She screamed loudly as she twisted around and hugged me tightly. She kissed me hard on the mouth and began shouting to the sky. “Yes! Yes!”
Then she started laughing and her laughter was mixed with tears.
“Baby, you just made me the happiest man in the world,” I said.
I kissed her again and then I put the ring on her finger. Then we embraced, holding each other, kissing, and under the bright light of the moon in that hot Jacuzzi we made sweet love.
This was the beginning of a world that I never thought I would have again. I never knew I could be this happy again. And for the first time in a long time I was very optimistic about the future.
We left the cabin two days later and went back to our normal lives. On the way we stopped and picked up Bobby. We told my mother and Bobby that we were planning to get married. My mother was thrilled. Little Bobby was a little confused, but we sat him down and Teri explained everything to him so sweetly.
“Honey, your daddy loves me and I love him. And he has asked me to marry him. I said yes. Would that be ok with you? It would mean that I would live with you and daddy all the time.”
“You my new mommy?”
“I’ll never replace your mommy. You will always love her and have her in your heart, but I will always be there for you as your friend and anything you ever need I will be there, too. Ok, sweetie?”
“Ok,” Bobby said with a big smile. He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the cheek. It warmed my heart and I had to fight back the tears. In time Bobby would begin to call Teri his mother, and she accepted that rule perfectly. She loved it; she loved him. And he loved her as well. But we made sure he never forgot his biological mother. He always had her picture beside his bed and he would never go to bed without saying goodnight to it.
“I’m so happy for you both!” My mother exclaimed as she hugged us together. She’d really hit it off with Teri the other day when we dropped Bobby off and though she thought we were crazy for moving so fast, she was happy for us. It meant a lot to me to have her blessing.
“Thanks, mom,” I said.
We put Bobby in the car and continued our drive back to the city, back to our home. We had a lot of things to plan. Teri kept talking nonstop about the ideas she had for the wedding and of course she had to tell her family and friends and she wanted to do that in person.
I was happy to let her dream about whatever she wanted. She kept saying, “No, that’s too extravagant, or that’s too expensive.”
I had to remind her that money was no option and she had no business worrying about it. But she was still so humble. She didn’t want me to spend a bunch of money on a party. I told her I wanted to give her whatever she wanted and I absolutely meant it.
She had to get used to that. She was going to be getting a bit pampered, whether she liked it or not. It was my privilege to do so and I relished every second of it.
Chapter 10
Six months later
Teri
I drug my toes through the sand and felt the grains squishing between my toes. Ah, that
felt good. I closed my eyes and laid back in the lounge chair and just let the warm sunshine hit my chest.
I stared down at the rock on my finger and then I glanced over at my new husband lounging by my side reading the newest Stephen King novel with an odd smile on his face. The man loved to read his horror novels. I didn’t get it. But whatever made him happy. He did so much to make me happy.
The wedding was still very fresh in my mind. It had happened just three days ago. I was so nervous walking down the aisle in front of all my family and friends. Hell, we’d even flown many of them out from various corners of the country to see our union and set them up in great hotels. Darren wanted to make sure that everything that happened at the wedding was absolutely perfect.
And it was. It was the type of wedding that all little girls dream about when they think they are marrying some handsome, rich prince. But it turned out to be real. Yes, it was real for me. I was marrying a rich prince, in a manner of speaking. The money didn’t mean anything to me; I loved Darren for him. But when it came to having the wedding of my dreams (even though it took him so much time to convince me that money was no object) it was nice to have it to spend. This was our one special day, the day when I would feel like that princess I’d dreamt about as a little girl.
And it was wonderful, far beyond my wildest dreams. Bobby was the ring bearer. He looked so adorable in his little tuxedo. It was hilarious. And it was so sweet. He did really well. He even held the little flower girls hand when they walked down the aisle, and he was embarrassed because everyone kept smiling at how cute it was.
And when I saw Darren standing at the altar waiting for me, my heart nearly stopped. Wow… he was so amazing looking. He looked like perfection. There was my handsome prince waiting to take me home, to our beloved castle where we would live out our fantasy.
I loved this man so much. I didn’t know why I’d ever been afraid of my feelings, but each and every day they got a bit stronger and a bit stronger. I couldn’t have imagined a day without him now.
Ida was my maid of honor and she took to the role with gusto. She gloated it to all of our friends about how much better she was than they were. It was all in good fun, and our friends decided they would initiate a prank war with her leading up to the wedding. It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had in my entire life; that is until the wedding reception. That party was amazing. We had a live band, there was amazing food, awesome atmosphere, and so much outstanding dancing.
“This is the life,” Darren said. “I needed this. This time off work has been really healthy for me.”
“I know it. You need to take these little respites. You can’t just go, go, go all the time. Sometimes you have to force yourself to stop.”