Every Beat Of My Heart: The Sullivans (Wedding Novella) (7 page)

She leaned back into him and mumbled the answer against his neck.

“Did you just say bloodhound?” He stroked his hand down her back as she nodded. “You’ve been secretly reading my joke book, haven’t you?”

“No,” she said with a fervent shake of her head. “I swear I haven’t.”

He laughed and pulled her closer. “Only one more, and then you’re off the hook. At least until tomorrow.”

She burrowed tighter into the circle of his arms. “Go ahead. I think I’m ready now.”

“I don’t know if anyone could ever be ready for this one,” he warned her. “What does the dog magician say when he does his tricks?” He paused a beat for maximum impact. “Labracadabra.”

Though Heather couldn’t help but laugh—okay, maybe it was closer to a groan—Zach knew she was still upset. Which meant it was time to move to distraction technique number two.

“Remember how I made you forget about everything, way back when?”

“How could I ever forget that squirmy, hot night sitting in a restaurant with you teasing me until I thought I was going to lose my mind?” She tightened her arms around him even as she added, “But we’re at our bachelor and bachelorette party with your whole family here, and—”

He cut off her faint protests with a kiss. “All the better. If we’re caught tonight, we’ll be a thing of Sullivan legend.” He nipped at her lip and let the kinky thought sear into her mind, even though he would never let that happen in a million years.

The first time they’d made love, she’d teased him about his
legendary
bedroom, and he’d never let her forget it. Now, as she laughed and pulled his head down for another kiss, he was glad to know that his plans to make her forget about her parents were finally working.

Heather was the first—the only—woman Zach had ever lost control with. And the truth was that he still lost it every time they were together. Lost it so completely that he soon had her dress up around her waist, his pants unzipped, and then he was inside her.

He closed his eyes and held her tight as they drove each other higher and higher. No teasing tonight. No going slow. Just the two of them reminding each other in the most elemental of ways how deep their love ran.

As she began to come apart over him, he captured her gasp of pleasure with a kiss that barely masked his own groan. For a long while, they simply held on to each other.

When he knew that someone actually might start looking for them soon, Zach gently lifted her from his lap so that they could both set their clothes to rights.

“Do I look okay?” Heather asked.

“You’ve never been more beautiful.” He smoothed her dress down over her hips, then rested his hand over her stomach. He couldn’t wait to be a father and have a little boy or girl with Heather’s flashing eyes and quick wit.

“Just remember,” he told her, “whatever happens, I’ve always got your back.”

She breathed deeply, as if to inhale into her very marrow the same vow he’d made her years ago when they’d first had to get through a night with her parents. “I know. We’ve got this.” She slid her hand into his. “Together.”

* * *

Ryan had always liked Vicki’s parents. She had a great relationship with them, and he was glad that her mother, father, and two brothers had all been able to come to Napa for the wedding on such short notice.

Her family had spent plenty of time in California during the past few years, but they were still clearly bowled over by the star power in the Sullivan family and circle of friends. Especially for Vicki’s brothers, who were both huge baseball fans, getting to meet the Hawks at the party seemed to be a pretty big deal.

Fortunately, Ryan knew Vicki’s family could take care of themselves. It was his fiancée he was most concerned about tonight. Because although she clearly loved getting to spend time with her family, Ryan could tell that something wasn’t quite right. She was quieter than usual. A little less bright.

At the first chance, he took her hand and drew her away from the crowd. “Let’s go for a walk.” She didn’t say anything as he led them out of the castle and into the vineyard that surrounded it. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders to ward off the slight chill as he brought her farther up the path so that they could only faintly hear the laughter, the music.

The moon was full, and the vines were lit up as if by a romantic spotlight. When they reached a small, walled rose garden with a seat at the center, he pulled her into his arms and tipped up her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“We’re getting married tomorrow.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “How could I not be okay?”

“Vicki.” He stroked her cheek. “You can tell me if you’re not.”

“You said the same thing to me the night your team threw us a party for our pretend engagement.”

