Building Something Hot Read online

  She slammed the empty pitcher down on the table and shouted, “Next!”

  Everyone laughed and took the presents off the table. Mila kept Briella occupied while everyone put the presents in Dexter’s truck. When the rest of the girls joined them, they walked a fairly buzzed Briella back in the direction they came from.

  Briella stopped in the middle of the sidewalk where they were walking, and was almost bowled over by the girls walking behind her. “I just wanted to thank you all for coming, and throwing me a kick ass bachelorette party. I am having such a good time, and I love you all,” Briella told them, her words only slightly slurred. She began walking again, but she was now walking back towards the strip club. Aubrie grabbed her arm and turned her around.

  “We’re going this way now, unless you want to go back and see the strippers.” Aubrie teased. Briella started to run and dance, using some stripper moves, then stopped about twenty feet away, laughing at her own joke. Aubrie caught up with her and linked her arm in Briella’s. “Good to see you’re having fun!”

  “This is so great. It’s just what I needed. Where to next?” Briella wondered.

  “You’ll see soon. But we need to put your blindfold back on,” Mila said as she pulled it from her pocket. She put it over Briella’s eyes and asked, “Can you see anything?” Briella shook her head, and lost her balance a little. Everyone laughed, and Aubrie and Mila each took one of Briella’s arms and led her to the back door of the club. Everyone else went to the front door.

  When the bouncer let them in the back door, Aubrie saw Dexter standing there with a blindfolded Kason. She had to fight back the laughter trying to escape. Kason was double fisted, with beer bottles in both hands, alternating which one he was drinking from. Dexter smiled and shook his head when he saw the girls.

  “There’s only one more mission you have to complete, then you get a big prize,” Mila whispered into Briella’s ear.

  Mila and Aubrie led her to the stairs on one side of the stage, while Dexter led Kason to the other side. Both Kason and Briella were led to center stage as the crowd cheered. Dexter and Mila positioned Briella and Kason so that they were facing each other. Dexter took both of Kason’s beers, which were pretty much empty anyway, then at the same time Mila and Dexter removed their blindfolds, leaving Briella and Kason staring at each other.

  Kason smiled a drunken little smile, and Briella jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. They shared a passionate kiss as the crowd looked on and cheered.

  After their kiss ended, Mila and Dexter led Briella and Kason to the dance floor, where they drank, danced, and kissed for the rest of the night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The wedding was only a month and a half away, and Briella and Kason were busy trying to tie up last minute plans. Mila had been traveling a lot, drumming up new business for the firm, making the demand for their designs higher than ever. Briella had to hire four new architects to ensure deadlines were met.

  Between work and wedding planning, Briella never had a free moment to herself. She felt the stress of constantly making decisions, and to make it worse, she felt like she was getting sick.

  When Kason woke up to the sounds of Briella getting sick one morning, he had had enough of Briella pushing herself to the extreme. He went into the bathroom and wet a cloth, then ran it over her face, trying to cool her off a little.

  When she felt she had everything out of her system, Kason helped Briella up off the floor and carried her back to bed.

  “Now will you listen to me and slow down? You’re obviously sick, and it’s probably from all the stress. I understand that you can’t do much about work, but you need to calm down a little when it comes to the wedding. Our wedding will be perfect, no matter what happens, because when it comes down to it, all that matters to me is that I marry you that day. Everything else is just gravy. Now, if there is something that you absolutely need to do for the wedding, let me or my mom know, and we’ll get it done. As for work, we’re going to need to get an assistant for you. I don’t know why you don’t have one yet, but I’m sure it’s because you feel the need to control every single thing in your life,” Kason lectured her.

  “I know. I just can’t stop. I will agree to an assistant, on one condition…that she help you and Mila as well, and that she is a lesbian, so that I don’t need to worry about you running off with your secretary,” Briella added the last part as a joke.

