Katie Ashley - The Pairing

Paul shook his head and smiled. “Please don’t apologize. I’m just grateful that she’s met such a wonderful man who will be a good husband to her and a good father to Mason.”

“I swear to you that I will.” He and Paul shook hands to seal the vow.

In the absence of champagne, wine was poured to celebrate. At the head of the table, Patrick held up his glass. “To my granddaughter and the good doctor, I give you an Irish marriage blessing. ‘May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children’s children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.’” He smiled. “To Megan and Pesh.”

The others raised their glasses. Once Pesh tasted the rich bouquet of the wine, he leaned over and kissed Megan. He didn’t even mind the cat-calls and whistling—he was too happy to care.

Standing in front of the lighted hotel mirror, Megan surmised her appearance. It was the first time she hadn’t been encircled by Pesh’s mother, sister, and aunts since she had stepped inside the suite an hour ago. When she had agreed to an Indian engagement party, she hadn’t quite known what she was getting into. She thought it would just be a great way to get their friends and family together. She didn’t know that Pesh’s family didn’t do anything on a modest scale. Without her input, the Plaza ballroom of the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta had been booked. When she had dared a peek inside earlier, it had been transformed into something out of a Bollywood movie.

She had wanted to honor Pesh’s culture by dressing just as a true Indian prospective bride would, so she had gone sari shopping with Lavani and Shveta. What she hadn’t bet on was how gorgeously intricate the outfit would be. Now as she gazed at herself in the mirror, she was almost blinded by the glittering stones and beading on the deep purple and gold sari. The outfit put even the blingiest Miss America pageant dress to shame. The top part was sleeveless, and it ended just below her breasts. While the front part appeared to be plain satin, the back was encrusted in beading and gems. The skirt, with its beaded waistband, started just beneath her belly button and fell to the floor in the most exquisite silky material. It was hard imagining she was going to be baring her mid-drift, as was the fashion of the sari. Thankfully, she had a jewel encrusted drape that slung across one of her shoulders and down one side.

Earlier after one of Pesh’s aunts had done her makeup, Lavani and Shveta did her hair. The long strands were swept back and pinned on the side in loose curls. A gorgeous purple orchid adorned the curls. All that was missing from her ensemble was the jewelry that Pesh’s family had requested that she wear. Apparently, it was all heirloom pieces and kept in a safe at a bank. Although the necklace and earrings were to come, her arms were heavy laden with bangle bracelets that Lavani and Shveta had put on her.

They both had tears in their eyes when they finished. “You look absolutely breathtaking, my dear,” Lavani said.

Megan smiled. “Thank you. And thank you so much for making tonight happen.”

Lavani cupped her cheek. “I look forward to seeing many happy years between you and my Alpesh. I’m grateful that you make him so happy. It had been so long since I had seen a light in his eyes. But when you came into his life, you brought back that light.”

At Lavani’s words, Megan felt tears stinging her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured. When she felt like she could speak without crying, she brought her hands together as if she were praying and then bowed her head as was the sign of respect in Pesh’s culture. “I want you to know that before Pesh, I was in darkness, too. He has become my light as well. I can assure you that I will spend the rest of my life honoring him and making him happy. I am very thankful for the amazing man you have raised.”

Lavani’s dark eyes filled with tears, and she brought a handkerchief up to dab her eyes. “Thank you, my dear.”

Shveta stepped into the bathroom, her face lit up in a broad smile. “Alpesh is here.”

Gathering up the bottom of her skirt, Megan walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Her heart stopped at the sight of him. She had never seen him in Kurta-Pajama, as they were called. Basically, it was a long, tunic like shirt that came to his knees. Underneath he wore loose cotton-like pants. But his top was made much like hers. It was gold in color and encrusted in gems and beading. She didn’t want to begin to imagine how much it cost.

When she brought her gaze back to his, she shivered under his heated stare. “You are a vision of absolute and total perfection,” he said.

Doing a little turn, the fabric of her sari twirled around her. “So you like it?”

He smiled. “I love it.”

She laughed. “I feel a little like a poser. Like ‘you can put the Irish girl in a sari, but you can’t take the Irish out of the girl’ kinda thing.”

“I wouldn’t have you any other way,” he said, with a serious, yet tender tone.

“Thank you.”

Megan eyed the two velvet boxes in his hand. “Ooh, let me see the goodies.”

With a bark of a laugh, Pesh sat one of the boxes down on the table before he opened the other. Megan gasped as two enormous earrings glittered back at her. While there was a thick base, the rest flowed down in flourishing designs that would probably touch her shoulders when she put them on. They had a gold overlaying, but all the gems were diamonds and amethysts that would match her sari.

“This is why your mother and Shveta wanted me to pick a purple sari?” she questioned.

Pesh nodded.

“They’re breathtaking,” she murmured.

“Wait until you see the necklace,” he replied, with a smile.

Her shaky hands reached forward to take one of the earrings. She quickly worked the clasp and fastened it to her lobe. Then she did the other. While they were so heavy she felt like they might weigh her down, she glanced up at Pesh and smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my love.”

He reached for the other box. Megan’s eyes widened as the diamonds and deep amethysts sparkled in the light. He took the necklace out and unfastened the clasp. He moved behind her and then lifted the necklace over her head. She closed her eyes at the pleasurable sensation of feeling his closeness.

