living covenant 03 - eternal covenant Read online

  Okay, I was feeling warm again.

  “I like the way you challenge me,” Aric said.

  “You like the way I challenge you?”

  “This might come as a surprise to you, but most of the women here fall all over me and tell me how great I am. They’re impressed with my body and my father and the family money.”

  “I’m getting bored with this conversation.”

  Aric grinned. “You have never told me how great I am. Not once. You make me prove how great I am, and I like that.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “Well, that’s a first,” Aric laughed.

  “What is?”

  “I’ve actually managed to render you speechless.”

  “I’m not speechless,” I protested.

  “Close enough.”

  Aric chuckled as the sophomore year memory closed off with a hot and steamy kiss. “You still challenge me.”

  “Does that mean you’re over being angry about the totem?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does that mean you’re over being angry about me abandoning you to deal with Pemberley on your own?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “I didn’t think so,” I said. “I love you, Aric.”

  He squeezed my hand. “I love you, too. You’ve always been the only one I’ve ever cared about.”

  “Does that mean you’ll stand with me when I fight to the death with my mother about a wedding dress?”

  “Absolutely,” Aric replied. “With that in mind, though, I should probably tell you they’re searching for a tiara to match a new dress.”

  “I’ll kill them!”

  “And there’s my baby,” Aric said, laughing as the ceiling fan started turning despite the fact that the flip hadn’t been switched. “You’re always entertaining, Zoe. Never change.”

  11

  Eleven

  “Okay, we’re going to go out there and talk to our mothers like adults,” I said thirty minutes later, my hand resting on the door handle. “We’re not going to scream. We’re not going to stomp our feet. We’re going to be calm and rational.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Aric asked, his eyes lighted with mirth. “I never do any of those things.”

  “You scream all the time.”

  “At you because you do things that drive me crazy,” Aric replied. “This is different.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered.

  “What are you going to do if they don’t agree to walk back these wedding preparations?”

  “I’m going to scream and stomp my foot.”

  Aric grinned. “Try to not burn the house down, okay?” He pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “If you feel the need to vent, I suggest aiming for that stack of linens they brought into the house while you were out walking with Paris. That will drive them crazy and have them thinking twice about making wedding demands.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Our houseguests were spread out in the living room and kitchen when we made our entrance, James and Dad watching baseball in the living room while everyone else chatted amiably over dinner preparations in the kitchen.

  Dad’s gaze landed on us first, and if I didn’t know better I’d swear he was trying to hide a smile. “Are you feeling better, Zoe?”

  “I am,” I said. “The nap did me wonders.”

  “We heard you two giggling and squealing in there,” James said. “We know you weren’t napping.”

  “For the record, I don’t squeal,” Aric said, grabbing my hand. “Also, we weren’t doing that.” He shot a worried look in my father’s direction. Compared to Aric, my father was almost dainty. Aric was still terrified of him because he once threatened to patrol the hallways with a shotgun when Aric stayed at our house. “We really weren’t.”

  “I’ve gone temporarily deaf,” Dad said. “I don’t care what you were doing.”

  “We weren’t doing anything,” Aric protested.

  “Let it go,” I said, turning my attention to the kitchen. “Pemberley is gone, right?”

  “Yes, we hurried him out not long after the rose petals incident,” James said. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe Aric did it, but he can’t figure out how it happened so he let it go.”

  “We should’ve told him the rabid wolf did it,” I suggested.

  “That might have been more believable than Aric hitting the vase from five feet away,” James said.

  “What kind of mood are they in?” I asked, inclining my chin in the direction of the kitchen. “Are they feeling evil or nice?”

  “Zoe, I know this isn’t how you saw the wedding going, but they’re not trying to ruin things for you,” James said, leaning forward and keeping his voice low. “You’re an only child. You only get one wedding. No one thinks you two are ever going to break up and marry someone else.

  “That’s a good thing,” he continued. “Helen and Nancy know this is their only shot, though. They want the perfect wedding, and they’re blinded by the fact that your idea of perfect differs from their idea of perfect.”

  “I understand that,” I said. “I really do. I don’t think we should have to suffer because they can’t see what’s right in front of them, though.”

  “I agree,” James said, taking me by surprise. “You need to have a frank discussion with them. That means no flying flowers.”

  “They’re reasonable people,” Dad added. “I know it doesn’t seem that way given how they’ve been acting, but they really do want the best for you.”

  “I know,” I said. “We’re trying to keep calm. What happened earlier was … a mistake.”

  “It was compounded by the fact that she was sick,” Aric interjected. He always stood up for me, even when he knew I was wrong. “It was an accident.”

  “It’s not like anyone was hurt,” James scoffed. “I would much rather have Zoe blowing up flowers than heads. It’s fine. The only problem was that she did it in front of Pemberley. Otherwise it would be a complete non-issue.”

  “We really should’ve eloped,” I said. “That would’ve solved everything. We could’ve gotten married and then thrown a party to announce it to everyone.”

