All the Wrong Reasons: When something so wrong can feel so right! (Destiny's Games Book 1)

by Jerilee Kaye

  She stared up at her husband. “Actually…yes. I think making love to me is on your mind all the time,” she whispered to him in a challenging tone.

  Justin stared at her for a moment, his eyes dancing as he carried her in his arms. Then he grinned. “Then you know me too well, my wife.”

  She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her effortlessly towards the venue of the reception. Even with her big, heavy dress, it seemed like Justin found her light as a feather.

  “My father called me last night,” he whispered.

  Adrienne looked up at him with wide eyes, anxiously waiting for him to continue.

  He smiled at her. “He finally apologized. He told me that he realized that my happiness is in fact more important to them. He promised that if we come home, they will meet you and accept you as my wife…no matter who you are. In fact… he said that you would be no one else to them, but my fiancée.”

  Adrienne smiled at him. She was truly happy. Justin had to go through hell just to make his parents understand that he wouldn’t bend to their will. That even if the nametag of being Adams Industries’ heir has been bestowed upon him, his heart is still his own and he still controlled his life.

  They reached the gates of the garden. Abi signaled them to wait outside and only enter when the gates open for their grand entrance as Mr. and Mrs. Justin Adams.

  Justin settled Adrienne down on her feet and they both straightened up their clothes. Music played on the other side and Adrienne could hear cheers of people. To her, it sounded like more than five people had come to the reception.

  She stared up at Justin and he grinned at her.

  “I told my parents, by the way, that they shouldn’t accept you as my fiancée…they should actually love you as their daughter-in-law.”

  “And?” Adrienne asked anxiously.

  Justin shrugged. “They said as long as I am happy…they will be happy.” Then Justin added, “With that, I didn’t really see the point of not inviting them to the wedding. But with the late notice, they could only make it to the reception.

  Adrienne’s eyes widened. “What?”

  But before Justin could answer the door in front of them opened, revealing them to everyone. Justin took her arm and led her into the garden that held a huge canopy with three impeccably set tables which included tall centerpieces made of roses. Around the canopy stood more pots full of roses that made the scene look from afar like they stood in a sea of roses. Jeweled butterflies flew over them, too, making the setup even more surreal.

  The music continued playing and their guests clapped. Adrienne realized that there were more people in the reception than in the ceremony. River sat with Mason and Abi along with Mike and James, Justin’s friends from New York.

  Yuan and Jill sat at another table with Jada and her date. Beside them, Adrienne saw a familiar man, who looked at Adrienne with tears in his eyes. She gasped as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Justin saw her tears and instead of heading towards their seats, he led his wife to his father-in-law.

  “Sir,” he greeted Mr. Miller and extended his hand to his.

  Adrienne’s father shook his hand. Then he looked at his daughter and smiled.

  “Daddy,” Adrienne whispered. She lunged forward and hugged her father tightly. She knew she hadn’t yet forgiven him for what he did. Her mother probably still considered suing him. But none of that mattered now to Adrienne. She knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. She was still glad that her father had come to be with her…on her wedding day.

  “I’m so proud of you, Yen,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it to the wedding. Justin contacted me a couple of days ago and sent me tickets so I could come today. The flight, unfortunately, got delayed. Otherwise, I would have walked you down the aisle myself.”

  Adrienne nodded and wiped the tears in her eyes careful not smear her makeup. “It’s okay, Daddy,” she said. “I’m still glad you got here.”

  Her father turned to Justin. “Take care of her, okay?”

  Justin extended his hand to the older man again. “Yes, sir,” he said in a serious voice.

  Then Justin took her arm again. Adrienne thought he would lead her towards their table in the front center. But he led her to the table beside it where Justin’s parents sat.

  “Mom, Dad, may I present, Adrienne Adams, my wife,” he said.

  Adrienne stared at them nervously. Christine Adams had tears in her eyes when she lunged forward and hugged Adrienne. Then she looked into her eyes and smiled at her. “I’m sorry it took us a long time to meet you, dear. But thank you for loving my son, and making him happy.”

  Adrienne couldn’t find her voice. She just nodded and smiled at Justin’s Mom. Justin’s Dad shook her hand, gave her a nod of approval and said, “Welcome to the family, child.”

  “Thank you,” Adrienne said.

  As if Justin found contentment that his parents had become genuinely happy for him, he said, “Mom…Dad…” he started. “Do you know Adrienne’s maiden name?”

  Her parents looked at him blankly.

  Justin grinned. “When I met her, she was called Adrienne Miller,” he said. “But the name on her birth certificate is actually ‘Andrea… Andrea Blanc.’”

  His parents stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed with disbelief. Then they blinked back and looked at Adrienne and then back at Justin again.

  “But that’s…” his mother started saying.

  They were interrupted by a couple who just arrived, heading straight towards Justin’s parents, shaking their hands, and kissing their cheeks.

  “Congratulations. We’re sorry we’re late. There were some delays in our flights,” Adrienne’s mother said to Christine. Then she turned to Justin and shook his hand.

