Authors: D. T. Jones
“What may I ask is so amusing?” he asked her with a shocked expression on his face.
“You are,” she smiled, trying to regain air, leaning her forehead against his shoulder for a brief moment. “Your little sisters are able to live their own lives without interference from you. And I’m sure Sabrina can choose whom she would like to spend her free time with in a wise and intelligent manner, so lay off. He looks like a nice kid and you said he’s decent. Let her have some fun.”
“Not the kind of fun I’m sure he wants to have,” Creighton growled softly.
“Not everyone’s fun is perverted like yours and besides, would you deny your sister true love if it came along? What if she has real feelings for this boy?”
“I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Sometimes getting hurt in love is the only way to know what to avoid.”
“I really hate it when you’re logical,” he complained, his anger and ire much less forceful.
“And I love how protective and caring you are.” Creighton wrapped her in his arms a little tighter, kissing her neck as the song ended. He glanced up to see Andrew and Clark speaking by the tent’s entrance and sighed when his brother motioned for him to join them with the lift of his head.
“I need to see what’s going on,” he whispered. “Try and cover for me, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Sandra watched as he walked away before mingling again, hoping to keep things calm while the groom was away.
She was stopped by Michelle and her partner Rachel, the other blonde girl who had been at the hotel gym. They were both very attractive, well-tanned, with large fake boobs and spa perfected bodies. At first sight they appeared to be the stereotypical model type Sandra had encountered in the past; arrogant, self-centered and egotistical, but the truth was they were both polite, friendly and laughed a lot. Sandra accepted the hug Michelle gave her and shook Rachel’s hand.
“I am so happy to be here,” Michelle said in a thick French accent as they approached the dessert table. “When Monsieur Ashford asked me to find out how quick he could get married, I was amazed and shocked, but when he said it was to you I was delighted. He has spent the last two years talking about you, it is
très romantique
. He loves you very much, you know?”
“I know,” Sandra said taking a chocolate covered strawberry to divert from blushing. “And I may not have known him for long, but I feel a very strange connection to him that I’ve never felt with another person.”
“That is destiny, karma, something that is meant to be, like
âme sœur
; soul mates,” Rachel said. “That is how it was when I met Michelle.” Sandra smiled as she took a bite from the strawberry.
“I think you’re right,” she said, glancing to where he had left through the tent’s opening. “He is definitely my soul mate.” She watched as the two gathered several samples of the chocolate covered fruits and cakes. She wanted to ask them something, but she felt embarrassed.
“What is it?” Rachel asked with a frown. “You look like your tongue is your enemy.” Sandra blushed; she was starting to think it was.
“May I ask you something?” she began with a soft blush. “If it’s none of my business, please tell me and I won’t pry.”
“You want to know how Michelle and I became lovers?” the blonde asked, bringing her partner’s eyes to them as she smiled. Sandra nodded.
“Were you always…”
“Lesbian?” Michelle surmised. “I was, though I have had relationships involving men, I was never happy until I met Rachel.”
“I fell in love with Michelle, but I had never been with a woman before her.” Rachel began her story as they walked to a nearby table and sat down. “In fact, I was engaged to be married. My father was interested in Creighton’s security systems and we went to his office to speak with him. I saw Michelle and was lost immediately.”
“She made many excuses to come to visit until I finally asked her out. We became lovers that night and two months later, we were living together. That was four years ago and we’ve never regretted it.”
“What about your fiancée?” Sandra asked.
“He married my sister,” Rachel answered with an amused laugh. “They are very happy with two children. I knew he was attracted to her, but he stayed with me because she is five years younger. He felt like he was…what is it you Americans say,
stealing the crib
?”
“Robbing the cradle,” Sandra smiled.
“Oui. They are happy and so are we.”
Michelle looked to Rachel and raised her eyebrows in excitement. Her partner nodded and smiled.
“We have a secret,” Michelle whispered so nobody around them could overhear. “We are going to have a baby.”
“What?” Sandra asked in surprise, her eyes wide with confusion. “How is that possible?”
“We had a donor,” Rachel answered. “I am going to have this one and Michelle will have the next one.”
“Does Creighton know?”
“Not yet, but it will not interfere with my work,” Michelle continued. “Rachel works from home, so it is a perfect solution. She can be with the baby and I can still work.”
“Please don’t tell him yet,” Rachel added. “We will let everyone know when we are ready.”
“I won’t say a word,” Sandra promised. “And I think that’s wonderful.” She hugged the two women in turn, feeling very comfortable with them, like old friends.
She remained at the table a few more minutes discussing generic subjects until she found it necessary to mingle again. She made her rounds among the guests again, visiting with her Aunts Sally and Margaret, Mary’s two sisters, along with their husbands Harold and Reggie. Sandra talked for quite a long time with her cousin Cindy until Creighton’s twin cousins Kaydence and Kaylee joined the conversation. The three were around twenty and hit it off right away, talking about the latest vampire movie. Sandra listened for a few moments before bowing out of the conversation unseen and continued to visit with the rest of her family and many of Creighton’s.
It was nearly an hour and Creighton still had not come back, making her concern turn to fear. With everything that had happened that day and the day before, she was worried that something else had come up to interfere in their celebration. Her anxiety was beginning to get the best of her and she couldn’t help staring at the tent’s entrance.
