Beyond Promise (26 page)

“I’m a complete gentleman. You’re mistaken.
I would never do that to my bride.”

He grinned wryly and kissed me.

“Come on,” Ayden’s uncle shouted. “That was
too tame for the Rhodes clan.”

I hugged Ayden and closed my eyes as Jenny
began cutting small pieces in case anyone besides the bride wanted
cake before dinner.

The music was turned up again, and the
mingling commenced as Ayden and I snuck away for a few moments of
peace.

“How does it feel to be Mrs. Rhodes?”

“Pretty incredible, and if I let myself
think about it too hard, I’d say surreal.”

“Surreal?”

I nodded. “To come from what we faced a few
weeks ago to this? Yeah, I’d say a bit surreal.”

Ayden drew me into an embrace and rested his
chin on the top of my head.

“Mason was just telling me that the
prosecutor didn’t find enough evidence to support Viktor’s claims.
My mom talked to someone at the prosecutor’s office this morning,
who told her it was considered an instance of self-defense since
the victim couldn’t defend himself, and they had to step in.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” I exhaled. “That’s the
best wedding gift ever.”

“It is.”

“Should I have even bothered to tell you?
Would you’ve rather I kept it from you.”

“I think you know the answer to that, or you
wouldn’t have told me. No secrets, remember?”

“Brandy and Gabby wondered if we had any
names picked out for our daughter?”

His squeeze tightened. “And what did you
tell them?”

“Ethel,” I whispered.

“Ethel?” Ayden’s laugh drifted into the air
as he shook his head. “That’s awesome.”

“I thought it would throw them off for a
little while.”

“Indeed.” His arms fell away from my waist,
and he took a step back. “I guess we should go back.”

“I guess. Can’t we sneak off to where the
magic happens?” I wiggled my brows.

“I think the magic already did.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Thank
you for being the man you are.”

“I couldn’t imagine being anything but.”

Jenny waved us over to the buffet line.
Dinner was served. We both reached for plates and began piling on
the delicious food. There were spicy chicken kabobs, grilled
vegetables, and rice pilaf. And that was just this table. The next
table had a beautiful rib roast on display, along with mashed
potatoes and green beans. I piled my plate high and waited for
Ayden before we walked over to our table and took a seat.

“I just realized I haven’t eaten anything
since eggs benedict this morning.”

“You fit in eggs benedict?” Ayden asked,
cutting through the prime rib.

“I did and a massage and hair and
makeup.”

“Sounds like a nice day.”

“A pretty incredible day.”

One of Ayden’s uncles took a seat, along
with Mason and his parents.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. I noticed a hint
of a shiner on your cheek there,” his uncle stated, pointing at
Ayden. Pretty much all hints of Ayden’s escapade in the parking lot
had vanished, but if you looked closely, rosiness rested under his
skin.

Tori took a seat next to Mason and took a
sip of water.

“A little scuffle,” Ayden said. “A lesson
learned.”

“Something I’ve never told you about your
nephew,” Ayden’s dad began. “He’s a fighter. Does it as a
hobby.”

Ayden turned his head toward his dad. “And
just how long did you know?”

His dad laughed and tossed the napkin on the
table. “I think I caught your very first fight. Mason was slinking
around the garage, evading my questions about his plans for the
night so I got curious. I followed him, parked, and went
inside.”

“You’re kidding,” Mason said.

“I never would’ve guessed,” Ayden told his
dad.

“So you lost the fight that gave you that?”
his uncle asked.

“No. I’m undefeated. This happened in the
lot after the fight.”

“You should’ve seen the other guy,” Mason
chuckled and looked around at us all. “Wait. Was that
inappropriate? Too soon for jokes?”

“Only your kind,” Tori whispered, trying to
keep the smile off her lips.

“I’ve learned my lesson, though,” Ayden
announced. “I’m done. Might as well get out while a person’s
ahead.”

“Smart move, son,” Ayden’s dad agreed.

“Smart,” Ayden’s uncle echoed.

Unlike most brides, I was determined to
enjoy my dinner and savored each and every bite until it was
announced that the first dance was about to take place.

