Daddy’s Little Girl

I WATCHED BRANDT sleep as I ran through the events that had transpired over the course of many hours last night. My thighs pulsed as I remembered the trail of kisses he had tattooed on every inch of them. I could still feel his fingertips glide across my belly, sending sparks through my core. I was breathless with every new touch he had branded on me, and I wanted more. I wanted to repeat the passion we felt last night over and over again, memorizing every contour of our bodies as they fit together like a perfect little puzzle. I had reached a place within myself I never knew, and Brandt had now become more than just a want. He was a necessity. He was my lifeline.

"How long have you been staring at me?" He opened one eye and smiled.

"I don't know. I lost track of time." I giggled.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Mr. Brandt, how do you expect me to sleep after a night like that?" I asked playfully.

He reached out and pulled me in close to him. "Want another go at it?" His mischievous brow lifted.

"Maybe after you brush your teeth." I plugged my nose and laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Does my breath stink?" He pinned me down onto the bed and breathed out hard.

I struggled under him, getting nowhere because I was laughing too hard. "No, seriously, stop. Go brush your teeth."

"Fine. You win, but you better not move."

"Pinky swear." I held out my finger. He wrapped his with mine and then jetted toward the bathroom.

"What about you?" he yelled from the bathroom with a mouthful of toothpaste.

"I've been up for hours. Way ahead of you."

After a minute, he jumped back into bed and mounted me again, pinning my arms above me. "How's this?" He leaned down and kissed me.

We had a few hours to kill, and I couldn't see any other way to spend it. When it was time to get ready, it was hard to keep my eyes off him. I watched him from the bathroom as I put on my makeup. He sat shirtless in his dress pants on the edge of the bed, the sheets strewn about, raking one hand through his hair as the other fumbled with something. He looked haunted, so I went over and sat next to him, rubbing his back. He had our wedding bands in his hand.

“Chris should be here,” he admitted sadly.

“I know. I’m sorry.” I rested my head on his shoulder, watching him turn the rings over in his hand.

He kissed my head. “You know, I did have a first last night.”

“Oh, yeah?” I popped my head up, excited to hear his confession.

“I’ve never made love before. Not like that. The others meant nothing. They were to fill a void. With you…it’s different. I’m different. You’ve changed me. I’m not shut down anymore. I’m not numb.” He placed his hand on my cheek. “I feel everything with you.” He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip and then leaned over and kissed me. “Thank you,” he whispered.

A knock on the hotel door drew our attention.

"They're here. I'll see you at the park,” Brandt said as he kissed me again, tucked the rings into his pocket, and slipped on his shirt, buttoning it as he made his way out of the bedroom.

Tessa raced into the room, smiling ear-to-ear, grabbing my arm, and plopping me in front of the vanity.

"You what?" Tessa shouted as she curled my hair. "So much for waiting for your wedding night," she teased.

"I know, but look at this place, Tess. It's beautiful, and we really didn't have plans after we got back tonight. We are getting in so late. I think he just wanted it to be special. And it was. Tessa, it was beyond perfect. Getting married is just an afterthought at this point. I know we were meant to be together."

She paused for a moment as sadness settled into her expression, but then she discounted it quickly. "That's awesome, Bay. I'm really happy for you guys. You're perfect together.” She put down the curling iron. “Done."

"I love you, sis. I know you'll get everything you want when the time is right."

"I'm happy. I really am. I'm just a little lost right now, but I know things will work themselves out." She smiled. "Now, let's go make an honest person out of you, you slut."

We shared a laugh before I took a quick look at myself in the mirror and she ran around the room gathering things for the wedding. I bought a vintage lace fitted white short dress with a scallop along the trim that made it pass as elegant. I opted for white sparkly Toms. I couldn't fathom wearing heels in the park. Knowing my luck, my heels would get stuck in the ground and break off.

I dusted my face with a little makeup, playing up my blue eyes, and Tessa put my hair half up and curled it down my back. It was loose and fun. She tucked in a few swanky bobby pins to make it an official wedding hairdo. I think she enjoyed this more than me.

There was a knock at the door, causing Tessa to squeal frantically. "You can't see her until she walks down the aisle!" she yelled.

"There is no aisle!" Grady shouted back.

"Okay, well, he still can't see her."

"He's not with me."

Her approving glow returned as she unlocked the door and let him inside. He barely noticed me with Tessa there, but he eventually stole a glance that made me blush.

"Baylor, you look…stunning."

"She does, doesn't she? You can thank me for that," Tessa professed.

I could tell Grady was picturing himself and Tessa in a moment that may never come to pass.

"You don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Grady," I added.

And he didn't, at all. Like last night, he looked divine. He was masculine and handsome, and if Tessa didn't have his heart wrapped around her finger, he would be quite the ladies' man. His suit was black with a white silk shirt hidden underneath the jacket and a turquoise handkerchief in his lapel pocket.

"You look gorgeous," Grady complimented Tessa.

Tessa was wearing a very similar cut dress as me but in turquoise.

"Thank you," Tessa responded and kissed him on the cheek, remaining there a bit longer.

"You ready?" he addressed me.

"I am." He took both of our hands and led us out.

THE PICTURES DIDN'T do the park justice. It felt like we were in the middle of a national forest, surrounded by towering pine trees, fresh air, and solitude for miles. The sun was mild on our faces, and a little breeze filled our senses with the natural woodsy smell of a forest. When I searched the place on the internet, I had heard about a footbridge over a creek bed and knew it was the perfect backdrop for our little ceremony.

