The Bride’s Christmas Miracle

by Elisa Leigh

  Ford has been on my mind all day. I keep picturing him at the bar and the small conversation we had. I’ve been replaying how it felt to be held by him and taken care of by him. What I wouldn’t give to find a man who would treat me like that always.

  “Earth to Jasmine,” Ellie says waving her hands in front of my face. “Oh my God, are you thinking about him?”

  “What! No way.”

  “You so are. What happened between you two last night? You’re telling me he swept you off your feet and carried you to his room only to fall asleep next to you while watching those creepy crime shows you love. I don’t believe it. You’re beautiful. There has to be something wrong with him if he didn’t make a move on you.”

  “Something wrong with who?” Delilah says sitting down on the couch where we’re finishing our lunch.

  “Delilah, this is my sister Ellie.”

  She shakes my sister’s hand. “You’ve got a great sister Ellie. Would you mind grabbing a coffee or looking in one of the shops here, I need to talk to her about something.”

  “It’s fine Delilah, I told her everything. I shouldn’t have kept this from her anyway. Go ahead.”

  “As you wish. Someone is interested in your offer of marriage.”

  “What? Who? Oh God, please tell me it isn’t that Jackson guy from last night, he was a total creeper.”

  She laughs long and hard. “ God no, it seems as though you caught the eye of someone else. He had his lawyer draw up a contract to lay out the terms of your agreement. I’ll let you take a look at it, but the nonnegotiables are simple. One, he wants to get married immediately, today in fact.”

  “Hence the spa day?” I ask my stomach sinking, reality dawning that this wasn’t some fairy tale.

  “Two, you have to share a bedroom for the full extent of your marriage.”

  “Excuse me? Why would we do that? I thought your clients were well off Delilah, he must be able to afford more than two bedrooms. Wait, is sex part of the deal?”

  She winces. “There’s more, hang on I’ll get to that part. Three, divorce isn’t an option, yet. He wants you to give the marriage an honest try to see if you could be a match. If after five years you aren’t happy you are free to part ways. Four, children are not mandatory, but he hopes after some time you’ll want them.”

  “Delilah, I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, but this guy sounds more serious about marriage than I am. I don’t think I can give him what he’s looking for. Didn’t you tell him?”

  “Trust me, I tried explaining that to him already, but he was adamant that you were the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.”

  “Who is this guy? I mean, you checked him out right? He’s not some crazy person?” Ellie questions.

  She laughs. “I’ll tell you both what I told him when he came to me with this request. I’ve been doing this for a while and before that would watch my grandmother work her magic. You two are perfect for one another. I would have matched you two initially if you were looking for a love match. His last request is to remain anonymous until you have made a decision on the marriage.”

  Butterflies take flight in my stomach, and I hope that the man I’m picturing in my mind is the one I’ll see at the end of the aisle. “When’s the wedding?”

  Delilah claps her hands together excitedly. “You’ll do it?” She squeals.

  I smile at her. “Doesn’t seem like I have much of an option.”

  Chapter 6

  Jasmine

  I looked over the contract, reading what I could understand, but most of it was a lot of legal mumbo jumbo that I couldn’t tell you what it means. While I know it’s probably a risky move, I’ve got nothing to lose in this and everything to gain. I have a pretty good feeling about this though. Best of all I can keep Ellie with me until she graduates, and that’s what matters most to me. Once the contract was signed things moved quickly.

  Ellie and I had our makeup done, and then we changed into beautiful gowns that someone had picked out for us and were waiting in one of the rooms. She’s in a dark blue cocktail dress, and I’m wearing a cream wedding gown. I’ve never felt more beautiful in my life. While Ellie is in heels, I’m stuck wearing sparkly white ballet flats, which is better for my ankle. Someone definitely has good taste.

  “You don’t have to do this sis, there has to be another way.”

  I wrap my arms around my miserable looking sister. “I wouldn’t do this unless it felt right, and it does. It was a stupid plan, to begin with, but I think it might have just led me to someone worth taking a leap of faith for. If it’s not who I think it is, I still have the most important person, you. Everything is going to be okay. I trust Delilah, she wouldn’t have arranged this if he wasn’t at least a good guy.”

  She hugs me tight. “I love you, sis.”

  She hands me my bouquet of a mix of white flowers wrapped in a dark blue satin ribbon that matches my sister's dress.

  Looping her arm through mine, we exit the room only to walk into a transformed spa area where Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis is playing. The lights have been dimmed, and tea lights and twinkling white Christmas lights are skillfully displayed around the area making it seem like some romantic wonderland. An aisle made of white satin is placed on the ground leading up to a waterfall set up against one wall that has been made the center of the room.

  Standing next to the waterfall is a tall, dark-haired man dressed in an impeccable suit that fits him perfectly. Delilah is talking to him, but when she sees me, she stops talking and gives me a warm smile. An older couple is standing to the side along with a man that is staring devotedly at Delilah, that must be her husband that she talked so much about. Everyone turns to look at me, including the man I hoped would be standing there. The hungry way he’s staring at me has my stomach doing flips.