“Our love was always real,” he said first. And then, “I meant it then and I mean it now—you can tell me anything. Anything at all.”

She was silent for a few moments before finally saying, “After my divorce, I didn’t just vow to protect my heart at all costs—I also believed I’d never marry again. But then there you were, my best friend, the one man I had never been able to stop loving. Your love made it possible for me to push my fears aside and put my entire heart and soul on the line for you. But tonight…” She paused, scrunching up her face, the same expression she got when the clay wasn’t turning into the sculpture she could see in her mind’s eye. “I just want the past to stay in the past. I didn’t even realize any darkness from those years without you was still lingering, but tonight it feels like the final bits of my bad first marriage are being dredged up to the surface.”

“I hate that we were apart all those years, Vicki.” Just as he hated the pain he could see on her face right now. “I’ve wished a million times that I could go back into the past to redo it all. I wouldn’t just fumble my way through a kiss with you at fifteen—I’d find the guts to tell you straight up that I was in love with you. I wouldn’t let you marry some other guy. And I sure as hell wouldn’t almost lose touch with you for fifteen years when what I most wanted was to see you, talk to you, kiss you every single day.”

“I can’t believe I used to think I was made for long term and you weren’t,” she said in a soft voice, “when I’m the one who’s still scared that my earlier failure at marriage might taint the one that truly matters. I already gave my ex ten years—I don’t want to give him even one more second.”

“We’ll never be able to erase the past,” Ryan said, “but we don’t need to. Because we’ve got tonight. Tomorrow. And every single day after that. Forever,” he said as he held her hands in his. “That’s how long I’ve loved you—and how long I always will.”

“That first day, when I was so scared, you did the same thing you’re doing now. You took me out into nature and held my hand and showed me that you’d be there for me, no matter what.”

“You let me hold your hand that day three years ago, but I wanted to do so much more.”

“Tell me, Ryan. What would you have done then, if you could have?”

“This.” He pulled her even closer and kissed her. “And this.” He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. “I would have said,
I love you
. I would have said,
I’ve always loved you and I always will
.” He brushed away her tears. “And I would have asked you not just to trust me, but to trust yourself too. All those years away from you—and then trying to pretend I didn’t want you with every fiber of my being—were the worst kind of torture. But we’ve always come away stronger. Better. And even more in love. Which is how I know we’ll make it through anything else that comes our way. Just as long as we’re always honest about what we’re feeling, what we need.”

“Actually,” she said softly, “there is one more thing I need before we head back to the party.”

He gazed down into her eyes, which were lit by the moonlight that streamed over them in their private rose-filled hideaway. “Anything,” he said again, even though he already knew what she was going to do. What she was going to say. Because he knew her better than anyone else in the world. Just as she knew him. “Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

She stepped out of his arms just enough to be able to reach for the zipper on her dress that ran between her breasts. “I need you to love me,” she said at the exact moment that she pulled it down. “Here. Tonight. It’s always been you, Ryan.
Always.
”

And as he laid her down on the bench beneath the moon and the stars, surrounded by roses and grapevines, to love her sweet and hot all at the same time, Ryan hated to think what his life would have been like without Vicki.

Thank God, he’d never have to find out.

Flowers of every color and scent spilled from pots on the large stone patio that overlooked the vineyards where Zach and Ryan waited. Neither man looked at all anxious about getting married. On the contrary, it was clear to every one of the hundreds of wedding guests that the brothers were nearly out of patience as they waited for their brides to appear.

“Hopefully, the girls will be out here soon,” Sophie whispered to Lori.

“No kidding,” Lori agreed. “Otherwise our brothers look like they’re going to go caveman.”

Maybe Mary shouldn’t have laughed in agreement as she stood at the front with her oldest son, Marcus, to co-officiate the wedding. But her children had always been her greatest joy—and watching each of them find love meant everything to her.

