Marrying Her: The Keeping Her Christmas Wedding (The Keeping Her Series Book 5) (10 page)

Sara sniffed and then
smiled through a fresh wash of tears.  She licked her lips.  “I think he will
be honored to be asked.”

Clytie’s own smile was
blinding.  “Then I’ll give him a call.”

“Come by the store sometime,
too.  Everybody asks about you, and I know you said ‘no gifts’ in the
invitations, but I would still like you to come pick out a few things.  For a
belated housewarming if not the wedding.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Good.”  Then with a
sniff and another sad smile she was gone.  Clytie stood watching the doorway
for the longest time until she felt a small hand take hers and she looked down
to see Roxanne standing at her side.  The little girl gave her a smile and
leaned against her leg.  Clytie saw a mug show up before her eyes and looked up
at the smell of heated chocolate to find Crow with a cup for her in his hand.

“This is for you,” he
said.  “You need it more than I do.”

That made Clytie laugh. 
She took the chocolate.  “Thank you, Crow.”

“Yeah,” was all he said
in true teenage-boy vernacular.  “Drink it.  It’ll help.”  But he didn’t move
away.  The two children flanked her while she sipped her cocoa.  They didn’t
seem to find it odd that they were standing in the middle of a room not
speaking.  They just waited with her while she sipped her cocoa and stared at
the empty doorway.

Crow was right.  It
helped, at least until Demon came looking for them and made it all, if not
better, at least bearable.

She was getting married
today.  Clytie would have taken the chance to look around the room and see her
bridesmaids surrounding her, but the hairstylist that Miley had flown in as a
surprise was working, and had been for the last hour.  The intense woman did
not take kindly to movement when she was in the throes of her art.  Clytie just
hoped it would look good after all the curling and braiding and miniature rose
bedecking.  She knew Cassie, Miley, and Jordan were all curling their hair and
doing loose feathered fishtails with baby’s breath woven through.

The gowns they chose were
individual but they were all in blush chiffon.  They ranged from Jordan’s sassy
1950s-style floor length prom dress in blush pink chiffon with beaded cap
sleeves to Cassie’s sweetly feminine vintage Papilio sheer blush chiffon with
the bateau neckline and beaded sash to Miley’s super sexy Vera Wang crinkle
chiffon column gown.  She had seen the three of them together in their gowns,
and they looked incredible, both individually and as a whole with three shades
of blush that neither matched nor clashed.  It was
awesome.

Clytie was still in her
white lace undergarments and a robe; someone she did not recognize had come by
and done her make up.  The blue-haired make-up artist had called it the well-rested
look, and it consisted of white liner that was blended across the top of her eyelids
until it was barely there, then a black liner across only the top lash line,
and peach cream blush on the cheeks and lips.  She had been doubtful when the
lady described what she wanted to do, but Clytie could not argue with the
results.  She looked amazing; her skin was glowing, her eyes startlingly green,
and her lips soft and dewy.  Go team.

“There.  Done,” the
hairstylist finally said with a flourish.  “Put your gown on before you look.” 
It was clearly a command and Clytie took it as such.  She looked at the white
satin and organza dress with the empire waist and soft touches of lace appliqué
along the court train and hemline.  It was off the shoulder and sleeveless with
an A-line skirt that flared softly just under the beaded bodice.  It looked simply
feminine with shades of Greek goddess thrown in.  Clytie loved it.  She
especially loved that it hid her slightly expanded waistline marvelously, but
there was no way she could get it on without mussing her hair.

She heard a gasp and
turned to see Cassandra looking amazing and completely dressed with Miley and
Jordan right beside her.  “Oh, Clytie, you look beautiful.”

“But will I after I get
the dress on over my hair?”  Clytie asked.  “That is the question.”

“Here, we can help,”
Miley said and they proceeded to work it over her while she stood still with
her hands straight above her head.  They dropped it carefully in place and then
fastened all the small buttons in the back.

“You ready?” Miley asked
after one clearly appreciative once over.

“Wait!” Jordan came
forward with what Clytie termed her Cinderella shoes.  They were not glass, but
the handmade white heels with the beaded and lace appliqué made her think of
the movie every time.  She was already in her silk stockings with the baby blue
garter belts holding them in place, so all they had to do was slip on the shoes
and she was dressed and ready.  At least she hoped she was.  From the way everyone
was tearing up, it was either really good, or really bad.

Miley gently turned her
to face the mirror and Clytie caught her breath.  It was really good.