  The song changes to Canon in D by Pachelbel letting me know that this is it, it’s time to give myself away to a man that I just met. I take a deep breath and know that everything is going to be okay.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Let’s do this,” Ellie tells me and doesn’t let go.

  Arm in arm my little sister walks me down the aisle. I know she isn’t sure about this and she’s worried about what I’m doing. It’s my job to reassure her, but right now, I’m all eyes on Ford, wondering what made him do all of this.

  Once I’m standing a few feet from him, Ford walks up to my sister and me.

  “Ellie, I know we have never met before, but I hope that in time you learn to count on me as your big brother. Until then I want you to know that I have nothing but good intentions for Jasmine, and you of course.”

  She smiles but doesn’t say anything. Ellie goes and stands to the side leaving me alone with Ford.

  “Hello, beautiful girl. Did you enjoy the spa day I set up?”

  “Nothing but surprises from you today it seems.”

  “Get used to this Jasmine, I want nothing more than to spoil you and your sister rotten. You deserve to be taken care of, and I’m honored to be the one to take care of you.”

  “You hardly know me, what if this turns out to be a huge mistake?”

  “What if it turns out to be everything we’ve ever wanted?”

  Another man that I didn’t see before clears his throat. “Let’s begin.”

  Facing each other, we repeat the vows the minister says. The whole experience is very surreal I almost want to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming. When he gets to the part about placing a ring on my finger I cringe, thinking this is going to be awkward, but Ford shocks me by putting a beautiful platinum band with diamonds all the way around it, and a platinum engagement ring with one very large princess cut diamond in the center on my finger. The rings fit perfectly on my finger. For someone who has never had anything of great value, this is too much. Tears fill my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

  “I can’t accept these Ford, it’s too much.”

  Ford wipes my tears away with the pads of h
is fingers. “Shh, it’s okay beautiful. Nothing but the best for you.”

  After a few seconds, I suck it up. “What about yours?”

  He grabs my hands and brings it up to his lips, placing a sweet kiss against my wrist, then puts a platinum band similar to my own but larger and looks a bit more masculine. “Did you think of everything?”

  He smiles. “Not everything. I’m sure I forgot a lot, but I tried to remember what I thought would be important.”

  “You did a good job.”

  “Thank you, but can I finish marrying my bride?”

  He makes me laugh, and I nod, eager to be his wife. We finish the ceremony with the sweetest kiss I’ve ever had. Ford is making me fall for him, making me crave him, making me need him as every minute passes between us.

  When the ceremony has ended, and our marriage license is signed. Ford introduces Ellie and me to his parents. Hanford and Georgia wrap Ellie and me up in big hugs welcoming us to the family and tell us they will be seeing us tomorrow for Christmas Eve dinner.

  A man named George helps Ellie and I into a car that looks kind of like a limo, but shorter, allowing Ellie to sit across from Ford and I. The drive back to Ford’s home takes almost an hour and with no one speaking and classical music playing through the car, Ellie is quick to fall asleep.

  “Thank you for trusting me today. I know it wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t let you marry anyone else.”

  “So, you only married me so I wouldn’t marry another man?”

  “Yes. No. Shit, that didn’t come out right.”

  I giggle watching him become frustrated with himself, earning a small smile from the man and noticing a dimple I haven't seen before. He’s so damn good looking he makes me nervous.

  “What I meant was if I had time, I would have done this right and asked you out on a proper date. Over time I would have shown you that I was the best option, that no one would treat you better than I can, love you better than I will.”

  “So now that we’re doing things backward what’s next?”

  “I’m still going to show you those things. Only now you won’t have to worry about your sister, and I get you in my bed every night.”

  “You’re quite confident.”

  “You just promised yourself to me for five years. I’m more than confident I can make you fall in love with me in less than one.”

  “Oh yeah, and what if I don’t?”

  “Beautiful, that’s not going to happen.”

  “Hmm, we’ll see.”

  We pull up to a gated estate with an S scrolled into the rot iron fence. After putting in a code, George drives through the gates and passes a mansion on our right. “That is my parent’s home. My house is down a few miles, and my brother’s house is a few more miles away.”

  Just like he said, a few minutes later George parks in front of an equally beautiful home that looks slightly smaller than his parent’s home. Ford opens the door and helps Ellie and me out before picking me up and carrying me into the house.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Carrying you over the threshold?”

  I slap his arm and laugh. “You’re crazy, you know that.”

  “Crazy for you.” He says before kissing my lips lightly and then putting me down.

  “I’m going to give you a quick tour, so you know where things are, but I’m sure you’ll want to explore on your own.”

  Ford shows us around the bottom floor which holds a large kitchen, dining room, living room, sitting room, library, and his office. When we go upstairs, we pass several guest bedrooms, one which was made up for Ellie. “We can change anything you don’t like, this is just what we could do in the short time we had,” Ford explains. “Of course, I’ll send some people out to pack up your apartment and move your things here.”

  “Thank you, Ford.”

  He smiles down at me. “Anything, love. Absolutely anything.”

