More Than Enough

by Johnson, Ashley

  “Sherry, you’re going to make me cry. I can’t cry.” I dabbed at my eyes trying to keep my mascara from running. I didn’t want to look like a splotchy bride, that would make for horrible pictures.

  There was a knock at the door and it was Gary coming to get me for when it was time. I drew in a deep breath as the door opened. Halley and Sherry hugged me as they walked out of the room. I saw Paul for a second when the door opened and he blew me a kiss. He and Halley were walking together, I’m sure that was going to be a hoot of fun.

  I stood there in the room with Gary waiting for our turn. As we linked arms, he looked at me with a tear glistening in his eye. “I’m so proud of you Macy and I’m honored to be able to give you away. I’ve watched you grow through some difficult things and you are so strong. I love you so much and I’m always here for you. No matter what. I mean that with my whole heart.”

  Shit, I was about to start crying and I hadn’t even left this room. “Gary, no thank you for everything you did for me. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you. I love you too.”

  Gary was the only member of my family here with me. I hadn’t talked to my mom since everything happened and I changed my number. She tried to call Gary a few times but he wouldn’t budge and give her my number or any information. She even tried Luke a few times, but he wouldn’t even answer. I was very adamant that I was finished with that. I won’t let her hurt me anymore. It hurts that she won’t be a part of my life or my baby’s but it has to be this way. Do I regret it? Not at all.

  The door opened as it was our turn and I took a deep breath as we walked into the church. The wedding march was playing but I was so into trying not to trip that I barely heard it. Luke was standing at the altar in his tuxedo looking handsome as ever. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dressed up like this; we may not be at our reception long if you know what I mean.

  His green eyes were sparkling as he watched me walk towards him. I felt like a princess going to meet her prince. When Gary gave me away, I fought back my tears as I kissed his cheek and then linked arms with my soon to be husband. This was really happening and soon I would be married to Luke. If I’m dreaming I don’t want to wake up. Ever.

  I handed Halley my bouquet of red roses as we held hands for our vows. Luke and I decided on red roses since that’s all he has ever given me. They were special to us.

  It seemed like an eternity for the vows to be done and I was as nervous as I slid his band on his finger. It took me a minute or so to quit shaking enough to get it on. When we were finally pronounced husband and wife, the butterflies erupted in my stomach and I couldn’t hold my grin back anymore. And when we kissed, it was pure magic, fireworks and all.

  Our reception was so much fun. We had it inside The Lounge, because well, we wouldn’t have to pay anything. There was room to dance and plenty of room to sit, it was absolutely perfect. I liked the champagne so much at Halley’s that I decided we could have it at ours too. It’s not like I could have much anyway in my condition. My cake was very simple, just a few red roses made of icing here and there and Luke’s was a chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries on the top. We had fun picking out that cake.

  Our first dance was to “I Cross My Heart’ by George Strait. That’s what we danced to at Halley’s wedding and as I listened to the words that day, I knew that was us. Unconditional right from the start. As we danced, he leaned in and whispered, “Have I told you how beautiful you look today Mrs. Nolan?”

  I blushed at his words and replied, “Yes you have Mr. Nolan, but I don’t think I’ll get tired of hearing it.” He’d told me from the minute we met at the altar and he hadn’t stopped. Bliss, pure bliss is what I am feeling today.

  Paul stole me shortly after so we could dance. “So do I need to have a baby too since you have one coming? By the way don’t you find out what you’re having soon?”

  He was referring to how Will and Grace both had kids and their kids became friends at the end of the series. I had to laugh at that one. I could see him telling Drew they needed to have a kid. Drew would probably die laughing and then kill us for planting that thought in his head.

  “I find out next week. You sure you want a kid Will? That’s a lot of dirty diapers and late nights.”

  He pondered that thought for a moment and then looked at me with a devilish grin. “You can be the only one with a baby Grace. I’ll just borrow your baby every once in a while. I wouldn’t want to mess up my girlish figure.”

