oWill you hold still!o Grayson tugged at the ends of the ascot he vainly attempted to fasten around RogerAEs neck, forcing his brother to stop fidgeting. Grayson suppressed a smile. RogerAEs restlessness stemmed from the fear that after all theyAEd been through to repair their relationship, Sandy would develop cold feet and leave him at the altar.
Aside from fretting that heAEd never get Roger properly dressed, Grayson realized he had no such reservations about Amber. SheAEd be there, on time and looking gorgeous.
No, the cold feet were definitely RogerAEs. It was GraysonAEs job to see he got to the church on time. Grayson had solved the problem by d.o.g.g.i.ng RogerAEs footsteps for the past three days, even putting up with his company as an overnight guest the night before the wedding. Which left Amber to find somewhere else to spend her last evening as a single woman. SheAEd willingly agreed, practically fleeing the house.
oSpend the evening watching two confirmed bachelors have a nervous breakdown?o sheAEd remarked halfway out the door with her overnight bag. oNo thanks...o...b..t then sheAEd come back in and kissed him thoroughly, reminding him what he was missing. oSee you tomorrow,o she said, then added pointedly, oYou too, Roger.o The double wedding had been RogerAEs idea. If they were both planning weddings, why not share the expenses, he reasoned. Why celebrate just New YearAEs Eve when they could be celebrating their marriages as well. Deep down, Grayson knew the real reason. If Roger was going to take the plunge, he wanted company.
Aside from the bow tie, the tuxedo he had to wear, and the flower pinned to his lapel, it didnAEt seem so bad so far. Friends and relatives were coming from all over to drink champagne, to wish them well, to marvel that the Charles brothers were finally getting married.
Outside fat snowflakes rapidly covered the ground in white. Enough snow to snarl traffic and cause delays everywhere. Grayson wasnAEt worried. Amber would make allowances for the weather. Amber always had a Plan B, usually even a Plan C. And they werenAEt taking off for Hawaii until tomorrow.
Roger was a bundle of nerves. He paced, fretted, re-pinned his boutonniere for the millionth time, and creased the ascot Grayson just finished tying.
oStop messing with it!o Grayson resisted the urge to reach and slap his hand. Spending the past couple of days with Roger had been worse than baby-sitting a hyperactive two year old. He was honored that Roger wanted to share the most important day of his life. But the last nerve wracking hours before the wedding and the imposed closeness of having both of them under one roof frayed his nerves.
Roger, he thought with a deep sigh of relief, was not going to Hawaii. When Roger had offered to make their wedding a double, he feared his brother would suggest they double up on the honeymoon as well. Sandy had her heart set on Bermuda as a honeymoon destination, and Roger had happily complied. Though there was little he wouldnAEt do for his twin, all his thoughts were for Amber and the two weeks they planned to spend together far away from the distractions of work. And family.
The police held custody of James Heck. John Barlow had finally been charged with embezzling. Though Barlow had managed to raise his bail money, the courts would decide his fate. With his partnership with Barlow dissolving, Belaoussoff, Bekar, Karulis and Lacey had offered Grayson a place in their firm.
Not again, Grayson had decided. The only partnership heAEd have from now on was one with Amber. Deciding to take his chances starting his own firm, heAEd hired Amber permanently to do his investigative work. Amber he could trust.
RogerAEs fidgeting brought his thoughts back to the present. His twin threatened to unravel his hard won composure completely.
Why had he ever agreed to hold the wedding at his house? Though the setting was idyllic, the scenery stunning in winter, if theyAEd married in a church in town, he could have locked Roger in a hotel room for the night and at least have got himself some sleep.
Too late, he thought with a glance into the living room that now hosted chairs neatly arranged to form rows and aisles. Guests arrived by the minute, in spite of the holiday and the bad weather. The hum of conversation mingled with the festive smell of pine and roses. No, best to marry in his house, so they could cherish the memory of their wedding each day.
In a few short hours the festivities would be over. Roger would be SandyAEs problem.
Amber would be his forever.
