Holding a Hero

by Layne, Lyssa

  He shook his head sadly. “No. I wanted your mother to be happy but only if it revolved around me. She’s so beautiful but she never saw that. I was so jealous and she was so much younger than me. I worried that a man closer to her own age would come in and she’d leave me. I was so selfish. I didn’t want to change for her. I wanted her to be the same woman I married, I didn’t want change.” he shook his head again.

  “Do you still love her?” I asked softly.

  “I’ll always love her. She’s my friend, my best friend but I can’t change the past.”

  I nodded, understanding. My father had lived with me for the past four years and I knew how difficult he could be. There were times we fought because we both wanted it our way, both stubborn and not giving in to the other. I could only imagine how difficult it would be as his wife. He never saw women as equals until later in his life. My mother and father separated when I was sixteen and since she had custody of my sister and I, she raised us to be independent, that we were allowed to question our elders if we felt they were wrong, and to stand up for ourselves because no one else would. I learned at a very young age that I needed to make things happen for myself and I did. Sometimes I made mistakes but they were my mistakes and as I grew older, I learned from them and grew.

  At thirty-two years old I liked who I was and knew I could have an amazing life.

  “Dad, I’ve made a decision and wanted to tell you.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve decided to drop out of college.”

  I was surprised when he chuckled. “So you’ve decided two college degrees are enough?”

  I laughed when I heard him put it that way. “Well, yes, for now. With the wedding and Sean moving in and the horse show season coming up, my grades have slipped and I’m not giving my full attention to my school work.”

  “Then if you think this isn’t the right time for college, I will back you up. Now go down and see how your man is doing. Chores have been done, you’ve fed me an amazing supper and everyone is good. Tell Sean I said hello.”

  I got up and gave him a hug and kiss. “I love you, Dad.”

  “Me too.”

  I was at Sean’s house before seven and was pleased that he looked better than he had sounded on the phone earlier. His roommates had fed him and had left for their prospective dates and he had showered and was sitting on the couch watching a movie.

  “Hey gorgeous. Have a good supper with your dad?” he smiled.

  “I did. You look better than you sounded earlier.” I leaned down and gave him a kiss, squealing as he pulled me down onto his lap.

  “Amazing what a few hours of silent sleeping can do for a hangover.” he murmured as he kissed me.

  “Amazing.” I agreed and I deepened our kiss.

  He unbuttoned my blouse and ran his finger along the top of my silky pink bra. “Ah, what do we have here?”

  “My memento of the last bachelorette party I’ll ever have.” I teased.

  He shook his head and tsk’d. “It’s wrong that other men have touched this before me.”

  I took his head in my hands and shook my head. “Oh baby, but that’s not correct. I wore this bra on the Fourth of July. Your hands were all over it then. You are the first.”

  His eyes got wide and he smiled devilishly. He pulled my shirt off of my shoulders and nipped at my neck. When he looked up at me, the look he gave me heated my body instantly and I trembled. Without a word he unfastened the back of my bra, slid it off of me and flipped our bodies so that I was lying on the couch while he was now straddled on top of me. I laid there bare-chested as he read everything his friends had written. We laughed over some of the comments and I felt closer to him than I had ever felt with anyone.

  This man, who was supposed to have been my one-night stand, who I was getting married to in less than two weeks, was a part of me that I never wanted to lose. I realized that no matter how much you plan your life, people came into your life to offer life lessons. It was up to you to decide if you were going to go along for the ride and accept the blessings you were offered or if you were going to stick to your plan and not budge. I was going with the blessing. I was taking a leap of faith. My one-night stand was going to be my husband. I looked up at him as he was reading my bra and felt an overwhelming sense of love. He was an amazing soul.

  I pulled his chin down and nipped it gently. “Let’s go to your bedroom.”

  ***

  The next week and a half flew by. The preacher was booked, along with the chapel. Our marriage license was approved and paid for, Mom had made my bouquet and she and I had gone shopping for an appropriate wedding dress. It was a simple but elegant, off-white lace dress that came to just below my knees. I was going to wear my hair braided up with ceramic white roses pinned on the sides.

  The night before our wedding, our boss and co-workers threw us a party and gave us a beautiful wicker basket filled with cheeses, crackers, champagne glasses and bubble bath. They wished us blessings and told us to enjoy our honeymoon because they would expect us back at work a week later.

  Sean and I had agreed that we would hold with tradition and not see each other the night before the wedding, which brings us back to the beginning, so to speak. With me in a wedding dress, pumping gas, with oh so little sleep.

  With everything Sean had given me, I wanted to give something special back. He was my best friend, my lover, the man who had shown me that true love can happen and happen fast. It can’t be planned, it can’t be forced. He was a gentleman, he was compassionate but could also be a rogue in bed. He was my perfect mate and I wanted to express that to him.

