Remember Love (The Forever Love Series)

by Rhea Rhea

  We ended up talking on the phone for about an hour before I felt like I could fall asleep again. Before I hung up, he told me not to forget to let him know when and where he should meet me later that day. Like I would forget.

  Standing here now, looking into the mirror at myself, I’m glad I decided against traditional wedding finery. Long dresses and heels don’t belong where we’ll be going. My mom steps into the room a few minutes later, and I can see the tears in her eyes as she looks me over.

  I wrap my arms around her, telling her not to cry. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too, baby girl. I’m really happy you and Tucker are finally getting your happy ever after.”

  I hug her tighter and fight my own tears. I know she still feels bad over what she did, but Tucker and I have forgiven her. It’s not important anymore, we may have missed out on some years together, but we are here now and that’s all that matters.

  Mom steps away, wiping her eyes and asks if I’m ready. I nod and smile. I’m so ready. Grabbing my phone, I text Tucker. It’s time to have a wedding.

  * * *

  Tucker

  The big day is finally here. Her mom was adamant that she stay with her last night. I did everything I could to keep her here, though, successfully wearing us both out. I couldn’t sleep without her and was so happy to hear my phone ring at one in the morning. We talked for a long time, until we finally were too sleepy to talk any longer.

  I was up with the sun this morning, too anxious to lie around. I took my first shower alone since the morning I was making plans to go ring shopping. I’ve been ready to go for a couple hours now. Pacing back and forth, I’m wearing a hole in the carpet waiting on Brenna to text me.

  It feels like I have waited my whole life to make Brenna my wife, you’d think I could wait a few more hours. I try to watch TV, but it doesn’t hold my attention. I can’t sit still. I have to move. I keep checking my phone to see if she’s called or text. The waiting is driving me insane.

  Finally, my phone beeps. When I unlock the screen, seeing her name, I almost drop to my knees to thank God.

  Brenna: Feel like getting married today?

  Tucker: Absolutely

  Brenna: see u in 30 our spot.

  I don’t even text her back. I’m out the door and in my truck in no time. I know where I’ve got to go and I’m not wasting any time in getting there.

  Once I hit the main roads, I slow down and follow the speed limit, thankful for living in a small town that has little traffic. Within ten minutes, I’m pulling down the driveway towards our spot. I see everyone except Brenna, Lexi and her Pa, already standing there, talking and watching as I get out of my truck. As I make my way towards our friends and family, I’m tempted to text her and tell her time’s up. The next twenty minutes are going to be hell.

  * * *

  Brenna

  These last fifteen minutes have felt like an hour, time seems to have slowed to a crawl. I wonder if Tucker is here yet. If he is, I’m ready to get this show on the road. I look over at Lexi, for the hundredth time in the past few minutes. She has her phone in her hand, probably texting Spencer.

  “Ask him if Tucker is here.”

  She rolls her eyes but starts typing anyway. When her phone vibrates in her hand, I want to snatch it away. She begins laughing before she tells me what it says.

  “Spencer said they won’t need to mow out there for a while. Tucker is wearing the grass down, he’s pacing so much.”

  It’s good to know I’m not the only impatient one. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “It’s not time yet.” She says with a laugh. This earns her a scowl which only makes her laugh harder.

  “We’ll walk slowly.” I say. We walk into the living room and see my Pa sitting there waiting on us. “Pa, it’s time.”

  Once we are in the yard, I can see everyone in the distance. I see what Spencer meant too. Tucker is pacing back and forth. It’s time to put him out of his misery.

  My isle is made of dirt and gravel. A path I’ve traveled many times. Every time I walked it, or ran it, was almost always leading me to the same destination. Tucker. This is where it all began for us, right here on this farm. This is where I want to marry the man that stole my heart so long ago.

  When we get to the edge of the field, we are right in front of our tree. Everyone but Tucker turns to look at us before taking their places. There is nothing to display that a wedding is about to take place. Mom wanted to decorate around the tree, but I told her no. This old tree holds a lot of memories for Tucker and me. I didn’t want anything other than to marry him under the branch we spent so much time on.

  As soon as I take my first step into the grass, Tucker stops pacing and turns abruptly. The biggest, most beautiful smile spreads across his handsome face and I’m sure I’m smiling just as big, right back at him. No one else may understand why I chose this spot, but he does. He gets it and if the smile across his face is anything to go by, he’s happy I chose it.

  He looks gorgeous as always, but today he is wearing a cream button down, his jeans, and his boots. His shirt matches my dress perfectly. My Pa leads me to him and places my hand in Tucker’s, as we step under our tree.

  The preacher asks, “Who gives this woman to this man?”

  A chorus of “we all do” rang out behind us, making the preacher laugh right along with everyone else.

  We listen as he begins the traditional wedding vows. When it came time to say our part, the preacher looks at Tucker and tells him to repeat after him. I watch as Tucker shakes his head and tells the preacher he has this part.

