The Beginning of Forever (Summer Unplugged Book 5)
Page 14
“Park will not make or break my wedding, trust me. It would suck if he doesn’t get here on time just because I wouldn’t be able to surprise Jace.” I wave my hand in front of her face so she’ll stop watching the road and look at me. “Seriously, Becca. No stressing! I won’t allow it.”
Becca nods, looks a whole lot like she wants to start chewing on her newly manicured nails, and then glances out of the window again. I can’t help but laugh. Now I guess I know exactly how she feels when she tells me to stop freaking out and I don’t abide by her advice.
The next half hour zooms by in record speed. I’m talking, thirty minutes in less than five seconds. I don’t know how it happens exactly, I have this theory involving time traveling cyborgs messing with the space-time continuum, but there’s no time to think about that. Because one second I’m sitting at the vanity in the guest bedroom of Jace’s inherited house, and the next second I hear the band playing and my mother rushes through the door, her eyes looking primed for crying, and says, “It’s time!”
“What? No way!” I look for my cell phone but the thing is buried in my purse which is buried under suitcases and clothing and Aunt Truly’s hair and makeup supplies. Frantically, I look around for Becca but no, of course she isn’t here. She told me she was joining everyone on the back porch so they could get the ceremony started. It felt like she had said that just seconds ago, but I guess it was closer to fifteen minutes ago.
I don’t have time to feel panic or anything as Mom rushes up and gives me a squeeze of a hug, carefully avoiding my hair and makeup. “Okay,” I say, unable to hide my big goofy grin. “I guess it’s time to do this thing.”
We head into the hallway and walk toward the side door. Earlier they showed me how it was all set up: A white carpeted walkway leads from that door to the back yard, and then into the aisle where I’d meet Jace at the gazebo alter. Becca and Bentley will already be waiting next to Jace. And I guess, well, Jace’s best friend Park won’t be able to attend. I shrug off the disappointment I feel in being unable to surprise Jace. I’ll have a lifetime of surprises to do. Right now it’s time to get married.
Mom stops just at the end of the hall before the side door. She looks around. “Who’s walking you down the aisle? What’s Jace’s dad’s name again?”
“Huh?” I ask, feeling the warmth of dread and nerves creep up my spine.
Mom lifts a worried eyebrow. “Well, who’s walking you? I figured you asked his dad too, since you don’t exactly have a dad…Of course we could ask Grandpa, but he’s sitting up at the front so he’d have to get his walker and come back down here...”
With a total disregard for my makeup, I slam my palm to my forehead. The aisle. The father giving way the groom. In all of our careful planning and late nights spent filling out that wedding notebook, how had we forgotten that I’d need someone to walk me down the freaking aisle?
Mom takes a bouquet of purple and turquoise roses from the shelf next to the door and hands them to me. My wedding bouquet. I didn’t forget I’d need this. I shake my head slowly and fight like hell to keep the tears out of my eyes. “I completely forgot to ask anyone to walk me down the aisle,” I say, my voice cracking at the last few words. “How could I have been so stupid?”
Mom looks genuinely surprised, and I think a little flash of fear even flickers across her face. I expect her to volunteer to do it, to walk me as if she were my father since she raised me alone. But she doesn’t. She grabs my hand in hers and looks me straight in the eyes.
“Bayleigh, you are a strong girl. You can do absolutely anything you want to. I don’t see why you can’t walk down the aisle yourself. You chose Jace–you can choose to meet him your way.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I mumble, kicking at the hardwood flooring with my shoes.
“Excuse me,” a male voice says from the end of the hallway. Mom and I jump at the same time, both turning to see who just walked in on our conversation. He’s tall, at least as tall as Jace. And handsome in that classic way. He’s wearing a black tux with a turquoise tie. I don’t know why it takes me so long to figure out who this guy is–but I blame my air headedness on a massive amount of wedding anxiety. The man steps forward and holds out his hand. “Did I overhear a bride saying she has no one to walk her down the aisle?” He flashes me a million dollar smile. “Maybe I can help?”
I smile. “Park,” I say warmly, reaching out for his hand. But instead of shaking my hand, he leans in for a hug. He smells like he’s fresh out of the shower and not like he had been driving for the last twenty four hours.
“Did you just get here?” I ask.
He nods. “There was a massive wreck on Interstate forty-five. I lost an hour trying to get around that. Also...my truck is parked in the driveway even though we’re all supposed to park in the lot next door. I knew how late I was and I didn’t want to miss it.”
“No worries,” I say, grabbing onto his arm again. “I can’t believe you’re here. This is going to be so awesome for Jace.” A renewed sense of excitement fills the air as Jace’s best friend smiles back at me.
I glance at Mom and am happy to see that she looks just as excited as I do. She introduces herself to Park and then pulls him in for a hug, too. I guess this is an emotional time for all of us.
Pre-wedding music continues to play and as I glance at the clock on the wall, I am keenly aware that the guests outside are expecting me to walk out there any moment.
I turn toward Jace’s best friend, biting on my bottom lip. It tastes like lipstick. “I would love for you to walk me down the aisle, if you don’t mind.”
He holds out his elbow and I take it. “It would be an absolute honor.”
