by Aria Cole
“Love you so much,” I nipped at her earlobe.
“I love you too.” Her smile lit up my entire fucking world.
“Ladies and gentleman, Mr. and Mrs. Loup.”
Scarlet’s eyes twinkled when she locked hands with mine, and we walked down the aisle, man and wife, the first day of our forever.
After a delicious catered dinner, Scarlet and I headed for the dance floor for our first dance. I wrapped her in my arms and tucked my nose into her shoulder as the first few chords of ‘You Belong to Me’ started.
“Beau, this song…it’s your mother's song.” She stopped for a moment once she recognized it.
I nodded and pulled her back to me. “It’s the perfect song. You gave me life, Scarlet. I don’t know what I would do without your love.” I pulled her even tighter to me as the song continued. “You’re my dream. The dream I didn’t even know I was wishing for.”
“I love you so much,” she whispered and pressed up on her toes to kiss me.
“I’d be so alone without you.” I murmured the words of the song. “You belong to me. I’ll love you every day of forever, petite rouge.”
EPILOGUE
Scarlet
One year later
The Saturday morning sun glinted off the treetops as I sat swinging on the front porch of our cabin.
“Need anything, babe?” Beau hurried out and dropped a kiss on my cheek.
“Lemonade maybe? It’s going to be hot today.” I scrunched my nose. “Will you grab the sunscreen, too?”
Beau ran back into the cabin and returned a minute later with both.
“What do you say we go up to the big house today, see how renovations are coming?”
“That sounds great. I’ll probably have to pee three times before we get there though,” I grumbled, already feeling uncomfortable.
“Ah, tell Mama she’s got another seven months to go,” Beau chuckled and pulled our squirming son into his arms.
“I’m not complaining, but this heat makes it worse!” I tickled Ben’s toes, and he broke into a gummy grin.
“You gotta be the little man around the house while I’m gone.” Beau tickled him, and a few giggles escaped his belly.
“I can’t believe we’re going to have two kids under two.” I rubbed at my still mostly flat belly.
“We’ve been busy, Mama.” Beau winked at me.
“I just wish Gran was here to see them.” Sadness creeped crept into my thoughts.
“She can see them just fine. I know she’s watching over both of them.” He cradled Ben in one arm and placed another on my shoulder.
“Let’s go for that walk now. I want to make sure the builders are on top of it.”
Gran had passed away in her sleep just six weeks after we were married. When Beau had told me she’d left us the house, I nearly crumbled into tears. Her generosity and kindness were so overwhelming, I was instantly overcome by the realization that my kids would never have the privilege of knowing her.
At first, I hadn’t wanted to even see the house, Beau and I having decided early on that we wanted to live in the cabin at the back of the property. I’d never grown up with excess. I preferred a simple quieter life, and the thought of all that room in the mansion going to waste had nagged at me.
After talking it over many late nights with Beau, we finally settled on a boarding house for underprivileged new moms. Whether they were pregnant, or had just had their baby, we would welcome them into the main house for as long as they needed, and provide them with resources and training to get back on their feet.
I think Gran would be happy with what we’d decided to do with her home.
We followed the path of the morning sun as we walked the trail to the main house. Beau lifted Ben onto his shoulders and held his chubby hands as we walked, his little green eyes wide with wonder at the world around him.
It was an amazing place, and we were so blessed to call it home.
Life was good. Life had given me the fairy tale. I’d never imagined that I would go away for the summer and become a new woman. I never imagined I’d find my soul mate, and he would be six-two with a beard and a rakish grin. I never dreamed of the beautiful little boy with the vibrant green eyes and strawberry-red hair.
They’d given me so much love every day. I only wanted to give it back, share it, multiply it until every life we touched was painted in vibrant brushstrokes of compassion, empathy, and tenderness.
Beau gave me everything, and I would live out the remainder of my days giving all my love back to him.
THE END.
Turn the page for a sneak peek of Bending Bethany, coming in July!
BENDING BETHANY
(unedited and subject to change)
By
ARIA COLE
He’s a star international soccer player.
