Kaitlyn returned the next morning, her car full of bags. "Hey, Katie! How are you?" She hugged me as I came out to help her.
"Not bad, I guess. How was your trip?" I loaded my arms with bags and boxes.
"Quite successful, I believe. How is Savannah?"
"I'm just fine, as always." Savannah opened the door for us. "Welcome home, Kaitlyn." She took some of the packages and followed us into the parlor.
"I have surprises!"Â She began pawing through her bags, and handed us each a box.
"Kaitlyn, you shouldn't have."Â Savannah and I opened our gifts.
Wrapped inside were beautiful dresses for us both. Savannah's was white and mine was purple. They were old fashioned ball gowns, complete with bejeweled face masks.
"I thought we might enjoy an evening in the city." Her eyes sparkled. "There's a masquerade ball in New Orleans this weekend."
I looked over at Savannah, excitedly. "A ball?!"
She grinned at Kaitlyn. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"I thought Katie might enjoy a night out after all the work she has been doing. We could all use an evening of fun." She pulled her dress out of a box and held it up. "What do you think?" It was red, of course, and had intricate beading on the bodice.
I could feel my excitement growing. "As much as I like it here, I would love a night out on the town!"
"Then it's settled." Kaitlyn put her dress back in the box. "Tomorrow night we masquerade!"
I woke up the next morning, excited for my first fun outing in a long time. Savannah and Kaitlyn were at the table, enjoying another giant breakfast. "Katie, we will suspend our training for the day. We have a lot of preparations to make for tonight."
She wasn't kidding. As soon as breakfast was over, I was whisked away to Savannah's dressing room, where a red-haired woman was waiting for me. "I'm Shannon." She held out her hand to me. "I'll be helping you with your hair and makeup."
"Oh, okay."Â I shook her hand.
"Go ahead and have a seat." She gestured towards a vanity with a big mirror. "How would you like your hair tonight?"
I shrugged. "I'm not very good at this kind of stuff, so I'll go with whatever you think is best."
She nodded. "Very well."
I sat in the chair for almost three hours while she transformed me from frumpy to fabulous. She curled my hair, and put half of it up, leaving some of the curls down to frame my face. My makeup was done with purples to match my dress. "You will be wearing a mask over the top of your face." She informed me. "But let's plump up those eyelashes anyway."
After she was done, she helped me get into my dress. I stood in front of the mirror, marveling at my reflection, feeling like a princess. I caught a glimpse of the sparkle from my ring, and held my hand up to look at it. There really was no point in wearing it, since I wasn't sure I would ever see Dustin again, let alone get married. Seeing it caused pain to course through my body, reminding me of what was missing on this special night. I took it off and set it on the vanity. Tonight, I would be someone else, without the uncertainty of the past few weeks.
"Katie, you look amazing!"Â Savannah swept into the dressing room, her white ball gown making her look like a tiny Cinderella.
I smiled. "This is my first real dance. I'm so excited. Where is Kaitlyn?"
"Right here." She breezed into the room, a vision in red. "What do you think?" Her long blond hair cascaded down her back in ringlets.
"I think we're ready to rock this ball."Â I linked my arms through theirs, and we headed downstairs.
"The car is here, Miss."Â Sullivan walked out ahead of us and opened the door to the white stretch limo.
"Does everyone have their masks?"Â Kaitlyn tucked her purse under her arm.
We all three put our masks on, and slid into the car.
It took almost an hour to get to New Orleans, and we enjoyed the ride with a glass of champagne. "Here's to a night none of us will ever forget." We clinked our glasses and sipped our drinks.
The ball was being held at the Hilton hotel, and we weren't the only ones arriving by limo. There was a line of cars waiting to deposit their bejeweled occupants at the bottom of the huge stairway leading to the entrance. Our driver got out and opened our door for us. "Enjoy your evening ladies."
We stepped carefully out of the car and headed up the stairs, where tuxedo clad men were collecting the official paper invites. The hotel was full of people, and the ballroom was decorated with lots of color and glitter.
Everyone was dressed to the nines, and with their elaborate masks, you had no idea what they really looked like. It was like a giant game of hide and seek.
I stood to the side of the room with Savannah and Kaitlyn, as we surveyed the party. "Would you care to dance?" A guy in a dark blue suit asked Kaitlyn.
