Jaded (The Butterfly Memoirs) (26 page)

The minister spoke again, but his words were lost on me. I focused on her eyes. They continued to water out of happiness.

“Now, the rings.”

I fought an internal war to skip past sliding the rings on our fingers. I wanted to get to the part where I could pull her into my arms and feel her lips against mine.

Nick reached around and handed me the solid gold portion of my mother’s ring. I slipped it onto her finger. The set was now complete.

I waited impatiently for Yasmine to slide on the ring that once belonged to my father. When it was in place, she lifted my hand to her mouth and kissed it.

Our fingers entwined, we faced the minister who smiled and paused. The gleam in his eye made it obvious he was dragging his feet on this portion of the ceremony on purpose. The guests laughed.

“Now…with the power vested in me by God and the State of California, I now pronounce you…Mr. and Mrs. Zachariah James Givens. You may now kiss your bride.”

I wiped the tears sliding down Yasmine’s beautiful face and kissed my wife. One simple kiss was not enough. I held her close, slipped a hand around her waist, and took my fill.

A slap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. Clapping, cheering, and laughing caught my attention. I glanced around and saw our family’s reaction. Yasmine blushed.

“Take it to the bedroom, man,” Nick ribbed.

I didn’t care. My attention went to my bride. My wife.

The woman of my dreams was officially mine. Forever.

Chapter 33

“Smile for the camera.”

I held onto Zack, my arms wrapped around his neck, my bouquet dangling from my hand behind his head. His arms were around my waist, holding firm. I felt like a prize won at the carnival.

“Okay…gaze into each other’s eyes…feel the love…and in one, two…”

Zack leaned in and kissed me.

“No, no, no! That’s not the shot I’m going for!” Frustration was evident in the photographer’s voice. “Can someone please refresh the bride’s lipstick…again?”

“Zack,” I swatted his shoulder playfully, “stop, okay? We’ve got a few minutes to get these pictures done.”

“So?” Mischief danced in his eyes.

I knew that facial expression well. It spoke volumes of what he wanted to do once we were behind closed doors.

“Zachariah,” his mother said, laughter in her eyes and voice. “Some of us are not getting any younger here.”

“Yeah, I for one could use a drink,” Nick added.

“I second that,” Brandon chimed in.

Ebony and Kaitlyn laughed.

I shot the guys a glance and rolled my eyes. A drink was not what they wanted. Nick had eyes on one of my co-workers since the wedding ended. Brandon was anxious to get to the woman he’d brought as a date.

I leaned into Zack and whispered: “The sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can put the reception behind us and start our honeymoon.” I wiggled my eyebrows for emphasis.

He must have gotten the point because he stayed on his best behavior until all pictures were taken.

We held hands and headed towards the room where the reception was being held. Nick was wheeling Ms. Belinda ahead of us.

“Nick, you can stop here, I’d like to speak to my daughter. Go ahead; I’ll let you know when I’m ready to be wheeled in.”

Zack’s eyes lit up. “The two most important women in my life,” he stated as he surveyed us both. “Don’t take too long.” He leaned down to kiss his mother on the cheek, kissed my palm, then headed inside.

She waited until Zack and Nick disappeared. “Thank you for this,” she waved a hand indicating the garden where we’d gotten married, contentment shown on her face. “I know this isn’t the wedding you wanted, but—”

I reached out for her hand. “No, it’s exactly what I wanted. This isn’t about me…Mom…You needed this as much as we did. You taught me how precious time is. Waiting six months to marry the man of my dreams was not going to change a thing. We have each other now. You’ve had the chance to see him happy…,” my voice faltered. “He’ll be able to remember that you were here to see him married.”

She patted my hand. “You are truly a blessing to the small family. I wish I could stick around long enough to see my grandkids. I’m sure they are going to be beautiful.”

Unable to speak, I leaned down to give her a hug.

“Alright, that’s enough. There’s a handsome young man waiting for you inside. Do me a favor and ask Nick to come back for me in a few minutes. Go be with your husband.”

I studied her face. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I need a minute to compose myself. Don’t want to ruin your day with a crying mother-in-law.” She waved me off.