She’s the nerdy girl next door.
One wild night and a pair of lost panties is about to turn her world upside down.
ONE
Bethany
“Come on, Bethy, you never do anything fun! It’s nose stuck in a book all the time for you.” My sister pouted as she tore through what was at least a dozen slutty dresses in her closet. “This one would look perfect on you.”
I narrowed my eyes, taking in the short, black glittery number. “That is not a dress it’s a shirt. Everyone will see my bits and pieces. You don’t actually wear that in public do you?” My eyes widened as I looked at the flimsy material. That so called dress was was long enough to fall just barely under my behind. If I moved people would see everything. “I’m not wearing that.”
“Does that mean you’ll go?” Her eyes lit with mischievous sparkle.
I sighed, frowning as I fingered a glittery red dress she’d tossed on the bed. “Yes, but you’d better find something longer, I’m not looking like a call girl.”
“You’re such a prude. A little cock never hurt anyone.” My wayward sister teased.
“I swear, I don’t even know how we’re related.”
“Believe me, I think that all the time.” She buzzed out of the wardrobe heading to the bathroom. “Now what are we going to do with your hair?”
She pulled curling irons and flat irons and a thousand products out of a basket.
“Can you give me some supermodel curls?” I’d never wielded a curling iron in my life, but my sister’s glam makeup and perfectly windblown waves always made me yearn for just one night of glam.
“Yes! Mermaid ringlets would be gorgeous, maybe we can even add a little color, let me do some highlights!” She squealed and I groaned.
“No highlights,” I shook my head firmly. “I’ve never colored my hair, why would I start now?”
“Because tonight you’re a new you. Try something else on for a while, hair is only temporary.” She shrugged and I huffed, checking out the streaks of magenta coursing through her dark locks.
I nibbled on my bottom lip, glancing down at the sensible Chucks on my feet, the crossbody I wore nearly every day, then back to one of her fancy clutches on the bed.
“Can I carry that?” My eyes gleamed, finally feeling excitement pulse to life inside me.
“My McQueen?” She stuck out her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes at me. “Swear on everything you hold dear to love it and cradle it like your firstborn child?”
I laughed outright. Taylor had always been fashion-obsessed but I had no idea she felt that strongly. “I promise. And you’re off your rocker, I think you should know that.”
“Shut up, little sis.” She popped a kiss on my forehead, using the endearment she’d been using since we were little. We were only a year and a half apart, I for one didn’t see much of a distinction, besides, to most outsiders my maturity probably far outweighed hers.
“One night only, then tomorrow morning it’s back to the books. I have to pass that mid-term or I’m screwed for the rest of the class.” I felt the anxiety coiling in my stomach again.
“I know, I know, if you don’t pas
s it then what have you been working for all these years?” She mimicked the excuse I often used.
“Well, I’m just saying. I'm not staying out late, and don’t ask me to do shots.”
“No shots? Boo!”
I grinned and shook my head at her boundless enthusiasm. “No shots. Now what dress am I wearing?”
Two hours later and I found myself at the bar, a line of shots spread out before the two of us.
“Bottom’s up little sis.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” I voiced my dismay before lifting a lemon drop shot in my hand.
“To a wild night! And maybe a little sausage for both of us.” She winked before throwing the shot back, leaving me giggling uncontrollably and choking down my own.
“Next!” Taylor called, slamming her glass down and lifting the second she’d ordered for each of us.
“I’m not even done with this one!” I swallowed a sip, the sour confection rushing down my throat.
“Come on, big girl panties up, let’s do this.” She tipped the shot glass to my lips and I swallowed the remainder of the liquid. I slid the empty glass across the bar and lifted the other. “YOLO.”
“For being the big sister you sure are a bad influence.” I grunted before gathering courage in my stomach and taking the other shot in one long gulp.
“Sisters?” Someone said from behind me. “Another round on me!”
“What, no--” I turned to find a handsome guy, hair still wet from a shower, and bold dark eyes eating up the space between him and us.
