With This Ring (1) (4 page)

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Authors: Savannah Leigh

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BOOK: With This Ring (1)
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“I will.”

“And Lily?
Really think about it. I could take care of you for the rest of your
life . . . if you’ll let me.”

“Being taken
care of has never been a dream of mine,” I tell him. It’s important he
understands this. “I might not be wealthy, but I’ve been independent for a very
long time. I like having my own money. I like doing what I want. I like not
having to answer to anyone.”

“And none of
that has to change,” he assures me. “I don’t want to control you. I just want
to make my mother’s wish come true. That’s all.”

“Okay, as long
as we’re clear.”

Drew nods.

“I’ll talk to
you soon.”

“Goodnight,
Lily.”

“Goodnight.

He closes my
door, and I don’t allow myself to look in the rear view mirror as I drive away.

***

Drew

“That went as
well as a turd in a punch bowl!” I say to the wall.
FUCK!
I was really
hoping she would be a little more receptive to the idea. I have to remind
myself that she needs some time to think it over. I am not a patient man, but
I’ll have to be.

I go back out to
the patio and finish the steaks. My appetite is gone now, too. Maybe the
gardener will want to eat them for lunch tomorrow. I finish my wine and head
inside to drown my sorrows with something much stronger.

***

Lily

The week passes
without a word from Drew. I’m grateful for the time to think, and thinking
about him and his ‘business proposition’ is all I seem to be capable of doing.

Ironically
enough, I can’t focus on work, despite being near financial ruin. Work reminds
me of money. And weddings. And mammoth engagement rings that belong in a museum
instead of on my hand.

I have no idea
what to do, and no one to talk to. It’s in these moments I wish I made time for
friends. Sierra is the closest thing to a friend in my life, and even at that,
she’s more of a business partner than a girlfriend. And I certainly can’t talk
to my mom. She’d be here in an instant, picking out her Mother-of-the-Bride
dress.

One of my
clients arrives with her mom, and she spends the next two hours trying on
fifteen dresses without making a decision. Once they leave, I suddenly have
plenty of work to keep me busy. I grab a few of the dresses and head to the
racks, and that’s when inspiration strikes.

It’s as if there
is a gravitational pull between my body and my secret wedding dress. The dress
I love. The only dress that’s ever made me long to be a bride.

You could wear
it.

The thought
stops me in my tracks. My heart rate spikes, leaving me lightheaded and
breathless.

Just imagine how
you’d look, walking down the aisle to meet the man of your dreams.

Apparently,
there has been a demon Bridezilla living deep within my subconscious for a
while, because she’s suddenly very loud and annoying.

And very
convincing.

In a foolish
move, I grab the gown off the rack and walk to the dressing room.

Our
dressing room.

I’ll never be
able to step inside this room without thinking about Drew.

I close the door
behind me. Briefly, my gaze darts to the wall.

Our
wall.

My
dress.

I ignore the
rational side of my subconscious that screams at me, telling me this is a very,
very bad idea.

I take off my
clothes, and I slip on the dress. I manage to zip myself, and then I close my
eyes before turning toward the mirror.

Open your eyes.

I do, and the
vision is enough to knock me breathless. It’s beautiful, and I’m beautiful in
it.

And it fits
perfectly.

Wait a second.
What am I doing?

This could be
your only chance to wear it.

I ignore the
bitch Bridezilla rattling around in my brain. Instead, I turn around and admire
how the back of the gown looks in the three-way mirror. My hair would
definitely need to be up to show off the details in the lace.

I shake my head.
I never should have put on this dress.

Is this my
chance to be a bride? My only chance?

I stop being
selfish for a second and think about Drew’s mother. My grandfather suffered
from dementia, so I know how heartbreaking the disorder can be. It robs you of
your present. And of your past. Drew is being honorable and selfless, trying to
find some way to bring his mom a moment of happiness.

Then the selfish
Bridezilla returns.

The wedding
night would be fucking fantastic.

Suddenly, I hear
the shop door open and close.

“Shit!”

Even though I
don’t want to greet my customer in a wedding gown, I know I don’t have time to
change. I sigh heavily and rush out of the dressing room and toward the
register.

I freeze in my
tracks when I see my customer.

Of course it’s
him, standing on the other side of the counter.

“Going to the
ball, Cinderella?”

