by David Spell
Benton smiled as she recalled the two days they were trapped inside the cold house, waiting for the storm to break and the snow to melt, and how she found herself falling in love with the big man who had saved her.
“We spent a month together at the Northeast Georgia Technical College before heading out to find Melanie. That was where I worked before the world fell apart and there’s a large group of survivors there. But,” she concluded, “that’s how we met.”
Ben shook his head. “I’ve never heard anything like that in my life. Chuck, I met Melanie a couple of times when we would visit with the Mitchells or they would come here. You came up in one of the conversations, talking about your job and your part in fighting the terrorists and the zombies. Your daughter looked me in the eye and said, ‘Daddy will be fine. He’s a real-life action hero.’”
“That’s nice,” Chuck said, quietly, a little embarrassed at the attention. “I’m just glad I was able to get there in time to save this beautiful girl.” He gave Elizabeth’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Angela stood. “Elizabeth, would you help me take this stuff to the kitchen?”
As the ladies carried the dishes into the kitchen, Ben motioned for Travis to come close. Chuck watched as the father whispered into his son’s ear, both smiling as Travis quickly disappeared outside. The pastor looked over at Chuck and nodded.
Ten minutes later, the two couples sat chatting in the living room, sipping the last of the wine. The spacious living area was illuminated by candles placed in strategic locations. The front door opened, admitting Travis, Leroy, and Anthony, the three men smiling at some private joke, Beth thought.
“How’s Betsy, Leroy?” Angela asked.
“She’s sleeping, thankfully, so we were able to slip out for this. Thanks for inviting us.”
“Thanks for coming,” the pastor’s wife said. “I’ll be over tomorrow to sit with her.”
Ben had gotten up and was standing by the fireplace. He motioned for Chuck to join him. Elizabeth noticed that everyone in the room was now looking at her, suddenly understanding that something was happening, but having no idea what it was.
“Beth,” Chuck said, his voice strong and confident, “if you don’t have anything better to do tonight, would you marry me? Pastor Ben told me that he hasn’t performed a wedding in a while and he needs to stay in practice.”
Benton realized that her mouth was hanging open, but no words were coming out. McCain walked over to the couch and held his hand out. She took it, unconsciously getting up, her other hand covering her mouth.
He led her to where the beaming pastor stood. Still stunned, Beth stared at both men. “Oh, my God! Is this real, Chuck?”
“This is as real as it gets, Sweetheart. Unless you still want that long engagement?”
“No! This is great! Thank you, Pastor Ben.”
The pastor led the couple through a beautiful set of vows, read some Scripture, and then laid his hands on Chuck and Beth, inviting his wife to join him, as he prayed for their marriage and their journey through life together.
Thirty minutes later, the couple walked arm-in-arm up the driveway to the Mitchell’s house.
“If you’d like, we can have a big ceremony and invite all your friends, whenever things return to normal. We could even have it at the college if you want.”
“That would be so nice,” she squeezed his bicep. “I still can’t believe you did that,” she said, laughing. “We’re really married.”
A sudden realization hit her as they reached the front door. “Chuck, that means we can…”
“Oh, I know. I hope you weren’t planning on sleeping tonight,” her husband said, easily scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over the threshold into the house. Beth grinned at him as he gently set her down and then started giggling as Chuck chased her up the stairs to the master suite.
“I guess we’re about to find out how well my hip has healed up.” He lightly swatted Beth’s behind and she let out a huge squeal.
“Yes, we are, Mr. McCain,” Elizabeth answered, wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck and pulling him into the bedroom.
I hope you enjoyed Running Towards the Abyss. If you did, would you consider leaving me a review on Amazon? Good reviews help authors move higher in the rankings and let other readers know that a book is worth reading.
Climbing Out of the Ruins- Volume Five of the Zombie Terror War Series will be out later this year. Volume Five will conclude the series. If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, please check them out, as well.
When the Future Ended
The Darkest Part of the Night
When the Stars Fell From the Sky
If you know anyone that would enjoy these stories, please tell a friend. They will appreciate it and so will I!
I love staying in touch with my readers. Please check out my blog at DavidSpell.com or if you just want to send me some feedback you can do that at [email protected].