The rest of the bachelor party rushed to Allen’s side. Walker scurried around on the ground, looking dazed from his beating. Allen stepped in and kicked him on the side.
“Stop!” I yelled. Allen looked at me, calmed for a moment, and helped me off the concrete.
“I’m sorry,” he said, softly. “I was livid that he did that to you.”
“I’m going,” Walker said with his hands in the air. He stood up from the driveway and stepped backward toward his car. Once he climbed inside, he didn’t bother to look back at me. Instead, he scurried away like the cockroach that he was.
Then my focus moved back to Allen, who wrapped his arms around me. Suddenly, I started to cry. It wasn’t out of the pain swelling on my face, or my crushed pride, or even the deceit I faced from Walker. I was just so content being held by a man who truly cared about me.
Wedding Day
My arm was wrapped tightly around Allen’s as we stepped down the rows of people. I could hear the trickle of water from the creek behind the altar as it moved through the valley.
A gentle spring breeze floated purposefully through the air. The gust danced through the hair of the cellist who played softly as everyone stood from the seats. It touched the blush colored fabric of my dress Allen and I parted ways to stand next to the altar.
When Mairead came down the center of the aisle, the breeze continues to do its job. Gracefully, it lifted her white chiffon off of the ground and billowed tenderly back on the runner along the grass.
The ceremony was quaint with about sixty people– which, for our town, was miniscule. Originally, Cade wanted to be married overlooking the valley from a high mountain. Mairead, on the other hand, wanted something closer to the ground.
She and Alice found a spot near a creek bed. Because it was spring, the flowers were in bloom along the grass and the trees had full foliage. Being two of the most amazing people I would ever know, the ceremony seemed to fit Mairead and Cade to perfection.
As she stepped down the aisle, Mairead looked like the most stunning flower in the field. Her uncle Tim had his arm wrapped tightly around hers, and she carried a locket her neck with her late mother’s photo inside of it. My shift changed to Cade whose eyes were pink with tears. Everyone around was speechless.
“By the power vested in me,” the priest said after the couple exchanged vows. “I pronounce you husband and wife; you may now kiss the bride.” Cade embraced his beautiful wife and kissed her sweetly on the lips.
I felt my vision blur as a tear raced down my face. There wasn’t a spot in my heart that wasn’t overjoyed with their love. I noticed someone looking at me from across the altar. It was Allen Dunbar, who looked handsome as ever in a black tuxedo.
After Cade and Mairead walked down back down the aisle, I followed suit. Allen and I linked arms again. I felt him press tighter into me and a tingling sensation flushed through my stomach.
“You better dance with me later,” Allen said with a smile.
“I’m sorry, I’m all booked up,” I joked as we moved into place for the photographer.
“I guess I’ll have to take out a few more guys this week,” Allen joked.
“You’re my bodyguard!” I laughed. “So what are your plans after the wedding?”
“Finish this semester,” he said. “Then graduate.”
“Sounds like my plan,” I said.
“Yeah, but your plan doesn’t end up as happy as mine.”
“It doesn’t?”
“Nope,” he smiled.
“And why is that?”
“Because you don’t get to be the luckiest person after that.”
“And how are you going to be lucky?” I asked.
“If I ever see your face again, Jill,” he said as we stopped in our tracks. “That’ll make me the luckiest guy in the world.” The camera flashed, capturing one of our perfect first moments together.
Epilogue
There were many times in my life when I felt that love was my enemy. No matter which guy I met, I seemed to find a pitfall. When my situation became worse, I always thought of Mairead. She had overcome so much to be with her true love. I watched her set aside her own feelings and move with instinct. Suddenly, the path was clear.
I even witnessed Cade’s parents, Alice and Tim, become better people after accepting the relationship. For myself, I took it as a sign to keep going. There was someone out there for me. That person happened to be someone I had let go many years before.
After we had graduated college, Allen and I moved back to Mayville to live with our parents. It was the easiest choice so that we could spend time together and decide how to move forward. We didn’t stay there for much longer, and neither did Mairead and Cade. They moved to San Diego when Cade got a job as a sportscaster for the local news. A small furniture company hired Mairead to work as their client interior designer.
Allen and I decided to move to San Francisco. It was a much larger place than Mayville, but an animation company hired him to be their next great mind. In five years, Allen helped produce three films and won several awards. His next step will be directing.
I had a bad taste in my mouth from geology, so I decided to take a different path. Inspired from my high school days, I began working full time for a congressional candidate. Successfully, I helped her move from the underdog in the campaign to the winner. She offered me a job with her in Washington D.C., however, I declined so that I could spend more time with Allen.
The most surprising part, however, was who became pregnant first. Allen and I had our share of scares. Though I told him that I wanted to get married first, he assured me that we were ready for anything that life could toss our way. The bet was that Mairead would get pregnant within a year– however, Penny beat her to it.
Shortly after the wedding, Penny flirted with a former professor of hers online. She says that I didn’t inspire this, however, I knew how she operated. She flew back to her alma mater, they had sex in his office– which turned out to be her first time– and Penny subsequently became pregnant. Their little girl has crazy red hair just like her mother.
On the day of my twenty-fifth birthday, Allen made dinner reservations at one of my favorite restaurants near the water. We had a private dining table in a dark room. All I could see was a tiny table near the window with a candle in the middle. Just as we stepped in the room, the lights came on around us. All of our loved ones surprised me there, ready to wish me a happy birthday.
My parents, Mairead, Cade, their parents, Penny and her new family, and Allen’s side were all in the room. We had an amazing dinner, and after I had opened all of my presents, Allen dropped down onto his knee. I froze as he asked me to marry him in a gathering of our loved ones. Not a moment was spared before I told him yes.
The room filled with applause as he kissed me on the lips. “I love you, Jill,” Allen said to me no less than a hundred times that night. After each one, I said that I loved him back. Suddenly, I remembered the heartache, the triumphs, and the love I felt after high school. Everyone had come so far to be where he or she was on that day. As Allen and I kissed, and the cameras flashed, it all seemed that my string of bad luck in college had happened for a very beautiful reason.
The End.
A million thanks for reading this series! I cannot accurately describe how happy it makes me feel that you’ve done so. If you have enjoyed this book, please write a review on Amazon. More to come!
-Lauren
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About the Author
Lauren Branford has traveled the world, meeting people from all walks of life. For Miss Branford, writing is more than expressive, it is liberating. Scribing subjects on matters that society has deemed racy and prohibited are the most delicious treats from her library.
Lauren Branford currently holds residence in California.
New Series Coming Febr
uary 2015!
Her Forbidden Love (Forbidden Ties Sequel) (Forbidden Ties Series Book 3) Page 4
