Читать книгу Aon Ór Crossroads - C.J. Benvol - Страница 10

Commitment Isn’t Easy

Cally woke up at five thirty to her alarm screeching the most unnatural sounds. She looked down and turned it off before it had a chance to wake anyone else up. More than anything, she just wanted to go back to bed, but she didn’t because she knew that she had to get up and go to work. She didn’t care what anyone else had said last night. She had responsibilities, and that meant that she had to go in this morning.

Dragging along, she got a quick shower and got dressed. Something told her to take an extra bag with clothes in it, just in case they did try to pick her up and take her off to heaven knows where. If they did show up and make her leave, there was no way she was wearing her work clothes out. She grabbed a cup of coffee and a pack of Pop-Tarts as she walked out the door at six fifteen, thankful that the walk was short and that it was still a little cool outside.

It was just a short walk to work, but she was dragging from the exhaustion, and she knew this was the only way she was going to make it in after all their talking last night about going and doing wedding crap. Today, she just wasn’t in the mood. Cally was ten minutes early as she walked in the back door. When she went in the office, she asked, “What do you want me to do today?”

The assistant manager, Sara, just laughed as she instructed her, “We have two tills out now, so why don’t you start on stock? And if we need you to get a till later, you can get one.”

That worked for her. She was too tired to get stuck up behind the register to deal with whiny tourists, and being left alone to stock shelves was fine with her current mood. She walked into the dark store and headed down to the far end, where she grabbed the first box she came to and started working. She let muscle memory guide her this morning. Her mind was too far gone to work, let alone focus, and a mindless job like this was more than enough for her today.

The time had passed quickly. She had nearly finished all the boxes when her manager, Kim, walked up to her, smiling. Something started to twist inside her. Just then, she jumped as a set of strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

Kim smiled knowingly. “Congratulations. I talked to Ann, and she’s agreed to come in and cover the rest of your shift.”

Cally shook her head, not liking the sound of this. “I’m sorry. I told them I had to work today and that I couldn’t get off.”

The older woman just laughed. “If you would have said something, we would have found someone else to cover for you. Why didn’t you tell anyone? Your mother had to call me this morning when she couldn’t find you, and I told her we covered you last night when we talked.”

The downside of your mother being friends with your boss. She groaned inwardly, seeing where this was going.

* * * * *

Dakota looked down at her, saying, “We need to meet her at the courthouse in an hour.”

Cally just shook her head, not believing they would do this to her after she had told them not to. “I’ll get my things.”

As she walked to the back room, she looked at her watch. It was nearly ten, and she knew that she had to change her clothes before she left. It was one thing to wear pants to work in the middle of the summer, but it was something different to wear them out in hundred-degree temperatures. Taking her bag to change in the bathroom as fast as she could before someone else could stop her and start on all this stupid wedding stuff, Cally was rushing. Dakota was waiting for her near the stockroom door when she finally made an appearance.

His everlasting smile was pasted to his face like a ray of sunshine. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Why me?”

He laughed as they headed up the store. “Because, you’re so easy to love.”

She just shook her head, not able to believe that. “Great, now I’m marrying Prince Charming.”

He pulled her to a stop, just in front of the front door, before reaching down and kissing her full out in the front of the store. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. When he decided to end the kiss, her face was beet-red from embarrassment, and she ran out the door as fast as she could. When she got next to the car, she demanded, “What was that for? Are you trying to get me fired?”

He backed her against the car and kissed her again, and this time, he took his time and didn’t care who saw them. When he pulled back, he said in a deep husky tone, “That was the first time you said that you are marrying me.”

“Really, you would let me get fired over that?” she demanded, shocked that he would do such a thing.

He brushed a quick featherlight kiss on her lips as he nodded, “Yes.”

She knew it sounded cold, but right now, he needed an icy shower before they did something else that wasn’t appropriate at her work. “Aren’t we supposed to be somewhere?”

He seemed to debate that for a few moments before he pulled the door open for her. This was going to be another very long day. She could see it coming now. She looked at him as they drove off. He was so damn happy that he was starting to unnerve her, which only angered her more at this point. She had spent the past three hours forming a million questions and trying to make sense of this, but the way he unsteadied her every time they were together wasn’t helping her nerves.

She tested the water with, “Why now?”

He glanced at her, then back to the road. “Because I don’t know when I’m going to be off again, and it’s just easier to get it done while I’m down here.”

Okay, that answered the “why are we getting the license today” question, but not the one she was trying to ask. So she tried again. “Why are we getting married now? Why not in a year or two or three or at least when I’ve graduated high school?”

“Because I don’t want to wait forever for us to be together, and this way, we can get a place sooner before the waiting list gets longer,” he answered, almost like it all made some sort of sense.

“So this is about base housing?” Cally looked at him like he was crazy. “You do remember that I can’t even get on the base because I’m too young and I don’t have an I.D. card, right?”

Two weeks ago, after they went to the state fair, he needed to stop and get some things from his room. The guards at the gate had refused to let her in because she didn’t have an I.D., and she wasn’t eighteen. Cally had to sit in the guardhouse and wait for him to get back. She had gotten the feeling that something had happened that night, but she had no idea what.

He seemed to shrug it off. “When we’re married, you’ll get a military I.D., so that won’t happen again.”

She shook her head at the irony of it. “So I can get a military I.D. to get on the base and I can get married, but I can’t even get my driver’s license?” She rolled her eyes and added, “What a backwards world.”

She was still looking out the window as she sulked, when he asked, “I thought you took driver’s Ed?”

“I did, but my mom won’t let me or Savannah get our licenses. She hates the idea that we could be independent and drive ourselves places, and there’s the whole insurance thing,” Cally groaned.

The rest of the ride was rather quiet, at least until they pulled up to the old courthouse. She saw her mother waiting and knew she wouldn’t be happy with them being late; her mother’s time was more valuable than her kids. Getting out of the car, she walked to where her angry mother was waiting for them.

She was surprised when Dakota was the one to say, “I think I have all the papers we need.”

It was almost like she wasn’t there. “I pulled her papers out this morning.”

They started inside as her mother thanked him. “Thanks for picking her up. I would have brought her if she hadn’t gone to work.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. It’s bad enough you know my boss, but you don’t have to go behind my back and call her like that,” Cally stammered flatly.

“We told you we were coming up here to do this today, which should have indicated that you shouldn’t have even gone in this morning. I had called Kim last night and told her you wouldn’t be in today,” her mother scolded.

Cally shook her head. “I want my life back, now.”

Her mother gave her an evil look as they walked into the office building next to the courthouse. Other than the staff, there wasn’t anyone in there, and one lady at the desk looked up and asked, “Can I help you?”

Dakota was the one to answer. “We’re looking to get a marriage license.”

The woman smiled. “You’ll need to fill out these papers, and we need birth certificates, driver’s licenses, or state I.D. cards and social security cards for both the bride and groom.”

She looked at her mother. “I don’t have a driver’s license because my mother doesn’t believe I should drive until I’m eighteen.”

Dakota just shook his head. “Then we’ll go get it and come back.”

He sat the papers down on the desk, and they started out the door. He looked over to her mother who was dying to say something, but he seemed to beat them both to it. “We’ll need to go over to D.M.V. and then get back here before they close.”

Cally could see that her mother wanted to fight him on this, like she had done so many times before with her and her sister, but all her mother managed to say was, “We can take my car.”

She knew her mother didn’t like this, which made Cally doubly happy. Her mother had refused to let Savannah or her get their licenses, because the state was debating some bill that would make a parent responsible for any accidents underage drivers had. Savannah was two years older than her, and she was going to be angry when she found out Cally got her driver’s license but she didn’t. Not that Cally would brag or anything.

Yesterday, she wasn’t happy about any of this mess. The getting married and dragging her around the country wasn’t what she had planned. In fact, she was so angry when her mom had agreed to letting her get married that she hadn’t believed it. And when she found out that they had gone behind her back on everything, even calling her boss to get her out of work, it really infuriated her.

But now, there was something bittersweet about all of this. While she still wasn’t sure about the whole getting married at fifteen thing, it did have its perks. Having her driver’s license was one of those perks, even if they didn’t let her drive.

D.M.V. was less than five minutes from the courthouse, so the drive was short. They walked in and took a number, hoping it wasn’t going to take too long. The two of them sat down as she walked over to the bathroom while they talked. She didn’t need to hear what they were saying to know that her mother was arguing her point about letting Cally have a driver’s license.

Dakota, on the other hand, was arguing why she needed a license, and her mother was arguing why she shouldn’t get one, and she wasn’t stupid enough to argue with them because she knew how this always ended. Poor Dakota, he was going to lose this one because her mom had perfected this argument over the years. Between her and Savannah, they had gone into this battle so many times that her mother was now an expert at showing her point of view and the fact that she held the power to make the final decision.

When she walked back out, they were calling the number before hers. She wasn’t even going to ask how their little chat went, because she knew he had lost. Cally looked back to the lines and watched as one lady walked down toward the camera; here came the moment of truth.

She just followed them and stood back, waiting. Her mother wouldn’t even look at her when the man asked, “What can we do for you today?”

Her mother’s polite but “I’m going to kill you when we get back home” tone was clear to her, if not to anyone else around them “My daughter needs to get her license and a state I.D. card.”

“Okay, we will need her birth certificate and driver’s education card,” the man drawled.

She leaned against the pole behind her and watched as her mother slipped the papers under the glass. The man nodded and turned and spoke to someone behind him, then said, “We can do the test now. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

Cally just stood there in pure shock. She wasn’t sure if that was the turning point on her whole outlook on this marriage, but it sure didn’t hurt. She was getting her driver’s license, and there was nothing her mother could do about it.

