A Reason to Be Alone (The Camdyn Series Book 2)

by Christina Coryell

  Once I was fully ready, Liz poked her head in to check on us. We assured her we were on schedule, and she started getting a little emotional, so Rachel quickly escorted her out of the room and asked her to check on Cooper. Rosalie was the next to pop in unexpectedly, and she wanted to let me know that Cole’s firefighter buddies had been put on guard, in case any attractive blondes managed to show up uninvited. I thanked her, but assured her that I wasn’t worried.

  Finally, Charlie showed up at the door, asking for a minute. As the other girls left the room and closed the two of us inside, I took a big breath before I smiled over at him.

  “Baby sister,” he stated quietly.

  “Big brother,” I whispered. He took a couple of steps toward me and took both my hands in his.

  “I’ve never seen you look quite so beautiful,” he said. “It’s not the dress, either – I think it’s because you’re happy.”

  “I am happy,” I admitted.

  “And I’m happy for you,” he told me. “I’m also happy for myself, because as soon as this is over, you are no longer my responsibility. Cole can start worrying about where you are and what you’re going to trip over for a change.”

  “Charlie,” I whined, tilting my head at him.

  “Is it safe to hug you?” he asked. “I’m afraid I’m going to destroy something.”

  “Hug away,” I assured him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He gave me a quick squeeze, and then he straightened up and offered me his arm.

  “There’s a very anxious someone waiting for you,” he whispered right before he opened the door, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  From the doorway by the front porch, I could see many of Cole’s friends, but I also saw a couple of mine. Laurel was there, sitting next to Lex and Kara, along with Edith. As I leaned back to take a deep breath, Charlie tightened his grip on me a little and gave me a brotherly grin.

  At the cue, Trina stepped out and started walking, followed by Rachel, and then finally Charlotte, leaving behind a trail of multi-colored petals. Once Charlotte was safely out of our sight, we heard the low tones of Tony’s guitar and the melody of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The first thought I had when I rounded the corner of the house was to be stunned, because everything looked so idyllically perfect. The rustic gazebo was just beyond, with the arbor and the flowers hanging from above. Charlotte’s petals were scattered across the grass almost flawlessly, and I swallowed hard.

  Cole and his family did all of this for me. For me.

  Then, suddenly, another thought crossed my mind.

  Don’t trip and screw it up.

  That thought didn’t last long, though, because in that instant I locked eyes with Cole, and I forgot that there was anyone else at that wedding. He had dressed himself exactly as I had described when I imagined it before, with the top button undone behind that purple tie, hair kind of disheveled and sporting that five o’clock shadow. He was also displaying a completely magnificent smile, and I knew that it was only for me.

  You’re doing the staring thing, I thought, but I didn’t care. We stopped in front of Tony with his purple-tipped hair, and I held tight to Charlie’s arm.

  “Wow,” Cole mouthed, causing me to smile a little harder.

  “Today is a truly special day,” Tony began, “because I get to witness a marriage between two people I call friends. I know Cole has been waiting for this day for a long time, so it’s impossible not to be happy for him, and Camdyn… Well, she might be the only person within the sound of my voice who has a worse first fishing trip story than me, so she’s okay in my book.” I smirked at Tony, but he just kept going as though he was totally serious. He said a few words about marriage, and I was trying to pay attention to him, but I kept glancing at my handsome groom.

  “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Tony asked then, looking at Charlie.

  “I do,” Charlie stated, kissing me on the cheek and then handing me off to Cole, who extended his arm. I slid my hand inside his elbow, and he placed his other hand over mine there on his arm, smiling down at me. Rachel took the bouquet from my left hand, and I turned to Cole expectantly.

  “If anybody has just cause why these two should not be married, please speak up now,” Tony said, only pausing about two seconds. “Okay, that seemed like enough time to me. I’m not taking any chances.” I couldn’t help but giggle as Cole shook his head at Tony.