  I laughed as the song ended and I grabbed a flute of champagne. Sherry came up to me with Luke in tow. “Randy and I haven’t given you your wedding gift yet so we are giving it to you now.” Randy met her and handed Luke and I an envelope. We both looked at each other then at them before we opened it. Luke broke the seal and pulled a paper out. It was a letter.

  Luke and Macy,

  We love you very much and are so excited to share in this day with you. We are more excited we have a grandbaby coming. Take these cruise tickets and go enjoy yourselves before you bring your child into this world. Enjoy time to yourselves because life as you know it is about to change (in a good way though!) Remember, always keep each other first and communicate and you can get through anything.

  Love,

  Mom and Dad

  Sure enough, inside were two tickets leaving out in the morning for a cruise in the Caribbean. Luke and I stood there speechless trying to figure out what to say. It wasn’t an awkward moment but I just couldn’t find the words to even begin to thank them for this. They’d already done so much with helping with the actual wedding and now this.

  “Just take them son, don’t argue this is our gift to you guys.” Sherry was very adamant with her statement and so I simply threw my arms around her neck then Randy’s.

  “Thank you so very much.”

  Sherry gave me a warm smile and replied, “You are very welcome. We want you two to have a good time and enjoy these moments.”

  We were going to need to go home and pack. At least my bathing suit will still fit somewhat. I mean a lot of celebrities show their baby bumps on the beach. I’m barely showing so it’s not like there are stretch marks everywhere. If I get uncomfortable I’ll just put a tank top on. I couldn’t wait. It was going to be so much fun.

  I only allowed myself that one glass of champagne since I was pregnant. We all danced a little longer before Luke and I made our exit.

  Halley walked up to me with Marcus trailing behind her. They both gave me a hug and told us congratulations again. “You know, I expect a good gift. Not just some flimsy postcard.”

  That was the running joke when she went on her honeymoon to the Bahamas. She told me that’s all I was getting. She came back with a shot glass, a t-shirt, some seashells and a few other small things. A postcard was not among any of the things.

  “I’ll get you two postcards. How is that?” I smiled as she smacked my arm.

  “You guys have fun. I better get a call as soon as you get back!”

  “Duh!” I hugged her one last time as Paul approached me.

  “If the ship sinks, remember Rose lived but Jack died. Sorry Luke.” Luke looked at him with a raised eyebrow and I burst out laughing. The only good thing that came from Halley’s bachelorette party was me meeting Paul. There was never a dull moment with him and I loved it.

  “I will definitely remember that. I mean I have to live anyway I’m with child.”

  “Oh gee thanks babe. I feel so loved now.” Luke was pouting and it was incredibly adorable.

  I reached up to kiss his lips, “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll always love you, even when you’re sinking to the bottom of the ocean. And when I need money to pay bills, I’ll just sell all your tattoo equipment.”

  His jaw dropped and he looked at me crazy. I know what he was thinking. He was thinking there was no way I would do that and honestly I wouldn’t but it was funny watching him sweat over it. We all laughed as we hugged one more time. Gary made me promise about a thousand
times to be careful. After I reassured him another three thousand times, he finally gave me a hug and we were ready to be on our way.

  Luke didn’t drink anything at the wedding but punch so we had his car. He was antsy about putting the window marker on his car but Paul took the chance and hurried and wrote Just Married before Luke could notice. He’d get over it. It wasn’t going to hurt anything on the windows. He just smiled when he saw it and as we sat in the car, he placed his hand over my barely there belly in the car and kissed my lips.

  “I love you Mrs. Nolan and I can’t wait to meet our baby in the next few months.”

  I smiled and brought our lips back together before pulling them back again, “I love you too, Mr. Nolan. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you and our family.”

