Chapter 4: The Big Day

Ylana POV

Ylana had never seen so much activity in one home. She was on the third floor of the Garnet mansion and could hear everyone downstairs preparing the place for the wedding.

The whole thing was finally starting to hit Ylana. She was getting married in several hours. She would no longer be Ylana Sapphire and would become Ylana Garnet. Somehow that was a relief. She hadn’t felt right as a Sapphire and maybe she would feel right as a Garnet.

Ylana had gotten to know Ginger pretty well in the past few months. It would have been difficult not to bond with the person who helped her pick out lingerie.

She even got to know Harkin a little better. He was actually a sweet man which Ylana hadn’t expected from a mafia boss. Then again, she only had her father as an example. Odo never made cute little jokes with her like Harkin did.

Surprisingly, she was even on a first-name basis with some of the staff. Rebecca was the chef for the Garnets and cooked all of their meals when they were home. Claude was essentially the butler for the family. They both seemed fond of the Garnet family and only had good things to say about them.

The only person Ylana didn’t have a chance to learn more about was Rowan. He would disappear whenever she arrived at the estate, and no one would ever tell her where he went off to.

How did it end up that she was the one who was warming up to the wedding idea? Rowan got more and more distant as the days went on. Ylana was certain she hadn’t been in the same room as him since the dinner when they first met.

There was a knock on the door of the suite that would be hers after the wedding. Ylana was grateful that she wasn’t going to be forced to share a room with Rowan.

“Come in,” Ylana called to whoever knocked on her door.

It was Ginger, of course. She was the unofficial wedding planner and had informed Ylana she would show up bright and early. “You ready for today?”

Ylana shrugged. “I’m not sure how I feel.”

Ginger heaved a sigh. “Everything will be fine. Come on, let’s go make sure everything is going according to plan.”

*****

There were only a few hiccups as Ylana let Ginger take her around the house to do wedding prep. At first, the wrong centerpieces had been delivered. Listening to Ginger argue over the phone was an experience; the woman sounded terrifying. Apparently, they got the right ones delivered in a record amount of time.

The minister was two hours late. Ginger had let Ylana figure that one out. The poor man simply had gotten stuck in traffic. There was no reason to panic, which it felt like Ginger had been doing.

“Why do you seem more nervous than me?” Ylana asked Ginger.

“I just want this day to be perfect for you and Rowan.” They were speed walking through the ballroom as they made sure everything was set like the diagram Ginger had put together.

“What’s next?” Ylana asked. She was very much ready to sit down.

“Um.” Ginger looked at her phone, which held the agenda for the day. “Hair and makeup.”

Ylana pouted. “Gross.”

Ginger smirked. “Your dad initially wanted his people to get you ready. I wouldn’t allow it.”

Ylana kissed Ginger on the cheek. “You’re the best sister-in-law ever.”

“Thanks,” Ginger giggled. “The people I found are going to be following your lead.”

Ylana added a little skip to her step. “What a nice change from what I’m used to.”

*****

The hair and makeup crew had indeed listened to what Ylana wanted. Her hair was curled but stayed down how she liked it. Her makeup was more subtle than whenever her father’s people did it, using mostly neutral tones.

After Ylana got put into her dress, Odo and Indigo entered her suite. Both father and son wore black suits with red shirts and ties with their hair slicked back.

Odo looked her up and down with what appeared to be disgust. “I guess you’ll do.”

Indigo gave Odo a dirty look. “She looks beautiful, Dad.”

Odo sniffed with disdain. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with. Tonight will seal the deal.”

“Wow. What every bride wants to hear on her wedding day.” Ylana wasn’t going to let him ruin it though. Soon, she would actually be free from him. She’d be living in a warm and happy home rather than a cold and cruel one.

Thankfully, Ginger walked in before Odo could respond. “It’s time to get going,” she announced.

Odo straightened his suit jacket. “About time.” He strolled out the door.

Ginger rolled her eyes. It made Ylana laugh. It was nice to see that someone else disliked Odo as much as she did.

Ylana and Ginger followed Odo with Indigo behind them.

It was time for the wedding.

*****

The ceremony was beautiful, of course. It took place right on the edge of the woods on the property with Ylana’s procession starting on the back patio. Logs had been lined to create an aisle, and both her father and brother walked her down it, while fairy lights flickered on the canopy that was placed over the ceremony area.

Ylana didn’t recognize any of the faces of the people sitting on the wooden benches in the audience. She knew most of them were associates of Harkin. A few were Odo’s, but Ylana had never been introduced to any of them.

She hadn’t looked at the end of the aisle where Rowan stood until she was almost there. She had been afraid of what his face would look like. She hadn’t expected the actual reality.

When Ylana met Rowan’s eyes, he had tears in them – they were happy tears - and he was smiling. He was also twiddling his thumbs, a sign of his nerves.

That made Ylana feel so much more secure in the situation. Maybe Rowan didn’t hate her. She would just need to solve the mystery of why he’d been hiding so much.

The whole thing seemed like it took minutes. Suddenly, she and Rowan were kissing, and people were clapping.

Their pictures were taken while the guests went to the pool area of the backyard by the patio for the cocktail hour.

Later, in the ballroom she and Rowan had their first dance as a married couple.

“I have a question to ask you,” Ylana said as they sat down for dinner.

Rowan let out a breath but still looked tense. “Ask away.”

