It Will Always Be You (You Series Book 1) (23 page)

Saturday, August 7

Eva’s son, Dustin, looking like a sweet little angel in his cream tux, pulls on my dress. His hazel eyes twinkle as his blond little head tilts up to me.

“Auntie Lizzie, I love you,” he says, though each L comes out as a W that sounds simply adorable.

My heart melts as our precious little ring bearer speaks the heartfelt words. I bend down, taking his tiny, soft hands in mine.

“You know what, Dusty? I love you too. To the moon and back again.”

His eyes grow big as he contemplates just how much that is. I lean in and kiss his warm little cheek.

“Then can I marry you too?”

I hold back the tears weighing in my eyes. “That would leave some girl really sad and lonely. You wouldn’t want to disappoint your future bride, would you?”

Dustin thinks about this harder than any nearly four-year-old really should.

“Plus, being a kid is way too fun to miss out on, and to get married, you have to be a grown-up. Grown-ups are too serious, and you have to get a job.” I scrunch up my face for dramatic effect.

His face sours. “I like being a kid,” he says before he turns and runs away.

I giggle as Krystal enters Aubrey’s old room, where I am stationed to get ready in the Roderick home.

“What’s so funny?” Krystal asks, as she forcefully hoists her girls further up in her bra to make some cleavage from next to nothing.

“Dusty just asked if he could marry me.”

“Oh, my God, that is so sweet.” The look on Krystal’s face is one that is still new to me: sweet, sentimental, and so very in love. The old Krystal would have just shook her head and proclaimed she never wants to have kids, that she would just screw them up. She and Parker had eloped over the winter, and we had all decided on staggering our two-week honeymoons so we would get one week alone as a couple and spend the other week together as couples. Then the absinthe business would be left in the capable hands of their tremendously loyal staff for only one week.

“You are being summoned by Max for photos in Ken and Maureen’s room.” Krystal hands me the envelope I’d had her hold on to for me and escapes down the hall.

Max is standing just inside the room and directs me to stand on one side of the solid, heavy bedroom door. He clicks his camera into a tripod while Rose fusses with my dress.

My dress is elegant, cream with lace and jeweled details on the bodice. The back of the dress is a stunning racerback style, and the modest train is as light and airy as the rest of the fabric, giving the illusion that I am much taller and more slender than I really am. My four-inch heels may have my feet hurting before the ceremony is over, but it will be so worth it.

“All right, we’re ready. Marshall, you hand her your letter first,” Max instructs.

Marshall’s hand comes around the opposite side of the door keeping us from seeing one another. He squeezes my hand as I take the letter from him. My heart beats as wildly as when we first met. I then hand him my letter, as instructed.

Marshall’s writing on the front of the letter brings an immediate tear to my eye:
Beth, Please Read
. I haven’t even gotten to the letter, and I’ve started crying already. My unsteady fingers open the seal.

My Dear Sweet Beth,

From the moment I first saw you I knew I had to get to know you. The more I got to know you, the more deeply I fell in love. From the first sip I took of your soy latte, half pump of almond, half pump of raspberry, no froth, I knew I was hooked. Your laugh, your smile, and the way you fidget with your ring when you’re nervous, the flush of your cheeks that I now get the pleasure of seeing every time we make love; your talent, your beauty, and your kind heart are only a few of the things I love about you. Our pasts, our present, and our futures will now become one. I can’t wait until you become Mrs. Roderick and make me officially the happiest man on earth. You are my forever. Until the very last breath I breathe, it will always be you.

All my love,

Marshall

I dab at my tears with the tissue Rose had given me before she left us alone with Max. Max continues snapping photo after photo of each of us, making me wonder what Marshall is doing, how he looks, how my letter is affecting him, and if my little confession made him react like I think it will.

After Max says he got what he needed from the two of us, he sends Marshall on his way to get a few more shots of just me. A few window light full-body images and no close-ups due to my recently shed tears and he sends me off to get ready. The wedding begins in a little less than forty-five minutes.

I hurry down the hall to meet my wedding party, but when I pass the hallway bathroom I hear Marshall, “Hey, baby, it’s me. I know it’s bad luck to see you before the wedding, but with all we’ve been through I don’t fear that anything in this world can keep us apart,” he says from behind the cracked open door, making sure not to see me in case I object. “I have something I had planned on giving you with your letter, but I want to see your face when you get it, and I want you to have that flush on your cheeks only I can put there when you say ‘I do’.”