I close my eyes
and try to calm my racing heart.
Shit. Shit. Shit.

When I open my
eyes once again, I find Drew kneeling before me. He’s
kneeling
. And I
stop breathing completely when I see that he’s holding the diamond that is
brighter than the sun.

He reaches for
my left hand, and because I’ve lost all common sense, I give it to him. Drew
slips the beautiful ring on my finger.

“It’s not a
glass slipper,” he says.

His expression
is simultaneously intense, and sweet, and tears flood my eyes.

Such a girl.

“It’s better,” I
tell him.

Drew smiles up
at me in a way that makes my knees weak.

“Will you marry
me?”

I blame the
dress. It’s the only explanation for what comes out of my mouth next.

“Yes,” I
whisper.

Drew’s smile is
triumphant as he rises to his feet and wraps his arms around me. I’m grateful,
because I’m pretty sure I’m going to faint.

What the hell
have I done?

 

Enjoy this excerpt from

I Thee Wed (Wedding Dreams #2)

 

Chapter 1

Lily

I can’t believe
this is happening. I have actually accepted Drew Hamilton’s proposal of
marriage. He said it didn’t have to be legal . . . that we could
just have the ceremony, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. After I came
out of the dressing room wearing
the
dress to find him in my shop, my
brain just shut off.

I was grateful
when he left soon after I said yes because I really needed to be alone. He said
that he would call me on Sunday, which gives me a little less than two days to
get my head on straight. I took the ring off after he left. There is no way
Sierra would’ve missed the three-carat rock on my hand, and I’m not ready to
answer any questions yet. I don’t know how I made it through the rest of the
day.

Now I’m alone in
my apartment. Nala, my cat, is on my lap and a big glass of Merlot is in my
hand.

What the hell am
I doing?
I start to laugh uncontrollably, and Nala looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
Maybe I have.

I start to
imagine what it would be like to live in that humongous house with Drew. Would
I get my own room? Would I want to share a room with him? Is he allergic to
cats? I suddenly realize that I know nothing at all about him except his
address and his occupation.

Oh, and that he
is sex-on-a-stick! The man knows his way around a woman’s body, that’s for
sure.

Here we go
again.
Stop it, Lily! Get your head out of the clouds. Or at least out from
under the sheets!

 I must
come up with a plan to convince myself this is a good idea. I also have to
figure out how to tell my mother about it without freaking her out. But, right
now, I am going to drink this bottle of wine, watch bad reality TV, and pass
out on the couch.

***

Drew

I walk out of
Wedding Dreams with a huge grin on my face.
She actually agreed to do this!

I’m so excited
that I am practically skipping down the sidewalk, but I don’t, because, well,
I’m a guy. I have to calm down. I told Lily that I’d call her on Sunday; since
I’m sure she’ll need some time to think about things and start planning the
wedding. I wonder what she’ll plan. She does this for a living, after all. Will
it be a big event, or small and intimate? I really don’t care as long as my mom
has a good time and remembers the wedding at the end of the day.

As I’m driving,
it hits me that we can’t wait very long to have this wedding. Mom is getting
worse all the time, so Lily is going to have to plan quickly.

I take a deep
breath and calm down. We’ll just have to discuss it all on Sunday.

I make a right
turn and head toward the assisted living facility to tell my mom the good news.

 

I Thee Wed (Wedding Dreams #2) Coming
Soon

 

Thank You

There are so
many people to thank, it is tough to know where to begin. I never thought I
would write a book. I always thought I was a reader. I’m finding out that may
no longer be true.

First I have to
thank my dear friend, Sydney Logan. Without your unwavering support, this
project would not have gotten off the ground. Thank you for your help with my
words, my formatting, and for being my cheerleader. You’re the best!

Thank you to my
beta readers, Jennifer, Danielle, and Jane. Your comments and encouragement
have pushed this book into reality. Big thanks to my cover models, Rachel and
Trevor. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to use the pictures for the book cover,
but your willingness to pose for me means the world!

A
special thank you to
Wendy Depperschmidt, Jada
D'Lee, and Kathie Spitz f
or sharing your talent with me. You are all so
special!

And, a HUGE
thank you to all of you for reading this book and giving me a chance. It means
the world to me that you would spend your hard-earned money on something I
created.

 

 

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