Jason was fumbling with his keys while cradling me, but he finally got the door unlocked and I pushed it open with my free arm.
“Shouldn’t you have waited to carry me over the threshold until our wedding night…?” I joked.
“Baby, I’ll carry you over the threshold of our home any moment I can, because each time is just as special as the time before.”
He seriously knew all the right words to say to cause me to melt at his feet faster than an ice cube on a hot summer day. We rounded the corner to our bedroom and he lowered me slowly onto the bed as he covered my body with his.
“Have I told you lately how breathtaking you are?” he whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver in response. He began trailing kisses across my ear and down my neck as I ran my hands through his already tousled hair.
“Don’t ever leave me, Hannah…I could never live without you…” he whispered against my skin as he continued to kiss his way down my collarbone and onto my chest.
I leaned up just slightly onto my elbows, causing Jason to stop what he was doing to look at me in confusion. I took hold of the bottom of my shirt and peeled it off for him, then tossed it on the floor beside the bed. When I reached around for the clasp of my bra Jason grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Are you sure about this?” the sincerity in his eyes was mixed with desire. I knew there was nothing I had ever been more sure of in my life than this, with him, right now.
“Yes, I’m sure, we have waited long enough,” I said as I crashed my lips to his. After a few moments of exploring each other’s mouths he pulled back.
“Let me do this…” he spoke sweetly as he reached his hand around and unclasped my bra with one swift movement. Slowly pulling the straps down he kissed my collarbone until he had my bra off and thrown to the side where my shirt was.
“God, you are beautiful Hannah.” His words were intoxicating as his eyes drank me in.
Jason and I hadn’t gone much past kissing since I was back but I knew eventually we would get to this point. Living together for almost a week with so much built-up tension, I knew it was bound to happen sooner than later. No, I wasn’t a virgin and I was pretty positive he wasn’t either but this seemed different, it was more intimate and real than anything I had ever felt for someone before.
Running my hands up the back of his shirt I decided he had on too many clothes. I pulled at the hem and he understood what I was doing so he broke our kiss and yanked his shirt the rest of the way off before tossing it into the growing pile of clothes beside the bed. We explored each other’s bodies softly and slowly until there were no boundaries between us. All that separated us was that one movement that would connect us forever. Placing his forehead to mine we stared into each other’s eyes as we became one.
Slowly moving against one another we found our perfect rhythm. We continued to move as one as my release was building. It didn’t take long until I was free falling into bliss and Jason followed not long after me. Falling onto the bed beside me, he pulled me against his chest and engulfed me with his arms. Tilting my head so I could look up into his beautiful brown eyes I placed a soft kiss on his lips.
“I love you forever, Hannah Davis,” He whispered against my lips.
“I love you times infinity, Jason Malone,” I whispered back.
Snuggling as close as our bodies would allow me, I drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man I loved. No matter how many turns my life will take, from now on I will always know that I have Jason there to comfort me and keep me safe from harm.
Forever and always.
Jason
Lying with Hannah in my arms was the only place I wanted to be for the rest of my life. This girl was it for me. She owned my soul from now until eternity. Realizing that everything that had happened since I met her was meant to happen allowed me to let go of the anger I held towards Matthew. If things hadn’t happened the way they did, we wouldn’t have been in this very moment, wrapped up in one another. Hannah still hadn’t told me everything that took place while she was with him and I was okay with that. She was dealing with those demons one day at a time and all I could do was be there for her whenever she felt like she needed me.
I felt her breathing even out—and I knew she was fast asleep. Kissing the top of her head I pulled the covers up around us and whispered into her ear.
“You are my world, Hannah…and one day you will be my wife.”
Epilogue
(Four years later)
“Hello, darling…” I chimed answering my cell phone through the sound system in my new Audi Q7.
“Hey, baby, have you picked Lydia up yet from daycare?” Jason’s voice came smoothly through the speakers. I was in awe of my new vehicle—and of course my lovely man.
“Sure have! I left the office earlier than usual because my last client didn’t show up. I hope he hasn’t fallen off the wagon again, that would just break my heart. Oh, and by the way, she can actually hear you right now!”
"You mean you actually figured out how to use the Bluetooth connection without any help? I’m shocked… How is my little Lydia today?!” he teased before changing his voice to a soft loving tone when speaking to Lydia.
“Fineee…When is the ice cream—are you hiding in here?” Lydia’s face was glowing at the sound of Jason’s voice coming through the speakers.
“Ice cream is soon and no, baby girl I’m not hiding in the car.” He laughed at her silly response.
God, I love the two of them so much.
As Jason and I continued to talk about the afternoon plans, Lydia went back to messing with the new Barbie I had surprised her with when I picked her up.
“Are you coming straight to your parent’s house or do you have to stop by ours?”
“Probably stop by ours for a few minutes. I need to change out of these work clothes; these heels are killing me today.”
