My Salvation
Page 23
She didn’t want to do a traditional reception where there was a first dance, father-daughter dance, et cetera. Instead they were going to serve dinner, have the band play throughout and guests could dance whenever they liked.
After dinner and a slow dance, she asked if they could step inside quick. She wanted to give him his wedding gift. They went to the bedroom where she handed him a long, silver box with a yellow ribbon wrapped on it. He shook the box, trying to figure out what was inside.
Cali was beaming. “Just open it.”
He untied the ribbon and pulled the lid off. Inside, nestled among white tissue paper, was something that caused him to stop breathing. Looking from the box to Cali and back again, he couldn’t believe what he saw. One more glance at her and she nodded with a huge smile on her face.
In the box in the palm of his hand was a white pregnancy test with two very pink lines. Next to the lines was a picture stating that two lines meant pregnant. He couldn’t believe it.
“How … when?”
“Do you remember about a month ago when I was sick and the doctor gave me an antibiotic?”
“Yeah,” he said.
“The antibiotic makes the birth control ineffective. I forgot and well, here we are.”
Sitting the box on the bed, he dropped to his knees and rested his cheek on her stomach. His hands held her hips and thumbs rubbed the delicate fabric of her dress
“I take it you’re happy?” she asked.
Leaning on his feet, he looked into her eyes. He was choked up again, for the second time that day. Not trusting his voice, he nodded and hoped the expression on his face conveyed his emotions. She combed her fingers through his hair and his cheek returned to her belly.
“I went to the doctor before we left to confirm the pregnancy and make sure I could travel. He said flying isn’t a problem and confirmed I am pregnant. I had blood drawn. So far everything looks good.”
He stood and kissed her, their tongues meeting. She pushed away from him. “Don’t start,” she said with a smile on her face. “We will have plenty of time for that later. Right now we have a yard full of guests who are probably wondering where we went.”
“They’re fine. They have music, food and liquor. Nothing else is needed.”
“Yes, the bride and groom are. Now let’s go Mr. Matthews.”
Trailing behind her through the house, he groaned. Before going outside, he spun her in his arms. “It just occurred to me that you are no longer Ms. Crawford. You are now Mrs. Matthews and I fucking love how it sounds.”
He kissed her again. She mumbled against his lips, “I love the sound of that, too.”
“Now you’re officially mine.”
“Yes I am.”
They returned to the tent and went to the dance floor. Taking his bride into his arms, he kissed her and swayed to the music. He knew he couldn’t say anything about the pregnancy yet, but still wanted to grab the microphone the band was using and shout it to everyone. Excited didn’t even begin to describe how he was feeling.
It truly was the best day of his life. He had the most amazing woman and she was carrying his child. Inside of her was a tiny life that would feel love like no other. A little baby who would be cherished and never want for anything. He couldn’t wait to spoil their child and knew without a doubt Cali was going to be beautiful pregnant.
They said goodbye to their guests in the early hours of the morning. Only a handful of people were staying at their home. The rest had rooms at a resort nearby.
He swept her up into his arms before walking through the doorway of the house. He carried her to their bedroom before gently placing her on the bed.
“You, my beautiful wife, are going to be made love to until you are no longer able to stand. I want you screaming my name all night long.”
“Mmm … sounds like a great idea to me.”
She asked him to help get her wedding dress off and went into the bathroom to unpin her hair. He heard her brushing her teeth, but then another noise was heard. He opened the door to see her on the floor huddled over the toilet, throwing up.
“And so it begins,” he said, before walking to her side. Crouching on the floor next her, he gathered her hair from her face and rubbed her back.
Once she had emptied the contents of her stomach, he carried her to bed. Stripping down, he lay beside her. She lifted the blankets to cover them and cuddled against him.
“You are always rescuing me, Owen. From the time we started dating, you have always been my salvation. The one constant in my life. The person I could rely on that has been with me through every high and low. Thank you for always being there.”
“You have that wrong, Caliana. You are the one who saved me.”
He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before she fell asleep in his arms. It wasn’t the way he had thought his wedding night would end, but it was perfect nonetheless.
~ Acknowledgements ~
I wrote a book! I can’t believe it! There is no way I would have been able to do so without the love and support of my family and friends.
My husband, children and family have been an amazing support system. My husband has put up with so much from me. Long nights, taking care of the kids, encouraging me to keep going, he’s done it all. I wouldn’t have been able to write this book without him. I love you all and thank you for everything!
My friends, you have been AMAZING! You’ve been by my side, cheering me on, answering my questions, being the best friends I could ever ask for. Angel, Ann Marie, Kim, Shannon, Alexis, Erica, Kelley, Steph S., Jen, Lea, Dana, Rebecca, Rachel, Karen, Estella, T.K., JM, Tricia D., Kelli and Stefanie L., I love you all and thank you for everything!
T.J., thank you for everything. You have taught me so much and I am very grateful.
Sara, thank you for the beautiful pictures on my cover. You are fantastic!
Sommer, thank you for your amazing design skills and putting up with me.
Ellie, Riane and Shannon, thank you for all you’ve done for me. I truly appreciate it. You swooped in and saved the day.
Bloggers, what you do helps authors beyond measure. Thank you for supporting me and every other author out there. I know how hard your job is, I’m a blogger too. Thank you!
Oh and Shannon, Owen is yours.
~ A note from Michelle Dare... ~
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Indie authors value the support of our readers. Word of mouth and book reviews go a long way. Please leave a review when you’ve finished reading. Not just for my book, but every book. It doesn’t have to be long, a few sentences will do. Every single review helps and is appreciated.
~ About the Author ~
Michelle Dare is a Jersey girl living over the border in Pennsylvania. She started out as a reader, then became a book blogger. She loves the book community and thought to try her hand at writing. Her first book, My Salvation, is a contemporary romance.
She is a married mom with two wonderful children and a German Shepherd, who she considers her third child. She is a lover of books, music and movies. Her favorite band is Maroon 5 and has too many favorite movies to list. Paranormal romance is her favorite genre to read.
If you would like to connect with the author, you can find her at the sites below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichelledare
Website: http://michelledare.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelle_dare
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/michelledare
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