Chapter Seventeen
Ringing in the New Year…
December 31, 2013
The Ballroom at the Bell
All eyes were on Holly and Brant as their song began to play. “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago came over the loud speaker. They didn’t care who thought it was cheesy. It had always been their song and the words spoke volume to them. Holly and Brant laughed as they swayed around the dance floor, so relieved to finally be married again. There was nothing that anyone could say that would strip them of their bliss. The candlelit ambiance of the ballroom set a romantic mood for their reception. Round tables were neatly placed around the dance floor, where friends and family watched with excitement. Roman columns reached from floor to ceiling, but no part of the architecture was more impressive than the stain glass ceiling that stood above the dance floor. The moon’s beams shone through the red and blue glass casting Brant and Holly in a ghostly light.
Brant could no longer help himself. He stopped dancing and lifted Holly up to his height, holding her tightly against him. He kissed her passionately as their fingers softly caressed each other’s skin. The crowd clinked their glasses, begging for more from the happy couple.
*****
The music was jumping from the speakers, and the dance floor was at maximum capacity. When Sloane said she knew how to throw a party, she wasn’t kidding. Brant was leaning casually against the bar with Luke and Marv as they watched Holly and Sloane dance.
“Feeling better, now?” Luke asked.
Brant couldn’t hide his smile. He held out his hand for Luke to shake, but Luke pulled him into a hug and patted him hard on the back.
“I’m happy for you both. Keep her. She’s a good girl,” said Luke with a warm smile. Brant shook his head in agreement.
“Oh, by the way…” Luke said to Brant as he pulled a set of keys and a piece of paper out of his pants pocket.
“A gift.”
Brant looked at the piece of paper with a puzzled look on his face. The note read:
1680 Rt. 80,
Wallford, PA
“That’s your cabin up the mountains…”
“Yeah, take it for a week. Sloane and I will take care of the kids.”
“Wow! Wait til I tell her! Thank you so much!”
“Not a problem. I’m happy that you guys are happy,” said Luke honestly.
Marv looked at Luke with a mischevious look to his face. “What if I’m not happy? Will you send me to the woods for a week?”
Luke replied with a smirk, “If I send you and Gloria up the mountains for a week, there might not be a cabin left!”
Suddenly the DJ came over the loud speaker and announced, “Okay folks, the beckoning hour is upon us! Only three minutes til midnight! Everybody find a partner to ring in the new year!”
Brant and Luke made their way over to Holly and Sloane. Holly hugged Brant tight as the countdown began.
“Alright, here we go! The ball is on the move! 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2- Happy New Year!”
As “Auld Lang Syne” played out over the crowd, and the party guests celebrated with glee, a feeling of complete calm washed over Holly and Brant. Their new life had begun and they had left the past behind them. Holly rested her head against Brant’s chest as she closed her eyes.
She was home at last.
Chapter Eighteen
The Ever After…
Gina’s Diner
South Philly
January 13, 2014
After two weeks of wedded bliss, Brant and Holly were still on cloud nine. Immediately after the wedding they packed for the mountains and left on New Year’s Day. It was a much needed retreat from the craziness of the week leading up the wedding. Everyone had such a wonderful time at the wedding, and they couldn’t thank Sloane enough for her extreme generosity. Gloria had decided that she had enough of the single life in Boston, and is now shacking up with Marv, who is pleased as punch. Tressa, Randy and Belle couldn’t be happier that their parents had reunited. The only downside in their eyes were the tightened rules that were enforced by Brant. The kids were finding it tougher to bend the rules.
Brant had returned to work, but fortunately it was a much more family-friendly gig than he had in the past. He now wrote white page reports for an engineering periodical, which happened to pay remarkably well. Holly decided to take a leave of absence while everyone got settled again. Brant begged her to quit her job, but she didn’t know if she wanted to have that much free time on her hands.
*****
Holly didn’t feel like cooking dinner, and Brant was a disaster in the kitchen unless it was eggs, so they decided to eat out at Gina’s diner. Gina’s diner is a tiny little greasy spoon diner, which is located right around the corner from Marv’s house. Holly, Brant and the kids piled into a booth by the window as they looked over the menu and decided what they wanted to eat for dinner. Tressa asked for a quarter to put in the juke box that sat on the end of their table. Brant reached into his jean pocket and gave her one.
“Mom, what should I play?”
Holly looked at the catalog of songs on the jukebox as a sneaky smile formed on her face. She found one that she thought was appropriate.
“G14.”
“Okay! I never heard of that one,” said Tressa.
“You’ll have to ask Grampa Marv about it.”
A waitress came along with five glasses of water. “What can I get y’all to drink?”
Brant told the waitress what they wanted, as she scribbled it down onto her notepad.
“Okay, your waiter will be right up.”
Less than a minute later, their waiter arrived, and Holly’s eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out of her head. It was none other than Chris Beckman. Suddenly, Holly’s song choice blared from the juke box: “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels. Brant could hardly contain his laughter. Chris took one look at Brant and it looked like he wanted to die on the spot.
“Uhh… What can I get you all?” he asked, sounding sheepish and embarassed.
“Another waiter please,” said Holly sternly giving Chris a firm look. Chris skulked off to the kitchen and was quickly replaced with their original waitress who had took their drink order.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen, thought Brant as he laughed to himself. Chris used to work with him at Senticore, but after his arrest back on December 30th, he was canned. Now he worked as a waiter in a greasy spoon. Brant shook his head. Maybe there was such a thing as karma.
Suddenly, the front door of Gina’s diner swung open and Sloane walked in looking very excited. Following behind her was a much calmer but still happy looking Luke, who was holding her hand.
“Woman!” said Sloane happily as she kissed Holly on the cheek. She continued, “Have I got news for you!”
Holly looked surprised to see her friend, but moreso, she wanted to hear Sloane’s news.
“We’re engaged!” Sloane and Luke happily announced.
“What?! That’s amazing!” yelled Holly. Brant simply gave Luke a high five. He knew he was going to ask her.
“Looks like we have another wedding to plan!”
*****
December and January provided some important lessons for the Edgemont family, but none moreso than this:
Romance is not a constant byproduct of love. Real love is standing by one another and supporting each other through the good times and the bad. We all make mistakes, but the important thing is that we learn from them and move onto a more positive path.
Brant and Holly had done just that. Their family was complete, and they were stronger than ever. They were more at home together than they were apart.
In the following months, as they grew accustomed to living together again and being married again, there were bumps, but it was nothing that they couldn’t overcome together. Holly and Brant fought through the storm, and waited through the rain for the sun to shine again.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I wou
ld like to thank my husband, Edwin for his patience, support and love. I would like to thank my children for providing endless hours of entertainment and wonder. A huge thanks is owed to my beta readers Shannon and Lauren. Without your support, persistance, and encouragement, Brant and Holly’s story would probably have never come to light. Finally, thank you so much to my readers, I hope you enjoyed book one in the Love On Edge series! Book two which is being called Mark My Words will be available in Spring 2014.
About The Author
Down To You was written by A.C. Haury under the pen name Addison Kline. Haury previous published a mystery/suspense novel titled Shadows of Morrow and a collection of poetry titled Scarlet Awakening. She is a Philadelphia-based independent author who lives with her husband and their sons. Her upcoming works include O’Mara and the Bone Tree, which is book two in the Elkhart Case File Mystery series, and book two in the Love On Edge series titled Mark My Words.
Down To You (The Love On Edge Series) Page 11
