When we reached the lot to the condo where Taylor and I were staying, I practically leapt out of the car. I thanked my shopping crew again for all their help and promised them that Taylor and I would meet all of them for a “rehearsal dinner” of sorts later on. I waved goodbye as I watched the car disappear just up the road to the neighboring building where both of our families were staying for the weekend before I turned and bolted inside and down the couple of steps to mine and Taylor’s apartment.
I let myself in thinking I would leap into his arms and have a little hook up session to get me ready for the next trip I needed to make, but was surprised to see him passed out on the couch with the television on a low volume. I would have normally jumped on him to wake him up, but instead, decided to let him rest awhile and made my way towards the kitchen to find some kind of snack or lunch to feast on. Now that my dress fitting was over, I was allowed to put something in my stomach, and I was beyond starving. I rummaged through the fridge and the cabinets, pulling random things out to snack on while Taylor napped away. I must not have been too quiet in my quest to tear the kitchen apart, because after a few minutes, a very sleepy Taylor was standing in front of me; his hair was a mess and his clothes were all twisted up from being curled up on the couch, but my heart literally froze at the mere sight of him. All this wedding preparation was turning me into a bigger pile of mush than I normally was.
“Hey there Tasmanian Devil, what did that poor kitchen ever do to you?” he asked as he rubbed his right eye and stretched. I blushed and swallowed the potato chip I was devouring before stepping up to him, just waiting for him to lean down and kiss me hello. When he did, I almost fainted. I really couldn’t wait much longer to marry him. When we parted, all be it reluctantly, he licked his lips and smiled down at me, “mmm, salty…” he smirked as he ran a hand through his hair to smooth it down. In turn, I moved my hands to his shirt, making a point to fix his clothes and straighten them out for him. He was such a cute mess.
“Sorry I woke you Tay. I’m so hungry! I couldn’t eat anything all day because I didn’t want to be a cow trying on my wedding dress so I waited, even though that’s dumb now that I’m thinking about it. I still have shopping to do for clothing with even less material and I have to try those on too” I sighed in defeat as I rolled up the bag of chips I was planning on emptying and put them back in the top cabinet, “the things a girl does for a wedding” I shook my head as I gathered the rest of my snacks and put them back in their respective spots while Taylor watched me move about the tiny kitchen, rolling his eyes every so often and keeping his arms crossed over his chest in a stern fashion.
“Baby, you’re crazy. You should eat if you’re hungry. Don’t be ridiculous. I’d marry you if you were wearing a paper bag. Stop worrying about an image. It doesn’t matter to me if that’s who you think you have to impress” I hung my head as he reprimanded me and made sure the kitchen was clean before I picked up my purse and ignored the fact that my stomach was still growling angrily at me.
“I should really go get that other shopping done before we meet the family for dinner. I don’t want to have to do it with them around and we only have one more day. Did you still want to come with me?” his eyes lit up instantly and I couldn’t help but laugh and blush at his eagerness to put his shoes on and stumble around the apartment getting his things before he was ready to go. I smacked his arm playfully as I passed him to head out the door and he moved quickly to capture my waist and hoist me up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Taylor!! Are you insane!? Put me down!!” I shrieked as I kicked my feet playfully and wiggled to get out of the position he had me in.
“Oh hush woman. I’m carrying you to the car, and then when we get to the store, you’re trying on lingerie for me” he laughed triumphantly as we made our way up the few stairs, out the main door to the building, and across the small lot to the car, joking and making crude jokes the whole way. I gave up trying to get him to release me and instead just settled in his arms, watching his ass sway as he sauntered over to the car. I was tempted to forget the damn store and tell him to take me back to bed, but I had better plans in mind. We reached my side after a minute and he put me down, kissing my head quickly, “I love you” he murmured before he jogged around to his side of the car and got in. Once we were on our way, I leaned over the console to kiss his cheek as he drove.
“I love you too Tay” I whispered in his ear before I rested my head on his shoulder and we rode the rest of the way into town in comfortable silence.
I just had Taylor drive us to the Victoria Secret outlet on the main drag instead of going out to another fancy boutique. I was never big on lingerie anyway. I thought it was pointless to spend a ton of money on an outfit that is designed to get taken off quite quickly and we usually skipped it. However, with it being our wedding, I figured I’d attempt something different. I just hoped that I could pull sexy sleepwear off for his sake. No doubt in my mind that I was nervous going about this. It was not Tay’s environment either, but at least he seemed confident. Of course he was; he wasn’t going to dress up and look silly for me, it was just the opposite. The second we walked in the place, however, his cheeks were stained a deep rouge color, his hands went into his pockets, and he sort of kept his head down and followed me through the store. I knew I had to keep my outfit a surprise, so after some convincing and a kiss, I sent him off to look around and even offered that he visit another nearby outlet while I picked something out. Reluctantly, I got him to drift away from me to wander and I immediately rushed to the nearest sales associate for help, because let’s face it, I was completely clueless in this situation and needed all the help I could get.
