by Jude Ouvrard
“Dinner’s delicious, Mom. It’s good to be back home, I kinda missed that.” I took a bite of the shrimp casserole. So good, the right amount of spice. Excellent.
“Thank you, hun.” She covered my hand with hers, and I could see the pain hiding behind her blue eyes. Hopefully, by tomorrow, she would be able to focus on my happiness rather than the incident with Candice. Perhaps she had read the same newspaper articles I had found. Knowing my mom, she probably had. My appetite vanished and was replaced by guilt. I should have been more careful with Candice. I knew she was bad news.
All eyes were on me as I struggled with the tears. I didn’t want to cry anymore, but I could have died few weeks ago because I wasn’t careful enough. I hated to see the reflection of my mistake in my mother’s or father’s eyes. They hurt, even if I was alive.
“Are you okay, babe?” I shrugged. “Will you excuse us, for a minute?” Calvin got up and pulled me up with him.
“Of course,” Mom accepted.
Calvin led the way to the living room and let me sit on the couch. He knelt before me, our eyes at the same level.
“In moment like this, I really wish I could read your mind. Tell me what’s happening in the head of yours.” The concern reflecting in his eyes told me he really wanted to help me get over what was hurting me.
Words escaped me. “I don’t know. The guilt I feel when I see the pain I caused my parents. It hurts.” I dried my tears with the back of my hand. “I should have been smarter around her.”
“I’m afraid she would have found a way. She was on a mission to ruin her life, and she fucked Tina’s up as well. We worked together for years without a single hitch and then, she flipped.” He palmed my cheek. “I don’t want you to think about it anymore. We’re moving forward with our lives. Give your parents some time, they’ve been through many stages of emotions. This is them trying to get their mind around everything that happened and seeing you strong.”
I had to give it to him, he was right about… everything. “It got to me, right to my heart. That’s why I couldn’t control my feelings.”
“They miss you a lot, Iris.” Rose appeared behind Calvin. “When we got the call from Calvin, they both suffered a meltdown. At that time, Calvin didn’t have much information, but he called before the media found out, which I’m thankful for. They couldn’t make it to New York. You know how life is over here in the summer, with the day camps and tourism. They sent me before I had any say in this. I would have come, don’t get me wrong, but it broke their hearts that they couldn’t be with you when you needed them. So, right now, having you here in their home, when at some point, they didn’t know if they would ever see you alive again, brings up memories and sentiments. Give them time to heal.” She sat next to me and placed her arms around my shoulders. “Tomorrow, I’m pretty certain they will forget or replace those heartbroken memories with beautiful ones.”
Both of them had spoken the words my heart and soul needed to focus on. I took deep breaths and regained control of myself.
I could do this for my parents, my friends and myself.
“I love you. Both of you.”
They both knew me so well.
Mom, Krys, Danielle and Rose made me beautiful. In the present, and in the past when they stayed by my side and helped me up. But today, they made me beautiful inside and out. I wanted a simple wedding, but now, I aimed for perfection. They made me a beautiful bride. We had spent two hours getting me ready. My hair, my makeup, my dress, everything reflected the image I had in my mind. I thought I looked gorgeous. I had never been so feminine, sexy and this near to perfection before. Far away was the girl wearing her skinny jeans and t-shirt while riding her skateboard. That girl had gotten Calvin’s attention, but now I had become a woman. At least, I felt like one. I was minutes away from being a wife. Gosh, that’s crazy. Krys fixed my hair one last time. I had hoped for loose curls. To be honest, I missed my long hair. The result would have been better, but Krys had done an incredible job with my hair, giving it a relaxed summer style, instead of something too traditional.
Because it meant a lot to me, I decided to wear the bracelet Calvin had given me for my birthday. I never take it off, and today wasn’t going to be an exception. I placed the pendant in the middle of the inside of my wrist, like I used to do every day. “Are you ready, hun?” Mom watched me with diamonds glistening in her eyes. She looked marvelous in her cream dress. I had only seen my mom dressed up like this on my high school graduation.
“Mom, you should take more time for yourself, you’re so beautiful. You look so young” I took her in a warm embrace. “Dad should take you out more often.”
She chuckled shyly. “Look who’s talking? Miss tomboy transformed into a young beautiful woman.” Her bottom lip quivered. Don’t cry, mom. “We’re so happy for you. Your father and I, we never thought we would see the day you would love again. What Damien did to you was terrible.”
“I don’t think about him or Carolina anymore. They don’t matter. The only good thing they did was push me away so that I could find Calvin. What Calvin brings into my life fills every void in my heart.”
“It’s all you need, Iris. He worships the ground you walk on. He cares and he’s in love with you.”
I nodded. “And so am I.”
“Okay, Iris, it’s time,” Rose said, interrupting my moment with Mom. Krys and Danielle had witnessed everything in silence.
“I have to say, first of all, that you are all gorgeous and I’m the luckiest person to have you here with me. Now, let’s do this. Calvin isn’t the most patient person.” I laughed. “We should go before he drags me up there.”
My dad arrived at that particular moment to walk me down the aisle. Krys and Danielle walked slowly toward the arch, where Calvin stood by the minister. Rose followed them shortly after and then, it was time for my man to see me.
We had the perfect day for a garden wedding. The sun hovered in a cloudless sky. We were surrounded by flowers, their perfume mixing perfectly with the background music, creating an ambiance I could only dream of. Dad and I started to walk. Our arms hooked together, my hands trembled nervously. He covered my hand with his, calming me.
“Oh gosh, Dad.”
“You’ll be a good wife. You were always a good daughter, Iris.”
