Sinful Ever After (Sinful Serenade Book 5) - Crystal Kaswell Page 0,7
me at school, me surprising him for a weekend on tour.
We'll have a good life together.
There are obstacles, but we'll figure them out, one at a time.
He pushes himself to his feet and stretches his arms overhead. Then his eyes are on mine, this look that says let's go. "Ready to start looking at venues?"
No. But I want to marry him, and there isn't much time for everything.
I nod. "Ready as I'll ever be."
***
Our first stop is a drive-through chapel. For a mere two hundred dollars, we can get married in a drive-through. It's only an extra hundred dollars to have Elvis officiate the ceremony.
I watch in horror as another couple ties the knot. They're sitting on the top of a bright red convertible. Her dress and lipstick are the exact red of the car. He's in a sports jacket and jeans.
When the officiant says I do, they lean in for a sloppy, drunken kiss.
My stomach twists.
This is all wrong.
"It's different," Miles says.
I shake my head. My lips barely part for my objection. "No way in hell."
"My old favorite song." He runs his fingertips over my t-shirt, tracing the spot where my new tattoo is. "I have a new favorite."
"No, Miles. I'm not getting married in a drive-through."
"You want something classier?"
"Is there something less classy?"
He laughs. "Fair point."
I take a deep breath. The sun is bright in the sky. We're near the Stratosphere tower. I'm sure they do weddings at the top, but that isn't right either.
I don't want a church wedding.
I don't want a drive-through or a hotel deck either.
Nothing feels right. They all feel like places Rosie would hate.
"I don't know what I want." I dig my fingertips into my jeans. "I've never thought about it. We haven't even been engaged twenty-four hours."
"You don't want a drive-through."
I nod.
"You didn't like the little white chapel."
Again, I nod.
"That's two things we've eliminated. We'll find something today or tomorrow."
"Today or tomorrow?" That's fast. Really fast.
Miles's voice is steady. Calm. "That a problem?"
"No, I guess not." My voice is the opposite of steady. I turn to face him. There's all this certainty in his piercing blue eyes. I don't feel any of that.
It isn't right that I don't feel any of that.
"Trust me. I'll find the perfect place for Your Worship." He presses his lips to my forehead.
"I'm Your Worship now?"
"You don't want me on my knees?"
I laugh. A full blown belly laugh. It eases the tension brewing in my shoulders. Miles makes me happy. Miles brings me joy.
We can do this.
We have to be able to do this.
Chapter Four
Megara
We can't do this.
None of the twelve places we visit are right. The hotel garden isn't right. The church of Elvis isn't right. The poolside altar isn't right.
The last stop, a tiny chapel downtown, is the worst yet. The walls are a garish mix of orange and neon green. The woman manning the counter is wearing last night's makeup. Her clown red hair is in a frizzy perm straight out of an 80s movie.
She looks at us with faint irritation as she takes a drag of her cigarette. "We have ten spots today. Each spot is fifteen minutes. For an extra two hundred dollars, you can add fifteen minutes of photography." She recites the words without a hint of passion. "Samples of our photography packages are available on the wall behind you."
I turn so I can take in these so-called photography packages. They're as tacky as the interior of the chapel. It's not beautiful or special. These weddings look like accidents.
I close my eyes and sink into his touch. Something is missing. I can't picture us here. I can't picture us at the top of the Stratosphere, in the hotel ballroom, in the garden.
Miles takes a slow, steady breath. "We'll find something. Trust me."
I look up at him. That same certainty is in his eyes. I do trust him. But- "I've had enough for today."
He nods and pulls me closer. "Kara and Drew are flying in. We're meeting them tomorrow morning. She can help you with your dress. I'll take care of the rest."
"You're going to find a wedding venue?"
"You doubt me?"
No, but- "This is sudden."
"Trust me. I've got it."
He leans down to kiss me.
His lips are soft. He tastes good.
Slowly, my senses shift back into focus. Warmth floods my body. Then desire. My hands go to his messy hair. My back arches. My crotch presses against his.