Chapter 19

Cadence and Shawna took extra time getting ready to go to the club that night. The guys went ahead without them, since they were going to work, not to play. They had some things to take care of before the girls diverted their attention from business.

The whole time the girls were getting ready, and driving to the club, Shawna was begging Cadence to let her out of the bet. "Come on, please? I'll do anything else that you want me to do, as long as you don't make me dance on the bar." She begged.

"Shawna, are you seriously trying to welch on a bet?" Cadence was astonished. "I have never, ever seen you back down paying a losing bet."

"Fine!" Shawna said as they walked into the club. She was pouting, but knew that Cadence was right. She had never backed down before, and she wouldn't start now.

The club was in full swing already, making the walk to the bar slow moving, pushing their way through the crowd. They finally reached the bar and got their drinks, then searched the mass of people for their men. Luckily, they weren't too hard to find since they were sitting at their usual table.

Kristian turned to see the two girls walk up to the table and did a double take. He knew his heart had skipped a few beats when he saw her. It was just another reminder that he should be thanking his lucky stars that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with this woman. He stood up and pulled her into his arms. "You take my breath away every time I see you." He said privately in her ear. "You look unbelievable tonight!"

"Why thank you." She replied coyly.

"Remind me not to let you out of my sight tonight." He teased.

Cadence kissed him long and hard, reassuring him that there was no other man for her. Kristian felt the kiss all the way to his toes, and it erased any insecurities that ever crossed his mind. He sat back down in the chair and pulled Cadence on his lap.

Jonah went to the bar and got 4 shot glasses and a new bottle of 'The Doctor', the one that cures all ails, Dr. McGillicutty's. They shared the shots, toasting to each other and getting pretty liquored up. When the bottle was finished, Cadence left to talk to DJ Billy. Soon after, the lights began flashing and Shawna was being called to the bar.

She narrowed her eyes and gave Cadence a dirty look, but went to the bar relentlessly. Jonah helped her get up there, just as "All She Wants to Do is Dance" by Don Henley came over the speakers.

"Just like in Coyote Ugly girl. Now get up there and shake your ass!" Cadence yelled. She could tell that Shawna was embarrassed, but she was handling it really well. Besides, a bet's a bet!

Shawna started to loosen up, especially after the two shots that the bartender had handed her. Cadence stood next to the bar and watched as Shawna really got into the music. She nearly jumped when she felt two arms encircle her waist

Kristian placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and looked at her with mischievous eyes. "I know you're not going to leave her up there all alone." He yelled and lifted Cadence up. He set her down on the bar and wagged his finger at her as she began to protest.

Shawna helped her to her feet and the two began dancing in sync. They were having a great time as they shut the world out. For those two girls, they only ones that existed, along with the two men standing at their feet to make sure no one hurt them.

Soon enough they were joined by a couple of other girls that they had seen around the club quite frequently. None of them cared that the men were whistling and loving the show, nor did they care that the women were all giving them death looks. All they cared about was having fun, feeling free, and enjoying themselves.

When they had worn themselves out, the girls all got down. Kristian was right there waiting for his fiance, and pulled her into his arms. He pressed his very aroused body against hers and kissed her. That had been some show.

Feeling the same passion that Kristian felt, she told him to get a couple of drinks and meet her in the office. She gave him one last kiss to hurry him up, then moved through the crowd towards the office.

She was so busy dodging people that she hadn't even heard anyone calling her name. She only stopped when she felt a hand grip her arm. She turned to see who had grabbed her so roughly, and was surprised to see Joey standing there.

Shawna saw Joey grab Cadence from a distance and knew there would be trouble. "Go get Kristian. Fast!" She yelled to the girl next to her and fought through the crowd to get to Cadence.

"Let go of me!" Cadence yelled. Joey's fingers were digging into her skin. She could feel the circulation get cut off and she started to panic. "What do you want?"

"Interesting show up there. I want what you were flaunting." He sneered.

"Joey, just leave me alone." Cadence begged.

"You know, you were nothing but a slut in high school, and you're nothing but a slut now. You'd think you would've realized that by now. You're a little cock tease, dressing up like a hooker and dancing on the bar. Who're you going to service next, slut?" He spat.

Tears came to Cadence's eyes. Sure she liked to have fun, but was she really a slut? There were times she would have said yes, but that was before…that was before Kristian. She didn't want to be that person anymore who jumped from man to man. But what was wrong with dressing kind of sexy, showing off her body while she had it? In the end she was still going to go home with the same man for the rest of her life, how did that make her a slut now?

Cadence felt her arm being ripped out of Joey's hand and saw the rage in Kristian's eyes. He and Shawna had made it there in time to hear most of what Joey had said to Cadence, and he was furious.

Cadence turned and ran to the office as fast as she could, which wasn't easy since the club was busy. Kristian started to go after her, but Shawna grabbed his arm. "I'll get her, I think you need to take care of Joey once and for all."

Kristian nodded and cracked his knuckles. A look of pleasure crossed his face as he thought of all the horrific things he could do to Joey. He started by grabbing Joey by the collar and backing him out of the bar.

Shawna knocked softly on the door to the office and opened it slowly. She saw Cadence laying on the couch curled up into a tight ball, her body shaking as she sobbed. Shawna immediately went to Cadence's side and began murmuring soft words to comfort her best friend.

