Love And Money (Love Series - Book 2)
Page 23
He never really cared about the money and the businesses or the money, but now that it is his, he feels a small tinge of excitement. There are so many things that he would like to do to the businesses, which he thinks will be profitable in the long run that his father wouldn’t approve of while he was alive. Now that he has the reigns, he will be about to experiment and do things his way. The future looks bright.
His father’s death has hit him in a variety of ways. Since his father’s passing, he’s run the gamut of emotions. He’s felt angry, sad, confused, full of rage, disappointed, hurt, regret – he’s felt it all. His feelings about the whole situation changes from minute to minute and day to day. His father’s death has been a hard thing to reconcile, but having Harper by his side has made things a lot easier to deal with.
The hardest thing to accept is that the bullet that killed his father came from him. He knows that he had no other choice, but to do what he did. He’s played the night of Harper’s escape over and over in his head and he has concluded that he had no other choice but to fire upon his father. His father had already shot Harper once and injured her. If he hadn’t fired his weapon, he is sure that the next bullet from his father’s gun would have hit the right spot and ended Harper’s life. His choice to shoot his father was not only about saving the woman that he loves, but about preserving a human life. His choice to shoot his father was based on his belief that life is sacred and must be protected against those who choose to maliciously take it.
“Your father really was simple man when it all came down to it, Caden. As you probably already know, all he cared about was making sure that he provided you with an extraordinary life,” Mr. Gelinas says with an infliction of sadness in his voice. “Your father and I were longtime friends. I’m sad to see him go, but at the same time, I don’t agree with what he did. Your father made a choice and he paid the consequences for that choice. I regret that I didn’t know what he was planning. I wish that I would have had an opportunity to speak to him before he made such a terrible decision, but I don’t know if it would have made much difference in his decision making,” Mike Gelinas says and shakes his head.
“Don’t beat yourself up. Your advice probably would have fallen on deaf ears. You know that my father was set in his ways and changing his mind about things was damn near impossible,” Caden says, trying to comfort the lawyer who he has known since he was a child.
“You’re most likely right. Well, I really think that we’re done here. I will let you know when everything is final,” Mike Gelinas says, standing up.
“Thank you for your help,” Caden says, standing and offering the lawyer his hand.
“You’re more than welcome,” Mike Gelinas says and shakes Caden’s hand.
“Shall we go?” Caden asks, turning to Harper.
“Yes,” Harper replies, standing next to Caden. “Thank you, Mr. Gelinas for everything that you’ve done,” she says and smiles at Mike Gelinas behind his desk.
“It’s my pleasure. I think that you two have a wonderful future ahead of you and I look forward to attending your wedding,” Mike says, following them to the door of his office.
“I agree and we look forward to seeing you there. The past may have not been so bright and it holds some dark moments, but the future hopefully holds unlimited opportunities and many moments filled with joy,” Caden says, taking Harper’s hand.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Mike Gelinas replies, before closing his office door behind them.
* * * * *
“You look so beautiful,” Olivia says, admiring Harper in her wedding gown.
“You think so?” Harper asks, feeling self-conscious and nervous. In a few minutes, she will be walking down the aisle to become a wife. She doesn’t know why she feels so nervous. She’s been dreaming of and looking forward to this moment for a while, but now that it’s here, she has butterflies in her stomach.
“I don’t just think so, I know so,” Olivia says while straightening Harper’s train. “I can tell by the look on your face that you’re nervous, Harp. Don’t be. Today is going to go just as you planned, I’m sure of it. There might be a hiccup or two, but who cares. The only problem I could see arising is the appearance of Madison, but I’ve been out there twice and she is no where in sight,” Olivia says and smiles at her.
“If you’re trying to funny, it’s not working,” Harper says, turning to give her friend the evil eye.
“I’m just saying. You can’t deny it being a possibility after everything that you’ve been through with that woman. Just so you know, if she shows up, I have my brass knuckles in my purse,” Olivia says and hugs her.
