I Thee Wed (Wedding Dreams) (5 page)

Drew takes a bite of his baked
ziti and I see laughter in his eyes. I put my fork down and start to get mad
when he says, “I like a woman who knows how to eat. Do you know how annoying it
is when you take someone out and they just pick at their food?”

I smile and continue to enjoy my
lasagna. Now that I know he’s going to deal with Brandy, I’m content to sit and
eat my lunch.

*
* *

Drew

She is beautiful.
Nothing better
than a woman
who’s
secure enough to eat a meal without
feeling like she has to be a bird. Of course, the bomb she just dropped is
eating away at me.

What the fuck is Brandy up to? I
know she can be a conniving bitch, but this is too much. I feel terrible I told
her about Lily, but I just wanted that
cunt
off my
property. Now I’m going to have to figure out another way to deal with her. I’m
just glad Lily doesn’t seem too upset about the whole thing.

I finish my pasta and get the
nerve to tell Lily we need to move up the wedding date.

“Lily, I got a call from my
mother’s doctor this morning, and she isn’t doing very well. He thinks the
dementia is progressing quickly. I’d like you to consider having the wedding
within the next two weeks. Do you think you can do that?”

She just stares, her fork in
mid-air. I can’t help but hold my breath.
Please don’t say no, please don’t
say no.
She
really is my last hope to make my mother happy.

“Say something, please, Lily. I
know
it’s
fast, but I don’t know what else to do.”

She looks at me, sets her fork
down, wipes her mouth with her napkin and places it back on her lap. I think
she’s doing this to torture me, but I remain strong to give her time to answer.

“Drew,” she reaches over and pats
my hand, “what you’re asking is going to be difficult and expensive.”

“It doesn’t matter, Lily.
Whatever it takes, no matter what it costs. Can you make it happen?” I know I
sound like a child begging for a toy, but I can’t help it. She really is my
last hope.

“I think so, but I need to know
what you have in mind. What kind of wedding is going to make your mother happy?
Since we’re just putting this on for her, we should make it all about her.”

Did I sense some sadness in that
statement? I hope not, but I can’t worry about that right now.

“I don’t know that it really
matters, as long as there’s a minister present. I assume you don’t want to make
it legal then?” Am I disappointed? Not sure yet.

“No, Drew, I don’t think it’s a
good idea to legally bind ourselves when we know so little about each other.
Especially if you want to do this in two weeks.
That’s not
enough time to solidify a relationship.”

She has a point, but I also don’t
want her to feel like she’s being used. “There is one way we can get to know
each other faster.”

“Really?
What way?”

“You move in with me now. That
way we have two weeks to get to know each other better while we plan this
event. I can take you to meet my mom, and I can help you with the planning.
It’s a great idea. What do you say, Lil?”

“I don’t know, Drew. This is
happening so fast, I can’t process it.”

“What if you just stay with me
for a week? You don’t have to move in, yet. Then we can see how things go. I’ll
take a couple days off, you take a couple days off, and we’ll spend time
together. How does that sound?”
Did I really just offer to take time off for
her? What the fuck is wrong with me?

“I have the big Perry wedding
this weekend. I can’t take time off.”

“You have that mouthy assistant
working for you. Make her take care of it. I thought she was your partner.”

“She is, but I’m not sure she can
handle it alone.”

“All right, let’s compromise. How
about we take the next two days off? That gives you the weekend to take care of
work. Does that sound doable?”

She hesitates for a moment,
shaking her head. “Okay, Drew. I’ll take the next two days off and stay with
you.”

I didn’t realize I was holding my
breath. I let it out and smile. I’m going to have to figure out how to make
these next two days’ worth her while so she’ll keep up her end of the bargain.

*
* *

Lily

When I get back to work, I’m
feeling much better than when I left. Sierra, however, is in a snit.

“Where in the hell have you been?
This day is a MESS!”

Great.
She’s yelling
now.

“What’s going on, Sierra? I’m
right in front of you, so there’s no need to shout,” I say as calmly as
possible.

“The Perry wedding has been
postponed. Apparently the bride’s mother found her husband in bed with one of
the groomsmen. The family is so upset that they want to put everything off for
a while.” She’s in tears now.

“Well, that sure is an
interesting development.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? It’s
a God damned DISASTER!”

“You said that already, Sierra.”

“Then why aren’t you more upset?
You’re just standing there like nothing happened.” She stops and
stares
with her hands on her hips, toe tapping, and
breathing like she just ran a mile.

“Because I don’t
have the energy to get upset about it.
We have a contract, so we’re
going to get paid. Plus, it frees up my weekend, which reminds me, I’m taking
the rest of the week off.” I grin which was probably a bad idea.

“WHAT? You’re taking the rest of
the week off? ARE YOU CRAZY?” Sierra’s eyes are as big as saucers and she’s
visibly shaking. I have to bite my lip not to laugh out loud.

“Sierra, you have got to learn to
relax. You look ridiculous and you’re going to have a stroke before you turn
thirty.” I can’t hold back my giggles now.

She stares for a minute, and then
starts to laugh, too.

“Well, you can’t blame me for
getting upset. You never do stuff like this. This shop has always been your
life, at least as long as I’ve been here.”

She’s right. I don’t do anything
but work and sleep. Maybe Drew will be the one to change that, even if it’s
just a pretend relationship.

“I know, but I’m going to try to
change that. Drew and I are taking some time to get to know each other, plus he
wants to have the wedding in two weeks. I have a lot of planning to do. You
don’t mind running things without me this week, do you?”

