Lasting Fate

by Charisse Spiers

  "You have two days on me, Abercrombie. I would hardly classify that older."

  "You like my name?"

  "Abercrombie? I guess...."

  "Well, you can have it."

  Her smile triples in size, making everything previously wrong in the world right. "Gladly," she says and leans in to kiss me, but stops just before my lips. "You always were the best gift giver."

  It's taking all of my control not to bury myself inside her. It would be so easy with her in this position. My entire life is consumed by Kinzleigh and that's something that will never change.

  I find a loofa and some body wash on the edge of the bathtub. I grab it and squirt the creamy soap onto the loofa. "When do you want to have a wedding," I ask as I start smearing the soap all over her body, forming a lather substance.

  "Well, it depends on what you think of the venue."

  I raise my brow. Does any guy care about that? I didn't know my opinion would actually matter. I thought my job was to pick out a tux and be there when and where I'm told. "You're actually asking my opinion?"

  "I'm offended. Of course I'm asking your opinion! It's your wedding too."

  I start rubbing the loofa in circles over her nipple. The rough material must feel good, because she arches her back, pushing into it further. She is so hot when she's aroused.

  "I didn't know guys had anything to do with wedding planning. Where did you have in mind?"

  She smiles. "I want a barn wedding."

  That is something I never expected to come out of her mouth. Kinzleigh was born and raised in California. She will always be a Cali girl at heart and that's okay. I love everything about her. I was prepared to become a permanent resident if she wouldn't come back with me, but for her to start showing signs of a southern belle breaking through is a surprise.

  "You're an only daughter and your family has money, so your mom has probably been budgeting for a massive wedding since you were born and you want a wedding at a barn? Are you feeling okay?"

  She laughs and takes the loofa from me, squirting more soap on it. She's covered in suds, but damn if she doesn't look sexy. "I guess that is to be expected."

  She starts at the bottom of my neck bathing me as I did with her. "If you think that's what I want-"

  "Actually, it is what I want. It's ironic really. When I first came here I'll admit that I was devastated to leave California, but now I feel like I'm where I'm meant to be. I don't want just any barn wedding. I want the barn wedding at the only barn that means anything to me. The west is what I know, but the south is where my heart lies."

  She really never ceases to amaze me. "It's perfect. When?"

  "End of March? It'll give me long enough to let Mom plan a wedding and it should be warming back up. It'll also leave more options open for honeymoon planning."

  I've completely got the honeymoon covered. I want to find this place in her dreams. I've asked her things from time to time, hinting around to get an idea without her suspecting anything.

  "Okay. I don't care who you invite or how many as long as you make room for four extra people."

  "Sure, baby. Who is it?"

  "My family."

  She stops lathering my chest, but continues to look down. I suspect she will be confused, but I'm not really sure of any other way to just say it. After all, that's what they are to me.

  She looks up. Her brows are dipped in the center as if she's trying to figure out what I mean. "You don't think I would include your family at our wedding?"

  She actually looks upset. I grab her face between my hands and pull her toward me. "No baby, that's not what I mean. I meant my family in Spain..."

  Her eyes instantly gloss with tears at the realization that we’ve only covered half of the big question mark that was my absence. That was only the beginning. It’s going to be a long bath, but I promised I would tell her everything and I’m not going to leave out a single detail.

  Chapter 16

  Kinzleigh

  I stand in front of the mirror looking at myself. My cream-colored, spaghetti strap, satin dress falls perfectly against my tan skin all the way to the floor. I found the dress a few weeks ago and bought it. I figured it would come in use for something. The only reason I brought it with me was because Mom told me I could plan a romantic dinner for Breyson and I Saturday night and get all dressed up. She went digging through my closet, pulled it out, and said rule number one to keeping your guy happy was to never stop dressing up for him, then placed it neatly in my suitcase.

  I twirl slowly. I feel pretty. My long blonde curls hang down my back the way Breyson likes them. My makeup is done in various shades of beige and gold, shimmering in the light. I can’t wait until he sees me. I suppose Mom is right. Knowing your man is proud to stand by your side because he thinks you’re beautiful always makes a girl feel good.

  We arrived back at the dock last night so we could meet with a preacher first thing this morning. We found one that would marry us on short notice after a brief meeting with him¸ and then Breyson and I went to the nearest jeweler for wedding bands.

  I'm still trying to digest everything he told me about those six months he was away. It's a lot to take in, but it makes me feel better to know he wasn’t alone for the time he was gone. We sat in that bathtub until the water was cold and our skin was wrinkled, talking about everything that happened after that crash. We laughed, we cried, and we held each other.

  He told me about his family on the ranch that treated him like he was a part of their family from the time he arrived. It's strange how close the similarities are between his family in Spain and his real family, but I guess that also makes it bittersweet when you're in a new place, lost, and with no one familiar.

  What broke my heart out of everything was when he described his loss of memory. To imagine that we could have lived a lifetime apart if his memory didn't return shatters me completely inside. There was no way for me to know he was alive and trapped somewhere. I will always be thankful each and every day that his memory returned, especially before I married another man.