When she walked back in, her mother was still fuming quietly, but she was at least being nice about it. Her mother and Dakota were talking as she went back up to the window, and they both followed. Dakota asked, “How’d it go?”

She just smiled. “Fine.” There was no need to throw any more fuel on the fire; gloating was not lady like. She leaned back against the pole and let her mom deal with whatever they were saying and then slowly followed the line down to the camera. She may not have gotten her license, but at least she had her permit and a state I.D. card.

When they went back over to the courthouse, she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She had won today, and that wasn’t easy, especially against her mother. There still wasn’t anyone in the office they went in, and this time, they just sat down, and she smiled and listened to the fun conversation the rest of them were having with the woman.

First was scheduling to get married in two weeks, then the application for the license, and she was lucky enough to have to sign a few things while the woman spoke to Dakota, and then her mom started answering questions for her. She was jostled out of her silent victory state when the woman asked rudely, “Is she deaf? I can get a translator in here.”

Cally couldn’t help it as she started laughing. She didn’t know why or where it came from, but she just couldn’t stop. Her mom snapped, “She’s not deaf! Considering the hours she racks up on the phone, I almost wish she was.”

The woman seemed suspicious and got up. She spoke to another woman, then came back to the desk just as Cally sat the clipboard full of papers down. The angry woman looked down at her. “I need to speak to you in the other room.”

Cally turned to Dakota, terrified. She was being sent to the principal’s office, and she hadn’t done anything wrong and was pretty sure this wasn’t a normal “principal.” She stood up and heard her mom demand, “What is this?”

The woman looked deadly serious as she announced, “We will be back in a few minutes.”

They went into a room that looked like a mini chapel/office. The official woman motioned to the chairs. “Please sit.”

Not sure what else to do, she sat down, shaking.

The woman looked deadly serious. “Are they forcing you to get married?”

She shook her head, not understanding what this was about. “No.”

“Are you sure? Do you understand what all of this means?” the woman asked, seeming a little more reassuring.

Cally just nodded, not sure what the woman wanted to hear. “We’ve talked about it.”

This woman seemed so determined. “Yes, but do you understand you don’t have to get married if you don’t want to? You have the choice. No matter what your situation is, you have a choice.”

The woman’s meaning couldn’t have been any clearer. “I’m not freakin’ pregnant!” It came out louder than she had wanted, and she had a feeling everyone in the building had heard her, but Cally was getting tired of that accusation.

The woman looked baffled. “Then why are you getting married?”

Now that was the million-dollar question and the one she hadn’t yet figured out. She stared at the fake white roses on the arch and repeated something she heard on T.V. a few days ago; thank goodness for soap operas. “We’ve been together forever. I can’t see myself with anyone else but him and yes I’ve been with other guys but I love him and I want to be with him forever. Rather you allow this or not we are going to be together one way or another and you can’t keep us apart.”

It was evident that this woman didn’t watch soaps, because she just nodded. “You do understand that marriage is a lifetime commitment? It’s not just some game that you can quit when it gets too hard.”

Cally nodded, knowing that she was going to in for much more than that, because Dakota was a military man. There was always the chance of them having to move and the chance that he would be deployed. “Yes, and I even get that things will be harder because he’s in the military, but I can handle it. I feel like an adult stuck in a child’s body. I’ve been taking care of myself for the past three years. I get up at five in the morning and get ready for school. I come home and go to work, and then I do it all over again the next day. I’m not the typical fifteen-year-old.”

“But you haven’t had the time to live to go out and party. You’re still a kid,” the woman argued again.

The thing was that was the same argument she had given herself over and over for the past twenty-four hours. But the more she looked at her life, the more she realized that there was more to it. “It doesn’t matter where I live or who I’m with. I’m never going to have that carefree teenage life. When I’m not working, I’m home taking care of my three-year-old sister while my parents go out drinking at bars. When I do go out with friends, I’m out of place and don’t fit in, and I just want to go home or to work.”

She thought about last night as she kept going. “You may try to stop this, but you can’t, and you may argue that I don’t understand or that I’m too young, but you’re wrong. I know what I’m doing and I know what I want. My life is either going to be a happy, relaxed, one living with my husband, or I’m going to get up, go to school, and work and raise my three-year-old sister and be miserable for the next three years. You can do whatever you want, but nobody is forcing me to do this and nobody is telling me how to think.”

They sat there and stared at each other for the longest time before the woman asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Cally snickered “Yep, I’m going to marry my Prince Charming and live happily ever after”—she shrugged her shoulders—“or get a divorce.”

That had the woman making that “I can’t believe it” face. “You do know there’s no such thing as a happily ever after?”

Cally looked at her, knowing she had her point made. “But there is such thing as a divorce.” She just laughed. “Besides, my dad married his high school sweetheart, and they are still together and happy.” The way her dad told the story was so romantic and real.

The woman shook her head. “If you’re sure about this, then we can go finish the paperwork.”

Cally followed the woman out and saw the fear on Dakota’s face when she saw it. He believed she had backed out or that this woman was going to stop this. Trying to stay calm, she sat down in the chair next to him as the other woman took her seat behind the desk. The woman reached over and took the papers and looked them over. “Okay, Mom, I need you to sign the papers here and here and you need to fill out this form.”

She couldn’t look at either of them and just focused on the can of pens on the desk, doing her best to avoid them all. Dakota took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that she was doing the right thing. She knew this woman didn’t approve, but it really didn’t matter.

She watched as the woman got up and took something off the printer and made a point out of handing it to her. Cally took it and looked at the official marriage license. Their names were typed out with all their information, and the reality of this sunk in hard and fast. The woman had done this to give her one last chance to back out, but she held her ground and just smiled.

The woman shook her head at Cally before grudgingly forcing out the words, “The license isn’t valid for twenty-four hours. You have an appointment with the Justice of the Peace on Friday, August fourth, at ten o’clock. If you can’t make it or decide to make other arrangements, you need to cancel the appointment at least three days prior. Congratulations.” The last word was clearly forced. It was clear that this woman didn’t think this was going to work between them and she didn’t approve of it either.

Cally stood up and walked out with Dakota wrapping his arm around her while she prayed that she could make it out of the building before someone started asking questions. She was lucky enough to make it to the lobby before her mother made her first comment. “She was very rude.”

She had the feeling Dakota didn’t want to talk about this anymore than Cally did. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but she was a little relieved when Dakota took her over to his car. She wasn’t sure she would make it home alive if she had to ride with her mother, in her mother’s current state. Her mother was angry beyond angry, losing the driver’s license fight had started it, and then the lady had insulted her mother or her, depending on how you looked at it. Thank goodness her mother hadn’t heard everything said in that room or this would be worse. At least, she hoped no one had heard what they said.

When they got to the car, Dakota leaned down and kissed her softly. It was just enough to distract her while he took the papers from her hands. He didn’t say a word as he opened the door for her and she had the distinct feeling she would rather ride home with her mother.

They were pulling onto the highway before he asked, “What else did she say?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, needing to gauge where this was going before she could give him any kind of answer.

He didn’t look at her, which should have clued her off to his current mood. “She accused you of being pregnant.”

“And I’m not,” she put in a little too childishly.

He just waited for her to tell him, and it wasn’t long before the silence was more than she could take. “She accused the two of you of forcing me to get married, and I told her that wasn’t the case and that I knew what I was doing.”

He was quiet for a while before he asked, “And do you?”

Oh, she saw this one coming from a mile away. He wasn’t sure she was serious or that she would actually go through with this. “I stood up and fought her to approve this. So, yes, I want to do it.”

“And if it doesn’t work, there’s always divorce?” he replied harshly.

She had said those words quietly, but apparently the walls in that room were paper-thin. Cally stared out the window as she tried to defend herself. “I believe that there is a happily ever after. My father got married when he was eighteen, and he’s still married. So, yeah, I believe marriage can be forever. I also believe that that woman wouldn’t have accepted anything I said unless I understood that there were always ways out. But I wouldn’t get married if I needed an escape route.

“I don’t do things I could regret, and I know I’m never going to regret this. Just like you know I would never cheat on you, I’d rather die first. If you don’t want to do this, then fine, whatever, but don’t blame me for arguing every reason I could for her to let us get married.”

Dakota took her hand in his and gently kissed it. Something she said must have hit home for him. She wasn’t all that surprised when they pulled up to his parent’s house. She looked at him as he shut off the car and just sat there, staring at the ring on her finger. “I feel like I’m pushing you into this,” he mumbled quietly.

Her fight came back in full force “You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to. I have a mouth. I can always say no, and I know if my mom doesn’t want to hear it, I can always call my dad in to back me up.”

He looked at her with those questioning eyes, and she stopped him before he could say it. “You wanted this, now deal with it, because I’m not backing out.”

They sat there for what seemed like forever. She didn’t know what was going through his mind, but she had just fought for this for the first time, and now she was going to stand her ground, no matter what troubles they were going to have to face. If he wanted to back out, then she would let him, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. She was going to marry him, and unless he was willing to back out, it looked like they were getting married in two weeks whether he liked it or not.

Some invisible tension seemed to snap as he opened his door and she followed suit. She followed him in the house, still nervous because this wasn’t her place and she just didn’t feel comfortable here for some reason. They actually made it through the door and got to sit down before his sister came out demanding, “Did you get it?”

Dakota just laughed. “Yes.”

His sister was so upbeat. “So when is the date?”

He looked at her, almost like he was debating this, but finally answered, “August fourth at ten.”

