by Elena Aitken
With a chuckle, and probably a roll of his eyes, the pastor declared them husband and wife. Mitch wrapped her in his arms, dipped her low and kissed her so thoroughly, they might have been the only ones in the room.
A cheer went up among their friends and family. They turned to face the gathered group and the pastor announced them for the first time. “I give you, Mr. and Mrs. McCormick.”
The cheer grew louder, but Jade turned to Mitch and said, “I think I might keep my last name. At least professionally.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, babe.”
Happiness and warmth filled her. This man was absolutely perfect. And he was hers.
Chapter Eighteen
Mitch could happily have slept all day with his wife in his arms. However, his new bride was an early riser and when he woke, keenly aware that she was no longer in his arms, he tugged on a pair of shorts and went in search of her.
The living room of their new home was a mess from the night before. They’d feasted on the delicious food Jax Carver from the Springs restaurant had created for them, danced the night away to Slade Black’s music, and when he wanted to join in, to some playlists that had been created, and finally, when Mitch couldn’t stand one more minute, he kicked everyone out so he could be alone with his wife. Cleanup hadn’t seemed as important as taking his bride to bed.
As far as Mitch was concerned, the mess could keep waiting.
Jade sat on the deck, wrapped in a blanket from the bed, her hands wrapped around her knees. Mitch moved up behind her and kissed her neck. “Good morning, Mrs. McCormick.”
She turned to him and kissed his lips. “Mmm. I do like the sound of that.”
“So do I,” he said. “A lot.” Mitch sat down in the chair next to her and took her hand.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Mitch asked, “How are you feeling this morning? About everything.”
“So good.” Jade turned in her chair and grabbed his other hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. And this place, this view.” She turned out to the lake again. “It’s amazing. But I have a question for you.”
“Anything.”
“This house…Deanna said it was for sale and I know you bought one the other day. But…can we…”
His smile split his face. “It’s ours. I closed on it a few days ago and then Milena sweet-talked the previous owner into letting me have a super-fast possession.”
“What? This is the house you bought?”
He nodded. “It’s one of those things that just kind of fell into place. And I knew the second I saw the house that I wanted to be here with you. And it’s the perfect place for a family, don’t you think?”
She nodded. “I do.” Jade laughed. “I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot lately.”
Mitch moved so he was out of the chair and in front of her. He held both her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes. “I hope you say that every day for the rest of your life, babe. Because I intend to spend the rest of my days making you happier than you’ve ever been and I can’t wait to give you the family you never had.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her. He could hardly believe his luck. Not only had he found the perfect woman for him, despite his best efforts to screw it up, he’d married her. Life couldn’t get any better.
“I wish I could give you a honeymoon,” Mitch said a few minutes later. “But Gwen said something about the show and how you were going to start filming soon, plus I need to make arrangements with Principal Crane. I heard there might be an opening at the school for me.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “You do agree that Cedar Springs is the perfect place to raise a family, don’t you?” There was so much they still had to talk about. Fortunately, they had the rest of their lives to sort out the details.
“Absolutely.” She smiled, full of contentment, and turned to look out at the lake again. “It’s just beautiful here and peaceful. You were so lucky to have spent summers out here. And how great that all your brothers and your mom were here.”
He felt a flicker of guilt. “I’m sorry your mom wasn’t here.”
“No.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’m not. It wouldn’t have been right. Not last night. But soon, okay? I want you to meet her, and I want her to come here and see our love and that it can be different than what she experienced. You never know—maybe she’ll finally have her own happy ending.”
“It could happen.” He reached for her hand again. “As soon as you want, we’ll have her here. In our home.”
She squeezed his hand. “I like the sound of that. Our home. One more thing, Mitch?”
“Anything, babe.”
She stood, and he joined her at the deck rail. “Right there.” He followed her hand to where she pointed down to the lake. “We need a dock and a boat of our own.”
“A boat?”
There was a wicked glint in her eye. “Definitely. Just because we’re married now it doesn’t mean that our little boat rendezvouses will end, does it?”
Damn. He was a lucky man.
