“No, I’m fine.”
“Okay, here goes nothing.” Jenna grasped the free end she had pulled underneath Kris’s engagement ring and began pulling and unraveling the line. Not too fast and not too slow, but at a steady pace. She didn’t want the line to break or the ring to get stuck over Kris’s knuckle.
“I think it’s working,” Kris said.
Jenna continued unwinding. She let out the breath she had been holding as it moved past Kris’s knuckle. She unwrapped the rest fast and let the ring slide into her hand. She kissed the marks left behind on Kris’s finger from being wrapped with the line.
Jay, who had kept quiet, clapped and was soon joined by everyone else clapping. “Now, that we have overcome that little snafu, shall we continue?”
Jenna and Kris nodded.
“The engagement ring is a symbol of a promise to commit yourself to one another. Now that the commitment has been finalized here today and the promise fulfilled, please place the engagement ring on Kris’s finger over her wedding band. The engagement ring will serve as a symbol of the love the two of you share and will sit above her wedding band to shield and sustain your marriage indefinitely.
“I know you are eager to end the ceremony and move on to the honeymoon phase, but I just have a few more words to say. Please face each other again, and continue to hold hands.”
Jenna and Kris laughed, as did everyone else. She took both of Kris’s hands in hers. She rubbed her right thumb over the new wedding band underneath the engagement ring. It was still surreal to her that she, for the most part, was a married woman now. Jay began speaking again and she looked over at him. Kris squeezed her hands and she looked back to her. Her tears and emotions began to resurface while she looked into Kris’s eyes.
“May these rings be a symbol of your abiding love for each other and may you live in love, tolerance, and gentleness always. It is my hope that as you go out to face the challenges of life with its sometimes sweet and sometimes painful struggle, that your marriage will always be a refuse of strength and love, and may you always keep peace in your hearts. Jenna and Kris, may you find happiness and satisfaction in each other. May your daily problems never cause undue anxiety.
“Would you please each take a bottle of sand. Today your separate lives have come together. The two separate bottles of different colored sand symbolize your separate lives and separate families. They represent your past as well as your future as an individual. Go ahead and pour the sand into the third container.”
They each took turns pouring in equal amounts of colored sand into the bottle, sometimes pouring at the same time.
“As these two containers of sand are poured into the third glass bottle the individual grains will be joined together as one. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and returned to their individual containers, so will your marriage be. Please turn and face your friends and family.”
They turned and looked out at everyone who had come to celebrate the day with them, which was turning out to be longer than Jenna had anticipated, but she was in no rush. Some had tears in their eyes while others were busy wiping their tears that had already escaped. Others had smiles. Her mother smiled and dabbed the tears from her eyes. With her own excitement, she had forgotten about her mother being there. Kris grabbed her hand and squeezed it, giving her a questioning look. Jenna smiled at her and nodded her answer to Kris’s unspoken question.
“Jenna and Kris stand here in front of those they love and who love them. Some of you have had a part in raising them, teaching them, and supporting them. They are who they are because of you. They have learned what love is and how to love someone. Because of your gifts of love and encouragement, they are able to come together today full of endless wealth and knowledge they have received from you in spirit, time, and love, and to return it not just to you and themselves, but also to the memory of loved ones who have passed and are here today in spirit. Because of that, on behalf of Jenna and Kris, they would like me to simply say thank you.”
They blew a kiss out into the crowd.
“Face each other once more. Jenna and Kris, I have heard your promise to share your lives together. I recognize and respect the covenant you have made here this day. Marriage is held together not by the authority of the State, nor the seal on your wedding certificate, but by the strength and power of the faith and love you have in one another. It is my honor and pleasure to introduce you as spouses for life. These whom love hath joined together, let no one put asunder. Please show your love and support for Ms. Jenna Harper and Ms. Kristen Harper as they seal their marriage covenant with a kiss.”
Without any hesitation, Jenna wrapped her arms around Kris and kissed the soft lips of her wife for the first time. It felt the same, yet different. They were now legally married and committed to each other for eternity.
“I love you, Ms. Jenna Harper.”
“I love you, Ms. Kristen Harper.”
Jenna took Kris’s hand in hers and walked down the aisle. She stopped to take Jax’s leash so he could walk with them. This was her family now.
Everyone threw rainbow sprinkles at them as they walked. It was Jenna’s idea because of the ice cream they had shared at the park. When they reached the end, Jenna stopped in front of her mother. “Thanks, for coming today. It meant a lot to both of us.”
Her mother kissed them both on the cheek. “You two make a beautiful couple. Welcome to the family, Kris.”