I found a girl, a bit older than I was, probably almost done with college to help me out. Her small but shiny nametag read “Dana” and we exchanged hellos and formalities before getting down to business.
“I’m getting married on Tuesday and I need something for, well, for afterwards” I cleared my throat and shifted my weight from foot to foot. Why did I have to be so awkward? Seriously? People bought underwear and had sex every day, yet here I was, making it a big issue and an idiot out of myself in the process.
“Oh honey, congratulations! No need to feel shy! We have a whole collection designed just for our brides that you can check out and I can help you with” she grabbed my hand to look at and gush over my ring before she lead the way to the area of the store that I needed to be and started suggesting different options for me to try on. I immediately scooped up a white lace thong that had a deep blue crystal embellished heart on the hip. I thought it was adorable and it gave me yet another small touch of ‘something blue’, plus it was the same blue I had worn for my prom dress when we decided to elope in the first place, I just had to hope Taylor noticed that.
A few minutes more of looking through the section let me accumulate several choices. Once I had a small stack of nighties draped over my arm, I was almost satisfied with my selection. However, I had just one more idea that I was quite proud of and needed to go about putting into action.
“Dana, if I could bother you for one more thing. I hate being such a pain, I’m so sorry” I gestured her closer and moved my gaze towards Taylor who I found was smelling a variety of perfumes on the other side of the store.
“That’s the groom-to-be over there. He thinks that I’m trying these on for him while we’re here, but I’d rather keep them a surprise until the wedding night. Can you help me find just one more outfit that is the exact opposite of bridal for me? I want to try them all on and then give him the not-so-innocent look as a pre-nuptial surprise later” her smile was infectious as it spread across her face while I told her of my plans.
“What a perfect and sexy idea! By the way hun, he’s gorgeous. I noticed him the second he came in here and turned bright red. I hope you don’t mind. You are VERY lucky to wake up next to that every day! Now, let’s go find something that will knock his socks off and render him speechless!” she grabbed my free hand and dragged me further away from Taylor as we laughed and chatted like old friends the entire way. I explained to Dana as we reached the ‘Intimates’ room that I was usually pretty shy and routine when going to bed and where my appearance was concerned. I wore mostly old shirts and Taylor’s sweat pants or boxers to sleep, and simple jeans and t-shirts or hoodies during the day so I wanted to do something REALLY different. She was beyond helpful and I wanted to get on my knees and bow to her or kiss her feet because I was so grateful.
I felt like it took me forever, but eventually, I had another small pile of outfits in my hands, and I was finally ready to try everything on. I was quick and ducked away into the dressing room Dana had saved for me while it was her job to distract and possibly even annoy Taylor, anything it took to keep him from getting to my dressing room. I needed time to try everything on, make my final choices, and convince myself to go through with buying a few, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to come looking for me and get a sneak peak.
I think I tried on about ten outfits all together. I had to go back to a few choices and even stood in front of the mirror for several minutes a couple of times to convince myself that I could do this, that I could purchase a piece of lingerie or two like a normal person and surprise my soon-to-be-husband that I was madly in love with, and who would really appreciate what I did for him. It was so frustrating not to have any self esteem whatsoever, so the easiest thing for me to do was close my eyes, take a deep breath, and force a couple of garments I had approved of the most into a pile and pay for them before I talked myself out of it. I knew that once I bought them, Taylor would change my mind and make me feel special, casting all my fears aside and taking my breath away so badly, I wouldn’t realize what I was wearing, or not wearing actually.
I made my way to the register with the items I was going to purchase in one hand, and the rejects in the other. I passed them both to Dana who saw me come out of the dressing room and she sorted them out for me behind the register, wrapping them in fluffy tissue paper just as Taylor approached us. I could breathe a sigh of relief, he didn’t see a thing. Thank you, Dana. I smirked to myself as he slipped his arm around my waist and squeezed my hip.
“Hey! I thought I was supposed to be the judge of what you bought? What gives?” he pouted as I looked up at him. Dana and I exchanged glances as she took my credit card and finished up my transaction before packing a heap of paper into a big pink bag.
“Taylor, honey, please do me a favor. Keep in mind that patience is a virtue and this girl will not let you down. I promise you. You will probably drive down here before you guys head home and thank me” Dana intervened for me as she passed my card, receipt, and bag over the counter towards me.
“Yeah Tay, no worries babe. I got you what you asked for and then some, so just be patient like Dana said my love” I reassured him as I reached up to touch his cheek. He kept his frown on as I tucked my items away in my purse and slung the shopping bag over my shoulder before slipping my hand in his. I thanked Dana a million more times for all her help and she congratulated us once again before we parted ways and I headed to the car with what would soon be, a very shocked and speechless Taylor Hanson.
Chapter 60 | Guestbook