Chapter 392

I didn’t know or care where I was going. I drove while my mind replayed all the voices with ideas of what my wedding should be over and over.

Didn’t they care what I wanted? Why didn’t they ask me before pressing their ideas on me? I would never do that to another bride.

To make it worse, they were friends and family, people who were supposed to care about me. Did they have no respect for my feelings?

After an hour of driving over the nearby rural roads, I turned onto the highway, where I could urge the truck to go faster. It calmed the voices in my head and their suggestions for my wedding.

Finally, I could think.

I guess they all meant well. They probably thought they were helping me.  But would any of them have liked me doing that to them?

Lana and Lily were thinking similarly, and in a way, they were right. Victor’s wedding should be a serious and dignified ceremony.

That’s why I wanted it held in the ancient chapel where the priestess led the ceremony to make him the leader. The history and dignity of the original Association chapel was the reason I chose it for our wedding.

But the reception should reflect other facets of us …who Victor and I are and what we believe. That’s why I wanted it to be held outdoors at our new home. We wanted it to be fun and inclusive.

But was that going to happen? Even with Victor’s help, could I go against respected Lunas like Lana, Lily, and Cassidy?

Then there was Heather’s suggestion. It made me feel guilty as if I should have thought of helping the shelter before she did.

William and Penny meant well. They knew I loved the lake. And it would be ideal for an outdoor reception. Yet, Victor and I had our hearts set on having the reception on our own estate.

Besides, the ensemble I always envisioned myself wearing as I walked down the aisle for my wedding ceremony wasn’t shorts or a bathing suit.

The gown I envisioned myself walking down the aisle in wasn’t a vintage gown either.

Oh, why didn’t any of them understand that I wanted to plan my wedding?

I drove again without thinking, just watching the darkness slide by on the edges of the truck’s headlights.

After another hour, I saw a sign for the Hall’s Beach exit and knew where I was going. The beach house would help me think…help me decide what to do.

I turned onto the road to the beach and checked the time on the dashboard clock. I’d been gone for hours, and Victor must be worried. As soon as I got to the beach, I had to let Victor know where I was.

I didn’t mean to worry him. I wasn't thinking about anything except escaping from everyone when I left. Well, everyone but him.

But when I got to the beach, I was so tired that I went inside the beach house and straight to bed. I was both physically and emotionally exhausted.

Intending to rest my eyes for a few minutes, I lay on the bedspread and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

The waves of high tide woke me the next morning. I remembered where I was, got up, and went to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I put on a bikini and shorts that I kept with other clothes I only wore at the beach house. Then I went downstairs, hoping I could make coffee.

I found a box of pods and plugged in the coffee pot. When I had a mug of coffee in my hand, I hurried to the deck off the living room and took my first sip while I watched the waves roll in.

By the time I had most of the cup gone, I was thinking clearly enough to realize I never texted Victor to tell him where I was.

I pulled my phone from my back pocket. “He’s probably worried sick. How could I be so thoughtless!”

Taking a moment, I composed the text.

“Victor, I’m sorry if I worried you, but I had to get away from our well-meaning friends and family and their constant interference in the planning of our wedding. I’m at the beach house, trying to collect my thoughts and composure. I can’t do this. See you soon.”

Then I got another cup of coffee and took it with me to walk down the beach. I looked for seashells and sand dollars as I walked at the water's edge.

The beach was working its magic. My mind was feeling clearer.

Maybe it was normal for a bride to get that many suggestions for her wedding. I was sure they had the best of intentions. Lana, Cassidy, and William and Penny were just trying to help.

But so many people trying to help at once stressed me out and made it feel like they were intentionally interfering.

I realized now that wasn’t the case. But everyone needed to respect my wishes. I am the bride.

I waded into the water until it was up to my knees, and the incoming waves licked at the bottom of my shorts. The waves were wild today, but the salt water felt silky and cool on my skin.

If only I could go swimming, but there were flags on the beach warning people to stay out of the water for some reason. All I remembered was a red flag meant to keep out of the water.

Instead, I strolled onto the jetty and watched the boats floating by as I walked to the very end of the stone projection.

This place held many good memories. It was where Victor had gifted me with the moonstone pendant and where we came after the first time we made love.

Victor …how I wished he was here with me. I needed a day or two of sun and salt air to think and relax. Yet, how wonderful would it be to spend time with him right now, maybe making love on the upstairs deck?

My heart leaped into my throat when I saw a man resembling Victor walking toward me.

It had to be him. He was tall with dark hair, and no other male had that fantastic muscular body. But as he got closer, the man showed no sign of being glad to see me.

If it were Victor, his face would light up when he saw me. He would hurry to my side to take me into his arms and kiss me while he called me my love.

This man looked at me through dark sunglasses. No emotions showed on his face. It was totally expressionless.

Yet, it had to be Victor. There couldn’t be two men who looked this incredible.

He was twenty feet away when I was sure. I wanted to run to him and throw myself into his arms. But his cold expression made me stay put.

“Thank you for letting me know where you were all night,” he said when we were face to face.

“I should have let you know last night, but I fell asleep as soon as I got here,” I explained.

“You didn’t bother to tell me you were leaving Alex’s mansion,” Victor stated. “Everyone at the party was asking me where you were. I felt like an idiot telling them I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t plan on leaving the party or the mansion,”

I insisted. “I didn’t plan on coming here either. I had to get away from everyone. I needed to think.”

“Daisy, we’ve been here before,” he snapped. “You came here because you were stressed about our wedding, and then it never happened.”

“You don’t understand,” I said. “It’s not like that time. There was so much advice and interference last night that I couldn’t take it. I had to get away from them. You don’t understand how important our wedding is to me.”

“I thought I was important to you,” Victor countered.

We began walking back to the beach house in silence. We stayed silent until we reached the living room deck.

“I am sorry I worried you,” I said as I tried to put my arms around Victor’s neck.

He pulled away. “Daisy, I want you to have the wedding you want. I’ll even stand up to my mother for you. I want you to be happy. But I need to know: do you want to marry me or not?

“I just need to relax and think for a little while,” I said. You don’t know what it was like. I was so stressed out.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said. “This isn’t a game. I want a straight answer right now. Yes or no, do you want to marry me?”