Accent Hussy (It Had 2 B U) (11 page)

The next day was a flurry of wedding stuff. Max paid for all the girls to get pampered at the casino spa. After four hours of seaweed, mud masks, makeovers, and more makeup than needed, all of the women in Max’s life looked stunning. He even paid for Maggie and Emma to get makeovers. If I had known my brother was Mr. Moneybags, I would’ve asked him for that cute, purple clutch I wanted for Christmas. I spent half the afternoon talking in accents to keep the nervous Breezy laughing. That girl was a mess! I’ve seen washers that shake less than she did.

Breezy was convinced that she and Max needed to date, at least, a year before marriage, but the bun in the oven had other plans for her. She has responsibilities now, that makes her union to my brother even more important. Whether she likes it or not, she’s walking down that aisle, even if I have to pull her by her hair, kicking and screaming all the way to my brother.

“You know, Breezy. In an hour, you will officially be a McGowan. That’s an honor. You will be the only person in this world with that privilege.” I say it with a thick Italian accent—Marlon Brando’s in the
Godfather
to be exact.

Breezy giggles as the make-up artist touches up her face. “I’ve always wanted to be a McGowan, but honestly, I thought your parents were going to adopt me. I never thought I’d become part of the family through marriage.”

My mother laughs. “Breezy, you’re the only person who felt that way. We all knew this union would happen someday. No woman has ever been able to tame my son, except you.”

Breezy’s cheeks flush, making the makeup artist who’s working on her face huff in frustration. I notice that her left hand is trembling, I curl my fingers into hers in an attempt to calm her.

“This is supposed to happen, Breezy. I can’t wait for you to be my sister.”

A single tear drips down her face, taking with it the newly applied eyeliner and mascara that the makeup artist just took her time to put on Breezy’s face.

“I know this is a wedding, but if you could please keep the bride from crying that would make my job so much easier,” the make-up artist grumps. We all giggle and I squeeze Breezy’s hand before dropping it.

“Let’s talk about something not wedding related. Why don’t you tell me what happened between you and that hot fighter guy after Max proposed?” Breezy has a huge grin on her face.

Internally, I want to groan. I hate talking about Caleb. Every time I think about him, I think about how perfect we are in the bedroom. That simple fact makes me livid. Caleb is nothing I want for myself, yet every time I think about him, my entire body gets excited.

“Nothing. He’s an asshole.”

“A hot one that you went home with that night,” Maggie teases.

“One that does not have an accent,” I chime in. “He’s overbearing and gets under my skin. I hate him.”

“Why do you hate him?” My mom asks. She has that inquisitive ‘I know better than you do’ voice of hers on. I hate that voice. “I mean, if you and this guy were stuck in an elevator together for five hours, what would you do?”

“If he and I were stuck in an elevator together, I would either jump to my death or claw his eyes out. I’ll give you ten reasons why I hate him. He doesn’t have an accent. He has alpha-like tendencies . . .”

“Ooh, I love me a good Alpha. They prove to be a challenge in the bedroom for my dominant personality,” Emma speaks, “but they’re still a lot of fun.”

This girl has been shooting me daggers since she arrived. I’m not sure why she doesn’t like me, but at least she’s talking to me now. I don’t know if she has a dominant personality or if she’s just a bitch. The verdict is still up in the air on that one.

“Alpha’s bug the crap out of me. They’re so cocky. Let me control everything in the bedroom, and you just lie there and do what I say. Nope, not me. I refuse to be bullied in the bedroom. I do what I want when I want. I may have enjoyed it for the night, but I was also under the influence of a lot of alcohol. If the situation presented itself again, it wouldn’t happen. He was a one-night-stand; it’s never going to happen again.”

“That’s bullshit. You’d sleep with him again. I can see it in your eyes. You like him, Everly. Whether you want to admit it or not, you have the hots for the sexy fighter,” Maggie exclaims.

“Shut up, Maggie.”

The conversation quickly shifts when a man comes in and gives us the thirty-minute warning. Breezy’s nervous twitching gets even worse. Somehow, in the matter of a weekend, they had a whole small ceremony planned out. The colors were fuchsia and white, and the dress they got me has to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever worn in my life. It’s short and barely covers my ass. All the guys are staring at me as I walk through the casino. I’m wondering what the ratio of hot men to accents is in Vegas. Hopefully, tonight after the wedding, I can find me some hot foreign stud to warm me up—one who isn’t a married prostitute.

“That fighter guy is lucky he isn’t in Vegas right now. If he saw you in that dress, he’d be beating the crap out of anyone that looked at you,” Breezy exclaims.

If anyone looks beautiful, it’s her. She looks absolutely stunning in her eggshell colored gown covered in tiny silver jewels. It’s strapless and her long brown hair hangs down across her milky-white shoulders. She chose to get a gown without a vail, so the hairdresser took half of her hair braided it into a crown and dressed it with baby’s breath.

“Breezy, you’re the beautiful one. I’m just an accessory to your beauty,” I tell her, giving her a quick hug. The last thing I want to do is talk about Caleb anymore.

My father is waiting for us in the hallway, along with Tony, who’s supposed to escort me down the aisle since he is Max’s best man. Both men smile at us as we approach. Tony kisses Emma before she and Maggie help my mom to her chair outside. Max and Breezy chose to have their wedding out on a veranda, underneath an arch dressed in fuchsia and white flowers. Tropical flowers surround the whole place. A small waterfall is a beautiful backdrop behind the arch and flowers. Usually, weddings are booked months, even years in advance, but fortunately, the couple who had this booked had to cancel last minute. Because Max and Breezy wanted something small, they gave them the wedding at a discount and set up the whole thing with a week’s notice.