The start of a new year and a new life. He couldnAEt stop a smile from working its way across his face. Until he looked up to find Roger scowling out the window.
oWhat is it now?o oTheyAEre late.o oHow late? Thirty seconds?o oItAEs already five after six.o oAnd the weatherAEs bad. Relax, Roger. TheyAEll be here.o ****
oHeAEll be there!o Amber clasped her hand over SandyAEs. The warm interior of the limousine was an oasis from the snow rapidly turning the city to chaos. Another few miles to go. TheyAEd make it with just minutes to spare.
oWhat if weAEre late?o oThey can wait five minutes.o oWhat if heAEs still not sure, what if heAEs changed his mind?o oIf RogerAEs changed his mind,o Amber snarled, oI have a very special revenge planned for him.o She cast Sandy a rea.s.suring smile. oFree of charge. It would be my pleasure.o But when Sandy only smiled wanly in return, she added. oDonAEt worry, Grayson will make sure heAEs there.o oI donAEt want him to be if he doesnAEt want to.o oHe wants to marry you, Sandy. I can tell. IAEm a good judge of character.o Sandy turned toward her in a whisper of tulle. oYouAEre not worried about Grayson?o oNo.o oNot even a little?o Amber searched her soul, finding that in the depths of her heart the one thing she was certain of was Grayson.
During the long night she had been held hostage by James Heck, Amber had buried her doubts about Grayson forever. He loved her, she realized. Flaws, fears and all. oNot even,o she said with certainty.
oI wish I could feel that way.o oItAEs just prenuptial jitters. Once we get there and you see everythingAEs fine, theyAEll go away.o Sandy nodded nervously, pale as a ghost behind her white veil. oYou sure everything got delivered?o oThe cake, the chairs and all the dishes arrived last night before I left. Mrs. Charles called me this morning to say the floral designer did a spectacular job. The caterers were due at four.o Amber counted off the many details on her fingers. oEven if the caterers donAEt show up, thereAEs enough cake and champagne to go around. WeAEll order pizza or something.o The thought of pizza only served to make Sandy even more nervous. oI was only kidding,o Amber said.
oDonAEt mind me.o Sandy forced a smile. oLike you said, itAEs probably just nerves.o She did look radiant, Amber had to admit. Like an angel in her pure white gown and head of blonde curls. The white dresses Amber had tried on only made her look twice as pale as usual. Though sheAEd banished thoughts of Eric from her mind, the thought of buying another wedding dress was surprisingly painful. Amber had given up, deciding instead on a tailored white suit. But Sandy, having her heart set on a long white dress and train, had dragged Amber with her to every bridal store in the city. And still Amber refused to be swayed, until in the very last store, sheAEd found a dress of ivory silk, with silk roses at the shoulder and in the bustle. It cost much more than she intended to pay. But in a moment of weakness, sheAEd pulled out her credit card and bought the dress, matching shoes and veil. She hoped Grayson would like it more than she wanted to admit.
The limousine turned off the highway, down the winding road that led to GraysonAEs house. Amber squinted to see the time on the dashboard clock. Ten minutes after six. Not bad, considering they were arriving in a blizzard.
Someone had gone to considerable trouble plowing the front yard so cars could pull up within easy access of the house. Stretching from the front door to the door of the limousine was a red carpet, already lightly dusted with snow. The limousine rolled to a halt. Amber waited as the driver came around to the side to help them out.
Frigid air gusted into the warm interior. Thankfully, her gown had long sleeves. Holding an umbrella to keep off the snow, the driver helped them down the red carpet to the door of GraysonAEs house.
Conversation hushed as they entered. Stepping into the warmth, they were greeted by a sea of smiles. A fire burned in the fireplace. Bows of pine and red roses decorated every available surface. At the far end of the aisle of chairs, she saw two black clad figures take their place, saw RogerAEs face light up with smile sure to melt SandyAEs doubts at the first sight of his bride. Grayson drew her gaze past him. She watched as his eyes widened in astonishment, then his face broke into a slow, certain smile as she made her way up the aisle toward him.
Nothing prepared Grayson for the sight of Amber. He expected her to look beautiful. All brides were beautiful and Amber was gorgeous to begin with. His field of vision narrowed to include nothing but the two of them and the beautiful woman walking down the aisle toward him. Beside him he heard Roger gasp as he saw Sandy, but Grayson couldnAEt tear his eyes from Amber.
Never would he have guessed sheAEd go for a traditional bridal dress. A white suit, she kept telling him, something practical, something she could wear again.
Well, she wouldnAEt be wearing that dress again. HeAEd see to it personally. His eyes dropped from the crimson curls to the roses of ivory silk at her shoulder, over the gentle gathers that off-set her pet.i.te figure perfectly.
He couldnAEt look away, even through the ceremony. Even as Roger and Sandy recited their vows, his gaze strayed back to Amber, to the calm certain love he saw there. Smiling up at him, he heard her say aeI doAE and echoed it with one of his own.
Amber was his he realized, reaching out to slip the gold band on her finger.
Forever.
The End.