by Leigh Lennon
Before I can say anymore, he raises his voice. “Just go already.” I don’t hesitate. I need to do this before I lose my nerve.
In the car, I find Nick’s note he left for me the week before. I pull up to a small house with a wraparound porch and laugh. Our relationship started on a front porch, and this is where it will continue.
I hear him say through the door, “Just a second.” With cash in his hand he answers, looking down, still unaware I am in front of him.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting payment tonight,” I tease. “Sorry if I am interrupting.”
His confusion turns to pleasure as he gives me that look that I know is only for me. “Hey there, I had just ordered Chinese. But I have to say, you are a sight for sore eyes. You outdo Chinese takeout by a hundredfold.”
“Is that all you have to say?” I give him a seductive smile.
He smirks my way and says, “Well, it took you long enough.” He reaches out for my hand and sweeps me through the door, quickly shutting it behind us.
Epilogue
Five years later
Justine
My heart flutters holding my husband’s hand as I see my son right before he walks to the altar in his tux. Looking back at Nick, I can’t help but let tears fall down my face. He leans over. “Are you okay, honey?”
I take his hand and squeeze it. “Yeah, cowboy, I am fine. I am just happy.” Not only am I happy for my son, I am happy for me. Nick and I just celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary last night, and he has become the anchor my life needs. Sure, it has been rocky and for a while we were both in counseling, to make sure we were building something substantial that would last.
Kai enters with Ryan trailing him as his best man, and we make eye contact. I can’t believe my baby is getting married. He smiles and our eyes lock as I begin to cry again, knowing his future bride makes my son the happiest I have ever seen him.
I glance over at Rafe, with Hils between him and Nick. I give him a smile as it has taken he and I almost as long to get back to the friends we once were. I even have Hils back in my life. Forgiving Rafe and Hildy was hard, but the bottom line is I care for them and never want to lose another person who is important to me.
Before I know it, the bridesmaids start to march in, and I catch a glimpse of Rose in her red dress that doesn’t leave much to the imagination for any of the men admiring her, which are many. She turns briefly, giving me a little wave as she passes.
As the bride walks in, I look across the aisle at her mom and dad, happy to be bonded again with this family. She is beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, and I watch my son now as he sees his future bride for the first time in her gown.
Nick leans in. “Justine, I love you so much.”
All I can say now, with his strong arms around my waist, is, “I love you, too, cowboy.”
Nick
Before the party begins, I take my beautiful wife aside to just look at her. She is overcome with emotion watching her son marry the love of his life. In everything we do, my love only grows for her. “Are you all right?” I ask, kissing her on the forehead.
“Yes, I am happy. I want Kai to have what we have.” What she means, because she has said it before, is that she never wants Kai to face the hurt of a divorce like she has. “I know, sweetheart. What they have is real.”
I hold her for a brief moment until I hear Rose shouting at us from down the hall.
“They want the family in here now,” she says, walking into the banquet hall. In the past five years, I have come to love Rose and Kai as my own children. They are near and dear to my heart.
As we walk in, seated beside Hildy and Rafe, I instantly see that certain eyes are focused on Rose. I point to Justine in my protective way, making sure she sees what I see.
“Ah, he is cute. Rose should go for that. She certainly has his attention,” my wife states, true to her character. I can only roll my eyes at her.
After Kai and his bride take the floor, Rose sits next to her mom and says, “There is a cute guy over there that has been staring at me all through the ceremony and still is now.”
“I’ve noticed,” I say in a gruff manner, and she only laughs. With her back to the crowd, I see him approaching.
When he taps her on the shoulder she turns around, and I know her well enough to see that she is pleased. Justine taps my hand, a sign to calm down, as he says, “I was hoping I could ask you to dance.”
Rose surprises us both when she says, “What took you so long?”
I turn to Justine and she only smiles. “Did she just say that to him?”
“If you are asking if she is flirting with him, I would say yes.”
As the dancing progresses I look for Justine, who is talking to Emma. When I walk over to her, I am searching for my stepdaughter, but can’t find her. “Hey, honey, I haven’t seen Rose in some time.”
