Johanna, beautiful in her red bridesmaid"s gown which contrasts with her dark hair and white bouquet, takes her place at the far end, opposite me and my groomsmen. She gives me a tiny smile.
Next, Lexi enters, looking very poised with her honey-blonde hair woven into an elegant twist. I can"t help it; my eyes go instantly to her hand, and sure enough, she"s wearing a thin band on her ring finger. She sees me looking and gives me a defiant look, daring me to react. Her shoulders ease slightly when I smile.
After Lexi takes her place next to Johanna, it"s Chelsea"s turn. My sister looks radiant. Her gown is different than the other girls". She wasn"t comfortable in the strapless gown Angel picked out, claiming she had more cleavage than Lexi and Johanna, and she"d be constantly worried about her gown rather than enjoying the day. So Angel let her keep the original gown they"d picked out as matron of honor, and it looks spectacular on her even if I do think the deep V neckline shows a little too much. But any unwanted eyes on my sister are Ware"s problem now, and I"ve got to let go.
Chelsea smiles at me as she takes her place, mouthing, "Love you." There"s a lump in my throat as the music changes and the crowd rises. Angel picked this song because she said it perfectly described how she feels about us, but she didn"t tell me what it would be. All I knew was that she wasn"t going to enter to the traditional wedding march. The first strains of Christina Perri"s "A Thousand Years" begins, and I have to agree it"s perfect. But not as perfect as the vision of beauty that pauses at the end of the carpet.
There"s a tear in my eye as I meet her gaze. Her white gown is stunning: lace cap sleeves, a fitted bodice, and then a flared yet simple skirt. There are no beads, nothing flashy or elaborate to detract from her natural beautyaexcept for the white feathered wings secured behind her.
The crowd gasps as they get their first glimpse of her magnificence. Her head is veil-less, topped by a circlet of white roses. She looks like a fairy queen. My Angel, in every sense of the word.
Although several people offered to fill the role, Angel decided she didn"t want to be walked down the aisle by anyone, instead making it clear that only she could give herself to me, and she did, wholeheartedly.
It takes a lifetime for her to cover the short distance to where I"m waiting for her, my breath held. Our eyes never leave each other"s, and when at last she puts her hand in mine, she smiles, then leans up to whisper in my ear, "Thank you for my wings."
I didn"t know if she"d wear them or not when I had them sent up to her dressing room, but I told her once that I"d build her new wings. So I did.
THE END.
SPECIAL EXTENDED EPILOGUE.
The Honeymoon "Are you finally going to tell me where we"re going for our honeymoon?" Angel asks, her head resting against my shoulder in the back of the limo.
Our fingers are woven together in my lap. I smile; I love seeing my wedding band around her finger. "No, Mrs. Chadwell, I don"t believe I will."
"Eeep!" Her eyes scrunch up as she smiles. "It feels so strange to hear that." She must catch my look of mock outrage. "Good strange," she adds. "What if I guess?"
I chuckle. "You can try."
She settles back against the seat, getting comfortable, which is probably a good thing, because it"s going to be a long ride. "Hmm, are we going to the airport?"
My lips are sealed. I don"t want to give her any hints.
"Okay, fine. Be that way. Some way to treat your wife." Her lips form a mock pout.
Hearing that word from her lips... If I were standing, it would"ve absolutely knocked me on my a.s.s. Hopefully, she"ll change her tune when we get there. I"m still a little afraid I"ve screwed this honeymoon thing up. I slide my hand up her thigh. "You know, if you don"t want to guess, I can think of other ways to pa.s.s some time."
Her eyes dart to the part.i.tion between us and the driver.
She"s right. As much as I can"t wait to make love to my wife, our first time as a married couple should be in a bed.
"Are we going to the Bahamas?"
"Hmm. I hear the Bahamas are warm and beautiful, even this time of year."
"Anything"s warm compared to Philadelphia." She shudders. "But it"s also probably crowded with tourists."
"It is the winter holidays from most schools. Lots of people are traveling."
"So no Bahamas then?"
I shake my head, knowing she"ll never guess.
"A cruise? Oooh! A cruise to Florida."
"So we can hang out with all the families taking their kids to Disney on our honeymoon?"
Her nose wrinkles in distaste. "Okay, yeah. Good point. Glad you didn"t pick that."
Me too.
"What about Europe?" There"s an excited lilt to her voice when she mentions it.
"Have you ever been?"
"No, but I want to go. I want to see Italy, and Paris, ooh, and Scotland. Do you think we could see some of the places mentioned in Outlander?" Her eyes light up.
"We"re not going to Europe." But maybe that"s what I should have planned instead.
