by Dylan Allen
She takes Hayes’s hand and they turn to leave. Just before they step through the door, Hayes looks back over his shoulder and says, “I love you, Gigi.” Then he’s gone.
I watch the door. My heart threatens to burst out of my chest so that everyone can see what a cowardly muscle it is. I clutch the letter that Lucas wrote Remi a few days before he disappeared. I know that this will change everything. That peace will probably never be my companion, but it’s time.
EPILOGUE 2
CONFIDENCE
My phone buzzes from its perch on my bedside table. I fling an arm out in the dark and fumble for it. A text message from Hayes flashes and I open it.
“Press Play” And then the next message is a video.
“Where are you?” I type back.
“Press Play” is his response.
“Not exactly how I imagined our wedding night,” I grumble and sit up. I’ve been waiting in our room for an hour.
By myself.
Hayes left to get something he forgot downstairs. I spent the first half an hour getting myself ready. When I draped myself across the bed, I looked like everything I knew Hayes loved. My lingerie is a confection of ice blue lace and satin. My hair smelled like roses and my lips were smeared with cherry flavored lip balm. Now, my hair is a tangled mess, I have sleep in my eyes and I’ll probably want to brush my teeth again before I kiss Hayes.
If I ever kiss Hayes again
“You haven’t pressed play, have you? Stop being mad and watch.” His text says and so I push aside my annoyance and comply.
The video starts and my heart lodges in my throat. I clutch my chest and every drop of irritation I felt seconds of ago disappears.
On my screen, my mother and I are dancing at the wedding. We’re wrapped in each other’s arms. Our heads resting on each other’s shoulders. The look on my mother’s face steals my breath. She’s smiling. Her eyes are closed and she looks like she’s having the very best dream. We’ve been fine since Daddy and Fortune left. But she hasn’t smiled like this since long before that horrific night. We’d held each other then, too. But we’d been fused together by terror. Tonight, it had been nothing but pure love.
The song, “The Rose” by Bette Midler was her choice. And the slow, repetitive melody on piano and the gently joyous strains of the violins wrap me in the same tender embrace my mother’s arms gave me while we danced. The camera zooms onto our faces for the last ninety seconds of the song and I watch as the tears run down her face and drop onto my shoulder. I hadn’t felt her tears then and I watch as she composes her face and a bright smile spreads just as the song ends. The scene cuts to a white wall and I blink to clear my vision at the abrupt change in background.
Then Hayes sits down in front of the camera. “So, this is where I’ve been,” he says into the camera. He sweeps his hand over the parts of himself that are visible in the camera. His hair is tamed into waves of chocolate silk again. The broad, bold angles of his cheekbones are more prominent than normal because he’s completely freshly shaven. His tuxedo looks crisp and stiff again. When we’d stumbled up to our room after the reception, we’d been sweaty from dancing, and his collar had several smudges of my lipstick on it.
“I was watching that video while you were in the bathroom and it finally hit me what I should give you for a wedding gift. I wanted it to be something that money couldn’t buy.” He gives me one of his closed mouth, sexy as fuck smiles. His intelligent, oh so beautiful hazel eyes search my face as if he knew exactly where it would be when he was making the video.
“The two of you are what every mother and child should be.” He runs a hand through his hair and exhales a breath. “The gesture of you dancing with your mother on what would normally be the father daughter dance is everything I love about you. Your loyalty, your pride, you love, the respect you have for where you come from and your refusal to let anyone dictate what’s possible. I can’t believe that you’re my fucking wife. And I wanted to make you something that you could want to watch over and over again, too. Especially in the moments when I’ve pissed you off and you’re wondering how I talked you into spending the rest of your life with me. I’m not the best with words. Especially not soft ones. But for today, I want to record some. Especially since I’m about to fuck you until you can’t walk for a week.” He grins mischievously.
“You are more than my little treasure, Tesoro, you are my big magic. My forever wonder. The Russian doll that never stops surprising me with the depth of your brilliance. And you’re the reason I’ll never doubt that love is power.” His eyes pierce through the screen and wrap themselves around me.
I clutch my chest as my heart riots against it and my throat constricts against the tears that are blooming.
“Your love has changed me. You’ve rewritten my future. Because of you, I know that my legacy will be whatever I chose. If people look at me and see a king, it’s because I’m standing next to a queen.” His firm, full lips purse around the last word.
“You are my reason,” he says with a fierce conviction that feels like wind beneath my wings. His eyes soften and his shoulders relax. “The baby that’s growing inside of you is just the first of many masterpieces we’ll make together. You are my river. You’ve been the making of me. And I hope that one day I’ll feel like I’ve earned the gift of your love. It’s my privilege and honor to be your husband. I love you so much. More than I’ll ever be capable of expressing. Now, lay back and get ready for me. I’m walking in now.”
The door opens and the screen goes blank at the same time. Hayes walks into the room. His bow tie is gone, his shirt unbuttoned completely, and his lightly-haired chest and smooth tanned skin of his muscle carved torso peek out between the gap in the stark white fabric.
“Hey, wife.” His eyes are alight with a heat that singe every part of me it lands on. His eyes drag up my body and he pulls his shirt off completely. The flex of the muscles in his powerful shoulders and arms distracted me. When I look back at his face, he’s standing right in front of me
“Hey, husband,” I mimic him. I sit up on my knees so I can slip my arms around his neck. His warm hands slide along the swell of my abdomen before the slip behind my waist. He pulls me into his chest and presses his forehead to mine. He closes his eyes and hums low in his throat.
