by Ml Rodriguez
“Yes, Zane. Yes. Yes. Yes,” I tell him through tears and laughter. “I’ll marry you and I’ll always cherish our love. I’ll show you every day of our lives how much I love you. You’ve shown me how to fully live again—thank you, honey. I promise you that I’ll always be your biggest supporter and I’ll stand by your side. I love you, Zane. Always and forever.”
“Yes, Faith,” he tells me as he takes me in his arms and kisses me. “Forever, Faith. Forever, my love.”
Zane
She said yes! She’s going to be my wife, mine in every sense of the word—she’s my woman, my queen, my treasure. My reason for being.
I’m going to give her the wedding of her dreams.
“Thank you, Jake,” I silently say to him. I know he can’t hear me, but I still need to thank him. “Thank you for believin’ in me, for being my friend, and for lettin’ me take care of your treasures. I will love Faith and the girls with all my heart and soul. Always, my man.”
I close my eyes and I hold my future wife in my arms.
Finally.
Jake
I’m watching the woman I love in the arms of a good man. That old gypsy woman was right all those years ago. The ghost with the purple eyes now has my treasures and I couldn’t be happier—I wasn’t meant to be with them forever like I planned, but I know they’ll be taken care of.
Zane is a good man and deserves the happiness and love he’ll experience with my Faith.
Now, I just have to make sure that my girls and their siblings, along with our friends, find their own love and happiness. I may not be with them, but I will always watch over them.
Always.
Forever.
It’s funny how life happens. It’s during the times you’re at your weakest that you find your strength. For me, that time was when I lost Jake. I thought my life had ended. How was I supposed to live without my other half? How was I supposed to survive without the man that showered me with love and affection from the first moment we met? His death almost killed me, but I survived and became a strong woman.
I became a woman strong enough to handle Zane. He drives me crazy and makes me want to punch him at times, but I love him nonetheless.
I’ll always love Jake and he’ll always be in our hearts, but now Zane is part of our lives and our family. With him life is different. Love is different. He’s a cocky alpha male who I want to smother at times, but he makes me happy and he loves our girls. I couldn’t ask for a better man to love me, cherish me, and support me in life. He’s my partner, my love. And he accepts me.
I had to remember all this when he only gave me three months—just three whole months to plan my dream wedding. I freaked out and demanded more time. I almost threw a tantrum fit for the brattiest toddler, but he put an end to that in seconds. I remember Zane gently taking my face in between both his hands, cradling it and looking into my eyes.
“Babe, I’ve waited years to make you mine. It’s three months with you planning our wedding, or I will. Just remember our shoppin’ trip in Dallas and how successful I was as pickin’ out dresses and shoes. Do you really want me to plan our weddin’? Either way, in three months, you’re gonna be mine in God’s eyes.”
After that little reminder, I got everyone—Carmen, Angélica, Momma, Jackie, Julia, and the girls on board—and three months later, I walked down the aisle on my Daddy’s arms, dressed in my dream Pronovias lace wedding gown, to Zane. When Father Federico announced to our family and friends: “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Zane Alejandro Knight,” a breeze passed through the church, twirling the purple rose petals Skylar had thrown out. They swirled around us magically, like in a movie, and we knew Jake was there with us.
I’m truly blessed.
The reception that followed was beautifully decorated in purple and charcoal gray colors. It was loud, fun, and everyone had a great time. As soon as possible, Zane and I made our escape, leaving the girls with Carmen and Jacob.
Our wedding night was amazing and beautiful. We spent all night worshiping each other’s bodies and celebrating us. We finally belonged to each other in every way possible. That orgasmic wedding night is what got me into this predicament now.
2 May 2014
“Ow!” I moan loudly.
The contraction brings me out of my thoughts and back to reality. The reality that if Zane doesn’t hurry his ass up, I’m going to give birth to our children in his brand new truck.
Yes, children.
Not only did Zane barge into my life, but he invaded my womb with his super-sperm and got me pregnant with twins!
“Honey, if you don’t step on it, these little jellybeans are gonna come and they’re gonna ruin the inside of your new toy. My grandma drives faster than what you’re goin’!”
“Babe, I’m hurryin.’ You shoulda told me you’ve been in labor since this mornin’!”
“EXCUSE ME?! Are you blaming me for this? Oh hell, no! You do NOT want to start with me right now. I’ll go off on your ass. Right. This. Second. Got me?” I practically shout at him.