He didn’t have to say it, but Cally knew he doubted himself and everything that had happened, so she reached over and kissed him, hoping that it would calm him down. He seemed to relax a bit, but there was still something not right. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking, if he was sure he wanted to do this, but she couldn’t. Something inside of her was telling her that she didn’t want to know the answer to that question, and she just couldn’t find the heart to ask him for the truth. After everything they had gone through, she didn’t want him to say that he was having doubts about this.

Hannah saved her by asking, “When are we getting dresses? And what about flowers? And who’s going to be in the wedding?”

Cally just shook her head and sat back as this whirlwind started up again. She may have accepted the whole getting married thing, but there was no way she had accepted having to plan out a wedding, no matter how small it was going to be. Wasn’t a wedding at a courthouse supposed to be simple and easy? So why was this looking like a big fancy party that she was starting to dread?

Dakota’s answer made her laugh and cringe all at the same time. “Ask Mom.”

Hannah looked to Cally, pleading, “You can’t let him do this.”

What was she supposed to say? She wasn’t allowed to pick out her own clothes without her sister’s approval, so what did it matter what she wore? Knowing his sister was waiting for her to say something, Cally just shrugged and gave the only answer that made any sense to her right now. “Ask Savannah. I don’t know.”

They both looked at her like she had lost her mind, and she just shrugged. “What?”

Hannah said what both of them were clearly thinking. “It’s your wedding, you have to know what you want.”

Yeah, to run as fast as she could and avoid it all; that was what she wanted. “It doesn’t matter what I say, it’s going to happen the way it happens.”

“Yeah, but don’t you dream of the big church wedding with flowers everywhere and dancing and food and a big puffy dress?” Hannah asked, like Cally had truly lost her mind by letting everyone else decide this wedding for her.

The truth was that every time Cally saw herself getting married, it was in a courthouse with very few people there. She never had a dream of a big wedding with anything like that. “I could go down to the courthouse and get married like this for all I care.”

Dakota started laughing as his sister protested, “You’re not serious. You have to have a dress and bridesmaids and flowers and a party.”

Cally knew that was what most people wanted, but she hated crowds, and Savannah had beaten the fear in her of ever dancing again. So she really didn’t see the point. She just shook her head, and for the first time, she was happy that she didn’t have to plan anything—not what she would wear or who was going to be there or what would happen after. It didn’t really matter to her as long as they didn’t try and force her into something ridiculous.

Hannah groaned, “Come on.”

Cally looked at Hannah and said the best words that she could find to explain this. “Call Savannah and make plans with her, because she’s going to have her way no matter what anyone says.”

Cally just rolled her head into Dakota’s shoulder at the thought of what they were going to do with her and this wedding. But Dakota whispered quietly, “You don’t have to do this.”

She looked up and asked, “Which part? The letting them plan every detail? Or the getting married?”

He seemed to think on that for a moment, and the single solitary word felt like it was meant to hold the weight of the world with its underlying meaning “Both.”

“I’m not backing out, and I really don’t care about all that crap. Why should I argue and fight about something that has no meaning to me? It’s just a piece of paper,” she insisted, a little fired up.

“It should matter to you. I feel bad we can’t do this right—”

Cally cut him off. “I hate being the center of attention, and I’m terrified just sitting in the same room with your family, and you think I want a big wedding where everyone is going to be staring at me?” She shook her head with every ounce of determination. “This little wedding will be bigger than I want, so no, get that out of your head.”

He smiled, truly smiled for the first time since they had gotten the license. Then he leaned over and kissed her again. She didn’t know why she said it, but when he pulled back, it came out. “I love you.” That seemed to break him, because he kissed her again, but this time it was slower and deeper and it felt like so much more.

She wished he hadn’t heard his sister’s interruption. Cally wished he wouldn’t have pulled back, but he did and asked, “What?”

“We’ve decided you’re going to take us out so we can look at dresses,” Hannah said again, like it was extremely difficult to repeat the words.

She just started laughing quietly and groaned, “Welcome to my world.”

He looked behind him, disagreeing. “Mom’s going to take you out.”

“Savannah said to come and get her, and we’ll go out and look at dresses. Then we can decide on flowers and how to do our hair,” Hannah repeated again, pleading for him not to say no.

Cally knew she was still laughing, but at this point, he really didn’t have a choice. He tried, “Do you want to go?”

She wasn’t that stupid. If she said no, they would never ever let it go. “I don’t think we have a choice if we want to live,” she teased.

He just groaned, “Fine.”

They got in the car, and she just shook her head. Cally knew what they were in for, and she wasn’t in the mood for this today. Savannah just got paid and was aching to spend it, and what better excuse than on a dress for the wedding? She just sat back and let it go. This was just the beginning, and it wasn’t going to stop. She took a deep breath and looked around as they started talking, and it didn’t seem to end when Savannah got in; no, it just got worse.

Cally took a deep breath and just let it go before Dakota asked, “Are you all right?”

She just nodded as she closed her eyes. “Why do you keep asking me that?” She dreaded what he was going to say.

“You just seem a little off,” he said carefully.

She looked over at him like he had grown a second head. “A hurricane just ran through what little sanity was in my life, and you don’t think I should be a little off?”

His look spoke louder than anything he could say.

“What would have taken months even years for anyone else has happened in less than a day for me. I have a right to be a little stressed and tired. I’m running on less than four hours of sleep, and I have a feeling this day isn’t going to end anytime soon. So give me a break.”

Savannah just couldn’t stay out of it. “She’s got a point. She had no idea you were going to propose and then expect to get married in a month. She hasn’t even had time to process any of it.” That was one of the rare times her sister ever stood up for her.

Cally just didn’t want to deal with this again, but he seemed to get it and backed off. The rest of the ride to the store was quiet, except for the two in the back who decided to make the most of this and started planning out her wedding. She had no idea what they were expecting, but it really didn’t matter. She just wrapped her arm around Dakota and followed the two that seemed to know everything they wanted.

They had decided that they were going to be bridesmaids, and that her baby sister was going to be the flower girl. Cally knew better than to argue, so she just let them go.

First, it was about what they wanted to wear and their matching shoes and accessories. But then they turned on her, and she wanted to run. Savannah had her ideas on what she was to wear, and then Hannah had hers. Savannah was more on the lines of the prom look, while Hannah was talking about Cinderella dresses with mile-long trains. When they looked at Cally, she tried to run. There wasn’t a “want to” about it; she would have been gone had Dakota not tightened his grip on her, the traitor.

“You have to get a dress,” Hannah was saying.

Cally just shook her head, and the words seemed to say themselves, “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the dress, so I can’t get one today.”

The two sisters both just stared at Dakota, both wanting to argue, but neither one was willing to tell him he had to go. Dakota offered them their out. “Mom’s going to be mad you went shopping without her as it is. At least give her this.”

Hannah just nodded. “You’re right, she should have something.”

The rest of the afternoon, they just stayed in and watched T.V. Cally thought it was clear that she was tired. Dakota left around eight, and she didn’t fight it anymore. She went to bed, thankful that another day was over.

* * * * *

Cally didn’t know what time it was, but she couldn’t believe Savannah was waking her up. She was always up before her sister, and here, the evil queen was standing over her, ordering, “Get up, we’re going to get you a dress today.”

She moaned and pulled the blankets over her head. “Great, now I get to be a freakin’ doll for you to dress up.”

“They’ll be here in half an hour, and I still have to do your hair and makeup.” Savannah handed her clothes that were deemed acceptable for her to wear.

She didn’t want to go and she wasn’t going to hide it. She took a quick shower, and when Savannah was working on her hair, she heard the front door open and her mom saying, “They’re still getting ready.”

She mumbled, “No, Savannah’s getting ready. I’m going back to sleep.”

By the time she was given the approval to go, she smelled the coffee. The smell alone pulled her into the kitchen. Cally wasn’t even sure anyone was in the rooms as she passed them. The only thing that existed was that coffee pot and the hot liquid goodness of life that it held.

It took her two full cups going down like soda before she even heard what was being said in the living room. The third cup was going down slower as she listened harder.

His mom was asking, “Dakota came home early last night, so why is she so tired?”

Savannah answered, “She went to bed around eight.”

“Are you sure she didn’t sneak out? Dakota told me that Jay said she tried to sneak out the other night,” Hannah offered suspiciously.

Cally looked around the corner and leaned against the counter and watched that conversation turn. “No, she was in bed all night. She just didn’t sleep the night before.” Savannah gave her a suspicious look.

The next words were the ones that made her scream, and yes, her own damn mom had to go there. “Are you sure she’s not—”

“I’m not!” She screamed loud enough to wake the dead. “If you don’t believe me, then you can go check the bathroom trash. Now, I have to be at work at four, so if you want to go, then we had better leave now.”

All three of them were looking at her like someone had just cut her head off. His mom just nodded. “We should go.”

Cally grabbed her work vest before following them out to the car. Yes, she was crabby and tired, but that didn’t mean anything compared to what they were saying. It was no secret that she had no interest in dress shopping, but still they were determined to drag her along, so she was going to continue to be crabby and cranky, and they were just going to have to deal with it.

Cally closed her eyes and just sat back and half listened to the two moms berating the two girls for going out and getting dresses without them. At least the focus wasn’t on her at the moment, and that suited her just fine. Well, that was until she was asked, “So what kind of dress would you like?”

She didn’t open her eyes as she lazily answered, “I don’t know.”

They just couldn’t keep it to themselves. Savannah insisted, “She would look good in an Empire dress.”

“She would look better in a Cinderella dress,” Hannah countered.

Cally quietly mumbled to herself, “She would look better back in bed.”

Savannah gave her an evil look from the seat next to her, and her mom asked, “What was that?”

