Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

list of all the upcoming events.”
    “I take it these are formal events?” Erica stated in an uncertain voice.
    Kevin didn’t like where this conversation seemed to be headed. “Yes, why, scared you won’t like what you see with me in a tux?” he quickly shot back to her, flashing his best impish grin in an attempt to bring a smile to her face. He felt certain she was sitting there feeling like she had been ganged up against, and that bothered him to no end!
    “No, I don’t own any type of formal wear, myself,” she answered, very slowly and quietly, glancing away from the two people in front of her and staring at the floor.
    All fears about her being uneasy rang true as Kevin watched her turn her eyes away from him. He had been around her enough to know she did that when she was upset or embarrassed. He would have loved for this conversation to be just Erica and him, but Jennifer was quick to jump in and respond. “That’s why I am here, silly. It just so happens there is a great little boutique here that is owned and operated by one of our kind. She is going to love you. Our family has been clients of hers for years now! I thought maybe we would head over there in a little while and see what she can do for us. Rosetta swears she has the ability to get in whatever you are looking for, and in the perfect size and color. Besides,” she quickly added, “we have to start looking at wedding gowns! Have you thought about what type of wedding you want?”
    Erica gave Kevin’s sister a look of total disbelief. He had just asked her to marry him last night, and this girl thinks she already has her wedding planned out? Was she kidding?
    The other thing that was bothering her was she had planned a day split between cuddling next to Kevin and laying out on the beach. At this point, it didn’t look like either of those were going to happen.
    And then back to the wedding. They hadn’t discussed a single issue yet. She wanted to know what he wanted and even more than that, what kind of a budget were they on? Was he thinking lavish indoor, open bar, or just family and close friends and have the ceremony performed at home?
    “So, are you game for going and checking out the dress shop?” Jennifer asked eagerly.
    “Sure,” Erica replied completely deadpan.
    “Erica, try to contain your enthusiasm, it’s overwhelming,” Jennifer snapped, rolling her eyes at her soon to be sister-in-law. “For the life of me, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be excited. We’ll have Kevin’s no-limit credit card in hand!”
    The money issue no longer bothered her. Kevin had yet to say one word about any spending. If he trusted his sister with his credit card, then she was just going to go along for the ride! This man had spent more on her over the past few months than she had ever spent on herself her entire life! She felt a bit like Cinderella every time they went shopping and tried on expensive clothing.
    The other thing that was bothering her was the fact that all of this was being thrown to her at once. She wanted to just ride the blissful wave she had been on ever since Kevin proposed to her last night. Couldn’t all of this have waited a day, or a week?
    “Jennifer, I need a couple of minutes with Erica. You can wait in the living room,” Kevin stated calmly, but gave his sister a pointed look that clearly stated he was not to be argued with.
    Jennifer stood up and left the room immediately, as Kevin placed a hand on top of Erica’s. “Love, talk to me,” he directed kindly. He reached over and ran a finger down her cheek. “What are you thinking?” he inquired softly, making the pitch of his voice soft and gentle. He knew she was upset, and he desperately wanted to make things right. He could have invaded her mind easily and found out in a heartbeat what the problem was, but he had made a promise not to do that, and he was desperately trying to uphold that promise. If she would only learn to open up and tell him what was bothering her, he would gladly move heaven and earth to make her happy.
     
    “It’s nothing really that big, it’s just I had hoped to spend the day with you. We haven’t even had a chance to discuss the wedding. I don’t want to start making decisions regarding it without consulting you first.
    “Things like, what kind of budget are we going to be on? Do you want something simple? Or do you want something big and lavish? If it was up to me I’d say we just go elope and be done with