Author's note: This chapter has some sweet moments as well as a few serious ones. I liked writing them and I hope you like reading them. Let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

Chapter Ten

Seeing Sydney's car in my driveway sent a thrill through me that I didn't know I could feel. I reached into the passenger seat and retrieved my paint supplies. Eddie appeared on the front steps.

"Need help with anything?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got some groceries in the back. And canvasses. You rip them and you will pay to have them replaced." I warned as I passed.

When I walked in I saw that Sydney, Jill, and Leah were at the kitchen table gathered around Jill's laptop. I dropped a kiss on top of Sydney's head as I looked at the screen. "Dresses?"

"You're not supposed to see!" Jill shrieked and minimized the browser.

Eddie chuckled as he started unloading the groceries.

Jill glared at him.

"We're just getting an idea." Sydney said calmly. "Open that other one and show him the cakes."

"Okay, but you have to close your eyes when I open the browser so you don't see the dress." Jill said.

I heaved an exaggerated sigh and made a show of covering my eyes.

"All clear." Leah said.

"Sydney likes this one." Jill said, scrolling down the screen to a traditional three tiered white cake. "But Leah and I like this one." She moved to a cake that was colored brightly and had four off-kilter tiers. "It's fun."

"You may think it's fun, but I think it's garish. I want the traditional, clean look of a white-frosted three tier cake. With the bride and groom standing on top, not hanging on for dear life."

"I agree." I said. "It's not your wedding, Jill. It's ours." I quickly added when she opened her mouth to speak.

"I appreciate your input. And I will let you convince me of almost anything else. But not the cake." Sydney said gently.

Jill sighed dramatically. "Fine."

I chuckled and nudged her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world if we want a different look for the cake than you. But we can still discuss the flavor. And you are welcome at the tasting. But that doesn't happen for a few more months, as your checklist advises." I kissed Sydney's cheek. "How was work?"

She made a face. "It was one of those really long days. One mundane thing after another. I won't bore you with the details." She lightly touched my cheek with her fingertips. "Where did you go off to?"

"Shopping. I had to replenish some of my paints and things. I got some new canvasses. And groceries." I pressed a kiss to her soft lips.

"You had a cigarette." She accused.

"Sorry." I stood and took a step away.

She shook her head. "I guess I can get used to you doing it every once in a while."

"I'll stop." I assured her.

"No rush. But just because you're a vampire, doesn't mean it's not harmful."

I smiled and lifted her hand to my lips. "Got it." I kissed her knuckles. Then I looked around the room. "Who's cooking tonight?"

"Not it." Jill said, putting a finger on her nose.

"Sydney and I cooked last night." I pointed out.

"I fail at cooking." Leah reminded us.

We all paused as we remembered the disaster that was her spaghetti. Everything was overcooked. And she had left the burner under the pan on once all the components were mixed together, searing the food to the bottom of it. And the bread wasn't even edible.

"I'll do it." Eddie said, getting to work.

Sydney asked, "Do you need any help?"

"Naw, I'll be fine. Thanks." He watched Jill for a moment as she gathered her computer and walked out of the room with Leah.

"Thanks, Eddie." I pulled Sydney outside onto my back patio. I sat down in a lawn chair and pulled her onto my lap. I pressed my nose into her hair. "I missed you today." I whispered.

"I always miss you." She replied, leaning into me.

"Yeah."

She turned her head. "Do you really want a cake like that or were you just defending my opinion?"

"I want it. But not white cake. White is kind of boring. I want chocolate or something."

"My mom is allergic to chocolate."

"Maybe we can do a Neapolitan thing. Each tier is a different flavor cake. And I want lilies cascading down the side."

"Lilies?"

"Lilies always make me think of you." I stroked her left cheek.

"How romantically corny." She chuckled and then pressed a kiss to my lips.

"That's one of the last things we need to do, though. So we have plenty of time to decide."

"We need to figure out a budget."

"It's unlimited." I assured her. "You want it, you got it."

"Adrian—"

"Sydney, I don't know about you, but this is it for me. I want to show everyone how much I love you by throwing you the wedding every little girl dreams of having."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to."

"I know it's still quite some time, but I'm going to go to look at dresses with Jill this weekend. She's all about keeping you out of it. I'm not planning on actually picking anything out, but you know what looks best on me. So I'd like you there this first time to give an opinion. At least on shape and fit."

"I'm honored. I hope your mom and sisters are going to be part of this too."

"Me too. Mom is coming for sure. I set up the appointment while I was at work. I know Zoe will want to come if she's around, but I don't know how she feels about you these days. And Carly's homework load will be what we have to think about with her. She's working through the summer. And she has a part-time job."

"Well," I pushed her hair away from her face, "you'll have a big entourage. Have you decided about your bridesmaids?"

"My sisters and Jill. Carly as maid of honor."

"Well, that was easy."

"You don't think Jill will be upset she's not maid of honor?"

"No, I think she'll be okay."

"Do you have any idea about groomsmen?"

I rested my forehead against hers. "None."

"You're closer with Jill. Would you like to ask her to be on your side? I haven't asked her yet."

"I don't know if she'd be comfortable with that."

"Why not? You're best friends. Like siblings."

"I guess I can talk to her." I grinned. "She could already be listening in now."

She gave me a lingering kiss and then stood, stretching. "I never go outside at night when I'm home alone. When I was a little girl, I used to go out in our back yard and look up at the stars for hours." I watched as she lay down on the ground with her hands on her stomach. "I used to know all the constellations. But I forget them now."