“Thank you. We’re glad you could come,” Kris said.
“Me too. Now, go on. We’ll talk later.”
They continued walking hand-in-hand until they reached the ice cream stand. They had paid in advance for everyone to have free ice cream and made sure there were plenty of rainbow sprinkles left. They ordered a cone to share and walked over to their bench. Jenna watched Kris eat it with the same enthusiasm she had over three years ago.
Kris passed the cone to Jenna, and she licked a perfect circle around it.
“Mmmm, save some of that for me tonight,” Kris said.
“No worries, my beautiful wife. No worries.” Jenna’s life, their lives, had come full circle. They married in the park were her feelings first started surfacing, and they had moved back into Kris’s old house and were putting their own touch on it. The future was theirs for the taking, and she couldn’t wait to see what was in store.
***
THE END
Please leave a review for Jenna’s Future on Amazon and also Goodreads if you are a member. Thanks!
Hidden Perception
Kayce Asher is the Creative Director for Emerson Thurgood in New York. After her last relationship, she’s more than a little hesitant about dating again. Texanna Dilworth is a photographer who is the complete opposite of Kayce…tattoos, tomboyish, outspoken, and not afraid of letting her know she’s interested. Just when she’s willing to give Tex a chance after a trip to Provincetown, someone turns Kayce’s life upside down. Her time is divided between her budding romance with Tex, her ex Lora who wants her back, and trying to figure out who’s stalking her and why. Sometimes we think we know someone, but we only know the perception they’ve created.
A suspenseful lesbian romance novel.
The first book in the series, Jenna’s Awakening, is available on Amazon
Jenna’s Awakening is Book One of the Dr. Jenna Harper Series.
When southerner Dr. Jenna Harper arrived in a small town in New England, she only had one thing on her mind. She wanted a new start for herself. She wanted a place to settle down and start her career. Dr. Harper was soft-spoken, but she had a hard shell around her heart. She had completely closed herself off from love and threw herself 100% into her work. She believed that was one of the things that had gotten her to the top of her field so quickly.
Little did she know, the fortress she had built around her love life was about to be crushed by someone she would have least expected, another woman. Kristen Fletcher awakens thoughts and desires within Dr. Harper that she had
never known existed. Unfortunately, Dr. Harper has no idea how long she will be in town. She has to battle the conflict of pursuing her newfound love or staying grounded in the reality that she may have to leave soon.
If you would like to read more, grab your copy of Jenna’s Awakening here: Available on Amazon
The second book in the series, Jenna’s Closure, is available on Amazon
Jenna’s Closure is Book Two of the Dr. Jenna Harper Series, which picks up the pace with added suspense and continues where Jenna’s Awakening, Book One, left off.
Dr. Jenna Harper thought she had finally found happiness. She had permanently settled down with a secure position at the hospital. She had purchased her first home, which she was sharing with the love of her life. Who knew one leisurely trip to the beach could turn her life upside down?
Will Jenna’s new relationship be able to survive a brush with fame, forbidden temptations, and someone determined to tear it apart? Sometimes people change, but it isn’t always for the better. Jenna’s future depends on the events and actions of that one day, which will have a lasting impact on the rest of her life. It all comes down to one day and the chain of events that ensue. Not everyone gets to enjoy a fairytale ending.
If you would like to read more, grab your copy of Jenna’s Closure here: Available on Amazon
***
Missy Redstone lives in New Hampshire with her wife. They met in college and have been together nearly 20 years. They share their home with two cats and a dog. She spends her days daydreaming about her next book waiting for her characters to tell their story. She falls to sleep thinking about her characters and how they interact. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her wife exploring the natural beauty of New Hampshire as well as Maine and Massachusetts.
Missy loves photography and star gazing, although it gets pretty cold in New England on those clear winter nights. She is a self-proclaimed geek who loves technology and has become an Apple fangirl at heart. She is from North Carolina, but loves the snowy winters of the North. There is something peaceful about enjoying your coffee in the morning with a good book in your hands surrounded by the ones you love with a fresh blanket of snow covering nature outside.
Keep up to date with the latest news and upcoming books, sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/3sErn
Please leave a review for Jenna’s Future on Amazon and also Goodreads if you are a member. Thanks!
Other Books
Jenna’s Awakening (Book One)
Jenna’s Closure (Book Two)
Hidden Perception
Email: [email protected]
Website: LesbianCoupleLife.com
Twitter: MissyRedstone and/or LezCoupleLife
Facebook: MissyRedstone and/or LezCoupleLife
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Jenna's Future (Dr. Jenna Harper Series Book 3) Page 16