She was trying to think of an excuse to leave the tent when Emma came up beside her, wrapping her arm in her new daughter-in-law’s. They spoke to her brother Fenton for several long moments, before finding an excuse to escape. Sandra understood why Creighton said his mother had been strong enough to handle him; he was large, about six foot four inches and about three hundred pounds, but that was not what made him so irritating. The man was loud, very loud and carried an unlit cigar in the corner of his mouth. He had a strong opinion and insisted it was the only right one and made sure Sandra understood how things were supposed to run in a marriage and with a man of Creighton’s
stature
. Sandra found it difficult to stand and listen to him; he was egotistical, self-centered and she could have sworn several times that the air around them had turned foul like rotting eggs.
“I’m sorry about Fenton,” Emma said softly. “He’s very lairy and full of malarkey. He’s pretty naff, but trainspotter for the most part.” Sandra felt like she had been transported onto another planet as she struggled to understand the meaning of what her mother-in-law was saying.
“Do you know where Creighton is?” she asked, trying to get past the conversation.
“He is with Andrew and Clark. There was another problem,” Emma lowered her voice so nobody could hear them. “I’ll cover here; you go find your husband. He was in the kitchen last I saw him.”
Sandra frowned but obeyed and quietly slipped out of the tent as the band began to play again. She walked quickly toward the back door, spying four men standing by the steps; one was clearly Creighton in his dark jeans and pale yellow shirt that matched the yellow on her dress. Even in the shadows he was a handsome, magnificent specimen, but she really couldn’t allow herself to become distracted, this wasn’t the time or place for the thoughts that were slowly filtering into her mind. She stepped up next to him, pushing aside the image of him standing over her with the riding crop and instantly frowned at the conversation going on.
“He’s been done over a good one and feeling a little dicky,” Clark was saying as she neared them. “He’ll be right enough once he gets some rest.”
“I can’t believe it, right in our own cellar,” Creighton added, his tone filled with anger.
“He’s going to duck and dive for a while until he thinks things are safe,” Andrew said.
“It will never be safe for him as long as he’s loose,” Creighton snapped turning to see Sandra as she stepped to his side. He drew a deep breath, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“What’s the matter?” she asked softly.
“One of the caterers was attacked when he went down to the cellar for some of mum’s preserves for your Aunt Sally,” Creighton said, running his free hand through his dark hair.
“Attacked? How?” she asked with a frown.
“Someone was hiding in the cellar,” Andrew answered looking at Creighton to make sure he was going to follow through with his promise to keep her abreast of what was happening.
“Who?” she asked quietly.
“Bachmeier,” Creighton said, hugging her closer when her eyes widened in alarm. “It looks like he came here last night after trying to get back into our house. The security team called me about two this morning when the alarm at our place was set off. Fifteen minutes later the alarm here was tripped. I called and mum said dad must have set it off getting ready for chores.”
“Did he?” she asked.
“No,” Andrew interrupted. “I spoke with dad this afternoon. He said when Crey called he was in the shower, nowhere near the doors and Old Blue was in the barn. Clark and I searched the place but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, so we assumed the alarm scared him off.”
“Apparently he was hiding in the cellar behind the furnace most of the day,” Clark said. “He came out a little while ago in search of food; probably figured it was safe since everyone was out here, but he came face to face with the caterer.”
“Fortunately the young man was only knocked out and has a concussion, but he’ll be alright in a few days.” Andrew said. “What we have to do now is wrap up this party and get everything batted down for the night. The sooner the two of you are out of here, the safer you’ll be.”
“Irena said she felt like she was being watched in the cellar,” Sandra said remembering the events from earlier.
“He wouldn’t have done anything to her,” Andrew insisted quickly, catching a glimpse of his brother’s set jaw. “There were too many people around and she would have been missed. He doesn’t want to get caught.”
“He wants revenge,” Sandra whispered, wrapping her arms around Creighton’s waist.
“The car is waiting to take you to the airport,” Clark said. “Harvey and Parker will accompany you and stay close at hand. I’m going to remain here and see what I can do to find this bugger.”
“Then let’s get moving,” Sandra said, amazed that she felt as strong and determined as she sounded.
“Mum wants you guys to come cut the cake,” Irena said, hurrying up behind them. “She said you’re going to miss your plane if you don’t get a move on. Like that’s going to happen; it’s your plane.”
“Tell her we’ll be right there,” Creighton said, waiting for his sister to walk away.
“We’ll take care of everything here Crey,” Clark said. “Just concentrate on enjoying yourselves and having a good honeymoon.” Creighton nodded, clenching his jaw again; it was obvious he was mad and didn’t want to do as he was told. He had a score to settle with the guy who shot him and was causing chaos in their lives.
“I don’t know how to thank you both for all you’ve done,” Sandra said hugging Andrew and then Clark in turn. “We appreciate your help more than either of us could ever say.”
“We take care of our own,” Clark said with a warm smile, shaking the hand Creighton reached out for him. “You two stop thinking about this place and just relax. I didn’t have much of a honeymoon myself, but if I’m not mistaken you’re supposed to leave the outside world behind and have fun.”
“And we will,” Sandra said with a wide smile, hoping to bring her husband out of the frustrating mood that he had been experiencing all day. “Creighton seems to be filled with a wealth of intriguing ideas.”
The two laughed along with Sandra who blushed profusely, giving Creighton no choice but to join in. They walked together back to the tent, where they stopped just outside the opening, allowing Andrew and Clark to proceed through before turning he turned and pulled her into his embrace, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” he asked with a soft smile as Sandra laid her cheek against his chest.
“I think I’m owed, I’m sure it’s been at least an hour.”
“That long, eh? I should be ashamed of myself. Well it’s not going to happen again, because I love you more with every moment that passes.”
“Are you sure you’re not a romantic?” she giggled.
“Nope,” he laughed. “Just a perverted deviant.”