Ellen and Emma arrive and its almost time to get started as they are our only guests. There ceremony would begin as soon as Abby is ready. Max’s phone chimes letting us know the girls are coming out. Samuel positions me looking out at the ocean so I can’t see her coming. I have to wait until she’s closer to see her. It’s driving me crazy. Emma holds up her phone and God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts starts playing. The words are so true about us. There’s movement in the corner of my eye, Max leans into me to tell me its Patty and Sarah. I whisper to him that I want to see Abby. He smiles and says that she’s coming now. I’m impatiently waiting for the signal from Samuel so I know when I can turn around to see her. He finally nods at me and I slowly turn. She’s walking towards me and my heart is beating so fast that I thought it would come out of my chest. She’s standing in front of me and lifts her hand to wipe the tears away. I smile at her as I lay my forehead against hers.
“Hi, my love.” I whisper to her.
“Hi, babe.” She whispers back as she smiles up at me.
“You still want to do this or do we back out now?”
“I’m all in.”
“Good, because I’m not letting you go.”
Samuel clears his throat and asks us if we were done talking so he could start. Abby and I laugh, and she yells yes. Everyone laughs at her enthusiasm. Abby and I kept our fingers laced together Samuel begins the ceremony.
“Today is a celebration. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, of family, and of two people who are in it for forever. There doesn’t need to be a ceremony to have a marriage. And when you think about it, the whole thing is kind of weird, right? You’re standing on a stage, looking fancy, holding flowers, and being stared at by pretty much everyone who has meant anything to you in the past thirty-something years. So why do we do it? The marriage ceremony has been an important custom across nearly every culture, religion, generation, and society. We have thousands of important moments that happen throughout our lives, but this one is regarded as one so critical, we acknowledge its special status by sharing it with others. Why this moment? Because despite all of our differences, love is what we all share. That no matter who we are, where we’ve come from, what we believe, we know this one thing: love is what we’re doing right. We have all loved in our lifetimes, and in this moment, we’re reminded that the ability to love is the very best part of our humanity All of us here today have our own love stories. Some are short, others long. Some are yet unwritten, while others are just getting to the good part. There are chapters in all of our stories that are sad or disappointing and others that are exciting and full of adventure. And that brings them here. A time to pause, look back, and smile at all the moments that brought them here. And a time to look ahead at all the moments that are still to come. I’m here, we’re all here, because we want those moments for you. We’re here to hope with you, to support you, to be proud of you, and to remind you that love isn’t happily ever after, love is the experience of writing your story. It’s not one moment, not even this moment. It’s every moment. Big ones like saying, “I love you,” moving in together, getting engaged, but mostly a million little ones that come in between the big moments. Falling asleep next to one another, making dinner together, spending holidays with your families, binge watching Netflix shows, playing World of Warcraft, getting a big hug when you get home from work. These everyday moments fuse together into one experience. An experience so incredible, words fail us when we try to explain it. That’s just the way it is with love. It’s meant to be felt, not described. But trying to define love is one of our favorite pastimes. We use the words we have to write stories, and poems, and songs about love. And even though we describe love in different ways and even though love can look different from one person to the next we all know it when we see it. And we see it here.”
ABBY
I can’t believe that I’m getting married to Cash right now. I’m trying to pay attention to what Samuel is saying, but I can’t concentrate. Cash keeps squeezing my hand, and I look up to him and smile. It’s s a little chilly, but it is perfect. The waves are crashing on the rocks in front of us, and the sun is setting. We wanted to plan this right so when we kissed for the first time as husband and wife it would be at sunset.
“Max, are you ready to read?” I turn my head to look as Max comes to stand next to Samuel. He seems nervous as he fidgets with the paper. Max is reading Corinthians 13, which is the Love Chapter. When he finishes, he comes over to me and kisses my cheek, then throwing a wink at Sarah. It makes me smile thinking that maybe they can finally be together. “Turn to face each other please and grab onto both hands. You fell in love by chance, but you’re here today because you’re making a choice. You both are choosing each other. You’ve decided to be with someone who makes you smile, and makes every day brighter. You’re about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You’re going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There’s a simple premise to each of these promises: you’re vowing to be there. You’re teaming up and saying to the other every experience I am going to have; I want you to be a part of.
“Will you, Cash, keep Abby as your favorite person to laugh with her, go on adventures with her, support her through life’s tough moments, be proud of her, grow old with her, and find new reasons to love her every day?”
Cash looks at me and smiles. “I will.”
“Will you, Abby, keep Cash as your favorite person to laugh with him, go on adventures with him, support him through life’s tough moments, be proud of him, grow old with him, and find new reasons to love him every day?”
“I will.” I say with a smile on my face and love in my eyes.
“Will you, Cash and Abby, be each other’s partners from this day forward? Will you bring out the best in one another, share your happiest moments together, and love each other absolutely — for the rest of this lifetime and for whatever may come next?”
