by Sherie Keys
He tried to call and she did not answer her phone. He knew then that something had happened when they had spent the night together that may have cost him her friendship, and the realization of that broke his heart.
The flowers were set all over everything, there were rows of white chairs lined up and filled with guests, there was a small orchestra near the end of the aisle and they were playing beautiful classical music to entertain the guests.
Colby had greeted most of their guests and was waiting with his best man at the end of the aisle. He couldn't get over Shannon's not speaking to him. He had thought it over and over and he knew in his heart that somehow he was responsible for it somehow. He wrestled with the agony of it and finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He didn't know when he would see her again after the wedding and he just had to clear things up. He strode down the aisle and into the house amid a flutter of people, slipping into the bridesmaid dressing room they had set up.
He closed the door softly behind him and turned around to see Shannon sitting on a chair before a mirror, fixing her perfect makeup. He began walking toward her and she turned to see him, and that was when he saw the pain and sadness in her eyes.
"Oh no... Shannon..." he said softly as he hurried toward her.
She tried to turn away from him but he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't cry, please don't cry. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. That was never my intention. You must know that." he pressed his cheek against the top of her head and she began to weep quietly.
He kissed her forehead and looked down into her beautiful face, and then he could not stop himself. The need for her blazed through every part of him, burning him as it went. He placed his hands on either side of her face and lifted her mouth to meet his.
At first she tried to turn away, but the moment that his lips touched hers, he could not let go of her. Though she had resisted his soft kisses which turned ardent when he began to kiss her, she fell to her emotions and senses and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight and losing herself in his passionate kisses. His hands traveled over her burgundy satin bridesmaid dress, caressing her, touching her everywhere, as his kiss grew insistent. She did not push him away.
He groaned with need as he grew hard for her and in that moment, when he heard his own voice in longing, he suddenly let go of her, his eyes wide, his heart pounding.
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to... I... was just coming in because you haven't talked to me, you haven't been around me and I miss you so much. I thought that you were hurt or angry. I thought..." he tapered off when he saw the agony on her face.
"I am hurt and angry, but not at you! I'm angry with myself for letting myself get into this mess. I'm angry that I didn't listen to my common sense when it told me that trying to just be friends with you would be more than my heart could take. I'm angry with myself for not being the girl that you love, and for loving you as much as I do, because Colby, I love you with more than all of my heart.
I am always going to love you, but because you love someone else, I am never going to have you for myself, and that's a pain I will have to live with every day. That's why I am hurt and angry." She turned away from him and he stared at her in shock.
How could he have missed it? How could he have not noticed that she was completely in love with him? He could see it right then, as plain as day, and it saturated him with its wonder.
He reached for her, but she pushed his hand away. "Go! Go marry Tiffany. All of your guests are waiting, your family is waiting, your future is waiting. Go on, get out of here and go marry her, and when you see me sometimes, just ignore it if I look away from you, because I'm only trying to hold back all the love I have for you. Give me that courtesy. That's all I ask."
She turned and walked out of the room and he stood there staring after her, dumbfounded by what she had said. His father poked his head in the door a few minutes later.
"We're ready, son."
Colby walked to the door and his father looked at him appraisingly. "Are you nervous?" he asked, clapping his hand on his son's shoulders.
Colby shook his head. "No. I'm not nervous."
To the contrary, his heart felt like it had exploded and he was reeling with the knowledge that Shannon had exposed all of her feelings to him and was completely in love with him. It had awoken his own feelings for her and with every step he took down the aisle toward the preacher waiting at the end of it, he felt like he was taking a step in the wrong direction.
He turned and stood beside his best man and his heart began to race and pound. His palms began to sweat, and all he could think was that he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.
The music started and Shannon appeared at the end of the aisle. Her burgundy dress shone richly in the sun and she looked like a vision of beauty gliding toward him. His heart felt like it might beat right out of his chest as he watched her walking ever closer. He could not shake the desire to walk straight to her and kiss her, and tell her... tell her... he realized it then, as the wedding march began and Tiffany began her walk down the aisle toward him.
She was bedecked in white poufs and lace, with a giant arrangement of flowers in her hands, and the biggest grin across her face. She short stepped her way toward him, her father beaming and glowing with pride as he walked with her.
