by Brittle, D M
It was a difficult find but once I had found the perfect one and completed it, I sat back to look through it knowing that there could be no other gift that could mean any more to him than this would.
“You made me a scrap book?” Blake turned and smiled happily at me before placing his lips to mine briefly. “This is the most amazing gift ever,” he said as his fingers brushed over the cover.
“You haven’t looked inside it yet,” I smiled as I bumped my shoulder to his.
“After being with you for almost twelve months, I know that whatever is in here is going to be from the happiest times of my life,” Blake smiled as he turned the cover to reveal the first page.
Blake and I had met when we had been cast together in a romantic film called ‘Against All Odds’. The film was due for cinema release next month so the first picture in the scrapbook was a poster that had been made to promote the film; it was how we had begun, we too had started our relationship against all odds, looking back now there was no clearer sign of our destiny than that film and its title.
Next to the poster was my invite to the films wrap party.
“I know that the night didn’t end well but….”
“That was the night that sealed our future,” Blake said with a smile. “I knew from when I touched your arm in that ballroom and you were shaking that I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. Despite other events that happened that night and the days following, I will never forget how I felt the moment you turned around and looked into my eyes.”
Blake turned his attention back to the book and turned to the next page; this page was different, it was more like a boxed frame so I was able to put physical memories into the box.
In the frame sat a cork and a French menu.
“This is from the weekend that I finally came to your apartment to tell you how I felt isn’t it?” I nodded. “You were talking to your mom on the phone. Your face when you opened the door was such a picture I can still see it now,” he laughed.
“I never thought you would have let me in, but you did and thank god because I think I was about to go stir crazy if I had to spend another night without you. Did I ever tell you that I had been stood out there since I saw Casey and Alex leave for the airport?”
“No, you didn’t,” I said quietly.
Blake nodded and turned to the next page. “If it hadn’t been for your crazy neighbor who opened and closed the door every two minutes to see if I was still there, I would have probably still been there when Casey and Alex got back from Vegas.”
“Thank God for crazy neighbors eh?”
“Definitely,” Blake agreed.
“The next part,” I began. “I chose to put these in because even though the situation with Sara had happened and I had completely shut you out; I never stopped thinking about you, that is why I kept the things that you are about to see.”
Blake took a deep breath in and turned his attention to the page; it consisted of the card that he had sent to me along with a bouquet of flowers wishing me good luck at my audition. I had also added to this page some flower petals that I had pressed from the bouquet when the flowers had begun to die.
The card read;
‘To the only woman who will ever complete me. Tell me what to do to fix us, please. I love you.’
“Even way back then you were my fixer upper, look.” I smiled. Blake turned to me and placed his hand to my cheek before leaning towards me and kissing me slowly, his lips were warm and comforting as they brushed against mine over and over again.
“I can’t believe you kept all of these things,” he said quietly as he pulled away but held my gaze.
“I am quite the hoarder Blake, didn’t you know that?” I said playfully. “And besides, no jigsaw is complete without all of the pieces is it?”
“No,” he smiled. “It isn’t.” Blake turned back to the book yet again and turned the page, he smiled instantly as he saw the next batch of memories.
“The night you saved my life,” I smiled.
“I never in a million years thought I was going to get to that airport in time,” he recalled as his fingers brushed over the memorabilia. “And I never imagined that it would cause such hype either, over eight million YouTube views, crazy,” he laughed.
Spread across the next two pages were the flight ticket that I had booked to go back to London when I thought that Blake had met someone else along with various photo’s that had been taken of us at the airport. I had also attached a photo of Tom Cruise after he had been nicknamed that by the presenters on Live with Kelly and Michael along with a picture of a rose as they had named me Blake’s ‘English rose’.
There was also an article that I had printed from an online gossip site, Blake sat and read though it all with a huge smile on his face.
The pages continued with more happy memories that included our Yankee game tickets from when Blake had taken me to my first baseball match, a photo that Blake’s mum had taken of us in the Hamptons right before Blake almost broke my nose when he managed to finally hit the ball for the first time ever, along with a copy of my car key from when Blake had surprised me by buying me a car.
I filled Blake’s champagne glass as we continued to reminisce.
Included in the rest of the scrapbook were more notes that Blake had left me and sent with flowers while he was away in Miami, again I had pressed flowers from each bouquet and popped them into the book.
The next page was our first scan photo of the twins; it was hard to believe that the tiny little dots on the picture were here now and were three months old.
“I will never forget the moment that Sam told us we were having twins,” Blake smiled. “And now they’re here, we are complete.”
“Yes,” I replied simply.
Next there was a tee-light from the night that Blake had proposed to me on the boat at Casey and Alex’s wedding, followed by a photo of our new home that I had taken from the internet along with a photo of Jasper and Blake playing in the garden over Christmas.
The back of the book contained one of our wedding invitations, a menu from our meal and a wedding photo of us with all of our family surrounding us, I had also managed to find a photo of Blake carrying me home when the car had broken down which had been taken and uploaded to the internet by a passerby.
The very last picture in the book was taken on the day that our babies were born, next to the picture were the babies’ hand and feet prints that I had done with paint; pink for Julia and blue for Johnny.
“This is just amazing Jo, you have put so much into this book,” Blake said in awe.
“I wanted it to reflect the happy times as best as possible,” I answered truthfully.
“It does,” Blake smiled.
There was only one page left in the book, a framed page.
“What are we going to put in here?” Blake asked without lifting his eyes from the book.
“This,” I said as I placed the champagne cork from this evening inside the book. “A couple of these,” I dropped a handful of rose petals inside which scattered happily around the cork, andfinally this; I reached down and lifted the Polaroid camera that I had hidden under the table. Snuggling up to Blake I lifted the camera into the air and snapped a couple of pictures of us together.
