by Soraya Lane
Bella grinned. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The drive to the church went past in a blur, with Bella checking her makeup for the hundredth time, squeezing both her parents’ hands, exchanging glances with Serena, and anxiously smoothing the skirt of her gown. She’d kept her dress simple, chosen a fitted white satin gown with a plunging neck line, and she was wearing the dangling diamond earrings her sister had worn on her own wedding day as her only jewelry. Other than her engagement ring, the solitaire diamond that Noah had placed on her finger only a month earlier. Serena was dressed in a gown, too. Hers was blue, a deep shade the same color as her eyes.
When the car slowed, Bella saw Noah, bent low with his arms around the boys. And then they saw her parents step out and squealed and pushed Noah into the church, which made Bella burst into laughter. They were taking their roles very seriously, and it only made her adore them all the more.
“Hey, boys,” she said as she climbed out of the car, holding her bouquet.
Cooper ran toward her, but Will stayed still, staring. She waved him over, dropped down low so she was on his level.
“You look different,” Will said, brows furrowed as he stared at her.
Bella hugged Cooper and passed her mom the flowers, other arm open for Will so she could hug him, too. “It’s just because you don’t usually see me all dressed up like this. You look different, too.” They were wearing black trousers, white shirts, and soft blue ties, just like Noah would be.
“Can we hold your hand?” Cooper asked. “I’ve missed you.”
“Absolutely.” She shot her dad an apologetic smile. “Mind if these two walk me down the aisle?”
He came closer and kissed her cheek. “Not at all. They’re your little men; they deserve the honor.”
Bella blinked back a fresh wave of tears, took a deep breath, and nodded to her mom. She didn’t care about discarding her bouquet; all she cared about was the little hands she was holding as she stepped toward the open door of the church. And then she saw Noah, standing there, waiting, his face so open and happy that it took all her strength not to run to him.
The boys walked her all the way, but her eyes were trained on Noah. She didn’t notice another person in the room, paused only to kiss and hug both boys as they took their places on either side of them.
“You look so beautiful,” Noah said, whispering to her and leaning in to kiss her cheek, his lips so warm and soft. “Just like I knew you would.”
Bella had worn her hair loose, knowing Noah liked it that way, and he gently rescued a stray strand that was touching her face.
The ceremony raced past in a blur, until it came time to exchange rings. The boys each held one, waiting for their turn to help.
“I give you this ring and promise to love you forever,” Bella said, tears swimming in her eyes as she pushed the ring onto Noah’s finger.
He smiled and took her ring. “And with this ring, I promise to love you for the rest of my life,” Noah said in reply.
The second they were announced as man and wife, Noah wrapped his arms around her, dipping her back and kissing her like he’d waited an entire lifetime to do it.
“I love you,” he whispered into her ear. “And I’ll never be afraid to say it.”
Bella laughed as he rained kisses down her neck. “Me, too.”
“There’s some very special people missing tonight, and it would be remiss of me not to pay tribute to them,” Noah said, standing at the head of the long table and looking at the friends and family they had gathered. The table was set beneath a big tree on the grass at Bella’s parents house, fairy lights twinkling in the dark across the branches, mirrored by the candles flickering across the long table.
Bella reached for his hand, still seated, and he took it, smiling down at her before continuing.
“A little over a year ago, I lost my best friend,” he started, his voice strong despite the subject matter, well practiced in the speech he’d been reciting in the shower all morning. “Gray was more my brother than friend, and I doubt I’ll ever stop missing him. We fought like brothers, competed like brothers, and fiercely supported each other like brothers. Gray, not a day goes by that I don’t think about you.” Noah cleared his throat, knowing how emotional his words would be for everyone listening. “The truth is that we all lost a lot that day, every single person sitting around this table. My beautiful wife lost her sister, her family lost their daughter, and Gray’s family lost their son. But most tragic of all is that Cooper and Will lost their mommy and daddy.”