Ayden clutched my hand and led me out to the
dance floor that hovered over the beach. The lanterns bobbed gently
in the wind, the flame flickering as Ayden wrapped his arms around
me and began to move with me without music.

“I love you, Mrs. Rhodes.”

“I love you, Mr. Rhodes.”

And our very first dance began as the “First
Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes came echoing through the air. I
rested my head on his chest as we swayed back and forth to the
beautiful acoustic melody.

“I’ll take care of you from this day
forward,” Ayden whispered, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
“I’ll be there for you. I promise.”

“I promise more.” I raised my head from
Ayden’s chest, and our eyes locked as we continued to dance.
Between the smell of the salt air and the faint murmur of our
friends and family commenting on how blissful we looked, I felt
like were in our own version of heaven on earth.

“Did you mean that about being there for me
if I jump out of a plane?” he asked.

I chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. But I’ll be
there with you jumping out of it.”

“You’d jump out of a plane?” he asked, his
blue eyes wide. “That kind of makes me worried.”

“No. Kidding. Imagine how it makes me feel.
My track record’s been a little better, might I add.”

“Such a low blow,” he chuckled. “So we can
both scratch off jumping out of a plane?”

“Maybe until after the kids are grown.”

“Good call,” he chuckled.

“Kids, huh? As in multiples?” His brow
arched.

“Yeah. What the heck? Lily Rhodes against
love of all kind gets married and wants lots of kids to make our
life exhausting and…actually, I’m not sure what comes after
exhausting.”

“At least you’ve gotten good practice with
me,” he teased.

His embrace tightened as our song slowly
wound down, and more couples began to spread on to the dance floor
as the next song, “Stand by Me” by Ben E King, came on.

“Can this be any more perfect?” I asked, the
waves crashing in the background.

“Not if we planned it.”

“We kind of did.”

My eyes scanned the crowd that had grown,
and it was almost impossible not to get teary eyed as I saw my two
best friends dancing with the loves of their lives, and Ayden’s
parents holding onto each other even tighter than Ayden held
me.

Ayden’s one hand slipped from my waist, and
I twirled into the crowd before he pulled me back into him.

Gabby and Jason cheered, and I sunk deeper
into Ayden’s arms as the song changed to the son and mother dance.
As Ayden let me go, I smiled and took a deep breath in, taking in
the best moment of my life.

Ayden’s dad asked for my hand, and I
appreciated the gesture. I’d done a good job of pushing out certain
moments, like being walked down the aisle by my father or the first
dance, but sometimes it was nice to be remembered along the way.
Not all parents were created equal, but if I had to choose some,
these two were at the top of their form.

“Ayden is one lucky man and we are the
luckiest parents. We couldn’t have handpicked anyone better to join
our family.”

“Thank you so much. I feel like the luckiest
girl.”

I looked over at Ayden, and his eyes were on
me as he danced with his mom. My heart fluttered as if it were the
first time I let myself realize that I’d fallen for Ayden. His dad
somehow danced his way next to his son and traded me away for his
wife. The bouncier “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
pumped through the air, and Katie started jumping all around the
dance floor, followed by Gabby and Brandy right behind, bobbing
their heads and twisting their hips as Katie grabbed their
hands.

“You should go,” Ayden whispered, gently
pushing me to them.

Katie let go of Gabby’s hand and grabbed
mine as Gabby wrapped her arm around my waist. With every twist and
turn, Katie squealed into the night air a joyous sound that was
infectious. Every single guest began grabbing one another’s hand
and circled us four girls as we danced our hearts out until the
bouquet toss.

The music quieted, and the unmarried gals
congregated on the floor. Jenny handed me the replica bouquet, and
Ayden asked if the crowd of single ladies was ready. They roared to
life, and the music began as I tossed my bouquet behind me. I
turned quickly to watch Gabby diving toward the bouquet, as Brandy
almost snatched it away from her right before Tori jumped toward
the sky with such gusto, we all dropped our jaws. The moment her
fingers wrapped around the stems, I knew it was a done deal.

Mason was next.