Colby felt as if he was going to throw up. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had fallen in love with Shannon, and he had no business whatsoever marrying Tiffany.
Their guests looked on them both with love and adoration, the music floated out over the air, and for all the world that was watching, it seemed the perfect moment at the perfect union of two beautiful people. Except that it wasn't.
Tiffany's father carefully placed her hand into Colby's and together they turned to face the preacher. His heart was racing, blood was rushing in his ears, and he felt like all of them were sitting on a bomb that was about to detonate.
The preacher spoke a bit and then turned to look at the large crowd of guests gathered in observation of the couple.
"If anyone knows why these this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, let him speak now or forever hold his peace." pastor said loudly.
The words echoed and rang in Colby's ears. Forever hold his peace. Forever.
He glanced at the crowd and then looked up at the pastor.
"I object." He stated it flatly.
The pastor looked down and blinked at him. "What was that?" he asked.
Tiffany looked up at him in surprise and gasped. "What?" she breathed.
Colby shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Tiffany, I can't marry you. I don't love you."
Tiffany threw her bouquet on the ground. "Well, I object too! I don't love you either! My dad was making me marry you because of all your money. I wanted to be with Ron!"
Shannon glared at her and shouted, "I object because you're a lying, cheating little slut!"
Tiffany's dad stood up out of his chair and yelled out, "I object to all of the objections! I paid for this damn wedding and I expect you two to get married!"
Colby's dad jumped up and pumped his fist in the air, "I object to anyone marrying my son for money! He deserves to be married for love!"
There was a brief moment of silence while everyone ingested the sudden change, and then chaos broke out all over the place. Colby's father and Tiffany's father were hollering and fighting with each other, the preacher was aghast and was asking anyone who would listen to him what was going on, several of the guests began to argue and Shannon stared at them both, as still as a statue.
Colby looked at Tiffany and at first, he was shocked and slightly hurt that she had said she was only marrying him for his money, but then he laughed, because he had stopped their speeding train just in time.
Tiffany bent over and picked up bouquet and whacked Colby with it. "You said you loved me! You lied to me! How could you do that? How c
ould you lie to me?" She whacked him again and narrowed her eyes in anger at him. "What the hell were you marrying me for if you don't love me?" she demanded.
He smiled at her. "I did love you, or at least, I thought I did. I thought I loved you enough to marry you, and I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you, but then something funny happened... you ran off with your lover. I made a desperate mad dash to go and win you back from him, and along the way, I fell in love with a good friend of mine.
I never saw it coming, and when I fell in love with her, I discovered that what I felt for you was nothing more than puppy love." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry about it all."
Tiffany's jaw dropped. "You fell in love with someone else while you were coming to get me? Who did you fall in love with?" she asked in irritation.
Colby looked over at Shannon who was staring at him with her mouth slightly open and wide, wide eyes.
"I fell in love with Shannon. I've never known anyone so beautiful, so thoughtful and sweet, so selfless and amazing, and so deeply loving. The best part is that she is a really true friend, too. It's like I got the best of both worlds." He left Tiffany as she shrieked and took a few steps to stand in front of Shannon who was absolutely stunned.
He smiled at her and reached for her hands. "I love you, Shannon. I was speeding down the wrong road and you saved me. You were there for me when I needed someone most and you gave more of yourself to me than any woman ever has. I love you and I want to be with you, always. Longer than always. Will you give me that, please?" he asked, bringing her hands to his lips, closing his eyes and kissing her fingers softly.
She gasped and he looked at her again. "Will you marry me?" he asked, falling to one knee as his bride stood and stared at them in horror.
Colby's dad and Tiffany's dad were still arguing and shouting insults to each other. Tiffany was on her cell phone calling Ron, and Shannon stood there with Colby at her feet, looking up at her with his heart in his hands.
She could not believe what had just happened. It was unthinkable to her and try as she might, there was no way for her to wrap her head around it, but luckily for her, her heart wrapped itself around the moment and held on tight.
She pulled Colby to his feet and reached her arms around his neck, as if in a surreal dream, and she stood up on her tiptoes, leaned her face up to his, closed her eyes and kissed him.
He was still a moment and then he kissed her in return, softly, sweetly, drinking her in and losing himself in her and in the moment.
