Friends & Lovers Trilogy (43 page)

As Nicole started to dress, Briana poured
them each a glass of champagne. She felt her eyes fill as she
watched her friend preparing for the most wonderful day of her
life. She couldn’t help the yearning that was building in her at
the thought of planning her own wedding one day.

As Roni zipped up the back of Nicole’s
strapless wedding dress with a lace overlay, Briana couldn’t help
but say, “Oh… Nicole, you look so beautiful!”

Nicole smiled at Briana in the mirror, her
eyes skimming over the A-line skirt and green ribbon belt that
matched the color of the girls’ dresses perfectly.

“
You really do, Nic,” Roni
agreed. “You look radiant.”

Briana handed Nicole her champagne flute as
the other woman turned. They put their glasses in for a toast and
Roni said, “To my new sister, may your wedding be everything you’ve
ever dreamed of.”

“
And may your wedding night
be perfect and magical,” Kara added with a twinkle in her
eyes.

“
Ewww,” Roni said, causing
the other girls to laugh and the moment to lighten up. “I don’t
want to think about the wedding night.”

“
Nicole, are you ready,
dear?” Kitty said opening the door a crack and peaking inside. She
nodded when she saw the girls were dressed, then opened the door a
bit further and allowed the photographer to enter the room. “Good,
we’d like to get some pictures of Nicole in her dress and some of
all of you together.”

They took pictures in the room, posing and
laughing as the photographer captured it all. Then they went
outside, careful to avoid the guys, and got some pictures on the
grounds of the venue.

Brianna knew the pictures of Nicole in front
of the pond, with the sun shining and the brightly blooming trees
behind her would turn out to be beautiful shots.

When the time for the wedding was finally
upon them, they began their procession, with Kara in the lead.

Briana blew a kiss at Nicole before she
started down the aisle, then began to walk towards the guys.

The outdoor venue was beautiful. The sun was
shining, the grass was green, and the flowers were everywhere. It
was perfect.

Briana smiled broadly when
she caught Colin’s eye, and kept her eyes locked with his as she
walked, her pink and green bouquet held firmly in her hands. Her
stomach jumped as she took in how handsome he was in his tuxedo. As
she neared the alter, she smiled at Pete and Rich, before turning
her gaze to Kent. He looked so handsome and happy; his face was
glowing with the joy he felt. She grinned happily at him before
joining Kara to wait for Roni and Nicole.

Once Roni was in place, the Wedding March
began and Nicole came down the aisle on her father’s arm. Her
excitement was palpable and Briana felt adrenaline rush through her
in response. She turned to see the look on Kent’s face when he saw
Nicole and didn’t even try to contain the tears that flowed at the
look of pure love she saw there.

The ceremony was short and sweet, ending
with Kent sweeping Nicole into a deep dip and kissing her
thoroughly. The small group of attendees jumped to their feet and
cheered loudly, offering catcalls and whistle’s for the duration of
the kiss. Kent swept Nicole off of her feet and carried her
laughing down the aisle.

Briana was chuckling at the site as she
joined Colin to follow suit.

She put her arm through his and leaned in to
whisper, “I love you.”

“
I love you too, Bree,”
Colin replied squeezing her hand before letting it go to follow
Roni and Rich down the aisle.

They joined Roni, Rich, Kara, and Pete in
the limo, popping a bottle of champagne as the driver pulled out of
the driveway to go to the reception hall.

“
I’m so happy right now,”
Roni gushed. “Did you see how totally ecstatic they both
were?”

Rich leaned in to kiss her
softly on the cheek before pulling a way and putting his glass out
to the middle to toast. “To a wonderful marriage between two of the
best people in the world.”

“
Cheers,” they all chimed,
smiling as they clinked their glasses together.

The trip to the reception
was a short one. When the limo pulled up to the entrance, they took
turns exiting, smoothing out their outfits and heading eagerly
inside.

Briana’s breath caught as she entered the
ballroom that was holding Nicole and Kent’s reception. Twinkling
lights hung from the ceiling, and there were so many flowers, it
felt as if the outside had been brought in. The tables were
elegantly decorated with candles and white place settings. The
overall effect was stunning, and she knew that Nicole would be
thrilled.

The evening went buy in a blur. Eating,
drinking, and dancing intertwining with each other and allowing
everyone to enjoy all of the fun touches Kent and Nicole had to
celebrate their big day.

From the open bar, to the
elegant table service, and the Fondue station, to the choreographed
dances… the night was a smashing success.

Briana was pleasantly full from the
perfectly cooked filet, and more than a little buzzed from the free
flowing champagne. As she danced in Colin’s arms to the D.J.’s mix
of wedding anthems, she smiled contently, and knew there was
nowhere else she would rather be in that moment.

Nicole and Kent had already had their grand
send off and were on their way to the airport. They were flying out
to Acapulco, where they would be arriving in a few hours to begin
their honeymoon.

Roni had caught the bouquet, to her chagrin,
and Colin had caught the garter. They’d both decided to go against
tradition though, and Briana was aware of the feel of the garter
rubbing against her thigh as she moved.

The reception had been a mixture of laughter
and tears. Most of the guests had left when the bride and groom had
driven away, but their small group was still going strong; allowing
the momentum of the evening to help them celebrate into the
night.

Briana lifted her head off of Colin’s
shoulder when he stopped swaying to the music. She looked around
and noticed that their friends were sitting at a nearby table,
having champagne and talking. She and Colin were alone on the dance
floor.

“
Bree,” Colin said
seriously when her eyes met his. “You know that I love you. That
I’ve loved you since we were a couple of crazy teenagers. When you
agreed to give me a second chance, I couldn’t believe how lucky I
was. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved and the only person that
I want to share my life with.”

