Exception, p.40
Exception, page 40
They were both silent for a while; both breathing hard and staring deeply at each other. “You’re right, but that’s not the only way to screw this up,” she admitted and his raised brow urged her to continue. “You said it yourself back home. You don’t play with what really matters and you don’t risk losing it, not ever. What if these feelings cost me everything?”
He knew that was it—the source of the problem. Every person she’d loved, in one way or another, had left her. Her parents never loved her. Her sister stayed behind when she decided to leave California. Her brother and Nana had died, and her only boyfriend cheated on and abused her. It was obvious that she was afraid that, if she admitted she loved him, if she made herself vulnerable like that, she might lose him as well.
Twisting his lips into a loving smile, he reached for her hand, removed her glove and brought it to his lips. He kissed her palm and each of her fingers, before placing the small hand over his heart and covering it with both of his. “Ems, if there’s one thing you’re not, it’s a pawn, and there is no game here. This is not a gamble. There’s nothing you could possibly lose in choosing to let go and change things. You’re safe.”
As the snow got thicker, she looked into his chocolate eyes, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that his words were true. Like a movie, every memory they had created together played in her mind. Every kiss and touch and word they’d exchanged came back to her. She finally understood why his skin felt so good on hers, and why she felt so safe his arms. And, as memories of him replaced the dark memories of her past, it all finally became clear.
Taylor loved her.
There was no doubt about it. She saw the love in every moment of every memory, as clearly as she saw it in the eyes looking back at her at that very moment. Illuminated by the light of his feelings, she was finally able to admit her own.
She loved him with every bit and piece of her heart.
Before she could find the words to tell him how much peace and joy this revelation brought, she saw his lips turning up in the biggest and most glorious smile he’d ever given her.
THE DROP-DEAD gorgeous woman in the mirror vaguely reminded Emily of herself. You would think that the difference she saw was the result of a whole day of pampering. However, she knew that despite her perfectly styled hair, gorgeous make-up and the stunning fitted, off-the-shoulder red lace gown, the change had come from within. After years and years of sadness, resentment and ghosts that ran wild in her mind, she felt free.
“Oh darling, you look absolutely breathtaking.” Tina’s voice sounded behind her. She smiled widely at the compliment, yet another positive change her feelings for Taylor had brought upon her.
Much like her daughter, Tina had the enviable gene that guaranteed no one ever stayed mad at her for long. That quality had been put to the test when she interrupted the romantic moment that happened at the lake. Emily barely had time to process and enjoy the depth of her feelings and the peace they gave her when the endless calls, telling her it was time to get ready, started. After months of waiting, and weeks of confusion and doubt, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into Taylor’s arms and kiss his lips. For that reason, the interruptions had made her livid. Those feelings, however, only lasted for a few minutes and, before their massages were done, Tina’s chattiness had softened Emily’s heart.
“You really like it, Mom? Don’t you think it’s a little much?” Emily smiled at the woman, who was dressed in a beautiful black and white number.
Tina had picked up on Emily’s change in behavior within minutes of meeting her after she’d come back from the lake and, therefore, completely understood the anxiety that was affecting Emily. With an adoring smile on her lips, she touched her hopefully soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s cheek. Not only did Emily not mind the touch, she actually enjoyed it. “It’s not too much at all, dear. After all, you’re the birthday boy’s date. But I do think you’re missing something.”
Emily looked up and down her body, doing a head count of everything she needed. Undergarments? Check. Dress? Check. Shoes? Check. The only thing she could possibly still need was a clutch, but being just a couple of flights of stairs away from the party, it seemed incredibly unnecessary. She turned her attention back to Tina with a confused look on her face, and that’s when she saw the jewelry box in the woman’s hand.
“Rick gave me this a few years ago, and I’d be honored if you wore it tonight,” she said, opening the lid. “The stone has the exact color of your eyes, and I thought it would look beautiful with the dress.”
Inside the box rested a diamond encrusted platinum necklace and a matching set of earrings. Hanging from each earring was an oval shaped sapphire, about the size of Emily’s pinky. With their straight lines and exquisite glimmer, the pieces were the most beautiful jewelry Emily had ever seen.
Overwhelmed, Emily looked up at the woman, whose eyes were glowing. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing, darling. The look on my son’s face when he sees you will be enough,” Tina replied, taking the earrings from the box and giving them to Emily to put on while she fit the necklace around her neck.
With Penelope finally ready and looking gorgeous in a white silk lace dress that made her look like a fairy, the three women made their way down the stairs.
The animated voices of the men carried through to the second landing, and as soon as Taylor’s voice and laughter reached Emily’s ears, her heart began pounding in her chest. Her breathing became more and more labored, and by the time they passed the mezzanine and started down the final flight she was sure that either her heart would tear through her dress or she’d pass out from lack of oxygen.