“Of course not.
What do you
need me to do for your wedding? Don’t you worry about the
shop.
I’ll gladly take over so you can have some time off. You deserve it, Lily.” She
smiles sincerely and gives me a hug.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.
I’ll see you on Monday morning with a huge list of things to do, I’m sure.” I
go to the back to pack up my laptop and walk out of the shop smiling to myself.

Chapter
5

Lily

I stop by the salon to get my
nails done. It’s been a long time since I pampered myself and I want my toes to
look nice for Drew.

What?

I have to remind myself this is
not a date, or a marriage, in the literal sense. This is just a ruse for his
mother. Hopefully, we won’t have to keep it up for too long. Not that I want
something bad to happen to his mother, I’m just not sure about having a
roommate again. I chuckle to myself at that thought. I’ll be Drew’s roommate.

After my feet and hands look
fabulous with a coat of light pink polish, I head back to my apartment to pack.
I’m only planning on staying at Drew’s for a couple nights but I have no idea
what he may have planned. I figure having at least one of each type of outfit
would be best. I get a nice pair of jeans and a turquoise shirt, a nightgown, a
sundress, and the appropriate undergarments and shoes. I turn around to put
everything in the suitcase and find
Nala
lounging in
there. I try to shoo her out but she won’t budge. I have to put everything down
on the bed and pick her up.

“What’s the matter, baby? Are you
sad
?” I know talking to a cat is crazy, but I really
think she can understand me.

Nala
nudges my chin
with her head and starts to purr. I carry her into the kitchen and fill her
food and water dish. She happily munches away while I finish packing.

I’ve got everything together and
Nala
has been fed. I’ll have to be sure to come back
tomorrow and feed her again. I also need to remember to talk to Drew about
Nala
moving in with me in his house because I am NOT
leaving her.

*
* *

Drew

I head back to the office to try
and get things wrapped up to take the rest of the week off. There are a few
cases I need to move around but that shouldn’t be a big deal. As I walk into
the building, I see Brandy in the lobby.

Shit.
This is not
what I need today. There’s no way for me to avoid her, so I decide to meet her
head on.

“Brandy, what an
unpleasant surprise.
What brings you here?”

“Drew, I want to know what the
fuck is going on.
Why’re
you doing this to us? You
know I love you and we’re good together.” The bitch actually gets tears in her
eyes.

I resist the urge to roll my
eyes.

“Brandy, what part of don’t talk
to me did you not understand? I thought I made myself very clear last night
that we’re done. You and I were a drunken mistake I wish I could forget.”

“How can you say that? You know how
I feel about you.” She’s starting to get loud now. This has got to stop. I get
as close to her as I can without touching her. I don’t need everyone in this
space to hear what I have to say. I almost vomit when I catch a whiff of her
nasty perfume.

“Look, I know you felt something
but I didn’t. I’ve moved on and I suggest you do the same. I will not have this
conversation with you, and if you even think about going to Lily’s shop again,
I’ll get a restraining order against you. Do I make myself clear?”

She has the nerve to reach up and
pat my cheek as she smiles. “You are too cute, Drew. I know you don’t really
mean that. You’ll fuck this Lily, and when you’re bored with her, you’ll be
back.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Brandy.
I don’t want anything more to do with you and I’m going to marry Lily. You can
count on that. Now, I want you to walk out of here and never come back I’ll
call the police if you’re in this office again. Got it?” I take a step back and
point toward the door.

“Okay, you win. I’ll leave for
now. I know I’ll see you soon.” She gives me another smile and a wink as she
walks past me and out the door. I hope this is the last time I have to deal
with her, but I know my luck isn’t that good. I take a moment to gather my
thoughts and head into my office area.

Kelly isn’t at her desk as I pass
by. She must be getting something out of the file room. I head into my private
office and find her sitting at my desk. This is unusual.

“What’s going on, Kelly? Why are
you at my desk?” I’m trying really hard to keep my voice even. What’s with
these women today?

“Drew, we’ve worked together for
a while, right?” She leans back in
my
chair.

“I think so, why?” I’m getting
really pissed now. I don’t have time for these games.

“I got a call from Brandy last
night and she tells me you’re getting married. When were you going to tell me?
I mean, I know we aren’t friends or anything, but Brandy was really upset.
She’s like a sister to me!
How can you do this to her?”
Kelly’s face is getting red and her voice is starting to shrill. I seriously
can’t deal with this shit right now.

“Kelly, I’m going to tell you
this once, so listen very carefully.” I lower my voice to just above a whisper
and stare right into her eyes. She swallows and starts to look nervous.

“My personal life is just that,
personal. Who I date is none of your business. You are my assistant, and if you
wish to remain as such, you’ll never speak to me about Brandy or any other
woman again. I do not need to ask your permission for anything. I suggest you
get out of my chair and get back to your desk. I’m taking the rest of the week
off and I have things to get organized before I do.” I stand up as straight as
I can, extending my arm, showing her the door. Kelly gets up and breaks eye
contact with me as she slinks out the door. I slam it behind her to make my
point.

*
* *

After spending the rest of the
afternoon putting my cases in order, I feel like I can take a few days off.
I’ve never been away from the office for more than two days since I started
here. It’ll be a huge change of pace. I need to start thinking about how Lily
and I can spend the time. I need to take her to meet Mom. I’m not sure how that
will go, but it’s going to be necessary.