Taken By Choice (Taken Trilogy Book 3)

by Jessica Frances

  ZOE HOLLOWAY

  Chapter 31 – The Vacation

  Nevada, Las Vegas

  March 12th, two years later

  “Our first proper vacation together.”

  My nerves try to overwhelm my body and I hope everything goes well. I’ve suffered from nightmares and usually the only thing that prevents them is Charlie next to me as well as familiar surroundings. When we first moved to Houston I was plagued by nightmares, but soon they faded. Then came our first trip to see Mom and Drew, and they started up again. Nothing was able to stop them except Charlie, and my bed back in Houston. The nightmares are awful. I see Dana being murdered along with Joel and Frank, and then I see myself murdering Corby. I see his face over and over.

  The nightmares drag me down into a depression that takes such an effort to get away from. I hate them and, therefore, I hate leaving home. I’ve done everything in my power to not ever stay overnight anywhere unless I have to. So far, we’ve only gone away a handful of times.

  We’ve been home to see Mom twice, each time to visit Dana’s grave for Christmas. Then I’ve gone to see Will’s graduation where, seeing the look of happiness over Will’s face and the pride I got from it, was worth the nightmares. Then I’ve seen Rose twice. Once for her birthday, which had been great since we all were there—Ethan and Meredith included—and then again when she had Leo, her baby boy. Now we’re on our way to L.A. again for his first birthday, but Charlie managed to talk me into going on our first vacation alone together before we go to L.A..

  Five nights in Vegas before we leave for L.A. for two nights. It means the potential for seven nights filled with terror and despair. I’m dreading the fallout if I can’t control my nightmares. Charlie promised me we could just leave and go home if it happens, but I know how much he needs this trip. My anxiety over going out has meant he can’t really leave me. He worries about me constantly and I think he just needs for me to be okay. He needs to know I’m getting better.

  So I agreed to this stupid vacation, and I’m going to force myself to have fun for Charlie’s sake.

  “We’ve travelled plenty with each other; we just have the added bonus of not being chased.”

  “Yes, thank God for that.” I take several deep breaths and try to calm myself down. I can feel something nagging at me, something that I’ve forgotten, but I push it aside. I need all my energy focused on feeling happy and relaxed, not any nightmares.

  “You’re really nervous, aren’t you?” he questions me as we wait in line to check into our hotel.

  “No, I’m fine,” I lie, leaning into him and trying to distract him with a kiss. That usually works, and while I can feel him tense beside me as he pulls away, his worry is short lived when the man at the counter calls out “next” and I bound up to him, taking Charlie along with me.

  We are given our keycard and a friendly smile before being wished a happy stay. Charlie leads me away to the elevators and we get in. When we stop to let a man out at the pool, Charlie points excitedly to it, eager to go for a swim. I glance to see that no one is using it. The size of the pool is huge and, while we wait for the doors to close again, a strong, cold breeze hits us. The pool is on the twentieth floor on a sub roof. Our room should overlook the pool and further out onto the strip.

  We get into our room and I collapse on top of the bed while Charlie opens up our curtains and takes in the view outside. I feel exhausted from the piles of nerves I’ve been in since we left Houston to get here and I wish my stomach wasn’t in such knots. I haven’t been able to eat all day.

  “This place looks like a lot of fun,” Charlie states excitedly. I move back to my feet and walk over to him, standing next to him, resting my head on his arm.

  “It does.” I watch a ride erupt down the strip and have an urge to get on it, to feel the wind in my hair and the rush of the ride. Perhaps it can shake the nerves out of me. “What do we do first?” I wonder out loud.

  “First,we jump in the pool—”

  “It’s not really very warm outside,” I cut him off, recalling the chilly air.

  “Heated pool, and then I think we should get some dinner and start our way down the strip doing whatever we want.”

  I take in his hopeful look and know there is no way I’ll say no to him.

  “Fine, I’ll change.”

  The pool ends up not being heated, which Charlie finds out the hard way when he jumps in head first before even touching the water to check. I laugh at his misfortune until he sprints out and grabs me, picking me up and carrying me with him back to the water before unceremoniously dropping me in.

  I scream at him, but then he jumps in straight after and my protests die in my throat when he kisses me deeply. If the freezing cold water hadn’t been such a turn off, our kiss might have led somewhere else. Instead, it leads us sprinting out of the water minutes later and racing upstairs to the heater in our room. When we’re dry, we put on some warm clothes and begin our walk along the strip.

  We eat at a little restaurant in one of the hotels and after a few drinks we decide to leave and move onto the next location. That next location leads to more drinking and soon enough I don’t feel so cold. Charlie and I sing karaoke, try to talk a guy into giving us both tattoos and then we go on the roller-coaster three times. My face hurts from laughing and smiling so much. As night starts to fall the lights become more beautiful. My head is in a constant fog and daze, yet happiness fills my body. I kiss Charlie passionately, wanting him to know how much he means to me.

