only man, with Dara did appeal to me.

  “You’re not scared?” she asked softly.

  I chuckled. “No, I am many things, but scared isn’t one of them.”

  She laid her cheek against my shoulder, and I pressed my jaw against the top of her head as I slid my hand under her veil and pressed my palm against her bare back. Her skin was warm, and as I allowed my palm to slide down the length of her back and rest just above the curve of her derriere, part of me wished the reception would end because it was the after-party that I was really interested in.

  As the next song began, Mr. Milton cut in to dance with Dara, and I pulled my beautiful mother out on the dance floor.

  “She looks radiant,” my mother said softly as she stole a glance at the bride, gliding gracefully across the floor.

  “I know,” I replied, watching her with pride. “I’m a fortunate man.”

  “Yes, you are. Make sure you keep her happy, Stone.”

  “I intend to.”

  “My boys, all grown up and married.” She smiled at me, her Caribbean blue eyes tearing up, and I knew what was going through her mind.

  “Don’t cry, Mom.”

  “I’m not,” she sniffled.

  “He’s here, too, you know,” I said.

  “Who?” she asked.

  “Luke.”

  She made a sound that was somewhere between laughing and crying. “Of all my boys, I think you were always the most in tune with what I was thinking.”

  “We all think of Luke at times like this, and I’m sure we always will. But it’s time for us to let go of the pain. Luke would want us all to be happy.”

  My mother sniffled again as she regained her composure. “Yes, he would.”

  I kissed her on the cheek as the song ended. “From now on, we only think happy thoughts about Luke. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  Delivering my mother back to the edge of the dance floor, I then whisked Ms. Golding into a dance as my father dan
ced with Dara.

  Emma called after us, “Wait! I wanna dance in my pwincess dwess.” I turned to see her scurrying toward us. I stopped to scoop her up in one arm, and then I proceeded to dance with both of them. Emma squealed and squirmed as the three of us danced. She poked at my boutonniere and finally I set her down and took one of her hands while her mother took the other one.

  Dara and I spent the rest of the evening mingling with our guests. When we cut the cake, I wanted to smear it across her face, but she’d made me promise that I wouldn’t, and since it was her day, I complied.

  When the party finally wound down, the limousine took us back to the church, so that I could get my car. Dara and I were going to wait until the morning to leave for Destin, so I’d booked us a lavish room at the Quail Mountain Lodge to start our honeymoon.

  Our luggage was already packed in my trunk, but before we could officially start, we had one more piece of business to attend to.

  “We don’t have to call him, Stone. The wedding’s over.”

  “He’ll just find some other event to crash,” I told her. As much as I hated the man, it was difficult for me to force Dara to look at the darker side of her father. “He wants the money. Let’s just give him the money. But if he ever tries to blackmail us again, then it’s a no-go. He needs to know that this is it.” I was actually more worried about Dara than her father. I thought this might be the easiest way to end this uncomfortable ordeal for her.

  “Okay,” she said, agreeing to the plan.

  I dialed her father’s number and waited for him to answer.

  “Hello.”

  “Where do you want to meet?”

  “Meet me on the main highway by the café.”

  “We’ll be there in five minutes.” I hung up and drove the short distance to the café. Her father was already parked in the lot.

  Leaving an empty parking space between us, I pulled in. Once I’d parked, I opened the door for Dara. “Do you wanna get out, or do you want me to handle it?”