She looked Savannah in the eye, rephrasing her comment, “Why don’t we just see what they have?”

The conversation turned away from her, and she was more than happy with that. All she wanted was to go back to bed, and every second they left her alone was a good one.

She felt the car stop and she opened her eyes to see that they were in front of the bridal shop. She had no idea that was where they were going or she wouldn’t have agreed to go with them at all. She looked at her watch and was thankful it was only eleven. They had a few hours to make up their minds before she had to be at work. And since she wasn’t going to get a say in any of this, she really didn’t have to do anything difficult.

She dragged herself behind everyone else as they headed into the store. The store was small and overcrowded with dresses. She watched as the four of them started looking through the dresses. She was happy when she found what she wanted—a set of chairs in front of the register. Not really caring what anyone else was doing, Cally sat down as a tall lady with blond hair walked out and asked, “Can I help you with anything?”

Her mom took the woman up on that. “We’re trying to find a dress for my daughter’s wedding.”

Cally stopped paying attention as she started drifting off.

Hannah was shaking her arm, “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Nope,” she finally confessed.

Hannah looked at her like she was trying to figure something out.

“What do you want?”

Hannah looked to where Cally was staring off into space, and then to her. “They need to measure you.”

Cally stood up and followed Hannah to where the woman was standing with a long snake-like measuring tape. This so didn’t look good for her. The woman showed no modesty as she started wrapping the thing around her in places she knew she shouldn’t be touching, but there wasn’t anything Cally could do about it.

When the woman finally stood back up, she asked, “What kind of dress are you looking for?”

Cally looked behind her, shrugging, “Something that won’t fall off and will cover what should be covered.”

Everyone started laughing, and she took a step back. She didn’t see what was so funny about it, but it seemed they did, so she let it go. The woman turned and started pulling dresses off the rack, offering, “Come with me, we’ll find the right one.”

Everyone seemed to follow as she led them to a very large dressing room that had a pedestal in the center. Every wall was covered in floor-to-ceiling mirrors and plush chairs and a love seat. She just stood there as the woman hung the dresses on a bar in the back of the room.

The woman looked at her, instructing, “Try this one first. I’ll be back with a few more in a minute.” Then the strange woman disappeared, and Cally looked behind her to see four sets of eyes on her. No there was no way she was changing in front of all of them. She stood there, not sure what to do or say.

Savannah just got up and rolled her eyes as she pulled out a folded up divider, huffing, “There, get dressed.”

The first dress was huge and hung in puddles around her feet. She walked out, just as the woman came back in with another armful of dresses. The woman looked at her and asked, “What do you think?”

She just stood there while everyone judged the dress. There was no point in telling them she wouldn’t wear it, even if it was the last dress on earth. The process kept going with dress after dress being rejected. The only one she liked was included in that. After they had gone through all the dresses, the woman looked at her and asked, “Which did you like?”

The four of them started arguing and debating, but this woman was different. She was the second person who didn’t seem to care what anyone else said about anything. Instead, she asked Cally what she wanted. She hesitated as she looked back and she felt the woman’s strong hands turn her to the dresses as the woman quietly whispered to her, “Don’t worry about them. What do you like?”

Not sure what else to do, Cally pulled out the one that came down to her knee and was a soft silk that was covered in a flower lace. The shoulders and sleeves were made just from the lacey fabric, and in the middle of the bodice was a single fabric rose. She liked the lace trim around the bottom that came down enough to make the dress acceptable.

The woman smiled at her and quietly worked her magic. “Let’s sell this one to them.” She gestured to the four talking behind them. “You put this one back on, and let me get something.”

She did what the other woman said, but this dress was knocked out by both their mothers and Hannah. Savannah had said it was cute but that wasn’t ever good enough. She liked it because the sleeves came down to her forearms, and it just felt like something she would wear and not just to get married in.

Cally couldn’t see wasting all that money on a dress that she would only wear once. The more she looked at it in the mirror, the more she wanted it, but she knew this wasn’t her decision. She was never going to get it, because she wasn’t the one deciding anything.

Cally watched as the woman came back in with three veils. She tried each one on her before she found one that went down past her knees in the back, and the flower pattern seemed to match the dress perfectly. The veil was long enough to wrap around her whole body and it was absolutely perfect.

She must have missed the shoes completely, because the other woman opened the four boxes and took out a sandal flat that was almost a match to what she normally liked to wear. They were simple and almost the same color as the dress and absolutely perfect. She put them on, and the woman whispered, “Now you can sell it to them.”

She stepped out from behind the divider, terrified but feeling like the most beautiful person in the world. Savannah’s face was of complete approval, and that was the one Cally knew that she had to sell this to the most. She looked to Hannah next as the girl gasped saying, “Wow!”

Her mother repeated her earlier comment. “It’s too short.”

Dakota’s mother seemed to agree with hers, but Hannah was the one to sell it. “He’ll love it.”

Cally just smiled as she looked in the mirror and played with the veil a little as the others started debating the dress. She hadn’t meant to look, but the tag was right there on the hem; the dress was only a hundred and seventy dollars. She got curious and looked at the tag on the veil; it was sixty-five. She didn’t need alterations or anything else, and she had more than enough to get them and the shoes by herself. For the first time, she didn’t care what any of them said or if they agreed or not; she just turned to the woman, announcing, “I want them.”

The woman smiled, knowing something that she didn’t. “Are you sure?”

Her mom protested, “I’m not paying for something that barely covers you.”

Cally looked at her mother through the mirror in front of her. “I’m not asking. I have the money, and I’m getting them. It’s my wedding and my choice. I’m the one that has to wear the dress, not you, and there is no way I’m wearing a dress that weighs more than I do and is hot and stuffy and will make me miserable. If you wanted a two-hundred-pound bulky circus tent, then you should have opted for a winter wedding.”

All four of them were looking at her like she had just lost her mind, but they knew she never stood up for herself on anything. So to stand up for herself now was a big deal. Her mom just nodded and looked over to Dakota’s mom who was staring at her. “What do you think?”

Dakota’s mother smiled at her. “Hannah’s right, he’ll love it, and if she’s set on it, I don’t think we will have much of a choice.”

“She does look amazing,” Hannah added, smiling like she had just won something.

Her mother just smiled. “Okay.”

She had gotten dressed, and they were heading up to the counter when she looked at her watch and realized it was only noon. She had expected them to be here longer, but she guessed when you know what you want and stand up for yourself anything can happen. She was ready to pay for everything when her mom said, “I’ll get it.”

Cally just shook her head. “I have enough to get it.”

But her mother insisted. “You need to save that.” She wasn’t going to argue. She was getting what she wanted, and there was nothing to fight over.

They got back just before one, and sitting on the tailgate to Jay’s shiny black truck were Jay and Dakota. She didn’t want to get out of the car, but she knew she had to. She took an empowering breath, and her mom had her new dress.

The two moms seemed in their own little world as they walked inside, and she walked over to Dakota and just kissed him. Yep, she finally accepted she was going to marry him and be with him forever and a day.

He just had this big smile. “Did you find a dress?”

She just nodded, but his sister wasn’t going to let that go. “You should have seen it. No one really liked it when she was trying on the dresses, but then she put it on again with a veil and the shoes, and she looked amazing.”

Savannah just laughed. “I can’t believe you said that to Mom.”

Dakota looked to her and asked, “What?”

Savannah loved the attention, and Cally was more than happy to let her have it. “Mom said no because it wasn’t the traditional wedding dress. But she looked so…I don’t know…but something came over her, and she flat out told her that she was getting the dress. Mom refused to pay for it, but she just shook her head and said, ‘It’s my wedding and I’m wearing what I want.’ And it seemed to be enough, because Mom bought it for her.”

He laughed. “So you do know what you want.”

“Nope, I just really like that dress.”

Hannah just smiled an ear-to-ear grin. “You’ll love it. It’s so perfect for her. It’s going to be so fun to have a sister.”

She just leaned against the truck as Dakota reprimanded his sister. “She’s not your toy.”

“Yeah, but I never had a sister to do hair and makeup with before,” Hannah protested.

Savannah shook her head. “I do her hair and makeup and dress her.”

“Yeah, but…I’ll have someone to hang out with, and when school starts, she can drive me to school,” Hannah tried again.

Savannah just wasn’t having any of it. “She doesn’t have her license or a car.”

“She will before school starts.” Hannah just didn’t know when to quit, and right now, Cally really wished she would stop before someone ended up dead—namely her.

Savannah looked at her with that cold hard stare.

“I had to get it in order to get the marriage license. I didn’t believe she would go for it either, but if it makes you feel better, she said that I had better go through with this or she would kill me. I just don’t see why it matters.”

“You need a way to get back and forth to work,” Dakota added absently.

“I can walk, it’s not that far.”

“You can’t walk from our house,” Hannah insisted.

Cally looked at her, frustrated, demanding, “Why does that matter?”

Dakota looked at his sister with a look of seriousness that wasn’t normal for him. “Don’t.”

At the same time, Hannah blurted out, “Because you’re moving in with us until you two get your own place!”

Cally stumbled backwards with pure shock. She was right, there was no end to any of this. “No, I’m not.”

Dakota got up and put one hand on each of her hips to balance her. “Yes, you are. I’m not going to have you here and constantly be worrying about you.”

She shook her head. “My mom’s not going to agree with this, and neither is yours.”

He just looked down. “My parents agree that it’s the right thing to do.”

But she had him. “But my mom doesn’t.”

He looked at her and shook his head. “No, but it doesn’t matter either. You’re going to be my wife, and that means she won’t have a say once we’re married.”

