Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 97331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“See ya later,” I softly said.
She lifted her hand and waved. “See ya.”
The call ended and I stood there staring at my phone before I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Leaning in, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. My blonde hair was done up in a French twist with curls hanging down to frame my face. I’d done a very light, natural eye makeup followed by a pink lipstick. Not too much, but just enough.
Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before opening them again. I was marrying the man of my dreams. My fingers came up to my mouth as I smiled at the thought.
Today was my wedding day. No more secrets, no more running, only happiness and hope from this day forward. The thought made me dizzy with happiness.
I took in a deep cleansing breath and made my way down to the reception hall that would lead out to the beach. I carefully looked around me as I made my way, making sure I didn’t run into Nic. Person after person smiled at me, each telling me I looked beautiful. I thought I would have been sadder when the actual moment arrived. Ten years ago I would have wanted a huge catholic wedding, now all I wanted was Nic and I holding hands and vowing our love to each other.
The door opened and Mrs. Mitchell wore a wide grin. “You look stunning, Ms. Rossi.”
“Gabi, please call me Gabi.”
She nodded then handed me a beautiful bouquet of white and red roses. The smell immediately hit me.
“Charity,” I whispered. This was her small way of having a piece of her with me. Roses were her favorite.
“Did you need a few moments or are you ready to make your way down to the beach?”
I gulped. “Nic?”
“He’s already down there.”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “Of course he is. He was probably here at six thirty.”
Mrs. Mitchell chuckled. “He was. I had to give him a shot of whiskey to calm his nerves.”
My hand landed on my stomach as I tried to calm my own set of nerves. It felt like every nerve ending was tingling.
Lifting her brows, she asked, “Ready?”
I nodded. “Never been more.”
My head was spinning. This was crazy! Insane! Twenty-four hours ago we were making love and now we’re getting married. I couldn’t stop the giggle if I had wanted to.
“Is that a nervous chuckle?”
Holding onto my bouquet of flowers tightly, I slowly shook my head. “No. It’s a joyful chuckle. I don’t think I’ll ever be this happy again.”
Mrs. Mitchell smiled wide and then she winked. “Trust me, you will be, if not more.”
I chewed on my lip.
A baby.
Following Mrs. Mitchell down to the beach, I was totally lost in thought. Nic wanted a baby. I’d dreamed for years of being a mom. Teaching a little girl how to bake and cook like my mother and grandmother did for me.
Katerina popped into my head and I couldn’t help but smile. After the family had found out about Dante and that whole mess, I thought for sure they would tell Nic to drop me like a hot plate. But they didn’t. It was the opposite. I was welcomed into the family with such love and affection. Sure. They drove me crazy, but I loved their kind of crazy. Even Kilyn loved it . . . as much as she pretended not to.
The music started and my breath caught in my throat.
“It’s time,” Mrs. Mitchell said.
With a nod, I took in a deep, long breath and pushed it out. “Let’s do this.”
SHE WAS THE most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
Gabi appeared to be floating on a cloud as she walked down the white carpet to where I was standing on the beach. My eyes took in every ounce of her perfection.
The dress was captivating, and as amazing as it looked on her, all I could do was picture me taking it off of her.
As she drew closer, I could see the tears in her eyes. She was nibbling on that lower lip, causing my dick to twitch in my pants.
“She’s stunning,” the pastor said.
I agreed. “Yes, she is. Incredibly stunning.”
When she finally came to a stop in front of me, I let my eyes soak her up.
“You. Look. Beautiful.”
Her cheeks turned the same shade as the pink lipstick she wore.
Leaning closer, I pressed my lips against her ear. “I can’t wait to slowly take this dress off of you.”
She giggled. “Charity had one more surprise. It’s under the dress.”
I swallowed hard and almost had to reach down and adjust my dick as I took a step back. The pastor cleared his throat and began to talk.
Gabi’s blue eyes picked up the color from the lake and I was totally captivated by them. The color of the setting sun against her skin was a picture I never wanted to forget. She smiled and cried as she repeated her vows. My voice shook, and I fought like hell not to shed a tear, to which I lost the battle when I said the last vow.