Ruby shakes her head. “He’s a sweetheart, all right. But he’s made you cry, so right now he’s in my bad books.”
I sniff and flick the single tear from off my cheek. “Will you put it on, please?” I ask, handing it to Jandy. It drops into place as if it’s never been away from me.
“All you need now is your dress,” says Ruby.
I turn the pendant over in my fingers and nod. “I guess I do.”
“Did you have anything that you wanted me to give to Noah?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“No?” says Jandy. “You didn’t get him a gift?”
I got him one, but it’s not one that I’m ready to share with anyone else just yet. I flick at my dressing gown and show them my blue garter that’s sitting on the middle of my thigh. “I’ll be giving him his present later.”
Ruby laughs. “Once a kinky bitch, always a kinky bitch.”
“Hey,” I say. “I might have been kinky, but I wasn’t a bitch.”
Thirty minutes later, I stand at the end of the sandy aisle with Jandy and Ruby. The chairs have been covered in cream linen and the aisle is decorated with bright pink flowers. The sky is a picture-perfect, cloudless blue, and the sun is just starting to dip down towards the turquoise ocean.
Noah is at the end of the aisle, facing away from me. I told him he wasn’t allowed to turn around and look at me. I don’t want him to see me until I’m standing right next to him, holding his hand, because that’s where I’ll be for the rest of our lives. Not walking to him or away from him, but right beside him. Always.
“You ready?” asks Jandy, squeezing my arm.
The harpist starts to play a slow, peaceful melody. I take once last deep breath and nod. “I’m ready.”
“Stop being nervous now,” she says. “You’re here. He’s here. We’re all bloody here.”
“Come on,” hisses Ruby from behind. “We need to walk.”
Jandy playfully scowls at Ruby and then I feel her gently pulling me until I’m walking beside her. They’ve covered the aisle in fabric so my heels don’t sink into the sand. There are twenty chairs scattered around the aisle. Noah and I may not have any family between us, but we have friends that were willing to pay to come and join us on our special day. I love that they did that for us. I catch a few of their eyes as I walk towards Noah and grin at them.
And then my eyes fixate on the back of Noah’s head. He’s standing stock-still with his hands folded in front of him. His navy suit jacket is tailored, but because of the way he’s standing, it pulls across his back just enough to reveal his slab of muscles underneath it. I can’t believe I get to wake up next to him for the rest of my life. I feel so lucky to have found him again.
I’ve never told Noah, but I really believe that we were meant to break up all those years ago. If we hadn’t have done it then, we would never have realised what we had…not properly, anyway. I think it was fate that we met that day at the graveyard, and it was fate that led us back to each other seven years later. It was just the way it was meant to be and I’m okay with that. I’d do it all again if it meant I’d get to spend the rest of my life with him.
I smile to myself. I’m finally walking down an aisle towards my future husband. My best friend. The other half to my heart. My soulmate.
Noah
Fuck it. I can’t stop myself any longer. I turn around and stare at the most beautiful woman that I have ever set eyes on as she slowly walks towards me. She’s wearing a strapless, white dress that clings to her breasts and hugs her hips. The bottom of it flares out a little after her hips and drags along behind her. Her skin is tanned and it looks as if it sparkles in the sunlight. She’s wearing a small tiara that’s buried in a pile of blonde curls that sit on top of her head, and the necklace I gave her is right where it should be.
She stares at me and starts to smile, revealing her perfect, white teeth. We’ve talked about this day a lot in the last few months. I’ve joked around and told her that as soon as I set eyes on her, the first thing I would think about was how much I was going to fuck my wife that night. It wasn’t the first thing I thought of, but it’s definitely the second. I plan on making full use of the luxury honeymoon suite that we’ve booked and the Jacuzzi bathtub.
“Hi,” I say when she’s close enough to touch.
“Hi,” she whispers. Jandy gives Ariel’s hand to me and I pull her to my side.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her.
The marriage officiant clears his throat, which makes Ariel giggle. He starts to talk, but I can’t listen to a word he’s saying because I’m mesmerised by this amazing woman standing next to me. She took my breath away all those years ago and she still does it now.
“I have a present for you,” she whispers.
The officiant frowns and looks down at us. I hear him say our names and I know I should be paying attention, but there’s something not right with the way Ariel is gazing up at me. I’ve never seen that look on her face before. Something starts to flutter in my stomach. “What is it? And don’t you think you should have given it to me sooner?”
She shakes her head. “It had to be now. Right now.”
I stare at her, waiting for her to give me something. “Okay,” I say.
She nervously glances around her and then she leans in towards me. “I’m having your baby,” she says.
