Dear California (Martin Family Book 2)
Page 14
"I love you, too, Olivia," he said with an easy smile. "And don’t feel like you need to explain what we're doing or make excuses. Everyone else can live their own lives, and we can live ours." He squeezed me. "We can set up shop right here. We'll probably have some boys, running around here breaking stuff before too long."
I laughed. "With their cousin, Lane," I said. I felt shy after I said it, like he was being vague, and I got too specific.
I cringed, but Cole just laughed and said, "Oh man, if we all had boys, they'd be all over these woods."
Epilogue
Cole and I decided to get married at his parent's house. They had a picturesque waterfront area that they had been adding to for years, and it would be a beautiful but discrete place for us to celebrate with a few friends and some family. We planned it for the following week so that my parents and siblings could get there to celebrate with us.
As unbelievable as it sounds, there were still places that have traditional Cajun dances for breakfast. These happened every weekend, so we decided to plan our wedding around it. We thought we'd say our vows in the morning hours down by the water, and head out for breakfast and Cajun dancing afterward. We called ahead and told the place we'd be bringing a party of thirty that coming Saturday, but they had no idea it was for the Martin/Torres wedding. We liked it that way.
We posted the video of Cole and me in New Orleans, and our fans were so swept away by the romance of it all that they forgot to totally hammer me about getting married so quickly. I probably got hammered a little bit (since that happened no matter what I did), but this wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated.
It was the evening before the wedding, and we were just leaving to eat dinner at Cole's parents' house. My brother and parents were staying there, and we were on our way to meet them all for dinner. Estela and Tyson stayed with us at Cole's house, but we didn't have room for any one else, so the others stayed with Cole's parents.
My family had been here for a full day already, and everyone was getting along well. I had my doubts about how they would take the news that we wanted to get married, but after an initial, "are you sure you want to do it this soon?" they all warmed up to the idea.
Tyson and Estela rode with Cole and me to Cole's parents' house for dinner. The house was full of people, and it wasn’t until they all stopped what they were doing and looked at us that it hit me they were here for us. Everyone in this house was gathered to celebrate my wedding. There were probably thirty pairs of eyes staring back at me, so I glanced at my sister, who stepped to the side and bowed as if presenting me.
Everyone whistled and cheered, and Cole did what any perfect man would do. He took me into his arms and placed a kiss on me so deeply that I had to bend over backwards, giggling and kissing him at the same time.
That dinner, and the rest of the weekend, was the most perfect, simple, Louisiana wedding I could have ever imagined. Cole set up a beach volleyball game for the afternoon of our wedding. My desire to see him play beach volleyball had become a running joke, and Cole took it upon himself to make my dreams a reality. The hilarious thing was that he really did look extremely good doing it—I had been right.
As if the volleyball game hadn't been enough, Cole got me a second wedding gift, and it was one I'd remember for the rest of my life.
He called it a reverse honeymoon.
Rather than go anywhere (which I was tired of doing) Cole gave me a week of nothing but us. He got all the supplies we'd need for a full week of seclusion. He said it was something they did in Bible times. He might have even told me the real name of it, but I liked reverse honeymoon, so that's what stuck in my head.
Cole's family lived right next door, so they would come to us if there was a problem, but we planned on not seeing or talking to another living soul until the week was over.
It was a wonderful experience.
We let the batteries of our phones die, and we unplugged the computer. We saw a few boats pass by when we were out on the dock, and we waved at them from a distance, but we didn't talk to anyone. I didn't realize how much I relied on my devices until I put them down for a week. That was an eye-opener.
That time with Cole is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. A lot happened in that week. We got to know each other spiritually, emotionally, and physically on levels that I didn't even know were possible. I was deeply in love, and felt thankful that I didn't chicken out and run away like I was tempted to do.
That week together did something amazing to the dynamics of our relationship. It was the equivalent to breaking in a baseball glove real fast with leather conditioner, and that trick where you put it in the freezer or sleep with it under your mattress. That week together broke us in in ways that some couples might not understand, even after years of marriage. I was changed when we left that house. I was Mrs. Martin, no doubt about it. Our week together made me feel stronger and more confident, like I was truly where I belonged and was ready to embrace it.
Cole and I went to his parents' house for dinner on the afternoon when we came out of seclusion. He had already warned me that the extended family would be joining us, so it didn't surprise me when five other vehicles were in the driveway when we pulled up.
"You two are precious!" Aunt Debbie said the instant we walked in.
"Oh my gosh, they are!" Wynn said. Then, in a singsong voice, she added, "They're glowing."
"My mom forbid me to go out to your land all week!" Amelia said as if tattling on her mother. "She wouldn't even let me go out there to borrow your boat even though I told her I wouldn't bother you."
"Your mama was doing right," Cole said. "We told her not to let y'all come over and bother us while we were doing adult things." He winked at his cousin, which made her scrunch up her face, causing us all to laugh.
"She's probably gonna have a baby in nine months," she said with wide eyes.
Cole and I looked at each other, and at the exact same time, we both smiled and shrugged as if we were both thinking that stranger things had happened.
The End
(till book 3)
Other titles available from Brooke St. James:
Another Shot:
A Modern-Day Ruth and Boaz Story
When Lightning Strikes
Something of a Storm (All in Good Time #1)
Someone Someday (All in Good Time #2)
Finally My Forever (Meant for Me #1)
Finally My Heart's Desire (Meant for Me #2)
Finally My Happy Ending (Meant for Me #3)
Shot by Cupid's Arrow
Dreams of Us
Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family #1)
Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family #2)
California's Calling (Hunt Family #3)
Back to the Beach (Hunt Family #4)
It's About Time (Hunt Family #5)
Loved Bayou (Martin Family #1)