by Lynn, Sandi
He got down on one knee and pulled a small blue velvet box from his pocket. As he opened it, I placed my hand over my mouth and stared down at the beautiful diamond-encased band.
“Will you do me the honor of marrying me all over again?” He smiled up at me.
He took my breath away. I didn’t think it was possible to love him anymore than I already did. But at that moment, a new set of emotions washed over me and it felt like I had fallen in love with him all over again.
“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you again.” A tear escaped my eye. “I love you so much.”
He stood up and brushed his lips against mine as I heard clapping from behind me. I turned around as Collin, Amelia, Julia, Jake, Lucas, Cassidy, Ben, Hailey, Peyton, Henry, Mason, Diana, and Jacob stood there with wide smiles across their face.
“Oh my God! What is going on?” I asked in excitement.
“This is why we couldn’t take the private jet,” Connor said. “They were all on it and I wanted to surprise you.” He wrapped his arms around me as they all came walking over.
“Congratulations, Mom. I was a little worried you’d say no.” Collin laughed.
Everyone congratulated us and we headed to dinner at the Beverly Hills Wilshire, where Connor had rented us a private dining room. This man, my husband and the love of my life, never failed to surprise me.
As we finished dinner, Connor stood up and called Collin and Julia to come stand by him. They both gave him a strange look as they walked over to him.
“What’s up, Dad?” Collin asked.
The waiter walked over and handed Connor a large brown envelope. Connor looked at his son and daughter and smiled.
“This is for both of you.” He handed the envelope to Collin.
“Daddy, what are you doing?” Julia asked with nervousness.
Collin opened the envelope and took out the papers, examining them carefully.
“Dad’s retiring and handing Black Enterprises over to us,” he said as he looked at Julia.
“Dad, no,” Julia said with sadness.
“It’s time that I let my children take over the family business. I’ve groomed you both for this day since the day you were born and now the time has come for you to take over. I’m retiring and your mom and I are going to do some traveling.”
My heart ached when I looked into my children’s eyes and saw sadness that their father would no longer be at Black Enterprises.
“Dad, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m thrilled to be taking over, but I’ll miss you there.”
“Yeah, Dad. We’re going to miss you.”
“It’s not like I’m moving out of the country or the state, for that matter. I’ll always be there for both of you.”
Collin and Julia both hugged Connor and tears were shed. Not only by us, but by our friends and family as well.
“I want to thank all of you for coming tonight and sharing in the special news and joyous occasion with us. But this is where I must leave,” Connor spoke.
I looked at him in shock. “What do you mean you must leave?”
“It’s the night before our wedding, baby, and it’s bad luck to see the bride on her wedding day.”
I was confused. He had me in a whirlwind of confusion. “Huh?”
He placed his hands on my hips and his forehead on mine. “We’re getting married tomorrow on the beach. That is why all of our family and friends are here. Everything’s already been arranged and tomorrow, we will renew our vows.”
“But—”
Mason walked over, handed Brayden to Jake, and placed his hand on my back. “I know what you’re thinking, Elle. You’re thinking about how you don’t have a dress, shoes, jewelry, flowers, makeup, etc. But not to worry, queen bee, I’ve got everything covered. I picked the most fabulous dress for you to wear and I know you’ll love it! So say good night to sexy daddy and let’s go back to my place. I can’t wait to show you everything.”
“I can’t believe you did all this. Actually, I can believe it because that’s the kind of man you are. I love you so much, Connor Black, and I can’t wait to marry you again.”
“And I can’t wait to marry you.” His lips locked with mine. “Now go with Mason and I’ll see you tomorrow. This is hard enough.”
Chapter 48
Ellery
The dress Mason chose for me was perfect. He had really outdone himself with this one. As I slipped into my white, strapless, slim line gown with the notched neckline, I felt like a princess. My hair was done in a loose updo with a few cascading curls and fresh flowers perfectly placed throughout.
“Mom. You look gorgeous!” Julia smiled as she kissed my cheek.
“Doesn’t she?” Mason said.
“Thank you. I can’t believe how fast all this is happening.”
“Daddy’s been planning this for the last two months. I’m really surprised you didn’t find out. I thought for sure Peyton would have spilled the beans.”
“I asked her about it last night and she said she wanted me to be surprised for once in my life. Isn’t that what I told her at her birthday party?” I laughed.
There was a knock on the door and Collin walked in. “Wow, Mom. You are stunning.” He walked over and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you, my sweet boy. Shouldn’t you be with your father?”
His lips curved into a small smile. “I’m walking you down the beach.”
Tears formed in my eyes and Mason noticed. Running to grab a tissue, he handed it to me.
“No. No, Elle. Don’t you dare. You’ll ruin your makeup.”
I dabbed my eye with the tissue as Collin held out his arm. “No tears, Mom. I’m proud to walk you down the aisle and hand you over to Dad.”
I threw my head back because I started to lose control of the tears.
