CHAPTER 45
EMMA
Marriage isn’t for the fainthearted.
So we’re eloping. Sort of.
Aiden and I decided to have a small wedding. Luckily their pastor has agreed to marry us in his office.
Only Zac, Aiden’s parents, and Wyatt will be there with us.
Even though I met Aiden’s parents and Wyatt at a lunch, I’m still nervous to see them today. The lunch was a wonderful experience, but I still need to get used to how loving they are as a family. At least I feel safe and secure with Katia and Colton having been imprisoned behind bars.
There’s a soft knock at the door. “Hello, darlin’,” Mrs. Holden greets me warmly as she comes into the bedroom. “You look gorgeous.”
I’m wearing a plain silk dress. Really, nothing spectacular. It got my attention because it has no frills. Long sleeves, tight bodice, then it hangs straight down in pleats.
I feel feminine in it. I have my hair pinned up with butterfly clips. Gran loved butterflies, and I’m wearing them so she’ll be with me today.
“Hi, Mrs. Holden,” I say, giving her an anxious smile.
“You can’t call me that forever, Emma. Either call me Tessa or Mama,” she says. “I’d prefer Mama though.”
I nod so I don’t have to answer this instant.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
“Yes,” I smile, but take hold of her hand to hold her back. “Before we go, I’d like to thank you for raising such a wonderful man. Because of you being such a good mother, I’m marrying a great man. I hope I can learn from you one day.”
Oh hell, I’m gonna cry before I even get to Aiden.
Mrs. Holden flicks a tear from her cheek. “It’s my pleasure, darlin’. You enjoy him. Welcome to the family. I’ll be more than happy to be a mama to you.”
I see the honesty shining through her grey eyes, the same eyes as Aiden’s, and I feel hopeful about my future as her daughter-in-law.
“Mama… uhm…” My cheeks flush, but I push through. Slowly, I lean into her and hug her. Her arms wrap around me, hugging me like I’ve dreamt Mom would hug me.
“Thank you for taking me to the church, Mama,” I whisper.
I’m going to look like a bloody panda because I’m crying happy tears in my mother-in-law’s arms.
I pull back, and we both laugh as we quickly fix our make-up.
This is all I ever wanted.
A family.
CHAPTER 46
AIDEN
“Do women have this set rule about makin’ a man wait?” I ask Zac when Emma is ten minutes late.
“Laurie was only five minutes late,” he grins at me.
Wyatt comes running up the stairs of the church. “She’s here!”
“Breathe, Aiden. Blue is not a good skin color,” Zac jokes, and I punch him on the arm.
I walk to the stairs with a huge smile on my face. My eyes are glued to the door, then finally Mama appears with Emma at her side.
Fuck, my wife-to-be is beautiful.
Then my heart expands impossibly as Mama presses a kiss to Emma’s cheek.
Damn, I’m gonna cry.
Emma lets go and climbs the stairs toward me. She takes my breath away with the dress falling softly around her slender frame.
“Hi,” she whispers as she reaches me.
“Hi,” I whisper back, no doubt with a dumbass smile on my face. “You look breathtakin’.”
“You don’t clean up too bad yourself, Detective,” she teases as her eyes drift over the charcoal-colored suit I’m wearing. “It matches your eyes.”
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“Since the day I met you,” she answers.
Taking her hand, I lead her to Pastor Doug’s office.
The ceremony begins, and everything goes well until Paster Doug asks, “Does anyone here have any reason why these two should not be joined together in holy matrimony?”
“I do,” Emma suddenly says next to me.
I swear my heart stops.
“I mean, I have something I’d like to say to Aiden if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” Pastor Doug says.
I turn to face Emma, and she has that look in her eyes which makes me feel like I can conquer the world.
I can’t swallow past the lump pushing up my throat.
“Aiden,” she starts, “Gran once told me that if you give yourself to a person, you give them part of your soul. I’m glad half of my soul is with you. You’re my soulmate in every way.”
I don’t give a damn as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“You have all of my heart, Emma,” I whisper with the little voice I have left.
After we say our vows, promising ourselves to each other, Pastor Doug announces, “I give you Mr. and Mrs. Holden.”
Not caring about my parents or Pastor Doug, I kiss my wife.
The day after the wedding, I take Emma to Oceans Isle beach for our honeymoon. That’s where she gave herself to me, even if it was an epic failure as far as first times go.
Getting out of the car, I take her hand and press a kiss to her ring finger.
“Close your eyes for me, please. Just for a few seconds,” I say.
I watch her eyes flutter closed and take a second to look at her.
My wife.
I pick her up and carry her into the cottage. Emma lets out a bubble of laughter as she wraps her arms around my neck.
Standing in front of the wall, I say, “You can open them.”
“What did you do?”
“Look at the wall, Em.”
She turns her head as I lower her feet to the floor. Her lips part as emotion washes over her face, and she steps forward to touch one of the photos.
Mama had to rush to get the photos from our wedding up before we got here. I owe her the biggest bunch of flowers.
“You’re a part of a family now,” I whisper. A tear rolls down her cheek, and I wipe it away as I frame her face and press a kiss to her lips. “I love you, Em.”
“I love you most.”
(1 year later…)
Christmas was an experience, but then, every day is an experience with Emma.
We’ve had a great summer, and Emma has found her happy zone, volunteering at a home for the elderly three times a week. It keeps her busy for now until our daughter is born.
I go looking for Emma, and I find her outside, looking up, at the migrating Monarchs. They migrate up North every year, and sometimes, they pass by. But this year, there seem to be hundreds of them as they form a colorful cloud around Emma.
“Gran, I miss you, too.” I hear her whisper, and I stop walking towards her, giving her this moment. “It’s never goodbye, Gran. I love you,” she says.
I wrap my arms around her, resting my hands on her growing baby bump. She leans back against my chest placing her hands over mine.
“Hey, wife of mine. They sure are pretty,” I whisper so I won’t disturb the beautiful moment.
She turns in my arms. “You think we can name our baby girl Laurie Margarette Holden? The second name is Gran’s name.”
“I’d like that a lot. I think Laurie and gran would’ve liked it too.”
Emma rests her cheek against my chest, and we watch the butterflies dance around the yard.
Life with Emma is a dream, and I don’t ever want to wake up.
The End
SOUTHERN HEROES SERIES
If you loved The Ocean Between Us, then you’ll be happy to know that the series continues with Cole’s book in The Girl In The Closet.
Wyatt’s book - All The Wasted Time.
Alex’s book – The Lies We Tell Ourselves.
Zac’s book – We Were Lost.
Aiden’s book – The Fire Between Us.
About The Author
Michelle is a Bestselling Romance Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She loves an alpha hero who is not afraid to fight for his woman.
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Acknowledgments
Sheldon, you hold my heart in your hands. Thank you for being the light to my darkness. You’re not just my son, but my best friend, my soul mate, my past, my present, and my future. I live for you.
Allyson & Leeann, thank you so much for letting me run my crazy ideas by you, and for brainstorming with me.
Elaine, Jennifer, Kelly, Kristine, Laura, Leeann, Morgan, and Sheena thank you for being the godparents of my paper-baby.
Josephine & Sam, thank you for keeping me sane during the cover reveal.
Sybil, thank you for the breathtakingly stunning cover.
Neda, thank you for your badass PR skills, and for always being patient with me.
A special thank you to every blogger and reader that took the time to take part in the cover reveal and release day.
Love,
Michelle.
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The Ocean Between Us (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 1) Page 22