  “The couple has expressed a desire to write their own vows,” Tony told everyone. “Cole, you’re up first. Good luck, buddy.” He put his hand sympathetically on Cole’s shoulder, and earned himself a quick warning look. Reaching into his pants pocket, Cole pulled out a folded piece of paper before he took my hand.

  “Camdyn,” he started, gazing down at me, “I had my vows written out a couple of weeks ago, and then you instructed me that I was not allowed to use any cheesy movie lines, so I had to start over at square one.” Charlie chuckled behind Cole, and I smiled up into those dark brown eyes.

  “Tony’s right,” he continued, “I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, but you’re not quite what I expected. I thought if I got really lucky, I might find a kind, intelligent woman that I had something in common with. If I absolutely hit the jackpot, she might turn out to be reasonably pretty on top of that. Then I met you.” He smiled before glancing down at his paper, and I squeezed his hand a little tighter.

  “Camdyn, you are downright goofy sometimes, and I think that’s incredible, because you make me feel so comfortable when I’m with you. If I suddenly start singing some off-the-wall tune while I’m driving the truck down the road, I know one of two things is going to happen: You are either going to start playing your version of name that song, or you’re going to be singing right along with me. I love that. And you’re clumsy. Wow, you’re so clumsy, but I think that’s just what I need. I have this almost insane desire to protect you – trust me, you have no idea – and the fact that you are one-hundred times more likely to walk into a tree than a normal person makes me feel that being protective is justified.”

  “You’re my hero,” I told him, and he laughed quietly.

  “You’re not supposed to do that,” he said with a smile. “These are my vows. Just stay quiet and don’t interrupt me, okay?”

  “I’m sorry,” I stated with a smile, hearing laughter from our guests.

  “Okay, where was I?” he asked, looking back at his paper. “When I’m coaching baseball, and you tell me that left field’s playing too shallow or that one of the batters isn’t extending his swing…that is so adorable. Best case scenario, I thought that I might be able to find someone who was willing to put up with me coaching or watching baseball, but I never dreamed that you would actually enjoy those things with me. That’s completely amazing to me.” He shoved the paper in his pocket and took both my hands in his.

  “Most importantly, though, I watch you with my parents, my sister, Aunt Rosalie, and you have such a big heart for my family,” he added proudly. “I know that you would do anything for them, and I couldn’t possibly ask for more.” He gave me a dazzling smile, and I took a deep breath trying not to get emotional.

  “So you take all those things, way more than I ever expected, and you top it off with the fact that you are stunningly beautiful,” he continued, “and I don’t know how I managed to wind up here. I am so very grateful to be standing here with you, Camdyn Willa Taylor, and this is my vow: For as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will be your biggest fan, I will do my very best to protect you, and you will never be alone.”

  Wow, that was good. Really good.

  Without even thinking, I reached up and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him down to kiss me. He seemed startled for a split second, but then I felt his lips smiling against mine.

  “Whoa, wait a second!” Tony exclaimed, pushing an arm between us. “I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen yet, so cool your jets!” I pulled back from Cole, who
was chuckling quietly.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, giggling a little myself.

  “And you thought I was going to screw up your wedding!” Tony directed at Cole, who just grinned at me in that mind-splattering fashion. “If you can manage to compose yourself, Camdyn, it’s your turn.” Looking up into Cole’s deep brown eyes, I momentarily forgot how to talk. I glanced at Charlie, who returned a rather puzzled expression, and my eyes grew wide. I squeezed the paper containing my vows in my hand, and finally managed to smile back at my groom.

  “Wyatt Cole Parker,” I stated slowly, emphasizing each word, “once again your smile has rendered me temporarily speechless.” Quiet chuckling occurred behind me, and I swallowed hard. “I’m pretty sure I was supposed to have the advantage in this particular contest, but I’m afraid you’ve already knocked it out of the park. I don’t know how I’m supposed to follow that.” He laughed and squeezed my hand for encouragement.