It took everything in my power to walk away. I glanced over my shoulder before going inside and saw her rest her head in her hands, a piece of crumpled tissue in her fist. I said a silent prayer before notifying Nick to wheel her in.

***

“Zack…this is amazing!”

He set me down on my feet, then shut the door behind us. I walked ahead to take in the view of our honeymoon suite. One wall was nothing but floor to ceiling windows open to the Las Vegas strip. It was nearly midnight and the lights of the city illuminated the room without a need to find a lamp.

“Do you like it?” Zack stepped behind me and slipped his arms around my waist.

I angled my head to see him. “Do I like it? Are you kidding me?”

He smiled and looked over my shoulder. “Man, the pictures online didn’t do this place justice.”

We linked fingers and took a tour of the suite. The living room was huge. A flat screen T.V. claimed one wall and a large sofa with oversized pillows and an ottoman built for two sat in the middle of the room. The thing was so huge it reminded me of a small bed. A bar was across the room and appeared to be well stocked.

The bedroom was a dream. A king size bed sat in the middle with bedposts that nearly touched the ceiling. A gift basket was on the nightstand.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

I followed his gaze, and laughed. “Oh, wow,”

A mirrored ceiling hung above the bed while mirrors decorated the closet doors. I could imagine what Zack was thinking. I was right there with him.

The bathroom was huge. Double sinks and a glass shower were there, but the main focus was a deep-jetted tub built for two. Candles lined the counter and sides of the tub. Talk about setting the mood.

When I entered the bedroom, Zack had sat on the mattress with the basket beside him as he examined the contents. “Wine, glasses, chocolate covered strawberries....a certificate to the spa for his and her massages. And…,” he held up a box. “Condoms.” He wagged his eyebrows.

Smiling, I walked over to where he sat and removed the basket from the bed. I kicked off my shoes and began to strip. “How long has it been since we made love?”

“Three days, twelve hours, and,” he glanced at his watch, “ten minutes.” He kicked off his shoes and tugged his shirt over his head.

We were naked in record time.

I straddled his lap. “Mr. Givens, I think it’s time we remedy that.”

“Why Mrs. Givens, I agree.” He gripped my hips and rolled me onto my back.

“I love the way that sounds.” I sighed as he kissed his way down my body.

“I’ll never get tired of saying it,” he murmured against my skin, then reached for the condom box.

I clasped his hand.

“What?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

I studied his face. “We’ve waited too long to get what we’ve wanted out of life. Both of us want to have a family. Why wait?”

Zack studied me, surprise written on his face. “You want to have a baby? Now?”

Ever since talking to Ms. Belinda, I’d been giving my life goals a lot of thought. I was twenty-eight and Zack was thirty-two. We both had good jobs and were in good health. There were no outstanding goals for us to reach or reasons to put off starting a family.

I slid a finger along his jaw. “I want to have your baby…our baby. Life is too short, Zack. If you’re ready, I want this. If you want to wait then I’ll understand.”

“Aren’t you on birth control?”

I bit my lip. “I stopped taking it after we got engaged. I’ve wanted to talk to you about this but we never had time…we were both so busy, with me working and planning the wedding and you coming home late…”

Zack cupped my face in his hands. “Yasmine…,” he stared into my eyes, and I felt my insides melt. “Yes, let’s make a baby.”

The next kiss he gave me was long and slow.

I put my arms around his neck and ran my fingers across his head and along his back. The urgency we’d started with slowed. This wasn’t going to be about our physical needs. This was sex with a purpose. To tease, to satisfy, and if all went well, return home with a memory to last a lifetime.

###

The next few days were nothing but wedded bliss. Every opportunity was spent making love in every part of the suite we could. When we weren’t wrapped around each other, we talked, ordered room service, watched movies on TV, and slept. The third day found us leaving the hotel for the first time. Sore from all the gymnastics we’d performed, we took advantage of the massages. That night we got dressed and explored the hotel before visiting the Vegas strip.

We took pictures at the landmarks and even made it to see Cirque De Soleil. I now understood why Zack worked so hard to save for this trip. No matter what happened in our future, I would never forget our time spent together for the first time as husband and wife.