As soon as the foyer, which had been turned into a lounge, came into view, Emily craned her head to look at the men sitting on one of the white couches. All four of then looked impeccable in their own style. Rick had a classic black tuxedo with a black bow tie that, according to Penelope, was his traditional outfit for these parties. Gabriel, being the hipster that he was, complimented his fitted midnight blue suit with a plaid bow. And Nate wore a simple tailored suit, dark gray shirt and white skinny tie that looked perfect with gelled hair. But the moment Emily’s eyes found Taylor, everything else faded away.
In a graphite gray three-piece suit with a white shirt and red necktie, that matched her dress perfectly, he looked like a god. Thinking of all the inappropriate words Jody would use to describe him at that moment, Emily’s lips turned up in a broad smile, and she nearly giggled.
“Aren’t the three of you a vision?” Rick greeted, extending a hand to help his wife down the last two steps.
Taylor followed his father to the foot of the stairs, his eyes never leaving the woman who had his heart. Seeing the intensity of the look he was giving her, another of Jody’s descriptions made its way into Emily’s mind, and this time she couldn’t hold the excited giggles in. Placing her hand over his, all the people surrounding her disappeared. She was vaguely aware that Rick and Gabriel were saying something, but her attention was completely focused on the lips touching her fingers, the arm that snaked around her waist, and the heat pooling everywhere inside her body.
“Someone should invent a word to describe how you look right now,” Taylor whispered in her ear, before delivering a kiss to the sensitive spot just below her lobe.
“Poppy said I look ridiculous and sick. I think she meant it as a compliment.”
Taylor laughed. “Well, I was going more along the lines of gorgeous and stunning, but I’m getting old, so if those are the cool words . . . babe, you look absolutely pathetic and diseased.”
As the sexiness in his voice made her knees wobbly, his words made her nearly snort with laughter, calling his family’s attention to them.
“What’s so funny, darling?”
“I was complimenting Ems, Mom. Cool-kid style,” he said with an amused grin, turning to look at his mother and sister. “You look beautiful too, Mom. As do you, Poppy.”
Emily followed his gaze and noticed that Nate, who had helped Penelope down the stairs, was staring at her with a strange gleam in his eyes. She dismissed the thought, noticing Taylor hadn’t paid too much attention to it.
Rotating his attention between Emily and Taylor, Rick politely complimented her and teased his son about having his work cut out for him when it came to keeping hopeful dancers away from her, himself included. With a smile that showed how happy she was, she replied that he was the one hopeful she’d be delighted to dance with.
Still talking and laughing, the group passed the flower-covered arch that led into the great room where the party would take place.
The massive, beautiful room had been stripped bare to its stone and wooden walls. In the place of all the removed furniture, round tables had been arranged in a U-shape around a beautiful black, white and red dance floor with a large C in the middle that stood in front of a stage where a band was already playing. The same color scheme and lace patterns that had been present on the invitations, and on their dresses, were all over the room. There were flowers everywhere: on tables, on the fireplace mantel, draped over doors, hanging from the arched ceiling and even decorating the massive Christmas tree in the corner of the room. True to her reputation, Tina had created a real wonderland.
The dreamlike feel of the party was offset by the vintage photo booth and the piles of cheap New Year’s top hats, tiaras, horns and confetti packets that were scattered around the room as souvenirs.
The place started filling up. Guest arrived in hordes and all family members put their game faces on and started navigating the room, passing out polite small talk and happy New Year’s wishes. Taylor and Emily walked hand in hand and, as was customary to them in social events, no guest was immune to their collective charms. With over a hundred guests, one would think the process would have been long and tiring, but it wasn’t. In fact, Emily would have walked a thousand miles and greeted a million people in heels twice as tall as the ones she was wearing, just to be next to him, and to be held the way she was.
It was hard to know if he was doing it on purpose or not, but Taylor was seducing Emily with every little thing he did. From the quiet confidence he had walking around the room, to the way he placed his hand only a few inches above her bottom, running his fingers up and down in a slow, sensual caress over the fabric of her dress whenever they were talking to a guest. He was incredibly alluring, and by the time the master of ceremonies took the stage to urge the guests to take their seats for dinner, every look she gave him was a silent plea for him to kiss her.
Sitting at the central table right in front of the dance floor, the family enjoyed the delicious five-course meal with the presence of the Grahams. While the men talked sports, the women gossiped and laughed at the delightfulness that was Mrs. Graham. The tiny woman had the most adorable Latin accent and a heartwarming laugh. She had the same gray eyes and dark hair as Nate. Within minutes of conversation, she and Emily had found a shared passion: Pablo Neruda’s sonnets. The conversation resulted in a brilliant Valentine’s Day idea for the blog, and began a quote-off between the two.
Taylor watched her quote some of the most romantic lines ever written with an adoring glimmer in his eyes and loving caresses to her shoulders. He could see it in her eyes—she was reciting those verses to him, and by the looks he received from the others sharing their table, he wasn’t the only one who knew it. There was light and love in every pair of eyes at the table, except for one.
Nate’s sister, Katie, was only a couple years younger than Emily, cute as a button and seemingly adorable. However, her lack of regard for the fact that Taylor had a date and the giggles and hair tossing and eyelash batting she was sending his way were seriously infuriating. After dessert, when Rick left the table and moved towards the stage, Emily was ready to hold the woman by her highlighted curls and smash her cute face on the table until all her giggles bled out.
