Part 5

PMDSXXX.

As their plane crossed the Midwestern states, the flight from California was pleasant until a pocket of turbulence rocked the plane. Once their pilot steadied the plane, he made an announcement before they encountered another weather disturbance. Perry looked out the plane's small window and noticed the clouds were light gray as they flew through the storm. When they experienced more turbulence, Della held his hand and closed her eyes before she released a breath through her pursed lips.

"Della, it's going to be fine because our pilot is a true professional and knows how to handle these pesky storms." Perry reassured her when he squeezed her hand.

"Perry, I believe you, and I trust our pilot, but there is always that unforeseen accident that can happen. You know that I only fly when it is absolutely necessary because I would rather drive or ride the train to our destination." Della nervously replied before she peeked out the window then back at him.

"I know how you feel, Della, but you insisted that we attend this wedding." Perry lowered his eyes to her lips.

"Yes, I did, Perry, because she is my family and not one of our needy clients from the office." Della countered his remark and closed her eyes again.

Perry didn't need to say anything because he understood her reasoning since they would be landing soon at the airport and renting a car. He looked down at his watch and out the window again before he unfastened his seat belt.

"Della, would you like something to drink? I think we're in the clear now." Perry informed her.

"If there is some in stock, I'll have a ginger ale which should settle my stomach. If you don't, I'll have some water instead." Della replied.

"Sure, I'll see what we have, and I'll be right back." Perry stood up from his seat and walked away to retrieve the refreshments. He slowly walked back to the small cabinet which held the drinks and snacks. He opened the door and found a selection of liquor in addition to small bottles of water, ginger ale, Coca-Cola, and spirits. He handed her a bottle of ginger ale when he returned to his seat.

"Thanks Perry." Della took the bottle from him and opened it.

"You're welcome, Della." Perry enjoyed his drink while he gazed out the window looked at the clouds as they flew over them. As he wondered about their arrival time, the pilot announced they would be entering the vast Smokey Mountains in less than hour. Perry looked over at Della whose mind was finally at ease since they were near their destination.

Meanwhile, the wedding guests arrived sporadically throughout the morning. Victoria's mother worked with the small catering crew members in the kitchen while her husband helped set up the barn dance outside and prepped the music band. The farm was located in the country and was over a hundred acres. The guests were greeted by the parents as they arrived and socialized with other guests.

Once the plane descended onto the runway, the pilot taxied the plane to the tarmac. He radioed the grounds crew that two passengers were departing. After he shut off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt, the pilot spoke to Perry since he would be flying them back to Los Angeles. He planned to stay in the area so that when they were ready to depart, he would be available. Perry retrieved their suitcases from the overhead compartments before the pilot opened the door latch. Della exited the plane and inhaled the crisp, fall air before she noticed the leaves had changed color. The weather was perfect- not too hot and not too cold.

As Perry followed her, he maneuvered the suitcases between the seats. The pilot removed his luggage out from the compartment and joined Perry out on the tarmac. The crewmen took their suitcases and showed them the way to the entrance. With his palm on her lower back, Perry guided Della toward the door and opened it for her. He rented a car, and they were on their way to the wedding.

Before they left Los Angeles, Della made their hotel reservations so that they could change into their outfits for the wedding upon their arrival in town. As she looked at her map in her hand, Perry drove as Della instructed him. Although the scenery hadn't changed since the year before, more houses were seen along the highway in addition to a new gas station near the hotel.

"Stop Perry! That's the hotel, and we can check in early since I told the desk clerk we would be attending a wedding." Della folded the map on her lap and placed it in the glove compartment.

"Okay, I can't wait to see you out in that outfit." Although Perry murmured under his breath, Della heard his remark, before she looked at him with a sultry smile. The breeze blew her curls askew on her forehead.

Perry parked the car and took the suitcases out of the trunk before Della grabbed the smaller one. They checked in the hotel without any issues, and their suite was located in a secluded area of the hotel which offered a view of the sprawling mountains in the background. The hotel also had a restaurant and bar for its guests and patrons who passed through the area. After Della opened the door, Perry followed her inside placed the suitcases in the bedroom. Della placed her smaller suitcase on the bathroom vanity. Perry opened his suitcase and removed his outfit before Della joined him in the bedroom and removed her outfit from her own suitcase. While Della showered, Perry gathered his toiletries and clothes. When Della opened the door, and Perry had his back turned as he looked out the window. Once he turned around, he gazed at the sight before him. She was dressed in a powder blue V-neck dress with cap sleeves. She accessorized it with pearl earrings and a matching necklace. Although it was country wedding, Perry admired her outfit. They both were dressed down, and he enjoyed seeing her dressed like this.