Blaming me for this. Humph.
“I was tryin’ to be considerate and allow you to watch your game, but now I see what being a considerate wife gets me—a husband who drives slower than molasses and blames me for being in labor with his children!”
“Okay, okay. I didn’t mean for you to get all worked up. Thank you for lettin’ me watch the game, but next time, just forget about it and let us go to the hospital. I hate seein’ you in pain and honestly, I fear for my life. You look kinda scary right now, like you want to rip me apart.”
“AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!”
This contraction hits hard and I grab on to the “oh shit” bar and lift my hips. I’m trying to do those breathing techniques they show you in Lamaze class, but it fucking hurts too much.
“Honey, right now, I want to rip your dick off and feed it to you. It’s your fault I’m in such pain. If you didn’t get so happy to see me all the time, I wouldn’t be pregnant.”
“Breathe, baby. Like this. He he whooooo, he he whooooo.” Zane shows me, making the facial gestures you can’t help but make when you do the Lamaze breathing, making me laugh. He looks ridiculous but he’s trying to help. And he’s smart, choosing to not defend his insatiable cock.
“Stop. You’re makin’ me laugh. Agh!” I groan, trying not to laugh.
“Yes! We’re here.”
He pulls up to the emergency room entrance and stops the truck. He doesn’t even turn it off before jumping out and running to help me out. He picks me up and gets me out, but doesn’t put me down; instead, he carries my very heavily pregnant body through the doors, ignoring the orderlies yelling at him to move the truck. He gets me to the front desk.
“My wife’s about to give birth. She needs helps NOW! Or she’s gonna kill me—she blames me, you see.”
The poor nurses, seeing the distressed future father and my sweaty face with clenched teeth, get the idea and rush to help. I inform them I’ve been in labor since morning, but it didn’t start getting painful until about thirty minutes ago. They get me into a delivery room and call to inform my doctor of my arrival.
I get changed into my hospital gown and get into bed. The real work is about to begin …
Half an hour later at 8:37 p.m. on May second, Zane Alejandro Knight II is born at six pounds, four ounces and measuring nineteen and a half inches. Ten minutes later, his younger brother, Jacob Orlando Knight, makes his entrance into this world weighing six pounds, two ounces and measuring nineteen and a quarter inches. Two very big boys—no wonder I was as big as a house.
“They’re beautiful, Zane,” I say in awe of my baby boys.
“No, they’re not beautiful; they’re handsome little men,” Zane corrects me. “Thank you, Faith. Thank you for takin’ a chance on me, for making me the happiest man in this world. For givin’ me two beautiful daughters and for givin’ me my two boys. Thank you for lovin’ me. I love you with all my heart always and forever.”
> Wiping tears off my cheeks—I’m blaming the hormones—I tearfully say, “It’s me that’s thankful, honey. You gave me a new life. You came into my life and didn’t take no for an answer. You didn’t let my fears conquer me and you made me fall in love again. You made me whole again. I love you, Zane. Always and forever.”
“Forever, Faith. Always. Now, I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go get the girls before they drive our parents crazy, and I’ll bring Julia along since she so kindly let me be in the delivery room with you by myself.”
We laugh. He hands me our sons and gives me a tender kiss on the lips. He kisses both their little heads and goes out to the waiting room to bring our daughters to meet their brothers and my best friend to be by my side.
I lay back with my little boys and start to feed them. It’s awkward at first, but I make it work.
I’m a very lucky woman. I’ve been blessed to find love twice in a lifetime. The first time, our time was cut short. This time, no matter how long we have, I’ll treasure every moment as if it’s our last. I know how quickly life can change and I’m never taking anything for granted again. Every moment will be a precious memory.
No matter what life throws at you, you’re given this life because you’re strong enough to live it. You just have to have faith. All you can do is stand strong, live your life at its fullest, and take a leap of faith.
With Zane’s love, I emerged like a butterfly from its cocoon and learned to truly live again—for my children, for my love, and for myself.
This is the end of Faith and Zane’s story—for now.
More stories will follow, each of a different couple.
Writing this story was a journey for me. For years, I thought about writing, but I didn’t have the courage. I was embarrassed, and I was scared—what if I failed? It took years, but thanks to a supportive husband and a chance meeting by the pool, I decided to take a risk, and Faith and Zane’s story emerged. I couldn’t have done it without the encouragement and support of my family and some amazing friends.
