by Amanda Heath
“Will you come somewhere with me?” she bites her lip and looks at me with pleading eyes. I’d go anywhere or do anything just to hear her tell me she loved me again.
“Yeah Beautiful I’ll come with you.” She looks shocked that I said her old nickname. Darn I shouldn’t have let on so early I already forgave her.
Chapter 22
Teagan
He called me Beautiful. A feeling of warmth comes over me at hearing the words. Maybe everything will be all right.
I borrowed daddy’s car to drive Declan to the graveyard. I think he deserves to know about it. Even if everything doesn’t turn out all right at least we will have this place to mourn our baby that never was. I don’t know if everything will be okay between us but I do know that this will help with closure over the entire messed up situation.
“You brought me to a graveyard?” he asks when we pull up to the little gravel parking lot.
“Yes. Don’t worry it’s a good thing.” I give him a little smile and get out of the car.
“Okay I will trust you on that.” He says as he exits. It almost breaks my heart that I can’t freely touch him like I want to. He looks so damn sexy in his low rise jeans and black t-shirt. His hair is styled in that messy way all the guys do their hair. I haven’t ever liked it on anybody before but Declan sure knows how to pull it off.
“Lead the way.” He says and I blush realizing that I was totally staring at him.
I turn and head towards the gravestones of my mother and my unborn baby. I start to get really nervous of his reaction. What if he thinks it is totally crazy?
So to save time I stop in front of my mother’s grave. I’ve never brought anybody else out her to see it. I guess I feel like she was all mine when she was alive. I miss her so much and it’s been hard the last four months without her, though Sarah did a pretty good job of filling in her shoes. “This is my mother Declan. Bethany Reed.” I pause and smile. “Mom this is Declan Sage, the love of my life.” I feel my face burn again but I don’t care. I have never said words more true in my life.
He does something completely unexpected. He wraps his arms around my waist pulling me into him. He puts his head at the croak of my neck and shoulder and nuzzles my face. I shiver at the foreign and familiar touch. “Who made that grave for you Beautiful?”
“Sarah. She brought me out here the other day to see it. I felt like you should see it too.” I place my arms around his and lean into him with all I’m worth.
“That was very kind of her. I’m happy that you shared it with me.” He pauses and I feel him laugh softly behind me. “And for introducing me to your mother.”
I turn in his arms so I can see his face. “You’re welcome. Are we going to be okay?” I ask him with hopeful eyes.
“Yeah baby. I love you with all my heart and I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you that. I feel like if I had before you lost the baby you wouldn’t have ended things with me. I guess you didn’t feel like I cared about you enough.” He puts his hands on my shoulders rubbing my neck with his thumbs in a soothing gesture.
“No you might not have ever told me but I knew you loved me. It’s in the way you talk to me. It’s in the way you look at me. It’s even in the way you touch me. Everything happened so fast with us and then I had the miscarriage and I think it become more then I could bear. The thought of having to witness your pain along with me almost killed me. I know that I did the wrong thing. If it takes me the rest of my life I will make up for it every day. I love you so much Declan that it hurts. I have been hurting for the last four months not only for the baby I lost but also for you. I don’t think my heart even beat till I saw you last night at that bar. You’re my everything and I’m so sorry I didn’t see that till it was way too late.” He wipes tears off of my face that I didn’t even know were falling.
“See you say things like that and I feel like the biggest idiot. I couldn’t tell you loved me back even though there were signs everywhere. I guess I thought it was too good to be true. I might have blamed you these past months but I am just as much to blame. You were in the middle of a traumatic deal and you had to every right to be out of your mind. I should have waited till you were sounder of mind and acted like you never left me.” Now I wipe some tears from his cheeks.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a long time just holding on to the moment. This beautiful thing that we have can overcome anything. I know now that I can shoulder anything and be anyone I want to be as long as he is by my side. We may fight and have emotional problems but that doesn’t matter anymore. We can overcome them together. He is my soul mate and I won’t ever leave him again.
