Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“Oh…I see.”
“You two loved each other a lot.”
“I’m sure we did. So, my son is getting married today?”
I knew she wouldn’t remember this conversation in the morning, but it was nice to have this moment with her. It was fleeting, about to disappear as quickly as it came, but that was okay. I was grateful I got to have the experience at all. “Yeah. I’m meeting her at the church in an hour.”
“I would love to meet her, Calloway. I’m sure she’s lovely.”
I’d never taken my mom out of the facility before, but we’d never ventured to this level of honesty either. “Come to the wedding.”
“Really?” she asked. “You think that’s a good idea?”
Rome and Jackson would be surprised, but they would welcome her with open arms. I couldn’t think of anything that would make this day more perfect. “Nothing would make me happier.”
25
Rome
I stood outside the church with Christopher, listening to the cars pass in the street just a few feet away. When pedestrians walked by, they looked at me in my floor-length wedding dress. There was some pointing and smiling. Some people waved. I even got a few whistles from both men and women.
“This is the one and only time I’m gonna say this,” Christopher said. “So you better not miss it.”
“I love you too,” I blurted.
“Actually, that’s not what I was gonna say. Let’s not get carried away.”
“Fine,” I said with a laugh. “What were you gonna say?”
He grabbed both of my shoulders and turned serious. “You look really pretty.”
“Yeah?” This was already turning out to be a great day.
“Yeah.” He squeezed my shoulders before he extended his elbow. “You ready for this?”
“So ready.”
“Not nervous?”
“Not even a little bit.” Calloway was the only man I wanted to spend my life with. He was exactly what I’d been looking for my whole life. I was excited to change my last name, to become one with him forever.
“Good.” He opened the door and walked me inside. Calloway stood at the end of the aisle in front of the empty seats and the pastor. Jackson stood beside him, wearing a dark suit and tie. Music came over the speakers, and even though there was no one there but the four of us, it felt perfect. It was just right—for us.
I loved the way Calloway looked at me. It was the exact same way he’d stared at me every single day of our lives so far. There was need, desperation, and unconditional love in those beautiful blue eyes. I knew he would cherish me every single day, make me strong when I was weak, make me feel beautiful when I was hideous.
He would give me everything I needed.
It seemed to take a lifetime for Christopher to walk me to the front. We didn’t walk with the music, but time seemed to slow down anyway. By the time I finally got there, I didn’t even realize I was holding onto Christopher. I didn’t feel him beside me at all.
Calloway took my hand and ignored Christopher like he wasn’t there. Calloway grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes, not having a flicker of doubt on his features. He looked like the strong man I’d seen every single day. Calloway wasn’t the kind of man to be nervous, and he definitely wasn’t nervous then.
The priest began the short ceremony, reading our vows and our promise to love one another. I nearly forgot to repeat the words that were spoken to me because I was concentrating on Calloway’s face, on the clean look of his jaw since he shaved that morning. The priest read the vows to Calloway. “Will you take this woman to be your wife, to love and cherish her until death do you part?”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “I’ll love you longer than that.”
The priest continued. “Do you take this man to be your husband, to love and obey him until death do you part?”
I knew Calloway specifically asked the priest to put that line about obedience in there. But that was a compromise, one of many that we would make together. “I do.”
His eyes darkened just the way I liked, the way he looked at me before he possessed me on the bed. He hands gently squeezed mine, and he restrained himself from pulling me into his chest.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Calloway took those words very seriously as his hands cupped my face and he kissed me, giving me that delicious mouth and some of his tongue. He kissed me long and hard, not caring about Jackson and Christopher being forced to watch our ridiculous display of affection.
My hands moved around his wrists, feeling his gently beating pulse under the skin. I could feel forever in that kiss, feel a lifetime of joy. Calloway and I had our problems in the past, but all of that didn’t seem to matter anymore.