  “Don’t even joke about that,” Dad snapped, his eyes flashing. “That would crush your mother.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Dad wagged a finger for emphasis. “You want things your way, and I get that. We spoiled you rotten as a kid, and we’ve paid a certain price for that. I don’t regret it because you’re strong and don’t take guff from anyone.

  “You also have a tendency to march over other people’s feelings to get what you want,” he continued. “You will not march over your mother’s feelings this time. You’re going to go into that kitchen and come up with a compromise. That’s all there is to it.”

  “That goes double for you, Aric,” James said. “You always take up for Zoe – and that’s noble because she’s going to be your wife. Your mother raised you, though. She’s loved and protected you for almost thirty years now. You need to show her respect.”

  “And what if they don’t compromise?” I asked.

  “They will,” Dad said. “They don’t want you to be unhappy. Just … remain calm. I know you can do it if you really put your mind to it. I’ve come to the conclusion that you can do almost anything. There’s no reason to blow this.”

  I was resigned when I walked into the kitchen, Aric close on my heels. His presence usually calmed me, but he was as nervous as I was, so it only further amped me.

  Helen lifted an eyebrow as she wrapped potatoes in foil in preparation for the grill. “How was your nap?”

  “Refreshing.”

  “Yes, we heard the giggling,” Mom said, her hands busy unwrapping steaks.

  I glanced at Paris and Kelsey. They looked amused but clearly separate from the conversation. They wouldn’t be any help. Not that I expected – or needed, for that matter – them to be, mind you.

  “We need to talk,” Aric sa
id, clearing his throat as he shifted from one foot to the other. “These wedding preparations have gotten out of hand, and we need to discuss a way that all of us can be happy.”

  “Okay,” Mom said, her tone clipped. “Let’s do that. What don’t you like about our preparations?”

  “I’m not wearing a tiara.” I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that, but my mouth has a mind of its own sometimes. No, seriously, that’s a real thing.

  “What Zoe means to say is that we fear a lot of your plans are just … too much,” Aric said. “We don’t want a big, fancy wedding with all of the bells and whistles. We want a quiet day with friends and family. I don’t think that’s what you have in mind.”

  “I understand about wanting to keep it simple,” Mom said, reaching for the meat tenderizer – an ugly looking hammer. “You have to understand that there’s a difference between simple and unacceptable, though.”

  “I do understand that,” Aric said. “I … .” He didn’t get a chance to finish because Mom started beating the steak as if it was a burglar going after her prized pearls. He shot me a “what do I do now” look.

  I didn’t have an answer, so I merely shrugged.

  Aric turned his attention to his mother. “Don’t you think you’re going a little bit overboard?”

  “I think I’m trying to plan the day to end all days for my son and future daughter-in-law, and he seems to think it’s a burden instead of a gift,” Helen replied. “I think that you’ve gone out of your way to hurt my feelings instead of embracing the knowledge Nancy and I have to offer on this subject.”

  “Okay, that is ridiculously dramatic,” Aric said. “This is our wedding. I think we should have a say in how it goes.”

  “You did have a say,” Mom said, placing the tenderizer on the counter. “You decided card tables and cream dresses would be fine. You decided Middle Eastern food sounded good. You essentially decided to throw a backyard barbecue and call it a wedding.”

  “That’s not what we did,” I argued.

  “That’s not a wedding,” Mom said, reaching for the tenderizer again as she moved on to another steak. “And, by the way, you will look lovely in a tiara. You’re wearing one.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Mom expectantly looked to Aric.

  “Oh, I’m not wearing it,” Aric said. “I’ll be using her dead body as a shield if you try something funky like that.”

  “You’re not wearing a tiara,” Helen confirmed. “You’re wearing a top hat.”

  “What?” Aric’s roar was drowned out by the sound of my mother beating the steaks into submission.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose to ward off an oncoming headache, frustration overwhelming me as I fought the urge to shred the pile of linens that were just visible over Helen’s right shoulder.

  Instead, I focused on a happy memory from senior year and grabbed Aric’s hand so I could send it his way.

  “There’s plenty of space in here. You can get away from the estrogen mafia if you need to.”

  “The estrogen mafia? You’re such a man.”

  Aric reached around and pinched my rear. “You know what this room really needs, don’t you?”

  I glanced around. “What? Did I forget something?”

  Aric wrapped his arms around my waist and rolled over on top of me. “That’s not what I was talking about.”

  “Ah,” I said. “You want to christen the room, don’t you?”

  “Am I that transparent?”

  Since his desire was pressing into my thigh through his jeans, transparency wasn’t the issue. “You’re just predictable.”

  Aric’s face clouded with mock hurt. “Predictable? You wound me. Are you already bored?”

  “You could never bore me,” I said. “I find comfort in your predictable nature.”

  “Oh, you are trying to wound me,” Aric said, climbing to his knees and pulling his shirt over his head.

  I reached a hand up, rubbing it over his chiseled chest, and sighed. He was a masterpiece. “The door is open,” I reminded him. “Are you going to give my new roommates a show?”

  “Would that be too predictable of me?” Aric asked, his grin wolfish.