The first notes of the
Wedding March
rang out through the vineyard, and Mary’s chest squeezed. In a matter of minutes, her sons would be pledging their hearts to the women they loved. And she’d have two new daughters. She couldn’t wait, her smile growing even wider as Heather emerged from a rose-covered archway.

Zach’s indrawn breath easily carried to Mary’s ears as he saw his bride in her gown for the very first time. Heather was absolutely radiant in white silk that draped elegantly over her curves. The designer had made her the perfect dress—simple, yet breathtaking.

As she walked up the aisle on her father’s arm, Heather never once took her eyes from Zach. Mary swore she could feel the connection between them, so strong that no one, and nothing, would ever break it. Even when Heather’s father kissed his daughter’s cheek before moving back to his seat, Heather held Zach’s gaze. And when Zach reached for her hand and kissed it, Mary nearly broke into sobs right then and there.

It suddenly hit her: How on earth was she ever going to make it through not just one of her children’s weddings—but two on the very same day—without falling completely apart?

There was barely enough time for the crowd to catch its collective breath before Vicki emerged from beneath an arch made of baseball bats held by Ryan’s teammates.

But it wasn’t just the bride’s unique entrance that had Mary smiling. It was seeing how bright Vicki’s eyes were, how flushed her cheeks, as she smiled at her groom. Ryan’s grin nearly split his face as he took in the stunning vision of his best friend, dressed all in white.

Never had two brides been more beautiful, each in their own special way. Where Heather’s gown was pure simplicity, Vicki’s made you look once, twice, then again. Yes, there was white silk and lace, but instead of using thread to connect the fabrics, zippers crisscrossed to create a corset-like bodice that was positively breathtaking.

Pure joy infused every step Vicki took toward Ryan on her father’s arm. Mary’s son didn’t wait for them to make it all the way to the altar, but met them halfway down the aisle. Vicki’s father laughed along with everyone else at the groom’s enthusiasm, and once her father had hugged his daughter with tears in his eyes, Ryan took his bride into his arms and kissed her soundly, long before any vows were spoken. When they finally drew apart, they walked hand in hand to stand beside Zach and Heather in front of the guests.

Marcus moved forward to begin the ceremony. “Thank you for coming today to celebrate the love between Heather and Zach
and
Vicki and Ryan. My mother and I are honored that they asked us to officiate their double wedding today.”

Mary had to take a deep breath to steady her emotions before moving to Marcus’s side. Smiling first at the brides and grooms, she then looked out over the large group of beloved family and friends on the patio. “As you can see, we decided to do things a little differently this time.” The crowd laughed, and she continued, saying, “In addition to having two weddings today, we also thought we’d have some nontraditional ring bearers be a part of the wedding. Please welcome Atlas and Cuddles.”

Still holding Zach’s hand, Heather turned and gave a low whistle. A few moments later, Atlas and Cuddles began to trot down the aisle, the wedding bands tied with ribbons to their collars.

Seeing the two dogs together—one huge, one tiny—never failed to make Mary smile. Three hundred people obviously agreed as applause rang out. Heather and Zach had trained their dogs so well that clapping and laughter didn’t distract them from their task as they continued to walk up the aisle.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Mary saw a flash of golden fur near where she and Marcus were standing at the upper edge of the patio. When Atlas’s ears perked up, Mary guessed the Great Dane must have seen it too. Always alert to her dog’s behavior, Heather gave another whistle to keep his focus on her.

But a moment later, when another golden streak of fur shot by, before anyone could stop the teacup Yorkie, Cuddles was off and chasing the rabbit. Atlas was one of the most well trained dogs Mary had ever come across, but how could anyone expect him not to dash off after his best friend and two rabbits?

Zach cursed softly, then quickly kissed Heather and said, “I’ll go get them.” He was gone in a flash, in his suit, chasing the two dogs.

“I’ll help,” Ryan said. After a kiss for his bride, he was running out into the vineyard too.

Again, Mary knew she shouldn’t laugh, but seeing her two sons in their perfectly pressed wedding suits yelling for the dogs as they ran between rows of vines was something she knew she’d never forget.