"He was right. I am a slut." She whimpered. "But I've been trying to change it. I don't even feel the urge to be with anyone else anymore." She sat up slowly and took the tissue that Shawna was holding out for her. "How can he want to be with me? How can he touch me knowing that I've been with so many guys?"

"Because he loves you and what you did in the past doesn't matter to him." Shawna soothed. "Besides, going through all those guys showed you what you want and what you don't. And, I'm sure you learned a few tricks along the way that drive Kristian wild."

Cadence laughed through her tears. She could always count of Shawna to make her laugh when she was feeling her worst. "You know, I don't think what he said would have affected me quite as much if I wasn't so stressed right now. Between running the restaurant and planning the wedding, my nerves have been frazzled. We've barely had any time to ourselves lately, so I guess I'm getting over-emotional."

"What you need is some time for the two of you alone. That's what I prescribe anyways. It did wonders for me and Jonah!" Shawna smiled dreamily, remembering their vacation.

"That's exactly what we need." Cadence sighed, drying her eyes of the remaining tears.

Kristian knocked softly on the door. He knew if he knocked any harder, he would be in a whole world of pain. He'd forgotten how much it hurt to hit someone. Thinking back, the last time he hit someone was to defend Cadence. That girl was always getting him into fights, but he didn't mind. He'd do anything to protect her.

He slowly pushed the door open and was relieved to see Cadence laughing lightly. He rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms. "I am so sorry for what he said to you. He was so far out of line." Kristian whispered as he hugged her tight. He watched Shawna quietly slip out of the office and mouthed a silent thank you to her. She nodded her head and closed the door behind her.

Cadence crawled onto Kristian's lap and laid her head on his shoulder. "He was right though. How can you even want to marry me, knowing all the things I did in the past?"

"Cady, I love you with everything that I have. You mean everything to me, and I can't imagine my life without you. Yeah, you had a wild past, but I'm no angel either. All that really matters is what happens from here on out." He crooked his finger under her chin and lifted her head. He gazed into her eyes, the depth of emotions was boundless. "Cadence, I can't wait until you're my wife. I love knowing that I am going to spend forever with you. No one has ever been that lucky before, I'm the only one. That's all that matters. Forget Joey, he's an ass."

"Kristian, let's do it. Let's get married." Cadence begged.

"Um baby, in case you forgot, we are getting married." Kristian laughed.

"No! I mean tonight. Let's get married tonight. We can fly to Vegas, get hitched, then have a little honeymoon after." He could hear the excitement in her voice.

Kristian was a little more skeptical though. "But what about the wedding you've been planning. Don't you want your friends and family there?"

"All that matters is that you and I are there together. We can celebrate with them later." Her eyes pleaded with him.

A slow smile spread across his face. "Are you sure?" He asked, getting more and more excited. Seeing her nod her head enthusiastically, he made his decision. "Let's do it!"

Cadence jumped up off his lap. "Really?" She asked, thinking it was too good to be true.

"Really!" He said and grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and twirling her around.

"Let's go then." She said and dragged him out of the office.

On the way home, Kristian had called his travel agent and booked the first flight out to Vegas. He also had her reserve a suite at a nice hotel, and arrange for a chapel as soon as they got off the plane. "I know it's really late at night, but I appreciate you getting up and doing this for me." Kristian told her.

"Any time, it's one of the benefits of you being a good customer and me having an office in my house." The travel agent laughed. "Oh, and congratulations!" She said before hanging up.

"It's all arranged." Kristian told her and kissed her hand that he was holding.

Cadence was glowing. They raced around the house once they got there, packing and making sure they had everything they would need for the next week. Kristian grabbed Cadence's wedding dress out of the closet and brought it out to the taxi they had waiting outside for them. She scribbled a quick note to Jonah and Shawna saying, 'Took a much needed vacation. We needed some time to ourselves. Hope you don't mind taking care of the restaurant and club while we're gone. We'll talk to you soon. Love C and K'. Satisfied, they left the house and their single life behind.

Early the next morning, the plane landed in Las Vegas, Nevada. A limo was waiting for Kristian and Cadence, arranged as a wedding gift by their travel agent. She was the only other person who knew that they were getting married.

The limo drove them to City Hall where they got their marriage license, then brought them to the chapel. Cadence changed into her dress in the bridal room, while Kristian put his suit on in the groom's room. He checked himself out in the mirror one last time before leaving the room to join his bride. He was elated that they were getting married in just a few minutes, very thankful that Cadence had suggested eloping.

In a room just a few feet from Kristian, Cadence was staring at her reflection in the mirror. Not once did she feel like she was doing the wrong thing, for once she felt like it was finally perfect.

The attendant that was serving as her maid of honor knocked on the door to see if she was ready. Cadence told her that she was, and the bridal march was cued.

Cadence walked out of the room slowly, looking up shyly to see Kristian staring at her. The second their eyes met, neither one was able to stop the slow tears. They held each other's gaze until she was standing right next to him. He took her hand in his as the preacher began his monologue. Though they heard everything that the man said, they were too focused on each other to really hear the words. They exchanged their 'I Do's' and also the rings that they had just gotten the week before. Nothing was so blissful though as when the preacher declared, "I now pronounce you man and wife, Mr. And Mrs. Kristian and Cadence Lynch. You may now kiss the bride."

And with the touch of their lips, their fate was sealed.

Author's Note: Did I ever give Kristian a last name? I really couldn't tell ya! Haven't edited it, too tired, so sorry for any mistakes. Oh, and this isn't the end.