  My brilliant idea was to create a music CD compiled of our favorite songs. I know, such an 80’s thing to do but I thought it was brilliant. Unfortunately one of my talents is not being computer literate. After several bottles of wine and only two hours of sleep, I still didn’t have a music CD. I showered and rushed over to his sister’s house to have her do my hair. I decided I would take the freeway to the chapel to try and make up some time but when I glanced down at my dash, saw I didn’t have enough gas to get me there, so I stopped and got gas, causing me to be five minutes late to my wedding. This felt like a joke but when I rushed inside and saw Sean standing at the front of the chapel with the preacher, I took a deep breath. Everything was going to be alright.

  He was dressed in a white dress shirt with a black silk vest. He wore black Levi jeans and dress boots and I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. I took my place next to him, our family and close friends already seated. The preacher began to speak though I admit I didn’t hear a word. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the surreal feeling that came over me but I couldn’t stop staring at him. When it came time to say my vows, I started giggling even though tears were streaming down my face. This was really happening. I was marrying my best friend, a man I had only known for one hundred-nineteen days, who I had spotted across a room and decided was going to be my one-night stand. Today, right now, he was becoming my partner for life. And I wasn’t afraid.

  We were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Mison and walked down the little aisle to sign our marriage license. I was touched when my maid of honor, who was the daughter of my best friend, started crying. I leaned down and asked her what was wrong and she exclaimed that she was so happy for me. I leaned down and hugged and kissed her, whispering that I was too. We stood and the rest of our friends and family embraced us and congratulated us. A longtime friend came up and hugged me.

  “I hope this one lasts longer than your first one.” she laughed.

  I looked at her, surprised by her words. I don’t think she meant anything malicious but I was still taken aback by what she had said.

  “It will.” I replied, and then moved onto my other waiting friends and family. After congratulations we went outside to get into our vehicles. Our next stop was to enjoy our brunch. But Dad had something else in mind first…

  TWENTY-ONE

  “Hey kid, I need you and Sean ove
r here by your truck. Your mother is going to take a picture.” Dad grinned mischievously.

  Uh oh, I thought to myself. This can’t be good.

  We followed Dad outside and he opened his truck door and reached inside. He pulled out his bb gun with a grin on his face.

  “I know you are not pregnant but as quickly as you two are getting hitched, I thought we would get some pictures of your shotgun wedding. I couldn’t bring my big shotgun. After all, I don’t want to get arrested on your wedding day.” he laughed.

  “Oh, Dad! You are such a goof!” I giggled.

  Sean and I stood over by my truck and we did several poses of Dad holding the gun at Sean. There was so much joy in my father’s face, he was putting his flare into our wedding day and I loved him so much for that.

  “Alright, that’s plenty of pictures. You have people waiting for you at The Egg & I for your reception. We need to head over there.” Mom interrupted.

  My family dispersed into their own vehicles and made their way over to the restaurant. Sean pulled me into his arms and gave me a long, lingering kiss.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “I’ve been ready. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life. And now this is the first day of the rest of my life with you. I’m excited to wake up every day next to you, to have a family with you, to grow old with you. Celeste Mison, you are the answer to my prayers.”

  “I can’t believe how you came into my life. You were supposed to be a one night stand, someone to have fun with. And I am having fun with you, but now as your wife.” I stood up on my toes and gave him a kiss. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”

  He shook his head, grinning.

  “I love you so much. Let’s start our new life together.”

  Thank you so much for reading my tale and I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to follow me on Facebook or Twitter at Facebook/raeanne.hadley and @raeannehadley

  Here's a peek into my new upcoming release, A Bachelorette's Heart!

  THE BACHELORETTE’S HEART

  The whole thing felt so surreal. The cameras, the lights, the other twenty girls and the producers talking with the staff. Sheri looked around the living room of the fifteen thousand square foot mansion that she would be spending the next three months living in. She tried to focus on the woman explaining the rules of the house and what was to come but she was only able to catch words here and there. The murmuring of the other women and her own distraction made it impossible to focus.

  It was a new network that was vying for the ratings that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette had successfully accomplished. There were differences of course. This network was going to focus on five eligible women, then bring in thirty men. Those men would be able to date and woo their favorite lady. The list would be narrowed down as the five women chose their top guys, slowly eliminating the extra men. The network’s goal was that more than one woman would be fighting over the same guy and cut throat tactics would ensue. More drama meant higher ratings and while they claimed they were trying to find true love for five couples, Sheri knew they were looking for a reality soap opera to play out.

  Sheri hadn’t been looking for love but she hadn’t been avoiding it either. She’d been a victim of circumstance, having lost her fiancée in a construction accident two years before. Dustin had been her best friend, her lover and her future. They’d talked of marriage and raising a family, a normal boring life in Montana; her idea of heaven. They were both twenty-four years old and weren’t in a hurry to rush their lives. They spent their summers hiking and traveling, wherever their whimsical imaginations took them. She had her general teaching degree and enjoyed having the summers off from teaching the 5th grade. After Dustin died, she became a robot, teaching through the school year then secluding herself during the summer months. She spent her time reading and escaping into other lives, finding her own too painful to deal with.