I laugh out loud at his cute, but dirty little gesture. Well aware that my little confession got to him, I don’t hesitate for a second. This is all I want right now; I can’t wait one more moment to kiss him, taste him, and touch him.

“Okay,” I tell him, “you can look now.”

He swings the door open as eagerly as I feel. Yes, this man is wildly sexy, and I couldn’t be happier that I’m seeing him for the first time in private. Looking him over in his nice, fitted tan suit, cream vest, salmon-colored tie, and brown square-toed shoes just might have made my legs give out in front of all of our family and friends. His hair is styled in its usual intentionally messy style that I just love. His eyes lock on mine for a few short moments before they run the length of my body. His eyes observe me, taking in every inch. I take it as my cue to spin, so he can see the back. Knowing his eyes are studying me has my sex pulsing with enthusiasm. I turn back to meet his stare, and much to my surprise, I find his denim blues glistening.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Beth.” He reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket. “But I look forward to a lifetime of trying to figure it out.” He reaches down and takes my left hand, as he gets down on bended knee. “I know you’ve already agreed to marry me, but I wanted another way to declare my love for you. Beth, I want you to never forget how much I love you.” He slips the ring on the finger meant for my wedding band. The shiny silver ring fits perfectly. He releases my hand and stands as I look down to study my new gift.

A rush of tears floods from my eyes as I look over the beautiful words. It reads
IT WILL ALWAYS BE YOU
followed by a cute little heart on a spinning ring.

“It was custom-made to fit with your wedding ring.”

My lips tremble as I look up at him. “It couldn’t be more perfect.” I wrap my arms around his neck, hungry for his mouth.

Our soft lips mold together as his warm hands splay out across the bare flesh of my back. The hard peaks of my tender nipples rub against the inside of the soft fabric of my dress as our chests heave together. The click of a door down the hall has Marshall pulling me into the bathroom, closing the door behind us, but he never stops kissing me. A few steps into the bathroom and I’m up off my feet as he lifts me up onto the large granite powder room vanity. His hands clench at my backside, pulling me into his firm readiness.

“I can’t wait until later,” he says with a ragged breath into my ear.

My blood boils as the moist heat of my arousal builds between my thighs.

“Then don’t.”

He wastes no time sliding up my dress, unclipping my garter belt from my stockings, and tucking a finger under each side of my panties.

“Mother of God, you look sexy,” he groans as he slides them down and over my heels. He runs kisses up each of my legs, not as slow as usual, but still sinfully seductive.

“Where is it?” he asks, referring to my little confession. I smile at him, looking as sinful as I can, before I lift up my garter just above the secret I’d informed him of in my letter. I watch his eyes inspecting my left hipbone as his perfect smile appears. His sexy little dimpled chin tips slightly to one side in obvious approval. I watch as he runs his fingers over my ink, barely healed from four nights ago. I had used “being a girl” as my excuse for not letting my little surprise out of the bag—or out of my panties, I should say.

“So what do you think?” I ask, impatiently waiting for his reaction.

He stands and places his hands along my cheeks, his eyes staring deeply into mine. “I think
Always Yours
is perfect. Maybe on our honeymoon I will reciprocate, but right now I need to bury deep inside of you and flush those cheeks so the world can see what I do to you as we promise ourselves to each other forever.”

It isn’t long before I’m lost in a dense fog of mind-numbing bliss.

Weakened with satisfaction, we put ourselves back together. I honestly have no idea how long we’ve been in here or if anyone was looking for us. We exit the bathroom only to find each of our bridesmaids and groomsmen standing just outside the hall cheering for the two of us, and thankfully there isn’t a parent in the bunch. We laugh as we pass them wrapped in each other’s arms—ready to go promise our together forever.

Beginning of epilogue is i
n loving memory

of my cousin, Dusty,

who left us far too soon.

I will always miss your hugs.

Love you to the moon and back again.

Hope you enjoyed
It Will Always Be You
.

I definitely enjoyed writing it.

Give a review on Goodreads and tell everyone what you thought!

To learn more of Marshall’s story, to get inside his head as he experiences his many life-altering moments, to see Beth’s letter, and to continue on with the journey of Marshall and Elizabeth, look for

Before There Was You
, out in late 2015.

To learn more about the author go to www.TinaNess.com