More photos were taken as I hugged Tori, and
Ayden pushed Mason over to Tori where a few more photos were
snapped. I glanced at the chair Jenny had now placed on the floor,
and Ayden motioned me over with his finger. They began playing
Bach’s “Funeral March”, and I scowled playfully, plunking in the
chair where Ayden lifted my dress over my knees.

Slowly his hands worked up my leg, and his
fingers wrapped around the garter. He flashed a devilish grin and,
without warning, ran his chin along my knee until his teeth firmly
gripped the garter. A fit of giggles erupted from my belly as all
the men started cheering. I tipped my head back as Ayden lifted my
leg and worked the garter over my knee. The moment it was over my
foot, I stood up and gave Ayden a deep, passionate kiss before he
made some guy’s night lucky.

As all the unmarried men were called to the
floor, I scanned the crowd. There were a lot of men out there. I
spotted Aaron in the front and Jason strategically to the side.
Mason was all the way in the back, even though Tori was trying to
persuade him to move to the front. The music changed, and Ayden
turned his back on the men as the countdown began.

Within seconds, I saw the white garter fly
into the air as if it were finding its forever home with some
unsuspecting soul. As the garter came closer, I watched all the men
dive bomb away from the dance floor, leaving Mason alone staring up
toward the sky as the garter landed in his hands.

The guests broke into applause as Mason’s
eyes looked dazed and confused as to what just happened. Tori came
bounding onto the floor and jumped into his arms as a smile broke
immediately onto his lips.

Life couldn’t get any better than this.

Until he whispered those magical words,
“Should we go upstairs?”

I looked around the dance floor that was now
lively with couples displaying their drinking moves, and I knew no
one would miss us if we snuck away. I waved over to Gabby, who
pulled Brandy my way as Ayden went to say goodnight to a few family
members and friends.

“Thank you for everything,” I whispered,
flinging my arms around the girls. “You made today perfect.”

“You’re beautiful inside and out, Lily. My
brother’s a lucky guy.”

I took a step back and Gabby dabbed away a
joyful tear. “I’m just so happy this is how tonight turned
out.”

I knew exactly what she meant, but all I
could do was nod as Ayden snaked his arm around my waist.

“See you on the beach tomorrow—”

“Or the next day,” I interrupted.

Brandy and Gabby hugged each other and
watched as we walked across the beach toward our hotel.

As we made our way to the elevator, a few
hotel guests uttered “congratulations” and I beamed proudly as
Ayden held my hand. We rode the elevator up to our floor, and my
heart skipped a beat. The wait had been worth it.

“Never again,” Ayden whispered.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“Waiting like this.”

Ayden and I stopped in front of our
door.

“I love you, Mrs. Rhodes, but I’m going to
be honest. There might come a day in the near future, I won’t be
able to carry you across the threshold. I think it’s important we
do it while we can.”

He slid the key card into the lock and
pushed the door open with his foot. Scooping me into his arms, he
carried me into the hotel room and I chuckled, nestling my head in
his neck.

Ayden’s face softened from the thunderous
expression he’d worn as he set me down, and his gaze traveled from
my messy, braided hair to my breasts and down to my hips. A slight
arch of his mouth drew me closer, and my pulse accelerated.

My body trembled in Ayden’s arms, and he
could resist no longer. He cupped my chin in his hands, and his
gaze steadied on mine.

“I’ll never forget this moment for as long
as we both shall live.”

“And after,” I whispered.

“And after,” he repeated.

My body ached with longing as our lips
remained so close, but he refused to let them touch. It was as if
the last few weeks of pent-up desire was an addictive game, and the
longer we held out, the more we needed one another. Yet we both
refused to be the one to give in.

He ran his fingers slowly over my bare
shoulders and down to the top of my strapless gown. “You are the
most beautiful bride.”

My cheeks flushed at the admiration I saw in
his eyes. He brushed the seam of my mouth with his tongue, and I
shuddered, parting my lips, begging him to kiss me deeply.

The desire was so spectacular it drilled
into every part of my body with such an intensity my body burned
for him. I leaned into him and brushed my lips against his, and in
return, he pressed his mouth to mine. His kiss heated my entire
body as my eyes closed, and his hands slid along my waist. His
mouth released from mine as he slowly worked his tongue down my jaw
to my throat sending a shockwave of longing through me.