“Collin, stop talking to her. You’re making her cry,” Mason said.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to.”
“I’ll be okay. Just give me a minute.”
“Clarissa, come here! We need a makeup fix stat!” Mason yelled across the room.
After Clarissa fixed my teary eyes, we walked out of the room and took a limo to the beach.
* * *
Connor
Julia took her place as Ellery’s maid of honor and I waited for Collin to walk my wife down the aisle and take his place as my best man. As I looked beyond the people that had gathered to come watch us renew our vows, I could see my beautiful bride on the arm of my son. I promised myself that I wouldn’t get emotional, but seeing her standing there, dressed in white, I couldn’t help it. I swallowed hard as the music began to play and they started their journey down the aisle. She was even more beautiful today than she was all those years ago. As they approached, Collin kissed her cheek and gave her hand to me, then took his place by my side.
“You are so beautiful, Ellery.”
“So are you, Connor,” she whispered with a tear in her eye.
We stood before our guests as the minister said a few words and we happily renewed our wedding vows. I slipped the band on her finger and brought it up to my lips.
“With this ring, I thee wed,” I spoke.
She took my hand and slipped on my wedding ring and brought it up to her lips.
“With this ring, I thee wed.” She smiled.
“You may kiss your bride, Connor,” the minister spoke.
I leaned in and our lips tangled into a passionate kiss. Our guests rose from their seats and clapped as we embraced each other. After taking what seemed like a million pictures, we headed to the Beverly Hills Wilshire for our reception dinner.
It was a night full of celebration and one that would forever be in the memories of our family and friends.
Chapter 49
Two Years Later
Connor
What can I say? Ellery and I spent time in Spain, Paris, Italy, and the Caribbean during the past couple of years. Our travels got cut short because Collin and Amelia got pregnant and gave us the surpris
e of our lives. Twins. A boy named Christopher and a girl named Chloe. Both of them were in shock because Amelia didn’t even know that twins ran in her family. Needless to say, they had their hands full and needed us. Collin was doing an excellent job with Black Enterprises and he made me very proud. Julia became pregnant again and we had just found out she was having a little girl. We also attended a very special wedding this past year to celebrate the marriage of my brother, Lucas, and his new bride, Hailey. The restaurant quickly became known world-wide and was very successful. So successful that Lucas decided to open another restaurant in Los Angeles. Hailey started her own clothing line and was flourishing in the world of fashion. Both of them were incredibly happy and it was nice to see my brother find someone special to share his life with.
Unfortunately, Ashlyn lost her battle with cancer and passed away a few months ago. Even after everything she had put me and Ellery through over the course of the years, she had become a changed woman and it was sad to see her life end so quickly after she spent so many years rebuilding her life and reinventing herself.
As I sat at my desk in the penthouse, I picked up the side-by-side picture of our wedding day and the day we renewed our vows. Our story wasn’t always perfect. From day one, we had our ups and downs, but no matter what life threw at us, our love was strong and unlike any other that pulled us through. My life changed the day I saw Ellery standing in my kitchen and that was a day that I’d never forget. Even now, I’d stand in the entrance while she’s cooking and think about the first words I’d ever spoken to her. “Did I not go over the rules with you last night?” The words which led to our beautiful life together. A life full of happiness and joy and the creation of a family with so much love and such a tight bond, that nothing could ever break us.
We are the Black family and we will continue to live life to the fullest. Our story may have ended, but we know that we’ll be in your hearts forever.
Elijah Wolfe
Chapter 1
Aspen
“There’s something I need to talk to you about,” Ron whispered in my ear as he walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Sure.” I smiled.
I told my cousin, Carrie, that I’d talk to her later and followed Ron outside to the patio where it was quiet.
“What’s up, babe? Did you get a chance to try my Aunt Patti’s spinach dip?”
“Aspen, I didn’t call you out here to talk about your Aunt Patti’s spinach dip.”
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
He placed his hands in his pants pockets, took in a deep breath, and turned away from me for a moment.
“Ron, what’s going on?”
“I’m breaking up with you,” he blurted out.
“What? That isn’t funny, Ron.”
“It’s not meant to be funny, Aspen.” He turned around and faced me. “I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
As I heard the words escape his lips, a sickness formed in the pit of my belly and my heart started racing.
“What? Why?” I asked in shock. “We’ve been together for over a year. What changed?”
“I did, and I finally came to realize some things.”
“Is there another woman?”
“No.” He shook his head.
He was lying, and I knew it. I knew every single time he lied to me. Suddenly, an anger rose up inside. A rage so fierce I couldn’t control it.
“Bullshit!” I yelled. “You’re lying. You know how I know you’re lying? That little vein between your eyes always pulsates.
I took off my shoe and threw it. He put his arms up and shielded his face as my shoe hit him.
“What is going on out here?” My sister, Geneva, asked as she slid the patio door open.
“You son of a bitch.” I jammed my finger into his chest as he walked backwards and tripped inside the door. “How long? How long have you been seeing her behind my back?”