She smiled and curtsied. "Thank you, kind sir." And off they went, spinning onto the dance floor.
"That didn't take long."Â Savannah smiled.
A moment later, a young man approached her. "May I have this dance?" He had a brown Aura surrounding his tall frame, and even with his mask, I recognized Alex, Savannah's barn hand. He gazed down at her lovingly, and I realized that there must be more between them than just an employee/boss relationship.
I winked at her, as he led her away. I watched them twirl around the dance floor, Savannah looking like a china doll in his arms. I turned to head to the drink table and ran into a tall man in a black tuxedo. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I tried to steady myself.
"No harm done." He was wearing a full faced mask. "Would you like to dance?"
"Um," I looked around for Savannah and Kaitlyn, but they were enjoying themselves with their mystery men. "Okay."
He led me towards the dance floor, and rested his left hand on my waist, while his right hand sought out mine. I nervously swayed to the music, trying to avoid eye contact with the well-dressed stranger. "You are very beautiful." He spun me around.
"Thank you."Â It felt weird to have someone else's arms around me.
"Are you from around here?"
"No."Â I was having a hard time maintaining a conversation.
The song ended, and I tried to pull away.
"Leaving so soon?"Â He held me tighter.
"I need to find my friends."Â I looked around, hoping to see Savannah or Kaitlyn.
"Maybe I can help you."
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't feel much like dancing."
He tilted his head at me. "What could have happened to make such a beautiful girl so sad?"
I looked down at my feet. "I just don't feel right dancing with someone who isn't the love of my life."
"And where is this love of your life?"
"He left me."
"It sounds like maybe he doesn't deserve you."
"You don't even know me. Thank you for the dance, but I have to go." I spun on my heel and headed for the bathroom, the one place I was sure he wouldn't follow.
He reached out and grabbed my hand. "Maybe you should forget him and give someone else a chance."
"You aren't getting it." I jerked my hand away. "I don't want anyone else. I'm sorry, but I want you to leave me alone." I was prepared to physically drive my point home with a well-placed kick to his junk.
He reached out and put his hand on my cheek. "Are you sure?"
A jolt of energy rushed through my body. "Dustin?" I whispered.
He removed his mask and I was staring into those beautiful green eyes.
"Oh, my God!"Â I jumped into his arms and kissed him.
He hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
I looked over and saw Savannah and Kaitlyn watching us, smiles on their faces. "What are you doing here?"
"Kaitlyn tracked me down and talked some sense into me. This was her idea."
"I can't believe you're here."Â I forced myself to hold back the tears.
"Katie, I acted like an idiot. I should never have left you. I know you love me and I'll never love anyone like I love you. Can you please forgive me?" His eyes pleaded with me.
I paused, letting it all sink in. The love of my life was standing in front of me, begging for my forgiveness. Dani's words rang in my head, "Loving someone means loving all of them." "Of course, I forgive you."
He dropped to one knee in front of me and took my hand. "Katie, I love you. I'll never leave you again, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He pulled my ring out of his pocket.
"How did you get that?"Â I asked.
"Kaitlyn." He replied with a smile. "Katherine Griffin, will you marry me?"
The whole room stopped, and everyone was looking at us. I gazed into his emerald green eyes, and saw my entire world. I knew I could never be without him again. "Yes."
The crowd erupted into applause as Dustin slipped the ring on my finger for the second time. "I love you." He pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. Kaitlyn, Savannah and Alex made their way towards us, champagne glasses in hand.
"I can't believe you did this for me." I hugged the girls. "Is that why you were gone?"
Kaitlyn nodded and handed me a glass. "We couldn't bear to see you sad anymore. You two belong together." She held up her glass and said, "To Katie and Dustin!" The crowd repeated, "To Katie and Dustin!"
I grinned and sipped my champagne, as Dustin wrapped his arms around me. "I'll never leave you again." He whispered in my ear. "I promise."
"Now we can party!"Â Kaitlyn exclaimed.
The rest of the night was perfect. I hadn't felt this alive since before Dustin had left. Kaitlyn danced with her mystery man and Savannah and Alex dominated the floor with their classic ballroom style. I spent the whole evening in Dustin's arms. I was almost afraid to let him go, in case it was all just a dream.