  “I, Tucker, take you, Brenna, to be my wife, to have and to hold, through it all. No matter what life throws at us, from this day forth, I promise to be right there by your side. I promise to honor and cherish and forsake all others, till death do us part. I promise to love you and our children with every breath I take and every beat of my heart. I’ve loved you for more years than I haven’t and I plan to love you in this life and the next.”

  So much for not crying. Tears are streaming down my face and his fingers are there to catch them, rubbing the moisture into his skin, and absorbing my tears as I did his not so long ago.

  He slides the band over my left finger. Taking my right hand, he removes my engagement ring and places it back on my ring finger with my wedding band. He then brings my hand to his mouth and places a kiss right over them. Sealing his promises and vows with a kiss.

  The preacher is looking at me and I know it’s my turn. Looking up at Tucker, all I can see is love. It’s radiating off of him and right into me.

  * * *

  Tucker

  I said hello to everyone when I first got here, then began pacing again. Brenna picked the perfect spot for us to be married. Five weeks ago today, we sat in that tree and began finding our way back to one another. There is no other place in the world I’d rather vow eternity with her.

  Spencer tried to stop me from pacing, but he didn’t have any luck. Even though he told me I didn’t have any reason to be nervous, that didn’t stop my hands from shaking in anticipation. I looked at him like he was crazy. I’m not nervous. I’m anxious and ready to marry the woman that God made especially for me.

  I didn’t even notice when everyone stopped talking. Then I felt her. As soon as her feet stepped on the grass. I knew she was there.

  My eyes drank in the sight of her standing there, with her arm through Lewis’s. She was wearing a cream colored strapless dress that hit her right above the knees. When my eyes made it to her feet, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. She had her boots on. When I meet her eyes, her smile matches mine.

  It’s not long before Lewis is placing her hand in mine and the preacher is asking who gives her to me. I hear them all at once say “we all do.” When it was time for me to say my vows, I had more I needed to say than the traditional mumbo jumbo, so I took over. Now it’s Brenna’s turn and I have to force myself to stand still. I’m s
o ready to kiss my bride. Brenna smiles up at me and then she begins.

  “I, Brenna, take you, Tucker, to be my husband, to have and to hold whenever I damn well please. Through it all, no matter what life throws at us. I’ll be there, right beside you. I also promise to honor and cherish you as well as forsake all others till death do us part. I also promise to love you and any children we have with every breath I take and every beat of my heart. We have a forever kind of love. I will be forever yours in this life and the next. And from this day forward, I will show you, every day, how happy I am that you came back into my life and made me remember love.”

  Brenna reaches up and wipes away the tears I can’t hold back. The same thing I did to her moments before. She rubs them into her skin, absorbing a part of me into her. She slides a wide band on my finger and brings my hand to her mouth to place a kiss atop it. We don’t even bother to look at the preacher when she’s done. We’re too focused on each other.

  When he pronounces us man and wife, and tells me that I may now kiss my bride. She’s off her feet and in my arms, her arms and legs locked tight around me before bride leaves his mouth. We don’t break apart until we hear Lexi’s big mouth.

  “Who brought the popcorn?”

  Of course, the four of us are the only ones who know what she’s talking about and begin to laugh. When I place Brenna back on her feet, we notice everyone else is walking towards the house. We both turn and look at our tree, our special spot. The place that holds so many of our memories.

  “I’d offer you a lift up there, but you went and got yourself knocked up.”

  Brenna turns and looks at me, “I think you had something to do with that, Tucker Wade.”

  “Oh, yes, I did and I enjoyed every single second of it.”

  Brenna smiles up at me and places her hand over her stomach. “You think our children will climb our tree one day?”

  Pulling her back up against my chest, I place my hand on top of hers. “I’m counting on it. And if their lucky they’ll find love here, just like we did.”

  We stand there under our tree, for a little longer, before making our way back down the driveway toward the house. We walk hand in hand, just like we did so many years ago and like we’ll do for many years to come.

  I found everything I ever wanted here, on this farm, almost fifteen years ago. I may have lost her for a little while, but now we have it back and it’s so much stronger. No one or nothing will ever come between us again. Brenna was right when she said we have a forever kind of love. No matter what life throws at you, never forget the one’s you love, and if you do, well, do what we did. Just sit back and let the memories take over until you remember love.

  Epilogue

  Brenna

  8 months later…

  Life is good. Everything has been great between Tucker and me. I have no complaints, well, except I haven’t seen my feet in about two months now. Tucker assures me they’re still there and that I’m wearing the same shoes. He also doesn’t miss an opportunity to make me feel gorgeous, even with this enormous belly which has become my new table and arm rest.

  It’s been an easy pregnancy, though, so I can’t complain. I had to persuade Tucker to wait to fix up the nursery. He wanted to start on it the week after we were married. I held him off until after my first doctor’s appointment when we heard our baby’s heartbeat. Then we were crib shopping.

  When we found out we were having a boy, well, there was no stopping him then. Between Tucker and our mom’s, the nursery has been ready and waiting for almost three months now. There is even a little pair of jeans and boots waiting for him to grow into, sitting on top of his dresser.