“But I do.” That was the most comprehensive thought she could come up with.

She heard the front door open behind her, and Dakota looked over her shoulder then behind him. “Why don’t we all go for a ride?”

Considering the two of them seemed to be the entertainment, the other three agreed easily. They were getting in the car when his mom called out, “Tell your sister it’s time to go.”

Hannah was already in the back with Savannah, and with him distracted, she got in the back too, which almost never happened. She heard him say, “She’s going with us. I’ll bring her home later.”

He pulled out, and Cally knew he was angry, but so was she at this point. “What else hasn’t he told me?” she demanded from Hannah.

Hannah looked up to her brother, not sure if she should say anything. Yeah, she got this game.

“Tell me or I’m going to back out right now. No wedding or fancy dresses or anything.”

Hannah looked to Cally, and then her brother, and then back to Cally before admitting, “When we were all talking, he thought it would be best if you stayed with us until you get your own place on the base.”

Cally knew there was more. “And?”

“When our parents didn’t agree with him, he said that he was going to do this and put in for a transfer. Then he explained why he wanted you out of there, and my parents agree that he was right,” Hannah confessed quietly.

Cally just sat back and shook her head. So there was more to this; there was a reason why he was rushing all of this. She just had no clue why. She was so stunned she didn’t know what else to say. “Anything else?”

“We weren’t supposed to tell you until after the wedding. He didn’t want your parents finding out.” Hannah looked ready to run from her brother.

“Why does he want me out of my parent’s house?” she prodded.

Dakota tried to stop her from telling the truth. “Don’t you dare.”

They weren’t in the car ten minutes when he parked and got out. Not sure what else to do, she got out with everyone else and realized they were in town. She didn’t know what to do or why they were there, so she just started walking up the ramp to the boardwalk. She didn’t know why she went down the left side, but she did. She knew they were following her, because this wasn’t over.

At the end of the boardwalk, there were only a few people here and there. Cally sat up on the rail next to the bench. She couldn’t believe what Dakota’s sister had just admitted, but she could believe he had done this behind her back. She could even see him planning all this out to the very last detail. What he had said and done over the past few days was all starting to make sense. She just didn’t get why he would do it, and the only word she could manage without yelling was “Why?”

He stood in front of her and put a hand on either side of her, effectively trapping her. “You really don’t see what happens to you is so wrong. I’ve heard what they say to you, and you just take it. You are always either working or taking care of your baby sister and the only time you go out is when Savannah and I drag you out. And you never complain about anything. You let everyone plan everything for you. I still don’t believe you picked out that dress.”

She looked up at him. “It’s the perfect dress.”

He scoffed. “I’m sure it is. But do you see why I’m doing all of this?”

She just nodded as she looked down, trying to figure this out. She really had no idea why he was doing any of this, because none of this made any sense at all; but for some reason, he seemed to think it was important. To her, it was just her life, a life that she was used to, and she really didn’t care what happened. But to him, it seemed important that she be something more than what she was, and still, she just didn’t get it.

“I know this is a lot to deal with now, but I hope you can see why I’m doing all of this.” She looked up at him, willing him to see the fear she had bottled up. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”

She looked over to Jay and Savannah on the bench. Jay shrugged it off. “If I could get her out of there, I would.”

She didn’t know what to think. He believed all this would rescue her from something. “If things were different, would you still want to get married?” The answer to this meant everything to her, and yet, she had no idea how he would answer.

He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him. “Yes, I would still marry you. We might do things a little slower, but yes, I would have still wanted you to be my wife.”

For some reason, everything fell into place; the rushing around, the shock and speed with which he was moving, and even the reasons why. She loved him for admitting the truth, even if the reason he was doing this still made no sense to her. She looked in his eyes and saw the fear and questions there.

All she could say was, “Okay.” And then she saw his sister looking nervous. “But you can’t blame or punish her for telling me.”

He looked back at Hannah and then to Cally. “Fine.”

Then she smiled and added, “And you have to take me to work now.”

He moaned. “No, I have to leave tomorrow.”

“And I have to work today, so I can save up for that car your sister wants me to take her to school in.” She laughed.

He leaned in and kissed her before relenting, “Fine.”

Cally just jumped down when his arms went around her, and he pulled her into another long, deep, world-shattering kiss. Why was she so helpless when he did this? And why was it that the only thing she wanted was for him to keep going? She wanted him in a way that made no sense to her, and she loved it!

She had to push out with both hands on his chest just to say, “I’m going to be late.”

He reluctantly gave up but held her hand as they started back to the car. They were just about to the ramp when she saw a few friends from school. One was looking dead at her, and she knew she had to get out of there before he decided to come over and start something with her and Dakota. Seth’s friends could get a little pushy and defensive of their own. And after what happened the other night, she knew trouble was coming hard and fast when school started again.

They were getting in the car when she looked back to see him standing a few feet away. She didn’t hesitate as she jumped in and they pulled out. When all this got around school, she was going to have some issues for sure. Then she looked back at Hannah and realized she was going to be in the same school as Cally was, and when she found out the truth, there was going to be so much trouble.

Dakota was going back tomorrow, and the odds that Cally would see her before he left were going to be slim. She had to do something before all of this blew up in her face. So she turned around in the seat and said, “The three of us need to get together this week and hang out and do some planning.” She just hoped this would work.

“Why?” Dakota asked suspiciously.

She looked at him with her best “you wouldn’t get it” look. “We have to plan things out, and if we’re going to sneak around and move and stuff, we might as well come up with something plausible.”

They pulled in the parking lot, and she just rolled her eyes and kissed him. As she opened the door, he warned her, “We’ll talk about this later.”

She was half an hour early to work, and she had four hours to figure out how she was going to fix this with his sister. The night was slow, and she had more than enough time alone to think as she stocked shelves. By the time they closed up, she had a plan; at least, she hoped it was a plan that would work.

When they were walking out, Sara prodded, “You’ve been quiet tonight. I would have expected you to tell us what happened.”

“Dakota proposed, I said yes, we got the license yesterday, and we’re getting married on August fourth,” she repeated in a matter of fact tone.

“There’s got to be more to it than that,” her boss prodded again.

Not knowing how else to get her coworkers to back off, she lied. “We’ve been talking about this for months. It’s not that big of a surprise.”

“And your mom is letting you do this?” Baca asked.

“She thinks it’s a great idea. She believes that because he’s in the military, it’s perfect. She probably believes he’s a saint and can walk on water too,” Cally joked.

“And you want to do this?” Sara asked suspiciously.

“It was my idea. But don’t worry, I only need Thursday through Sunday off, and I’ll still be working here for a while.” She shrugged. “It seems like we won’t be getting our own place until January or February or something like that.”

Baca asked, “Where are you moving to?”

They were at the door when she replied, “The Air Force base.”

“Don’t move. I have to set this,” Sara jumped in. They all froze as she set the alarm.

Cally looked out the doors as she stood still and her heart dropped. She saw two very familiar cars out there. Dakota was to her left, and Seth’s brother’s was to her right. Trouble was coming for her too fast. Just then, they rushed out, and she made the only logical choice she could—she nearly ran and jumped in Dakota’s car. Just as she opened the door, she saw Seth getting out and coming toward her.

Not wanting to deal with this, she rushed. “Where are we going tonight?”

Dakota backed up and started pulling out saying, “The old creek. Everyone’s going over there tonight.”

Fun, she thought sarcastically as she looked in the rearview mirror at Seth’s infuriated form standing there. Yeah, with any luck, they would get out of here before Seth and his brother could follow them. She was right, they hadn’t followed them, but that didn’t mean they would stop trying, and Hades only knew what was going to end up happening when Dakota went back to work and he wasn’t here to pick her up.

She was looking out the window when he asked, “Are you mad at me?”

Cally lazily looked over to him answering, “No. I know you were only doing what you believe is the best thing for us. I just wish you would have told me about any of this before you threw a hurricane at me.”

“Next time, I will,” he assured her, kissing her hand.

For the most part, the drive was quiet, and they were just about there when he asked, “You’re sure everything’s fine?”

He stopped the car, and she could see the fire going and people everywhere. She looked at him, finding a way to smooth this over. “I’m not happy you did this behind my back, but I’ll let it go. I’ll marry you in two weeks, and we’ll work it out from there.”

He leaned over the center console and kissed her. “You’re too good for me.”

She laughed. “You know, that’s what I’ve been thinking of you all night.”

They got out and walked up to the group that was three times the size of the get together the other night. People were watching them, and she just knew they were whispering things about them. When they got close to one of the trucks, someone asked very loudly, “Are you two really getting married?”

She hated crowds and hated being the center of attention, so she let Dakota answer them. “In two weeks.”

Someone walked up behind her and asked, “You’re really going to marry him?”

“Yep,” was all she could manage to get out with everyone staring at them like they were tonight’s entertainment.

Cally started calming down when Savannah came over and handed her a drink. Dakota reached over to take it, but Savannah stopped him. “Lighten up. She has just as much right to celebrate as you.”

“She shouldn’t be drinking,” he countered.

“Why?” Savannah asked, like he had lost it. “It wasn’t a problem at the party when you met her.”

Cally just couldn’t hold it back when she started laughing. “He still thinks I’m pregnant. No matter how much I swear I’m not, he won’t believe me.”

“She’s not, so give her the damn drink. Out of anyone here, she’s the one that needs a drink the most, considering what you put her through,” Savannah argued.

But he wasn’t having it. “You don’t know that, and she’s too young to be drinking. And what did I put her through?”

“Yeah, I do know that she’s not. And you’re not getting any tonight either. So let her have it and lighten up,” her sister argued.

