The Big Gamble

by M Andrews

  I wanted us to have a private moment together that was just for us before the craziness of the day crept in.

  As soon as I walk into the living room, Ella starts kicking me like crazy. She always knows when Brian is near. Such a daddy’s girl already. She’s definitely going to have Brian completely wrapped around her finger the moment she arrives. I step further inside the quiet room and see Brian standing with his back to me by the wall of windows that overlook the lake. Lucy gives me a quick kiss on the cheek then leaves us in private.

  I take a few steps closer to Brian, taking a moment to drink him in, in his dark blue suit. He catches my reflection in the glass and turns around. His big brown eyes widening with excitement and the tears start to well as he gazes upon me.

  “Brooke.” My name comes out in a whispered hush.

  “Don’t start with the tears now,” I warn feeling my own tears beginning to build.

  He looks so handsome in his suit with his hair neatly combed back and his newly grown beard. I love that he let his beard grow out, he looks so damn hot with it and it feels so good against my skin, and I’m definitely looking forward to beard burn all over my body during our honeymoon.

  “I’m sorry, Ace, but you look so beautiful.” He pauses in front of me then places a gentle kiss on my lips.

  “You better say hello to little Miss Ella, she’s been kicking like crazy since I stepped in here.” I smile pointing to my bump just as Ella kicks me again.

  “I would never forget her.” Brian takes a step back then leans down placing his hands on my belly then kisses my bump. “I love you, Ella.” Ella responds with a mighty kick as if saying, I love you too. “I think we’re going to have a little soccer player on our hands.” Brian chuckles standing back up.

  “She was playing quite the game last night. I swear she knows when you aren’t around, and last night she knew Daddy wasn’t in bed with Mommy. She’s such a daddy’s girl.”

  “I missed you both last night too. Don’t worry Ella, Daddy will always be here for you and Mommy.” Brian starts to lean in for another kiss, but his mom interrupts letting us know that they are ready to begin the ceremony. Brian gives me one last quick kiss. “I’ll meet you at the end of the aisle. I love you, Brooke.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I watch Brian walk out to the marquee. I can’t wait to marry this man.

  Eliana joins me in the living room. “Brooke you look beautiful, sweetheart.” She pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so happy to welcome you into our family and I especially can’t wait for this sweet girl to join us too.” She softly smiles cradling my bump in her hands.

  Eliana has been so great through this whole process. One thing I missed most about planning the wedding was that my mom wasn’t here to be a part of it. But Eliana filled in and made me feel like her daughter.

  “I have a little something old for you.” She opens a small black box and pulls out a small gold heart shaped locket with a G inscribed on the front. “This locket was given to me by my mother when I married Brian’s father. This was never Natalie’s style, so I held onto it in case Brian finally did get married. Inside I put a picture of you and Brian then when little Ella comes you can put a picture of her in it.”

  “Eliana, this is so sweet of you. Thank you so much. I love it.” I lift my hair up so she can do up the clasp.

  “It looks perfect on you. Okay, I better get out there. Welcome to the family, sweetheart,” Eliana steps outside and joins the rest of the wedding party out by the marquee.

  “Brookie, wow!” Hunter walks down the stairs with my dad and they are both rendered speechless for the moment.

  “Peanut, you look beautiful. You’re positively glowing.”

  “Thanks, Daddy. So are you boys ready to give me away?” I smile, giving them both a hug.

  “I don’t think either one of us is ready.” Hunter wipes a tear from his eye.

  “Hey Hunter, don’t cry. I’m always going to be your Brookie, that’s never going to change. I love you big brother and thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Hunter pulls me into his arms giving me as big a hug as he can with my protruding belly.

  I always knew when I got married I wanted both my dad and Hunter to give me away. They’ve both been there for me through everything, and Hunter has gone from just being my older brother to being like a second father to me. He has more than earned this right.

  “Brooke, I know your mother is looking down on you today and I know she is so proud of the woman you have become. And I am so proud of you too, Brooke.” Damn it I didn’t want to cry, but here we are two grown ass men and me, hugging together in a crying mess.

  Lucy pokes her head through the door and tells us it’s time and my heart flutters with excitement.