She took a moment to take
in the bride in the mirror and tried hard not to ruin the make-up by bursting
into tears.  The blue-haired artist had said she could not ruin it, as it was
waterproof, but she wasn’t taking any chances.  She wanted Demon to see her
just like this.  She smiled.  Then her smile dropped away.

The woman had
commandeered Clytie and Demon’s room for preparation, and the men were in an
entirely different wing, so it was still a mystery how each of them would dress
for the wedding when left to their own devices.  She knew for a fact that Demon
did not get a tuxedo or anything else custom-made, and at his size he would
have had to.  So at best she was thinking suit and tie.
At best
.

“I know it’s stupid to
tell Demon and the rest of the guys to wear whatever they want to the wedding,
and then get mad if they don’t make an effort, but I am starting to worry I
will look like an idiot in my fancy princess gown next to Demon in his jeans
and combat boots.”

“You won’t be the one who
looks idiotic,” Cassie muttered, her eyes narrowing at the thought.  “I told
the guys to dress up and they told me they had ‘a plan’.” She air quoted around
the words, her voice clearly derisive.  “What they would not do was tell me
what that ‘plan’ was,” again with sarcastic air quotes.

“I got the same answer
from Lucas, who has a designer suit for every occasion.”  Miley bit her lip.  “It
could be a good plan.”

“It could be hula shirts
and cut-offs,” Cassie said with a snort.  Then her eyes narrowed and her voice
dropped.  “Though not if they want to have sex in the New Year,” she muttered
darkly.

Clytie took a breath and
blew it out.  “It will be fine.  I am freaking out for no reason.  Even if they
show up in jeans we all know they will work them.”  She was nodding her head
like she could convince herself.  Then she closed her eyes tight.  “But I
really want him to ignore what I told him and make an effort for this . . . Ugh.” 
She snapped open her eyes and looked at the rest of the women.  “I am
officially one of
those
women.”

Cassie moved forward and
adjusted the court train around Clytie.  “I’m just happy to know you aren’t the
perfect girlfriend
all the time
,” Cassie teased.  “It was a little
disturbing to tell you the truth.”

Clytie laughed.  “Thanks
a lot.”

“Well, you picked out a
pretty but inexpensive dress, which is perfect for you by the way.  You let
your bridesmaids pick their own, and we look amazing.  You told Demon to wear
whatever he was comfortable wearing, him and all his groomsmen, and you let us
decorate the house in a rainbow of roses and fairy lights without one
complaint.  The only thing you really wanted was to have roses of varying
shades and sizes as your bouquet.  That was it.” She shook her head at her
cousin.  “What kind of Bridezilla are you?”

Clytie laughed again and
hugged her cousin.  “I got exactly what I wanted, how I wanted it because I had
people with me who know me inside and out and want me to be happy.  How do I
complain about that?”

Cassie hugged her back
hard, extending the hug and losing her teasing just that fast.  “Cassie?” 
Clytie held her and then just as abruptly Cassie let go, wiping at her eyes and
smiling as she stepped away.  “I love you.” She said it quickly like they were
about to be separated on the Titanic.

Clytie smiled back.  “I
love you, too.”

There was a knock on the
door and Jordan rushed to check it, making sure the door stayed closed until
she verified identity.  She turned and looked at the rest of them.  “It’s Mom,”
she said with an excited sparkle in her eyes.

“Then you better let her
in,” Miley said, giving them all one final look.  She met Clytie’s eyes.  “It’s
time.”

Clytie fought the
butterflies in her belly and took her bouquet from Cassie who was suddenly
holding it out.  She turned back to the door in time to watch her sister gasp
and cover her mouth with her hand.  Tears immediately welled up in Sara’s
eyes.  “You look beautiful.”  She beamed at her daughter and then Miley and
Cassandra.  “All of you.”

Clytie stepped forward
almost tripping on her train to hug her sister.  “Thanks.”  She looked behind
her.  “Where’s David?”

“Apparently, the men have
a plan.  I’m to take you to the doorway and David will escort you in from there.”

Clytie blew out a nervous
breath while Cassie grumbled and made air quotes out of the words ‘a plan’ with
annoyance.  Jordan laughed, and Miley smiled, passing out the smaller rose
bundles for the bridesmaids.  Clytie looked at her sister.  “Roxy?”

“She’s ready.  She’s with
David.  She looks adorably angelic in her white chiffon with a blush satin
sash.  She keeps kicking up her feet to see her new pink shoes sparkle.”  That
made Clytie smile.

“Thanks for offering to
dress and watch her.  I don’t think she would have survived being cooped up
with us.”

