Unconditional Love (Journey of Love #1)(81)
Author: Kelly Elliott

When the wedding march began, I took a deep breath and we began walking. I had to walk around the pool and for the last month I had dreamt the same damn dream each night. I was walking with my father and slipped and fell into the pool. I would wake up sweating and calling out no every single time I dreamed that stupid dream.

As we walked along the pool, I watched where I was going very carefully. “Honey, you have to breathe or you will pass out, and then you really will fall in the pool,” my father whispered. I let out the breath I was holding and began taking in deep breaths.

As we rounded the pool I finally looked up and saw Lark. My mouth dropped open as he stood there in black pants, a white shirt, a black silk vest, and matching black tie. My heart began beating so fast and so loud I was sure everyone could hear it.

“Take in some air, angel,” my father whispered.

I sucked in a breath of air. I hadn’t even noticed I was holding my breath. As I moved closer to him his smile grew bigger and bigger. His eyes looked up and down my body and I was on fire from head to toe. How he could turn me on while I walked with my father I had no idea. I licked my lips and he arched his eyebrow.

My father walked us up and stopped in front of Lark. He raised my veil and leaned in and gently kissed me on the cheek. He was about to place my hand in Lark’s hand and the way he was looking at Lark made me giggle.

My father reached out for Lark’s hand and said, “You may have been in the Marines…but I can still break you like a twig if you hurt her.”

Lark’s smile faded and he swallowed hard as he said, “Yes, sir.”

He placed my hand in Lark’s and his voice cracked as he said, “Take care of my baby girl.”

Lark nodded his head and said, “Yes, sir. Forever and always.”

We stood before our family and friends as Pastor Nickels began talking. Lark and I decided that instead of saying our own vows, we would read the letters we wrote to each other. I barely made it through reading my letter, and when Lark had to stop three times during his letter, Scott would lean over and say something about his man card.

When it finally came time for Pastor Nickels to announce husband and wife, I was longing for Lark’s touch. The way he kept smiling at me and rubbing his thumbs across the top of my hands, and wiping the tears away from his face…it all played with every single emotion. My heart was bursting with so much happiness and love I just wanted to scream out how happy I was.

“You may kiss the bride,” Pastor Nickels said with a smile.

Lark placed his hands on my face and used his thumb to wipe away a tear. “You are breathtaking. You are officially mine,” he whispered.

I whispered back, “I’ve always been yours.”

He leaned down and kissed me so sweetly. I slid my hand behind his neck and deepened our kiss. We were so lost in our kiss, it took Tristan stepping up to us and saying, “Our parents are watching y’all. I’m pretty sure her daddy is ready to kill you.”

Lark pulled back and laughed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I sat back and watched Azurdee move around talking to everyone. If I didn’t get her alone soon, I was going to sneak her off somewhere and make love to her. The moment she looked me up and down and licked her lips when she walked down the aisle, I’d been fighting a hard-on. Her wedding dress was driving me crazy. The fact that I could see her legs through the damn thing was bad enough, but I had to threaten my own cousin’s life for looking at them too long.

“How many different ways have you come up with to take her away from the reception?” Scott said as he sat down and handed me a beer.

I chortled and said, “I lost count after twenty.”

Scott threw his head back and laughed. “Sounds like me. I couldn’t wait to get Jessie alone. This isn’t even the best part.”

Tristan walked up and sat down as he hit both Scott and I on the backs. He tossed back his bottle and took a long drink of beer. “Slow down, big brother.”

He rolled his eyes and said, “I can’t seem to drink enough these days.”

I looked at him with a questioning look as he shook his head.

I glanced back at Scott and asked, “What do you mean this isn’t even the best part?”

He winked and said, “You think the dress knocks you out. Wait until you see what’s under it. Jessie about had me acting like a crazed man. I just wanted to rip it off her body.”

Tristan laughed. “I heard what’s under the dress is almost as important as the dress itself.”

Selena Gomez’s “Stars Dance” started playing. I looked over toward Azurdee and she looked at me and raised her eyebrows and gave me a sexy-ass grin. I couldn’t help but think of that day in the barn when I told her I loved her.

“What’s next?” I asked as I looked at Scott.

“Let’s see, you’ve cut the cake. Now you just have to do the dance.”

“Then we can go?”

Tristan laughed and said, “Jesus, do you have a helicopter waiting for you two?”

I snapped my head and looked at him. I tilted my head and wanted to ask how he knew. I’d called Skip and asked him for a favor. I was taking Azurdee to Skip’s house right outside of Cancun. I didn’t want to take her to Belize. Not when I’d had so many one-night stands in that damn house.

“Jesus Christ. Are you kidding me, dude?” He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “I fucking knew when you took those flying lessons I should have taken them with you. You’re killing me here. Some day when I get married, Azurdee will tell my wife ‘I got flown in a helicopter to my honeymoon’ and then what am I going to do?”

I gave him a snarky smile and said, “Hire me to fly y’all somewhere.”

He stood up and said, “Fuck you, asshole.”

Scott and I both started laughing as I stood up and made my way over to the DJ. Azurdee had pretty much taken care of all the plans for the wedding, so when I asked if I could pick out our wedding song and surprise her with it, she said of course.

I walked back over toward where Azurdee was standing talking to her mom and my mom.

“Ladies and gentlemen. It is now time for the bride and groom to dance.”

Azurdee looked around and the second our eyes met she gave me that smile that melted my heart, made me weak in the knees, and still caused my stomach to do some weird flipping action that I would never truly be able to explain.

She walked up to me and I took her in my arms. “Finally,” she said as we made our way to the dance floor.