Round 41

M y phone buzzed with a text message, and I glanced at it quickly before turning back to William.

“Neema is on her way back,” I whispered to him.

“I should go see my brother about a wedding happening tomorrow.” William climbed out of bed and waited beside the edge until I crawled straight into his embrace.

My arms tight around his neck, he lifted me, and I unashamedly wrapped my legs around his waist, squeezing and enjoying the little breath that escaped him.

“But I should shower before I see Shaun, and you should probably shower before you see Neema.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes devouring me like a starved man.

“Maybe we should shower together, for time efficiency?”

He nodded, his expression serious. “It’s water-wise too.”

I giggled, and his lips landed on mine, sealing our mouths together in a scorching kiss. He walked us into the bathroom and, without setting me down, turned on the water.

His lips slid along my jaw, tasting as he went.

My eyes met his as I lifted off my shirt and tossed it to the floor a second before he stepped under the running water. Our breaths mingled with the hot steam as he kissed me, waking up every cell in my body. He glanced down at me, his eyes glimmering, and that smile I craved flashed across his handsome face.

“If I can dedicate the rest of my life to making you happy, then I’d have won,” he whispered.

I knew one thing for sure: If loving were a game, William was the best at it.

After a million goodbye kisses, William dragged himself out of my apartment. Racing to my bedroom, I rushed to get ready before Neema arrived. After our shower, I’d opened my texts and found another message from her letting me know she and my parents had spent the night at a fancy hotel, courtesy of William’s credit card, and they would arrive any moment.

The front door flew open, revealing an excited Neema.

“You’re getting married!” I exclaimed.

“And you and William finally hooked up!” she squealed back.

My jaw dropped in horror.

She laughed. “Don’t worry, your parents are downstairs.”

“I’m so sorry it’s all happening so close to the wedding.” I covered my face with both hands. “I should have timed it better.”

Before Neema could answer, my phone buzzed.

And then it buzzed a second time.

And again.

Neema grabbed it and glanced at the screen. “Oh my goodness! It’s William, and he’s being romantic!”

I clawed my phone from her fingers, my heart swelling as I read the messages.

William: I love you.

William: And I already miss you.

William: Last night was the best night of my life.

William: And this morning was the best morning of my life.

“You have to tell me everything in the next three seconds before your mom and her seven hundred bags make it up here.”

“He’s coming to the wedding.” I smiled, not sure if I was smiling to myself or at her. I only knew I was smiling and may never stop.

“Oh, damn! So, you have that magic going on where, after sex, you can convince men to do whatever you want them to?”

I punched her lightly on the arm.

“I can’t believe you’re in love with my almost brother-in-law,” she said. “We’ll be sisters someday.”

My mother arrived at that moment and squeezed the air out of me. “Hello, baby. Please thank William for a wonderful night with a private room so your father and I didn’t have to worry about your no-hanky-panky rule.”

I shut my eyes and groaned.

My mom took her seat at the table and continued with the candles. Eventually, my dad joined. I bit back a grin at the number of bags he carried. So. Many. Bags. No one ever knew why my mother packed so much, and I wondered why she’d needed all of them for one night at the hotel.

I pulled Neema into my bedroom and spent our last day in our apartment together talking about the things and people we loved, in far more detail than anyone else would be willing to listen to.

The following morning, the sky was bluer than usual—as blue as Shaun’s eyes—and my heart melted knowing my best friends would have the perfect wedding day. Then it melted again, knowing I would see William, and not any William, but William in that suit. The William who loved me while wearing that suit.

My William.

After we arrived at the venue and my parents and Neema went inside, I stayed behind and unpacked the car with the help of a few waitstaff who carried it up to Neema’s “get ready room.”

A strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. Dropping his lips against my neck, William left tiny kisses on my skin.

“You should know, I’m not hiding this from anyone ever again,” he whispered.

I spun around and pulled his head to mine, our lips meeting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if we’d been doing it for years.

“Ah, William!” my mother called out.

I jumped away so quickly I fell into the trunk of the car. William shifted and offered me an arm as my mom approached.

“Hi, Mrs. Jones.” William smiled, but his voice was laced with nervousness. “I’m William Ashdern, yes. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“Mom.” I ran to her and whispered in her ear, “He’s Gandalf! He’s actually Gandalf. My Gandalf.”

Her eyes flashed with excitement, and she pulled him in for a tight hug. “I knew you two would find each other again.”

I grinned and left William still wrapped in my mother’s hug, knowing that if I waited for her to release him, I might miss the entire wedding.

Reaching the get ready room, I opened the door and let out a gasp of excitement upon seeing Neema. Two women were simultaneously working on her hair and makeup.

The woman applying Neema’s makeup looked up at me. “Are you the maid of honor?”

I nodded, still unable to find my words.

“Sit. We’re doing you next, and you have a lot of hair to work with.” They bounced from Neema to me.

Claire burst through the door, slightly disheveled but beautiful in a navy-blue wrap dress. She threw her arms around Neema in a tight hug but was shooed away by the makeup and hair duo as she approached me.

“I’m starting to feel nervous about everything going according to plan.” Neema paced the length of the room. “Tell me more about William—it’s the perfect distraction.”

“William?” Claire said with a little hop.

“William.” I sighed his name and blushed.

“She slept with William!” Neema yelled.

“Shh!” My face flamed. “Not so loud. The wedding guests will hear you.”

“When?” Claire eyed me, her jaw dropping wide. She whacked me on the knee. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

I laughed.

The makeup artist huffed.

Neema snorted.

“I’ll tell you everything another time.” I widened my eyes in a way I hoped said, Not now! I was already on the makeup artist’s last nerve.

Neema took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m so happy for you—and for me. This definitely means we’ll see you all the time.”

Claire and Neema went behind one of the dressing screens, and as soon as my hair and makeup were complete, I took the other. I slipped on my coral dress and ran my hands over the fabric as I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. To my surprise, I loved the way the color highlighted my black hair and how the high neckline covered enough skin while accentuating my generous curves, leaving me not at all self-conscious. I extended my leg and admired the slit traveling all the way to my thigh. It showed off my best assets while hiding areas I was less comfortable exposing. It was perfect, but my best friend chose it for me. I should have known.

I stepped out from behind the screen, and my breath hitched upon seeing Neema in her wedding gown. She was stunning and radiated so much joy that I understood why she’d wanted none of us to see her dress before this day. The white-beaded lace decorated her dark brown skin, contrasting beautifully against her complexion as though it belonged there. The entire effect was too gorgeous for words.

At that same moment, a light knock sounded at the door, and William entered. My heart spiraled into joy as though dancing for his attention.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He smiled at me, and I suffered under his compliment, trying to keep my face still, but it was impossible.

He turned his attention to Neema. “You look lovely, sis. And uhm… Shaun’s ready whenever you are.”

“I’m ready,” she replied with a sureness I now fully understood.

As if reading my mind, William winked at me. “See you in a minute.”

My heart went into a full-on flutter as he left the room. I grinned, remembering that flutter would be dealt with later.