Love Unexpected

by Raven K. Asher

It takes her a moment to put the puzzle pieces together before her eyes begin to glisten again with unshed tears.

  “I’m so sorry, Scarlett.” She whimpers.

  Ash and I watch as tears stream down her cheeks. It had been so long since I had seen my mother actually cry that it left me in a state of confusion.

  At the same time, it was reassuring to see her show real emotion.

  Maybe she had changed.

  I could only hope.

  Ever since Ren had been born, I had wanted this moment to happen. I had longed for my mother to be in my life. There were so many times when I had needed her help and support.

  Luckily I had Ash, Drake, Trevor, and Benjamin to help, but it hadn’t been the same.

  “I will never forgive myself for hurting you.” She cries.

  Once she calms down, I reach for my phone before pulling up a photo of Ren. I then hold it up for my mother to see.

  She smiles sadly. “My goodness, he is adorable.”

  “He is our world, Mom, and if I bring you into it and you do anything to break his heart, I will never let you back in. If I let you in, you have to promise me that you won’t return to your old ways.” I stress.

  “I won’t.” She promises. “I haven’t even been with a man since Benjamin.”

  “Good,” I reply. “You’re better off without a man in your life.”

  All that men had done was bring out the worst in my mother.

  After a moment I glance towards Ash again before focusing my attention back towards my mother.

  “Would you like to meet your grandson?” I ask.

  She nods. “Absolutely…but first, let’s talk some more. I want to know everything that has happened over the last six years. I want to know what I’ve missed out on in your life.”

  I nod and then smile while looking towards Ash.

  He smiles back at me.

  A moment later I jump directly into everything that had happened since she had left.

  I tell her about my first birthday party, my horse, the promise ring that I was still wearing. I tell her about going to college and having Ren. I don’t leave a single detail out.

  The entire time she laughs with us and cries.

  As I speak I study her. I study this person in front of me that I hadn’t seen since I had been a child. This was the mother that I had always needed.

  She was the one that I had always wanted to return.

  And it seemed as if she finally had.

  My mother had come back to me.

  Wedding Day

  “You look absolutely gorgeous, Scarlett.” My best friend Amber gushes as she helps me pin the last curl into place while I stare at my reflection in the floor length mirror.

  We had become friends the first day of college and had been inseparable since.

  “Is it normal for me to be nervous?” I laugh.

  “I was scared to death right before I married Ted.” She replies with a light laugh.

  She becomes serious as she moves to stand next to me. “But you have nothing to be nervous about. You’re marrying the love of your life.”

  “I am, aren’t I?” I reply with a smile.

  “Yes, you are.” She replies.

  We giggle together for a few minutes before I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. Amber was right; there was no reason for me to be nervous.

  I had been with Ash for six years and not once had I ever felt unloved.

  Ash had gone above and beyond to make sure that I was happy. He was the perfect father and fiancé over the past six years.

  The only thing I regretted was not marrying him sooner.

  “Wow…” Trevor suddenly breathes out as he walks into the room with us. “Ash isn’t going to know what to do when he sees you, Scarlett.”

  I turn to face him while smoothing my hands over the simple white dress that I had chosen to wear as my wedding gown. The only thing fancy about it was the soft frilly short sleeves and the beadwork around the top.

  “Is everyone here?” I question.

  He nods. “Everyone is here.”

  “My mother…?” I breathe out.

  “She just arrived a few minutes ago.” He answers. “She actually wants to see you before you walk down the aisle. I left her just outside the door.”

  “Do you want me to send her away or…?” He trails off.

  “She can come in,” I reply.

  “Alright, I’ll send her in,” Trevor replies before walking back out of the room.

  “I’m going to go so you can have a few minutes alone with her.” Amber states.

  Before she can leave I grab her arm, stopping her. “Don’t go too far.”

  She smiles. “I won’t.”

  Without another word, I release her arm and then watch as she leaves before turning my attention back to my reflection in the mirror.

  After what feels like a lifetime the door to the room opens and my mother walks in.

  She stops and then gasps as her eyes begin to glisten. “You are absolutely stunning, Scarlett.”

  I turn to face her. “Thanks.”

  “I wanted to see you because I have something that I need to give you.” Mom states as she moves forward.

  “Your father bought this when you were a baby and stored it away.” She explains before holding a small blue box towards me. “I searched for it all day after we spoke yesterday. I didn’t want you to walk down the aisle without it.”

  I take the box and then open it.

  Inside I find a beautiful silver necklace with a baby blue stone in the shape of a heart dangling from the chain.

  “Dad got this for me?” I whisper while looking at her.

  She nods. “It’s supposed to be your something blue on your wedding day.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper as emotion clogs my throat.

  “Here, let me put it on for you.” Mom replies before she takes the necklace from the box.