  Kason grinned. “I’ll call Jeanie and have her place an ad in the paper today. But you and I are taking the day off. You are going to make a list of everything that needs to get done before the wedding, and I will split up the duties with my mom. Now, get some rest, and I’ll have Stella make you some toast or something to calm your stomach.”

  He kissed Briella’s forehead, then went downstairs to have Stella prepare some food for Briella.

  A few days later, Briella still wasn’t feeling any better. She couldn’t keep anything down, and she was tired all the time. She made an appointment to see her doctor.

  As she sat in the exam room wearing the thin white gown, she answered her doctor’s standard questions. No, she hadn’t had a fever, not on any new medications, headaches off and on, extremely tired, last menstrual cycle was two weeks ago, relatively normal but a little light, and no other problems except lethargy and vomiting.

  The doctor took some bloodwork and came back fifteen minutes later, after Briella had changed back into her clothes. He was carrying a few pamphlets and his prescription pad.

  “Briella, I have some interesting news,” he said, and smiled at her. “You, my dear, are pregnant.”

  Briella was glad she was sitting down. Her knees felt weak and her head felt swimmy. “What? You must be joking. I can’t be pregnant…are you sure?”

  “Yes, we’re sure that you’re pregnant. According to the beta levels, it looks as though you are about six weeks along. You need to get in touch with your OBGYN to schedule an appointment and you’ll most likely need to get your first ultrasound in about three weeks. Here is a prescription for some prenatal vitamins, and here are some pamphlets about the early stages of pregnancy. Congratulations!”

  Briella left the doctor’s office in a daze. She knew that Kason wanted a family, but didn’t think he meant this early. How in the world am I going to tell him? What is he going to say? Are we ready for this?

  Briella walked from the doctor’s office to the park. She sat on a bench and tried to gather her thoughts. Once the surprise began to wear off, she found herself smiling. No matter how much of a shock this baby was, she was happy about it, a baby that she and Kason had created from their love for each other. All of her negative thoughts dissipated as she got up from the bench and walked back to her car.

  As Briella drove home, she picked up her cell phone and called Kason.

  “Kason Harris,” Kason answered quickly.

  “Hi, it’s me.”

  “Did you go to see the doctor?”

  “Yeah, do you think you could get away from work and meet me at home?”

  “I’ll be right there.” Kason started to panic as he reached for his keys and shut down his computer. He said goodbye and was on his way to the door.

  When Briella arrived home, she went straight up to their bedroom to lie down. She stared at the ceiling and let her hand creep to her belly, where she rubbed her flat belly. It was hard to believe that there was a new little life in there.

  Kason pulled in ten minutes later, his tires screeching. She heard him running up the stairs, taking two at a time. He raced into the bedroom, short of breath. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

  Briella looked at him. “Kason, what do you have planned about seven or eight months from now?”

  “What? I don’t know. What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Kason snapped. “Briella, you need to tell me what happened at the doctor’s today. You’re starting to scare me.”

  “Well, I’m trying to tell y
ou, and I’m a little scared too. You need to understand that above all else,” Briella said, then took a deep breath. “How do you feel about someone calling you Daddy?”

  Kason looked at Briella like she was crazy. “What do you mean? Are you saying your illness…?”

  “Kason, the doctor told me today that I’m about six weeks pregnant. For some reason, I think…” Briella started to say before Kason jumped onto the bed and hauled her into his arms.

  “You’re pregnant, really? We’re going to have a baby?” Kason’s eyes got wide, and a huge smile spread over his face. His eyes glistened with tears.

  “Are you okay with that?”

  “I’m going to be a daddy!” he shouted. “Hell, yes!”

  “I guess you’re okay with it,” she concluded with a smile.

  “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?” he asked, his voice softer as he rubbed Briella’s belly.

  “I’m fine, the baby’s fine. I have to schedule my first ultrasound in a few weeks, just to make sure the development is normal.” Briella looked deep into Kason’s eyes. “So, you’re not upset about this?”

