Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I grab his face. I have to stop myself from shaking him. “No, you don’t.”
“I do. I can’t ask you to take this on. It’s not fair.”
I grip his shoulders, force him to meet my gaze. “I’ll tell you what’s not fair, Ben. It’s this. You thinking you have to do something noble and let me go. I won’t allow it.”
He digs gaze eyes into me sadly. “God, I love you. I never even imagined loving someone the way I love you.”
“And I love you!”
“You don’t know me. You didn’t know me when you fell in love with me.”
“But I did.” I squeeze my fingers harder into his shoulders. “Do you think this changes who you truly are? What kind of man you are? It was different with you from the beginning. You were gentle with me, but you didn’t coddle me. You helped me find my strength again. Now let me help you find yours.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t give you what you deserve.”
“I deserve to be with the man I love.”
Ben sighs. “He doesn’t exist, Tessa.”
“You’re wrong. He does exist. He’s gentle when he needs to be, but his strength is unequaled. He’s kind and giving and the smartest man I know.”
“A smart man wouldn’t—”
“Do something stupid when he was a kid?” I draw in a breath. “Damn it, Ben, we’ve all done stupid shit. I went back to Garrett Ramirez when I knew better. I could have saved myself a lot of headache and heartache if I hadn’t. I wish I could take this all away for you. I wish I could go back in time and knock some sense into your head that day. But I can’t. It is what it is, and you have to live with it. You’ve been living with it all this time. It will never go away, but the burden will lessen.”
A tear slides down his stubbled cheek. “It’s unreal how much I fucking love you, Tessa.”
I slap his shoulder. “Then fight for us, damn it! Take what the world is going to throw at you, and I swear to God, I’ll be right by your side. Just like you’ve been beside me to help me fight my demons, I’ll stand by you as you take on yours.” I place my hand on his chest. “Your heart still beats, Ben Black. Your heart still beats. And so does mine.”
I kiss him. Hard and raw and passionately.
He stands, lifting me in his arms, and he carries me out of his living room and into another bedroom that isn’t cluttered with garbage.
He lays me gently on the bed, hovers over me, gazes into my eyes. “Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more…”
I push his hair over his forehead. “And I love you just as much. Always, Ben. Always.”
Epilogue
Tessa
“Do you, Skye Margaret Manning, take Braden Robert Black to be your husband? In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
Skye turns to me, and I hand her the thick gold band. The glint of my own engagement ring catches the light of the candle.
Braden spared absolutely no expense on the wedding to the love of his life. We’re at a sprawling estate with manicured gardens and a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean.
The wedding party is standing under towering arches of fresh flowers, painstakingly arranged in hues of ivory, blush, and sprayed gold. A red carpet, lined with crystal-studded pillars, led all of us to the marble altar. A canopy of white silk billows over us, held in place by crystal chandeliers that reflect the golden candlelight. The chairs for the guests are draped in satin and adorned with custom-made gold cushions monogrammed with the initials BB or SM, depending on which side they’re on.
A string quartet is poised to play the recession music the second the officiant declares them husband and wife. They’re off to the side on a small platform embellished with gilded accents and surrounded by towering floral sculptures. The whole thing feels like a fairy tale.
Skye slips the ring on Braden’s left ring finger.
“Now, by the power invested in me by the State of Massachusetts, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
Thunderous applause echoes throughout the church as Skye and Braden turn to face their guests.
“It gives me great honor to present to you, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Braden Black!”
The organ and string quartet leap into the “Trumpet Voluntary,” and Skye and Braden make their way down the aisle.
Ben holds out his tuxedo-clad arm, and I take it, smiling up at him.
“Wasn’t it beautiful?” I say. “All those gorgeous flowers, and the music of the string quartet. I had to force myself not to cry.”
“Not nearly half as beautiful as ours will be, baby.” He kisses my left hand.