Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 101398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I nod eagerly, making Norah’s smile soften with affection.
“Norah, will you take Bennett to be your husband, through thick and thin, sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, until your dying breath?”
“I will,” Norah answers quickly, and my fingers spasm around hers.
“Bennett, how about you? Will you take Norah to be your wife, through thick and thin—”
“I will.”
“Bennett, I didn’t finish.”
“It doesn’t matter, Bob,” I say simply. “I’ll take Norah through anything.”
Norah licks at her lips as tears moisten her eyes, and I reach up to catch the first drop before it falls. “I love you, Norah.”
“I love you too, Bennett.”
Pastor Bob laughs. “Well, I’m not sure that you two need me here, but just in case, let’s do the rings, okay?”
Norah nods through a laugh, turning to Josie, and I turn to Clay to get my own. “Now, Norah, you’re going to slide your ring on Bennett’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Good. Now, Bennett, same to you. With this ring, I thee wed.”
“With this ring, I thee wed,” I repeat, sliding the ring, but stopping abruptly when I see it. Tattooed around Norah’s ring finger just like mine—Summer.
“Norah.” Her name is a whisper.
“I did it last night. I wanted to do it earlier, but I was afraid you’d see it and it’d spoil the surprise.”
I pull her body to mine, slamming our lips together in a kiss. She tastes perfect and feels perfect and is…perfect.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” Pastor Bob says so quickly the words practically run together. Lips dancing over Norah’s, I chuckle as her mouth pulls up into a laugh.
“Sorry, Bob. I just couldn’t wait a second more.”
The wait from the moment I saw her on that yellow bridge has been long enough.
Finally, Norah Ellis is officially my wife.
Norah
I dance and sing to myself as I finish washing my hands in the powder room, my cheeks filled with a perfect, happy glow.
I can’t help but notice how different this trip to the bathroom is from the one I had in a wedding dress a year ago.
The door bumps me in the butt as it closes behind me, and I laugh a little, my buzzed brain enjoying all the little things today.
As I make my way back outside, I take a minute to let all the goodness soak in. Bennett and Breezy are in the middle of the dance floor, swaying together with a sleeping Autumn in their arms.
Sheriff Peeler is flirting with Eileen Martin, of all people, and Betty and Earl are cutting one hell of a rug. Lil has found a group of old men to entertain over by the bar, and lover boy Lance has more than one teen girl hanging on his every word. It’s a perfect smattering of every walk of life and a reminder of the joy I feel living here every day.
The only people missing are two I’d never expect together, and that fact alone makes me feel suspicious in a way I can’t ignore. Walking the perimeter of the party slowly, I glance into the dark shadows with avid eyes, searching for my sister and the one man who always seems to be trying to get her attention these days.
It’s a moonless, star-filled night, though, and the bright lights of the party make it way harder to see than I expected.
On my third lap, I’m about to give up, but the sound of a slap gets my attention and does it right quick.
Searching the area of the sound, I finally catch a glimpse of Josie’s back and Clay’s surprised face, a trail of red lipstick on his lips.
Holy shit. Looks like I might not be the only Ellis to do the slap-and-kiss combo in this town.
I walk toward them carefully, ready to intervene if necessary, but I don’t make it more than a step and a half before the need to stop fills me right up.
“Dammit, Clay,” Josie whisper-yells, her heartbroken voice making me put a hand to my chest. “You can’t fix this. You can’t will it away. You can’t turn back time.”
“Jose—”
“No!” she snaps, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “After it happened, you kept right on living, but I’ll never be the same.”
I don’t know what’s going on, but I know one thing—it’s time Josie and I really talked about her divorce.
Time’s up, sis. It’s your turn to do the talking.
THE END