He wasn’t going to let it go, and she knew it. “What did I put her through?”

“She had no clue you were proposing, and then you decided to drag her all over the place, ordering her around, deciding her whole life for her, and then what you did today.” Her sister paused and looked from her to him. “She needs a drink.”

He just gave up and let her have it.

When Savannah was walking away, Cally couldn’t help but say it. “It has been a little stressful this weekend, but it’s worth it.” She looked up at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and handed him the drink. It wasn’t worth fighting over something that she didn’t like anyway. In fact, the only reason she ever took the drinks was to see him get worked up.

He didn’t seem to believe her, but she didn’t think they were going to argue over this now; at least, she wasn’t going to argue over this. They had their whole lives together to work all this out, and trying to sort it out tonight wasn’t something she wanted to deal with.

She tried again. “It’s a party, loosen up.”

The night seemed to go easier, and she just sat back and let go as she sipped on Coca Cola. He was right. After all, she was too young to start drinking; no one liked a teen alcoholic. And the way alcohol made you act stupid and out of control just wasn’t for her.

* * * * *

Cally didn’t get to see Dakota before he left, but she did talk to him when he got back that night and every night after. He hadn’t been able to come home the next weekend, because he had to put in extra time so they could have the following weekend off together.

She was lucky over that time that Seth wasn’t able to catch up with her. She knew he was trying, but she was doing everything she could to avoid him. She was never here when he called, no matter if she was or not. She was never at work when he came in, and she snuck out the back every time he would try waiting for her after a shift. She had four more days to avoid him before she got married and she was going to avoid him for as long as she could.

The Tuesday before they were to get married, she had conned Savannah and Hannah to do a “sleepover.” When Hannah got there, they all went in her room to talk and the proverbial “hang out.” She didn’t have any time left and needed to tell her soon-to-be sister-in-law the truth. Hannah needed to know what was going to be said when they went back to school in another month, and she wanted Hannah to hear it from her first. Because she knew that when word got around and the rumors that would go around school all too fast, Hannah would assume the worst of her, and she didn’t want the girl taking it the wrong way. She did love Dakota and needed his sister to understand that.

Cally looked over to Savannah, and a huge ball of fear hit her right in the gut, and she knew this wasn’t going to be easy. She had one chance to get this right. She looked at Hannah and just said it. “You need to know something before—” She had to take a deep steadying breath before she rushed. “I was dating this guy, and we broke up. He wanted to get back together but I was dating your brother. I was thinking about breaking up with him, but I wasn’t sure if I should. Then he proposed, and it was like all the answers hit me at once. I told him I don’t want anything to do with him, but I don’t think he’s going to take that, and there are going to be a lot of rumors when school starts up.”

“You were going to breakup with Dakota?” Hannah’s face filled with disbelief, hurt, and disappointment. It seemed his sister was more shocked about that than the fact that she had a crazy ex-boyfriend that was going to start a load of crap when school started.

“I was thinking about it, but every time I saw him, the world started turning upside down, and I don’t know, I just couldn’t. There’s something about him that just makes everything else disappear. Nothing else seems to matter when we’re together. It’s like he’s a freaking angel sent down just for me, and I can only fall to his will,” she admitted.

A smile took hold in Hannah. “You love him.”

No question about it. “When I’m with him, there’s nothing else, and when he’s gone, it’s like something was ripped away from me. So if that’s love, then yes.”

Hannah asked, “You didn’t…”

Cally knew what she was asking. “I didn’t cheat on him. Seth is a friend, but I wouldn’t make it out to be anything more than that.”

“Have you told him?” Hanna asked.

She looked to Savannah. “No. I wasn’t sure how to tell him. And this wedding stuff is so stressful that I wasn’t sure that I should.”

“What are you going to do?” Hannah questioned.

“I was hoping to marry the man I love and then deal with Seth when school started. But if you want me to tell him now, I can.” She watched her soon-to-be-sister lean back against the wall as she pondered what to do.

Savannah was the one that asked, “Do you want to go back to Seth?”

Cally looked at her. “I don’t know that I really ever loved Seth and I don’t think I ever could. He was more of an entertaining distraction and a way to get through the next day.”

“You told him, though?” Savannah accused.

She nodded. “I told him at the beach that night. And he saw the ring, so he knows, and I haven’t talked to him since.”

“You won’t cheat on my brother, will you? I can’t see my brother hurt like that.” Hannah huffed with a worry that seemed to run deeper than what she was saying. It just felt like she wanted to say more, but she couldn’t or wouldn’t.

Cally looked at Hannah and could understand what the girl was thinking. Hannah just wanted to protect her brother more than anything. “I have never cheated on him and I won’t. I don’t believe in cheating at all, if you don’t want to be with someone, then you should just breakup with them.” Hannah eyed her and Cally couldn’t help but continue on her little rant. “I also believe that marriage is forever. When I get married, there is nothing in this world that is going to break us up, short of death itself. My parents have been married for over twenty years, and that’s how it should be. I don’t care what anyone else says or thinks or does. I’m not them, and I’m not going to do it. If I marry him, it will be set in stone, and there will be no changing it. You will be in that school, and you’ll know if I do anything.”

She watched as Hannah nodded. “So why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you’re going to find out, and I would rather you know before I marry your brother. That way, you can have a say in this,” she said, wondering to herself why she was doing this at all.

Hannah shook her head. “I’m not going to stop you, but you should tell him.”

Cally looked at her and got up. There was no reason to wait. She could tell him now when he could still stop it or she could tell him after and destroy everything they had together. She grabbed the phone and went back in her room; damn thing was her parents wouldn’t let them have cell phones, because they were afraid of all the bad things out there that could happen between the internet and the phones, so landlines helped her parents to monitor them and strip them of their privacy. Savannah and Hannah were still talking when she sat down.

She wasn’t going to be the coward now. She dialed his number and waited. “Hello?”

“Hey,” she managed with a huge lump of dread filling her throat.

“I thought Hannah was staying over tonight,” Dakota asked, puzzled.

She closed her eyes to avoid having to look at them and realized that they were both quietly listening. “She is. She told me that I should tell you something.”

His voice enveloped the apprehension she expected. “What? What’s happened?”

She took a deep breath to try to steady her nerves and just said it. “My ex has been following me and calling. A lot.”

“And?” he asked when she paused.

“I’ve avoided him and won’t talk to him, but I know why he’s calling.” She took a second to get the courage to say it. “I was thinking about breaking up with you for the past month, but every time I tried, I couldn’t. You’re so perfect. You listen to me and treat me better than anyone ever has, and when I’m with you, nothing else matters. And when you leave, I want nothing more than for you to come back. I swear I never did anything with him, and we only talked a few times.”

“Did he tell you to breakup with me? Or do you want to?” Dakota didn’t sound hurt, but there was something else in his voice.

Cally took a moment to think through her conversations with Seth and realized that. “He told me to,” came out as she remembered the day Seth had said it.

Dakota sounded calmer. “Did you want to before that?”

“No, not really.”

“Then he convinced you to do it, but you didn’t,” he said, calmer than anyone should be in his position.

She didn’t know what to say or do, and she couldn’t hold the tears back as the silence stretched out before he asked. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to be with you. I want him to disappear and never come back. I love you and I want to be with you. I swear I’ll never talk to him again,” she finished, full out crying.

“I know. Is there anything else I should know?” he asked.

Something seemed a little off. He should have been angry with her, but he wasn’t. It was almost like… “You knew.” That pause confirmed it. “How did you know?” She looked at Savannah and saw it all written over her face. “You told him?” she demanded, shocked.

Her sister got defensive. “He’s my friend, so yeah, I told him.”

“And you still asked me to marry you?” Cally accused into the phone.

His voice turned to the confident man she knew. “Yes, you had the chance to say no to end everything right there, but you didn’t. You chose me…us. You wanted to be with me, even though you had another choice.”

“You were testing me?” She couldn’t believe it. He had known everything and still wanted to do this. “I’m either the luckiest person alive or you’re the craziest.”

He got a little cocky when he asked, “Are you still going to marry me?”

She just sat there stunned. “Yes.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. I know you love me and knew you would choose me. There’s nothing wrong other than your ex has been stalking you, which we can deal with,” he said, like he owned the world.

She couldn’t believe any of this! She had been terrified for weeks over this, and he didn’t care at all. He still loved her and wanted to be with her. She looked over to a puzzled Hannah and mumbled, “Your sister wants to talk to you.”

She was totally lost in all this. He knew she was talking with Seth and he still wanted her to marry him. Okay, now her life was officially screwed up. Who in their right mind would just blow it all off like that? What she did was as close to cheating as you could get without actually cheating on someone. But the killer was he knew all of that before he asked her to marry him, and he still asked her…he still wanted to be with her.

She hit her head against the wall, hoping that some sense would come of all this. Both of them were looking at her, and Hannah said, “She’s banging her head on the wall.” She watched Hannah, as she answered, “Dakota said to tell you to stop. He doesn’t want to have you bandaged up before the wedding.”

She fell over and lay on the bed, her life was spiraling completely and totally out of control, and she didn’t know what to expect next. She closed her eyes and groaned. “I’m going to Hades for this.”

Hannah made a face at her, then Cally looked at Savannah and said, “I don’t deserve him. And you betrayed me.”

Savannah didn’t seem to care as she snapped back, “You shouldn’t have been talking to Seth in the first place.”

“You just don’t like him,” she shot back.

Her sister looked at her like she couldn’t believe they were even talking about this. “You’re marrying Dakota in three days, and you think I should like him?”