"Why the interest in stargazing?"

She shrugged and turned her head toward me. "I wanted to do everything but become an Alchemist."

"Well, you're not anymore."

"I wouldn't trade it." She said softly, looking at the sky again.

"Never?"

"I wouldn't have met you if I wasn't." She held out her hand. "Come here."

I lay down beside her, holding her hand. She pointed out a few of the constellations that she remembered until Jill poked her head out the back door.

"Come eat." She said shortly and then went back inside.

We went inside and I pulled Jill into another room. "Have you done any spying lately?"

She smiled, "Well, I happened to see a little bit of something…"

"Concerning?"

A slow grin spread across her face. "The wedding party."

"So, would you like to stand up there with me?"

She threw herself at me with a happy squeal. "Yes! Yes, of course." She kissed my cheek. "You're the best ever. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You don't count finding out you're royalty as the best thing ever?"

"Not when it changed everything." She stepped back, her smile falling.

"You were special before."

"When I was Jailbait?" She teased, her mouth tilting up in a smirk similar to one I usually sported.

"Yeah. Then." I draped my arm across her shoulder and steered her into the kitchen. "And you're still the same kind of special now."

"I share your mind." She pointed out. "Doesn't that make me a different kind of special?"

"I guess so." I pulled out her chair and then sat down beside her.

"Come home with me?" I asked Adrian softly, stroking his arm as we stood on his front porch.

"Okay."

"That was easy."

He chuckled. "We've been here over a week. I don't like it when you leave. And I hate to be here with you surrounded by everyone else. We can't…get anything done. And I just want to hold you and kiss you and touch you and not feel like someone is listening in the next room."

"Jill is always in your head." I pointed out.

"She has the ability. But she's stronger now than she was at first. She can block me from pulling her in. And I can set up my own block to keep her out if I don't want her there."

"So you're coming with me?"

"Yes. Give me your car key."

I took it off the ring and handed it over.

Adrian pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. "You don't mind Eddie driving your car, do you?"

"No, I don't mind."

"Good." He kissed me. "Be right back."

I heard the bits of the conversation inside. Adrian explained the situation and gave Eddie my keys. "Keep the doors locked and call if you need anything."

"Yes, Dad." All three chorused. They laughed.

"See you tomorrow, kids." Adrian said as he closed the door.

He and I walked to his car with our hands joined. We parted long enough to get in the car and then our hands were clasped again on top of the gear shift.

"Jill's dress needs to be different from the bridesmaid and the maid of honor dresses." I commented.

"It does. We should figure out colors."

"We should."

"I'm sure you and Jill already discussed a few."

"We did. But you're an artist and know colors better than us."

"I want gold to be one of them."

"I don't know about that."

"Then a creamy yellow?"

"I don't know." I pulled into my driveway and stopped the car. I turned to him. I lifted my hand to caress his cheek. "I like rich colors. Like emerald."

He smiled in the dark. "Do you think emerald and amber go together?"

"Maybe. We can see." I leaned over and kissed him, giving him a promise of more to come, and then got out of the car and headed toward my front door.

Adrian caught me around the waist as soon as we stepped through my front door. "Ah, silence." He sighed before he pressed his mouth to my neck.

"Mm." I put my hand into his hair and rested the other on top of his to stop their roaming.

"Let's take this to be bedroom."

I untangled myself from him and pulled him to the bedroom. We kicked our shoes of as we went and shed our shirts before we tumbled together onto the bed. We kicked off our jeans, our legs tangling together. He laughed into my mouth as we moved to the top of the bed.

We climbed under the blankets. I removed my bra and we lay in each other's arms, skin pressed together. I kissed him softly again and again. Our lips and tongues moved together lazily. He moaned and clutched me tighter to his chest. I could feel the pressure of his growing erection pressing against me.

I started slowly pulling away. I smoothed a hand down his face and then back up into his hair.

"We have to stop now?" He asked disappointed.

"I'm not ready for anything else yet. I'm sorry." I could hear the disappointment in my voice.

He let out a long breath and rolled to his back.

I rested a hand on his chest. "If…If you want me to…"

He put a hand on top of mine. "No. Not until you're completely ready."

"How do you know I'm not yet?"

"Because I'm really not either."

"But—"

He rolled back toward me and pressed a kiss to my mouth. "We're not going to have this talk."

"We always avoid this."

He sighed and pushed me onto my back. "Okay, we will. I want you, Sydney. I want you so bad. To be with you. Move inside you. Show you exactly how much I love you." He put his forehead against mine. "It hurts me not to. Physically. Emotionally. But I can't make myself do that. If I did…If we did…"

"What?"

"I don't want you to hate me, Sydney."

"Why do you think I'd hate you?" I cradled his face in my hands and pushed my fingers into his hair.

"I don't want to force you. I can see in your eyes that you're not ready. You can say it all you want, but you're not. I love you." He kissed me. "We'll wait. It's fine. I've done it this long, I'll do it longer."

"But how much longer? Because I see in your eyes that it's getting more difficult."

"It is." He rolled away again. "One year and four months until we're married."

"You want to wait that long?"

"I don't."

I looked at him a moment and then back to the ceiling. "Let's reexamine it in four months."

"All right." He rolled onto his side once more and pulled the blanket up. He moved closer and draped his arm over me. "It's late."

"It is." I turned my head and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed the tip of my nose and rested his forehead against mine. "Sleep, my dearest love."

I closed my eyes, but sleep was illusive.