by Lena Nicole
“Pierce? Are you here?” I yell, standing up to look around the house for him. I run around, checking every room and head out back to see if maybe he is out on the beach. With no luck in finding him, I realize he must be at the office working. I rush back to the front door and kiss Ali, telling her mommy will be home in a little bit, and turn the alarm on and head out.
Driving to Pierce’s office, I seem to get stuck at every red light I come to. The traffic is ridiculous for a Saturday and I’m starting to get road rage. I’m yelling at everyone who is in the way of Pierce and me. After what feels like an eternity, but in all actuality was only twenty minutes, I pull up to Whitmore Enterprises. I park in the garage and am instantly relieved when I see Pierce’s Aston Martin parked in his usual spot. It wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t here though; I would drive and look everywhere until I found him.
With my adrenalin pumping, I hurry out of my car and enter the building, making a mad dash for the elevator. People’s heads are turning as they watch me fly through the lobby. I’m sure I look like a crazy woman, but I don’t really care at the moment. All I care about is getting to the top floor of this building. Once the elevator dings and the doors open, I step inside, hitting the button for the top floor over and over, hoping to speed it up. Before the doors can close, a woman enters, giving me a smile. I return the gesture and try to hide my annoyance at being delayed any longer before making my ascent. The floor on the elevator is tile and my anxious foot will not stop tapping on it, making a clacking noise. The woman looks over at me smiling.
“Big day?” she asks.
“You have no idea,” I tell her. Little does she know, today starts the rest of my life. The elevator stops at her floor and the door opens.
“Good luck,” she says to me and exits the elevator.
Hitting the close door button a couple of times, the doors close and I finally reach Pierce’s floor with no more stops in between. When I exit the elevator, I run straight for his office. Vanessa isn’t in today, since it’s the weekend, so his door is cracked open. I push through the door a little frantically, causing Pierce’s head to pop up from whatever he was looking at. His eyebrows furrow together and he stands quickly from his desk. I can see he is confused and worried as I walk around his desk and stand in front of him.
“I have to tell you something and it can’t wait. I went to your house and you weren’t there, so I came here. If you weren’t here, I was going to try Garrick’s next--” I stop abruptly as Pierce places a finger on my lips.
“Addison, you’re rambling,” he says, slowly dragging his finger from my lips, down my chin, and finally away from my face. My skin is on fire from that simple touch and I see him lick his lips as he stares at me.
“Right, sorry,” is all I say, before grabbing his neck and crashing my lips into his. I kiss him with everything I have, pouring every emotion into this one kiss. I need him to feel what I am feeling and not just hear it when I tell him. I fist my hand in his hair, causing him to pull me closer, pressing my chest into his. I can feel his desire rising as he is taking control of the kiss, demanding my tongue’s attention. As I pull away, I give his lower lip a gentle bite, look up, and smile at him.
“Always, only you. I choose you, Pierce. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, starting right now. I’m sorry I made you wait this long. I always felt deep down it was going to be you; I just had to be sure. My mind kept getting in the way, along with my own fears. So I’m standing here, letting you know, I choose you. I want to move back in with you, get married, and start our family, just like we had planned.” I hesitate, as I’m not sure if he still wants all those things. Maybe I’ve created doubt in his mind. “That is, if you still want me.”
I’m still in his embrace from our kiss and I’m trying to figure out what is running though his head. I know there is a possibility after all I put him through he may not want this anymore. I’m just praying that isn’t the case. After a moment of silence with Pierce just staring into my eyes, I start to panic.
“Pierce? Could you please say something?”
I SEE the rising panic in her eyes as I stand and stare at her face. I’m trying really hard to keep the grin off of my face and contain my excitement. A part of me wants to see her sweat it out a little, but I can’t keep it in anymore. My arms are still around her, so I squeeze her tighter and lift her off the ground. As I swing her around in a circle, she lets out a little squeal that I quickly mask with my mouth. I kiss her until we are both breathless. Pulling away, I place her down on her feet and run the back of my hand gently down her face.
“Of course I want to be with you. I’ve told you before that there’s no one else out there for me, and I would’ve fought for you until there was no fight left in me.” Her face beams while the built-up tension in her shoulders disappears. She grabs my face roughly with both hands and crashes our lips together. “I do have a request, though,” I say against her lips.
“Anything,” she says without hesitation.
“There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to. I started to think I should’ve done it a long time ago, but now feels like the perfect time. Will you go somewhere with me?”
She bites her lip nervously and nods. Grabbing her hand, I lead her to the elevators to take us down to the garage.
On the way to our destination, I can’t quit sneaking glances over at her. We’re holding hands and I’m rubbing the back of her palm with my thumb. I haven’t felt this content since before Addison ran out on our wedding. I just hope she isn’t going to think I’m weird for bringing her to meet the one person that has meant so much to me.