  “Ready or not, it’s time.” I slide an arm through each of theirs. We step outside into the cool fall night. The air is thick with the smell of rain and fresh flowers. As we wait outside the marquee, I stand on my tiptoes getting a glimpse inside. The small marquee is glowing with candles and filled with every flower from Lucy’s garden, and half the florists in Seattle. Lucy went a little overboard with helping pick out the flowers, but it looks absolutely beautiful.

  The music begins and my dad looks over at me. “Are you ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  Standing at the end of the altar, I anxiously await Brooke. This day had been a long time coming. We’ve been through hell and back to get to this day, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it because today I’m marrying my best friend.

  The music begins and our guests rise the moment Brooke steps inside the marquee. My beautiful Brooke looking like a vision coming down the aisle toward me. Her face beaming in the candle light. I’m one lucky son of a bitch that this incredible woman chose me to spend the rest of her life with.

  Once they reach the altar, Derrick shakes my hand then pulls me into hug and whispers, “Take care of my little girl.” He has nothing to worry about, I’m going to spend the rest of my life treating Brooke like a queen.

  Brooke and I step up to the altar and I whisper a quick, “I love you,” to Brooke before she turns to hand her bouquet to Lucy. We join hands and the minister begins the ceremony with his speech and the world around us just fades away and it’s just Brooke and me, looking lovingly into each other’s eyes.

  Before I know it, I hear the minister saying it’s time for us to exchange our vows, and my heart begins to beat a little quicker and my nerves set in a little, but I simply focus on Brooke and block out the rest of the world.

  “A year ago almost to the day a mouthy brunette with the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen came knocking on my door to complain about the noise. I won’t go into what said noise was, but she was pretty teed off.” Brooke and I both chuckle. “I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the day I met the woman I was going to marry. When I met you Brooke I was wandering lost in the darkness, and that day you came into my life like a bright beam of light and pulled me out of the hell I’d been living in. You’ve made me a better man by loving me and standing by my side. You’re my best friend and the love of my life, and I promise I will spend every day of my life making you and our baby as happy as you have made me.”

  Brooke reaches up and gently wipes my tears away and mouthing, “I love you,” before starting her vows.

  “I’ve heard people say how happy they are that we have found our happy ending, but I don’t like to think of it that way. This isn’t our ending, this is our beginning because our story is nowhere near the end. We have a new chapter ahead of us. Though we don’t know what awaits us, I know as long as we have each other and the love that burns between us we can get through anything.” She pauses to take a calming breath. “Brian, I have fallen more in love with you with each passing day we are together, and I know that love is only going to grow even bigger as we start our lives together. I am so proud and honored that you chose me to be your wife and the mother of our child. I love you so much.�
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  After she’s finished, I can’t help but steal a quick kiss before we exchange rings.

  The minister finally says the words that I’ve been dying to hear. “It’s with great pleasure that I announce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Gamble.”

  I fucking love the way that sounds.

  Our guests stand to clap and cheer for us.

  I lift our hands in the air and shout, “We’re fucking married!”

  The cake’s been cut and the speeches have been given. The party’s beginning to die down. Ryder and Lucy are drunk and singing eighties rock ballads with the band while my nieces dance in circles on the dance floor with Bailey and my sister. The wedding’s gone off without a hitch, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

  Brooke and I make our final rounds around the party saying our goodbyes. I can’t wait to get Brooke alone and give her the surprise I’ve been keeping for the past two months. I help Brooke into the limo then give the driver the address to the real location where we’ll be spending our first night as man and wife.

  “I can’t wait to get you back to the hotel and out of that suit.” Brooke leans over kissing down my neck.

  “You won’t have to wait until we get back to the hotel.”

  The limo pulls up to a house just four houses down from Lucy’s. “We’re here.”

  Brooke gives me a confused look. “Where are we? I thought we were going to the hotel?”

  The driver opens Brooke’s door and helps her out. I follow behind and grab her hand leading her up the walkway to the two-story white house with black shutters and a red door. Brooke mentioned months ago how much she loved this house, and about a week after she pointed it out to me again it went on the market so I bought it.

  “Brian seriously, what are we doing here?” she asks again.

