Learning to Walk Again

by S. L. Kassidy

  Nicole chuckled. “Oh, you’re at the top of the list.” She snuggled in even closer to Danny and glanced at her engagement ring.

  “Next big thing, wedding planning. You ready for that?” Nicole asked.

  Danny laughed. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

  “We’ll take it slow. Get some ideas.” They certainly had time.

  Epilogue

  IT WAS FOUR YEARS to the day since Nicole woke up to find Tyler had left her house and hadn’t taken his cousin with him. It was a day of new beginnings and better times. It started her on a course that changed her life, led her to a new career and Danny told it was like a rebirth for herself. The perfect day to get married. Besides, Nicole had been celebrating this anniversary for years anyway. Why not have the best day of her life on the best day of her life? Danny concurred.

  “Girl, you couldn’t plan this before I got this big?” Mina asked with a sigh. She motioned to her belly, swollen with six months worth of baby. She still looked gorgeous as the maid of honor in her purple bridesmaid dress.

  “You’re hardly big. If anything, you should’ve planned accordingly. You knew this date for longer than six months,” Nicole countered. They were in a spare room in her parents’ house. The wedding was in the backyard. Danny hadn’t wanted anything fancy, and Nicole wanted something to highlight their family. Her parents jumped at the chance to host. Danny’s orchestra offered to do the music, but they were invited and neither bride wanted them to work on the occasion.

  Mina curled her lip. “Oh, yes, let me pre-plan my pregnancy.”

  Nicole scoffed as she brushed her auburn curls from her bare shoulders. “You did.”

  Nicole’s dress was simple, but she fell in love with it the moment she saw it. Plain white with a violet sash around the waist and a gown that fell to her feet. Danny insisted on her having a tiara, proclaiming her a queen as well as an angel. Nicole didn’t put up a fight, even though the tiara was expensive. Danny had good control over her spending now and they could splurge for some things at the wedding.

  Fighting off a laugh and failing badly, Mina waved that off. “Details, details. Let me go join Clara and we can get this show on the road.”

  “Oh, yes, run from the argument. This is the only time you can run, after all.”

  “Don’t even start. When your nephew drops in three months, you’re going to have deal with tons of comeuppance.”

  “Oh, please. He’ll be keeping you up at night for months to come.”

  Mina rolled her eyes and dipped out seconds before her mother came in. Kathleen had cried twice today and looked ready to cry again.

  “I don’t think I’m ready,” her mother admitted in a low voice.

  Nicole let loose a sigh, but she smiled. “Mommy.”

  Kathleen sniffled. “Getting married. Next will be having babies. What am I supposed to do as a grandmother?”

  “Scream at officials when they don’t make the right calls at little league games? Ask what the dance instructor is doing when the kid lands wrong on a jump? Make sure everyone comes to the piano recital?” Her mother would do all of that and more. But, that wouldn’t be for a while.

  Kathleen laughed, even though she was crying again. “I’m so proud of you, Nikki, for everything you’ve accomplished.”

  “I know, Mommy. Now, let’s get me down the aisle before Danny thinks you talked me out of it.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Kathleen chuckled more. “She’s come a long way, Nikki, and I’m happy she’s in your life.”

  “I know, Mommy.” It had taken a lot of work to get here, but Nicole knew. That mark was another reason the day was significant. Danny had changed even her parents, opened her mother up to whole new viewpoints. Danny was the real angel, and she’d tell her that when they said their vows to each other.

  Kathleen took her arm and led her out of the room. Her father met her and took her arm. The wedding began. Crow and Terri escorted Mina and Clara down the aisle. They were dressed in tuxedos with violet vests and ties to match the bridesmaids’ gowns. Nicole had to consciously breathe in and out when it was her turn and she saw Danny at the end, waiting for her.

  Danny looked like a miracle wrapped in a white tuxedo with a purple vest and tie. She wasn’t sure how she got to Danny, but it felt like she floated. Her father patted Danny on the bicep and kissed Nicole on the cheek before he sat down. Her mother hugged them both.

  “Take care of each other,” her mother said.

  They nodded and turned to the priest. He was her grandparents’ priest and had no problem with officiating over a same sex marriage. While he spoke, Nicole lost herself in Danny’s eyes. Familiar slate misted over, foggy with affection. Then came the vows. They had written their own and wanted to surprise each other.

  Nicole would go first. She feared she wouldn’t be able to talk after Danny went. Or, knowing Danny, she’d grab her guitar and be an impossible act to follow. Nicole wouldn’t mind, but she needed to get her words out first.

  “Danny, you always call me ‘angel,’ not realizing you were heaven sent to me. You’ve changed my world for the better, and I will spend the rest of my life endeavoring to do the same for you. I will support you through everything, in sickness and health, ’til death do we part. You make each day worth more than anything I can think of. You’re all the world and more to me, my love, and you always will be. I want to spend more days with you, building on this lovely life we have,” Nicole said.

  Danny sniffled as tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away. “You stole my words, angel. The only thing I can tell you for you to understand how much you mean to me is that you’ve taken music’s place as the most important thing for me. Not the first spot or the third spot, but all the spots. You’re beyond music. You’ve given me things beyond measure, beyond words, and I’ll do my best to return that. You’re everything to me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you know it.”