Blake placed the photos into the book and sighed happily.
“The book is now complete,” Blake smiled. “Thank you for the best twelve months of my life.”
“This book may be complete, because tonight is our last chapter here; but this;” I took another empty book from under the table that had been sat next to the camera and placed it on the table.
“This is for the next installment. I want us to document every single good thing that happens in our lives Blake because twelve months ago you came into my life like a hurricane. I didn’t do love, I didn’t do trust, I definitely didn’t do happy ever after’s. You gave me each and every one of those plus more, for the rest of my life Blake I want to keep those memories; the
corks, the photos, the first time we take our children to the cinema; I want that ticket in one of these books. I will never forget how you fixed me and how you helped me to become the person that I am now Blake; you are my forever.”
Blake pulled me onto his lap and kissed me passionately. “Thank you for moving to New York,” Blake said as we broke the kiss. “I promise you that I will never let you down, I will be there for you every single step of the way through our lives. When you are happy, I will laugh with you and when you are sad, I will wipe those tears away. I can’t wait for our future Jo, and everything that is going to go into that next book.”
I climbed off Blake’s lap and walked back to where I had been keeping the camera and empty book. “Just one second,” I said as I reached down and retrieved something else from under the table.
“Just how many things do you have under that table?” Blake laughed.
“This is the last thing I promise,” I said feeling the nerves bubble up inside of me.
“I have something here which will begin the next book.” I took a deep breath in and handed it to Blake.
Blake looked down into his hand once before his eyes shot back to me immediately with shock.
“Already?” he asked as a smile spread across his face.
I nodded slowly, “I seem to have lost the ability to take birth control correctly.” I gave Blake a lopsided smile, unsure of his reaction. “You did say that you wanted a big family,” I replied shyly.
“We’re having another baby?” Blake asked as his eyes filled with happy tears. “I can’t believe we get to have another baby so soon, this is just…. You know what this is Jo?”
Blake stood and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“What is it?” I smiled.
“It’s epic,” he winked playfully.
“Epic.” I nodded as laughter bubbled up inside me. “You coming around to learning the lingo now we are going to have three children?”
“Or four,” Blake stated happily. “We could have twins again.” His eyes widened in mock horror.
“Are you happy?” I asked already knowing the answer from the way that he couldn’t stop smiling.
“I am more than happy Jo, you have given me everything that I have ever wanted and more, I love you so much.” Blake lifted me from the floor with joy before spinning me around causing me to squeal before placing me back down gently.
“And you have given me everything that I never believed existed Blake. I love you too, so much.”
Our eyes darted to the starry sky above us just as a bright shooting star shot passed us both, we looked back at each other and smiled knowing that we didn’t need to make a wish upon that star, because everything that we ever needed or wanted; we already had. We had each other, we had an amazing family, we had been blessed with two babies and now had another baby already on the way; so no, we didn’t need to wish upon that star because we were already living our happy ever after; we already had our Beautiful Perfection.
Acknowledgements
When I decided to write my first novel, Beautifully Unbroken, I had no expectations as to how it would turn out. I intended on writing just that one story and that would be it. When I typed the last words in Beautifully Unbroken, I never expected to be going back one year later and continuing the story of Blake and Jo.
The reason that their story was continued was because of YOU.
Thank you to every single one of you who took a chance on a new author, but not only that, you took the chance, enjoyed the story and asked for more. Without readers like you, Blake and Jo wouldn’t only not exist in the book world but I could never have fulfilled my dream of writing a story that would consume people. Thank you, thank you for reading, reviewing, enjoying and wanting more; I love you all for the continued support that you show me day after day. I cannot express in words alone just how humble I feel that you have all taken this journey with me.
Thank you also to some amazing people who I have met along the way, each and every book blog that champions new authors and goes above and beyond expectations. For the tweets, the post shares and for the enthusiasm, thank you.
Jo Evans at A British Bookworms Blog, Julie Bourke at JulkBear Reads and Ashley Turpin at Book Reviews and Promotions; your enthusiasm for Blake and Jo made me realize why authors write. My appreciation to you will go on forever!
Paula Raddell at Passionate Reads & Promotions, you are one truly amazing person. You have been there for me and advised me on so many things! Thank you.
To Samantha Gough and Jemma Ross, thank you for your help and advice yet again, I love your passion for Blake and Jo.
Lorna Silk-Smith; your third eye is a treasure, thank you for your help and advice and constant support from day one!
Tim Ross, thank you for designing the most amazing book covers for me and putting up with my ridiculously indecisive mind. I hope that we can do it all again one day!
Silla Webb, an amazing author who has the patience of a saint! Thank you for helping me, again!
My mother in law, Lynn has championed me from day one. No matter how under pressure I felt, or how much I wanted to give up, she has always been there encouraging me and supporting me; I love you, thank you.
More than anything, I owe immense gratitude to my family. My husband Matt has had to put up with my mood swings, my deaf ears when he is speaking to me but my face is buried into my laptop and my panic attacks when I can’t see myself getting everything ‘just right’, you are always the calm in my storm. I love you so much and thank you for being there every single step of the way.
My two girls Willow and Scarlett who love to tell people that mommy is famous! You are my whole world; I love you more than you will ever know.
So yeah, to every single one of you, be it a reader, a blogger, a friend or a family member, thank you all from the bottom of my heart and further, hopefully you will take this journey again with me again some time soon!
Table of Contents
(Untitled)
Beautiful Perfection
By
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
Copyright © Beautiful perfection
Dedication
(Untitled)
(Untitled)
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Blake
Jo
Acknowledgements