“Why thank you.” My sister cooed while leaning forward to give him a very generous view of her cleavage.
“Ah, here we go.” I knew that look, she’d found her plaything for the night.
“I’m Luc, wanna dance?” His gaze honed in on my sister’s breasts.
“I would love to.” She flirted shamelessly before lifting her hand out to his. He paced a kiss on it that almost made my stomach turn with the amount of cheese.
“Go, dance, be merry, I’ll be here.” I waved her off, turning back to the lemon drop the bartender had just placed in front of me. “Thanks for the drink!”
Taylor and mystery boy had already disappeared off into the quickly thickening crowd.
“He does that a lot, you may want to warn her.” A voice rumbled from over my shoulder. I sighed, thinking if barhopping meant fending off creepy men all night, I would be retiring much earlier than even I expected.
“She’s fine, she does it all the time.” I waved, not even bothering to match the voice with a face.
“I’m Jenson.”
A hand thrust out of my peripheral vision and I paused, thinking I didn’t even want to shake it. Who knows where it had been, who it had been in. The guys that hung around these places were definitely not my type.
“Well Jenson, this isn’t really my scene, if you don’t mind,” I spun in my bar stool, finally catching a glimpse of the stranger.
Damp locks of hair fell over his forehead in a charming, just showered way. Dark stubble decorated a sharp jawline, his cheekbones high and his eyes the most astounding shade of ice blue I’d ever seen.
“You were saying?” His smile turned up and I knew I’d been caught.
“I-I don’t even remember, I think the drinks are getting to my head already.”
“Drunk off a few lemon drops? You don’t get out much do you?”
I shot him a sarcastic glance before catching sight of the drink in his hand. “Only a beer? Seems a little weak, don’t you think? I would have thought whiskey, bourbon, something a little more manly.” I didn’t know this guy, what did I have to lose? The point of tonight was to be someone different, and brazen was definitely different.
This wasn’t my scene, he wasn’t my type, so why not engage in a little banter before I returned for the night?
“Been a long day, and I’ve got another long one tomorrow. I’m taking it easy tonight.” His eyes sparked when he talked. I didn’t even know that was possible.
“So what do you do, Jenson?” I asked when he settled on the stool next to me.
“Ah, I work in athletics. You said this isn’t much of your scene, mind if I ask what is?”
I chanced a glance at him, my lips turning up in a traitorous smile when I caught sight of his expectant look. “The library I suppose. Or the science department, I’m a biology major.”
“Oh, college girl?”
“You can drop the slutty college girl fantasies right now, I’m definitely not one of those.” I blurted before kicking myself for my candor.
His deep chuckle sent shivers down my spine.
“Caught me.” He lifted his hands up in mock arrest.
“I knew it, I could see it all over your lascivious face.” I teased, sipping my lemon drop again.
“Lascivious?!” His bellow turned a few heads. Was I actually being funny? This was a new turn of events, I wasn’t the funny one, that was Taylor. “You wound me.”
“I bet.” I laughed, finally feeling a little more loosened up, whether it was the shot, or the atmosphere, him or that intoxicating laugh.
“Your flirting leaves much to be desired.” He leaned in, whispering conspiratorially.
“What? No, I wasn’t flirting.”
“Sure you were, isn’t that why you’re here? Flirting isn’t a sin, it’s connecting for a few brief moments with someone in a way that makes you feel good, no harm in that.” He shrugged and pulled away, taking a draw of his beer as he watched me as if he really enjoyed our conversation. I’d never connected with a man like this before, held his rapt attention. Well this will be short lived, won’t it?
“You’re very philosophical for, what did you say you did again? Athletics?” I cocked and eyebrow.
“I travel a lot, gives me time to read.”
His reply took me by surprise. I hadn’t expected him to be a reader. A young, fit football coach maybe, but not a man who read books. I mean he was a dumb jock right?
“What’s the last book you read?”
“Quizzing me now?” His grin lifted playfully. “I didn’t come here to learn.” He leaned across the energized space between us, his eyes lowering a fraction. “Dance with me.”
To be continued…
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