“There. Now you’re ready.”

Whirling around to face him, she brought her lips to his. “I love you.”

His thumb tenderly rubbed her cheek. “I love you, too.”

From the doorway of the bedroom, Lavani tsked disapprovingly at them. “Alpesh, stop mauling her, or you’re going to mess up her makeup!”

Pesh chuckled. “I hardly think I was mauling her.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Come now. It’s time we went downstairs.”

After Pesh held out his arm for her, Megan slid hers through his. “Don’t be nervous,” he murmured into her ear.

“I’m not,” she lied.

“Megan, I know you well enough by now that I know when you’re nervous. You fidget and bite your lip.”

“Sorry,” she muttered, as they got onto the elevator.

Considering it was packed with Pesh’s family, Megan kept her mouth shut about her nerves. The last thing she wanted to do was to come off wrong in front of them. When the doors opened, she drew in a couple of deep breaths to still her nerves.

There was a whole lot of pomp and circumstance that she didn’t quite understand about how they were all supposed to enter. She just tried not to mess up the part when she came in with her parents. Just like at a wedding reception, she and Pesh sat at a table at the head of the room. Of course, she hadn’t quite prepared herself for the golden chairs that looked almost like thrones.

Once everyone was assembled, Pesh’s father got up to speak. “We are very grateful that you all could be with us this evening. I know that with Megan’s friends and family, as well as some of our son’s, there are a lot of you unacquainted with our culture. I will try to explain to you what the proceedings are.”

On the table in front of them were two flower wreaths that reminded her of the leis that you would see in Hawaii. They were in colors of white, gold, and purple. The wreaths crisscrossed over the black ring boxes. She knew from what Pesh had told her that they would be giving each other rings tonight to symbolize their future union. It all seemed pretty extreme to her for just an engagement party—it was almost like a wedding.

“It’s show-time,” Pesh murmured in her ear before he stood up. She quickly followed his lead. He took one of the flower wreaths off the table and brought it over her head. He made sure to adjust her hair so it flowed over the flowers. When he was done, she did the same, although it was a little harder for her to reach up over his head.

Then he took one of the platinum bands and put it on her trembling finger. “I love you so very much, Megan. There’s not another woman in the world I could love like I do you,” he whispered to reassure her.

“I love you so much, too.” She then slid the band on his hand. Once it was done, applause went out over the ballroom, and Pesh pulled her to him for a kiss.

“Now what do we do?” she asked.

He smiled at her. “We dance.”

After exhaling the breath she had been holding, Megan took Pesh’s hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. A song she had never heard before in her life began to play from the DJ.

“So what were you thinking when it came to the wedding?” Pesh asked.

“Something small.”

His brows rose in surprise. “Really? I was thinking you would want to go all out.”

She shook her head. “I just want something simple with our closest friends and family. I don’t have to have something showy to make me happy.”

He grinned. “You know that anything ‘simple’ is not going to set well with my parents.”

Megan laughed. “Well, they’re just going to have to accept it.”

“We could just run off and get married in a cave in Hawaii,” he suggested.

“That idea has potential, but I think as my parents’ only daughter, they would kill me if they didn’t get to plan something.”

His expression grew serious. “I don’t want us to have to wait much longer.”

“I agree. I want to get married in the next couple of months.”

He smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

As Megan glanced over to see her grandfather dancing with his lady friend, an idea popped into her head. “What if we got married in Papa’s rose garden?”

“It sounds like a beautiful place, but is there enough room?”

“Only our closest friends and family, remember?” she insisted.

“It could work.”

“So you like the idea?”

“I do.” With a wink, he said, “It makes sense considering you proposed to me at Patrick’s house.”

Megan grinned. “That’s right. It does.”

“Think we can put it all together in two months?”

“I don’t see why not.”

He brought his warm lips to hers, and Megan shivered in spite of the heat on the dance floor. “I can’t wait to make you my wife,” he murmured against her lips.

“I’m ready to make an honest man out of you, too.”

Pesh threw his head back and chuckled. “Only you would say something like that.”

“Hey, the truth is the truth.”

The song ended, and Pesh escorted her back to their table. After they finished with the blessings from Pesh’s family, dinner was served. Megan couldn’t believe all the food that was paraded by her. She lost count on how many plates of delicious Indian food she sampled. By the time the desserts came out, she was thoroughly stuffed and couldn’t eat any. “Let’s go mingle,” she suggested when Pesh also turned down any dessert.

“Sounds good to me,” he said, before getting out of his chair.

They made their way through the maze of tables, talking to family and friends. Megan was introduced to so many of Pesh’s relatives that she was sure she would never be able to remember them all. When they finally got to the Fitzgerald tables filled with her parents and aunts and uncles, she was thrilled when Pesh took a seat across from Aidan and Emma.

After they had been talking for a while, Emma turned Aidan. “Do you think Noah’s okay?”

Aidan smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, babe. The sitter looked very qualified.”

Although Emma nodded her head, Megan could tell that she wasn’t convinced. Both Mason and Noah were upstairs in the hotel with babysitters outside of their family for the first time in their young lives. Megan shared a bit of Emma’s apprehension, but when she had dropped Mason off in the suite, he seemed to get along with the woman they had hired.