Cash and I answer at the same time. “We will.”
Samuel smiles and asks for the rings from Max. “You’ve both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises. People often say wedding bands are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end.
Love comes from humble beginnings, and through a combination of serendipity and effort, imperfect beings shape it into something extraordinary. It’s the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. As you look at these rings over the years, I hope you remember that. You’ve created something invaluable, and just as I know you’ll protect these rings, I’m confident you’ll protect the commitments you’ve made to one another today.”
We exchange our rings, and my hands are shaking as I slide his ring onto him. He uses his right hand to steady me.
“This is a celebration, and every celebration needs a toast.” Emma passes out glasses of champagne. “So, before we head into the pizza place for a delicious dinner and lots of fun, I’ll ask you all to raise your glasses to Abby and Cash as we celebrate their love.” We drink and everyone cheers. “Cash, how would you like to kiss your bride?”
“It’s about damn time.” He takes me in his arms and kisses me. I mean kisses me. This is something that was out of romance movies. I think my foot even came up.
“Get a room.” Marshall yells out.
“Ewww, that’s my sister, stop kissing her like that.” Max says in disgust then laughs.
“Awww, so cute.” Sarah and Patty both say together. We come up for air and turn to look at everyone standing behind us now.
“Everyone, meet Mr. and Mrs. Cash Hawthorne.” Samuel says out loud, and I smile, tears coming down my face.
EPILOGUE
ABBY
“Hello, Mrs. Hawthorne, how are you today?” Tasha, the front desk clerk, asks me as I walk into the hotel that my husband owns. My husband. I’ve been married for six months and still can’t get used to it.
“Tasha, please call me Abby.�
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“Sorry, Mrs. Hawthorne, but your husband made it clear to us that you are to be called Mrs. and to show you some respect.”
“I will talk to Mr. Hawthorne about this but from now, it’s Abby.”
“Okay, Abby if you insist.”
“Have a good day, Tasha.”
I say goodbye and head to Cash’s office. I round the corner and hear raised voices.
“What is that on your finger?”
“Robin,” Cash says in an annoyed tone. “It’s called a wedding ring.”
“I’m not stupid, I know what it is but why do you have one on your finger, Mr. I Don’t Do Marriage?”
“I do marriage. I just don’t do it with you.” I want to laugh, but I need to hear more of this conversation.
“I left my fiancé to marry you!” Robin shouts at him.
“Not my problem. Now please leave my office.” I can tell that Cash is done with this conversation.
But,” she starts to plead with him to look at her.
I jump when I hear a loud bang. I know he slammed his fists down on his desk. “Enough! I don’t love you and looking back; I don’t think I ever loved you. I found what love truly is, and it’s not with you. I wish you luck and hope you can find that, but it won’t be with me.”
“I know what you like, baby, and I can make you happy.” Her tone is husky and low, and I start heading towards the office door to inform her that he was mine.
“Get. The. Fuck. Out. NOW! If you ever come near me, my hotel, or my wife, I will call the police. So you have two options, leave on your own or in handcuffs.” Robin storms out of the office and Cash calls her back. Robin’s walking backwards and stops in the office door way with a smile plastered on her face like she just won a race. “If you ever touch me again, I will give your address to my wife. She’s a feisty person especially when it comes to what belongs to her.”
“You’ll be sorry.” With those final words, she practically flees the office area. Robin rounds the corner and runs into me. “I wouldn’t get married here. This place is horrible, and the owner is a bastard.”
“Thank you for telling me but I’m already married.” I lean into her. “The owner is a bastard but that’s why I married him.” She scoffs at me and stomps off to throw her tantrum.
I stand in the doorway and knock on the door. “Hey, sexy man.”
“Well hello, my beautiful wife. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?”
“I was just in the neighborhood.” I smile at him and close his office door. I walk towards him and sit on the corner of the desk. “I ran into a lady in the office area, and she told me that I shouldn’t get married here and that the owner was a bastard. I told her that I know you are a bastard, I married you after all. So she left mumbling something.” He reaches for me and I grab onto his hand and he pulls me into him. I squeal at the surprise of it but snuggle closer to him. I look up at him and kiss his jaw. He returns my kiss with so much need and passion. We had sex three times this morning and he’s acting like he hasn’t had it in months. I can feel the reaction that he has to me and our kisses. I love how I can turn him on with just a kiss.
“So, my love, what really brings you here?” He pushes the hair away from my neck and starts leaving butterfly kisses on me. I moan and get lost in his kisses. I forgot why I was in his office until he starts lifting my shirt and it comes back to me.
“Cash, that’s not fair! You know kissing my neck makes me forget who I am, where I am, and why I’m here. We need to talk about something important.” I jump up from his lap, noting his look of “Who, me?” and laugh. “Don’t play innocent with me.”
“I’ll stay here and you stand over there. I’ll keep my hands and lips to myself.” He smiles and I could get lost in his face. “So what is so important that you can’t have sex with your husband?”