Emma laughs at me, exchanging glances with my wife, while she delights in the news she delivers. “Yeah, she left with that hot guy friend of Jane’s about an hour ago.” Justine pulls me into an embrace.
“I fucking love you, cowboy, and the way you love me and our family.”
There is no doubt in this world I love this unfiltered woman with my whole heart. Yes, she is my forever.
Bonus Epilogue
Brody
She is captivating in her long, form-fitting silk dress. My gaze is fixed on her throughout the entire wedding, and she can’t help but notice my eyes burning a hole through her smoldering red dress. Our gazes keep connecting throughout the ceremony, and her long ebony hair and tall figure are just a few of the reasons I need to find out more about this woman.
As everyone’s attention is on the bride, I see she notices the attention I give only to her. I can’t wait until this ceremony is finally over so I can meet this beauty. I control myself until the first dance, but as soon as the bride and groom walk off the floor, I approach her.
I ask her to dance and before I can say anything else, she replies with a gorgeous smile and an evident flirt that I can’t deny. “What took you so long?”
I hold out my hand and she grabs it. As we start to dance, I ask, “Are you from the groom’s side or the bride’s?”
“Groom’s by default. I am the sister.”
It hits me in this moment who this girl is. I guess Jane had been right when she tried to set me up with her last year. “Yes, I work with your new sister-in-law.”
“Wait, are you Brody? She said you’d be here.”
I wish I’d have listened better to Jane. She had told me her soon-to-be sister-in-law would be great for me, but all I chose to remember is that she had a very serious boyfriend, thus it wasn't important to remember her name.
“I’m Rose, Rose Hernandez.” Thank goodness! Now that I know her name, I am not likely to forget it.
“Well, Rose Hernandez, it is nice to meet you. I am Brody Buchannan.”
“You are an occupational therapist, like Jane?”
“No, I am a physical therapist, and you?” I ask.
“I am a biomedical statistician.”
I am surprised by her title. “I have no idea what that is.”
She only smiles. “No problem, I get that all the time.”
“So, Rose Hernandez, how do you know about me?”
She blushes as ruby-hued as her name indicates. “Well, Jane mentioned you once, said you were good-looking, and that she wanted to set us up.”
“Ah, that’s right...she told me that, too, now that I think of it.” I smile at my words. “Apparently, she had the two of us figured out. But wait, don’t you have a boyfriend?” I prod hesitantly.
“No,” is all she says.
“And you live here?” I ask.
“No, I live up in Spokane. Just here for the wedding.”
“Is it too forward to ask where you’re staying tonight?”
My heart melts as she looks up at me with a wicked smile. “I would be upset if you didn’t.”
Join
Rose as she navigates her life as a young adult approaching a critical decision in her life in Unacquainted, coming October 2017.
Things I Learn Along the Way: Whisky or Whiskey?
In the researching that I do for all my books, I am bound to discover something that shocks me or leaves me dumbfounded. This book is no different in delivering this experience. My discovery is a little lighthearted and has to do with the vast amount of times the word whisky is used. In edits, one of my proofreaders sent my manuscript back and had taken out all the E’s out of the word whiskey. I sent her an email asking why but while I was waiting for her response, I went to the wonderful internet and asked why there were two spellings for whiskey/whisky. What I found made me laugh. Basically, the large countries that are responsible for whisky/whiskey production are Canada, Ireland, Japan, Scotland and the United States. Out of these five countries, Japan, Scotland and Canada do not have an E, where Ireland and America do have an E in whiskey. As you are reading, the two types of whisky mentioned are Canadian and Scottish, thus the reason for spelling whisky without the E. Anyway, Nick has expensive taste and as it shows after Lore’s death, it is unlike him to offer anything but the best. So, if you think I may have spelled whisky wrong, believe me, I agonized over the spelling for quite a while. Anyway, I had a friend tell me, “You don’t spell whisky, you drink it!” With that in mind, the next time you enjoy the taste of your favorite whisky, think of Nick!
About the Author
Leigh Lennon is a mother, veteran and wife of a cancer survivor. Originally with a degree in education, she started writing as an outlet that led to a deep passion as she has written twelve books. Now ready to publish all of them, she lugs her computer with her as she crafts her next story. She can be found drinking coffee or wine, depending on the time of the day.
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