John Harper entered the room and Avery vanished through the open door. His navy suit fit perfectly, and his bright smile momentarily reminded her of Ryan. He crossed purposefully to her and warmly embraced her.
“You look lovely.”
“I’m so happy you came,” she responded. As tears sprung to her eyes, she fanned her eyes and laughed at herself. “Don’t make me cry.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to see if you needed someone to walk you down the aisle.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got that covered.” She smiled and he took both her hands in his. He looked her in the eye, and Nicole remembered the last time she saw so much emotion on his face was at the funeral. She cleared her throat and waited.
“Nic. Ryan came to see me after you found out you were pregnant with Ike. I recommended the counseling. I know things were more complicated than you ever let on. You’re a strong young lady, Nicole. I don’t know how you’ve managed like you have. I’m not sure I could have done the same.” She trembled at his words. Afraid she would sob like a baby if she spoke, she simply nodded. John had always been the father she wished she’d had. With unshed tears standing in his eyes he gave her another hug.
“Aaron’s a good man, Nicole. I’ve known him most of his life.”
She smiled at John and her tears began to fall along with his. All day she’d been fighting the urge to call Aaron, to run to him. They had so much time to make up for that any time apart seemed inexcusable. She glanced at the clock and saw it was five till two.
“There’s just one more thing I need to say,” John continued, again taking both her hands for emphasis. “It doesn’t matter what your last name is, you’ll always be welcome in the Harper home and we will always consider you family.”
Overcome, Nicole sobbed and hugged him tightly. When she finally released him, she laughed and sniffed loudly.
“Okay. Now you’re kicked out for making me have to do my makeup all over again.” She pointed dramatically at the door, and he mirrored her smile as he left.
After several minutes, Nicole composed herself enough to touch up her makeup and text Avery.
Nic: It’s go time.
Avery: Thank God! Ike has ketchup on his jacket and Aaron has lemon curd on his tie!!!
Nicole laughed at the image this news concocted and headed down the stairs. Avery met her at the bottom with Ike.
“I’m so damn happy for you guys.” Avery hugged Nic tightly. Nicole bit her lip to keep from shedding more tears and nodded silently. Avery handed her the bouquet and went ahead of her through the door. Nicole couldn’t resist a peek through the glass. Avery looked amazing; her dress was identical to her own, though Avery’s was mocha. She spotted Shilah, who looked dashing in his silver gray suit, and watched him offer his arm to Avery. Nicole could hear the faint sounds of an acoustic guitar playing. She knelt down to her little man, who sucked his thumb and looked through the window.
“Are you ready to go see Aaron?” she whispered enthusiastically. Ike’s face bloomed in a beautiful smile as he popped his thumb out of his mouth.
“Ready!”
Nicole opened the door and stepped inside, holding her bouquet in one hand and Ike’s hand in the other. She turned to her left and took in the murmuring crowd. Chairs scraped the floor as everyone stood in unison.
Sean began to play a different tune on the guitar that Nicole now recognized as “You and Me.” Her heart soared as her eyes met Aaron’s. His widened as he looked her up and down, shaking his head. Aaron’s golden brown hair perfectly contrasted his charcoal designer suit. She tilted her head and looked pointedly at the guitar. Scolding him with a disapproving look for his choice of music, she giggled when he responded with a cocky shrug and a dimply smile.
Ike released her hand with an ear-piercing squeal and dashed down the red carpet to Aaron. He slammed into Aaron’s legs, and the crowd roared with laughter as Aaron theatrically reacted impaled. With a joyous smile, Aaron hoisted Ike up into his arms. Barely aware of the beaming crowd around her, Nicole fearlessly made her way toward the two men who shared her heart. When she reached the arch, she passed her bouquet to Avery. Aaron shifted Ike to his other arm and she took his hand.
“You look unbelievable,” he whispered, and he leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. Their fingers intertwined and they turned to the Justice of the Peace. As the man began to speak, Nicole glanced past him at the breathtaking view of the river. The sense that she’d been destined to be here in this moment with Aaron all along permeated every fiber of her being. She felt Aaron squeeze her hand. Sneaking another peek at her soon-to-be husband, her heart fluttered as she caught him peeking back. Afternoon sunlight illuminated both Aaron and Ike, and Nicole wanted to bottle that moment. She ached to embrace them both, and as if he could read her mind, Aaron grinned and mouthed the words,
“I love you.”
Heather Halloran - Thanks for the clever feedback on age related costumes and language. We adore your spunk and love you madly for all your hard work on Word (blog). You are “in the trust” and you are a BAMF!
Karen Brown Zippe - Our real life Lauren Smith. Thanks for tolerating the emails, text messages, and phone calls. Thanks for being a subject matter expert on various uncomfortable topics. You are an inspiration!
Donna Sweet - You ROCK!!
Jay McAtee - We loved all of your witty commentary and your hysterical laughter! Look, Pa! No Aussies!
Andrea Randall - Our first and most passionate beta (Alpha Beta). Thanks for all of the avid interaction and for not only being a member of the Aaron “Fucking” Foster fan club, but also the president.
Vanessa Proehl - We owe you epically for bringing us into this tiny corner of the literary world. We’ll never forget that you were the first to pimp us out. Someone will fall into a bonfire someday in your honor.
Maggie Evans - For beta-ing Quest and our first book, Fury, and being so enthusiastic about it. We appreciate all of the early morning chats about the daily pages. Your passion for the characters really made it seem worthwhile. We’re so glad you were on board!
Mindy Badgett - Thanks for coming in with fresh eyes when the others had seen too much. You pressed us hard on motivations and gave your brutally honest opinions. Invaluable!
Les Pace - The real life inspiration for Aaron’s dimples and wicked sense of humor. Thanks for the ideas you lent and the insightful lectures regarding the male point of view.
Charles Sheehan-Miles - Our other straight male beta! We were so grateful to have a non-Aaron Foster male point of view. Thanks for the much needed feedback and taking time away from your hectic writing schedule to bring your thoughts to our chaotic round table.
Cover Artist: Michelle (Warren) Preast of IndieBookCovers - How can we ever thank you enough for our beautiful cover, bookmarks, and Facebook cover? You nailed our vision and were wonderful to work with.
Our editor, Lori Sabin - for your eagle eye and thoughtful contributions. You gracefully helped smooth out wrinkled edges and that help made all the difference.
Our formatter, Julie Titus - Once again, we thank you for your amazing work and endless availability. You are our favorite polisher and we adore you, for real.
Jillian Dodd - thank you for listening to MKP blather on about the back cover blurb. You helped us sift through the town of J.P. and the sprawling ensemble cast to dig out the critical nuggets of gold. Thanks a billion!
A special thanks to the magnificent Robin Harper of Wicked by Design and Word (blog). You helped so much with promo and you didn’t have to do a damn thing. You are in the inner circle-we won’t forget that shit.
TAMMY COONS lives in Illinois with her husband Casey, and three children Skyler, Sawyer and Savana. She holds a diploma in Health Information Technology and is currently working as a domestic engineer. Writing has always been a passion for Tammy.
MICHELLE PACE lives in Northern Texas with her husband, Author L.G. Pace III. She has two daughters, Holly and Bri
dgette, and one son, Kai. She’s a registered nurse who spent her youth studying theater and vocal music. She has a love affair with entertaining and is thrilled to do so as an author.
For more information
http://www.Facebook.com/MichellePaceAndTammyCoons
@MichelleKPace
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The Perpetual Quest for the Perfect Life Page 26