All right, her sister had a point; why would they be arguing over a guy that she wanted nothing to do with? Especially when the guy she wanted was on the phone with his sister who was sitting next to her on the bed. She looked up to Hannah and asked, “What is he telling you?” Hannah shook her head, trying to brush Cally off, and she said it again slower and more deadly. “What is he telling you?”

Hannah started chewing her bottom lip for a few minutes before saying, “He wanted to know if you were sorry for what you did.”

“So he wanted to know if I was crying. Yes, I feel horrible. You don’t need your sister to tell you that,” she whined loud enough for him to hear her.

Hannah laughed. “He also wanted to know if I thought you still wanted your ex.”

Cally looked at Hannah questioningly. “I told him no. I told you no. How many times do I have to say it?”

She wasn’t even going to try to figure out what else he was asking his sister, because that family always seemed too deep in each other’s thoughts and lives. She was an open book, and if he wanted to ask her, he would. She just lay there and listened to his sister’s half of the conversation. “Okay, I’ll find out.” A pause, and then, “Why don’t you ask her?” Another pause, and then, “I’m not doing this. Here, he wants to talk to you.”

She took the phone. “Yes?”

He laughed. “That little rat. My mom wanted to know what song we were going to play at the ceremony.”

She closed her eyes. “She’s not your mailman, you can ask me this yourself.”

“And what song do you want played?” he asked again.

“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out and bring it Friday.”

“You’re not going to tell me?” he asked, surprised.

Well, that would be a good spin on things, now wouldn’t it? “No, I’m not. You hid everything from me, so you can wait until Friday to find out what song I pick.”

“That’s not fair,” he started to protest.

“Not fair? You told me that you knew my ex-boyfriend had convinced me to breakup with you. But you still asked me to marry you. You had a secret planning session on when, where, and how we were going to get married with your family and mine without telling me anything. You went behind my back and made plans with my mother so we could get married. You even planned out where I was going to live after our wedding, all without telling me anything. And you think I’m not being fair?” she shot back.

“This is something we should decide together,” he argued.

But her head started shaking on its own. “No, I’m going to pick it, and you are going to have to trust me. I’ve been really, really forgiving with everything you’ve done, but I’m going to make a stand on this. You can either trust me or not.” Oh, yes, that was an ultimatum, and she wasn’t going to back down, not after everything she had been through, and Zeus help what else he’d planned.

It didn’t take him long to say, “I’ll trust you and I’ll see you Friday. I need to go. I love you.”

She wasn’t sure if she had just been played, but she had a feeling she had. “I love you too.” She hung up the phone and looked to Savannah, not sure what there was to say. “Okay, that didn’t go like I expected.”

“What did you expect?” Savannah asked.

She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t that. “For my sister not to have betrayed me and for Dakota to be angry or something.”

“He at least made sure you were serious,” Savannah offered.

“No, he asked her if I had actually cheated on him,” she accused. She looked at Hannah and asked, “Why did you tell him I didn’t?”

Hannah shrugged. “Because you didn’t. And you love him.”

“I’m officially losing it,” she mumbled.

“Why?”

She stared up at the ceiling. “Because I’m marrying an angel, and I belong in Hades for all the sins I’ve committed.”

“No, you don’t,” Hannah argued back, “and he’s not an angel.”

“Yes, he is, he a freakin’ angel sent from Mount Olympus to test me, and I’m failing miserably,” she whined.

The phone rang, and out of habit, she threw it to Savannah. She wasn’t one to answer the phone anymore. “Hello.” Her sister paused. “No, she’s not here.” Cally rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I’m not her keeper,” Savannah huffed. “I’ll tell her.” Then she hung up and said, “Seth called again.”

“Yep, and I’m still not home. Maybe you should tell him I moved out,” she joked.

Not a minute later, she heard a knock on the front door. Savannah looked out, expecting it to be Jay, and her mouth fell open when she looked at Cally. “He’s here.”

All she could think was, Help me.

Savannah walked out and opened the door. Cally couldn’t move or breath, and she listened to every word they said.

Savannah said, “She’s not here.”

“She’s in her room,” Seth accused.

“And she has a friend over. So, she’s not here,” Savannah countered.

“It’ll just take a minute. Come on,” he begged.

“Go home. She’ll call you when she wants to.”

His protest was getting old. “I’m not leaving until I talk to her.”

Cally looked to Hannah and whispered, “We have to do this or he’ll never leave. And I really don’t want to wake my parents up.”

She grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her out to the living room. She was shaking, but she knew he had to hear it from her. “I don’t want to see you or talk to you or anything. Go home and leave me alone.”

He pushed past Savannah. “Why? What has he done to you?”

“Nothing, you know I’m with Dakota, and there can never be anything between us. So drop it,” she stated coldly.

He looked to Hannah and asked. “Who is she?”

Cally rolled her eyes. “His sister, now go home and leave me alone.”

“So he has his sister watching you now? Don’t you find that a little creepy and controlling?” he accused.

She took a step back. “Not as creepy as you calling nonstop, coming to my work, and following me everywhere I go. Besides, I asked her to come here, and the only thing I’ve asked you to do is leave me alone.”

He shook his head. “You’re such a witch,” he exclaimed, then stormed out.

She looked over to Hannah. “I had no intentions of talking to him again, but I didn’t have a choice.”

“No kidding. He’s scary,” Hannah answered as they went back to her room.

Cally plopped on her bed. “Not ten minutes after I swear not to talk to him again, I talk to him again. I am so going to Hades.”

Hannah looked at her. “He showed up at the door late at night and wouldn’t leave. It’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is. I don’t know if I didn’t explain it right or what, but it is my fault that he won’t stop and it’s my fault he now thinks your brother is obsessive. All of this is my fault.” And it was her fault for telling Seth that she was going to breakup with Dakota and that there was a chance that they could be together again. It was her fault that all this was happening.

Hannah tried to defend her, which was a losing battle for sure. “It’s not your fault someone won’t take no for an answer. You told him tonight you didn’t want him coming around, and I’ll bet he will still be coming around tomorrow. He’s the one with the problem, not you.”

Cally sat down on the floor and started looking for a C.D. “If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be doing any of this. He now thinks Dakota is the bad guy because I invited you here.”

“Seth needs to get a life. You said no three times, and he’s still coming around. He’s the one with issues,” Savannah threw in.

“Yeah, but it’s my fault,” she insisted.

“How? You told him no. He’s the one who won’t accept it,” Savannah argued.

It wasn’t possible to explain to any of them what happened and to expect them to understand. All of this was her fault. If she hadn’t talked to him, none of this would be happening. If she hadn’t let him convince her that he was better than Dakota or that she should breakup with Dakota for him then maybe he would have let it go. This was all her fault. She did it, and now she was going to have to live with it.

Savannah finally asked, “What are you looking for?”

“My C.D.s,” she answered absently.

Hannah seemed to perk up a little. “Do you know what song you’re going to pick.”

“Yep.”

She wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore, so the silence stretched until Hannah asked again, “Which one?”

“Nope.”

Savannah didn’t want to accept that. “What are you going to choose? We have to make sure it’s the right song.”

“Nope.”

She had most of her music in a pile on the floor when Savannah dropped another pile next to hers. She already knew which song she wanted, so it didn’t matter what they said or did. The C.D. was sitting there, staring at her, four sets of eyes staring at her, telling her that this was the beginning of forever.

She just leaned against the bed as they started playing song after song. With each C.D., the pile became mixed up and thrown around. She didn’t want to lose that disc in this mess, so she pulled it out when they weren’t looking. She slipped it in between her mattress and box spring, hiding it so that they didn’t lose it in the new mess they were making. No matter what they thought or decided, she had the perfect song; it was a song that spoke everything she felt and believed and everything she was.

She closed her eyes as she realized how much her world was changing. She was losing everything she knew and lived for, just to be with someone for the rest of her life. A life that she had no idea would even work. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be; this wasn’t how she had always seen her life playing out. No, when those words had come out, everything had changed; everything was gone. Her life was now completely unknown to her except for one thing—the only thing she refused to believe.

* * * * *

The next two days seemed to come and go all too fast. As Cally had feared, Seth showed up at the store, and when he came back when she got off, she was shaking. Her only salvation had been that Savannah and Jay had been there to take her home. She had taken Thursday off to do all those pre-wedding errands and stuff. It seemed that her soon-to-be mother-in-law was more excited than anyone else to do all the girly stuff with her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

Cally knew she should have been more excited, but she always felt like a toy that people liked to dress up and play with for a while before she was lost in the pile in the closet again. She walked through the day like she had so many others, letting others decide everything for her.

She woke up around eight and couldn’t believe it—she was getting married today! Cally was taking the biggest step in her life, the one that would determine everything else for the rest of her life. She just stared at the clock while her nerves seized up inside her and started squeezing and twisting into the most painful knots she had ever felt.

“Time to get ready,” Savannah ordered, opening her door.

She managed one weak faint word. “Coffee.” Yes, coffee—the nectar of the gods; she could still make the best argument that coffee was the ambrosia of the gods of mythological times. But she doubted that was important today. But if anyone wanted her to get up, then they were going to give her some of that glorious black brew to jump-start her.

She rolled over and dragged herself into the shower. Hot water quickly turned to cold water, and it wasn’t helping her stomach one bit. When she stepped out of the shower, she saw it hanging there; it was the first time she had looked at it since the day they bought it, but it was also the first time the true meaning of the dress sank in. She somehow managed to put on her clothes and the dress when the door opened behind her. Savannah smiled, fully dressed and ready to go.

“Come on, I’m going to do this in the living room where there’s more room.”