  I turn around, and she places the chain around my neck before hooking the ends together. Once she’s done, I turn back around to face her while touching the stone with my fingertips.

  “It’s perfect.” Mom gushes.

  After a moment she takes a step back. “I really am sorry about everything I’ve put you through, Scarlett. I’m glad that despite everything you’ve turned into the stunning woman your father knew that you’d be.”

  “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.” She adds.

  I smile and then move forward to hug her. “I’m glad that you’re here.”

  After a few moments, I pull away while grasping her hands in mine. I smile along with her as I release a squeal of excitement.

  “I’m getting married.” I laugh.

  “Yes, you are. Now let’s finish getting you ready so you can dazzle that handsome young man of yours as you walk down the aisle.” Mom replies.

  Without another word, she begins helping me make sure every last detail is perfect.

  ****

  Music fills the air as the first of my bridesmaids walk down the aisle. I watch from my spot hidden inside of the farmhouse while bouncing on my heels.

  Trevor stands by my side quietly as Ren and Amber’s daughter Maddie stand side by side next to us.

  Ren was handsome in his little black tux with a little pink tie and Maddie’s flower girl dress was the perfect shade of pink to match Ren’s outfit.

  They were adorable.

  As the music changes, I release a long breath.

  “Alright, little man, it’s your turn.” Trevor states.

  Ren looks up at me with a bright smile. “I’ll see you soon, Mommy.”

  Without another word, he grabs Maddie’s hand before they walk out of the house.

  As they make it to the end, I look towards Trevor. He smiles at me while holding his arm out towards me.

  “Let’s do this.” He laughs as I slip my arm through his.

  I smile as we begin moving forward. I force myself to keep a slow pace as we walk from the
porch to the end of the aisle. If it had been up to me, I would have run to Ash.

  The second I spot Ash standing at the other end of the aisle next to the minister my vision blurs.

  He smiles brightly as I move closer.

  As I step in front of Ash the world around us fades away while I stare into his eyes.

  I smile while he reaches his hand up to stroke his knuckles across my cheek tenderly as the minister begins to speak.

  “We have come together here in celebration to join Scarlett May Higgins and Aston Michael Anderson together.” He begins.

  “We are here to celebrate their love, and their deep devotion to each other.”

  The minister motions towards us as he smiles. “As you can see these two are very much in love. They have found that rare connection that many search their entire lives for. They have been blessed.”

  “It is a blessing for everyone here to witness a union such as this.” He adds sincerely.

  After a moment he turns his attention towards our guests. “Now comes the best part.”

  He looks back at us before speaking again. “Aston, do you have the rings?”

  Ash nods and then reaches into his pocket to pull out two silver rings. He then hands them both to the minister.

  The minister holds the rings out in the palm of his hand. “Scarlett, Ashton, these rings represent the never-ending love that you share for each other. These rings are a reminder of this moment when you pledged your eternal love.”

  He then hands the smaller ring to Ash. “Now repeat after me while placing the ring onto Scarlett’s finger.”

  “I, Ashton Michael Anderson, take you, Scarlett May Higgins, to be my wife.”

  Ash smiles as he begins repeating the words. “I, Ashton Michael Anderson, take you, Scarlett May Higgins, to be my wife.”

  The minister continues. “With this ring, I pledge to love and honor you all the days of my life.”

  “With this ring…” Ash repeats while placing the ring onto my finger. “…I pledge to love and honor you all the days of my life.”

  “Even after our lives come to an end I will continue to love you,” Ash adds.

  Tears fill my eyes as he tenderly touches my cheek.

  A moment of silence passes before the minister turns his attention towards me. “Now you, Scarlett…”

  “I, Scarlett May Higgins, take you, Ashton Michael Anderson, to be my husband.”

  A tear rolls down my cheek as I repeat the words. “I, Scarlett May Higgins, take you, Ashton Michael Anderson, to be my husband.”

  The minister continues. “With this ring, I pledge to love and honor you all the days of my life.”

  Placing the ring onto Ash’s finger, I repeat the words. “With this ring, I pledge to love and honor you all the days of my life and for an eternity after.”

  The minister smiles as he speaks again. “Today, as your two hearts unite, may you be blessed in your union and the love that brings you here.”

  “Ash, you may now kiss your bride.” He then states happily.

  A mischievous grin spreads across Ash’s lips as he moves closer to me. “This day can’t get any better.”

  With that, he pulls me close before pressing his lips against mine.

  As Ash pulls away slightly, I smile and announce two simple words. “I’m pregnant.”

  His eyes widen while the minister turns his attention towards the guests unaware of what I had just told Ash. “It is my honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Aston and Scarlett Anderson as husband and wife.”

  Instead of paying any attention to the guest cheering and clapping for us Ash kisses me again while lifting me into his arms as he spins us around in a circle.