Mitch reached for Jade, pulling her in for a deep kiss full of promise of what would come. “I promise you, babe. Even when we have five little kids running around, those will never end.”
“Five?” She pulled back, a look of shock on her face.
“Oh, at least five,” he joked. “I plan on keeping you very busy. In fact, I think we should get started right now.”
It was Jade’s turn to laugh. She swatted him playfully. “We already did get started, remember?”
His hands went protectively to her belly. He bent and gave it a gentle kiss, before giving her a much more passionate one. “Then, I think we should get a bit more practice in, don’t you?”
Before she could answer, he scooped her up easily in his arms and carried his wife over the threshold and into their new house.
THE END
If you enjoyed Only for a Moment, you’ll probably like the next in the series, One more Moment available for pre-order NOW. In the meantime make sure you have read Love in the Moment the first in the McCormick Series. And for more free books and exciting news make sure to stay in touch with me!
Also by Elena Aitken
The McCormicks
Love in the Moment
Going for the Moment - Kindle World
Only for a Moment
One more Moment
In this Moment
The Springs Series
Summer of Change
Falling Into Forever
Winter’s Burn
Midnight Springs
Second Glances
She’s Making A List
The Seasons: Volume 1
The Seasons: Volume 2
Fighting For Forever
The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
The Springs—Stone Summit
Summit of Desire
Summit of Seduction
Summit of Passion
Stone Summit Trilogy
Destination Paradise
Shelter by the Sea
Escape to the Sun
Hidden in the Sand - Available Winter 2017
Bears of Grizzly Ridge
His to Protect
His to Seduce
His to Claim
Hers to Take
Castle Mountain Lodge
Unexpected Gifts
Hidden Gifts
Unexpected Endings - Short Story
Mistaken Gifts
Secret Gifts
Goodbye Gifts
Tempting Gifts
Holiday Gifts
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 1-4
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 5-8
Escape Collection
Nothing Stays in Vegas
Return to Vegas
Drawing Free
Sugar Crash
Composing Myself
Betty & Veroni
ca
The Escape Collection
Halfway Series
Halfway to Nowhere
Halfway in Between
Halfway to Christmas
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The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
Promised Gifts
Pre-order today Promised Gifts!
You're invited back to Castle Mountain Lodge!
For as long as she could remember, Marissa Duncan had been completely and totally in love with her older brother’s best friend. She spent her teenage years secretly crushing on Nick Slater until one day—sure he felt the same way— she got up the courage to tell him how she felt.
But instead of reciprocating her affection, the boy she’d fallen in love with had laughed in her face and sent her away broken hearted.
It’s been five years since Nick has seen Marissa Duncan. Five years that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her and what could have been if he’d followed his heart the night she’d confessed her love to him. But the timing hadn’t been right, and there was a code between friends. He couldn’t date his best friends little sister. No matter what.
For five years, Marissa has managed to avoid Nick, but there will be no way to avoid him at her brother’s wedding at Castle Mountain Lodge, the most romantic location in the Rockies. Especially since Nick’s the best man, and she’s agreed to be the maid of honor. She has no reason to be nervous, after all, she’s no longer the awkward, uncertain teenager she once was. Besides, what she felt for Nick was only a childhood crush.
Things have changed.
Haven’t they?
~A sweet contemporary romance~
Author's note: While Promised Gifts can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel, check out the rest of the Castle Mountain Lodge Series for more mountain romance!
Unexpected Gifts--(Colin & Andi)
Hidden Gifts--(Bo & Morgan)
Mistaken Gifts--(Jeff & Eva)
Secret Gifts--(Gage & Megan)
Goodbye Gifts--(Dylan & Carmen)
Tempting Gifts--(Jason & Lisa)
Holiday Gifts--(Ryan & Julie)
Promised Gifts -- (Nick & Marissa)
Pre-order today Promised Gifts!
About the Author
Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than twenty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins and their two cats, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after.
To learn more about Elena:
www.elenaaitken.com
[email protected]
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Copyright © 2017 by Elena Aitken
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.