She sat down next to me and raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Okay, hotshot. What is it? I have a wedding to get to.”
“We always used to come here. Remember?” I held her hand in mind and she tangled our fingers together. “Sneak cigarettes and come here to this bench and listened to music and talk shit and get dirty looks from the old folks.”
“Of course, I remember,” Sierra murmured.
“Once, somewhere around tenth grade, I had to come here with my parents,” I said, staring off across the grass toward those willows where we’d soon be getting married. “You were supposed to have come but then something came up, I guess. Or your parents changed their minds. And you weren’t here. I was so upset you weren’t here and I couldn’t hang out with you.” I laughed softly to myself. I had been in such painful, aching, all encompassing love for so long. “And I carved this into the tree…”
I shifted around and tapped a spot on the maple’s trunk right behind me and Sierra turned, following my finger.
J.F. + S.L.
There was a heart drawn around it. I watched Sierra’s mouth drop open.
“I’ve never seen that!” Sierra said. She reached over to trace her finger along the grooves of the letters etched into the bark.
“That’s because I never showed you,” I said, shrugging. “I loved you. I love you.” I leaned forward and kissed her softly. “My beautiful mate.”
Sierra beamed at me and said, “Let’s get married, Jude.”
I had five groomsmen, the men of my Alpha Dragon Club. Michael had even flown home from some trip to Poland to be at my wedding and Jessie had lost out on some lucrative job (he never told us what he did but most of us thought he was in the mob). I stood at the end of their line, the six of us in our sleek black suits. The wedding was well attended, though a lot of the guests were for the sake of our parents. Still, it was nice to look out and see old friends I haven't talked to in a while. Everyone looked so happy for us. It was a nice feeling though again, I felt antsy, shifting from foot to foot as I waited for the ceremony to begin.
Finally, the music played, and Sierra came walking down the aisle as everyone stood, arm and arm with her father.
The ceremony went by in a bit of a blur after that.
The reception, on the other hand, was quite a party. It was held in the country club’s ballroom and spilled out into the patios and lawns. Sierra and I could not seem to stop dancing. We felt like teenagers, the two of us unable to take our eyes off each other and pleasantly buzzed. I was more than pleased when Sierra gave me that heated look of hers and grabbed me by the tux to pull me into one of the little sitting rooms where old men drink brandy just to make out with me for a while.
We kept ignoring our guests in favor of each other but we were finally corralled back inside for toasts and the father and daughter dance and before we knew it, the reception was ending. It had gone so fast. On one hand, it had been a complicated event, and I was glad this part was done. But it had been a fun day with my best friend in the world and that had been a blast.
“We’re going to see you off, dear!” Sierra’s mother said, coming up behind her, as the two of us slow danced. Some guests were beginning to leave, but I had another surprise for Sierra. It was sappy of me but leading up to this wedding, all I’d been able to think about was our history together. I’d figured, revisiting it would be a way to celebrate our love.
“Seeing us off where?” Sierra said. We’d changed into more casual clothes. Sierra was wearing a white sundress, and I was in a button-up and jeans because I knew where we were going after this, before we left for our honeymoon.
“It’s a surprise,” I said, taking her hand and throwing her a wink.
We left the party with about a million handshakes and promises to “get together” soon but our closest friends and family stayed behind to go on a walk with us (or rather with me as Sierra had no idea what was happening) out of the club and along a dirt path to a hidden spot on the side of the hill beyond the golf course.
“Where are we going?” Sierra said as the sun set on the horizon.
“Just a little night out to an old favorite spot,” I said, giving her a wink. Everyone with us was a shifter and I gave Sierra a nod and then the two of us shifted, and soared off into the sky, the two of us joined now, never to be parted.
The flight to Coney Island was short and I could feel how delighted Sierra was as she flew beside me, trusting in whatever it was I’d planned for us, until we finally landed in the sand on the beach, not far from the little amusement park. She’d know without me having to tell her. We’d been to Coney Island lots of times over the years. But it was the first big fun thing we’d done together as friends when we’d first met. In fact, I’d convinced her to ditch school. Sierra had always been such a good student, but every once in a while, I got her to cut loose. We’d had so much fun that day. Returning to the scene of the crime had seemed like the perfect tribute.
Sierra and I shifted back into human form on the sand and she ran up to me, throwing her arms around my neck. “You are so romantic! What a sap!”
“I’m only a sap for you,” I said, kissing her cheek.
Sierra nuzzled my nose, and we swayed there for a while, under the still setting sun, content to rest there in each other’s arms and bask in the love and connection we shared.
“I’ll bet you throw up on The Cyclone,” Sierra whispered in my ear.
I snorted a laugh and nibbled on her ear. “That happened one time!”
“Will you play a game and win me something?” Sierra said, pulling away but yanking on my hand, pulling me toward the park.
“I will if you play a game and win me something,” I said.
“Deal!” Sierra said. “Race you!”
She took off running in the sand and I followed, yelping in surprise. It was just the beginning of everything. The beginning of forever.
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Check out Forbidden Shifter Protectors Boxset of the Quinton Shifters Series.
I didn’t want to resist her. I had to.
As a Tremblay brother, I’m loyal to my wolf clan.
Which means that I have a set of rules to follow.
Rules that wouldn’t let me quench my desire for Michelle.
For one, she’s human.
Absolutely forbidden.
Secondly, I’m her boss.
And third, making a move on her would mean betraying my pack.
This is nothing but torture.
Having to look the other way when she’s all I obsess over.
I want to make her mine.
Claim every inch of her delicious curves.
But when my obsession gets the better of me...
I have to pay for what I’ve done.
Michelle is pregnant
I’m about to gain a family… does that mean I lose everything else in the process?
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About the Author
Abigail is a very romantic and open minded lady. She writes mainly Paranormal Shifter Romance and Contemporary Romance. She loves spending time with her 2 finicky cats, her 2 shy dogs (they are twin sisters) and her husband. She lives in Lewisville, Texas and LOVES it there!
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Copyright © 2018 by Abigail Raines
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Alpha Dragon's Second Chance
Alpha Dragon's Second Chance Page 15