Every Little Thing

Chapter 1

One day earlier...

Mallory

Ben yells up to me from downstairs, "Babe! Are you about ready?"

"Keep your pants on! I'll be down in a minute," I call back.

"Hmmm... If I remember correctly, you were pleased that my pants were not on twenty minutes ago," he says proudly.

I retort, smiling at his cockiness, "Nobody likes a smart ass, Ben."

"I beg to differ, and I love your smart ass. Every damn curve."

Ben is downstairs, but I know what the look on his handsome face is right now as he speaks. He's smirking and wiggling his eyebrows most adorably. God, I love that man!

I didn't hear him sneak up the stairs. He startled me when he wrapped his strong arms around my waist, and I leaned back into him.

"Seriously, Babe, we'll be late for our appointment." He kisses my neck, and my body immediately reacts to his soft, gentle lips.

I let out a small moan. "Ben, if you don't stop that... mmmm... right now, I guarantee we will be exponentially late. We might even have to reschedule."

He gives me a sweet peck on the cheek and releases me from his grasp, then smacks my ass. "As tempting as that sounds, you know that with my schedule, we would have a hell of a time rescheduling."

"I hear you." I put on my earrings and slip back on my engagement ring.

"Ready," I announce, and Ben reaches for my hand, and we make our way out to the car.

"Are Scott and Kendall still joining us for drinks and dinner after we meet with the wedding planner?" Ben asks after getting into the car.

I respond with a smile. "Yep. Whoever gets there first is to put our names in, and we'll meet at the bar."

"Great." He returns my smile and holds my hand.

Our meeting with the wedding planner lasted about an hour. Ben and I emailed her a document with our must-haves and wants for our wedding. Today, we went over the paperwork and signed a contract. Ben paid the deposit before we left to meet our friends.

Kendall and I have been friends since high school. I had just moved to Lady Lake, Florida, with my parents after my father lost his job. They wanted a fresh start, and I didn't blame them. I was just as happy to leave my childhood house, which had fond and sad memories. Unfortunately, the bad overshadowed the good, and we left it all behind.

I met Kendall at first-year orientation, and we have been inseparable since. We both attended the University of Florida. I was a nursing major, and Kendall majored in finance. We met Ben and Scott there, and I'll never forget the beautiful sunny spring morning. Spring break was getting ready to start, and we were hitting the books hard for our finals. Since it was such a gorgeous day, Kendall and I were studying out on the lawn. Two handsome Fire Science majors stopped and hit on us, and we've been burning hot ever since.

Kendall and Scott got engaged over a year ago. They want everything perfect in their lives before they get married. Loans paid off, a house bought, and every other excuse they can devise not to plan their wedding. Ben asked me over our Christmas break in front of my parents. He wanted them to be part of it. He's the most thoughtful, caring, loving man I have ever met.