“What are you thinking?” Zack asked. We lay in bed, naked, my head resting on his chest, our limbs twisted together after another session of lovemaking. His fingers slipped across my shoulder in lazy strokes.

“I was wondering where I’d be if my computer hadn’t crashed the first time. We never would have met. When I needed new computers I wouldn’t have asked for you.”

I stared at the reflection of our naked bodies above us. The light from the windows illuminated the room enough to see his reflection. Our room was so high above the strip that we left the blinds open to enjoy the view.

“I’ve wondered the same thing.” He rolled over to his side and faced me. “I’ve never been happier in my life. This…,” he waved a hand between us, “was meant to happen. The two of us opposites…both needing the same thing, but no longer searching for it.” He laughed. “I’m thankful my mother pushed me to tell you how I felt. If left to my own devices, I’d probably be sitting home alone playing with my iPad waiting for the next Friday night.”

I laughed. “Me? I’d be depressed and counting the days left to becoming godmother to Kaitlyn’s baby.” I scrunched my eyebrows. “We owe your mother a lot. How did she get to be so smart?”

Zack chuckled. “Old age?”

“Hey, she’s not that old.”

Zack settled back on the bed and smiled. “Come here,” he held out his arm to me.

“Hold that thought.” I climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. After using the toilet and washing my hands, I studied myself in the mirror.

For the first time I felt truly beautiful, even with my hair a mess and light red marks on my neck from my husband’s love bites.

He loved me, and I loved him.

I studied my slender profile in the mirror, focusing on my flat stomach. If everything went according to plan, in a few months there would be a new life growing inside. A part of me, a part of Zack. A part of his mother.

I closed my eyes and prayed things would work out so she would know there was a grandchild on the way before she passed.

“What’s taking so long? Do you need help?” Zack called out.

“Very funny. Besides we already christened the bathtub.” And the shower.

“Yeah, but we haven’t done it on the bathroom counter.”

I smiled. Hopefully, we’d still feel the same way about each other years from now.

The sheets shifted on the bed, indicating Zack’s intent to join me. His cell phone rang. That was odd. It was well past midnight. We’d checked in with our families to let them know our plane landed in Vegas, and no one had contacted us since. Curious, I stuck my head out of the bathroom door.

Zack sat on the bed, an expression of horror on his face. “How long?” he asked as he jumped off the bed and began searching for his clothes.

I rushed out of the bathroom. “Zack, baby, what’s wrong?”

“It’s my mom…she’s in the hospital….” He found his jeans and stuffed his legs in. “Yes…yes…oh God. We’re on the way. Contact me at this number if anything changes.”

“What’s wrong?”

“That was my mother’s doctor. She’s in ICU. He didn’t give the details, but he says we need to be there now. Yasmine…,” Zack stopped after cramming his feet in shoes and stared around the room as if lost.

I directed him to sit on the bed. He looked as if he were about to pass out. My heart raced. “Did he say why she was there? Did she fall again?” I gathered my strewn clothes from the floor and dressed quickly.

He didn’t answer right away, and stared blankly at the wall.

“Zack?”

An expression of bewilderment darkened his features. “He said she’s dying.”

Oh no. My heart fell to the floor. It was too soon.

Tears sprung to my eyes. I grabbed hold of him and held on.

“She’s dying…,” he repeated. “How? Why?”

I had never seen so much pain etched onto his face.

This is what Ms. Belinda prepared me for. This moment, right now.

Taking charge, I gathered the remainder of our things and threw them in the suitcases. I notified the hotel front desk and, informed them of the circumstances, and made arrangements to rent a car to drive home. We were a few hours away. It would be easier to drive than switch airline tickets at this time of night.

An hour later Zack was behind the wheel holding my hand and we were on the road. I prayed time would be on our side.

Chapter 34

The sun was on the horizon by the time we arrived at the hospital. Zach had driven like a mad man for several hours straight. It’s a wonder we weren’t stopped by the police.

We parked and ran into the hospital. I’d called every thirty minutes to check on Ms. Belinda’s status; her condition stayed the same, no improvements. According to her doctor, her heart still beat, her lungs continued to need air, but her liver and kidneys were failing. It was a matter of time.