Only With Me (With Me 2)

Charity had called ahead to the Hyatt to see if the beach location would be available for a wedding today. Totally last minute, minimal wedding she told the wedding planner. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Charity’s family had been coming to this hotel for years and she had attended a few weddings here. We were walking in blind, but Charity had taken care of everything for Gabi. It was her way of being a part of the wedding.

“So, Ms. Rossi, would you like to see the bridal bouquet that Ms. Evans had designed?”

I wasn’t used to hearing people call Gabi by her real last name. Each time it threw me.

Gabi turned to the wedding planner. “No, I think I’ll be surprised.”

The older lady smiled. “Well, the ceremony is scheduled for seven. The sun will be setting at seven eleven this evening.”

“That’s perfect!” Gabi said with a little excited hop.

Glancing between the two of us, the wedding planner asked, “Will you need any help with anything?”

I turned to Gabi. She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m going to take care of my makeup and hair.”

The older lady nodded. “Well, you should have something delivered to your room by now. A gift from Ms. Evans.”

Gabi looked surprised. “Oh, okay thank you.”

“Now, if you’ll both be down to the reception area at six fifty. You may want to come a few minutes apart if you don’t want to see the bride before the ceremony, Mr. Drivas.”

I laughed and replied, “Yes ma’am.”

“You have my number. If you need anything, we are here to help. We want this to be the perfect day for you both.”

Gabi laced her fingers with mine and said, “It will be, Mrs. Mitchell. Thank you.”

With a nod, the wedding planner excused herself and started back to the hotel. Gabi and I faced each other and smiled.

Biting on her lip, Gabi asked, “Are you nervous?”

I chuckled. “Not in the least bit. You?”

She squeezed my hands. “A little. There is a little dress shop up the road, I’m going to head over there and look for a dress after we get settled into the room.”

I agreed. We had driven straight here, checked in and went straight over to the wedding coordinator’s office. When we landed last night, Charity had sent a text saying she had set up the wedding for today as her and Cole’s wedding gift to us. I had to admit, it was nice having the plans already made, and I knew Gabi felt the same way. We were totally going to fly by the seat of our pants and no matter what would have happened, I knew it would have been perfect. This plan of ours was insane, but at the same time it was perfect for us. Knowing that we were going to be able to spend something so special with just each other made it feel more magical.

We made our way back into the hotel and up to our room. When we opened the door, Gabi gasped.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. The only thing you could see was a wall of windows and the lake in front of us.

“This is stunning. Hell, we could have gotten married here with this view!”

Gabi chuckled. “This room is amazing, Nic!”

Smiling, I drew her to me. “Well, if we’re in Lake Tahoe for our wedding and honeymoon, we had to stay in the honeymoon suite, right?”

Her lips found mine and we quickly got lost in one another. Then she pulled back and looked past my shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock. “She didn’t.”

Turning around, I saw two garment bags hanging up. One white. One black.

“I think she did,” I said.

Gabi raced over and grabbed the white bag. “Turn around, Nic! Let me open it!”

The excitement in her voice made my heartbeat pick up.

I could hear the zipper and then a loud gasp. “Oh. My. Goodness. It’s a dress! Nic, it’s a dress!”

“What’s in the black bag?”

Another zipper. “A tux!”

With a chuckle, I asked, “Can I turn around?”

“One second, let me take this in the bathroom and try it on.”

The sound of the bag rustling was followed by the bathroom door closing.

“Okay! Make sure the tux fits!” Gabi called out.

I did what she asked and tried it on quickly before she came back out.

“Fits like a damn glove. How in the hell did she do this?” I asked while walking over to the bar and pouring a small amount of bourbon into a glass.

“I’m not sure,” Gabi answered.

I walked around the giant suite taking everything in. There was a king-size bed that faced the wall of windows. A small living room area where the bar was at, and a small kitchen. Hell, we could order food and never leave the room. It was like a mini apartment with a killer view.

The bathroom door opened and Gabi stepped out. Her eyes were red and swollen. My heart seized in my chest as I put the drink down and made my way over to her.