  We reach the door and I pause reaching into my suit pocket. I pull out a small silver key and hand it to her. “Welcome home, Mrs. Gamble.”

  She stares down at the key in her hand, her other hand is over her mouth as she quietly cries. “You bought us a house? Brian, when did you do this?”

  “About two months ago. Lucy called me the day she saw the ‘for sale’ sign out front. I knew how much you loved this house, so I called that day and made an offer. Come on let’s go see our new home.”

  I push the key into the deadbolt and open the door. Before I can take a step, Brian lifts me up in his arms and carries me over the threshold. The house is dark except for a trail of tea light candles and rose petals leading upstairs. Brian sets me back down on my feet and I step further into the house. I take a moment to look around the empty space, my mind already picturing warm fires in the fireplace. Pictures of our family on the walls, and Ella and Lola playing on the floor in the living room while I cook dinner in my new kitchen.

  “Do you like it?” Brian asks. He’s just standing in the doorway of the living room watching me.

  “Brian, I love it. I can’t believe you bought us a house.” I can’t believe he managed to keep it a secret for so long. I’m even more surprised Lucy was able to keep her big mouth shut.

  “I wanted us to have a fresh start in a place that we could make ours. A proper home for Ella and any future children to grow up in. Plus, it’s close to Lucy so she can come help out with Ella when I’m at work. Come on, I want to show you something.”

  He leads me upstairs to one of the four bedrooms with a little plaque hanging in the middle with Ella written in pink lettering. He opens the door and turns on the light revealing Ella’s fully decorated nursery. And now it all comes flooding back to me. While Lucy was helping me with some last minute wedding stuff, she brought out all these baby magazines and kept asking me which nurseries I thought were cute. I didn’t think anything of it at the time and just forgot about it. I stepped inside and saw everything I had pointed out, the white sleigh style crib, the crystal chandelier with the little crystal butterflies and the mint green rocker that reminded me of the one my mom had when I was a baby.

  “Brian, I can’t believe you did this.”

  “Lucy is the one you should be thanking for all of this.”

  I run my hands along the crib and glance up at the little shelf hanging on the wall and mixed in the pictures of me and Brian is a picture of my mom holding me in my old bedroom when I was a baby and with that the tears begin to fall again. I grab the picture and run my fingers along the glass. Brian comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.

  “Your dad found that in some old boxes and sent it to Lucy knowing you’d want it. It’s kind of like she will be here watching over Ella.”

  Just when I think I can’t possibly love Brian more he goes and does something like this that makes me fall even harder in love with him. I love this man with every ounce of my being, he consumes every part of me. He is forever etched into my soul.

  As we stand quietly in Ella’s room, I can’t help but think back over the past year and the roller coaster ride that brought us to this moment. Our hatred turning into an intense love for each other to me almost dying in that hospital bed. But I wouldn’t change a second of it because it brought me Brooke and very soon our beautiful daughter.

  Love is the ultimate gamble and there are always risks, but when you love someone as much as I love Brooke, the gamble is always worth the risks.

  Next in the Series

  Lucky Strike

  Gambling on Love Series Book 2

  Ryder lives his life fast and hard and he doesn’t apologize for it. His only regret is that he let his stubborn pride get in the way of fighting for the woman he loves. But now that she’s about to fall back into the arms of the man who ripped her heart out, Ryder will stop at nothing to get her back.

  Coming soon

  Add to you TBR on Goodreads

  Lucky Strike – Gambling on Love Book 2

  Goodreads Links

  Click on the links below to add to your TBR list.

  The Big Gamble – Gambling on Love Book 1

  Lucky Strike – Gambling on Love Book 2

  Queen of Hearts – Gambling on Love Book 3

  Taking Chances – Hot Hollywood Nights Book 1

  Sins of the Night – Saint Brothers Book 1

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  M. Andrews

  M. Andrews resides in Seattle with her husband and two kids. She spends most of her time with her family and reading anything she can get her hands on. She’s a coffee lover with a mighty sweet tooth.

  M. Andrews has always had a passion for writing. She started out writing fan-fiction and short stories. She made the leap into writing books when she found herself in a new city with the opportunity to finally live her dream of being a writer.

  M. Andrews’s debut novel The Big Gamble will be released October 26th, 2015.