Thief of My Heart Page 16

She watched him as they consumed the food, how animated those gray eyes were, strong teeth, square jaw—the epitome of a perfect male specimen. Then she imagined him at his father’s age, worn down by life, the skin around his eyes crinkled and his hair gray and possibly receding. She let that image sink in.

  She loved him even more than she already had.

  They polished off that delicious meal in a matter of minutes. They set their forks in the empty dish and looked at each other.

  “Did I see some chocolate ice cream in the freezer?” Decker asked.

  Desiree nodded happily and went to get the carton of ice cream. He knew her well.

  * * *

  That night, as they slept in each other’s arms, the thing she dreaded most happened. She awakened with a song on her lips. To further embarrass her, it was an old hymn she remembered from childhood: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”

  It seemed like an inappropriate choice of songs, since she was in bed with her lover at the time.

  Nevertheless, the song was in her brain as she woke up, and as always, she got off a verse or two before she was able to come fully awake and control her actions.

  “...Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms...leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms...”

  When she was finally aware of her surroundings, she heard Decker singing with her. She opened her eyes, and he was smiling at her. “I used to like that song when the choir sang it in church,” he said.

  “Sorry I woke you,” she said softly. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”

  Decker reached over and switched on the lamp on the nightstand. He lay back down and gathered her in his arms. “You say you only do it when you’re really happy, right?”

  “Uh-huh,” she murmured.

  “And I, hopefully, had something to do with your happiness?”

  “You had everything to do with it,” she said.

  “Then I’m honored. I would be happy to be awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of your singing, for the rest of my life. We harmonize pretty well together.”

  Desiree laughed shortly and kissed his chin. “A lesser man would have made me feel like I have a screw loose. Especially about singing that particular song while I’m naked in bed with a man I’d recently made love to. I’m stumped as to why my mind would go there.”

  “You do have a problem,” he said. “But waking up singing isn’t it.”

  “Then what is it?” she asked.

  “You, my dear Dr. Gaines, are a sex addict.”

  “I am not!”

  “Really?” he challenged. “Watch this.”

  He reached underneath the covers and cupped one of her cheeks in his big hand. Desiree squirmed, and when she moved, there he was, pressing his erection against her belly. She was instantly aroused.

  “Well?” he asked smugly.

  “Oh, shut up and make love to me,” she said with a laugh.

  * * *

  The next day, right after breakfast, they packed a lunch and went for a long hike in the nearby woods. Desiree, being familiar with the area, led the way. Decker was more than willing to follow her along the narrow trails, watching her hips sway in her short shorts. They were both dressed in shorts, T-shirts and hiking boots, and carrying backpacks. Desiree had brought a walking stick, an item she told him her grandfather had turned her on to when she was a kid. The walking stick had many uses, according to Mr. Beck. You could lean on it when you tired out. It was great for pushing aside bushes and low-hanging branches on trees. And, God forbid, if you ran into a wild animal, or worse, a rattlesnake, it just might save your life.

  Desiree looked back at him as they crested a hill. “We’re almost at that ridge I was telling you about. From there you’ll be able to see for miles. This area is so beautiful in the warm months. Wintertime can be harsh. Folks can get snowed in and be cut off from the rest of the county because they’re so isolated.”

  At the ridge they stood at the summit, and could indeed see the entire area, how the colors of the trees changed with each individual copse. Desiree pointed to various sections. “That’s pine,” she said. “And that’s sugar maple.”

  Decker couldn’t tell one tree from another. He was a city boy. His father had never taken him fishing or hunting or camping. But he could appreciate the forest’s aesthetic beauty.

  He was a little distracted right now, though, because he was waiting for the right moment to say something to Desiree. They had been walking for a couple of hours, and now seemed as good a time as any.

  “Desi, can we sit for a while?”

  She turned concerned eyes on him. “Sure,” she said. “We can take a rest here.”

  She took a long, thick towel from her backpack and spread it on the sparse grass atop the hill. Decker removed his backpack and sat down beside her on the towel. They sat with their knees drawn up and looked out over the valley for a few minutes without speaking.

  He was the one to break the silence. “Are you still wondering why you woke up singing that hymn early this morning?”

  She smiled at him and shrugged. “The brain is a mystery.”

  “Is it really such a mystery?” he said. “Maybe your mind was telling you that you are safe and secure in my arms, Desi, that you can count on me to be there for you.”

  She met his gaze, her own contemplative, and he knew she was analyzing his theory in her mind. She smiled. “I know I can count on you.”

  “Do you really?” he asked as he reached into his shorts pocket and retrieved a ten-carat emerald surrounded by white diamonds, a ring his mother had given him. It had belonged to his great-grandmother, Constance Riley, and had been passed down in his family for three generations. He would be the fourth Riley man to present it to the woman he loved when he asked her to marry him.

