Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“Us succeed.” I kiss the corner of her mouth.
“Us.” She grins.
“I love you.” Those three words aren’t enough to explain the depths of what I feel for her, but it’s the best I’ve got at the moment.
She lifts up on her toes and presses her lips to mine. “I love you too. Now, let’s take a drive to look at this truck.” She pulls away and moves to slip into her shoes. She grabs her purse and goes to stand by the front door. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I take her hand in mine and lead her out to my truck.
On the way to the plant, we talk about advertising and things we’ll need, like flyers and business cards. Lena even suggested an ad in the local paper. She offered to go door to door to local businesses to pass out flyers. She’s one-hundred-percent behind me, and that’s got me feeling some sort of way. It has my chest so full it feels as though it might explode with gratitude and love.
I’m going to make this work. I’m going to make this a success, not for me, but for her, for us, and for our future children.
This is going to work.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Lena
Age Twenty-Two
My heart has a heaviness, but it also feels light as a feather. I know that’s contradicting, but let me explain.
Today is my wedding day.
The heaviness is from missing my father. He was supposed to be here with me today. It was supposed to be him who walked me down the aisle to the man I love. I’m missing him so much, and I know my mom is too. She’s taking his place. She’s walking me down the aisle. I was so worried about asking her, but with Stanley’s encouragement, I did it. It’s not that I was worried she would say no. I didn’t want to cause her more pain. He was the love of her life, and I know she misses him terribly every single day. I do, too, but knowing the love I have in my heart for Stanley, I can’t imagine the pain my mother has been dealing with since we lost Dad.
So yeah, there is a heaviness that sits on my chest, but the light-as-a-feather parts keep it from pulling me under with the pain of missing him. I’m marrying the love of my life. A man who took one look at me and knew I was meant to be his. A man who has never wavered in his devotion to me. A man who wants to give me his last name and build a life with me. A man I know, without a shadow of a doubt, my father would not only approve of, but he would have loved him as the son he never had. Of that, I’m certain.
“Your father would have loved him,” my mom says as if she can read my thoughts.
“I think so too.” I meet her watery gaze, the one that matches my own in the mirror as she stands behind me with her hands on my shoulders.
“You look beautiful, Lena. The most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
“Present company excluded,” I tease.
She smiles and shakes her head. “Your father would have said something similar, I’m sure.” She smiles. The pain of missing him is present in everything we do, but so is the love that we had for him and him for us. He’s here today with us. We both know it, even if we don’t say it.
“Yeah,” I agree, dabbing a tissue under my eye, trying to salvage my makeup.
“I’m so proud of you, Lena.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.” She clears her throat. “Now, let’s get you married. I’m sure Stanley is pacing at the altar.”
“I’m not late.”
She smiles. “Daughter dearest, the way he loves you—you could be twenty minutes early to the altar, and he would be there waiting.”
I laugh. “That’s a little much.”
“Do you not know the man you’re marrying?” she jokes.
Before I can reply, there’s a knock at the door. “Come in,” I call out. My future in-laws step into the room. They both rush to give me a hug and tell me how beautiful I look.
“Thank you,” I say, trying to fight my tears.
“Did he send you?” my mom asks. There’s amusement in her tone.
“We were headed to see our girl before, but yeah. He’s at the altar and has been for the last thirty minutes,” his mom confesses.
“But we still have fifteen minutes before the ceremony starts.” Even with my argument, I know Stanley. I know he wants this. I know he wants nothing more than for me to take his last name. This has been a long time coming. We’re both more than ready to start the next phase of our lives together.
My future father-in-law grins. “He’s just ready to marry you, Lena.”