"Just as well. There"s so much I"d want to do there, we wouldn"t have much time to just relax and enjoy each other."
And just like that I"m glad I didn"t do Europe after all. For the better part of the next hour she throws out idea after idea, and then we shoot them all down together for one reason or another. The time between ideas grows longer and longer, and when she"s been silent for quite a bit I look down and find she"s fallen asleep.
I"m not far behind her.
We both wake up at the same time when the limo rolls to a stop.
"Are we here?" Angel asks sleepily, hiding a yawn behind her hand.
"I think so." I climb out, then reach back in to offer her a hand. She glides out of the car, pressing into my side as she looks around us.
She stares at our home for the next two weeks. "A cabin in the woods?"
"Do you not like it?"
"I do... I"m just surprised."
"I wanted to show you that I do know how to do things that are simple and relaxed, and that not everything has to be expensive and over the top."
She turns to me, her face bright with adoration. "A, I love it. This is perfect."
She starts toward the wooden steps that lead to the front porch.
"Oh, but before you go in..."
My words make her pause and turn back toward me. I quickly scoop her up in my arms. "For one thing, I get to carry my wife over the threshold. But aside from that, I didn"t quite manage to stick to not doing something a bit grand and over the top."
She looks puzzled for a moment, but then the front door of the cabin opens and Chelsea and Ware step out, Lily on her daddy"s hip.
"You invited Chelsea and Ware!"
Ware waves, hollering out to us. "We"re crashing your party, yeah?"
"I knew you wouldn"t want to leave them behind for the whole two weeks. I want to get to know Lily just as much as you do, and I thought we could all use some R and R."
"All?"
Just then Lexi bounds out the door and to our side. "Hi!" she beams. "Isn"t this great?"
And it is.
"Apparently when we sent Kevin down to North Carolina, we interrupted his honeymoon with Lexi. They beat us to the altar." I surprise myself with how easily I"m accepting that.
Angel"s eyes go wide.
I lean down and whisper in her ear, "How about we make sure they don"t beat us to having kids?"
Having those who mean the most to me here with us as Angel and I start our lives together feels right. The cabin is huge, with more than enough s.p.a.ce for all of us to hang out together, or have private s.e.xy times. Which is first thing on my agenda. "If you"ll excuse us all, I need to go make love to my wife."
Kevin and Ware holler encouragement as I carry Angel through the cabin to the master suite and lay my bride down on the bed. At last we"re alone. Someone"s already lit the candles for us, turning the suite into a romantic paradise.
The flames create dancing shadows on Angel"s face as I smile down at her. "Welcome to forever, Angel."
BONUS SCENE.
Angel The day I came to Philadelphia and found my heart, it was raining hard enough to drown a fish. So I guess it"s sort of fitting that today, the day I give my heart away forever, I"ve never seen a more brilliant sun. Even if the temperature is colder than Nick"s non-existent heart. Arion and I have gone from strangers to lovers who know each other"s every breath, every heartbeat. I"m his. He is mine. And we are stronger.
I am stronger.
I"m also scared s.h.i.tless.
What if I trip walking down the aisle in these stupid-a.s.s heels I let Chelsea talk me into? Or what if I get so nervous I can"t speak, and I screw up my vows? What ifa "Stop." My mother"s voice is kind but firm. "Do you want frown lines etched on your face for your wedding day?"
I shake my head.
"Then stop worrying! Sweetheart, you and Axel love each other. Today is one day. In the end, it"s not what matters. The wedding is a moment. The marriage, that"s the lifetime, and it"s what you have to focus on. Everything could go wrong today, but as long as you give your marriage your all, with that boy who loves you more than anything, you"re destined for a lifetime of happiness."
When she puts it like that...I know she"s right. Arion and I are right for each other. And that"s all that really matters.
Well, that and the five hundred guests who"ll be arriving soon to watch while we say our vows.
The entire top floor of the Chadwell farmhouse has been turned into bridal headquarters. Chelsea is doing Lexi"s makeup nearby, while Johanna is getting her hair done by a stylist our wedding planner hired. Mom glances at her watch. "You should probably start getting into your gown soon. It"s almost time."
My stomach does violent somersaults, and I think I"m going to puke. "Just let me use the restroom first, so I don"t have to later." I don"t even want to imagine how difficult it would be to pee while trying to hold up all the layers of my gown. But that"s more an excuse than thinking ahead. I just barely make it to the toilet before I vomit up the breakfast Chelsea forced me to eat. I"m trying to tell myself it"s just wedding-day nerves, but I"m not so sure.
My period is almost a week late, and my mind is filled with what-ifs.