  Her little bubble was burst when her best friend, Brittany, showed up at her apartment waving a letter in her hand excitedly.

  “Oh my gawd! We got in! Can you believe it? We got in!”

  Sheri rolled her eyes and walked away from the open door. “Got in to what? What did you sign us up for now?” She was used to Brittany signing them up for crazy activities. One time it had been painting while drinking wine, another was zip lining alone one of the canyons in Montana. She appreciated her attempts to get her back into life but it all felt dead to her.

  “We are going to be interviewed to be one of the bachelorette candidates for S&M’s new reality show!”

  Sheri couldn’t help the snort that came out of her nose. “S&M? You’re joking, right?”

  It was Brittany’s turn to roll her eyes. “You need to stop living under a rock. S&M stands for Self & Mindfulness. They are a hot new network wanting to create love connections. They are looking for five eligible ladies to date thirty guys and find their love connection. And we were chosen!”

  Dismayed, Sheri turned to her friend. “How did they get my name?”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I'm an accidental author as I began writing my first story, Mechanics of Murder, after I had been fired for taking maternity leave. I took a 3rd shift job and trying to keep myself awake, I used my imagination and started creating a story of a female mechanic, which I was, finding a dead body underneath the truck she was working on. My father absolutely loved the story and encouraged me to complete it and get it published. I was almost finished with the first draft when my father had a stroke. Encouraging him to get better, I rushed the book to Lulu Publishing without it being edited. My father was able to hold my first novel but was never able to read it, he passed away 2 days later. But it began a passion for me that has not dwindled! I have continued writing and my list has now grown. With Love; Now & Forever and Shadows, both paranormal romances though with different personalities and twists. The sequel to Mechanics of Murder, A Wrench in the Plan, was completed in January of 2011 and was released in the spring of 2012.I know my Dad would be proud. My contemporary romance, Love's Everlasting Song, is a sweet tale where hopes, dreams and occasionally fairy tales do come true. I usually have 5-7 novels in the works and plan on writing for many more years! My stories are not sexually graphic because I believe each readers experience and imagination are usually more erotic and more sensual than what I will put into words and I ALWAYS have to have a happy ending! Life is meant to be fun, enjoy the journey!!!

  Contact RaeAnne:

  https://www.facebook.com/raeanne.hadley

  www.raeannehadley.wix.com/author

  Call Me Cowboy

  D’Ann Lindun

  Other Titles by D’Ann Lindun

  The Cowboys of Black Mountain:

  A Black Mountain Christmas

  A Cowboy To Keep

  Ladies Love Cowboys: the daughters of Clem Jamieson

  Promise Me Eden

  *

  Mississippi Blues

  Vaquero

  *

  Anthologies:

  Cowboys, Bulls and Buckles

  Cowboys Forever

  Cowboy, Mine

  Cowboy Time

  Cowboy Up

  Cowboy Up 2

  Dead On

  Hotshot Heroes

  Call Me Cowboy

  Copyright © 2016 D’Ann Lindun

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATION

  ~To Kid Rock~

  For the music; for the inspiration!

  ~To Suzan Hatter~

  For all the nights of singing duets loud and off-key!

  ~To Tracy, Ryan and Des Hatter~

  Hunting guides extraordinaire!

  ~To Brenda Dyer~

  Who “gets it”!

  ~To Rhonda Duffy and D’Ann’s Country Girls~

  Thank you for your circle of friendship and support!

  ~To Nikki Lynn Barrett~

  A special thank you for Montana Girl.

  And…to all the girls who have ever fallen in love with a rock star!
/>   CHAPTER ONE

  A sweet ass ground against his cock.

  In the predawn light, Johnny Cortez couldn’t make out the woman curled up next to him, although a familiar fruity perfume filled his senses. The girl wiggled until his dick jumped in response.

  Not a girlfriend.

  He didn’t have one.

  Not a groupie.

  He hadn’t wanted one.

  Who, then?

  He’d gone to The Cave with the band after they’d laid a track on the new album. A pair of stacked blondes had offered him coke and a blowjob, but he’d been uninterested in a hookup. The same old thing hadn’t appealed to him. He’d drunk plenty—he always did—but he’d left alone. While the rest of the band burned the place down, he’d gone home around midnight, hit his silk sheets and fallen into a dreamless sleep.

  His uninvited guest rolled to her back and lay before him, nude as the day she’d been born.

  Teal?

  Tousled and naked, his ex-wife looked more stunning than usual.

  Large tits—courtesy of implants he’d paid for—a twinkling diamond bellybutton ring and an enticing triangle of pale blonde curls between her thighs beckoned his cock like a beacon on a moonless night.

  She reached for his morning wood with the hand of a practiced seductress.

  Faithless bitch.

  He rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, his traitorous cock saluting her. But his dick didn’t rule him any longer, no matter how much he’d once craved her pussy. How the fuck had she gotten into his house and his bed? He’d kicked her out of his life a year ago.