  Her eyes caught Adrienne’s and she stopped short on her tracks, her mouth dropping open.

  “Adrienne?” she asked.

  Adrienne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked at her mother.

  “Hi, Mom…” Adrienne whispered.

  Her mother opened her mouth to ask her something but at that moment, Abi announced on the microphone, “Ladies and gentlemen. Let’s give a round of applause to the new Mr. and Mrs. Adams as they dance for the first time as husband and wife!”

  Trust Abi to either have the best or the worst timing on Earth.

  Justin turned to their parents, who still looked like they didn’t know what hit them. “We’ll explain later. Just have a seat… and have fun knowing that we’re all one happy family now…just like the way you planned it,” he said. “Meanwhile, I need to dance with my lovely wife.” Then he took Adrienne’s arm and led her to the dance floor, leaving their parents at their table, still staring at them in shock, with their mouths hanging wide open.

  Ang Huling Kabanata

  Filipino for The Last Chapter

  Adrienne’s heart pounded loudly. She could almost not contain the happiness inside her, but somehow a part of her felt terrified about facing their parents, her mother, most especially. Their parents couldn’t be happier about this, but she also knew that they must have been planning their wedding long before she and Justin had met. And somehow, a part of her felt guilty about taking that dream away from them.

  She felt Justin tilt her chin up. “Are you okay, honey?” he asked gently.

  She smiled and nodded. “Nervous, though.”

  He smiled at her reassuringly. “They’re gonna be fine. They probably got the shock of their lives, but I’m sure they are happy nonetheless.”

  “They must be disappointed that they weren’t part of the whole wedding preparations.”

  Justin tightened his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Come to think of it, so were you. And only your opinion really matters to me.”

  “You know, in most weddings, the brides plan everything. All the groom needs to do is to show up.”

  “We’re not like most couples. And you must know now, I’m
not like most guys.”

  Adrienne couldn’t help reaching inside Justin’s coat to give him a pinch on the side of abdomen. “Conceited,” she whispered lovingly. But she knew it was true. Justin was one of a kind. When she thought he was a typical rich, pretty boy who didn’t believe in fairy tales, Justin was actually Prince Charming in real life.

  She stole a glance at their parents’ table. They were talking to each other and looking at their direction, doubtlessly, talking about them.

  Just then, Justin slowly pulled away from her. Her father stood next to him, cutting in for the traditional father and daughter dance.

  The minute she stepped into her fathers’ arms, tears welled up in her eyes. And she knew, no matter what happened between them, he remained her father. And she understood that maybe he did what he did for the wrong reasons, but it didn’t take away the fact that he also did it because he loved her a lot and couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. And that was more than enough for her to forgive him.

  “How are you Dad?” she asked.

  He took a deep breath before he responded. “Finally, after more than twenty-years, I am fixing my life,” he replied. He stared at her for a long moment. “I filed for a divorce.”

  Adrienne shook her head. “Dad…it’s okay. I forgive you. Mo…” She stopped short when she realized she didn’t know what to call her mother…her stepmom. She grew up calling her Mom, but now, it didn’t seem right knowing that she wasn’t really her mother… and she didn’t deserve to be called the same name she would call the woman who gave birth to her… the woman who searched for her and loved her all these years.

  “Marina,” her father stated, sensing her hesitation. “You should call her Marina, now that you know who your real mother is.”

  Adrienne nodded. “Dad, you don’t have to divorce her for me. She can’t hurt me anymore. I will not let you feel guilty about being happy with her.”

  Her father shook her head. “It’s not about guilt. It’s about doing what’s right. And finally, I am doing what I should have done a long time ago. I should have divorced her years ago, and not just because she treated you badly. But somehow, I couldn’t bear to take her away from you, knowing what I did to keep your real mother from finding you. But it’s all over now. There is no point in staying together.”

  “Kim…” Adrienne whispered. She knew that Kim might be devastated. He was the only father she knew.

  “Kim is old enough to live her own life. I will still be there for her if she needs me. But this won’t affect her as much as it would have if I divorced her mother fifteen years ago. And she had always known, anyway.”

  “I…I will support your decision, Dad. And I’ll always be there for you. I promise you will never lose me.”

  Tears welled up in her father’s eyes. “Thank you, Adrienne.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead again and then he hugged her. “Be happy for the rest of your life,” he whispered. “That would make me happiest.”

  The song ended and Adrienne was back in Justin’s arms again. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb and smiled at her. He didn’t say anything, but Adrienne knew that he knew what was in her heart at that moment. And she felt thankful that he gave her father a chance to be a part of their wedding…that he gave her a chance to realize the full contents of her heart no matter how difficult things had been because of what her father did to her.

  Soon Abi announced that it was time for dinner. Justin led Adrienne away from the crowd and into the entrance of a sitting room inside the manor.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked him.

  “I know you’re starving.” He chuckled.

  “Well, I should be eating for two now.”