  There were rings, kissing, and tears after that, from the brides and the audience. Yes, it was the best day of Nicole’s life. She looked at Danny.

  “I love you, and I’m going to keep on loving you,” Nicole promised.

  Danny smiled. “Me, too. Love you so much. Thank you for making this the best day of my life, twice.”

  Nicole laughed. “Oh, no. We’re sharing a brain now.”

  “Why not? We’re sharing a life. Let’s get going. I want to do our first dance.”

  Nicole arched an eyebrow. It had to be a good sign, Danny wanting to dance in front of people. They’d show off their love and then get on with their lives, which was now a life. They had evolved and come out better for it. They were wed, they were one, and they’d stay that way.

  The End

  About S. L Kassidy

  What is there to know about me? Not much. I was bred, born, and raised in New York and I have no desire to live anywhere else. One day, I would like to travel to a few places, but for now I am content where I am.

  I started out writing poetry in junior high and continued to do so for ten years. I wrote short stories, usually fantasy and romance stories, for my own entertainment throughout high school and college. Back then, I wrote strictly for me and those stories remain locked in the back of my closet in little notebooks, written in my almost unreadable, tiny handwriting. In between writing those stories and poetry, I managed to get a college degree in history.

  After graduating college, I had a semester off before graduate school and I didn't really have anything to do with my time. So, I took a chance and wrote a fanfic and dared to upload it to the Internet. I was surprised that other people enjoyed my work and I've been posting ever since. I had quite a bit of fun with fan fiction and eventually decided to try my hand in original fiction. I suppose it was sort of like coming back around to what I had been doing in high school and college, except this time the stories were for whoever wanted to read them. I uploaded my first original story a few years ago and haven’t looked
back. I plan to continue writing as long as I continue getting ideas for stories and it continues to be fun.

  Contact Information

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  Other Books by S. L. Kassidy

  Please Baby

  ISBN: 9781311485137

  Jayce Newton's life is going downhill after she rescues her little niece from an awful situation. She plans to hold onto her niece and gain custody of her, but there are some factors against her. Her girlfriend doesn't want the baby around. Her mother wants to take the baby from her, and her brother has disappeared. Things only seem to get worse when Gus Tucker comes into her life.

  Gus Tucker's life isn't going much better. She recently divorced her wife and moved into a new home. She's looking forward to a new start and spending time with her sister. Before she can do that, though, she ends up causing trouble for Jayce Newton, getting her fired from her job and kicked out of her home. She tries to make it up to Jayce by taking her in during her time of need. Now, it's just a struggle to see if they're able to coexist in the same house with a baby between them.

  Scarred Series

  Scarred for Life

  ISBN: 9781310171352

  Dane Wolfe is a loner. Forsaken by her family and betrayed by people close to her, she has lost all faith in people and spends her days wandering the streets with no direction or meaning. She drifts through life, existing and nothing more. Nicole Cardell is a successful attorney. She has too much faith in people and is being taken advantage of by her boyfriend, Tyler, Dane’s cousin. She’s tired of his selfish ways and tosses him out. The bad relationship leaves her questioning her judgment. Circumstances bring Dane and Nicole together and a friendship brings them closer. They’re able to heal each other and bring balance to each other’s lives. Their peace is shattered when family causes trouble and tears them apart. Will they find their path back to each other and to the love that was slowly growing?

  New Cuts, Old Wounds

  ISBN: 9781310217289

  In this sequel to Scarred for Life, Nicole Cardell and Dane Wolfe have been together for a year. They are doing their best to move forward with their relationship and open up to each other. It’s time to meet family members. Dane’s nervous about meeting Nicole’s family, but she’s even more nervous about Nicole meeting her family. Nicole is eager for both. Nicole thinks Dane should bond with her family while Dane thinks she needs to get as far away from them as possible. The Wolfe family seems to agree with Dane, but keep inviting her to things and Nicole keeps accepting the invites. Will family make or break Dane and Nicole?

  Bandages

  ISBN: 9781942976103

  Nicole and Dane return in the third installment of the Scarred series. Life is good. The musician gave the lawyer a ring, a not-engagement ring, a promise; this is forever. But, they both still had some growing and healing to work through.

  Healing is strange. There are those days when the bandage falls off on its own and you think you’re good to go. Days when laughter comes easy and you forget the past. And there are days when the past doesn’t want to be forgotten; you still need a stitch or a cast to hold yourself together. There are even relapses when the poisonous past needs release.

  Share their journey through eighteen short stories of play, passion, and a deepening partnership. You’ll enjoy the journey as much as where it leads.

  First Degree Burns

  ISBN (epub): 9781942976257

  Dane and Nicole are back in this sequel to Bandages. Nicole arranges a camping trip for Dane to meet her father's side of her family. Nicole is trying to move their relationship forward, but things do not go the way that she planned. Dane has a lot more excitement on her first camping trip than either of them thought. Hopefully, it doesn't ruin what they have already.

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  Bright Blessings