I pull the car through a gate and park it on the side of a little road in the grass. I stare at Addison, waiting for her reaction. She’s looking around us in bewilderment, clearly not understanding why we are here.
“Why are we at a cemetery?” she asks.
“Just trust me,” I reply as I swing my door open and walk around to grab her door.
Holding her hand, I walk us a little ways into the grass, until we come to a simple headstone. It’s a piece of black marble resting almost flush with the ground. The spot next to it empty, reserved for my mother.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet my future wife. Addison, this is my dad, the most important man in my life. He showed me what it meant to be an honest, honorable man. One that was loving and caring to those around him. He taught me to be ambitious and to work hard.” I turn and look at Addison and say, “But most importantly, he showed me what it’s like to truly love the woman in his life. And as my dad is my witness, I promise to love you just as much as he loved my mother.” Leaning in, I place my lips gently upon hers. After a few sweet kisses, I pull back and notice the tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Beautiful?” I ask as I wipe them away.
Shaking her head, she says, “It’s nothing, really. I’m honored that you brought me here, that’s all. And, just so you know, you have already done that. You show me every day what it’s like to truly be loved for the person I am and can be. I am, without a doubt, the luckiest girl in the world. I love you, Pierce, and I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her close while resting my cheek on the top of her head. My heart is so full it feels like it could burst at any moment. Bringing her to meet my dad feels like a fresh start to our new beginning. I say a silent prayer to thank God that he brought Addison back to me. It’s been a challenge to get to where we are, but I wouldn’t change a moment of it. Because in the end, this is exactly where we belong.
Together.
6 months later…
I’M SITTING in a chair in the sand, facing the water, letting the salty sea air hit me in the face. Colin is sitting beside me on my right, and I can’t help but to think back to the last time I sat with him as he was about to watch Addison get married. I thought he was going to fall apart at any moment. My heart broke for him, and all I wanted was to make him feel better. But it
was clear that he was deeply in love with her and the only thing to fix it would be to have her back. That bit of knowledge was pretty sobering and helpful in keeping things strictly platonic between the two of us.
But this time around, Colin is completely different. The tension in his shoulders is gone, his jaw is relaxed, and there’s no death grip on my hand. He seems really at peace and happy with how this whole situation unfolded. It’s a shame I didn’t notice this change sooner.
“Hey, babe. Do you know when this is supposed to start?” Marcus whispers to me. Marcus, my boyfriend, is sitting to my left. He’s also the reason I have to keep things platonic with Colin. We had that one slip up when we kissed, but I never told Marcus about that. I doubt he’d be okay with me spending so much time with him if he knew.
“It should be starting any minute. Why?” I reply. Does he have somewhere else to be?
“I was just wondering. It’ll be getting cooler out when the sun goes down and I don’t want you to get cold,” he replies as he drapes an arm over my shoulder. And now I feel like a bitch for assuming he was being an ass. I smile at him and snuggle in closer to his arm. I try to relax, but I feel torn between being here with my boyfriend, and wanting to be here for Colin.
A soft violin plays music in the background and I see Morgan and Lexi slowly walking down the aisle that is lined with large vases with pillar candles placed in them. They’re wearing knee length, lilac dresses that are strapless and hug their bodies before flowing out at the hip. The fabric is light and airy, blowing perfectly in the wind. They’re each holding small bouquets of flowers in varying shades of purple.
After the girls take their places up at the altar, the music changes and everyone stands. Addison looks absolutely stunning. Her gown is made of lace that skims her body with cap sleeves and a V-neck. I look over at Colin, and he’s grinning from ear-to-ear. It’s nice to see him so happy right now. As she passes by us, I see the deep V in the back of her dress, giving her a slight sex appeal while still remaining classy.
Pierce and Addison recite their vows to each other. I can’t see her face, since her back is to me, but if it matches Pierce’s, then I know they’ll be happy for a long, long time. I’m slightly envious that I don’t feel that passionately about someone right now. I glance at Marcus from the corner of my eye and know that I don’t look at him that way. There was a time when I thought maybe Colin looked at me like that, but I let that opportunity pass. When he asked me about how things were going with “the guy that caught my eye,” I should have fessed up and told him it was him. But I didn’t. I just said things didn’t work out because of bad timing and all. I wonder if I had just told him how I really felt, that that guy was in fact him, I’d be sitting here with him as his date. I mentally chastise myself as I feel my boyfriend’s hand squeeze my shoulder. I look over at him and he is smiling down at me. I shouldn’t be thinking about this at all, let alone while I’m with Marcus.
After Pierce and Addison are announced, they make their way down the aisle in the sand as husband and wife and disappear for some pictures. Marcus and I take this as our cue to head on over to the reception hall. I turn to Colin and see he has his camera and is headed in the direction of the photographer.
“Hey,” I say, gently tugging on his arm to get his attention, “Do you want to head over with us to the reception?” I ask.
