Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 - 3
Page 65
She bit her lip. “Thank you, T…” but he squeezed her hands, stopping her.
“Let me get this out. You listen and I’ll talk. I owe you that.”
She blinked quickly, her emotion about to take form in her eyes. She nodded.
“The last few months have been difficult. We got through a terrible trauma but we let it tear our relationship apart. We didn’t bond together in adversity, like we should have. I take full responsibility for that. You know why I took such a strong stance on keeping Stella away from Jeremy. You know I thought I was doing it with the best intentions. But I was wrong, and you were right. I should’ve listened to you and followed your example from the very beginning. I was stubborn in my decision. I disregarded your feelings like they weren’t valid. That’s how justified I thought I was. I didn’t want to admit that sometimes opening up your heart and accepting and forgiving lead to the right path.”
Marianne couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This man she loved had caused her so much pain. But she’d prayed over and over for a resolution for their marriage and here it was. She squeezed her eyes shut and said a silent thank you to God.
“I’m sorry, Marianne. I want to be more like you. Jeremy deserves our love and support. He’s Stella’s uncle. He’s family. I always knew that, but I needed a reminder. Can you forgive me for how I handled this? Can you love me like you did before? Can you give me another chance?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. I love you, Tom.”
He let go of her hands and wrapped her in a tight embrace. His shoulders shook and she breathed in his scent and his warmth. When they separated, he wiped his eyes. She’d never known him to cry before. She was always the one with tears in her eyes. He laughed and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
She pulled him back close. “I’m sorry, too.”
“For?”
“For separating myself from you. I didn’t know how to deal with the distance that kept forming between us. I was so angry at you. I let a huge separation come between us and I filled it with work. I worked really hard on that play, but in some ways, it was an escape from you. From our problems that were driving me crazy. I couldn’t control that, so I buried myself into producing something new. Next time — if there is a next time — we’ll work together better. We won’t ever let a disagreement drive such a huge wedge between us again.” She looked into his eyes, and they were clear of moisture, but overloaded with joy.
“I know we have some work to do to get back to where we were before,” Tom said. “If you want, we can get some help from our pastor.”
Marianne’s heart felt like it would explode. “Really? You’d do that?”
“For us, yes. To heal us so we can move forward, stronger than ever. I love you, Marianne, and I never want to lose you.”
Marianne gazed at him, her Tom, the one she’d loved for so long, so grateful that he was back. “Have you ever read in the Bible about God’s perfect plan for married couples? The role of the husband and the role of the wife?”
“Maybe …”
“I’ll share that with you later.” She pulled him towards her and laid her lips on his. Although they’d kissed probably a thousand times in their life together, it hadn’t been recently. And this time, she was glad to notice, her heart raced and her pulse danced, reacting to their closeness. “I love you, Tom. It’s over. We’re both committing to getting us back, and we’ll get there.”
They took a minute to hold each other, then headed back to the wedding. They held hands as they tiptoed back to their seats on the pew. As she passed, Leslie patted Marianne on the shoulder and winked with a broad smile.
They’d missed most of the minister’s message, but she’d watch it later on video. It was soon time for a small surprise that Marianne had thrown together for her brother and his bride. As Jeremy and Emma moved to the side to light the Unity Candle, Roxanne and Tieg stepped up to the center of the altar and sang their beautiful love song duet from the musical, “Till There Was You.” The bride and groom sought Marianne out in the congregation and smiled their thanks.
Eventually, the minister announced, “You may kiss your bride.” Not only did Jeremy reach for Emma, but Tom reached for Marianne, wrapped his arms around her and laid a kiss on her so deep and heartfelt that she felt dizzy. He dipped her backward like a ballroom dancer and even though she heard snickers and giggles in the pew around them, she didn’t protest.
After all, she deserved her happy ending as well.
T H E E N D
Letter to the Reader
Hello! And welcome to my very first boxset! How exciting to combine the first three books of this fun series, Pawleys Island Paradise and offer it to you in one easy download on your e-reader. I hope you grow to love the Harrison family as much as I have as I've written them.
And of course, the location: Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a tiny island just off the coast of Myrtle Beach. Is it real? You bet it is. So is The Old Gray Barn and Tom and Marianne's Inn, although I changed the name slightly at the request of the Inn's real owner. I spent many summers right there as a child growing up, and my memories have not only stuck around my whole life, but in writing this series, my memories have been enhanced. Much of what I've written in these three books were drawn either directly, or fictionalized from personal experiences from my Pawleys Island days.
That's why I'm so excited to offer you, my boxset readers, an exclusive look at some pictures I dug out of my parents' house of our vacations at The Old Gray Barn. Knowing I wanted to provide you this unique photo album, I went over to my parents' house and paged through photo album after photo album for a straight hour before turning my attention to an old JC Penney box hidden in the closet of the upstairs spare bedroom, where I hit gold. I found loose old snapshots, some in color, some black and white, of precious memories of our old family vacations in Pawleys Island. The dates on the back ranged from 1965 to 1968 to 1971.
In addition, several years ago when I was still writing Roadtrip to Redemption -- not knowing that it would be a series -- my family and I were vacationing in Myrtle Beach. We took a quick drive over to Pawleys and started wandering around, looking for The Old Gray Barn. I had no memory of where it was specifically, just that it was beachfront. Well, we found it! And just like Leslie in Roadtrip, I knocked on the front door and asked if I could tour it. The cleaning crew said sure, so I snapped some photos of it. It's amazing how little it's changed, despite the passage of 50 years.
Also, I want you to know that if you love this series, it's not going to end after Book 3. I'm working on Book 4 now and hope to release it the summer of 2015. In addition, I have two more books in mind. So at this point, I'm expecting a 6-book series. So keep reading and keep showing me your support! I can't tell you how appreciative I am!
Life's a beach!
Laurie Larsen
Exclusive Pawleys Island Photo Album: Then and Now
Then:
The Old Gray Barn circa 1965 from the back
Part of the gang -- I'm the blonde in the striped shorts, second from the left. Standing to the left is my cousin Margaret, of the Portuguese Man o' War story fame, featured in Roadtrip to Redemption
This isn't the whole group that stayed in The Old Gray Barn but it's close. I believe all we're missing is my grandpa, who was most likely taking the photo.
Me with my grandpa and my cousin, David
The fishing pier across the street from The Old Gray Barn, in 1971. My cousin Cindy caught a huge snapping turtle on her crab line.
My brother Chris and my cousin Scott with the fruits of their labor
Cousins digging in the sand, just like Stella loves to. I'm the one in the front, turning around. I always loved that "bubble" bathing suit
My grandma and Aunt Ethel
Now:
The Old Gray Barn circa 2011. I snapped this pic, which was featured on the cover of Roadtrip to Redemption. The driveway is made of a "seashell mulch." I used to sit with a colander and strain th
e tiny conch shells through, just like Stella did in Journey to Fulfillment.
How I knew I'd found it when we were wandering around, looking for the house.
The back porch of The Old Gray Barn -- a perfect place to rock and relax, like so many of the Harrison characters do.
The view from the back porch
Gorgeous Pawleys Island, SC -- life's a beach!
Other Christian Fiction Books by Laurie
The Pawleys Island Paradise series:
Book 1: Roadtrip to Redemption
Book 2: Tide to Atonement
Book 3: Journey to Fulfillment
Laurie’s 2010 EPIC Award Winner for Best Spiritual Romance: Preacher Man
Coming soon! Laurie’s 15th anniversary special edition re-release of her very first published novel, Whispers of the Heart.
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