Ylana looked at the table. “Why have you been ignoring me the past few months?”

Rowan put a finger under her chin so that she would tilt it up to look at him. “You were so mad when we met.”

Ylana laughed. “Well, none of this was my choice.”

“For me, it was presented as a choice, but it was heavily implied that it would be better for the family if I did.” Rowan smiled a little.

Ylana put her hand on top of Rowan’s. “How about we start over? I know I like your sister and dad, so I’ll probably like you too.”

Rowan nodded. “Ok. A fresh start.”

They chatted throughout the dinner and then they had to make their rounds to greet each guest. Rowan introduced Ylana to a large number of people involved with his family.

The most interesting person Rowan introduced Ylana to had to be the strawberry blond man that came hopping over to them – his best friend Keegan. He was all smiles and dimples with freckles lining his face. His pale blue eyes sparkled with amusement the entire time he talked to them.

“You’re a lucky man,” he said to Rowan while patting his shoulder. “I can’t believe you happened to chance upon such a beautiful bride.”

Ylana thanked him. His smile was infectious. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Keegan shook her hand. “It’s even better to meet you. I’ve only heard talk about you these past few months. Rowan did not want to introduce me before today. I can see why now. He just didn’t want to share you.”

Ylana laughed. She didn’t bother to mention that she’d hardly seen Rowan until that day. She had a feeling he knew.

Ylana had an excellent time during the rest of the reception. She drank, laughed, and danced with Rowan, Ginger, and Indigo. She didn’t say a word to Odo and had refused to do a father-daughter dance, so she didn’t have to spend much time with him.

Ylana and Rowan left the mansion and ran into the waiting town car under a sea of confetti.

“So, where are we going?” Ylana asked, breathless.

“My dad set us up with the honeymoon suite at his favorite hotel,” Rowan told her. He looked excited.

For a minute, Ylana wondered why that was. Then she realized what usually happens on a wedding night. Her stomach flipped. Did she want to have sex with Rowan?

She glanced at him. The sporadic streetlights illuminated his face. She recalled the night she met him and her thoughts about him.

Rowan was extremely sexy.

Ylana just wished she had more time to think. Or that she had started thinking about it way before that moment. Ginger taking her shopping for lingerie should have tipped her off.

The town car pulled up in front of the entrance to the hotel. The entire front of the place was glass. It allowed Ylana to see into both the lobby and the restaurant and bar area.

Ylana could feel eyes on them as soon as they started through the revolving door. It worried her until she remembered that she was still wearing her wedding dress.

A bellboy followed them with their luggage to the private elevator for the honeymoon suite. Rowan produced a key card to give them access to the elevator. Ylana assumed someone must have checked in for them before they arrived.

After the bellboy left, Ylana walked around the suite. There were two large brown couches facing a large-screen TV, a kitchen, and a dining area. She looked into the bathroom to see a light blue tiled floor, a large shower surrounded by glass, and a whirlpool bathtub.

Next, she stepped through double doors and into the bedroom. The bedspread was royal blue and rose petals were scattered on the bed.

A pop from the other room startled Ylana. She soon heard glass clinking and realized Rowan had been pouring champagne. She heard him walk up behind her.

Rowan chuckled once he saw the bed. “The work of Ginger, I think. Champagne?”

Ylana took the glass without speaking.

Rowan cleared his throat. “You know, we don’t have to do anything tonight, or ever, if you don’t want. One of the couches has a pullout bed I can sleep on.”

Ylana made her decision right then. She sipped her champagne. “I think we should. That way we can know if we’re . . . compatible that way.”

Ylana heard Rowan’s breath quicken. “If you want.”

She still hadn’t turned around to face him. “I do.”

Rowan took her champagne flute out of her hand, and she listened as he set the glasses down. Ylana heard him walk back to her and felt his breath on her neck. It made her shiver. One hand touched her bare shoulder and the other wrapped around her waist. His lips began to kiss along her neck.

Ylana’s body felt like it was on fire. A small squeal of pleasure escaped from her mouth.

She reached back to grab Rowan’s head with one hand to pull him into a kiss. It was not a slow kiss. It was fast and passion-filled. Rowan’s hand that had been on her shoulder began to unbutton her dress. Soon, the dress fell down her body, leaving her in nothing but her lace underwear and heels.

Ylana broke the kiss to step out of the dress. She finally turned to face Rowan. His cheeks were flushed, his hair was mussed up, and his lips had swollen from their kissing. It all just made her want him more.

But she had to see his body first. She ripped his tie off and made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. Rowan’s torso was soon revealed to her. Every single muscle was clearly defined. Coarse hair covered his chest and his stomach, leading down into his pants. She worked on those next.

Finally, every glorious bit of Rowan was revealed. Her hand went immediately to his erection to stroke it. The sound he made was like a growl.

Both of Rowan’s hands grabbed her face so they could kiss again. Slowly his hands trailed down her back until they reached her hips.

Ylana giggled when Rowan lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. He straddled her and then slowly ran his lips down her body. He started with her collarbone then went to her breasts and spent his dear old time on her nipples, making her moan. Next was her stomach. Finally, he pulled down her panties before his tongue entered her.

Her release was instant. “More,” she begged.

Rowan’s head came up to kiss her again as he thrust inside of her.

He was unlike any man Ylana had been with before. It was as if he knew exactly how to move to drive her wild. Her nails scraped down his back as they finished together.