She nodded as she realized how much she was going to miss having her own personal hairdresser and makeup artist living in the next room. But Savannah was in her element and on a mission to make her look the best she could. She saw the stool pulled out, and everything laid out on the counter, but she just stumbled past them to the kitchen—coffee, coffee, coffee was the only thing going through her mind that had any meaning at all.

Cup in hand, she plopped on the stool and had her coffee taken from her before the first sip. She didn’t have to see her face to know what she looked like. “I’ll give it back after I cover the dress. You can’t spill anything on it.” She was still in shock with the loss of her best morning friend when her sister wrapped a huge plastic cape around her and then fastened two towels around her shoulders before letting her have her coffee back.

In her own little happy place now, she spaced out as she enjoyed her coffee, and Savannah started working on her hair. The cup was empty just as her sister took it and started on her makeup. By the time Savannah was finishing, the coffee had started working, because Cally was realizing there were people running around, talking, and Kaylee was playing on the floor next to her.

She heard her mom saying, “Will you do Kaylee’s hair next?”

Savannah was focused. “Yep.” Her sister’s eyes looked her over before ordering, “Go brush your teeth so I can do your lips. You can’t kiss him with coffee breath.”

Cally started pulling at the towels when her sister yelled, “No, keep those on! You can’t get anything on the dress.”

She walked back to see the bathroom was now occupied, so she went in the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until she found some pretzels, the breakfast of champions. She was now starting to see why brides went insane on their wedding days. The fear alone could kill you if everyone else didn’t.

Kaylee’s hair was almost done when Savannah yelled. “Why haven’t you brushed your teeth? We have to leave.”

“Bathroom’s full,” she answered shaking at the thought of what her sister was going to do to her for not obeying orders.

Cally watched as Savannah ordered to an excited Kaylee, “Stay put so I can put some makeup on you.”

Cally watched as Savannah disappeared down the hall ordering, “I need her toothbrush and toothpaste.”

A moment later, Savannah was sliding them across the counter, issuing more orders. “Brush now.”

Her mom walked out, and Savannah was adding a little color to Kaylee. “We have to leave in ten minutes,” Savannah ordered.

Her mom answered, “Your father’s putting his shoes on, and then we’ll be ready to leave.”

It was clear Savannah was in charge of this day. It wasn’t Cally’s wedding at this moment, it was Savannah’s wedding by the way her sister was acting and issuing orders and in complete control of everything happening down to the time it was to happen. Savannah knew what had to be done and what every moment was going to hold. Who cared if her sister was only seventeen? She was in complete control with all the confidence in the world. What Cally would give to be her sister right now.

Cally looked up from the sink to a waiting Savannah, makeup in hand. She wasn’t even out of the kitchen when Savannah started “fixing” her makeup and added lip liner and lipstick. After that, Savannah was nice enough to remove the heavy towels, but said, “That stays on until we get here.” Then she turned to say, “It’s time to go!”

Cally stumbled to the car and held her breath as they drove in silence for the half-hour drive to the court house. She peered around the seat as they neared their destination to see it was nine thirty seven. She was forbidden to wear her watch because it didn’t match her wedding dress. As she sat back, she saw Dakota’s unmistakable car in front of the building where they were going to be married.

She saw his mother first, and then his sister, and her heart was racing—she couldn’t move. She was really doing this! She was getting married! She didn’t need anyone to say it and wasn’t sure who did. “Stay in the car.” No way, was she getting out right now.

The world was moving in slow motion as she saw Savannah, her mom, and her dad getting out to talk to the group standing at the base of the steps that seemed to go on forever.

There was no way she was ready for this! She was fifteen and still a kid. She couldn’t do this! What was she thinking? No sane person got married at fifteen! She had to run. She had to leave here now. She heard Kaylee next to her, and she looked at her, begging, “Help me.”

In her little baby way, she pointed at her. “Petty,” she said, and then her sister looked excited. “Marry.”

Yeah, just her luck. The little kid knew she was getting married and even thought Cally was pretty. But Kaylee had no idea what any of that meant. Her baby sister had no idea that this meant that she was leaving forever. She was going to lose everything she ever knew in a few minutes, and no one seemed to care.

Cally jumped when the door next to her opened. She looked over to see Hannah, her mom, and Savannah looking down at her. She jumped again when the door behind her opened and she saw her own mom getting Kaylee out of her seat. This wasn’t happening; it was all a dream, and she was going to wake up any minute. No, she was only fifteen; no one would let her get married.

“Did you pick a song to use?” Cally turned back to her—no, his mom—looking at her. His mother was smiling and so happy. But she could see that Dakota’s mother knew what she was thinking. The woman knew she was terrified.

Dakota’s mother looked around her and said, “Why don’t you wait for us up there?”

Cally watched as everyone walked back to where her father was waiting, alone. She looked back to her soon-to-be mother-in-law as the woman knelt down next to her calmly assuring her with motherly wisdom.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. No one would think badly of you. But before you change your mind, think about who is in there waiting for you. Who wants to be with you more than anything in this world? He’ll give his life for you and do everything in this world to see you happy. He loves you, and somewhere deep inside, you love him. If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here. It’s all right to be afraid of something so new and unknown, but everything will calm down in a few days, and when it does, you need to decide where you want to be—married to the man you love or not. But whatever you decide, don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Cally was shaking and afraid, but when she closed her eyes, she could imagine him standing there, his golden energy radiating off of him. His deep knowing eyes penetrating down to her soul, and his warm loving smile drawing her in. She took a long slow deep breath as she let her mind focus on Dakota and only Dakota.

He was perfect in every way, and his mother was right; he would do anything to see Cally happy and safe. He would love her as much as she would love him, and she did love him with all her heart. She knew deep down that she would regret this if she walked away right now. And she never did anything she would regret. She loved him and needed to do this—for herself, for Dakota, and for both of their futures.

When she opened her eyes, her heart seemed to disappear, and the twisting deep inside her started to ease up. She was still having trouble breathing, but it was okay. She could do this. “I can do this.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it came out that way.

Dakota’s mother smiled at her and nodded. “It’s just wedding jitters. It will be over soon.” His mother put her hand on her knee and asked, “Where is this song you’ve chosen?”

Cally reached down to her bag and pulled it out. Dakota’s mother took it, and Cally managed weakly, “Track four.”

His mother looked down at the C.D. ““I Swear.” Okay, now I’m going to go in, but you will have them to walk you in. Are you going to be okay?”

No, she was going to die from all these nerves. This was insane, and in less than a second, the fear was rushing back. His mother took her shoulders and said firmly, “Just focus on Dakota and nothing else.” There was a pause while she envisioned him. “Now don’t think of anything but him. Nothing matters but him. It’s going to be okay.”

She just nodded as she stood up. She had forgotten about the sheet she was wrapped in, and his mother unfastened it. “Now you’re ready. You look absolutely beautiful!” She gave Cally an encouraging hug and walked with her to where her own family was waiting and said, “She’s a little nervous.”

She knew that if she listened to them or said or did anything but focus on Dakota, she would turn and run. So that’s what she did; she held onto Savannah’s arm as she focused on Dakota, at least until she walked in that office. She saw the woman at the desk, the one who had tried to convince her that she didn’t have to do this.

All of a sudden, a new overwhelming feeling took hold of her. That woman was wrong; she did have to do this. She had to do this, because she loved Dakota and wanted to be with him forever; and there was a happy ever after, because she was going to make it happen.

When she looked back, everything and everyone started falling in place. This was what she had to do; what she wanted to do. Nothing else mattered; no, this was who she wanted to be. She let go and walked over to the woman who was watching her and slammed both hands on her desk as she nearly yelled, “You’re right, I don’t have to do this, but by the gods above, I want to, and I’m going to. And there is a happily ever after, because I’m going to live it to spite what you think!”

The woman gave her a questioning look and nodded. “You’re still too young for this.”

“No, I am not! I haven’t been young and naïve for years. I have all the power in the world, and there is nothing you or that cop behind you can do to stop me!” Cally looked at him and back to the woman in front of her. “All we’ve done is fall in love. When I came in here, I was tired. I had trouble sleeping the night before because I was too excited. You’re not going to make a big deal out of that, because I know if I didn’t want to do this, I could walk out now. But I’m not, so shove it!”

“You’re making a mistake,” the woman accused.

“I’ve lived by two rules in my life—never cheat and never ever regret anything. If I walk out of here now, I will regret this for the rest of my life.” Cally looked to the cop. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll hate myself forever. This is my life, and I’m going to live it the way I want to, and none of you are going to stop me!”

She didn’t have to look behind her to see the eyes staring at her because she could feel them—all of them—boring into her with their shock. It didn’t matter anymore. She was going to do this, and that was going to be the end of it. She turned to see everyone looking at her shocked at her outburst. The one face that she wanted to see, she couldn’t, but she knew he was there. She could feel him closer now. Her Dakota was close, and she needed him right now more than ever. Her eyes met his mother’s, and she nodded just before the other woman disappeared.

She didn’t know how it had happened, but whatever had taken over her body in that moment also gave her more strength and power than she ever knew she had. She heard the words and let them over take her as the music started playing. Everyone seemed to just take their places as though they had done this before. With each word, her heart filled anew, and she knew this was the right thing to do. This was everything she felt and everything she could ever feel for him all rolled into one song. Because “I Swear” she would love him with every beat of her heart, and she would always be there.

The rest of the ceremony was lost when her eyes landed on Dakota. Nothing else mattered as he stood there, smiling at her like she was the only thing that mattered in this world. And when he took her hands in his, there was nothing to think about, nothing to hold her back. She was going to spend the rest of her life with him, and nothing would ever come between them again.