  “Well, we’ll leave you to settle in. You have your very own bathroom, and I think Gina has some clothes for you in the dresser.”

  “Thank you, for your kindness Ford. It means a lot to me.” Ellie says surprising Ford and me.

  We leave her there, and Ford takes us down to the double doors at the end of the hall. When he opens the doors, I swear I’ve died and gone to heaven. Against the adjacent wall is a huge sleigh bed covered in pillows and white cover that looks like snow. In the corner of the room is a Christmas tree that is lit with white lights. On the opposite side of the room is a fireplace that already has a fire burning.

  “Do you approve?”

  “Ford, this room is like a Christmas fairy tale. How did you make this happen in one day? I can’t imagine it looked like this before.”

  He sweeps me into his arms, again, which I find he has a fondness for and places me down on the bed then sits down beside me. “Yeah, this wasn’t me. My parent’s Head of House, Gina, set all of this up. She’s an angel. You’ll meet her tomorrow at dinner.”

  I yawn deeply, not realizing how tired I am. “I need a shower.”

  “Of course. Come I’ll show you around.” He holds out his hand for me and walks me across the room, through an open door to the largest bathroom I have ever seen. There’s a huge tub that looks like it could fit two people very comfortably and a shower with several shower heads.

  “I’ll grab you some clothes to sleep in. Hopefully tomorrow your things will be here.”

  After showing me how the shower works, he places a towel on the sink and kisses my forehead before walking out of the bathroom and closing the door. Giving me a moment alone for the first time all day. I strip and get in the hot shower. The water pressure feels so good against my skin, and I don’t ever want to get out, but my eyes are heavy, and the only thing I want to do is pass out. When I get out of the shower, I find a white t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs sitting beside my towel.

  I towel off and dry my hair as best I can with the towel before getting dressed in his clothes. Searching through his cabinets for a brush, I take the time to explore what he’s hiding, which is nothing. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to find, but Ford seems like a regular guy to me.

  I walk out into the bedroom and see Ford in nothing but basketball shorts and laying in our turned down bed, staring at his phone. “Do you feel better now that you’ve had a shower.”

  I smile. “So much better now.” I sit down on the bed, on the opposite side as Ford and begin to fidget with my hands. I have no idea what to do with myself. “I’m going to go check on Ellie. I’ll be right back.” I get up and quickly walk out the door and down the hall to Ellie’s room. She’s laying on her bed in some yoga pants and a cute t-shirt reading one of her books.

  “Where did you get those?”

  She shrugs. “They were in the drawers. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, why?” I ask sitting down beside her.

  “Uhh it’s your wedding night sis, don’t you think you should be hanging out with your husband.”

  “I don’t even know him.”

  She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “Well go get to know him. It’s not like you don’t want to. I saw the way you two were looking at each other during the wedding. Some serious lusty vibes were going on.”

  Grabbing a pillow, I smack her in the head with it making us both laugh.

  “I can’t just give him my virginity.”

  “You mean you can’t have sex with your husband? Why not?”

  “What if I make a fool out of myself. I have no idea what I’m doing. And look at the man, he’s gorgeous. I’m sure he’s been with plenty of women.”

  “Eww, I didn’t think about it like that. You never know, he could be one of those picky guys who doesn’t sleep with every bimbo that throws herself at him. The only way to find out is to ask.”

  “Why are you so okay with all of this?”

  She shrugs her shoulders and goes back to reading a book. I smack her on the butt when she doesn’t answer me. “What?”

  “Ans
wer me.”

  “I don’t know, I’ve just got a feeling about him. He and his family seem like genuinely nice people. And Delilah looks like she takes no shit from anyone, I don’t think she’d set you up with a douchebag.”

  I give my sister a big hug and stand up. “Good night, see you in the morning.”

  “Good night sis. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I close her door and make my way down the hall back to our room. I tremble in excitement for what might happen. When I open the door and walk in, the lights are off except for the light from the fire and the Christmas tree.

  Chapter 7

  Ford

  Goddamn.

  My wife is the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.

  I’m glad she needed to check on her sister because as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing my t-shirt and boxers, I was hard as granite. I might have needed a minute more than she did.

  After it’s been a while and she hasn’t come back to our room, I turn the lights out and lie in bed waiting for her. I’m almost asleep when I hear the creek of the floorboards and the door closing. The room is dark besides the dying embers from the fire, giving off very little light. She walks slowly to the bed and lies down carefully as to not wake me. I’m following her lead here. I don’t want to scare her away. I’d rather she set the pace even though it could very well kill me waiting for her to get on the same page as me.

  “Goodnight beautiful.”

  She lets out a deep breath. “Goodnight Ford.”

  Over the next half hour, she tosses and turns, making it difficult for both of us to fall asleep. The next time she rolls over, facing away from me, I wrap my arm around her belly and pull her back up against my front. She wiggles against me and tries to scoot back to her side, but I hold my arm firm not allowing her to go. “Settle,” I growl. With her ass pressed against my hard dick and her head laying on my arm a peace comes over me, one that I’ve never known before.