"Are you guys ready to go?"Â Savannah pulled a sparkly white shawl over her shoulders.
I looked at Dustin and he nodded.
"I'll grab Kaitlyn and meet you at the car."
He laced his fingers through mine and led me towards the door. "I hope you know how sorry I am." I kissed his cheek.
"Katie, I acted like a jerk, plain and simple. But I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you." He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Ready?"Â Savannah and Kaitlyn came up behind us.
Our limo pulled up and we all climbed in. "So, where were you? I mean, how did Kaitlyn know where to find you?" I leaned against him.
He looked at Savannah. "Actually, I did a locator spell on him." She looked a little guilty. "After that night in your bedroom, I was worried about you."
I glanced over at Kaitlyn. "Then you went after him? What did you tell him?"
"I just told him that you needed him, and that he had misunderstood what happened between you two. I really didn't have to do too much talking, because he already knew he was acting like a colossal ass hat." The corners of her lips tipped up into a half smile.
Dustin looked into my eyes. "I could feel you, Katie. But you know how stubborn I am. I had myself convinced that you didn't love me, and I thought you would be better off without me. Stupid, huh?"
"Yes." I replied firmly. "It was stupid."
He looked down, ashamed.
"But I was stupid too. I shouldn't have questioned our love." I looked around at Savannah and Kaitlyn. "Maybe we could talk about this when we get home."
He nodded, and pulled me close. "I've missed you so much I'm actually looking forward to you putting me in my place."
I stared into his eyes. "I've missed you too."
The car pulled into the circular driveway and came to a stop. "Mr. LeFores, how nice to see you again." Sullivan opened the front door. "I trust you enjoyed your evening?" He took Savannah's wrap and purse.
"It was wonderful." She smiled at me and Dustin. "I think that all is right with the world again. Thank you for a great night. I shall see you all in the morning." She bowed her head slightly and headed for the stairs.
Kaitlyn turned to follow her. "Good night."
"Kaitlyn?" I called after her. "Thank you."
She gave me a smile. "That's what friends do." She continued up the stairs.
Dustin laced his fingers through mine and we started towards our room. "So how did you like your first masquerade ball?" He closed the door behind us.
"It was amazing."
Dustin tossed his jacket over the chair and began to loosen his tie. "Need help with that zipper?" He came behind me and gently tugged the zipper on my dress.
It slid down and puddled around my feet like a glittery purple pool. I stood before him in my underwear, feeling a stirring of emotions flood through me.
He turned me around and stared into my eyes. "You are my world." He brought my hand to his lips. "I'll never risk losing you again." He wrapped his arms around me. "I love you Katie."
"I love you too."Â I pulled him to the bed, and drew him into my embrace.
He laid his head on my chest. "I love hearing your heart beat."
"You know, I was miserable without you. The day you left, I freaked out so badly that I shattered all the windows in this room. Kaitlyn had to mind control me to sleep."
He lifted his head and looked at me. "Seriously?"
I nodded, embarrassed. "I couldn't control my emotions and it got scary. I'm still working on it, but I need to know that you won't get mad and leave me again. I can't handle that kind of pain, and it's dangerous for everyone when I'm emotionally compromised. Are you truly in this for forever?"
He shifted over and laid next to me. "I let my own insecurities get the better of me. I have never had such strong feelings for anyone, and I acted like a little kid when I thought maybe you didn't feel the same way. If I would have stopped for a minute and thought about it, I would have remembered that this is your first relationship, and it's normal to have reservations when you are new at something. I should have told you how much I love you and reassured you that our love isn't just a product of the Link, but how we truly feel about each other."
I sighed. "I shouldn't have doubted my feelings. Just because I have never felt it before, doesn't mean that it's not real. I knew the moment I said it that I didn't really mean it, and I hurried back to tell you, but by then, you were already gone. This has been the most painful time of my life and I never want to feel this way again."
He lifted my hand and touched my ring. "I swear on my immortal life that you never will." He kissed me softly.
I pulled the blankets over us and snuggled into him, finally feeling whole again.
A/N-DId you see that one coming? Now that Katie finally has Dustin back, do you think she will be able to concentrate better? Vote and comment below! Luvs as always!! AM ð PS Do you like Katie's ring?