Kinkade, Lea - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? [The Chisholms of Texas 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)
Page 18
As he pulled up to his parents’ house, his father stepped out of the house, looking at him questioningly. Nodding to his father in silent understanding, Xander walked past him and into the house. Once inside, several of the women exclaimed at his early arrival, teasing him that he was too anxious. His mother came out from the kitchen area to see what all the ruckus was about. Her smile falling at his grim look, she nodded her head in understanding and said quietly, “She’s in your old room. She just got back from getting her hair done.”
Nodding to his mother, he allowed her to give him a soft hug of encouragement before he headed down the hallway. He could hear his mother’s soft voice behind him as she tried to come up with an explanation to placate all of the watching women. Knocking softly on the door, he slowly opened it when he heard her voice tell him to come in. As she turned around and saw him standing in the doorway, her smile fell and she looked at him with concern. “You’re not supposed to be here. It’s bad luck,” she joked.
“Angel,” he started haltingly. “I need to tell you something before you marry me today. I’m hoping that after I tell you what I need to that you’ll let me explain and that you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me and make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me today. Either way, I need you to know the truth so you can decide for yourself.”
“You’re scaring me, Xander.” She sat unsteadily on the bed. “Okay. Tell me.”
“I need to start by telling you about Sophie.” He saw her wince but proceeded to tell her the whole story about what had happened twelve years ago on what should have been his wedding day to another woman. Once he was finished, he pulled her up into his arms and looked deeply into her eyes.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Xander. Now I understand your reaction on our first night together when you thought I'd lied to you about being on the pill. It also explains some other things that happened during our relationship. Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“No, angel, I haven’t told you the whole truth about the night you collapsed at the house.” Xander had to take a deep breath for the courage to tell her the whole truth. “Before you collapsed that night, we’d had an argument.”
“Xander, stop.”
“No, angel. I need you to know everything that happened that night.” He was dogged in his determination to tell her everything that had gone on that night.
“Xander,” she interrupted again. “Stop. I already know all about that night.”
“You can’t, angel, or you wouldn’t be so calm. I said some horrible things to you. Unforgivable things.” He trailed off, not able to say any more.
“Horrible, yes. Unforgivable, no.” Jordan spoke softly and gently took his big hands in hers. “I remember everything you said that night, Xander. Everything. I’ve remembered it since I woke up in the hospital. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought I didn’t remember it, or I would have told you a long time ago.”
Pulling him down to sit on the end of the bed, Jordan continued, “I remembered everything that happened that night the first time I woke up in the hospital. I couldn’t see you, but I could hear you snoring. Every time I woke up, you were there, showing your love and support for me. I knew that you hadn’t really meant what you said to me. I knew that it really didn’t have anything to do with me and our situation. Don’t get me wrong, I was devastated that night by what you said to me, and I was very hurt thinking you didn’t love me. But your actions right after I collapsed and at the hospital showed me that you did love me, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself.”
Giving him a gentle kiss on the lips, she went on. “The more I thought about it, I knew there had to be a reason you’d reacted so horribly when I had told you I was pregnant. I knew you had been hurt by Sophie and that it had something to do with a pregnancy. I figured you would tell me when you were ready, and that it was still too raw for you to talk about it.”
Holding his face between both of her hands, she pulled him down for a quick kiss. “Thank you for loving me enough to make sure I knew the truth before we got married so I could make up my own mind with all the facts before me. It means a lot to me that you would take such a chance and make yourself so vulnerable to me.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t know how you were feeling over the past few weeks and how guilty you must have felt. I forgave you for the things you said even before you brought me home. I don’t want you to feel guilty anymore. I love you.” He could see the conviction in her eyes. “I know you love me and our baby.”
“I do, angel.” He was thankful every second of every day that fate had brought her into his life. “I really do.”
“Well, if you still plan on marrying me today, you’d better get out of here. No need to push the bad-luck thing anymore than we have already.” Grinning, she stood up from her seat on the bed.
Pulling her up into his arms, he caught her mouth in a fervent, wet kiss then quickly left the room.
* * * *
Xander watched Jordan walking down the aisle toward him on his father’s arm. She was a vision in ivory satin and lace. The dress was very similar to Jessie’s. It had the same spaghetti straps and a fitted bodice that hugged her newly lush breasts. The skirt part of the dress draped around her body from just below her breasts to her pretty little feet encased in ivory sandals. The way the skirt draped around her waist, he doubted anybody could even see the baby bump she had started sporting in the past week. The dress also had a small train that shouldn't hinder them while they were dancing tonight. To top it off, she had a veil that draped over her beautiful face. She was walking toward him with a serene smile, and he responded to it with an answering grin. He was one lucky man.
* * * *
My, he fills out that tux nicely, thought Jordan. She couldn’t wait to see him tonight at the reception with his jacket off. She bet those pants hugged his strong, muscular thighs and tight ass just right. Mmm. Mmm. Her man was some serious eye candy. She was one lucky girl.
The preacher started the ceremony, and both Jordan and Xander answered where appropriate. Both were too intent on thinking about being in each other’s arms after the ceremony to listen to all the words the preacher spoke. Finally, the preacher said the words they had both been waiting for, “You may kiss the bride.”
Taking hold of the veil on either side of her face, Xander lifted the filmy confection over her head, leaving her face completely open to his gaze. For a moment, he simply looked at her, letting the depth of his love for her shine through his eyes. Jordan looked back at him with tears in her eyes.
Xander asked her with a sexy smile, “Are you gonna kiss me or not?” Reaching over and taking his face between her hands, she pulled his face down to hers and laid a long, hot kiss on his mouth.
Xander returned her kiss fully and took her into his arms, crushing her to his body. Catcalls and whistles started in the audience as the couple showed no signs of letting go of each other. Not knowing what else to do, the preacher lifted his hands up in defeat and, with a grin, said to the audience, “May I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Xander Chisholm.”
THE END
WWW.LEAKINKADE.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lea Kinkade lives and writes in the Midwest. Since her young teens, when she discovered the happily ever after of romance novels, she has always been an avid reader. Although she fantasized about writing her own romance novels while in college, it wasn’t until she began reading erotic romance that the idea really took hold.
Once the idea for the first series of books came to her, she couldn’t ignore her dream anymore. Literally putting pen to paper, she wrote her first erotic romance, and hasn’t stopped yet.
Lea has been married to her husband for twelve years and has three wonderful children and two Yorkie-Poos who keep her on her toes. When not writing, Lea is busy with her husband and kids, volunteering at her children’s school, scrapbooking, or reading almost anything she can download onto her Kindle.
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