  Kason laughed long and hard. “No, of course not. I am so excited, and I am so in love with you! I’m going to take good care of both of you, I promise,” he said, still rubbing Briella’s belly.“I can’t believe you have a little life growing inside you. This is so amazing!”

  Briella smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Briella…” Kason started, looking closely at her. “Are you okay with this?”

  “At first I was a little shocked, but I’m not the least bit upset. I think I was more worried about your reaction than anything, and I see now that there was no need to worry. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.”

  “Can we call my mom and tell her? She’s going to be so happy!” Kason sounded like a little kid at Christmas.

  “I have a better idea. Ask your family to come to dinner tonight, and then we’ll go shopping for some goodies for them,” Briella said as she climbed out of bed. Kason called his family and invited them to dinner, then took his fiance to the mall.

  They could all make it to dinner. After a wonderful meal prepared by Stella, Briella excused herself and disappeared into the next room. She came back into the room holding three gift bags.

  She handed the appropriate bags to Raelynn, Bruce, and Aubrie, then went to sit on Kason’s lap.

  “What’s this?” Raelynn asked. “Did we miss a holiday or something?”

  Kason laughed at his mother’s curious look. “No, Mom. Just open your gifts.”

  All three of them dug into their gift bags. Bruce revealed a picture frame that said ‘#1 Grandpa’. He looked at it, not understanding what it meant. Raelynn pulled out a keychain that said ‘#1 Grandma’, and her eyes got watery. Aubrie got a small decoration trophy that said ‘World’s Greatest Aunt’. She looked up at the smiles spread across Briella and Kason’s faces. The only one who didn’t get it right away was Bruce.

  “You’re having a baby?” Raelynn asked, looking between Kason and Briella’s faces.

  “Yup! Briella found out this morning that she’s about six weeks along. It wasn’t something we planned, but it’s definitely a welcome surprise!” Kason said, happy tears in his eyes.

  “Oh my God,” Raelynn said, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh! I get it now!” Bruce said.

  “Wow! I’m going to be an aunt! This is so cool! I’m so happy for you both!” Aubrie squealed.

  Raelynn was crying openly now. “Oh honey, we are truly excited for you. It doesn’t matter when the baby was conceived. All that matters is how much you love each other, and how much you will love that baby.”

  The chatter around the table suddenly reached a fever pitch, with everyone talking at once. Raelynn’s voice carried above the din. “I’m finally going to be a grandmother! I can’t wait to tell my friends!-Well, Mom, can you wait until after the wedding? We want everyone to be concentrating on our marriage at the wedding, not the pregnancy. Besides, we want to wait to tell everyone closer to the end of Briella’s first trimester, just in case there are any complications,” Kason explained.

  Raelynn nodded, still smiling and crying at the same time. “I understand, no problem. Now, let’s figure out which last minute wedding plans I can take care of so that the mommy-to-be can rest and not have to worry.”

  During the rest of the visit with Kason’s family, they talked about the list of last minute preparations that Briella had made. Kason and Raelynn split the chores on the list, leaving Briella nothing to do for the wedding. She made them promise that they would update her weekly on everything that was being done.

  “I just hope I’m still able to fit into my dress by then!” Briella said as the family was getting ready to leave.

  “Don’t worry about it. If the dress is tight, we can have it let out.” Raelynn gave her a hug. When she pulled her closer, Raelynn whispered into her ear, “I am proud to have you for a daughter-in-law. You make my son and the rest of the family so happy. Take care of yourself, honey.”

  Briella, already very hormonal because of the pregnancy, let some tears slip down her cheeks. “That means so much to me Raelynn! Thank you.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  A few days before the wedding, Briella went for her final dress fitting. Luckily, Briella’s dress still fit, and if anything, it was a little too big in the waist. The bust was tighter, but looked as though it was made to fit that way.