"Like what you see, Mr. Mason?" Della asked him in a sultry tone that went straight to his groin.

"Yes. You look absolutely beautiful. I won't be able to keep my hands off you." Perry closed the gap between them and kissed her. Della knew he would approve and wondered how she would react to him when he changed into his clothing since she might try to rip them off of him.

"I'm glad you approve, Perry. You better get freshened up, and I'll try my best not to devour you in front of the family, unless my cousin Linda doesn't do it first." Della winked at him and swatted his backside playfully as he chuckled at her.

Della patiently waited as Perry showered and dressed in the bathroom. She couldn't wait to see her family and friends since had been extremely busy with the office and its clientele day after day. After months of only talking to them on the telephone, she was excited about seeing them in person and couldn't understand why Perry was taking so long getting dressed. After she paced back and forth in the room, she knocked on the bathroom door before she slowly opened it. Perry stood in front of the mirror and combed his dark hair while he looked absolutely gorgeous in his chosen outfit, which was a two-piece charcoal gray suit with a white and powder blue striped shirt.

"Are we being impatient, Mrs. Mason?" Perry looked at her through the reflection of the mirror and turned around to face her. Della slowly approached him and reached for his loosened tie and around his neck before she took it in her hands and pulled him forward.

"Yes, I am. I wondered if we would be arriving late, but you might be the cause of it because you look so handsome right now. I might have to tell my parents you got lost again." Della whispered against his lips and fixed his tie. She purposely brushed his raging hard on with her knee, and he closed his eyes.

"You wouldn't do that, Della." Perry groaned while her knee pushed against his throbbing erection.

"Perry, I'm always full of surprises." Della lowered her voice and kissed him before she left the bathroom. She walked into the bathroom and he smiled at his reflection in the mirror before he joined her.

While the guest mingled with the family and friends, an automobile approached from a distance when the chrome reflected against the sun. It was a newer model Cadillac, which had two passengers inside it. Victoria's father knew it was Perry and Della because his wife informed him that they would be attending the wedding. Since Perry was a well to do fellow, he made his presence known to Della's family since he promised to provide for her when they exchanged vows.

While Evelyn and Marcus Street were in conversation with Nancy and her husband Stan, Perry pulled into the driveway and parked the car. The Streets recognized their son- in- law and daughter immediately and beamed proudly as they approached them. Perry opened Della's door for her and held out his hand for her. He placed his large palm on her lower back and guided her towards her parents.

"Della and Perry! I'm so glad to see you!" her mother exclaimed and hugged her daughter and then turned her attention to Perry giving him a quick hug and kiss on his cheek which made him blush.

"Mom and Dad, I'm so glad we could be here. If it weren't for Perry's father letting us borrow his private plane, we would have been late or missed the wedding altogether." Della told her as she looked at Perry, who squeezed her waist.

"Perry, please give my thanks to Alexander for saving the day. How is Elizabeth doing? It's been a while since I have spoken with her. Is she busy with her rental properties?" Evelyn asked him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, the housing industry has kept her busy this season. My parents are traveling to Europe for a vacation at the end of the month. I will give them your message, and I know they will want to get together with you on Christmas." Perry's smile showed his dimples, and Evelyn blushed a little and shook her head. Della's father, Marcus, listened to the conversation between his wife and Perry. As he chatted with Perry, he led him away from his daughter and wife. Perry excused himself and walked with his father-in-law since he knew that he wanted to catch up on how his daughter was doing. Although Marcus could ask his daughter how well Perry treated her, he wanted to hear it from Perry.

While Della knew her father wanted to catch up on their business, she also knew he worried about her, but she knew Perry would tell him the truth. Della watched as Perry walked away with her father, and her mother took her hand before they greeted the rest of the family. It was going to be a fun filled afternoon with dancing, music, and great food. A family friend brought gift baskets of homemade wines, honey, and jams for the guests. Since the Martin family was close to the Street family and went back generations so they wouldn't miss the opportunity to see Victoria's wedding.