  Tucker took off work this past week, after the doctor told us it could be any day now. Any day now needs to come on. We’re both ready to meet this little man we created. I’ve been having contractions for the past two hours, but haven’t bothered to get Tucker up yet, because they were too far apart. Now, not so much and I think it just might be time to go to the hospital.

  I start running my hand up and down the arm that is wrapped around me, knowing he will wake up soon.

  “Tucker.”

  “Yeah, baby?” He replies in a sleepy voice.

  “How you feel about meeting our son today?”

  Talk about a man moving fast. Tucker is up and ready in less than five minutes. I could’ve slowed him down, but it was just too cute to watch.

  * * *

  Tucker

  Brenna laughs at me all the way to the hospital, in between contractions, until they started coming really close together. Watching her laugh as I scrambled to get dressed in record time was kind of funny, now that I think about it. I laugh with her until I see the pain start taking over her face. She says it’s not bad. I don’t believe her. I watched those child birth videos right along with her. I know she’s lying to keep me from worrying.

  It’s not working though. I’m excited to meet our son, but the thought of Brenna being in pain is tearing me apart. I know it’s all a part of the process and I’m okay with that, but I’d still take on all the pain just to keep her from feeling it.

  By the time we reach the hospital, her contractions are about two minutes apart. We barely make it to the OB floor and in a room before they are coming one right after another.

  I send a text to Caroline while the nurses are prepping Brenna. I tell her Brenna is in labor and to call everyone. They better hurry. Our baby isn’t wasting any time. He’s ready to meet the world.

  When the nurse checks Brenna, she confirms that it’s time to start the birth. She hits the call button, and within a few minutes, a doctor is here and Brenna is pushing.

  They ask me if I want to watch from the end of the bed. Shaking my head at her, she tells me to stand at the head of the bed. Instead, I climb in the bed behind my wife and hold her up while she pushes. I’m right where I need to be. I’ll meet him when she does.

  All the horror stories you see and hear, are apparently not always true. Brenna didn’t turn into a monster and her head wasn’t spinning around like in the movie The Exorcist. No cuss words came from her mouth. She didn’t scream and threaten my manhood. She did great and within a few pushes we hear the most beautiful sound in the world.

  Our son’s voice as he cries for the very first time.

  While the doctor finishes and the nurses take our son to do their thing. I hold Brenna and place kisses on any area I can reach.

  When they place our baby in Brenna’s arms, we see him for the first time together, and we are both crying. The emotions you feel, when you see the little person you created, are unreal. This little bundle in her arms is a part of us, something we created from our love. I couldn’t be happier.

  She unwraps him and together we look him over from the top of his little head to the tip of his tiny toes. He’s a good size baby. They said he weighed eight pounds, five ounces, and is twenty two inches long. He has dark hair covering his little head; his eyes look to be dark blue, fat little cheeks, and a tiny dimple in his chin. We count ten little fingers and ten little toes. Pure perfection, just like his mother.

  “Do you want to hold him?”

  “No, I want to hold you both,” I answer, putting my arms around them both, my hands on top of hers.

  Right here in my arms, is my whole world.

  “He needs a name.”

  Yes, he does. We just can’t call him “our son” for the rest of his life.

  “How ‘bout Elijah, we could call him Eli?” Elijah is her Pa’s first name, even though he goes by Lewis. I owe that man every bit of my happiness. If it wasn’t for him giving my dad a job, I may have never met Brenna.

  “Jonathan Elijah Wade,” Brenna turns her head to make sure that’s okay with me, it’s more than okay.

  “Welcome to the world Eli, we’re so happy to meet you.”

  Moments like these, make life worth living and smiles worth having.

  Being married to a history teacher, you’ll learn the world’s
history. Brenna is whispering a quote to Eli that she told me months a go by a man named Confucius. It’s the best advice I’ve ever heard.

  “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

  The End…

  Look for Lexi and Spencer’s story in Book Two of the Forever Love series:

  Someone to Love

  Go to RileyRhea.com and sign up for the mailing list to be notified when a new book is available.

  About Riley Rhea

  Riley Rhea is your typical country girl, born and raised in the Bluegrass. In the last 30 something years, she has successfully brought into this world 3 children, which may or not be claimed by her, depending on their behavior.

  Riley enjoys reading, spending time on the farm and quiet afternoons when those who call her mom leave the house. Riley also loves country music and drools over Luke Bryan. Riley’s biggest fears are crickets and banks.

  Not just an avid reader, Riley is an active blogger and reviews many books during the span of a week when she isn’t writing about her loveable and sexy country boys.

  She’s always had a background in writing, her mother being an author, and one day, out of the blue, 2 characters popped into her head and wouldn’t shut up. After some advice from a good friend, Remember Love was born.

  Thank you all for taking time to get to know Riley a little better. You can always find her on Facebook if y’all want to chat a little more.

  <3 Riley Rhea

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