This time he let himself smile. “Make me one promise. If you can’t handle it, talk to me. Don’t bottle it up until you explode and all hell breaks loose.”
“Who? Moi?” She tickled him right below his rib cage.
He trapped her hand under his. “Yeah, you. I want to hear you say it.”
“I promise. There will be no hell breaking loose.”
The knot of anxiety and dread in his gut melted as joy radiated through him. “Can we swing a wedding before I leave?” Waiting any longer than necessary would be akin to torture.
“How does Fourth of July weekend sound? Callie’s already rescheduling things.”
No words could do justice to how he felt about this woman who was not only his love, but also his best friend. So rather than even try, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the bedroom. They made it into the hall before he wrapped his arms around her and dragged her against him. Before he could lower his mouth to hers, Lauren took control. Reaching up, she took possession of his mouth, her breasts crushing against his chest. Fire shot through him at the first pass of her tongue against his. Any thoughts evaporated as his body’s desires took over. Driven by the need to see all of her, touch all of her, he reached up and untied the knot behind her neck that held up the top of her sundress. Then he took a step back, and with a slight tug he pulled the dress down. When it hit her ankles, she stepped aside and reached for the button on his shorts.
“Not yet. You’re still far too dressed.” He pulled at the front of her strapless bra before reaching between her breasts to unhook it. He didn’t deserve this gorgeous woman, but she was his, and he’d do anything for her. “Much better, but still not done.” He ran a hand down her side to her hip. When her breathing changed and her nipples popped, he smiled. Then he hooked a finger under the waistband of her panties and pulled them down as well. “Perfect.”
Lauren shook her head and took a step back when he reached for her again. “I don’t think so, Major Callahan.” Then she again reached for the button on his shorts. As she worked on them, he pulled his shirt off and added it to the growing pile in the hallway.
“In a rush are you?” she gave him a seductive smile, and he almost lowered them both the floor right there in the hall. She ran a hand down his erection, her hand scorching his skin even through the cotton between them.
When he groaned, she smiled and then finally pulled down the final barrier between them.
“Now, that’s—”
Nate kissed her again as he picked her up and joined their bodies fully before they made it through the doorway.
His body sated, he dropped a kiss on her head. In response, she snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. How had he managed the past fifteen years without her? Just the past few days had been hell. Not that any of it that mattered anymore. The wedding was back on and nothing short of a natural disaster was going to change that. A smile that spread throughout his body took shape on his face. Life didn’t get much better than this.
Chapter 16
In just two weeks they got everything done, thanks to Callie and her connections. Even with Callie’s help, it had not been easy. Still, here she was dressed in the wedding gown of her dreams. Outside family and close friends waited on the South lawn of Callie and Dylan’s estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Lauren’s fingernails dug into her palms, while behind her the hairstylist secured her veil. Already, the woman had admonished her for fidgeting. She didn’t want another scolding. Yet it took all her concentration to keep her legs still. Every inch of her quivered with happy excitement. How could she not? After what felt like a lifetime, she and Nate were going to say their vows to each other. She’d thought about this moment since the day in middle school when she’d opened her locker and found a note from him asking her to the movies. Before that day, they had been the best of friends. After that day everything changed. Back then she never would’ve imagined all the detours their relationship would take, yet somehow, even then, she’d seen them at this point, committing to spend their lives together.
The hairstylist slipped one last pin into her hair and stepped away, leaving Lauren to admire her reflection in the mirror.
“I’m so happy for you. If anyone deserves this, you two do.” Callie walked up alongside her. Dressed in a floor-length lilac gown with a full skirt, no one would ever guess she was pregnant.
“I can’t believe we managed to pull it all together. I never could’ve done it without you.” The amount of work Callie put into the preparations overwhelmed her. Every day for the past two weeks the two of them had worked on some aspect of the wedding.
“I still don’t know how you two did it,” Mallory, Matt’s wife and one of her bridesmaids, said from across the room.
Callie waved off the comment in true Callie manner. “Are you still going to look at houses in Virginia next week?”
“We both know that when Nate decides he wants something he doesn’t fail. The sooner I start looking, the better. Charlie offered to help me.”
The corners of Callie’s mouth turned downward. “It’s going to stink having you that far away.”
Her heart grew heavy with the reminder of her pending move, but the memory of waking up with Nate beside her the morning before sprang up and once again filled her with joy. “Think road trip, chickie.”
Lauren turned at the sound of the bedroom door opening behind them. “Everyone is ready,” Kelly said, returning from downstairs. Dressed in the same gown as Callie, Kelly looked fantastic. Unless someone knew, no one would ever guess she’d had a baby a few months earlier.
Lauren fought the urge to throw her arms over her head and dance around as if she’d just discovered a winning lottery ticket. She managed to physically control herself but her insides were another story altogether.” Let’s get this show on the road, ladies.” She didn’t wait around for a response. Instead, she headed downstairs to the foyer where her father waited.
Large puffy white clouds dotted the otherwise blue sky. Only family and close friends sat on the perfectly aligned white chairs on the flawless green lawn. Next to him stood his best man and older brother, Ryan, along with Scott Daily, a close friend and fellow Marine, and Justin Billings.
“It’s about time this happened,” Ryan said, his voice low so only Nate heard.
Nate controlled himself. He wanted to burst out in a grin. In fact, since she’d proposed today as a wedding date, he’d been going around smiling like an idiot. More than one person at work complained he looked too happy. Even so, he found it difficult to stop the smile from popping out.
As one, the guests stood when the musicians began the wedding march. Like a scene from a movie, he watched transfixed as Lauren made her way down the aisle with her father. When they reached him, Mr. McDonald shook his hand and said something, though the words didn’t register in Nate’s brain.
“You look amazing.” Nate squeezed the words out around the giant lump in his throat.
Lauren smiled up at him. “You clean up well yourself.”
From his spot on the temporary altar, the minister began the ceremony by explaining to all present how sacred marriage was. “Today the bride and groom have prepared their own vows,” the minister said, with a nod in Nate’s direction.
The words he’d agonized over for the past two weeks appeared in his mind. They’d never go down as the most poetic vows in history, but they came from his heart. “Lauren, we played together as babies. Learned to ride our bikes together when we were kids, and fell in love as teenagers. You’re my first and only love. I’ll always be right by your side.”
Even with the few tears sliding down her cheeks, Lauren looked radiant as he slipped the wedding band on her finger.
“Nathaniel Callahan, I have loved you all my life. You were the first boy I ever kissed, and you will be the last man I ever kiss. Regardless of what else life has in store for us, I know we’ll face it side by side.” Lauren slid his ring in place. Before she even finished, he tugged her toward him and sealed their vows with a kiss. Immediately, applause and a shout of, “Ooh-rah,” from his fellow Marines exploded around them.
As the noise subsided, Nate heard the minister clearing his throat. He’d jumped the gun with the kiss, but he didn’t care. This was their wedding, and finally Lauren was his wife. Man, he loved the sound of that. After one final taste of her lips, he pulled back and looked over at the minister, who stood there with his lips pinched and his eyebrows raised behind his glasses.
“Just couldn’t wait,” Nate said with a shrug.
The minister shook his head and continued on, “By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Now you may kiss the bride.”
Nate captured her mouth once again and another round of applause broke out. Finally, his entire body screamed.