They embraced and kissed for what seemed like eternity, and then he let her go and looked down at her. "So is that a yes? Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" she giggled happily, still feeling very much like she was living in some strange dream.
He looked around them surreptitiously and said in a soft voice, "I am sorry about the strange circumstances. I wish I had figured this all out earlier. Are we okay?" he asked, looking down at her with mild concern.
"Yes, we are just fine. We couldn't be better." she grinned at him and kissed him again, forgetting the madness of all the people around them and losing herself in her love.
Epilogue
She stood at the crest of the mountain, stopping for a moment and taking a deep breath of fresh pine air. Shannon pulled her mask off and looked around at the wonder of the Rocky Mountains blanketed in Christmas snow. It was truly majestic, and she loved it beyond measure.
"It's really something else, isn't it?" Colby said, coming up behind her and taking it all in with her.
She turned and looked at him with a challenging smile on her face. "So do you think you're up for this? I have to let you know, Black Diamonds are my specialty. You're going to have your hands full beating me down this hill."
He moved close to her and kissed her mouth long and sensually. "I will have my hands full on the way down the hill, it's true, but I will be honest with you, I'm more interested in having my hands full with you when we get back to the cabin, Mrs. Porter." he winked at her and kissed her again.
"Do you think your dad would watch Casey for us while we have dinner and dessert tonight?" she looked up at him with a flirty gaze and he felt his body grow warm for her.
Colby nodded with a smile. The only thing my dad likes better than being my dad, is being our son's grandfather. I have no doubt that he will be glad to spend the night with his little grandson."
"Then I'm all yours!" she called out to him as she tilted her ski tips downward and began to fly away on the champagne snow. "If you can catch me!" She shouted back over her shoulder with a laugh.
"I'm on it! You're mine!" he called to her, pulling his mask down over his face and shooting down the slope behind her.
They twisted and turned down the slope, banking and flying, jumping and spinning and she beat him to the bottom by more than a full minute, but when he got there, he felt like a winner, taking his beautiful wife into his arms and kissing her deeply.
His father was sitting in the sun at a table outside of the ski lodge with their son Casey, who was just learning to walk.
The couple unsnapped themselves from their skis and walked over to see his dad and the baby. Casey squealed and clapped his hands when he saw his mother and father coming to him.
"Hello baby boy!" Shannon called out, picking him up and hugging him tightly as he laughed. She pointed to the bunny hill and said, "When you start walking, I will take you over there and show you how to ski, and then in no time at all you'll be on the diamond hill with your mom and dad!"
He clapped his hands and wiggled in her arms and all of them laughed at him. Colby took him from his mother and they sat down together with Colby's father.
Louis Porter took his grandson back into his arms and played with him again. "I'm so glad you two wound up together and gave me this beautiful little boy. He's the greatest gift ever. I don't think anything could ever come close to being as important to me as he is."
Colby shared a secret smile with Shannon and then he looked at his dad. "Well, dad, we're going to do our best to try."
Louis looked them and raised his eyebrows. "That would be hard to do. What do you have in mind?" he asked with a smile.
"A little brother or sister for Casey sometime late in the summer!" Colby said with a grin.
His dad whooped and gave the baby a high five. "That's wonderful news!" he hugged them both and glowed with happiness.
"Dad, what would you think of watching Casey for us tonight so we can go out on a parent date, please?" Shannon asked with a smile.
Louis picked up his grandson and held him close. "I would love that. You two go have a good time and Casey and I will go off and have our own fun!"
Colby and Shannon welcomed two more children into their marriage over the coming years, and they loved each other with all of their hearts, always.
THE END
Authors Personal Message:
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ALSO BY SHERIE KEYS
SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND
Tycoon Jacob Adamson is close to sealing the deal of a lifetime. The chance to own a diamond mine is just what he needs to take his jewelry business to the next level.
Only problem is that Jacob is a playboy and the owner of the mine only wants to do business with people who he considers honorable family men.
Jacob has no choice but to ask his intern, Almasi, to pose as his wife for this trip in order to secure the deal in return for a cut of the profits.
However, Jacob and Almasi had no idea that their partnership was about to develop in to something more and, just like diamonds, this could also be FOREVER.....
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0ZRYDS44
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