  The End

  THANK YOU :)

  I can’t say thank you enough for this journey I’ve started. Thank you to everyone who has joined me and bought ‘Never Enough’. Your support has been absolutely unreal and like I said, I can’t thank you enough. If I could personally thank each and every one of you I would, but this will have to do! My nerves were so on end with ‘Never Enough’ but I knew if I held onto it any longer, I would never release it.

  I’ll never forget the first fan who told me how much they loved the book. I was on cloud nine and that’s when I knew everything I had worked for was worth it. Every person who has told me they liked the book has absolutely made my heart soar. Thank you all so much!

  Thank you to every single one of you who took the time to review the book whether good or bad. All of it just fueled me to keep going.

  Thank you to my fiancée and my daughter who continued to put up with me sitting here day after day writing my heart out. Without their support, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. My fiancée supported me through this whole process helping me along the way. When I would get off work and jump straight on the computer, he would just ask me how it was all coming along. I love you both so very much.

  A big thank you to my Dad for being my best friend and the best dad in the world!! I love you Fasha!!

  Thank you to my Mom, you are amazing and I love you so much!!

  Thank you to all my family…there’s so many people to name..just know who you are and that I love you more than anything!!

  Thank you to my best friend Adrienne who sat there and listened to me worry and almost lose my mind. Thank you for keeping me laughing and supporting me when I almost wanted to give up. Love you my number one botch! (Yes, I mean botch I promise I didn’t misspell that!)

  Thank you to Robin Harper for yet another amazing cover! I love you and couldn’t have done this without your support also. Thank you for also being a friend to me!

  Last, I have to thank God for the ability to tell a story and the courage to live out my dreams. As long as there is someone out there who enjoys what I do, then I won’t stop.

  All of your support means more than I could ever say so thank you again!!

  Find me on Facebook!

  www.facebook.com/amjohnson84

  Coming Late 2013 or Early 2014

  One Of The Guys

  Chapter 1

  I swear to God, I’m scared I’m going to lose my shit. My nerves are unreal right now. It’s excitement on top of being purely scared of what’s going to happen. I really care not to see hamburger helper come up. It was leftovers from two days ago, but it’s all I could find in the house besides some Jell-O and saltine crackers. Dad hasn’t bought groceries in almost a week and all my money is going towards getting me the hell out of there. I know the police department pays better than that. Asshole.

  I could see Cole across the room watching me with both concern and a hint of a smile. His baby blue eyes were burning a hole into me. I’m glad he was standing over there. He was bound to either get me more wound up about my fight or just wound up in general.

  I was glad Rocky was my trainer. He fully understood my situation and why I showed up at Lou’s Gym when I did. He had truly seen something in me that day, or at least that’s what he told me. That’s where I first met Cole, and sometimes I wish I hadn’t. He had my heart cutting flips most of the time but I forced myself to shut him out. I don’t have time for that right now in my life.

  I still can’t believe we kissed last night. Dammit Sam, what is wrong with you? Without meaning to, I had nearly broken every rule I had set in place. Surprisingly, he acted like nothing happened so far which was just fine with me. It was easier that way. I wasn’t paying to go to Lou’s for a relationship.

  I continued to look around the small room where many people stood wall to wall ready to see some good fights. The lights were so bright I could barely make out the cage where I would soon be taking out all my anger and frustrations in hopes of earning a little more money to tuck away inside my shoebox. Not much more, that’s what I kept telling myself. Rocky just finished helping me secure my grappling gloves as I got ready for my fight. I have no idea who I’m up against which is what I find to be the most exciting. That’s part of the reason my nerves are so bad. I just know I’ll be in the cage against one of the male fighters.

  I’ve fought against a few of the women and so far, I’ve won all but one. Marley was one tough bitch and I admired her for that. Rocky knew I wanted more and I was capable of handling more, shit I practically knocked him on his ass when we were just practicing. And I know he came at me full force, he didn’t take it easy on me and treat me like some sort of princess. I’ve never fought against one of the guys but I figured me of all people could take a hit from a man. That is, if they were lucky enough to get a shot at me. There was also more pay involved if a woman could beat a man. Most of them didn’t care to even try. They were more than happy with the normal. I was more than willing to go against a male.