“I’m sure you look damn sexy in them…”
“Jason! Watch your mouth!” I glanced into the rearview mirror to see if Lydia was paying attention and sure enough she wasn’t.
“My bad! I forgot…Maybe the Bluetooth connection wasn’t the best idea…” he laughed.
“I guess I’ll forgive you this time.”
“Darn…I was hoping to be punished…” he trailed off, completely taking the conversation into the red zone.
“On that note… I will see you within the hour.” Laughing in between words, I cut him off.
“Okay, see you soon. Love you.”
“And I love you, Jason.”
∙∞∙
I turn into my parent’s gated community and the guard’s wave as they allow me to enter. The new guards never ask for identification either, not since the incident years ago that made me famous for all the wrong reasons. Lydia was knocked out in her car seat as I pulled into my parents’ drive. Jason was standing not far from where I parked, smiling at me sweetly while he talked on his cell.
“There’s my girl.” He smiled, sliding his phone into the back pocket of his dark jeans as he made his way over to me. Placing a few loving kisses on his lips in between sentences I sighed. “Lydia asleep?” he asked.
“Of course she is; that girl never sleeps in a car until you are almost to your destination.”
Slowly unbuckling her from her seat, he scooped her up into his arms. Holding the gate open so that Jason could carry Lydia through, I noticed Abby waving like a mad woman as she stood up from one of the lounge chairs and made her way around the pool.
“Is she seriously sleeping?!” she asked in pure shock.
“Yes, ma’am, she sure is,” Jason half-whispered.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take up shop at our house? She only sleeps when one of the two of you is around,” Abby joked with us.
“You know I would gladly take Miss Lydia as my own,” I reminded her.
After closing the gate behind me, she hugged me tightly.
“Hannah, you will be a wonderful mother someday.”
“Thanks Abs…You and Xavier are wonderful parents yourself.”
My parents had been having a cookout on the same weekend every year since my kidnapping. Exactly a month after I was released from the hospital, it has sort of become this celebration of ours. All of our friends, some of our co-workers, and even extended family have started attending. This year is actually the first year Jason’s mother, Olivia, and sister, Elizabeth, have gotten to come. Needless to say, he is one happy camper. My parents had a new, rather large, fire pit and sitting area past the in-ground pool that everyone was gathered around. It was good to watch my father flip burgers on the grill that was built into the brick wall, as he laughed with their guests. Before that god-awful day, he was a very stern man that I rarely got along with. Now, not only was he my loving father, he was also my business partner.
After I finished out my degree in psychology at UCSD, my father suggested that we partner up. His suggestion came as a shock to me because my father never liked working with a partner ever since he left the last person he worked with back in Santa Monica years ago. When I accepted his offer he gave me full reign over expanding the practice and handling patients with mental illness. With everything that happened to Matthew throughout his life, I found this to be the perfect way to hopefully reach out and touch people’s lives that need assistance in dealing with the evils of mental illness. Doing so brought a sense of peace to me about everything that had transpired between us.
“I cannot believe you and Jason have been married two years next week.” Elizabeth said, taking the hand that bore my engagement ring and wedding band. “He did a great job, didn’t he?!” she winked at me.
The day Jason proposed to me was one of the best days of my life. It was graduation day at UCSD and my parents were holding the four of us a lavishing graduation party at their place afterwards. All of our family, friends, and some of our fellow classmates were invited. Jason’s mother and sister were able to come in, along with some of Abby’s extended family. It was truly a beautiful day for us all. Little did I know, Jason was going to ask me to be his wife. He was so nervous all day, but I chalked it up to everything that was going on with graduation and the fact that his family was coming in for the first time in a while. Graduation went by in a blur and we soon found ourselves drinking, dancing, and exchanging laughs with everyone at my parents place. I had walked up stairs to change out of my gown and into a party dress when I heard a low knock on the bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called to the door as I rummaged through my overnight bag.
Jason slowly pushed the door open before walking in with a nervous smile across his face.
“Hey, beautiful…Can I come in?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just came up here to change out of this gown. Could you give me a hand with the zipper?” I asked, turning around so he could reach the zipper.
“Sure…” he responded while pushing my hair around to the side of my shoulder. He unzipped the zipper as I held onto it so it wouldn’t fall to the floor. “There you go,” his voice was low and husky.
“Thanks, darling,” I leaned forward and kissed him before I stepped into the adjoined bathroom. I was afraid my parents or someone would walk in, so I thought it was better to change in the bathroom since Jason was in the room with me.
Stepping out of my gown and into my party dress, I pulled my hair into a loose side braid before heading back into the bedroom. Pushing the door open I found Jason leaning against the door frame.
“You look stunning in that dress, Hannah…” he trailed off.
“Really? I was undecided about it…as always,” I smiled sweetly at him.
He cupped my face in his hands. The look of pure love was in his eyes as he began to speak aga
in, “You do know how much I love you right?”
“Yeeees…I love you too, Jason…What’s going on?!” I asked nervously.