“Thanks, but Addison said she wanted to get some pictures with Jeremy and me. I’ll catch up with you guys there,” he says before jogging to catch up with the group.
When we get to the reception, Addison and Pierce are called out to the dance floor for their first dance. You can see the happiness radiating off them as they move across the floor effortlessly. If I hadn’t known everything they have been through, I would think they’d have lived the life of a fairy tale. They fought hard to get where they are now and they deserve their happy ending. They finish up their dance and exit the dance floor as the DJ starts playing more music for everyone to dance.
I see them part ways and start to make their way around the reception hall. Addison is heading in my direction, so I turn to face her.
“Charlotte, hey,” she says, leaning in to hug me, “I’m so glad you could make it. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to share this special day with us,” she says pulling out of our hug and eyeing Marcus questionably.
“Thank you for having us. This is Marcus, my boyfriend,” I tell her, totally forgetting she’s never met him before.
“Congratulations on your wedding, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Marcus says, holding out his hand, which Addison shakes. “I was just about to go get Charlotte a drink, would you like one?” he asks her.
“Sure, champagne would be great.”
Marcus kisses me on the cheek and heads toward the bar. I turn my attention back to Addison.
“I’m sorry for my confusion. I didn’t realize you had a boyfriend. I guess I assumed you’d be coming with Colin.” Addison says.
I can feel my face flush and it is suddenly feeling rather hot in this reception hall. “Oh? Why would you say that?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me, yet feeling awkward at the same time. This is, after all, his ex. I can see Addison is contemplating whether she should say what’s on her mind. She opens and closes her mouth a few times and stops to turn her head in Colin’s direction.
“I just thought-- well, never mind. It doesn’t matter what I thought,” she says, waving her hand to dismiss whatever it is she was about to say
“Well, you can’t start saying something and not finish. It’s going to bug me all night,” I tell her.
“It could be nothing, but I just thought you and Colin had something going on. The way he looks at you, it’s the way Pierce looks at me. And even though you try to hide it, I can see it all over your face. I just figured maybe you guys were being discreet about your relationship,” she answers honestly.
Her admission shocks me and leaves me thinking—well, I don’t know what I’m thinking. This statement leaves me speechless, but before I can say anything more to her, Marcus is back with our drinks and Pierce is by his side. Pierce and Addison thank us again for coming to the wedding before walking off to mingle with the rest of the crowd.
“Would you like to dance?” Marcus asks, taking a swig from his beer.
“Sure,” I say, placing my cocktail down.
We head out to the dance floor where a slow song is playing, so I rest my head on Marcus’ chest, swaying along to the music. I find myself dancing alongside Addison and Colin and overhear them both talking about how happy they are. I hear him tell Addison how beautiful she looked today and how he knows Pierce will always put her first and protect her. I smile at the two of them, happy that my friend has found peace in all of this. Addison looks at me and leans in to whisper something into Colin’s ear. I can’t hear what she is saying, but as she is pulling away from him, she gives me a mischievous grin before kissing Colin on the cheek and heading back toward Pierce.
It never fails to amaze me at how far they’ve come. Addison and Colin have managed to become best friends and even do things on their own together. Even though Colin isn’t dating anyone, he has made it clear that he is happy with the decision he’s made and wouldn’t have it any other way. They all went from having shattered lives to mended hearts
Colin is standing where Addison left him, staring at me. And I don’t mean a gawking kind of stare, but a stare that makes you want to drag him into the bedroom. He slowly starts to stalk his way over to me so I look up, lifting my head off Marcus’s chest once he is standing next to us. Marcus shifts his focus to Colin and Colin diverts his eyes from me.
“May I cut in?” Colin doesn’t wait for an answer before sliding an arm in front me, pulling me away from Marcus.
“What are you doing, Colin?”
He shrugs. “I’m not going to be the one left behind again.”
See how the story begins in
The One Left Behind
To our families, thank you for supporting our dream and encouraging us to continue writing. We love you.
Heidi, you are amazing. We couldn’t have done this without you. The time and effort you spent helping us can never be repaid. We thank you for your time and support and being a great friend.
Laura and Georgette, you bitches rock. The laughter you provided us made beta editing a lot more fun. We’re so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with you, gaining a friendship at the same time.
Toski Covey Photography and Sommer Stein with Perfect Pair Creative Covers, thank you for hanging in there. We know it wasn’t always easy, but you both stuck with it and made us beautiful covers. We appreciate the hard work and time you both put into them.
Thanks to Espe at Second Gaze Editing for the amazing editing job you’ve done.
Thanks to Emily Tippetts for taking time out of your schedule to do our formatting.
Last but not least, the amazing bloggers out there. Without your continued support our books wouldn’t have the same outreach. Your enthusiasm touches us in so many ways, we can’t even begin to thank you.