“It’s a pleasure to have all of you, dear friends and colleagues, in our home to celebrate such an important night with our family,” Rick said from the stage, taking Emily’s mind away from the annoying Katie.
He was an older version of Taylor, with the same confidence and effortless charm. Emily couldn’t help but to smile as he continued his speech. “I know we have a few new faces amongst us tonight, one very special within my own family,” he said, smiling in Emily’s direction, and making her blush a deep red. “So, I’ll give a quick recap of how this tradition started.
“Thirty-four years ago I crashed a New Year’s ball with a friend of mine. We entered through the kitchen door and made our way to the grand hall. I don’t know if it was because we were both handsome lads in our prime or because people were so drunk but, either way, they didn’t notice us, and we were welcomed warmly by people we didn’t know. Because of that, I must say that if you weren’t invited to this party . . . welcome, my friend.”
His comment made the room erupt with laughter, and once more Emily marveled at how nice Taylor’s father was.
“So once in the party, my friend and I did what twenty-something-year-old men do at parties. We scanned the room for pretty girls.” Once more the crowd laughed. “And that’s when I saw this young woman in a yellow dress by the punch bowl, and it must be said that she wasn’t just pretty—she was an angel.”
As Emily joined the female chorus of “Aww”, the three Carter children and Nate started a round of whistles and cheers, making Tina blush crimson. Laughing, Rick gestured for the crowd to silence, and continued with his story. “With my eyes set on the angel, I walked towards her with confidence and . . . said absolutely nothing. For the first time in my life, I was tongue-tied. But I did confidently offer a hand and nodded towards the dance floor, a move I learned later in life that she thought manly and romantic.”
Rick winked at his wife, who blew him a kiss, acknowledging what was probably a fond memory for the couple.
“We danced three songs in absolute silence,” he continued with a smile. “Then, on the fourth, she asked my name. ‘Richard Carter,’ I stuttered it and asked hers. With the prettiest smile, she said it was Christina Lovett, but that I was allowed to call her Tina Carter. After that answer my courage returned from wherever it was hiding, and at midnight I kissed her. The next year at midnight, I put a ring on her finger. A year later she became my wife, and at twelve past midnight on the year after that, Taylor was born.”
Once more the room erupted with “Aww” and cheers, but this time he simply continued to speak over the voices, as he made his way off the stage and towards the table, where his wife was still sitting. “Tina Carter, my angel, you’ve given me three beautiful children, one great life and thirty-four unforgettable New Year celebrations. So please, do me the honor of joining me and our old friend Elvis on the dance floor.”
She took his extended hand and he whisked her away to stand above the large red C in the middle of the glossy black and white floor. As the velvety voice of Elvis Presley sounded through the speakers, the couple started to move from side to side, following the beat of the song, with eyes locked. Their love was such that it touched every heart in the room, filling Emily’s eyes with tears.
When the final verse of the song filled the room, Taylor stood up and adjusted his jacket before moving to Emily’s side. Like his father had done to his mother all those years ago, he said nothing—simply looked her, deep in the eyes, and extended his hand. She took it and followed him, thinking Tina was absolutely right; the move was incredibly sexy.
With perfect timing, the two entered the dance floor followed by Gabriel, who was paired with Katie, and Penelope, who was in Nate’s arms. The band replaced Elvis with a famous Johnny Cash song. The lyrics were about a man telling his woman that, above everyone and everything in his life, he loved her more.
Taylor and Emily danced in silence, cheek pressed against cheek, and bodies moving with the unity and familiarity only two people who knew each other’s souls could have. In that moment, they were one person, moving freely in a room where there was no one but them to a song with words that spoke the most absolute truth.
Even when their bodies parted after exchanging partners, their connection was intact. From across the dance floor where she was partnered with Nate, Gabriel, and then finally Rick, Emily found Taylor’s eyes and their lips turned into smiles, knowing they were both hopelessly in love.
In the last verse of the song, Rick returned Emily to his son, delivering a fatherly kiss to the back of her hand before returning to his wife.
Being back in Taylor’s arms was like returning home, and the smile on his lips let her know he felt the same. Pressing her cheek against his, she channeled her inner Tina and found the courage to say what was on her mind.
“You smiled because you knew,” she whispered the quote in his ear.
She felt his grin widening, his perfect stubble lightly scratching her cheek. “Shakespeare. But, you forgot the first part. The whole quote is ‘When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew,’” he whispered sensually back.
“You know.” Her words were somewhere between a question and a statement.
Chuckling, his answer was another simple whisper. “Yeah.”
“For how long?”
“I’ve known about me since the morning after your dream in Vermont.”
“And about me?”
The song they were dancing to came to an end, and the band started a new one, bringing more guests to the floor. Taking advantage of the privacy the other dancers gave them, Taylor rearranged their positions so they were face to face, both her hands around his neck and both of his holding her hips.