“I know we haven’t been a couple that long, but I can’t picture my life without you. We’ve known each other for so long that I feel like all those years we spent as just friends were the foundation to something great. When you were kidnapped I thought I would never see you again and my heart shattered, Hannah…Absolutely fucking shattered…” he paused, took a deep breath, and got down on one knee.
“OMIGOD, Jason…” I breathed in shock as the tears began falling.
“Hannah Davis…I want you to be the woman I wake up to every morning, the woman I share my heart and soul with. You have been the love of my life since the day I first laid eyes on you and I will love you for eternity if you will allow it.” Taking another deep breath he opened the small black box in his hand. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I fell to my knees in front of him as I grabbed the sides of his face. I kissed him with every ounce of passion I could put into it and after a few wonderful minutes he broke the kiss.
“I’ll take that as a yes?” he laughed.
“Of course it’s a yes, you fool!” I laughed through my tears.
He slid the gorgeous emerald cut engagement ring onto my ring finger and pulled me to my feet. He then scooped me up into his arms and headed for the door.
“What are you doing?! I don’t have any shoes on!” I laughed hysterically.
“I can’t wait any longer to tell the world that you’re going to officially be mine!”
He rushed down the stairs and through the glass doors that lead out into the back yard.
Jason called out to the crowd, “SHE SAID YES!!!” as he held my hand up in the air for everyone to see.
The cheers were unbelievably loud as I felt my face flush red. We were all smiles for the rest of the night.
“He sure did,” I smiled remembering that wonderful day as I watched Jason and Xavier playing football with recently turned four-year-old Braxton.
Abby and Xavier didn’t mess around when it came to baby making. Abby had found out she was pregnant not long after they had moved in together and a little over nine months later, baby Braxton was born, followed by little Miss Lydia a couple years after him. Never in my life did I imagine those two being together, let along having two beautiful children, but they made one of the best couples I have ever seen.
Sitting back in the lounge chair by the pool, I watched all the people that I loved laugh and interact with one another. My life couldn’t be any better than it is, right now, in this moment.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Where to start!? I have been writing on this book for a little over a year now and I honestly CANNOT believe that it is out there for the world to see!!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to each and every one of you that have purchased Moments of Reckoning. You guys are truly amazing for helping me make my dreams come true!
I would like to thank my parents for allowing me to grow up in a creative world, you both allowed me to have my dreams and aspirations without knocking me down from them and you always reminded me that I could be who I wanted to be no matter what others had to say! I love you both dearly!!!!
My love, Clifton Greenwell, I watch you follow your dreams every weekend that you get up on that stage and sing your heart out to the people that love to hear As Is play, and I truly admire you! You are such a wonderful man and I cannot picture my life without you in it.
My best friend and one of my beta readers, Kristen Cecil. Girl you have been my rock since the first day I met you in Algebra class freshman year of high school! What would I do without you!? No matter how frustrated I became while writing this book, you pushed me to complete it because you knew exactly how much this meant to me and I thank you for that. Sisters for life!
Jen Akers, You are seriously a LIFE SAVER!!!! Thank you for taking so much time out of your busy life to help me edit this bad boy!! Lord knows it needed it!!! LOL! You should seriously be on someone’s payroll to edit, because you, my lady, are badass! Oh, and don’t forget to request WAGON WHEEL!!!!! Hehe.
Regina Bartley, (yes the author!) GIIIRRRLLLL…I’m pretty sure we
were separated at birth!!! We have too many aspects in common, so which parent do we need to interrogate?! LOL. Thank you for letting me be a part of your Graysen Pack Series and THANK YOU SO MUCH for beta reading mine! You are a true talent that will be knocking people’s socks off for years to come in the book world!
Rhonda Nash, Thank you for allowing me to bounce SO MANY ideas off of you throughout the process of me writing this thing!! I know you heard me drop many cuss words during the day because of it!! LOL!! Thank you for taking the time out to beta read and experience this crazy story of mine! Sorry that I broke your heart with a certain character and be ready for the next one!!
Jessica Rummage, Thank you so much for helping with the editing process! You are one fast beta reader!!! I appreciate all of the kind words and help you offered me through this process, it truly means a lot!!
Katie Dailey and Michelle Teramani, AKA part of my TVD family!! Thank you ladies SOOOOOO much for helping me beta edit!!! You all are absolutely wonderful and helped me with quite a bit!! Can’t wait to spend more getaways with you all in Chicago, Atlanta, and hopefully other TVD cities!!! See you soon ladies!!
To everyone who has a dream…GO AFTER IT!!! Yes, it is one scary ride that will constantly knock you down along the way, but everyone deserves to have the feeling I had when I hit publish on this bad boy! I never thought it was possible to get my words out there for readers to see and look at me now!? If I can do it, anybody can! Just remember…If you fall down seven times, stand up eight! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!
Moments of Reckoning Page 14
