Page 20 of Serenity & the Hermit
I grin, loving the way she just called me sis. “OK. I’m counting from now.”
Turning away, she disappears down the stairs, leaving me alone for the first time since I woke up this morning and started preparing and celebrating for this big moment.
Last night was the first night since we met that Dylan and I spent a part. In a way, it was probably a good thing, because I’ve been really struggling holding back sexually with him. I’ve never felt this way in my body before, and all I want—all I crave—is him. I know we’re supposed to hang about the bar after the ceremony and celebrate our marriage with our loved ones, but I’m kind of thinking it’ll be, “You can kiss the bride,” followed by the two of us rushing down the aisle and out the front door trying to get back to his cabin as fast as we can.
I giggle to myself, imagining the look on everyone's faces if we did that, and start counting down from five. When I reach one, I take a deep breath, square my shoulders and head downstairs.
As soon as I enter the main area of the bar, all eyes are on me, and I feel a wave of happiness wash over me as my brother steps in and offers his arm to walk me down the aisle. This is it. This is my moment. I’m about to say ‘I do’ to the one man I belong to.
When I reach Nelson at the front of the room, he takes my hands in his, his green eyes bright with love for me. “You look so beautiful, Serenity,” he whispers, and I flush with pleasure at his words.
”You clean up nice yourself,” I say, leaning in a little closer to whisper, “I can’t wait to become your wife.”
With a deep chuckle, he runs the pads of his thumbs against my knuckles. Then we both straighten, turning our attention to the pastor as he reads out those long-cherished words that bind Nelson and I in heart, body and soul, till death do us part.
”And do you, Nelson Valentine, take Fanny Longbottom to be your cherished wife?”the pastor says, needing to use my legal name for the sake of making our ceremony legitimate. There’s an obvious quieting in the room, but after a lifetime of living with then hiding from that name, I’m finally about to be rid of it. This final voicing of it out loud is my final goodbye, a shedding of the old me as I step toward this new and much more fulfilling life with the man I love.
“Why yes,” Nelson rumbles in that sexy way he does. “I do take Fanny Longbottom to be my cherished wife.”
“By the powers invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and—“
“Wife, yes, I know,” I gasp, launching myself at Nelson and slamming my mouth against his, luxuriating in my first kiss as a married woman. Of which I hope there’ll be many more.
“I love you so much, Serenity,” he says as we pull apart, surrounded by the applause of our family and friends.
“I love you too. I can’t believe I’m Mrs. Valentine now.”
“I can. Knew you’d take my name from the moment I saw you.”
“Oh yeah? Is that why you growled at me and walked away?”
He chuckles. “Didn’t say I accepted what I knew right away,” he says, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my ring finger, newly adorned with a sparkly diamond band. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Oh my god. Are you serious?”
“So serious I parked the truck right in front of the door.”
“Then yes,” I say. “Yes. I definitely want to get out of here with you. Please.”
“That’s my girl,” he says as he sweeps me up into his arms and grins. “I mean, that’s mywife.”
And with that, he carries me down the aisle, past the congratulations of everyone in attendance and right out the door. So far, married life is going exactly as expected.
NELSON
Idrive up the mountain as fast as is safely possible then pull up outside my—our—cabin and look over at Serenity. “I want this to be good for you, but this first time might be a little fast, OK? I’ve got a bit of build up.”
“It’s OK,” she says, her entire face and chest flushed with heat. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to take it slow, right?”
Reaching across the seats, I wrap my hand around the back of her head and pull her in close, slamming my mouth to hers and kissing her fast and rough. “Wait right there.”
Getting out of the truck, I rush around to her door and open it for her, scooping her into my arms so I can carry her into her new home the way a groom should.
“I can walk, you know.” She laughs.
“Oh, I know. But no bride of mine is stepping foot on the ground until I’ve carried her inside, stripped her bare on our bed and had my way with her.”
“OK then, carry away, my handsome husband,” she says, looping her arms around my neck.