My dad was waiting at the curb when we pulled up. I had my arm entwined in his while Grady and Tessa ran off into the direction of the bridge.

"You look incredible."

"Thanks, Dad." I inhaled a deep breath.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little bit, but not in a bad way. I think it's more that I'm anxious to get all of this over with. I'm not a big fan of all the fussing over me."

"I remember the day I married your mother. I thought I was going to throw up." He laughed.

"Really?"

He started leading me slowly down the dirt path.

"Yeah, I think it was fear that your mom would change her mind and leave me at the altar, because there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to spend eternity with her."

"Dad, that's so sweet." I squeezed his arm. I was glad the bridge was about a quarter of a mile away, because it gave me a chance to bond with my dad before I officially dropped the family name and became a Reilly.

"You know it's every dad's dream to walk his daughter down the aisle, but it's also the most dreaded moment."

"Why?" I could hear a little bit of the sorrow behind his words.

"I'm relinquishing my protective rights to another man. That's not an easy thing to do."

"Well, I hope you aren't relinquishing them all."

"Not all, Bay. In my eyes, you will always be my little girl. No matter how old you are, I will always come to your rescue."

My eyes welled up. I knew this was going to be hard, but it was a lot harder than I imagined. He stopped me and pulled me into a big hug, enveloping me in the security of a unique, unconditional love that I was blessed to have with him.

"I love you, my little bay leaf," he said as he kissed the top of my head.

"I love you, too, Dad."

We walked a few more steps, and when the bridge came into sight, my heart skipped. The rails of the worn wooden bridge were wrapped with white roses and lush green vines of blue forget-me-not flowers entwined the surrounding trees, some hanging down just above the bridge. White rose petals dusted the rest of the dirt path and over the bridge, stopping at Brandt's feet. I covered my mouth, stifling tears, and trying to keep myself together.

Brandt’s black suit hugged his toned body, and the splash of turquoise from his tie against the white silk shirt made my stomach flip. He had tucked a white rose into his lapel. I was marrying the most handsome man in the universe.

His parents stood shoulder to shoulder on the right side of the bridge with Grady at the front and my mom and sister on the left with Tessa at the front. I took a moment to ingrain this image into my mind for the rest of my life. A click caught my attention behind me. I looked back, and an older chubby man behind a camera smiled back.

"Hello," he said.

I looked at my dad. "You hired a photographer?"

"Two." Dad pointed to another one across the bridge, behind Brandt and the officiant.

I had begged them not to do too much, but I was glad they hadn't listened. The flowers, the bridge, this moment— it was perfect.

"Thank you, Dad." I reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"You ready to do this?"

"I am." He led me down the path, my eyes locked on Brandt’s, my blood percolating as we neared. Out of my peripheral, I caught my mom wiping away a tear.

I had a lot of memorable moments in my twenty-two years, but this had easily slid into first place as the best moment of my life. I was surrounded by everyone who meant something to me, and getting us all together like this would probably be a rare moment, so it was one I would cherish forever.

When we reached the end of the bridge, Dad kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you," one more time and then stood behind my mom. The bridge was narrow, with just enough room for Brandt and me to stand side by side. We faced each other throughout the ceremony, and when it was time for us to say our vows, neither one of us had written down anything, trusting our hearts to do the talking.

"I'll go first." I swallowed hard to remove the lump lodged in my throat. I focused on Brandt's eyes to steady me. "Before I met you, I was skeptical about love, but then the first time I saw you and the storm of feelings you conjured in me…there was no denying anymore that true love really did exist. I've heard all my life you don't know what you're missing until you've experienced it, but I never really understood it. Then there was you, and I couldn't get you out of my mind. Until we met, I never knew something was missing." I reached my hand out and placed it over his heart. "But now I know, and I never want to lose this. I never want to be without you."

Breaking convention, he took my cheek in his hand and kissed me softly and slowly, absolving my nerves. He rested his forehead on mine as he had done so many times in the past and whispered, "I love you, Bay. You're the reason I breathe. You're my purpose. You are mine until death do us part."

I thought the whimpers I heard were coming from me, but when I turned to our family, it was all the women. I giggled through my own tears and kissed him again. I heard the officiant announce us, but I was lost in a world that only consisted of Brandt and me. I finally felt at ease. Complete. My mom and sister smothered me with hugs the second Brandt released his hold on me, and after we all regained a semblance of normalcy, we headed back to our hotels to pack up for the train ride home.

My parents dropped us off at the resort on the way to their hotel and were doubling back on the way to the station. As soon as the door shut to our room, Brandt lifted me into his arms and ravaged me.

Through excited giggles, I tried to push him off. "Brandt, we have less than thirty minutes to get packed and downstairs." He tightened his hold on me and continued to kiss my neck.

"It'll be tough, but I'll do my best."

"Are you serious?" My breathing became heavier and deeper as he gnawed playfully on my jaw.

"I would never kid about this, Mrs. Reilly."

I stopped pushing against him and looked at him. That was the first time I’d heard him say it.

He studied my eyes. "That's right. You're no longer Mrs. Brandt. You have reached Reilly status." He unzipped my wedding dress. "Time is ticking, Mrs. Reilly."

"I love you, Mr. Reilly." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with every ounce of passion in me. These were the moments I would never forget. These were the moments that would get us through anything. For better or worse. Until death do us part.