Bella stood then, fingers looped around his as she dropped her head to his shoulder, body reassuring against his. The boys had already fallen asleep, were still in their cute little shirts, lying on the outdoor sofas with blankets tucked in around them. He glanced at them before he continued.
“Bella and I would do anything for those boys, and no one loves them more than this amazing mama bear here. They may have lost their first parents, but we’re sure as hell going to do everything we can to be the best damn second parents in the world.”
Everyone laughed, although there were many tearful eyes present, too, and Bella leaned up to kiss him. Noah smiled down at her.
“Lila and Gray’s passing was the catalyst for bringing Bella and me together, and even though odds were on us failing at even being under the same roof together for more than a week, somehow we managed to see just how right we were for each other. Bella is the love of my life, the only person in the world I’ve ever truly felt that way about, and been able to admit it. And now here I am, declaring my love in front of all of you, so this girl’s sure changed me!”
Everyone laughed and he cleared his throat, holding tight to Bella’s hand. “To Gray and Lila,” Noah said, reaching for his champagne glass and raising it. “For bringing this amazing woman into my life and being the best damn friends I ever had.”
“To Gray and Lila,” everyone echoed, glasses clinking.
“And to us,” Bella added quietly. “For the two people who never saw this coming and ended up stupidly, madly, crazily in love.”
“To us,” Noah whispered, just to her. “For making me a better man.”
Bella tipped her head back for the kiss she must have known was coming.
“Cheers to that,” she whispered back.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
People often ask me how to become an author, as if I’m going to offer them some magical advice, but my answer is always the same: just write. And then write some more. I’m fortunate to have some truly inspirational author friends, and when the going gets tough, it’s great to know that they’re there to lend a sympathetic ear and then repeat my own words to me: just get writing! On that note, I have to say a huge thank-you to Yvonne Lindsay. Thank you for being on the other end of the phone every day. I am so grateful that we have similar schedules, because knowing you’re writing at the same time as I am every single day helps me to stay on track and be extremely disciplined. I honestly don’t think I could be anywhere near as productive right now without you, so thank you.
I’m also fortunate to have a fabulous support crew in authors Natalie Anderson and Nicola Marsh. We might not email as many times a day as we used to before kids took over all our spare time, but those emails keep me going, and I wouldn’t like to be without either of you. I’m so grateful to have support from both of you, and I admire you so much as authors and as busy mothers.
Thank you also to my own incredible mother, Maureen, who gives me so much of her time to help with my boys. I couldn’t have written this book without her daily help, especially with my insomniac toddler. Thank you a thousand times over. My children are also very lucky to have a fantastic granddad who is extremely good at building tunnels and jumping platforms out of sofa cushions to keep them entertained.
I also have to thank my fabulous husband, Hamish. Nothing beats having a husband who will willingly play Transformers, Ninja Turtles, and Spiderman at the drop of a hat to en
tertain our boys. Thank you!
I’m very fortunate to work with some truly talented women, and I need to say a special thank you to them all. Laura Bradford, my very supportive literary agent, and Sophie Wilson, who was my editor on this project, thank you both for all your help and guidance. I love having you both on my team—I genuinely feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with both of you. Sophie pushed me so hard on this book to get it right, and I will always appreciate the work she puts into my stories. Thank you! I also need to thank my copy editor on this book, Jill Pellarin.
And last but not least, Emilie Marneur, a huge thank-you for reading the proposal for this book and believing in it right from the start. At Amazon Publishing, I have truly found a home for the stories of my heart, and this book is certainly one that I’ve been yearning to write.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2014 Carys Monteath
Soraya Lane was born in New Zealand and was accepted to university at only sixteen years of age. She graduated with a law degree, but instead of practicing law she decided to follow her dream of becoming a writer. She successfully built a career as a freelance journalist and completed a master of fine arts degree in creative writing. Soraya is now a full-time author—and a full-time mother to her two young sons. She and her husband live on a small farm in her native New Zealand with their two dogs and four horses. Soraya is passionate about animal rights and she enjoys horse riding, spending time with her family, and reading. She hopes to be writing stories for the rest of her life.