  Placing me back down on my feet he puts his hands on either side of my face. “I love you, wife.”

  “I love you too, husband,” I reply.

  “God, I love you.” Ash states once more before pressing his lips to mine again.

  While our love was still young, I knew deep down that it would last forever. Every day that had gone by it had only grown stronger.

  Ash was my life, and I was his.

  Our forever was only just beginning.

  The End

  Other Books by: Raven K. Asher

  (The Story of Alexis Rose Series)

  “Barely Alive” Book 1

  “Running Scared” Book 2

  “Dead End” Book 3

  (The Angels Evermore Series)

  “Hidden” Book 1

  “Captured” Book 2

  “Sacrifice” Book 3

  (Among the Dead Trilogy)

  “Alone” Book 1

  “Escape” Book 2

  “Home” Book 3

  (The Onyx Wolves Series)

  “Bound” Book 1

  “Broken” Book 2

  “Betrayed” Book 3

  “Brave” Book 4

  (Eden One Series)

  “Crash and Burn” Book 1

  “A New World” Book 2

  “Torn in Two” Book 3

  “In the End” Book 4

  (The Chosen Series)

  “The Chosen” Book 1

  “The Rebels” Book 2

  (The Winter Fae)

  “A Touch of Frost” Book 1

  (Life’s a Fairytale Collection)

  “Wolf”

  “Snow”

  (The Vampires of Linbridge)

  “Bitten” Book 1

  “Erik” Book 1.5

  “Blood” Book 2

  “Ivan” Book 2.5

  “Eternal” Book 3

  “James” Book 3.5

  (Love and Blood Series)

  “Midnight Moon” Book 1

  “Blood Moon” Book 2

  (The Dragons of Willow Creek)

  “Fly Away” Book 1

  (Singles)

  “Losing Levi”

  “Stolen” (When Worlds Collide and Stars Align)

  “When Tomorrow Never Comes”

  “Damage Me”

  “Colton Clark” (A “Damage Me” Novella)

  “Crash”

  “Love Unexpected”

  About the Author

  Raven K. Asher is the author of Barely Alive, Running Scared, and Dead End, the three books in her series, The Story of Alexis Rose. She is also the author of sci-fi series Eden One and The Onyx Wolves series. In addition, she has written singles such as Losing Levi and When Tomorrow Never Comes. Raven was born and raised near a small town in Northern Ohio. Soon after graduating high school she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she lived for five years before moving back to her hometown in Ohio. Soon after moving back she met and married her wonderful husband. They now have two wonderful little girls. Raven works as a stay at home mom and raises Pygmy Goats and chickens as a hobby. She has always had a love for writing and has now made a lifelong dream of becoming a writer a reality. When she isn’t reading, taking care of her pets and kids she is diligently writing the many stories trapped inside of her head. Raven’s passions are for romance and horror, but she additionally enjoys sci-fi and fantasy stories. Her favorite stories to write are her post-apocalyptic tales.

  Thank you for Reading.

  Raven invites you to please leave a review, giving your thoughts and reactions to this story.

  The greatest support you can give to any independent author is to leave them a review, so if you could take a moment of your time to leave a review on the site where this book was purchased it would be greatly appreciated.

  Thank you for your support.

  Raven K. Asher

  Follow Raven K. Asher

  Follow Raven on any of the sites below for updates on upcoming stories, teasers, release dates, special insights, and the occasional giveaway.

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  Sneak Peek

  For:

  Life’s a Fairytale Collection

  Snow

  By: Raven K. Asher

  Chapter 1

  Home… It’s a place that I’ve only dreamt of having since I was a child. It was something slipping farther and farther from my grasp the older I got.

  There had been many houses and families in my life, but none had come close to being home for me, except for Avery, my best friend.

  He was home to me no matter where we ended up.

  We always ended up back in the group home together while waiting for our next foster family.

  “When are they coming for you?” I whisper as we sit together just outside our case worker’s office.

  The outdated orange chairs had become a beacon of change for us. Every time we sat here one of us was going to be pulled away from the other.

  “They’ll be here in about an hour or so,” Avery replies as he sighs roughly.

  His foster family was coming for him, but this time it was different. He wouldn’t be back. They were going to keep him until he turned eighteen.

  It was the last stop before he was tossed out of the system.

  Whimpering softly I take his hand in mine. “Will I ever see you again?”

  “Of course you will. The second I find my place I’ll come back for you. I’m not going to leave you behind, Izzy.” Avery replies seriously.

  I nod and then wipe my tears away with the backs of my sleeves.

  This had always been our plan once we got out of the system but I couldn’t help but doubt that he would return for me.

  “You’re my sister no matter what a piece of paper says, Izzy. You’re family.” Avery insists as he places his fingers under my chin to lift my face up to look at him.

  His soft brown eyes gaze into mine, full of promise.