“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek and he gave my hand to Calvin. Calvin’s presence, imprinted with joy, astounded me. Calvin took my hand with pride. He was warm and confident as always. He kissed my forehead after telling me how beautiful I looked. He had me under his spell. I just wanted to be married. My eyes were glued on his, and nothing else could have distracted me. All I wanted was to be his wife, to wear his ring and to see my ring on his finger. Three simple things.
As the words echoed around us, my eyes diverted from his lips to his eyes. The perfect shade of natural pink, his lips reminded me of the things they had done to me the previous night. They had given me not one but two orgasms. I could imagine the feeling of his warm touch against my skin. A shade of pink covered my cheeks while my mind went through memories. Calvin frowned subtly and I winked in return. Nothing to worry about, baby. I loved this man so much. He cared for me more than I could ever wished. He became my best friend, my love and so much more. My life had a different meaning because of him. I gathered my thoughts and tried to concentrate on the celebration rather than last night. A small smile appeared on my lips.
“Calvin, do you take Iris to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse; for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?”
With his eyes bursting with love and bliss. “I do.” He mouthed me the words I love you.
“Iris, do you take Calvin to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse; for richer or poorer, in sicknes
s and health and forsaking all others. Be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?”
I nodded before saying the words, I didn’t trust my voice. I had so many emotions coming at me at the same time. Love, lust, excitement, relief that we were finally about to be married. “I do,” I forced out at the same time as the tears started flowing.
“I now present you Mr. and Mrs. Banks.” He smiled and applauded. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Like a caveman, he pulled me close, our bodies pressed against each other. Still dizzy, he claimed my mouth, and just like that, we shared our first kiss as husband and wife. My body, my mind, but mostly my heart were all going through the most powerful moment of my life. Love emanated from every single pore of my body. I loved Calvin more than ever, and he loved me too. He kept telling me or showing me, but the smile on his face at that moment was picture perfect. He wore my ring. I couldn’t help myself, I kept looking at it.
Stepping closer to me, my breasts pressing against his chest, he kissed my forehead. “I love you, my wife.”
“I love you too, my husband.” I kissed him again while our guests applauded. “More than words can tell.” I loved him times a million. Infinite love. Nothing and no one could stop us.
My parents met us at the altar. Dad and Calvin shook hands while Mom held me in her arms for the longest time. Well, it seemed like it. Rose joined us. It became a private family moment. All of our friends stayed together at the sitting area before joining us minutes later.
Krys was the first to reach me. We had met only a year ago, but our friendship grew strong quickly.
“Girl, that smile on your face, it means the world to me. When I met you, you were so broken and sad. I can see how great you’re doing now and it’s so well deserved.”
“You’re my girl, Krys. Thanks for being there with me. You’re so precious. I hope you find the right person for you soon. You deserve it.”
She smiled in a timid way. “Well… hum… this girl.” She pointed herself. “She has a date with a certain Devon Porter. He’s taking me out when I get back home. He’s waiting for my call.” She screamed, too excited.
I frowned. “Oh my God, the boss, really?” I had to admit he was hot in a mysterious way.
“As if you had something to say about that. You’re no saint.” She laughed.
Krys was the craziest friend I had ever had, and that was what I liked about her. The fact that she was excited about having a date with the boss she hated made me roll my eyes. With her, I could only expect the unexpected.
I was able to talk with each of our guests, creating a special moment with each of them before being swept away by a photographer. Rose had thought of everything. She amazed me.
Calvin rolled his eyes a couple of times. Yes, they were cheesy just married pictures, but that was exactly what I wanted. I would frame them and hang them in our new house.
“This is proof that I really love you, wife.”
“At least this photographer isn’t asking you to take your clothes off. It could be worse, Calvin. Suck it up, husband.” I giggled and heard the click of the camera.
He laughed too, because as much as he hated it, he knew I had a point.
We were married and about to start our happily ever after. It hadn’t been an easy year, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. He loved me as much as I loved him. His arms wrapped around my waist, his lips tasting mine. This was how I wanted to spend my life.
With him.
-THE END-
If you enjoyed this tale, the best compliment you can pay the author is to leave a review where you purchased it, or tell a friend! Thank you for reading.
Thank you for reading Sweetness and Loving Sweetness. I enjoyed writing these characters and I might add more to the series in the future.
Thanks to Danielle for reading each chapters week after week. I loved your comments and they helped me improve the story. How long have we been doing this now? Years?
Thanks to Susan for saving my life with this series. It wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Many thanks to Simone who has provided the help I needed as I was getting ready to publish this book.
Thanks to Megan for editing the manuscript.
A big thank you to Tami Adams from Magic of books for revealing the cover and helping me promote my book. You are amazing.
JC Clarke, you got me a nice cover. Thank you so much.
I’m writing because I love it but it wouldn’t be the same without you. Sandra, Dana, Sylvia, Lisa etc…
Love xxxx
Jude
Jude Ouvrard is an author who writes from the heart, and reads with passion and devotion. Jude enjoys stories of drama, true love, tattoos, and everything in between. While writing is her therapy, reading is her solace. Life doesn't get better than books and chocolate, and maybe a little bit of shopping.
A romance lover, Jude writes about love, pain, heartbreak and matters that will challenge your heart. A book can tell an unexpected story, no matter which directions it takes. Jude embraces words that have haunted her for years.
Jude is a working mom who dedicates her time to a law firm and writing books. She has an energetic superhero son, and a supportive boyfriend of many years. Her family is her rock; she could not survive without them. Born a country girl, she transformed into a city woman who now lives in Montreal, Canada. Although French is her first language, Jude decided to write in English because she liked the challenge.
"Drama, true love, tattoos...and everything in between!"
www.judeouvrardauthor.com