“That was so beautiful,” I whisper against his lips and his eyes open and his gaze tangles with mine.
“You like it?” he asks with a satisfied smile.
I nod my answer when I find that my throat won’t release my answer.
“Good,” he says gruffly and squeezes me close. He buries his face in my neck and nuzzles it with his lips. I tighten my hold on his neck and think I might die from the intensity of the love that I feel for him. And what a way to go. I kiss the side of his face.
“I’ll watch it again. Forever. And not just when you’ve managed to piss me off.” I peck his mouth with a quick kiss to stop him from interrupting me. “I love it. And I love you. I’m the lucky one. I’m the one whose future has been rewritten. I hope you never regret letting me stand next to you. I hope you’re always proud of me.”
“Until my last breath,” he whispers before he kisses me.
Finally.
And what a kiss it is.
His lips are impatient, his tongue insistent, and I open for him. Warmth rushes through me when his tongue sweeps my mouth and I press into him as tightly as my protruding belly will let me.
Getting married at seven months pregnant wasn’t ideal. But, between Gigi’s physical recovery, the fallout from Remi realizing who she was, and the time it took for Hayes to be able to forgive her fully, this was the soonest we could have done it. Remi wasn’t at our wedding. Hayes hadn’t been able to hide his disappointment at the empty spot beside him at the altar.
His other brothers had been there, and we’d celebrated despite Remi’s absence. Hayes didn’t want to take a chance that the baby would be born before we could be married, and I wanted to have a wedd
ing. With the church and the dress and the party afterward. So, I’d walked down the aisle of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas with my protruding belly proudly declaring that I had no business in my white dress.
Hayes’s mouth ravishes mine, our lips dance and part. Cling and nibble. We get lost in the current of love, triumph and togetherness that has become the river of our life.
I hope you loved that. I have written a bonus scene, set a few years in the future. If you’d like to read it, click here. If you are reading the print version, email me at [email protected] to receive it.
Remi’s story, The Legend, is coming in February 2019. Click here to add it to your TBR.
Also by Dylan Allen
Did you enjoy that story?
Want to read more by me?
Meet the daughters Mary Hassan talked to Confidence about:
Symbols of Love Series:
Rise
Remember
Release
Standalones:
Thicker Than Water
Envy
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Acknowledgments
ACKNOWLDGEMENTS
This small note cannot possibly convey the depth of my gratitude, it is fathomless.
To my betas readers, Chele Walker, Jessica Fadden, Serena McDonald, Jessica Peterson, Kennedy Ryan, KK Allen, Tijuana Turner and last but really REALLY not least, Elizarey . This story was a mess when I sent it to you. And if it shines, it’s because of you.
To Kennedy Ryan, we have so many hashtags, but the one that is most true for me is #MyFavor. Thank you for believing in me enough for both of us. Love you, Turkey Leg.
To KK Allen-my sister from another mister. Never leave me. I love you to pieces.
Lucy Score - I owe you tons of tacos and a million hugs. Thank you for being such a good friend.
Elizarey, Chele, Tijuana - my trio of BGM who have become like my sisters, I love you so much.
To Jessica Fadden-you are the sun breaking through the clouds on SO many days and you don’t even know it. Thank you for being a friend.
To all of my colleagues who walk this very unique path along side me, I’m glad to have you in my life and am grateful for your constant support.
To Jenn Watson and Sarah Ferguson at Social Butterfly PR, you are magicians. Thank you for picking me up when I was at my lowest and deciding that I was worth saving. Your hard work and dedication to your clients is unparalleled and I am SO lucky that you’re on my team. It’s a pleasure to work with you both, thank you for everything.
To Serena McDonald…what can I say? You are so much more than my assistant. You are the ultimate everything and I love you so much.
To my Day Dreamers and my DREAM TEAM I LOVE you guys! You make my day, every single day! You inspire me to keep writing and I am so thankful for the parts of your day that you spend with me.
To all of the blogs who have tirelessly and graciously read and then promoted my work— you are my heroes. I couldn’t do this without you.
To the readers who buy my books, who email, message and tweet me! Thank you SO much for everything. You’re amazing and I write with your wind at my back every day!
To my family—my parents, my sisters, my brothers-in-law and my cousins—you are my TRIBE! Thank you for being wonderful and loving.
And to my husband and my children. You are the heartbeats of my life. Thank you for inspiring me, loving me and supporting me. I love you all more than anything else in the universe!
Love,
Me.
About the Author
Dylan Allen is a Texas girl with a serious case of wanderlust.
A self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, she loves creating stories where her characters chase their own happy endings.
When she isn’t writing or reading, eating or cooking, she and her family are planning their next adventure.
I love talking to you guys! Feel free to send me an email at [email protected].
Are you on Facebook? If you are, then PLEASE join my private reader group, Dylan’s Day Dreamer. It’s where I spends most of my time online. My Day Dreamers get exclusive giveaways, sneak peaks, glimpses into my every day, and lots of other fun bookish things! It’s fantastic and I my favorite place on the internet. Click here to join and make sure you introduce yourself.
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