  My thoughts were interrupted when Blaize, the announcer, began to speak into his microphone. “Alright, you guys ready for an action packed night?” Blaize had an authorative yet exciting voice. He really knew how to get the crowd pumped, they were insanely loud tonight.

  I closed my eyes drawing in a deep breath as he continued to ramble on about the rules and yadda yadda yadda. I’ve heard it all and I know it. I’m just ready to hear who I’m against so I can get it over with.

  Blaize’s voice broke through my thoughts again when I heard my name over the speakers. “Tonight, we have our own Sam Montgomery doing what very few females do. She will be going up against one of our male contenders. I love seeing women kick ass. Can I get a hell yeah?”

  The crowd erupted into one big hell yeah and a few even hollered my name. I’ve become a bit of a favorite here. Blaize looked at the clipboard in front of his face and a big grin spread across his face. Shit, he sees who I’m up against. Rocky and I made our way closer to the ring so he could finish prepping me. When he was done he hugged me.

  “Good luck Sam. Just remember what we’ve practiced and keep your hands up. Don’t let the bastard get a shot in. You got this.”

  I grinned and replied, “Don’t worry Rocky; he won’t know what hit him.”

  The crowd suddenly got quiet as Blaize set the clipboard down and placed the microphone back to his mouth. “Ok, I’m super fucking stoked about this match up and I think you guys will be too. We have the best of the best going at it tonight and for once, I’m not sure who to place my money on. So without further bullshit, Sam Montgomery will be facing off against our own Cole Johnson. Fuck yeah, I can’t wait to see this one.”

  The entire crowd began cheering and it was so loud I could hardly hear myself think. Did he really just say I was up against Cole tonight? No. I can’t do it. I can’t fight Cole. Who makes these lists? This has got to be a joke.

  I felt my face turn pale and I looked to meet Cole’s eyes. His face was as pale as mine if not worse. I just kissed the guy last night and now, I would be getting ready to take him on in the cage. I’ve seen him in the cage, he’s the best there is around here and he’s fucking ruthless. I’ve neve
r seen him lose a match.

  Oh God, I can’t do this. I need a way out. Now. The walls are closing in as I hear our names being chanted throughout the building. I could handle fighting any other man in here, just not Cole. All eyes are on me and I suddenly feel as if I can’t move. Thank God we aren’t the first fight of the evening. I know this because after Blaize called our names, he continued to call out every other pairing of the night and we were set to go last.

  Jack Miller and Trey Jones just stepped into the cage and their fight had begun. I could easily take one of them on with nothing to hold me back. Cole liked me, he’d made that clear on more than one occasion and I just, I can’t do this.

  I snapped out of my thoughts as Cole inched closer to me. Shit. What does he want? Does he just want to gloat about how he’s about to throw my little body across the cage? I’ll fucking drag him to the ground now; I’m not in the mood.

  He reached out to touch my arm and I jerked it away. My breathing became ragged as I tried to figure out what I was going to do. Could I even beat him?

  “Sam, I’m freaked out about this too. I won’t go hard on you, ok?”

  My green eyes shot up to meet his and I scowled, “Are you serious Cole? Don’t fucking treat me like a porcelain doll. I’m not breakable ok?”

  “Stop Sam, I don’t mean it like that. You know I don’t like the idea of you even wanting to fight a man. Why do you want to?”

  “I’m sorry who are you? Don’t act like you can give me advice or tell me what to do. It’s my business not yours.”

  Shit. What I said just hurt him. I can see it in his eyes. “I care about you. You know that. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  Tears stung behind my eyes as I walked towards the door to get some fresh air. Trey just won his match and the next pair was getting ready to get in the cage. Cole followed closely behind me.