Sara smiled again.  “It
was the least I could do.  My baby sister is getting married today.”  She said
it and then she teared up again and had to wave her hand in front of her face,
while Clytie fought her own emotions.

“Enough of that,”
Cassandra said wrapping her arm around Sara’s waist.  “You’ll get us all
started that way.”

“You ready?” Miley asked,
holding the door.

Clytie placed her hand
over her belly and closed her eyes, saying a little prayer that she wouldn’t
throw up, trip, or do any other embarrassing thing in front of the pack, family,
and all her oldest friends.  Then she opened them and went for the door.  “Ready.”

She was down the stairs
and at the double doors to the solarium that housed the garden where the wings
met and connected before she knew it.  Clytie remembered sitting there in the
sunshine at the center of this big house the first morning she spent with
Demon.  She smiled at the memory, then she looked up through the doors and saw
Roxy waiting with her basket of flowers.  Her eyes were big and on Clytie, a
touch of awe in her eyes.  It made Clytie smile.  Next to her David waited to
escort her in; she blinked at the sight of him, started to smile, and looked
beyond him and down the aisle of seated people to the front of the room.  She
caught her breath hard at the sight of Demon, Ben, and Mac standing in their
Navy dress whites.

Clytie covered her mouth
and tried to breathe through the hard thump of her heart.  Distinguished and
broad he stood waiting for her.  Beyond how smoking hot he looked in formal
whites, she knew what those uniforms represented to these men, and especially
to Demon.  Choosing to wear them today told her he saw this wedding as more
than something he did for his human mate.  Wearing it was no small thing.

She burst into tears. 
The music started and David in his Air Force dress blues took her arm and moved
her back so her bridesmaids could proceed her.  She fought for her control 

She heard all three women
gasp when they caught sight of what awaited them.  Cassie said “Holy shit!”
just a little too loud and then blushed.  Clytie couldn’t blame her; she could
swear her eyes were permanently singed from that one glance at Demon in his
uniform.  It did not cool her down at all that his eyes had shifted to wolf
gold when he caught his first sight of her, and were now locked on her like a
heat-seeking missile on a target.  She laughed through her tears when Miley
almost tripped staring at her mate in the crowd. 

She noticed Lucas, Eli,
and Shawn also wearing their uniforms, their shiny hats clasped beneath their
arms as they waited with the rest of the crowd.  Each of them was smoking hot,
the whole of them in dress uniform and in the same room devastating.  Even the
younger generation, while not in uniform, were in nice suits.  Ian, Liam, and
Crow, all beautiful in their own way and standing together, showed the same
promise of future sexy that their older pack mates delivered on.

Clytie took it all in and
just managed to stop crying and laughing by the time everyone had gone before
her.  David patted her hand.  “You look perfect, Clytie.  Demon is a lucky man
and I’m honored to be the one to walk you down the aisle.”

She turned to her brother-in-law
and smiled, gave him a hug which he returned, nearly cracking her back with his
strength.  She breathed deeply and tried not to start crying again.  “Thanks,
David.”  He turned and with one more deep breath, he escorted her through the small
murmuring crowd of old friends and people she was connected to through her
art.  Sara sat in the front right behind the Lionsgate pack, and she was
already crying.  Clytie looked away before she lost the marginal control she
had gained, but she could do nothing about the dopey smile on her face.  She
had eyes only for Demon.

***

Demon watched Clytie come
to the doorway, her eyes soft and on a beaming Roxy.  The kid looked at Clytie
like she farted rainbows.  He couldn’t say he blamed her.  She was the most
beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  Then she looked up and saw him in his dress
whites and burst into tears.

Well, fuck! 
That
was not the response he had hoped for.  She was pulled back from the doorway as
the music started, but Demon ignored the rest, keeping his eyes on the spot from
where she had disappeared.  Then she was back and laughing, and he breathed a
sigh of relief. 
Maybe I did get it right
, he thought, and then she was
coming toward him with a smile that had enough wattage to kick start his heart,
which was good because the closer she got the harder it beat.

Mac and Ben stood beside
him as his best men, and beyond them, Lucas, Shawn, and Eli stood in the
crowd.  Shawn with Cleo beside him in a cream sweater dress that made her legs
look impossibly long.  Crow, Liam, Ian, every one of his pack and family were
present.  Hell, even his Aunt Essie stood with the rest, leaning on her cane
and glaring at them with a ridiculous moth-eaten and twisted hat on her head. 
They all saw it.  Clytie in her finery with that smile on her face, eyes only
for him.  Demon felt his heart swelling in his chest.