  “I’m a writer – that’s what I do, right? So, I wrote out these vows, but they seem inadequate, and they’re not what I want to say,” I continued, taking the crumpled paper and pushing it down the front of my dress. After a slightly confused expression, Cole shook his head and grinned. I paused for a second to try to gather my thoughts, and then I pressed ahead.

  “Cole, you are everything that I never knew I wanted,” I said rather stupidly, wrinkling my nose at the way the words came out. “What I mean is, I never thought that I would find myself here. I never believed that I would find a place to call my home, or a group of people to be a new family, much less someone like you to spend my life with. I’ve been absolutely taken with you since the moment we met, and I still have to fight the urge to pinch myself when I wake up to make certain this isn’t an elaborate dream.” It was then that I heard Liz sniffling, and I looked down for a split second before I continued.

  “I once told your mom and your sister that I thought you were perfect. Well, the truth is, I know you’re not perfect. You and I are two great big bundles of imperfections and mistakes, but I also know that you are perfect for me.” I hesitated for a second as I felt tears building in my eyes, and I tried to swallow. “You are perfect for me, you know? I never believed I could love anyone this way only because I hadn’t met you. When I sit there studying you, and you accuse me of staring at you yet again, it’s simply because I am in sheer, complete amazement that you want to be with me.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek, and as I stared into Cole’s eyes, I noticed they were starting to get glassy.

  “So, this is my vow to you: I will never stop being amazed by the fact that you are mine, and as long as I’m alive, I will love you with all the passion inside my heart.”

  I pulled my right hand free from Cole’s so I could brush away the tear that had slipped down my cheek, and I heard him sigh beside me. Before Tony had a chance to intervene, Cole leaned down and brought his face close to my ear.

  “Home run, Camdyn,” he whispered, and I smiled up at him for a brief instant before I turned to our guests.

  “I’m not sure those people in the back heard you,” I stated. “He said I hit a home run. Just for the record.” I made a clicking noise with my tongue to resemble the sound of a ball being knocked into the air, and then I moved my hand up in a fluid motion as though following the ball over the fence. When I looked back at Cole, he just laughed and took my hand again, shaking his head at me.

  “This is that goofy thing I was trying to explain earlier,” Cole informed everyone, followed by an eruption of giggles throughout the crowd. Tony simply stood next to us with his hands on his hips.

  “This is the strangest wedding I’ve ever been to, and it has nothing to do with me,” Tony wanted everyone to know.

  When Tony finally regained control, he said a few more words before the exchanging of the rings. Once Cole’s grandmother’s ring was firmly on my finger, Tony had a few more words to say. (Honestly, I don’t remember what they were. I wasn’t listening – is that terrible? It was just… Gah! Cole looked so adorable standing there gazing at me with that smile that I had a desire to do something wild and spontaneous.)

  Should I try to mess him up a bit? Maybe throw myself at him?

  “You’re not listening,” he whispered. I grinned up at him, guilt written all over my face.

  “Are you listening?” I whispered back. He shook his head slowly.

  “Well, it’s official,” Tony stated then, putting his hands up in the air. “The bride and groom are intent on doing their own thing, and I have no idea what to do about it.”

  “Man and wife, say man and wife,” Cole insisted, and my mouth dropped open with a gasp.

  “I knew you were going to find a way to work your cheesy movie quotes into our wedding!” I exclaimed, pretending to be upset.

  “Man and wife!” Tony added. “I now pronounce you man and wife. Camdyn, you can kiss your groom now.” I started laughing, but I didn’t even have time to think about what he instructed me to do, because Cole was already handling it himself. As he kissed me, I threw my arms around his neck, and he lifted me about a foot off the ground. When he settled me solidly on the ground, I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. Tony introduced us as Mr. and Mrs. Cole Parker, and Cole scooped me up into his arms, pretending that he was going to carry me to the truck.

  “We’ll see you all later,” he told Charlie, “we’ve got this thing…” Charlie grabbed him by the shoulder, and he allowed me to slide to the ground as he turned around and gave my brother a big hug. I turned to hug Rachel, and then Charlotte, followed by Trina, until eventually it seemed like I was hugging everyone in turn. After we had our fill of congratulations, Rosalie announced that it was time to eat.