  Breyson told me he talks to his adoptive mother and brother once a week. I hate that he couldn't tell me before, but now that I know the dark spots I can understand him not wanting to elaborate. I didn't even experience any of what he's described and it's scary to me. He wants them to come stay with us in our new house the week before the wedding if possible, so as soon as we announce the date he's going to call them with the news and book the flight. I'm nervous to meet them, but I'm also anxious to meet the people that are so important to him, especially knowing that they took care of him when no one else could even though he was a stranger to them.

  Saturday and Sunday during the day we did nothing but lay around relaxing in the sunshine and talking, relearning each other with no interruptions of football, babies, work, or life in general. We spent time focusing on each other. Honestly, it was nice. It reminded me of a time that is long gone now.

  Saturday night after sunset we came inside starving. My parents have someone that cleans and keeps the kitchen stocked before we take out the boat. All we have to do is call ahead and everything is waiting for us. I shuffled through the contents in the kitchen and found the ingredients to make Dad's mostly homemade spaghetti. It was something he used to let me help him make as a child.

  While we were waiting on the food to cook I found my parents wine collection. Collecting wine has become a hobby for them over the years. Occasionally Mom and Dad would sneak off to Napa Valley for the weekend. They’ve been collecting their entire marriage. We never went on vacation without them bringing back a bottle of wine: Italy, France, England, you name the place and we probably have a bottle made there.

  It’s actually an interesting hobby when you think of opening a bottle that is twenty plus years old. It gives me an idea for part of Breyson’s wedding present. Thinking of this only being the beginning of a long future together is an excitement in itself.

  That night I decided on a sweet,
white wine. We opened it, poured a glass, and made wedding plans. I can't wait until I get to start putting it into action. I was never interested in a wedding before Breyson, but now I find myself becoming more excited each time we talk about it.

  After dinner we played a game of poker with the set my parents had put up in the cabinets. Breyson won...because I let him. The truth is I'm pretty damn good at poker. When your mother pulls late hours and you don't have a sister, you find things to do that are neutral to gender. It was something I used to do with Dad and Konnor. I've been playing for years, but I didn't have the heart to tell Breyson when he found the set and assumed I couldn't play, so I played along. His need and excitement to teach me triumphed my need to win, but isn't that what girls do for their men?

  I smile as I think about the look on his face when he was teaching me to play Texas hold 'em. His grin as he explained the rules was too cute to interrupt. When he won, he threw his cards on the table and jumped up, throwing his hands in the air and chanting that he won. All I could do was laugh and shrug my shoulders over being defeated. What girl would ruin that moment for her guy? That would be cruel...

  Sunday night we watched a movie and decided to write our own vows, so I locked myself away in this very bedroom and he stayed in the living quarters.

  A knock sounds on the bedroom door. I feel like I have butterflies flying around in my stomach. I think writing and reciting my own vows to him is more nerve racking than if we were to repeat the preacher, but it'll mean more as well. "Kinzleigh, baby, are you ready? The cab is here."

  I take a deep breath and throw my makeup back in my makeup bag. I spray myself with perfume and throw it inside as well. "Yes, I'm ready. You can come in."

  Breyson hasn't seen this dress. I kept it a secret when I bought it because I didn't know what I was going to use it for at the time, but it kind of fit the whole wedding thing. I have been stuck away in this room for over an hour getting ready, not letting him enter.

  I watch through the mirror as he opens the door. I always lose all sense of real time when I see him. He grins as he takes me in. I will never get tired of seeing that look on his face when he looks at me. I always feel so ordinary compared to him.

  He walks inside looking sexier than ever. He's gelled the front of his hair up and he's wearing a pair of khaki pants with a pair of brown, leather flip flops and a white, long-sleeved button down with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbow. The top two buttons are unbuttoned, accentuating his defined chest.

  Damn, I really couldn't have packed better if I had planned this.

  I turn around as he stops in the center of the room, now standing with his hands in his pockets. He is the sexiest man alive. No one will ever come close in comparison to him. He's also my best friend.

  His eyes lock with mine and then slowly rake down my body as if he's slowly undressing me in his mind, planning the whole event mentally of what he's going to do to me later. "How do I look?" I hold out my hands and twirl once for him.

  "Incredible."

  One word and I feel like royalty. The way he says it is so final, as if it takes no thought at all. Breyson has a way of making me sound like the most beautiful girl in the world. It's overwhelming. I never want this feeling he gives me to end.

  He starts walking toward me, stopping barely a foot away. "Every time I lay my eyes on you, you captivate me. It places me in a temporary trance, rendering me speechless until I'm able to catch my breath. That is the absolute truth."

  I wonder how normal it is to feel this strongly about someone. It seems too intense to be real, but at the same time I constantly crave it. He says things like that and my heart melts into a liquid substance. Like molten lava it has to wait until cooled to transform back into a solid form.

  "You have no idea how much I love you, Breyson."

  "If it's anywhere close to the way I feel about you I have a pretty good idea."

  Putty in his hands is where I stay. "You ready to marry me, Kinzleigh Baker?"

  "I've been ready."