  After the fitting, Briella and Raelynn picked Kason up from work and they all went out to lunch. “You know, we had better rest up now, because tomorrow our guests from out of town will be arriving and we’ll be entertaining a lot. Do you feel up to it, Briella?” Raelynn asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve been resting every day, so I think I’ll be able to handle it,” Briella replied.

  “Well, if you get too tired, just let us know and we’ll figure something out. We can’t have you getting exhausted before the wedding…or the honeymoon,” Kason said, winking at her, making her laugh.

  The next day brought a whirlwind of activity. It was Thanksgiving Day, and the out of town guests were starting to arrive. Due to all of the wedding activity, Briella and Kason weren’t having a typical Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, they were having a buffet at their house, so the guests could eat whenever they dropped by.

  The house was full of laughter and cheer, as everyone mingled and got to know one another.

  Briella’s friends from New York were all there, and she enjoyed seeing them. She couldn’t help but notice that her friend Jordan had his eyes glued to Aubrie. She chuckled as she walked up to him. “I notice you find my sister-in-law very interesting. Is this just a crush from afar, or would you like to meet her?”

  “Huh? I’m sorry, did you say something?” he asked, finally turning his gaze to meet Briella.

  Briella laughed and took his hand. “Come on, there’s someone you need to meet.” Briella pulled Jordan over to where Aubrie stood. “Aubrie, I want you to meet one of my cutest, nicest, and sweetest friends. This is Jordan. He’s twenty-six years old, one of the most promising veterinarians in New York, likes reading, playing sports, and hanging out with friends, and he’s single. Jordan, meet Aubrie, just turned twenty-two, will graduate from college this December with a degree in Public Relations, after which we are stealing her to work for our architectural firm. She likes boating, jet skiing, and planning wild bachelorette parties. She is also single.”

  Aubrie and Jordan were both red with embarrassment by the time they finally shook hands.

  “Gee, Briella, you make it sounds like we’re on a dating show or something,” Aubrie said.

  “Not a dating show, but I’m setting the two of you up. No need to hide any ulterior motives! Now Aubrie, can I trust you to show Jordan around our town here? Show him a good time and get to know each other. Be careful, have fun, and call if you need anything,” Briella said as she handed them her car keys.


  Briella turned around to see Mila, Dexter, and Kason all laughing. “What was that about?” Kason asked.

  “Oh, just two of my favorite people being sent out to have some fun,” Briella said.

  “He is such a sweetheart! Definitely a good match for Aubrie!” Mila said. “I don’t know why we never thought of that before.”

  “Maybe because he’s been in New York the whole time?” Briella said, with a smile on her face. “Well, now that I’ve played matchmaker, I think I need a little nap. Do you think anyone will mind?”

  “No, I’m sure everyone understands. You must be exhausted, with all of the planning and guests to matchmaker,” Mila said.

  “Something like that,” Briella muttered under her breath. She felt a twinge of guilt for not telling her best friend about her pregnancy.

  Kason took Briella upstairs and tucked her into bed. “Just sleep for as long as you need to. Don’t worry about the guests, Mom and I will take care of everything.”

  Briella fell into a deep sleep, and didn’t wake again until the next morning, pleased to be wrapped tightly in Kason’s arms. “Good morning, sleepy head. Only one more day until you become my wife.”

  “Mmm…I like the sound of that! Did I sleep right through?” Briella asked, still groggy.

  “Yeah, you must have been really tired. But you need your rest. Today’s a pretty big day with the rehearsal and dinner, but tomorrow will be bigger. Are you up for it?” Kason asked.

  “You better believe it,” Briella said, as she made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water in the tub and poured some bubbles into the water. Kason joined her in the bathroom and cuddled with her while the tub filled.

  “What a perfect way to start the day,” Kason murmured into Briella’s ear.

  Later that night, everyone gathered at the church for the rehearsal. They went through the bridal procession, the vows, and the readings. It all went quickly and efficiently.