“It doesn’t matter, Aspen. You need to calm the fuck down!”
“I gave you a year of my life. I gave you my heart, and this is how you treat me? By cheating and breaking up with me at my father’s funeral!” I shouted.
Everyone stopped their conversations, and all eyes were on us. He continued walking backwards through the living room as my finger jammed into his chest.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t put it off any longer.”
“You are a worthless piece of shit, Ronald Needham. Get the hell out of my house!” I shouted while I took off my other shoe and threw it at him as he ran out the door. I swallowed hard as I stood there in the silent room where my family and friends gathered to pay their respects to my father. “I apologize. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going up to my room for a while. Please, make yourselves another plate of food. There’s plenty in the kitchen.” I graciously smiled as I slowly walked up the stairs.
The moment I shut the door, I face planted myself onto the bed. Crying over it wasn’t an option for me. I never cried. The last time I cried was when I was a child. I didn’t even cry at my own father’s funeral.
“Sweetheart?” I heard my mother’s voice as she opened the door, stepped inside and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look like I’m okay, Mom?”
She softly rubbed my back, and I wanted to scream at her to stop.
“I didn’t like him. The nerve of him doing this to you at your father’s funeral.”
“You’re not helping.” My brows furrowed.
“I’m sorry, Aspen. I know it hurts now, but in time you’ll see this as a blessing in disguise. Anyway, you can’t sit up here and sulk until all the guests have left. So come on.” She slapped me on the butt.
I sighed as I sat up and went to face the embarrassment of earlier events. Sympathetic smiles greeted me as I walked down the stairs.
“Are you okay?” Geneva hooked her arm around me as we walked into the kitchen.
“How could he do this to me? And especially today of all days?”
“He’s an asshole. Plain and simple. You can do so much better.”
As soon as the last of the guests left, I grabbed an open bottle of wine and took it to the couch. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I began to guzzle it.
“Whoa, slow down there, killer,” my brother-in-law Lucas said as he grabbed the bottle from me and poured some wine into a glass. “Here.”
“Thanks. He was supposed to be here for me during this time, not break up with me.”
Lucas sighed as he sat down and hooked his arm around me.
“I know, Aspen, but the guy is a jerk. You can do much better than him.”
“Why do I always fall for the jerks?” I laid my head on his shoulder.
“Maybe because you know they’ll eventually leave.”
“Oh. Are you shrinking me now?” I smiled.
“No. But I can if you want me to.”
“Not really in the mood.”
“Okay.” He kissed the side of my head. “I’m going upstairs to check my emails. If you want to talk just let me know.”
As soon as he got up and left, my mother and her husband, Raphael, walked into the room.
“Darling, we have to go. Our flight leaves in three hours.”
“I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow.”
“Change of plans. We need to get back to L.A. Raphael has a showing he needs to get ready for.”
“Okay. Call me when you get back.” I got up from the couch and hugged her.
“I will. Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. Bye, Raphael.”
“Goodbye, darling. It was a nice service.” He hugged me tight.
I grabbed the bottle of wine off the coffee table, turned on some music, and began to dance around the living room.
“Oh hey, a dance party!” Geneva smiled as she joined me.
Dancing was always my escape. It was my stress reliever. Some people took baths, did yoga, or went for walks. But not me. I
danced it all away.
Chapter 2
Elijah
“We the jury find the defendant not guilty.”
“Yes.” I silently spoke and turned to my client who let out a sigh of relief. “Congratulations, Bob.” I grinned as I lightly hugged him.
“Thank you, Elijah. This wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
I closed up my briefcase, grabbed it from the table, and walked out of the courtroom. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I noticed I had three missed calls from Vi, a text message from my brother, Nathan, and a voice message from Vi.
“Elijah, we need to talk.”
I sighed as I rolled my eyes and opened the text message from Nathan.
“Hey, bro. I’m taking off for Paris in a few. I’ll meet you and Mason in Hawaii in a few days. Can’t wait for this vacation. Long overdue. See you soon.”
I smile as I type my reply.
“Have a safe flight. Beaches, sun and beautiful women, here we come.”
I walked back to the firm and as I was heading towards my office, my secretary, Marie, jumped up from her chair.
“Elijah, I thought I should warn you that Vi is waiting for you in your office.”
“Shit. How long has she been here?”
“An hour.”
“Thanks for the warning, Marie.”
I opened my office door and stepped inside.
“Since you can’t bother to call me back, I decided I would sit here and wait for you.”
I could tell her tone was an angry one, but I wouldn’t let her ruin my good mood.
“Vi, I was in court. I told you this morning I wouldn’t be around today.”
“Too bad. I got a call earlier from Patsy. She told me she saw you two days ago having dinner with some brunette who looked like a prostitute. It was the same night you canceled our date because you had too much work to do for an upcoming case. I want an explanation now, Elijah,” she demanded in the harsh tone that I couldn’t stand anymore.