  Sitting around a table with Charlie, Trina, Jeff, and Rachel, we feasted on Rosalie’s delicious food and laughed at each other’s stories. Rachel took her turn holding Cooper, and then announced to Jeff that she had baby fever, which prompted him to roll his eyes. Rachel then asked if I had baby fever, to which I replied that she should at least wait until the ink dried on the paper before asking me those kinds of questions.

  After dinner, we cut the cake, and I am happy to report that Cole did not smash any of it in my face. I fully expected him to, but when I asked him about it later, he told me that I looked so incredibly beautiful that he didn’t want to change a thing. With cake out of the way, it was time to party, so the band took over the gazebo, and Tony came up to the microphone.

  “Traditionally, this would be the point where the newlyweds would share their first dance to some sappy love song, but I’m sure you all have figured out by now that these people are insane,” Tony stated, and I heard a cheer from a couple of Cole’s firefighter friends. “Instead of choosing a song together, they decided they would each like to dedicate a song to the other. So, without further ado, I give you Mrs. Cole Parker.” He extended his hand to me, and I stood and stepped up to where he was standing and took the microphone from his hand.

  “Cole,” I began, “the night we met, you were charming and funny and I couldn’t seem to get past your smile.” He smiled up at me and winked, and I gave a pretend sigh. “However, you were also wearing a Poison t-shirt – the same Poison t-shirt that I will now be wearing to bed until the end of time. It was on that fateful evening that you lost your shirt, so to speak, because you made a foolish wager that one curly-haired blonde could not play the guitar. As you now know, you were incorrect. So, in honor of that special bond between us – where you first learned that you were wrong and I was right - I give you ‘Crazy Train.’”

  Tony’s band started playing, and I took Cole’s hand and drug him to the improvised dance floor. He laughed as he pulled me against him.

  “This might be the first-ever slow dance to ‘Crazy Train,’” he suggested, and I nodded.

  “Well, if you don’t want to slow dance, I could break out some of my disco moves,” I offered, which earned more laughter.

  “No, I like you right here, Mrs. Parker. Are you amazed
by that?” I looked up at his teasing eyes, and I couldn’t pull my gaze away.

  “Yes, I’m always amazed,” I told him sincerely. He pulled me closer, and we finished out our crazy song. After he took me back to my seat, he joined Tony at the microphone.

  “Well, Camdyn, I didn’t know you were literally going to take the crazy train here tonight, because I actually tried to come up with a thoughtful song to dedicate to you,” Cole said. “I picked my song based on the first time I ever heard you sing.”

  “At B’s?” I wanted to know. He shook his head.

  “No, not at B’s. I was standing here in the yard, and you were in the laundry room, and you were singing an Aerosmith song. Do you remember what you were singing?” I nodded and laughed, because I definitely did. The radio had been on, and even though I barely knew any of the words, I had been belting it out. “The song Camdyn was singing was ‘Dude (Looks Like a Lady).’ Now, I didn’t want to have that song played at my own wedding, because that would be ridiculous…ahem…but I did want to honor the memory of that moment by using an Aerosmith song.”

  “Thank you,” I told him as he pulled me to my feet.

  “For what?” he asked as he drew me against him again.

  “Not making me dance to that insane song,” I laughed. “You are a much bigger person than me.”

  “Yes, let the record state that I wasn’t the one who started kissing at the wrong time, or interrupted the vows, or picked the weird song,” he instructed. “But, make sure it also states that I wouldn’t trade one second or one single thing, because this wedding was completely you, and I loved it.”

  When the song was eventually over and I had to release Cole again, Tony stated that it would be time for the traditional father/daughter dance, but that we had decided to make it a joint brother/bride dance and mother/groom dance. Cole began to walk towards his mom, but I took a step toward Tony and asked for his microphone.