Ellen and some of her friends corralled me over near the dessert table. “That is a stunning ring,” an older lady named Alice said, taking my hand to take a better look.
“Thank you,” I replied, catching a flash of fuchsia in my peripheral vision just behind my left elbow. “Vaughan’s mother and I get along so well that she insisted I have her fifth anniversary ring.”
“You have to tell us about the wedding,” Ellen grinned.
An arm slipped up my back as I felt Vaughan tuck into my right side.
“We didn’t want a flashy, elaborate wedding,” I said as the other women gathered closer. “Vaughan joked about going down to Vegas, but we all know how tacky that is, right, honey?” I laughed as I turned my head to look up at him.
The other women laughed with me, and I actually felt bad that Jessica was eavesdropping from right behind us. I definitely felt terrible for making fun of anyone’s choice of wedding location, but my mission was to make Vaughan’s ex realize we were permanent.
“So we rented a couple of huge cabins beside a breathtaking lake, since Vermont is the opposite of Vegas,” I continued brightly. “Two of my friends are caterers, but we all pitched in to help under their direction. It was a lovely, relaxing weekend. Candlelight and wildflowers. Only twenty-two people, so we could actually talk to everyone.”
“She was incredible,” Vaughan said, looking down at me with more emotion than I expected. “Claudia organized everything. It all happened so smoothly we didn’t even realize things were already taken care of. A local minister came by at sunset so that we could say our vows between the lake and the bonfire.”
“That sounds so lovely. Plus, you must have saved a ton of money,” Alice said.
“Oh, it wasn’t about that,” Vaughan said quickly. “We had a two-week honeymoon in Europe afterward. We just wanted to be able to sit down and hang out with our closest people without strangers buzzing around. You know how so many weddings have just hundreds of guests, and you end up hardly having a proper conversation with anyone?”
I wondered if that comment was directed to Jessica and Marcy, who were still close by.
“So, tell us about your family, dear,” Ellen said. “I’m sure we must already know them.”
That was the one question I had sincerely hoped wouldn’t come up. Vaughan’s hand was on my back and he clearly felt my shoulders stiffen.
“Actually, ladies, I need to sneak Claudia away for a moment, if you’ll excuse us,” he said. “We need to make a quick call to a friend right at ten.”
We slipped out to a hallway, then down to an area with chairs. “I know you’re getting tired,” Vaughan said, sitting close beside me and draping my legs over his to raise my feet. “These are very cute shoes, but they must be starting to hurt.”
“It’s not too bad, but I’m starting to wonder how much longer we have left,” I admitted.
“If we take a break now, can you hang on for just another half an hour?” he asked. “There are several important people I want to spend just a bit more time with.”
“I’m happy to stay as long as you like,” I said. “I was assuming several more hours. If it’s an hour or less, my feet are going to be incredibly happy.”
Vaughan leaned in to kiss me so gently that I was no longer caring about the lipstick. “I want you and your lovely feet to be incredibly happy at all times, gorgeous.”
The way he caressed my calves was making me melt. We hadn’t really discussed what was going to happen after the party, but I knew I didn't want this magical night to end. Ever.
Chapter 8
_____
Vaughan
By the time I was slightly tipsy from the endless glasses of whiskey that were being pressed into my hand by the richest men in the city, I knew that the evening had been a total success. Claudia was definitely holding her own with all of the wives, and I had received more requests for job quotes in the past hour than I had in the past year.
There was no way to tell whether these were empty alcohol-inspired assurances, or definite work, but either way, if even just a few of them panned out, I might have to hire more crew.
All this time I thought my father had been gently suggesting I start dating more because he thought I was lonely. I honestly had no idea that being married was also good for business.
Even the few gentlemen who were divorced were still viewed a different way than those who had never been married. It was all extremely strange to me, but since it was working in my favor, I wasn’t going to rock the boat.
I was just beginning to start saying my goodbyes when Chester Oxford pulled me aside. He was a massive developer who always had dozens of projects on the go.
“Vaughan, Francine thinks that your wife Claudia is absolutely precious. We’ve been thinking about adding a younger couple to our monthly barbecues.”
Since he was one of the richest men in the city, with an estate that was almost as large as some palaces, I could well imagine what his parties must be like.