I’m staring at her. I can feel myself just standing there in the blazing heat while I stare at her with an open mouth. She’s pregnant? She’s actually carrying my child right at this very moment? Things start to click in my head. She’s stopped drinking her usual cup of tea in the mornings. I noticed that she got a bit spotty and snappy a few weeks ago, but I just thought it was the stress of planning a wedding. And then there was the time when she said she had a headache when we had friends around. I should have figured it out.
I smile at her. “When are we due?” I ask. My voice has changed. I can hear people shuffling in their seats. When I look up, I realise the officiant has stopped talking and is staring at the two of us, looking disgusted because of how rude we’re being. But I could care less.
Ariel completely ignores him and leans right next to my cheek. “Christmas day,” she whispers into my ear. “We’re going to have a Christmas baby.”
I cup her head with my hands and pull her in towards me. “I love you, Mrs Carter,” I say as I press my warm lips against hers.
The officiant coughs. “We’ve not quite got to that bit yet.”
* * THE END * *
Acknowledgements
And breathe. Phew. All done and what an exhilarating ride it has been! I’m so glad to have been able to share it with lots of lovely people along the way…
Firstly, I have to thank the beta readers. Personally, I’d hate to read a book that’s pretty much a load of crap. It must be so hard to read a book full of formatting, spelling and grammar errors. Not to mention the fact that you know that it’s definitely going to be different when it’s finished. So, without further ado (and in no particular order) I’d like to thank Kate Cox, Claudia Dalbourghesty (aka ooopsiditagain –goodreads user) and AlisonT (goodreaders user).
Special thanks go to Irene Acton. You are fast becoming my favourite ‘fan.’ ;o)
I also owe big thanks to Stephen Whieldon for proof reading Noah and Me from the beginning. What a grim job that must have been. You’ve earned a well deserved hug (and as you know, my hugs tend to involve lots of breast smothering! Mine, not yours.) and probably a good bottle of wine…or three.
Thank you so much to Sommer at Perfect Pear Creative Covers for an epically beautiful cover!
Big shout out to Heather Davenport at Book Plug Promotions (www.bookplugpromotions.com) for organising the cover reveal, release launch and blog tour (and the facebook banner). Not to mention, the bloggers that signed up and got involved. It was amazing to see Noah and Me all over twitter, blogs and facebook. I’ve made some new friends and that is what I’m most thankful for.
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Sheri Thomas. Are you reading this?? This is for you…THANK YOU. I could probably write another couple of pages about you, but I won’t. As much as I think you’d like to read all about it, I’m sure other people would start to get bored. Oink ;o). Thank you for editing this whole ‘darn’ book. Thank you for caring enough to notice the little things. Thank you for being honest, supportive and most of all, funny. Thank you for being my ‘best friend from across the pond.’ Well, I guess you’re not actually across the pond now. Maybe I should rebrand you as the ‘the best friend who used to live across the pond, but now lives across a different pond.’ I think it has a nice ring to it…
Thank you to all of my family, especially Freya and Seb. I know I’m more than blessed to have two young children who sleep from 7pm until 7am.
I’ve been spending lots of time in my writing cave (or should I say, sitting on the sofa with the laptop on my knee while completely ignoring the other person in the room) and I couldn’t have gotten away with it without SKY. So thanks SKY TV for being a better girlfriend than I have been for the past six…okay, it’s more like twelve, weeks. Jason, after the 15th December I’m all yours again! X
And lastly, thanks to you…the reader. I heart you.
About the Author
Beckie's real name is Rebecca, but she’s called (and answers to) any of the following…Beckie, Bek, Becca, Rebecca, Pip, Pippy or Stevo.
Beckie is the author of Sorrow Woods, the Existing series and Noah and Me.
She is due to publish more YA, NA and Adult novels in 2015/16.
She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her partner and two children.
Beckie likes putting music on in the house and dancing around like a mad woman.
When she isn’t playing with her children, doing housework, dancing around the house like a mad woman, walking, cycling, reading or writing, then she can be found working in an investment bank. Or sleeping.
You can find Beckie here…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeckieStevenson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeckieStevensonAuthor
Instagram: BeckieStevo
Blog: http://beckiestevenson.blogspot.co.uk
Playlist for Noah and Me
Sarah Mclachlan – In the Arms of An Angel
Greenday – When September Ends
Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes
Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli – Time To Say Goodbye
London Grammar – Wasting my young years
Adele – Someone like you
A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera – Say something
Kate Winslet – What if
Sia – Chandelier
Pink – Beam Me Up
Rihanna feat Mikky - Stay
Noah and Me Page 32