  The shock on Desiree’s face was almost comical. Her beautiful eyes stretched, and she covered her mouth with a hand, as if that would keep her from screaming aloud. Then she gave a strangled gasp and cried, “Oh, my God, are you asking me to marry you?”

  He briefly looked up at the clear, blue sky, and then returned his gaze to hers. “While God is watching, yes, Desiree, I’m asking you to be my wife,” he said with a smile. “I have been lifted by your love. You make me want to be a better man. I know what I want. I know who I want. I spent so much of my life thinking that material things mattered. But I know now that the greatest thing you can have in your life, the thing that brings true happiness, is love. I scoffed at love, saying I was happier without the responsibilities that came with it, but I was just fooling myself. Desiree, will you marry me and let me love you for the rest of our lives?”

  She burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He slipped the ring onto her trembling hand. Then he kissed her through her tears. When they parted, she looked down at the ring on her finger. “It’s beautiful.”

  He told her the history of the ring, and she started crying all over again. “That’s a beautiful tradition,” she breathed. “I’m honored to be a part of it.”

  His heart was so full of love at that point he felt close to tears himself when he said, “No, I’m the one who’s honored that you accepted me.”

  They sat there on that ridge for several minutes, hugging each other tightly, sighing with contentment. It was the happiest day of his life.

  * * *

  Going back to work on Tuesday morning, after a glorious long weekend with Decker, was a shock to Desiree’s system. She didn’t want to let go of the effects of the almost surreal time she’d spent with him in the mountains. And she caught herself gazing at her ring at the oddest moments: while she should have been listening intently to a patient during a session, or while driving, which could have proven disastrous.

 
Once they announced their engagement to friends and family, time seemed to speed up. Her mother and sisters especially began peppering her with questions. When was the wedding? Where would it be held? Had she given any thought to a dress, the reception, the honeymoon? Her head was spinning.

  One night when Decker came over to dinner, she told him about it and asked him as they sat across from each other in the dining room, “Have you ever considered eloping?”

  He laughed shortly. He looked handsome in a baby-blue short-sleeve pullover shirt and dark blue jeans. “Isn’t that supposed to be the groom’s question to the bride? I thought girls loved planning their dream wedding.”

  “As you probably know by now, I’m not a normal girl,” she said with a smile. “I’m okay with breaking the rules. The way I look at it, a big wedding is a prelude to the real thing, which is marriage itself. Why do couples have a wedding, anyway? For their friends and family,” she theorized.

  “They also do it for the memories,” Decker reasoned. “My mom still brings out her wedding album and relives that day. Do you want our children to look at wedding pictures of us at a Las Vegas chapel?”

  Desiree rolled her eyes at the notion. “To each his own, but no, I’d rather have friends and family in our pictures.”

  “Then it’s a wedding,” Decker said with finality.

  * * *

  Between the two families, the guest list quickly increased to two hundred people. Finding a venue for that number proved quite easy when Decker’s parents offered their mansion and its gardens as the perfect spot. Desiree was aided in making plans by three key women: her mother, Virginia, Decker’s mother, June, and his aunt Veronica, who was also a close friend of Desiree’s. Plus, Desiree hired Evan Rivera, the significant other of her karate partner, John Tanaka, to coordinate everything. Evan was a wedding planner.

  Their expertise in social matters freed Desiree and her sisters up to prepare her for her big day. All four of her sisters were supporting her in this because Petra had come from New York, where she’d moved in order to begin work on the reality show she’d finally agreed to do in spite of her apparent dislike for the network’s owner, Chance Youngblood.

  And Decker had personally phoned his uncle Edward in Paris to invite him to the wedding. He was surprised, and very pleased, when Uncle Edward said he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

  * * *

  Desiree’s wedding dress was a vintage pale pink Carolina Herrera sheath. The color looked like ivory tinged with pink. The material had a matte finish, and was so soft that when she put the dress on, it flowed down her body like silk. Sleeveless with a scoop neck that revealed a hint of cleavage, it had a six-foot train. Her sisters, her bridesmaids and matrons of honor were attired in deep pink dresses in various styles that enhanced each of their figures. Desiree stood in front of the mirror in June’s huge suite. Her mother, sisters, June and Veronica were there making sure she stayed cool, calm and collected.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pink wedding gown before,” her mother commented, her eyes assessing her daughter. “But I like it!”

  “It’s not really pink,” Desiree said, smiling at her reflection. “It’s kind of like a white rose, blushing.”

  Her mother responded by coming to her and adjusting a lock of hair that had fallen in her face. Virginia had done her hair in an upswept style, something that was now an established tradition for a Gaines sister wedding.