  “Charlie,I—”

  “Marry me.”

  My mouth drops open, and I replay his words a few times, trying to get them to soak into my foggy brain. “What?” My head spins at hearing his words and my legs feel unstable under me.

  “I love you, Zoe. Marry me right now, here.” His eyes are glazed over and I know he is just as drunk as I am.

  “You want to get married now?” I point at the wall behind us and then at a random person sitting at a slot machine. I’m not sure what I’m trying to convey as my head starts to hurt.

  “Marry me.”

  I laugh when he gets on bended knee and I nod through my tears that yes, I will marry him.

  He jumps up and knocks over a glass on the table then hugs me tightly and rushes me outside in search of a wedding chapel. We have to go to three to find one that is able to fit us in. While we wait for them to be ready, Charlie and I stand at a bar across the road. We loudly announce our plans to wed and everyone cheers around us. Soon we’re being fed several shots of something strong. Charlie’s smile makes my heart stop as he wraps his arm around my waist, keeping me close.

  Everything around us begins to blur, but my eyes never waver on Charlie, my sight of him remains sharp and clear. He kisses me passionately while we’re still at the bar and I pull at his shirt, wanting nothing more than to take it off him and make love to him right here and now.

  “Come on.” Charlie takes my hands. Rushing backwards, he pulls me out of the door and into the crisp night. I relish in the fresh air. I breathe it in like I’ve been starved of air. He lets go of one of my hands so he can face forward, rushing us back to the chapel. I can’t stop giggling the whole way there and soon Charlie is laughing, too. His laugh is infectious and I know I won’t be able to stop now that he has started.

  He holds me close as we enter the chapel and I reluctantly let him go so he can talk to the lady sitting outside the wedding room at a desk. She looks unamused and stern, but she takes Charlie’s money and gives him a pen. He signs his name and then ushers me over and points to where I should sign my name. The page is blurry, but I can see Charlie’s finger resting on the page, so I sign next to it, assuming it’s the correct place. Charlie hands over both our IDs. I’m not sure when I gave him my coin purse which also has my bank card and money in it as well as my driver’s license.

  We receive another stern look from the old lady before she hands us back our IDs and waves us into the double doors that lead to the weddin
g room.

  “Don’t we need a ring?” I look down at my bare hand, worried this won’t work without one.

  “There’s a gift shop next door.” He winks at me and then he holds out two rings that he’s pulled from his pocket. They’re gold and while his is plain, mine has a red ruby sitting in the middle.

  I’m not sure if I love it, but my eyes water and I feel another rush of love storm my body for him.

  “Do you like it? We can get something else?” He sounds uncertain for the first time tonight. I wrap my arms around him, causing him to drop the rings onto the floor.

  “I love them. I love you,” I slur, wishing my voice sounded as sure as I feel. The alcohol must be affecting me more than I realize.

  “And I love you.” Charlie sways slightly in front of me and he rests his forehead to mine and we both get lost in each other’s eyes.

  A throat clearing brings our attention away from each other and we look up at the person who has distracted us. I can’t keep the laugh in seeing an old grown man dressed to look like Elvis. It looks so ridiculous that I immediately love it.

  “You kids ready or what?” he grumbles, unimpressed with my reaction to seeing him no doubt.

  “Yes.” Charlie squeezes my hand, letting go to pick the rings up off the ground and then he hurries down the aisle.

  I feel lost without him by my side and my legs are unsteady with no one there to guide me. I close my eyes, willing my body to steady. When I open them my eyes lock with Charlie’s. His eyes still look dazed from all the alcohol we’ve consumed and I keep looking at him, using him to guide my way to him. I knock into a chair as my legs lead me astray, but I don’t take my eyes away from Charlie. The love in his expression is enough to knock the breath out of me and I hope he knows how much I love him. I love him with all my heart.

  When I reach him, he takes my hands and I resist leaning into him to give him a kiss. The music stops; I wish I knew what song it had been. I don’t think it was the traditional walking down the aisle music. Already my memory is slipping and I fear forgetting this beautiful moment we’re sharing.

  I barely hear anything Elvis says to me and twice I have to be prodded to repeat my vows back correctly. My concentration keeps eluding me as I lose myself in Charlie’s eyes.

  He slips the ring down my finger. It feels so loose; it nearly falls straight off me. When I slip his ring over his finger I find myself laughing when it won’t go over the joint.

  “We’ll fix it later,” he whispers to me. His hand intertwines with mine as we wait to be told we can kiss.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” Elvis states unenthusiastically.

  Charlie leans down, kissing me deeply, and I lose myself in his arms. My vision starts to swim and I feel unbearably warm in my clothes.

  “Hello, wife.” Charlie smiles when we’ve caught our breath. He holds me close to him so I am flush against his body. Desire pools through me and heat rushes through my body at hearing him call me his wife.