The ceremony began without a hitch with the bride and groom celebrating their vows and were off to their honeymoon after their festivities with their families during the reception. Della and Perry gazed at each other with lust in their eyes throughout the ceremony. The guests enjoyed themselves as they danced and ate the delicious food. Perry was relieved that Della's cousin, Linda already had a date. Although she was all googly eyes for Perry, she had a nice-looking man on her arm. Perry feared that he would be pursued during the ceremony, but it didn't happen since she was already preoccupied with her own date for the event.

All the guests walked toward the huge barn where the band played a country song before they switched over to bluegrass. As the couples danced, while Perry and Della were left by themselves. However, Della knew they had eyes on them because of her beauty and her handsome husband. Perry watched the couples dance and tried to get the rhythm memorized unaware that Linda had her eyes on him.

"Della, I hope you don't mind if I pull Perry away for one dance. I promise I will have him back in one piece." Linda giggled at her like a school girl and eyed Perry up with a huge grin.

"Linda, he would love to dance." Della nodded to cousin before she led Perry onto the dance floor. Perry looked back at her with disgruntled expression on his face, but he couldn't say no to her, or to his wife, since it was one harmless dance.

While Evelyn joined Della as she drank her punch, her father joined the celebration as he spoke to his buddies and looked at the dancing couples.

"Della, I'm glad you and Perry were able to attend the wedding. I know you two are busy with your office, but it's so nice to see you two again." Her mother drank her cocktail and smiled at the crowd.

"I am glad we could come, but I wasn't sure if Perry would be well enough to travel because of his cold. He wanted to be better before he traveled." Della drank her cocktail and looked at Perry, who tried his best not to look awkward as he danced with her cousin.

"Has he been treating you well, Della?" Her mother pried because she knew her daughter wouldn't lie to her.

"Mom, he is the best, and while we have our little quarrels here and there, we always discuss each other's issues. He's been wonderful, Mom. I couldn't ask for anything more. I have a husband that loves me, and a job that I love." Della told her without having any doubts about her marriage.

"I'm glad Perry is being a wonderful husband and keeping his vows to you since that's all I ever asked of him. What about grandkids? That is something we're going to have to talk about really soon, Della." Evelyn winked at her and finished her cocktail.

During the reception, an old high school crush approached Della. Although she knew him from class, she had no idea about his feelings for her. He knew she had married a prominent and respectable attorney, and resided in Los Angeles. Della was in the same class as Dennis, but he was way out of her league. Although she was married, he took a chance and tapped her on her shoulder. Della turned around and saw Dennis, who looked like an innocent school boy.

"Della, may I have this dance? I know you're a married woman now, but would you do me the honor and dance with me?" He shyly asked her since he was afraid, she would reject him.

"Of course, Dennis. I would be happy to dance with you." Della took his hand, and they joined the couples on the dance floor.

Perry knew as soon as Linda led him onto the dance floor that someone would hit on Della since he wasn't there beside her. He must have been a high school classmate that Della knew from years ago. In the beginning of their relationship, Della told him all about her past loves, and he didn't withhold any information about the women from his past. He didn't keep secrets from Della she would find out anyway.

Evelyn took Perry's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor as soon as Linda's date took her arm. Perry was shocked when the older woman gently pulled on him for a dance, and he smiled bashfully at her. He was looking at a much older version of Della since she resembled her mother with her hazel eyes and facial features.

"Perry, do you mind if we dance?" Evelyn chuckled and swung Perry in the square dance movement which surprised him because she was quick on her feet.

"No, don't mind if we do. Have you been doing this all your life, Mrs. Street?" Perry chuckled at her as they clasped their hands.

"Perry, I've been doing this my whole life. You could call me a pro, but Marcus would say otherwise. When we both get on the dance floor, he could turn on a dime." The older woman spoke to Perry as they danced and listened to the music.

"So, Perry, how is the business and Della? How's she been truly? I know you have talked to Marcus, but I wanted to hear it from you." Della's mother asked her son-in-law.

"It's been good for us but not for our clients." He knew that he couldn't joke around too much with his mother-in-law. He cleared his throat and looked down at her small figure as they danced to the music. He told her the truth because he would never lie to her. When he looked around the room, he noticed that Della was chatting with other couples before he returned his attention to Evelyn.