To my husband: Thank you for believing in me from the very beginning. You’ve been on my case to write for years—“You read all the time, you should write—you’d be good.” And now I’m listening. Thank you, love, for going out and buying my laptop when I started to jot down my ideas on your computer, and for encouraging me. Thank you for being understanding about the huge pile of clean and dirty laundry in the laundry room, the piles of dirty dishes in the sink, the pigs-in-a-blanket dinners, for putting the children to bed, and for falling asleep on the couch while I wrote so we could be together. But most of all, thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I love you always and forever, my love.
To my two beautiful little monsters: Thank you for being patient and understanding when Mommy was on the couch “working.” Thank you for not fighting me during bedtime, making it easy for Daddy to put you to bed, and taking the bribe—“I’ll let you stay up until ten when Mommy finishes her book, I promise.” And then struggling to stay up when Mommy finally did finish her story. Thank you, my babies—I love y’all always and forever with all my heart.
To my family: Thank you for your support, your words of advice, and for “liking” my author page on Facebook after I finally gathered the courage to tell y’all I had written a book. I apologize for keeping this a secret and I miss and love y’all very much.
To Brandi: That chance meeting by the pool last summer has changed my life. My husband has believed in me for years, but you … you pushed me to actually put those voices going on in my head into print. Thank you for showing me that it’s possible to dream and follow your dreams and for answering my many questions. I know this makes you feel weird because you don’t see yourself at her level, but you’re my Colleen—she’s your inspiration and you’re mine.
To Anne: Thank you for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule for me. Thank you for accepting to give my story a try when I Facebook messaged asking for your help, for giving me a lesson on blog etiquette, and for answering every question I’ve thrown your way. We’ve never met in person, but you’re one of people whose support and encouragement has made this journey possible. Thank you for rallying the troops and helping me.
To Cassy: Thank you for taking a chance and saying yes to creating my book cover when I messaged you out of the blue with only Brandace’s name as a reference. Thank you for telling me to ask all the questions I wanted and for answering them. My book cover is beautiful and I love it!
To the awesome beta readers: Christabella, Krystyn, and Kiarra—thank you for answering the beta reader request on Goodreads. Lisa, Carrie, Joanna—thank you for offering your help when I needed more beta readers. And Heidi—oh dear sweet Heidi—you’ve listened to every freak out session, read every version of this story, and no matter how many times I called and messaged, you were there. Thank y’all for taking time out of your busy schedules and for slaughtering me nicely with your feedback. Y’all are freaking awesome and amazing and I am very grateful.
To my editor: Champagne Book Editing, thank you for making my story so much more readable. When I sent you the file it was filled with typos and you’ve made them go away.
To my formatter: Tami, you squeezed me into your schedule to fit my deadline. You went back and forth with me with all my questions and changes, and even when I sent you a long list of specifics, you didn’t complain. Instead, you went above and beyond making the inside of my book beautiful. Thank you so much.
To Debra: Thank you for the amazing cover reveal and exposure. When I told you I was new to all this, you sent me detailed instructions for everything. Thank you.
To Kimie, Kimmy, and Sharee: Thank you for pimping me out and within hours of Facebook messaging me, shocking me speechless.
To Christina, Cybill, Dympna, and Amy: Thank you for reaching out to me, posting my teasers (my crappy first attempts…LOL), pimping me out, participating in the cover reveal, and overall for being freaking awesome to me. Thank you!
To anyone who will read my book: Thank you. Hate it, like it, love it … thank you for taking a chance on me. I’m forever grateful. <3
ML is currently stationed overseas with her very supportive and loving husband and two beautiful little monsters. When she’s not writing down her “ideas,” she can be found trying to catch up on piles of laundry and house work or with her Kindle in hand hiding in her bathroom. Her obsessions are Luke Bryan, coffee, dark chocolate, the color purple, and romance novels—the happily ever after kind, of course.
After years of comments from her husband to write and a chance meeting by the city pool that involved a “Fan Girl” moment, ML decided to take a leap of faith into the amazing and exciting world of writing.
To all the wonderful people who will read her work—hate it, like it, love it—thank you. Thank you for taking a chance on her. <3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLRodriguezbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MLRodriguez09
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13853543.ML_Rodriguez
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
Part One—The Memories
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Part Two—Twice in a Lifetime
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Part Three—Truths Revealed
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Auth
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