  “Well, I love it,” Mina said, moving forward to gently touch Desiree on the back. Desiree smiled at her sister, who had a protective hand on her baby bump.

  “Yeah, it really brings out your skin tone,” Meghan put in.

  “Of course, you’re not going to be wearing it long after Decker gets you alone after the wedding,” Lauren said. She had left Colton Jr. with his father today. Colton was somewhere down the hall in another bedroom, helping Decker prepare for his starring role as groom.

  “You know, Desi, you don’t have to fall for this archaic tradition of proclaiming your love before friends and family called a wedding. You and Decker would be just as married if you just lived together.”

  “Petra!” every other female in the room cried.

  Desiree just smiled at her sister. “I know, sis, we’re just doing it so that the children won’t be illegitimate.”

  “And speaking of illegitimate children,” Petra went on. “What makes a child legitimate? Jesus—”

  “Stop right there,” their mother exclaimed. “If you say our Lord Jesus Christ was illegitimate, I’m going to put you over my knee, and don’t think I can’t do it!”

  There was a knock at the door. It was Evan, the wedding coordinator, coming to say it was time for the bride to go downstairs.

  Desiree was glad for the interruption. She figured Petra was going to incite a fistfight with her revolutionary views on marriage if they didn’t get this show on the road soon.

  Besides, she couldn’t wait to see Decker, whom she hadn’t seen in twenty-four hours. She knew the sight of him was going to make her burst into tears of happiness.

  * * *

  “You’re two minutes from being a married man,” Colton joked as he and Decker approached the raised platform in the rose garden, where the minister already stood waiting. “You can still run, if you want to.”

  “I would fire you as best man if I had time to get a replacement,” Decker returned, grinning. He wasn’t in the least bit nervous. He’d been looking forward to this day for a long time. Soon they were standing near the minister on the platform, and Decker said, “Check your pockets for the ring.”

  Colton dutifully patted his coat’s pocket. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”

  The wedding processional began, and Decker looked up to see a sweet little girl tossing rose petals on the white runner, followed by Desiree’s sisters on the arms of groomsmen.

  When he glimpsed Desiree strolling down the aisle on her father’s arm, his heart filled with joy. He sighed. She looked like an angel. The dress was something else. It fit her body as though it had been poured over her, and lent just the right amount of sophistication to her impeccable style. But it was the expression in her eyes that thrilled him the most. Apart from her appearance, she possessed a depth of character that was incomparable. He knew he had in her a woman who would not crumble in the wake of whatever troubles life threw their way. He would try his best to be worthy of such a woman.

  Her father placed her hand in his and went to take his seat as the minister intoned, “We are gathered here today to unite in holy matrimony...”

  It was hard for Decker to concentrate on the minister’s words when his love, his life and his soon-to-be wife was looking up at him with such naked passion. He couldn’t help it; he pulled her into his arms, squashing her chest against his and bent and planted a kiss on her lips. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, and everything else faded out of existence for him.

  He thought he heard the minister say, “We haven’t gotten to that part yet, son!” But he could have been mistaken. He was too busy kissing his bride.

  It was his father who walked up onto the raised platform, put a firm hand on his shoulder and said, “Thaddeus Jr., you’re embarrassing the family. Let go of the girl long enough to marry her!”

  Decker came to his senses and released Desiree, who was looking up at him with a dazed, yet pleasant, expression in her beautiful eyes. “Oh, sorry,” he murmured.

  The guests laughed good-naturedly, after which the minister cleared his throat and began the ceremony.

  Decker peered into Desiree’s eyes as the minister continued.

  “I hope I didn’t embarrass you,” he whispered to her.

  She smiled. “If that’s how you embarrass me, you can do it again in a few minutes.”

  Vows were said. R
ings were placed on fingers. Then the minister beamed at them and said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now you may kiss your bride, son!”

  Decker bent and kissed Desiree long and passionately. The guests got to their feet, applauding, laughing uproariously and in general celebrating the love they were witnessing at this moment. Music filled the air: John Legend singing “All of Me.”

  Momentarily, Decker picked up his bride and carried her back down the aisle and inside the mansion to the ballroom, where the reception would be held.

  A few minutes later, they were dancing their first dance to “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off his wife, his lover, his best friend. She’d never looked more beautiful to him. She glowed as if she’d been infused with an angelic light.

  “I can’t believe we’re finally here after all this time,” he said softly in her ear. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to win your heart.”

  Desiree looked him deeply in the eyes and murmured, “You didn’t win it, you stole it right out from under me. You’ve taught me what it really means to be in love.”

  After that statement, the only thing Decker could think to do was kiss his bride with every ounce of passion in him.

  And so he did.

  * * * * *

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