"We've been great, and I love her every day of my life. I couldn't have asked for a better wife, friend, and work partner. On the day I met your daughter, she made me see things in a different light, and for that, I'm grateful for her love and devotion." Perry solemnly told her and Evelyn beamed up at him.

Perry noticed that Della had finished her dance with her admirer. Della knew Dennis was harmless and that Perry would soon be joining them in conversation. As Perry approached Della, she smiled at him before Dennis looked in the same direction and saw Perry as he approached them.

"Della, would you care to dance with me? I see you are quite the chatty Kathy." Perry smiled at the two of them.

"Perry, this is Dennis, he is an old high school friend. Dennis, this is my husband, Perry Mason." Della introduced the two men and they cordially shook hands.

"Perry Mason, I've heard a lot about you. Della and I attended the same high school years ago, and she hasn't changed at all." He sheepishly grinned and looked back at his crush.

"It was nice to meet you, Dennis. Della, shall we go?" Perry offered his arm, and she took it.

Perry and Della danced to a song that started out slow then picked up the pace as they swung each other around in a square dance. As they watched the other couples, they mimicked them and changed partners before they came back in contact with each other. They had a good time since the music was upbeat and everyone was laughing. Perry loved to see Della happy since they didn't do this often. Della pulled Perry aside and led him outside the barn.

"Where are we going, Della?" Perry questioned her while she pulled on his large hand, and he followed her.

"Perry, they won't miss us because I need to get some air, or I was going to pass out." They walked together hand in hand through a large meadow until they reached a large pond and a large summerhouse. Once they reached the outline of the pond, Della looked out on the lake and then back at Perry, who stood beside her as he looked out into the mountain's terrain.

"I love it here, Perry. Its so nice and quiet and it reminds me of our Lake Tahoe home that we invested in." Della laid her head on his arm; he placed his arm around her shoulder and held her close to him.

"Me too. It is a nice getaway for us." Perry kissed her head and held her close to him.

As they stood together on the edge of the water a frog jumped out of the water and startled Della. She smiled up at Perry, who looked down at her with desire in his eyes. She took his hand and walked over to a large oak tree. Although the leaves littered the ground, not all the branches were completely bare. The wind blew lightly in the fall air while the sun was still high in the sky.

"Della, you had an admirer that I didn't know about. How many more men are there that I don't know of?" Perry inquired as she turned on her heels and leaned back against the oak tree. He closed the gab between them and passionately kissed her. While she giggled in between his kisses, he kissed the side of her neck and she pulled at the hair at his nape of his neck, and he growled in response. He pulled back looked deeply into her hazel eyes that sparkled when she smiled at him.

"I don't know Perry. I did go to school with a plethora of young men, and they were handsome but only a few had come forward and actually told me their feelings." She seductively tilted her head back against the oak tree and she placed her knee between his legs.

"Seriously? You don't have any idea if there are more admirers?" He placed one large palm on the tree while his other hand snaked behind her back and pushed her close to him. He leaned in close to her lips and kissed her again as she placed her hands around his waist embracing him.

As they engaged in a passionate lip lock, a bushy tailed gray squirrel collected nuts for the winter season above them when one of the nuts dropped from his grip and hit Perry on the top of the head. He reluctantly pulled back from Della's eager kisses and saw the little creature that caused the interruption. Della giggled at the intruder.

"Della, if it's not needy clients, Paul Drake, we now have wildlife interrupting or intimate moments, and we can't catch a break even outside the office." Perry grumbled before he looked back at Della, who smiled and pulled him in for another kiss.

"Ignore him, Perry. He is gathering food for his winter hibernation. Can you blame the little creature? You can't hold a grudge against this cute little animal." Della whispered in his ear before she kissed it.

Before Della and Perry left the large oak tree, Perry found a sharp stone and etched his initials into the tree beside Della's before he marked that he was her significant other with a heart symbol. D.S. loves P.M. After he proudly looked at the design, Perry tossed the rock back on the ground, and Della eyed the craftsmanship.

"Perry, it's our own kissing tree." Della touched their initials and a warm feeling coursed through her body. He placed his palm over her smaller hand on the tree as she felt his energy blend with hers. It was a memorable moment for the both of them as he looked down at her with love in his deep blue eyes before she returned his gaze.