Casey
I’d been so lucky avoiding the press until now, it was inevitable they would catch up to me. Leaving the shop after the final fitting for my wedding dress with my mother, Aunt Kari, and Joe, I was completely unprepared for the onslaught. Joe immediately got in front of me, but cameras were going off and I saw that they were recording everything, so I managed to calm my racing heart and get Joe to relax.
“Casey, is the wedding still on?” someone called out.
“Will you be delaying your nuptials in light of His Royal Highness’s loss?”
“Is it true your fiancé endorsed the new King of Limaj?”
They were firing questions faster than I could answer them, but I was an old pro at dealing with the press and though I hated having to do it, I would handle this like I always had—with honesty and integrity, to the degree that it was safe for us.
“Please.” I held up a hand. “One at a time.”
“Casey, is the wedding still on?”
“Yes, it is. We discussed it as a family, with Prince Benjamin and Princess Kari, as well as Erik’s cousins and extended family. Though we’re grieving the loss of King Isak, Queen Klara, and the others, we refuse to let a group of terrorists ruin our special day. We believe they would want us to continue with our celebration, despite the tragedy.”
“There are rumors that you and Erik have split up, which is why he hasn’t been seen in Las Vegas this week, leading up to the wedding.”
“Erik went to pay his respects to…the new king, and offer his condolences. He’ll be home soon, and we’re getting married as planned.”
It went on for a few minutes, but finally Joe ushered us into the SUV and we slowly pulled out of the parking lot.
“Shit.” I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. “How did they find me? The shop wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”
“Probably a process of elimination. Most of the big papers have enough reporters to have them waiting at each of the bigger dress shops in town,” Aunt Kari said. “It was only a matter of time.”
“Did I do okay?” I asked. “I felt so stiff and formal, like I was reading from a script, even though I wasn’t.”
“You did fine.” Mom squeezed my arm.
“I wish Erik was here.” I let my head loll to the side.
“Soon,” Aunt Kari whispered. “He’ll be here soon.”
“We can’t get caught off guard like that,” Joe muttered. “We need to be more careful than this, Casey. We don’t know what Anwar is capable of or how far his reach is.”
“I know.”
“Asshole,” Mom grunted from the back seat. “I’ve never met him, but I really hate him.”
“You’d hate him more if you met him,” Aunt Kari added.
“How did Isak and Klara raise such a jerk?” I wondered aloud.
“Sometimes it just happens,” Aunt Kari responded.
I thought about the child inside of me, and that didn’t seem possible. I already loved him or her so much, the thought of him growing up and killing me was beyond the scope of reality for me. I knew it existed in the world—hell, we’d all but witnessed it firsthand—but it didn’t feel real. Somehow, I would do everything in my power to make sure I never raised a kid like that.
Friends and family started to arrive in Las Vegas, and though I missed Erik desperately, there was no time to do anything but keep moving forward. Jade was great at distracting me from all the chaos going on, but there were so many changes happening so fast, I was struggling to keep up. Without Erik to keep me grounded, I was being pulled in too many directions when all I really wanted to do was curl up in a chair with my guitar. I hadn’t played in weeks and I itched to sneak off to the studio, but there was never a free moment. If there wasn’t something wedding-related to do, I felt obligated to spend time with Elen and the many friends who’d begun to arrive, but they’d been doing a lot of drinking and I felt out of place since I couldn’t join them. Instead, I smiled and hugged people a lot, trying to keep up appearances and pretend I wasn’t terrified for the man I loved.
“Casey, are you ready to go?” Skye stood in the doorway of our suite and I looked up from where I’d been daydreaming by the window.
“Go?”
“Remember? We’re having a girls’ night out?”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I really don’t feel up to it. I think I’ll stay home.”
She cocked her head. “You’re the bride. Without you, there’s really no point.”
“Honestly, with all the death and sadness lately, I’m not feeling very bride-like.”
“I know, but our mothers have planned a special evening for you, and it would be a shame to disappoint them. Besides, we need a night of fun. Come on, you look fine the way you are. It’s going to be casual.”
I sighed but got to my feet. “All right, let me find some shoes.” I dug around for a pair of boots and pulled them on.
“Put on some lipstick; you’re a bit pale.”
This was new, getting a pep talk from Skye, but I did as she suggested and grabbed my purse before following her out to where Elen and Aunt Kari waited.
“Where are we going?” I asked, getting into the SUV.
“The Charleston, of course.” Aunt Kari giggled.
“We have champagne!” Elen pulled out a bottle and I nearly groaned but Skye pulled out another.