I lean back against the cool wall of the bathroom, trying to pull myself together. It"s not that the thought of a baby is awful. Not by any means. It"s just...overwhelming. A and I are heavy in the planning stages of Melt, and the Haven, and I"m starting school the day after we return from our honeymoon. Not that A has told me where we"re going; apparently it"s a surprise. Now just doesn"t feel like the right time. But if it"s now, then I know we"ll give raising our child everything we"ve got.
I bought a pregnancy test last night, and it"s in my purse. I consideranot for the first time todayajust taking the test and getting it over with. But again, not for the first time today, I decide I don"t want to know yet. I want to just be a bride today, and if tomorrow I"m a mom-to-be, then that will be tomorrow.
And for all I know, I"ll feel entirely different tomorrow. Maybe the stress of wedding planning has kept my period away. Maybe nerves about walking down the aisle are shredding my stomach. I honestly don"t know, and I"m okay with not knowing for a little while longer.
When I return from the bathroom, there"s a white box sitting on the dressing table in the guestroom where we"re getting ready. Chelsea indicates it with a jerk of her head, never taking her eyes off Lexi as she sweeps shadow across her eyelid. "Joyce brought that up for you while you were gone. It"s a gift from Axel."
b.u.t.terflies try to escape my chest.
"Hold up, I want to see!" Lexi hops out of her chair and presses beside me.
"Lexi!" There"s more laugh than bite to Chelsea"s reprimand, and she huddles close as well.
"Me too!" Johanna, the tallest of us all, peers over my shoulder as Mom hovers nearby.
I"m really hoping this isn"t lingerie, or a s.e.xy toy for tonight or something, that I"m about to open with an audience.
And it"s not. When I peel back the tissue paper after lifting the lid off the box, we all gasp at once, staring down at a pair of elaborate, white-feathered wings. Shimmering slightly, they"re almost incandescent, and they are without a doubt the most beautiful thing I"ve ever seen. There"s a short note laying on top.
I keep my promises. A- I can"t help smiling as I remember when he cradled me close and told me that I"d always be his Angel, and if he had to, he"d build me new wings. They"re so perfect I"m almost afraid to touch them.
Fortunately Chelsea isn"t nearly as inhibited, and she lifts them out of the box, then tosses a glare in my direction. "They"re perfect. And they"ll totally go with your dress. Wait, you didn"t let him see it, did you?"
"Nope."
Remembering where Arion and I started, and surrounded with reminders of where we are now, my nerves don"t stand a chance. I feel more settled and confident, and I know that no matter what, everything is going to be all right.
"It"s time," my mother says. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." I squeeze my eyes shut, holding back a tear, hoping I"m not getting mascara all over my cheeks. I told Chelsea to get something waterproof-level infinity, but still, I worry.
About the mascara that is, not about me and A. Less than a year ago, he was a closely held dream, little more than a ghost of what I wished could be. Now he"s my reality. I might be his Angel, but he"s my everything. My savior. My sidekick. My lover. My forever.
As my mom and my girls help me lace up my gown and then fasten my wings onto my back, I know without a doubt I"m ready to face whatever the future may bring.
a-aa- A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR.
Wow. Just wow. As I"m preparing the final files of Forever My Angel for you, which includes this back-of-the-book note, I"m also writing No One"s Forever, which will be the final book in the series. But I"m also very aware that exactly two years ago, I released No One"s Angel. At the time, I had no idea what it would become. It was my first foray outside of Young Adult fiction, and my first contemporary, and my first told from first person. But I never doubted the power of the characters, and you all have embraced them.
I expected their story to end with No One"s Angel. Even once I decided to start writing about other characters, like Lexi and Kevin, I didn"t think I"d do another book based around A&A. Then Ware came along, and he changed everything. Throughout No One"s Surrender I frequently found myself jotting notes on what Axel was thinking. And that"s when I realized he had another story to tell. And since I tend to listen to my characters, I told it his way. First, it was just going to be a novella of scenes from his POV from No One"s Surrender, plus the wedding. But as I began writing it, that wasn"t feeling right. It wasn"t the whole picture. And so I sat down, and really listened, and that"s when Axel told me the rest of his story. And I don"t know about you, but I love that A&A are learning what it really means to be a couple. It"s not all sunshine and roses, but they"re ready.
Now, speaking of listening to characters, No One"s Forever is going to be different. I"ve really struggled when plotting it, because the characters are telling me things that are downright insane. But I"m going to take a leap of faith, and let them tell their story, and hope that in the end, you all embrace it. Because while it"s insane, it"s also powerful and raw and real. No One"s Forever will star Ian and River, but all of the characters you"ve come to love will be there. So look for that soon. Make sure you are signed up for my newsletter so you don"t miss the release announcement.