Mom opens the door and we step out onto the white carpet. I’m feeling wonderful until we turn around the house and I see a sea of family and friends all rise in their chairs and turn toward me. Now, I’m nervous. Excited. Crazy scared. Happy.
Now, I’m getting married.
Everyone looks at me as we walk. I only look at Jace. The expression on his face can be described as adoration when he first saw me, to shock, surprise and happiness when he noticed who was walking next to me. I glance up and sideways at Park and see him wink at Jace. Jace’s tongue runs across his lips quickly and the dimples in his cheeks tell me that he’s trying hard not to smile like a dork.
We take two steps up the gazebo, and when we reach Jace, Park takes my hand and puts it in Jace’s hand. “She’s all yours, bro.”
The minister begins speaking but I’m too enchanted with staring into Jace’s eyes to hear anything he says. Jace squeezes my hands at a couple of parts in the minister’s speech. Realizing that it’s my own wedding, and that I can always stare into Jace’s blue eyes when it’s over, I pull my gaze off of him and glance at the minister as he reads a passage about love from the Bible.
When he’s finished, he tells the audience that we’ve written our own vows. Jace goes first. I draw in a deep breath. He always remembered them better than I did when we were practicing. Now, he says the words we crafted together as if they were written on his heart:
“Bayleigh, on this day, I give you my heart. I promise to walk with you hand in hand, wherever life takes us. I promise to love and live and learn with you. On this day, I promise that I will forever be yours.”
A single tear rolls down my cheek. The minister tells me to go next. I swallow the lump in my throat, take a deep breath and promise myself to Jace.
“Jace, on this day, I give you my heart. I promise to walk with you hand in hand, wherever life takes us. I promise to love and live and learn with you. On this day, I promise that I will forever be yours.”
The minister speaks louder this time. “With the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. Jace, son, you may now kiss your bride.”
Jace wraps an arm around my waist and dips me low, kissing me as if it’s the last chance he’ll ever get. The audience explodes into applause but I only hear the beating of my own heart as I kiss the m
an who is now my husband.
Chapter 22
Jace and I sneak out of the reception around nine o’clock. Everyone’s having such a great time dancing under the clear lights in the trees and enjoying the live band playing. I don’t think anyone noticed that we were gone, and they probably won’t for quite some time. I sent Mom and Becca a text so they wouldn’t worry. Jace tells me to grab the bag I had packed and we sneak off, tiptoeing through the massive house and slipping out the front door unseen.
I am drunk on love and my heart overflows with happiness. I am Mrs. Jace Adams. I feel like there’s not a damn thing on this earth that I couldn’t do.
I lift up my dress, holding on to the tail as we sprint across the yard and into my grandparent’s yard where Jace’s truck is parked. He’s reversed in the driveway so we can make a quick getaway.
I’m breathing hard when we reach the truck. Jace pulls open my door and kisses me before letting me climb inside. “You ready for our honeymoon?” he asks, his eyes full of wonder and mischief.
“I’d be even more ready if I knew where we were going!” I say, laughing.
“Well that’s up to you, Mrs. Adams.” Jace gives me a sly smile before starting up the truck. I’m not sure what he means by that. Up to me? This whole honeymoon was planned by him!
We hold hands as we drive. But the drive doesn’t take nearly as long as I had expected it to. Salt Gap is out in the middle of nowhere...hours away from the big cities. So when Jace slows down, puts on his blinker for some random back road, I lift an eyebrow.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Horseshoe Bend Airport,” he says. But I don’t need an answer now because we’re driving past a sign that says the same thing. That’s when I see a few massive airplane hangars, and a small control tower.
“I’ve never even heard of this airport,” I say, wondering where he’s planned for us to fly to. We pull into a parking spot next to a hangar. I’m still wearing my wedding dress and everything, but I don’t want to take it off. I want to remember this night forever.
A man meets us outside of a hangar, greeting Jace by name.. This is no commercial airline. My mouth falls open as I take in the sight of the private jet waiting in front of us. The majestic, massive aircraft is a pearly white with blue details painted on the tail. Our luggage is loaded into the jet and then we’re allowed to board.
Stairs fold out from the side of the plane and Jace motions for me to go first. We step into a luxurious interior of vanilla colored leather chairs and wood grain detailing. I run my fingers along the back of a chair. There are only six chairs. We will be the only guests flying tonight. A private jet. A private trip. This is way too good to be true.
We meet Christopher, who is our pilot. Well, I meet him. Jace has known him for years, apparently. He flew in from Los Angeles just this morning. After a little small talk, I can’t help but ask the question that’s been in my mind ever since we left the wedding.
“So where are we flying tonight?”
Christopher gives me a sly smile, but it’s Jace that speaks up. “This is our jet for the next three weeks,” he says. “And it’s ready to take us wherever you’d like to go.”
The end.
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The Summer Unplugged Series is over, but Becca’s spinoff series has just begun! Find out what Becca did during that first summer when Bayleigh was grounded. Check out Summer Alone, part one of the Summer Series by Amy Sparling. Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N533V0K
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About the Author
Amy Sparling is the author of The Summer Unplugged Series, The Devin and Tobey Series, Deadbeat & other awesome books for younger teens. She also writes books for older teens and adults under the name Cheyanne Young.
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Website: http://www.AmySparling.com
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The Beginning of Forever
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
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
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author