  I made a face. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  “Maybe if you beg,” Aric said, lowering his mouth to mine. “And I plan to make you beg.”

  I risked a glance in Aric’s direction and found him smiling. “You were shirtless in that one,” I whispered.

  “You’re getting better at that,” he said. “I have no idea where this new power came from, or why it’s manifesting now, but I’m really enjoying it.”

  “That’s because you’re a pervert.”

  “I can’t deny that,” Aric said, dropping a kiss on my upturned mouth.

  “Where did you two just go?” Helen asked, her words laced with anger. “We were in the middle of a very important discussion.”

  There was no way I was going to broadcast my new ability, so I focused on my mother instead. “We have to come to a compromise,” I said. “I don’t want a big dress. Paris and Kelsey don’t want their bridesmaid dresses either.”

  Mom darted a look over her shoulder, causing Kelsey and Paris to shrink in their chairs. “Is that true?”

  “N-no,” Kelsey stammered. “We love our new dresses.”

  “Cowards,” I hissed. “They hate them and want to wear the dresses they already have.”

  “I don’t care,” Mom said. “I don’t like those dresses. The new ones are much better.”

  “Mother!” I mimed choking myself because I didn’t know what else to do.

  “That’s cute,” Aric said, exhaling heavily. “You need to meet us halfway. This is our wedding. We deserve a say in how it’s going to go down.”

  “Okay, I’ve had enough of this,” Mom said, slamming the tenderizer against the cutting board. “You don’t get a say. Not anymore. You’ve both been nothing but complete and total pains. I’m sick of it.”

  “Me, too,” Helen intoned.

  “From now on Helen and I are making every decision and you two will nod, say ‘yes, ma’am’ when asked a question, and otherwise be happy people when talk of the wedding arises,” Mom said. “There will be no ‘but mom’ or ‘I don’t like that’ or the faces you two make when you think no one is looking.

  “I’m sick of your attitude and I’m sick of listening to the nonstop whining,” she continued. “From now on, it’s my way or the highway. I don’t care how cliché that is. That’s the way of the world.”

  “My way, too,” Helen said.

  “That goes without saying,” Mom said.

  “But … .”

  “No!” Mom waved the tenderizer in my face. “Go sit in the living room with your fathers until dinner is ready. I don’t want to hear one word of complaint.”

  I risked a glance at Aric. He shrugged. He was at a loss, too.

  We sat on the couch next to Dad and I stared holes into the back of his head until he finally shifted.

  “I really sorry,” Dad said. “I thought for sure they would compromise.”

  “This is all your fault.”

  Dad patted my knee. “I think you’ll look lovely in that tiara.”

  I shredded the linens in the other room before I could think twice about the intelligence associated with it.

  “Zoe!”

  12

  Twelve

  “We’ve been banished from our own house,” I lamented a few hours later, following Aric through the woods as we headed toward the river.

  “We haven’t been banished,” Aric argued.

  “They told us not to come back until we adjust our attitudes,” I pointed out. “I don’t think that’s possible for me. Therefore … we’ve been banished.”

  Aric chuckled. “They were pretty ticked off at us. Do you think we’re being unfair?”

  “I think I’m the wrong person to ask,” I replied. “I never think I’m being unfair. I think it’s a
personality glitch.”

  “You don’t have any personality glitches.”

  “Aric, you’ve got me,” I said, waving my left hand for emphasis, the waning sun glinting off the large diamond in my engagement ring. “You don’t have to lie.”

  “Fine. You might have a few glitches,” Aric conceded. “Everyone does, though. I’m clearly not perfect.”

  “Are you fishing for a compliment, or playing at being humble?”

  Aric made a face that was a cross between annoyed and amused. “Do you think I’m fishing for a compliment?”

  “You’ve been asking me to show you memories in which you’re shirtless all day,” I reminded him. “You like compliments.”

  “Hey, I only wanted to compare my thirty-year-old physique with my twenty-four-year-old physique.”

  “And?”

  “I think I’m getting better with age.”

  “Like a fine wine,” I said, grinning as Aric winked at me. It only took a moment for the jocularity to wane. “What are we going to do about our mothers?”

  “I’m considering locking them in a closet.” Aric climbed over a fallen tree branch and then extended his arms to help me.

  “I’m capable of walking myself. You know that, right?”

  “You were sick most of the day. Indulge me.”

  I internally sighed but did as instructed, letting Aric help me over the tree before falling into step next to him. “I don’t want a new dress. I like the dress I picked out.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Wait … did you not like my dress?”

  “No,” Aric balked, shaking his head with enough vehemence I realized he was lying. “It was cute.”

  “You hated it.” For some reason the realization hurt more than a hundred snide remarks from my mother ever could. “I … thought it was me.”

  “Zoe, the dress is fine,” Aric said. “It’s just not what I expected.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know you’re not frilly and stuff, but I still imagined you in a big white dress,” Aric admitted. “I don’t care that you’re not a virgin. Wait … that might’ve came out wrong.” He shook his head to dislodge the thought. “Anyway, I know it cuts down on my cool factor to admit I’ve been dreaming about the wedding, but … I have.”