Victoria opened her mouth to say something but then closed it.
“Now, I’m going to ask you politely to leave my wedding reception and never, ever contact either Josh or me again. The next time I see your face show up somewhere you aren’t invited, I’m going to make sure you’re the patient and not the nurse. That goes for all my friends, too. You even so much as look in Ellie’s direction, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear on all of this…Tori?”
She just stared at me. My hands were shaking, and I tried desperately to hide the fact that I was trembling from head to toe. I was surprised my voice hadn’t cracked, but with Gunner standing next to me, I’d found the strength I needed to just tell this girl off.
“I just…I only wanted to say I was sorry to Josh.”
“He doesn’t want nor does he need your apology.”
Victoria stood up a little taller and tilted her head.
“Shall I walk you out, or have you removed?”
She looked over at Gunner and made a face before she turned back to me. “Fine. I’m leaving. You can have him. He sucked in bed anyway.”
Something inside me snapped, and I slapped her across the face as hard as I could. My damn hand was stinging and still hurt from the last time I’d hit this girl. “Go fuck yourself, you bitch,” I said.
Victoria put her hand up to her face as tears were filling her eyes.
“I suggest you leave now before I do what I really want to do to you.”
Victoria moved and started to make her way out of the hotel. I put my left hand on the wall to hold myself up as I tried to catch my breath.
Gunner squeezed my shoulders as he leaned down toward my ear. “Holy hell, girl. You just made me so damn proud, Heather!”
“Jesus H. Christ!” Ari said.
I turned and saw Ari leaning up against the wall. She was smiling from ear to ear, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“I knew you had that shit deep down inside you!”
Gunner and I both started laughing. He reached for my hand and smiled as he kissed the back of it. He brought Ari and me in for a hug.
I slowly pulled away and looked at Gunner and Ari. “How in the hell did she know where and when the wedding was?”
“Evil witches like her use their wicked powers to find shit out,” Ari said with a smile.
“This shit stays between the three of us. Nobody else needs to know we had a visitor today,” Gunner said.
Ari and I both said at the same time, “Agreed.”
It was finally time for Josh and me to leave the reception. The best part of the evening was when Ellie’s mom had caught the bouquet.
Josh and I were standing in the elevator as he looked over at me and winked. “Are you happy, Mrs. Hayes?”
My heart dropped when he called me that. I smiled and wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. “Yes, very happy!”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. An older couple walked in and smiled at us. “Oh! Congratulations!” the woman said.
“Thank you!” Josh and I both said at the same time.
“So, where are you going on your honeymoon?”
Josh tilted his head at me and shook it.
I started laughing as I held up my hands. “I swear, I didn’t!”
The older couple looked at us with confused expressions.
When he slowly let that panty-melting smile of his cross his face, my heart melted.
“It’s a surprise. I haven’t told her yet,” he said, never taking his eyes away from mine.
“How romantic. You’re a very lucky young lady,” she said as she smiled at her husband.
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
The doors opened, and the older gentleman called over his shoulders, “Get in lots of baby-making practice!”
Josh and I both laughed as the doors shut. Before I could even say anything, he pressed the stop button on the elevator and then pushed me back against the wall.
“I love you so damn much.” He captured my lips with his.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, kissing, before the phone in the elevator started ringing. Josh pulled away from my lips and pushed the stop button back in and started the elevator again.
When the doors opened up on our floor, he reached down, picked me up, and carried me to our suite. He was kissing me as he tried to put the card into the reader. He finally got it open and took me inside.
“I’m so damn glad no one else is on this floor,” he said with a wink.
“Why?”
He gave me that crooked smile of his and winked again. “’Cause, baby…you’re going to be calling out my name all night!”
After he slowly put me down, I turned and let out a gasp. The room was filled with lit candles and bouquets of roses. A bottle of grape juice on ice and chocolate-covered strawberries were sitting on the small table. The bed was covered in rose petals, and it smelled like heaven.
Josh took me by the hand and led me into the bathroom. Beautiful white and light blue candles surrounded the oversized Jacuzzi tub.
“Oh my gosh…everything is so beautiful. Did Jenny do all of this?”
Josh smiled and shook his head. “Nope. I came up here while you were talking to my mom, Emma, Grace, and Sue.”
“I tried to get that over-romantic, bastard best friend of mine to help me, but Garrett couldn’t find him anywhere.”
I smiled because I knew exactly where Gunner had been. Ellie had filled us in on their little sneak-away. “Ellie and Gunner had a little, um…alone time earlier,” I said with a smile.
Josh let out a small laugh and pulled me to him. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
“I think maybe once or twice.”
His eyes turned from love to passion in a matter of seconds. “I love you, princess.”
My heart started beating faster in my chest. “Make love to me, Josh.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Your wish is my command.” He took my hand and led me out of the bathroom.
He reached over to his iPod sitting in the iHome, and Brad Paisley’s “New Favorite Memory” started to play. I smiled as he placed his hands on my face. He brought his lips right up to mine and barely touched them together.
“I can’t wait to make new memories with you, baby.”
I closed my eyes as I felt my stomach twisting and turning. Oh. My. God. I opened my eyes and gazed into his beautiful green eyes. “You have no idea how special you’ve made me feel today. I just…I feel…”
As I felt a tear roll down my face, he wiped it away.
“How do I make you feel?”
“Like a princess. Like you love me more than life itself. I’ll never forget this day and how you made me feel, Josh.”
He leaned in and kissed me so softly that I let out a whimper. Then, our kiss turned more passionate. I needed him so badly. I started to unbutton his shirt, but our lips never lost contact with each other. After I pushed it off his shoulders, I placed my hands on his massive chest that was still covered by a white tank top. I slowly pulled away from his lips and lifted it up and over his head. When I pulled back to look at him, I noticed the tattoo on the left side of his chest. I just stared at it. It was my name in cursive, and under my name was a heart with the number two on it.
I shook my head and looked up at him. “When did you…”
He gave me that smile that just about dropped me to my knees. Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” started to play.
Josh laughed and shook his head. “What perfect timing for a song!”
I looked at him, confused.
“I made arrangements to have the tattoo done last night. Jeff, Gunner, and Brad were with me.”
I smiled. “The number two? You and me?”
“Nope.”
“The babies?”
He laughed. “No, but that would have been a good idea!”
I hit him on his stomach as I looked back at the tattoo. “What does it stand for?”
“When I gave you my heart. Who else gets to say he’s fallen in love with the same girl twice?”
I shook my head and felt my heart beating faster. “What about the song?”