Tony hooks his arm with mine as the music starts playing. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “You look absolutely beautiful, Everly.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself, handsome.”

We share a heated stare and laugh as we start walking through the doors, out onto the veranda. My brother stands there proudly next to a preacher with Emma, Dashawn, Maggie, and my mother sitting down in front. We share a goofy smile as I walk down the aisle towards him. Once we are at the end, Tony unhooks his arm from mine, and we both turn around as the
Wedding March
begins to play. The doors open and my dad and Breezy both start walking towards us. I hear my brother’s breath intake. I briefly glance over at him to see tears in his eyes; the same tears are in Breezy’s eyes when I look back at her. This wedding has been ten years in the making; it’s about time it finally happens.

Like a normal wedding, everything is all “Dearly beloved we are gathered here today . . .” All I can focus on is my brother and Breezy’s facial expressions. They look so happy. Happy tears are the best. I’m overwhelmed by the happiness that vibrates between them. My own emotions takeover, I won’t cry. I can’t. It isn’t until my brother starts his vows that I completely lose it.

He takes her hands and says the following words to her, “Breeanne Nicole Hicks, where do I start? From the moment I met you, I knew that one day we would be staring at each other just like this, holding each other’s hands, and saying our vows. I fell in love with you on our old high school softball field. You couldn’t hit the ball, but you sure hit a homerun with me. I fell in love with your smile and the way you laugh. I love how your eyes light up the same way when you’re nervous, excited, or happy. Every day I craved the softness of your touch and ached for our hugs because it gave me a reason to touch you. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. Shit, I’ve danced to the song
Barbie Girl
more times than I’d like to admit, and sang karaoke, even though I can’t carry a tune. I’ve fed you chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream when it should be banned from the ice cream world. I even developed a taste for M&M’s and popcorn, because, despite my own personal tastes, these are the things that you love, and I love you. You make me want to dance, sing, laugh, and smile. Those seven days away from you were the worst days of my life. You stole my heart the day we met, my breath when you first walked into the room, and my soul the moment you said hello. You are my best friend, the love of my life, and I never want to spend another moment without you. I love you Breezy, from this day until my last dying breath.”

What the heck is a dry eye? That’s a total myth right now. Not only did my brother’s speech bring on the water works, he’s successfully made every woman look like a drowned raccoon. Hasn’t anyone ever told that makeup artist that there’s a thing called waterproof mascara? I’m a sludgy mess right now.

Breezy can barely contain herself as she fumbles through her words. Through choked sobs, she attempts to match Max’s vows. “Maxwell James McGowan,” she starts. I love how my brother cringes over his own name. It’s hysterical. “Eleven years ago, you came into my life and changed me forever. I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you, but it never crossed my mind how incredibly perfect we would be as a couple. You never gave up on me, though. You knew, even then, we were meant for each other. I can’t believe how patiently you waited for me to wake up and see what you and everyone else in this room already saw—soul mates. Nobody gets me like you do. You’re not only the love of my life but also my best friend. You’ve always been there for me when I needed someone. I love how your shoulder holds my tears and the way your arms keep me safe and warm. I love that twinkle in your eye when you attempt to make me blush and your perverted sense of humor that’s full of sexual innuendos. I love that you can’t dance but try just to make me happy. You were there for me when my parents died; because of you, I didn’t run away or hide within myself. If it wasn’t for you, Max, I probably would’ve died the same day they did. You always know what to say in the worst situation. You know what I like and what I don’t. You learned how to make me happy, but in reality, what makes me happy is you. It may have taken me eleven damn years to realize how perfect we are for each other. Yes, I’m a little slow when it comes to true love.” Everyone laughs, especially my brother. “But I promise that I will take the next eleven years, and all that follow, to make it up to you. You and this little bundle in my belly are all that matter to me. It’s always been you Max; you’re my crutch when I didn’t know I needed one, and my raft when I start to sink. You’re my rock when I need something strong to hold on to and my light when everything else looks dim. You are and will always be the love of my life, and before he even asks. I do. I do now. I do later. I do forever. If it means spending every minute of my life laughing, kissing, and just being with you, Then I do!”

The tears are flowing even more now. I glance over and see Tony wiping at his face. I chuckle. Who knew Tony was a big ole’ softie. My mother is sobbing. Maggie is using Dashawn’s shoulder as a tissue. Even the priest has tears in his eyes. It’s the most beautiful and romantic thing I’ve ever seen in my life—if I wasn’t crying like a lunatic, I’d probably barf.

“Well, it’s obvious she takes you, but do you take her? Maxwell James McGowan, do you take Breeanne . . .”

“I do. I do, do, do, do,” Max shouts. “Can I please kiss her now?”

The priest and everyone else in the room laugh. “By the power vested in me by the State of Nevada, I now pronounce you man and wife. You can kiss your bride.”

My brother grabs Breezy and kisses the crap out of her—that whole bending her at the waist to take her breath away kissing thing you see people do in the movies. When Max and Breezy finally come up for air, everyone starts clapping. Breezy is redder than a Santa hat, and Max is grinning like a loon. It’s official! Max and Breezy are now Mr. and Mrs. McGowan. Poor girl . . . she has no idea what she just got herself into.