When he dropped to his knee and took her
hand as he looked up at her, her world stopped. Her heart started
to beat rapidly and her cheeks grew damp with the tears that began
to flow. Briana gasped and brought her hand to her mouth when he
opened the small black box to reveal the engagement ring
inside.

The gorgeous princess cut
diamond glinted up at her under the twinkling lights. It was
everything she’d ever dreamed of as a little girl and if she was
honest, in the last few months.

“
Briana, I’d be honored
and promise to love and cherish you for the rest of our lives, if
you’d agree to become my wife.”

Briana dropped to her knees and catapulted
herself into Colin’s arms, kissing him wildly as she said, “Yes,
yes, yes!!!”

Colin slipped the ring on
her finger and put his arms around her. As he kissed her, their
friends stood and cheered and Briana knew that her life was exactly
as she’d always dreamed it would be.

Nicole & Kent

The wedding had been everything Nicole had
ever dreamed of and more.

She had been surprised when her parents said
that they wanted to pay for everything, but then again, they had
always been more generous with their money, than with their
affection.

Nicole turned her head to
look at Kent, her
husband
, as he slept. He was so
handsome, she thought with a smile, and such a good man.

The plane hit some turbulence, causing her
stomach to jump and her hand to clench Kent’s.

“
You okay, baby?” Kent
asked sleepily, turning his head towards her.

“
Yeah,” she said. “Just a
little bumpy.”

“
How long have I been out?”
Kent asked, stretching his arms as much as possible in the confined
space.

“
A few hours,” Nicole
replied. “We are about to start our descent.”

She opened up the shade so they could look
out the window. They held hands as they watched Acapulco come into
focus.

“
It’s so beautiful,” Nicole
said her voice full of the happiness that had fulfilled her since
she’d walked down the aisle towards Kent and became his
wife.

The plane landed smoothly, but they were
both happy to get off the airplane and be on solid ground
again.

When they stepped off of the plane, Nicole
surveyed the area, trying to take it all in.

“
I love it,” Nicole cooed,
peeling the already damp shirt from her sticky skin.

“
This is just the airport,”
Kent said with a chuckle, putting his arms around her and pulling
her close.

“
We could still be on the
airplane and I’d still love it,” Nicole said, leaning in for a
kiss.

She’d meant to give him a quick peck, but as
soon as their lips met, she opened and he entered her mouth
eagerly. She brought her arms up around his neck and felt his
fingers dig into her hips and bring her even closer.

Nicole moaned softly as their kiss deepened
and she felt Kent’s arousal against her.

She was suddenly flushed and hot, and it had
nothing to do with the Acapulco weather.

Kent broke the kiss,
breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s go
get our bags.”

Nicole nodded slightly, her breath not quite
steady enough to speak yet.

They grabbed their bags, then headed out
towards the front of the airport. Nicole squealed with excitement
when she saw the jauntily dressed man holding up a sign with their
names on it. They were escorted outside to the awaiting limo and
slid inside as the driver took care of their luggage.

Nicole giggled as Kent popped the cork on
the bottle of chilled champagne. She scooted closer to him when he
offered her a glass, and snuggled in for the duration of their
ride.

“
Is there anything special
that you want to do while we’re here?” Kent asked. Nicole had been
studying travel books for the weeks leading up to their
honeymoon.

“
I think I’d like to try
ziplining and cliff jumping,” she said. Nicole laughed at the
surprised look on his face.

“
Really?”

“
Yeah,” she said, leaning
in to kiss him softly before settling back and taking a sip of the
bubbly drink. “Why are you so shocked?”

“
I don’t know,” Kent said
with a shrug. “I shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore, but
you always seem to manage to surprise me. I love it.”

He bent over her and
nuzzled his nose against hers, before leaning back and resting
against the plush seat.

“
Is there anything you want
to do?” She countered.

“
I’m open to whatever you
want. I just want to enjoy every possible moment with my wife,"
Kent smiled at her.

Nicole moved in closer and pressed her lips
to the base of his neck. She flicked her tongue out swiftly, then
sucked softly, her body responding to Kent’s quick intake of
breath. Encouraged, she moved her lips up his throat and along his
jawline, occasionally nipping and licking as she traveled. By the
time she reached his mouth, he’d taken their glasses and set them
off to the side, allowing their hands free reign.

Kent lifted Nicole and she
parted her legs to straddle him as their kiss deepened. Kent
groaned as she moved against him, his hands fisting in her
hair.

When the car began to slow, Nicole gradually
came to her senses and pulled away, but not before going in for one
last kiss. She smiled seductively down at him and said, “Welcome to
paradise.”

Kent swatted her butt playfully as she moved
off of him. He handed her glass back to her and they were the
picture of innocence when the driver opened the door and welcomed
them to their hotel.

They exited the limo and checked into the
hotel. When they were walking to their bungalow, Nicole noticed
Kent’s unease with the opulence around them and took his hand in
hers.

“
It’s just you and me,
babe,” she said with a smile as they passed through the
garden.

Kent returned her smile, his eyes still
uneasy. “I feel a little out of place,” he admitted.

“
Mission accepted,” Nicole
said saucily.

“
What?”

“
By the time we leave here,
you’ll know that you have as much right to be here as anyone else,”
she promised.

“
Oh yeah?”

“
Yup,” Nicole said,
reaching down to cup his ass as they walked.

“
Hey,” Kent said, jumping
away in shock. “What’re you doing?”

“
Don’t be such a prude,”
Nicole laughed. “This is our honeymoon, and I want everyone to know
that you’re mine.”

Kent looked down at her,
eyes smoldering and said, “Two can play that game.”

Before she realized what he meant, she was
swept up in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck and her
head back, laughing with delight.