  He laughed. “I know, honey. But our most important guests will not be able to enjoy their dinner until they get something off of their chests, so I figured let’s not prolong the agony any longer. And we have to do it in private.”

  Before Adrienne could say anything more, the door opened again and she watched her parents and Justin’s parents step inside, followed by Adrienne’s father.

  Her mother immediately went to her and gave her a hug. “My baby! How…how could this happen? You said you wanted to call off the arrangement. That you hated Justin. How could you have eloped with him?”

  “Okay, I think you better sit down, hon,” Justin said, leading her to one of the sofas in the middle of the room.

  Adrienne sat down and took a couple of deep breaths before turning to her mother. “Mom, remember when I told you that I had a boyfriend…who was arranged to be married to some heiress?” Her mother nodded. “Well, it turned out, I was that heiress. And Justin was also the boyfriend I told you about.”

  “Oh, God,” her mother breathed. Then she smiled widely. “Thank God! I thought you would never forgive me for this arrangement.”

  “And I thought Justin will forever curse us for making him miserable for the rest of his life,” Christine Adams said. “How…surreal!”

  “Wow. The chances of that happening were as good as…zero,” Pierre said.

  Justin’s father went to him and squeezed his shoulder. “Well, nevertheless, when you disappeared, we all realized that we were wrong to meddle in your lives. I know…this became just a lucky break that you two were already in love with each other. Otherwise, we were just forcing you to turn your backs away from your true loves because of some pact your grandfathers made to each other.”

  “So, before you found out who Adrienne really was, you meant what you said about accepting her into the family?” Justin asked.

  His father nodded. “Every word. Your happiness does come first, we realized, and it is more important to us than any promise your grandfather may have made.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Adrienne’s mother asked. “At the ball when you found out we had betrothed you to each other, why didn’t you come to tell us? Why did you elope?”

  Justin sighed. “Because I had already planned this wedding weeks before that night. It’s not about what you wanted. I wanted Adrienne to feel that I’d still marry her because it’s what I want more than anything in this life. And nothing has changed just because I found out she was your daughter.”

  Adrienne bit her lip, trying her best not to cry when she heard what Justin said. Even though she’d known Justin loved her more than anything, she still couldn’t help the tears in her eyes when she heard him say those words again…here in front of their parents who wanted nothing less than what’s best for them, even if it meant meddling with their marital choices.

  Just then, they heard Adrienne’s father say, “You…you arranged my daughter’s marriage?”

  Everybody in the room turned to him. After a few seconds, her mother had recovered from the shock of hearing his voice in the room. Adrienne realized that she was not aware that he just stood in the back listening to them.

  “You!” her mother said in a sharp voice. “You have the balls to show up here after all the misery you have caused me and my daughter?” She started walking towards him. “You should be lucky the police is not yet on their way here to chain you and lock you up for the rest of your sorry life!” Then she swung her arm and slapped her father on the face.

  Adrienne gasped. Nobody saw it coming. Maybe only her father did, but he did nothing to prevent that slap from hitting his cheek.

  “Mrs. Starck!” Justin exclaimed at the same time that Pierre yelled, “Jesus Christ, sweetheart!”

  Pierre rushed to her mother’s side in an instant, restraining her.

  “If it weren’t for you, Adrienne would have had a better life than what you gave her! Your wife would not have laid a finger on her!” her mother cried angrily, trying her best to get away from Pierre’s restraining arms.

  “If it weren’t for me, you would have arranged Adrienne’s wedding a long time ago.” Surprisingly, her father sounded calm. “It was just a sheer stroke of luck that she already fell in love with Justin when she found out about you.” />
  “Oh, please don’t you dare change the subject! This has nothing to do with the arranged marriage. I’m talking about the hell you put my daughter through when you kidnapped her! I would never have agreed for her to marry Justin if I didn’t know his family, if I didn’t know what kind of a man he is. But you…you made my daughter live with those bitches! You erased me from her life! You punished her for our mistakes! She suffered at your hands!” There was no stopping Ariana’s wrath. Adrienne knew that her father deserved it. But she couldn’t take it. This was not how she wanted her wedding to be.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and she suddenly felt weak. She leaned on Justin, who caught her firmly in his arms.

  “Please!” Justin said in a calm, albeit, loud and authoritative voice. Everybody stopped and turned to him. “With all due respect… this is hardly the time and place for you to discuss your past or what you intend to do with each other in the future. This is our wedding. And I don’t want my wife to remember the most important day of our lives like this. We wanted to share this moment with you because you are all equally important to us.”

  Nobody spoke after that. Pierre nodded apologetically at Justin. Adrienne’s mother gave her father one last murderous look before looking at Adrienne.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” Adrienne’s mother said. “And you are right, Justin. This is not how you or Adrienne should remember your wedding day.” She turned to Justin’s parents and said, “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

  Christine Adams waved her hand slightly. “You don’t have to apologize. We’re one big happy family now. We’re bound to know each other’s secrets and fight occasionally with each other.” She was positively beaming, like there was nothing in the world could ruin this day for her.