  “Hi, Husband.” I giggle again and wish the alcohol would stop making me do that so much.

  “Let’s get you to bed.” Charlie mirrors my desire.

  A flash going off causes me to look away from him. The same old lady from the front desk has taken our photo with a Polaroid camera. I’m surprised they’re still around. She lets it spit out the photo and then takes another one of us facing her. I hope I don’t blink in it. She hands them both to Charlie as well as a piece of paper. Without saying a word she then walks away from us.

  “Ready?” Charlie wraps his arm around my waist and holds me close.

  “Yes.” I let him lead me out of the chapel and through the large crowds piling out on the street.

  We stumble slowly through the throng of people, our desire to race back to the hotel only making us slower. Charlie’s hands roam my side and it’s not long before he slips his hand under my shirt and makes his way up towards my bra. I laugh again, not caring that we’re surrounded by people. No one is paying us any extra attention.

  I lean into him, stopping at the traffic lights close to our hotel. I glance away, seeing a red-headed woman in the distance. I narrow my eyes, my breath catching and I know in my heart it’s Dana. She’s hard to focus on, like the sun is shining brightly behind her, almost like she is a ghost. As she smiles happily at me, I know she is here with me now.

  “You look so beautiful.” Charlie pulls me along as the lights change and his hand has come back down, grabbing hold of my hand as he stops us outside our hotel. I pull my eyes away from Dana to look at him.

  “You’re drunk.” I giggle again. When I look passed him, Dana is gone.

  “I feel like I’m finally seeing everything properly. I’ve wanted you to be my wife since Rose’s wedding. You’re finally officially mine.”

  My breath catches again, and tears pool in my eyes. He’s wanted to marry me for that long? He’s been sure of us since I came back to him?

  “Not until we consummate the marriage.” I smile and try to look seductive, but I’m not sure I pull it off.

  “Come on then, there’s no time to waste.” He pulls me close to him and then picks me up, causing me to squeal in surprise. He walks us into the hotel and doesn’t put me down again until we step out of the lift and into our room.

  When he places my feet gently on the ground by our bed, I feel a stab of fear when I don’t see my wedding ring. Charlie’s hands are bare, too, and as I glance at the rest of him I can’t see the paperwork the old lady gave him or the photos.

  “Where is it?” I gasp, panic momentarily takes over my mood.

  “Where is what?” Charlie asks me as he takes his shirt off and throws it to the ground. His hands trace over my body and my panic recedes as his touch sends heat through my body.

  “Huh?” I mutter when he lifts up my shirt and pulls it over my head.

  “I love you, Mrs. Nichols.” I feel a rush hearing him call me that. I’m his wife. I’m married to the man of my dreams. Everything is perfect.

  “Oh, Charlie…” I hum his name and laugh as he growls then throws me onto the bed.

  We make love until we eventually pass out in each other’s arms. My nightmares never come for me. Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to be okay.

  The End.

  Acknowledgments

  It was a very long road getting to this point, and I’m filled with both happiness and sadness to have finished the Taken Trilogy. These characters have been in my head for many years and they now feel real. They’re my friends and I’m devastated to be leaving them now. For as lengthy as these three stories have been, I’ve written twice as much with them that didn’t make the final cut. I doubt I’ll ever feel as close to any other characters as I do to these guys. I’ll miss them.

  I also wouldn’t be here without the support of friends and family. Every word of encouragement, every mention you made of my books means the world to me. I feel very lucky to have you all. Mum, Dad, Amy, Amara and Meg have helped me immensely. Their ideas, love and support have gotten me this far and I know I can always count on you all. To Greg, Mel, Kate, Leigh and Erin, your enthusiasm and faith in me means more than words can express. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! (Also I should mention Carley, who is one of my closest friends and I did borrow a lot from our childhood together. Who knew all our shenanigans would actually end up in a book? We can now call it research!)

  I’ve met some awesome people since I came into this writing community. The blogs that support indie authors are amazing and they deserve more praise then they get. Everyone is so lovely. They promote, review and give their free time for us, and that is really amazing.

  Thank you to everyone who has taken a chance on this series and special thanks for everyone who left reviews. For an indie author who is just starting out, every word you wrote made me so happy and motivated to keep going. Thank you!

  To Kristin and Alizon at C&D Editing, I don’t know what else to say
about you guys. You’re both amazing people who are so supportive and welcoming. I’m so happy that I have you in my life; you’ve made this experience feel easy and smooth. This series has benefited so much from your input and I’d like to book you in now for the next thirty years, please… no, seriously!

  Thank you everyone for all the support and kind words. I’m working on my next series now and look forward to diving into my next adventure!

  Visit Jessica Frances

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Frances-Author

  Goodreads:

  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7236316.Jessica_Frances

  Please leave a review and continue to support Indie authors!