“And this is sparkling water infused with grapes and pineapple,” Skye said. “I think it tastes similar to champagne, but contains no alcohol.”
I smiled. She was trying so hard. They all were. I was just in such a funk. My body was beginning to change now that I was twelve weeks along, and I hadn’t been sleeping well without Erik. The stress of the last few weeks had been catching up to me, and I was hanging on for dear life because I didn’t have much choice.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Aunt Kari asked softly. “You’re quite pale.”
“I’m okay.” I tried to put on a brave face since so few people knew I was pregnant. “I’m not sleeping well and it’s hard to be cheerful with Erik gone...”
“You mustn’t let anything overpower one of the most important times of your life,” Aunt Kari said softly. “I will mourn our lost family members later, when you’ve left on your honeymoon. For now, we’re here to rejoice this wonderful event and help you celebrate. No, you must not let this ruin your wedding. I forbid it.”
It was nice of her to say but not as easy to carry out because my heart was heavy, as if I had an impending sense of doom.
Once we arrived, though, it was hard to stay depressed. My mother and a plethora of friends were all waiting for me in one of the smaller ballrooms at the hotel. They’d decorated for a party, with streamers and balloons, a chocolate fountain, and shirtless waiters walking around with hors d’oeuvres. There was even a stripper pole set up in the middle of the room. I laughed when I saw it and ran to hug my mother, who was grinning at me.
“Since you didn’t have a bachelorette party, we decided to put one together for you at the last minute. We thought it might get your mind off your troubles.”
“Mom, you’re so crazy!” I shook my head at her.
“That’s what you love about me.” She kissed my cheek and then moved off to greet other guests that were arriving.
It was a full house, with so many people I loved in the room, I was able to forget about my worries for a few hours. I mingled, laughing and drinking fruity sparkling water as I listened to unsolicited advice about marriage, children and even the honeymoon. I didn’t blush easily, but hearing Liz’s sixty-five-year-old mother talking about the new position she and her eighty-year-old husband had recently tried had me turning shades of red I couldn’t even fathom. Liz was sitting next to me, and she rolled her eyes at her mother with a fond smile.
“Mom, enough. I’m going to throw caution to the wind and guess Casey won’t be a virgin on her wedding night.”
I laughed, nudging her with my elbow. “How did you know?”
“Oh, just a guess.”
“But what fun it will be to pretend you are,” Liz’s mom, Melissa, said with an impish smile. “Role play is sexy and adds spice to the bedroom.”
“Mo-om,” Liz groaned.
“Oh, like you don’t do it,” Melissa shot back.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to hear about you and Dad doing it,” she said, cringing.
“Oh, what are you and Eddie doing that Liz doesn’t want to hear about?” Mom asked, joining the conversation with a mischievous grin.
I looked at Liz with a put-upon sigh. “Look what you’ve started.”
“Sorry.” Liz grimaced.
Then we all laughed.
“Please tell me you’re not looking for wedding night advice,” Mom teased, looking at me with a funny face.
“No, I definitely am not.” I laughed at her.
“Wedding nights can be so boring if you don’t spice them up.” Mom held out her hands, palms up. “I mean, your dad and I had already been living together for a while before we eloped, so it was just another night for us, but you know, he was a crazy rocker dude, so we were always swinging from the rafters and shit.”
“Mom!” I was used to her stories about her and my father’s sexcapades, but I had no idea how Erik’s family would react and Elen had just joined the conversation.
“I lost my virginity in Paris,” Elen said dreamily. “We’re no longer together, but I still think of him fondly. He was a French artist, and his loft overlooked the city. I can’t imagine a more romantic time or place to have sex for the first time.”
The women all took turns talking about their first sexual experiences or wedding nights, and we were all laughing and making sweet sounds like “awwww” and “ohhhh.” If it had been any other time or place, it would have been ridiculous, but it somehow felt right and the perfect way to spend an evening with special women in my life before the wedding. Especially with Erik so far away.
I started getting sleepy around midnight, and Joe brought us home. I fell asleep practically the moment my head hit the pillow and dreamt that Erik was kissing me. My heart began to beat faster and faster until I jerked awake, realizing that he was, indeed, kissing me. I gasped out his name in surprise.
“When did you get home?” I whispered in the darkness.
“Came back like I promised,” he murmured. His breath was heavy with alcohol, and I squinted up at him in surprise.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “You’ve been drinking?”
“Yup.” He kissed me again, his body heavy on mine, erection pressing against my thigh. There was no mistaking his intention, and I wouldn’t have said no anyway.
“I need you,” he groaned.
I sighed with contentment as he slid inside of me. This was when I felt most alive, and the week’s stress melted away with his touch.