“I went to the doctor and she ran some tests. I got the results today.” I begin nervously.
“What did she say? Are you sick? Are you okay?” He’s worried and I had to try to calm his nerves.
“Honey, I’m not sick.”
“Oh, thank God for that.”
“We never talked about this before and not sure where we stand on this.”
“Abby spit it out; you’re scaring me.”
“I’m,” I pause. “Pregnant.”
Cash’s eyes roll into the back of his head, and he falls onto the floor. I run over to him and try to get him to wake up. I go to the phone to call Shawn to help me. I lean over Cash to make sure he’s breathing. I see his chest rise, so I relax a little bit. I grab his hand as I sit down on the floor next to him.
“Well damn, not the reaction I expected.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jaime Russell grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania but currently resides in a smaller town in Indiana. She lives in the country with her husband, two dogs and cats. The stepmother to four adults, aunt to two crazy nephews, and oldest child in a family of five, life has never been dull for Jaime.
Jaime enjoys reading, watching movies, shooting guns and spending time with family and friends. She is an avid gamer when her internet permits as she enjoys talking and goofing off with her online family.
Jaime Russell has found an addiction of author signings where she can talk to other book lovers who understands how she can fall in love with numerous book boyfriends.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I started writing, I wanted to give a voice to the characters that were in my dreams and thoughts constantly. I never imagined that I would be writing my acknowledgements getting ready to hit publish. There have been so many people who have helped make this a reality. I know I’m going to forget people and please don’t think I did it on purpose.
The Indie community (authors, readers, and bloggers) has been amazing with advice, a shoulder to cry on and cheering me on when I wanted to give up. I’ve never felt accepted in my everyday life but when I talk books, go to signings and events, I feel a place of belonging. We all have a common interest or two and no one understands you better when you fall in love with a fictional character.
Gillian- My Fishy Fishy. I honestly am at a loss for the words to say to you. You read my book, helped me with everything to get it ready for the editing process. You made me laugh when all I could do was cry. I came to you with my fears and told me that everything that I was feeling is normal. I don’t know how I will ever be able to pay you back for the generosity you have shown me.
Desiree- You’re one sexy woman. Your friendship and support over the year has been amazing. When I needed to talk, you were there for me. I loved hearing your excitement over Ventrilo about my book. I would be lost without you. You came into my life when I needed you. I have found a sister from another mister with you. I’m glad that we get to become authors together so we can enjoy the stress together.
Brittany- #wifeyforlifey You’re just awesome. Thanks for your friendship and the laughs when I need it the most. You always seem to know when I need it. Cleveland isn’t going to know how to handle us!
Torrie- I showed you my cover and you turned it into some beyond my wild imagination. You never read my book when I showed you the picture as you brought my story alive in just one cover. Thank you for your friendship and sharing your talent with me.
My Betas and Jennifer- Thank you for your input and suggestion. Your help was amazing and I look forward to many more chats, criticism, and telling me how much you love my characters.
My Misfits-Thank you for being there to support me and have fun through it all. This is all new to me but you sure do keep it entertaining.
Jaded Army- My guildies. Thank you for sticking with me through my rough year and horrible internet. You are in the book, I needed some inspiration and you gave it me. I will be coming back to World of Warcraft soon so let’s kill some pixels! Buy my damn book to know who else is in there besides the two that I mentioned…hmmm who could it be?
Cassia Brightmore- I would be lost without your gui
dance. I know that I made you work with my book but you turned it into something so much more than I could ever imagine. Thank you for not giving up on me. Cassia, you challenge me to be better.
I’m going to name drop here, THE River Savage, Jani Kay, Cherry Shepard, Max Henry, Emma James and Kristina Canady. You fabulous women have taken the time to talk to me, answer my questions, invite me for sprints and teach me about getting out of my comfort zone. I’m very grateful that you welcomed me into the community of being an author.
You, the Reader-Thank you for taking a chance on me and reading this book that I wrote. I hope that you fall in love with these characters, as much as I have. My wish for you is to realize that we are all beautiful in our own ways and never let someone take that from you.
Mommy and dad- Thank you for giving me life, teaching me, and encouraging me throughout my life. You never gave up on me when I was so lost and needed help. I promise mommy that I will rewrite the book just for you without the swear words and sex scenes so you can read it.
Last but certainly not least, my family and friends (both online and offline)- There are no words to say about the love and support that you’ve given me. You looked at me strange when I talked to myself or I jumped up to start pacing the room as I worked something out in my head. I missed out on activities and you never complained too loudly about it. You became my reality check and the kick in the ass when I needed it.
CONTACT JAIME
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/jaimerussellauthor
Facebook Profile:
www.facebook.com/jaime.burdickrussell
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/author/show/14132579.Jaime_Russell
Facebook Group:
www.facebook.com/groups/390975054435498/
Email:
[email protected]
Love Me Like You Do (Love Me Book 1) Page 32