  He takes my hand and grabs my bag off of the bed. We walk to the door of the bedroom. Nothing I've ever wanted has been as absolute as this, not even cheerleading...

  Breyson

  I shake my hands out trying to expel the nervous energy. In an hour I'll be a married man. Not only will I be married, but also I'll be married to the girl of my dreams and the mother of my child. This is something I've wanted for a while. I know we're young and there are several things in my future that I'm unsure of, but this isn't one of them. The two of us will make it. Failure is not an option here. Divorce will never be a discussion when referring to She or I as a couple.

  I stick my hands in my pockets, trying to stop moving. The preacher has watched me pace back and forth since we got to the end of his pier. "Son, you going to be okay?"

  "Just ready to get started, Sir. I don't want her to back out. I think I just need to see her walking toward me."

  When we got here Kinzleigh went to the changing house to freshen up, or so she said. I don't know what she could possibly be doing. She just got ready for crying out loud.

  Shit, I've turned into a whipped pussy. Is it okay to think curse words and crude humor in front of a preacher? He doesn't know I'm thinking it, right? Fuck! Dammit, shut the hell up.

  I slap my hands over my face. I don't know what has happened to me. I can't think straight. He places his hand on my shoulder. "She'll be here. Women aren't on time unless they're late by our watch. Learn that now and you'll have a much easier life."

  "Yes, Sir. I guess you're right."

  The preacher that is marrying us is an older man in his sixties with white hair. We had to meet with him for a minimum of thirty minutes before he would agree to marry us. He said we had to pass his marital questionnaire before he would proceed. It was mostly questions about why we wanted to get married and different scenarios of what could happen in a marriage and how we would respond. Then, he opened the bible and read to us what God's expectations were in regards to marriage. I listened to every word. I don't want to ever be taken from her again or vice versa.

  I'm assuming we passed with flying colors, because he told us what time to meet him here and sent us to the courthouse to apply for a marriage license. Now here we are, waiting, and I'm a nervous wreck.

  "It makes my heart happy to still see love as strong as this in couples, especially of your age. A lot has changed since I married my wife."

  "We're definitely not the average couple, that's for sure, but I really do love her. There are no words appropriate enough to describe it properly. I may only be nineteen, but I don't feel it. Age is just a number anyway. I need her next to me. The way I look at it is that I just get to enjoy her and love her longer."

  "As long as you remember your own words and to keep God in the center of your relationship you'll be fine. Life won't always be easy, but you never stop fighting for each other."

  I turn and look down the pier. Kinzleigh is standing at the opposite end directly in front of me. My nerves instantly calm. This is one of those mental photos I'll never forget and I love being on this side of the lens. She's stunning. This is the best idea I've ever had.

  "I intend to, Sir. Until the day I stop breathing, I'll always fight for her. That's a promise."

  She takes a step forward and then another until she's walking slowly down the pier, coming toward me. It's the perfect day. It's still warm, but not hot, and there's a slight breeze blowing her dress and her curls, making the view from here remarkable.

  I'm staring at her, and her at me. I know I have a cheesy ass grin on my face, but I don't care. She's one of the only two things I care about now. This right here is what makes life worth living. She's smiling so hard a dip forms in her cheeks, almost resembling dimples.

  She stops in front of me, finally.

  "Hi," I say.

  "Hi," she says in return.

  I hold out my hand for her and she takes it. I rub my thumb over her knuckles as
she walks to stand facing me in front of the preacher. I can't take my eyes off of her, and I don't want to.

  "I know we discussed that the two of you didn't want a traditional ceremony, but I'd like to say a few words and then we will get started. I will keep it simple as you both asked. Is that alright?"

  I nod and she follows behind me doing the same.

  "Good. I want to start off with a short prayer. Bow your heads."

  We do as the preacher asks, but I continue to rub the tops of her hands, both placed in mine.

  "Dear Heavenly Father,

  We have come before you today as the ultimate counselor to ask for your grace in the holy matrimony of Kinzleigh and Breyson. They understand the importance of this covenant and that it is a lifelong commitment, and also that it is not to be taken lightly. They are here today asking that you lay to rest each self and bring them together as one from this day forward, and for as long as they both shall live. We ask this of you, Lord.

  In your name we pray,

  Amen."

  I open my eyes and Kinzleigh is already pulling away to dab the corners of hers with a handkerchief.

  "Kinzleigh, Breyson, do you both understand fully why you're here?"

  I nod to her and at the same time we answer. "We do."

  "Do you understand that you are asking to enter into a lifelong covenant with each other; one that is not meant to be broken for any reason aside from death?"

  "We do."

  "Do you understand that under this covenant you are leaving your parents and becoming one with each other?"

  "We do."

  "Do you understand that as husband and wife it is your job to love, honor, and remain faithful to each other in sickness and in health for all the days of your lives?"

  "We do."

  "Do you understand that it is your duty to provide and care for each other, as well as any children that are gifted to you for all the days of your lives?"

  "We do."

  "Good. Now you can recite your vows. Breyson, we will start with you. Do you have Kinzleigh's ring?"