Just as the sun starts to set we close our eyes and lean in to kiss. When our lips meet my whole body explodes with love. It’s a sweet kiss; just a meeting of the lips but it seems almost magical as the sun shines on my face. It’s almost as if the sun is giving its blessing.
Epilogue
Declan
She looks so amazing in white. Hell she looks amazing in anything. I think I like her best in nothing. I can’t take my eyes off of her as she walks down the aisle. Her eyes never leave mine and I almost get lost in the emerald gaze like I do every time. God I love her so much.
I have to let her gaze go as she passes me where I sit on the front pew in the church. I’m sitting with the in-laws as Teagan calls them. Cody, Max, and Monica. I remember how pissed Teagan got when Monica and Forest got married at the court house not telling anyone. She won’t admit it but I’m pretty sure that he’s her favorite.
She takes her place on the bride’s side and she smiles her angel’s smile at me. I’m glad I’m seated because that is enough to make me weak in the knees.
The light shines off of her promise ring. It’s a simple one karat in a heart shape on a silver band. I got it for her the day after the graveyard. I told her that it was my promise to never let her go without a fight again. She replied that she wouldn’t ever leave me again. The most amazing thing about it was I believed her. Still do.
The wedding march starts playing and Forest and Mrs. Harper come walking down the aisle. Her dress is pale pink and falls to the floor. It clings to her legs and torso but in a modest way. Her hair is in an up do with pale pink flowers. Mr. and Mrs. Harper decided that they had been happily married for the past ten years and needed a celebration. Jessica suggested a renewal of vows. They both jumped at the idea.
They had all six children standing at the front with them. Caden looks happy today as he has for months, though I’m not going to tell you why because that is a story for another time. Jaden also looks happy and he’s got his own beautiful reason. He finally forgave me for lying to him for months. I told him to shove it. He didn’t take that to well and we both looked pretty bad after that incident. We speak but we won’t ever be friends like we used to be.
I feel a poke to the back of my head. I turn slightly and give Marcus a stern look. He’s growing up on me fast. He’s going off to college next year. Says he wants to go far away from our house. This now includes Teagan. He says the PDA is getting too much for him. I’ll miss the shit out of him but I’ve got to let him do what he wants. No holding that kid back.
After the lovely service I find my Beautiful at the reception. The dance floor is open and I drag her out for one. She laughs as I twirl her around the room and dip her a few times. I don’t think I could ever be as happy as I am right now. This Beautiful thing in my arms is the only reason I will ever need to be happy. She is the heart of my heart and the mate to my soul.
“I love you.” She whispers in my ear. I get chills all over my skin and quickly look for a place we can hide away for a while.
The church we are in has classrooms somewhere I just have to find them. I grab her hand and pull her along down the halls of the church before I find a room far enough away. I open the door and pull her in shutting us out from the world.
“I love you Beautiful.” I say to her as I start to undress her beautiful body.
>
The End
Book 2 in the young love series coming in 2013
Grace Breadfield hates drama. Ever since her ex-boyfriend ruined her life back in her hometown, she’s stayed away from it. After dumping her drink on the lap of one super-hot bad boy, she’s thinking she might just make an exception. After he says he will call and doesn’t Grace gives up on that. Finding herself in the arms of her best friend’s brother she couldn’t be happier. Until said bad boy turns out to be his twin brother. Now she has finds herself in the middle of a brotherly rival. And choosing which one to give her heart too will seem like the biggest decision she has ever had to make…
Caden Harper doesn’t do relationships. He likes them hot and dumb. That is until Grace walks into his life, making him rethink his rule. Bring in his twin brother, who also likes her, you have a recipe for disaster. It gets so bad that the brothers stop talking, causing a rift in their family. The boys give Grace an ultimatum; she has to choose between them. And Caden is almost positive that he won’t get his happy ending…
About the Author:
Amanda lives in Arkansas with her husband and young daughter. She loves reading and writing which you can find her doing most days. This Beautiful Thing is her debut novel.
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