“I bet you do, but that won’t be necessary. Caden and I haven’t heard from Madison in awhile. Caden says that she went to Paris on an extended vacation and has met some French painter or something. They’re supposed to be in love,” Harper says and rolls her eyes. “I don’t think that she’s going to be a problem anymore. Thank God,” Harper says, checking her appearance over one last time.
“Thank God is right and thank god for sexy painters,” Olivia says and chuckles.
“Viva la France,” Harper says and laughs.
She takes note of their laughter. That is what she hopes the day will be filled with. She hopes for lots of laughter and fun. She considers the day to be the official start of her life with Caden. The wedding marks the day when they leave the past behind them and look forward to the future.
She imagines herself gliding down the aisle to Caden, trampling over everything in the past and leaving it behind. She wants to trample over all the bad memories, while not forgetting what it has taken for them to get to this moment. What they have been through has undoubtedly made them stronger people and has strengthened their relationship and their bond. They say that trauma binds people together and the saying is exactly right. All the tough times that she and Caden have been through have bound them tightly together. She believes that there is nothing that could stop them now.
Since Caden’s father’s death, she has been worried about Caden. He wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes from nightmares from the night his father died. Caden knows that what happened that night wasn’t his fault, but it still haunts him in his sleep.
The nightmares seem to have slowed down and are becoming less frequent, but they still occur. She doesn’t need to tell Caden that what happened wasn’t his fault because he knows it, but it doesn’t make pain of losing his father hurt any less. She feels guilty on some levels, but she hopes that in time they will both be able to forgive themselves for what happened. She hopes that the wedding will be the start of the healing for both of them.
“I hear the music playing. You ready?” Olivia asks, handing Harper her bouquet.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Harper nods, taking her bouquet.
“Let’s do this,” Olivia says, leading her out to the foyer of the church.
As she watches her bridesmaids and then her maid-of-honor disappear down the aisle, she takes in a huge breath. She briefly thinks of Malcolm and wonders if he hadn’t been in prison, would she have asked him to walk her down the aisle. She can’t be sure of the answer.
As she takes her first step down the aisle towards Caden, a feeling of peace washes over her and the feeling of nervousness she felt starts to dissipate. As she takes each step forward, the smile on her face grows larger and larger, and the feeling of everything being in perfect order starts to take hold. Today is the beginning of the rest of her life.
* * * * *
“Look who’s awake,” Harper says, coming out onto the deck that overlooks the large backyard and pool.
“You both look really rested,” Caden says, getting up and walking over to his wife and son. He plants a kiss on Harper’s check and strokes his son’s cheek.
“We are. How are you two doing?” Harper asks, looking at her daughter, who has just sat down to slide down the slide.
“We’re just hanging out. Lizzie can’t
get enough of the new equipment,” Caden replies, admiring their daughter playing and occupying herself.
“I can see that. Well, we’re going to go back inside. It’s a little too hot for this little guy,” Harper says, smiling at Caden. “Have you heard anything from Mom?” she asks, glancing across the yard to the large mother’s suite on the edge of the property.
“She came out for a bit, but she said that she felt tired and was going to take a nap. I told her that we would wake her up at supper time,” Caden says and waves at Lizzie.
“Sounds good,” Harper replies.
“We’re just going to spend a little while longer out here and then we’ll join you,” Caden says, admiring his beautiful wife and son.
“Okay,” she replies before turning to leave.
“Harper,” Caden says, calling after her.
“Yep,” she says, turning back towards him.
“I want you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to be a better father to our children than my father was to me. I hope you know that.”
“You already are,” Harper replies, as she admires her amazing husband and her two wonderful children, knowing that she is the luckiest woman alive.
If you liked ‘Love and Money’. Check Out ‘Love and Food’. Click the link below:
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Food-K-L-Prince-ebook/dp/B01GW7U9KA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Sign up for K. L. Prince Mailing List here:
https://tinyletter.com/klprince
Check Out More Titles From K. L. Prince here:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01BTCV5HO
Check Out Erotic Romances by S.A. Simpson at:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01CDBYUQ8
Check Out More Steamy Erotica Romances By E.L. Blackwater at:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00PAV6RCO
Check Out Christian Romance Stories From R.L. French at:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KYSDNC0