RECKLESS - Part 5 (The RECKLESS Series) Read online

  It was absolutely perfect.

  Christmas day was even better. Even though some of my family members seemed a little put off by the band and by Becca, the majority of them welcomed them with open arms. My cousins, nieces, and nephews were drawn to Jace once their shyness melted away. Laughter filled the air, and by the time dinner was served, you’d have thought that Jace had been a part of my family for years.

  Once everyone had gotten their fill of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green bean casserole, mom and I started pulling out the dessert. We set the pies, jello, cranberry bread, and cake on one side of the serving table while pushing what was left of dinner to the other side, just in case anyone wanted anything to eat later.

  I had just sat down at the table when Jace stood and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, everyone. I have an announcement to make,” he said, quickly looking around the room and then looking down at me, his smile so bright, it outshone every light in the house. Holding my gaze with eyes so warm, I thought I might melt instantly, he waited until everyone had turned to look at him before saying anything more.

  “I want to thank all of you for making me feel so welcome, a part of this wonderful family. And I’d like to make that permanent.”

  Before my brain could even process what he was saying, before it really sunk in, he was on one knee in front of my chair, taking my hand in his. My heart thundered and my throat went dry as I anxiously awaited what I was sure he was about to say.

  He looked almost as nervous as I felt, sweat beading on his forehead, despite the slight chill in the room. Finally, he opened his mouth. “Andrea Mercer—“ He cleared his throat again to clear the high pitched lilt from it. “I love you. I always have. And all I’ve wanted since the moment I met you was to make you mine forever. Will you do me the honor, make me the happiest man on earth, and marry me?”

  Body shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face, I took his face in my hands. I couldn’t have spoken, even if I’d wanted to, so I nodded and brought my lips to his. As my family commenced with clapping, oohs and ahhs, I finally found my words, finally whispered “yes” against his mouth just before he placed the perfect marquise cut engagement ring on my finger.

  So, it seemed, I had my present, but there were still more gifts to come.

  Huddled tight into the living room—a space barely big enough for everyone there that day—everyone opened their gifts from their Secret Santas. I’d drawn Robert, which was a little awkward, given everything we’d been through, but I had still managed to find him the perfect gift and was actually all the better for it; it forced me to put my feelings aside and look at the facts. All of us—him included—had come a long way since last spring on campus, and I had found something that I hoped would give him even more hope for the future.

  “David Grohl—as in the David Grohl?” he asked, quietly, admiring the autographed drumsticks in his hands. He held them like they were the finest, most breakable china and ran a shaky hand over the top of the clear plastic case. “I—I don’t know who did this, but thank you.” He looked around the room with soft green eyes . . . eventually finding my face, which I was sure had been a dead give-away, but I stayed silent, per the rules. Still, he nodded at me and a small smile pulled at one side of his mouth.

  My Secret Santa gift was a gift card to Bed, Bath & Beyond. My guess was it had something to do with the lack of décor in our home, which meant that it had come from either Becca, my mom, or Brandy. I had my bet on Brandy. Jace’s Secret Santa gift was a gift card to one of the tattoo shops in town; boy was I glad I hadn’t decided to go that route.

  But now it was time to open the gifts that we had selected for partners and children. The kids went first, opening toys, movies, iPods, and other various items. Then came the adults. My parents went first, per tradition, and then the couples went in order of birth on my side of the family. That put Jace and me last. I’d already been given my gift, so his was the last under the tree.

  I pulled out the large, heavy rectangle covered in wrapping paper. I had to be careful not to rip any of it, since the corners were a bit sharp. When I set it down on the floor in front of him, I sucked in a quick breath and waited for him to open it, anxious and excited, all at the same time.

  He ripped the paper like a little kid, tossing the shreds up in the air as he uncovered a very large photo frame. As soon as he saw what was in the frame, he smiled the biggest smile I’d ever seen. “It’s perfect,’ he whispered, running his thumb over the scroll framework of the picture frame and reaching for my hand.

  “Well, what is it?” my dad asked, leaning forward in his seat to get a look.

  Jace turned the picture around and revealed the picture I had imagined sitting inside our foyer—our very first photo together, the one that he’d sent me of us just outside the Space Needle, smiling and holding each other close. It was the day that I’d told him I loved him—the day that I knew, for certain, this man would own my heart forever.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Standing in my old room at my parent’s house, I turned the top half of my body, checking the open back of my dress in the full-length mirror. Satisfied (as if it had changed from five minutes ago), I turned back around and smoothed my hands over the silky chiffon and drew in a deep, shaky breath. I wondered if I should spritz the tendrils curling around my face again, or apply another coat of lipstick for good measure. These were all just exterior products of my overwhelming nervousness.

  He’ll be here. I’m not nervous. He’ll be here.

  “He’s here!” Becca shouted, coming through the door. The second she laid eyes on me, she smiled. “Oh, Andy, you look beautiful.” She hugged me, being careful not to bump my mother, who was now working on situating my veil.

  “Thank you,” I said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “So he’s here?”

  “He’s here,” she whispered, nodding as she held onto my shoulders. “Handsome as ever.”

  “Alright, sweetie,” mom said, stepping away from me and admiring her handiwork, the tears glistening in her eyes already. “You’re all set to go. I’ll give you girls a few minutes while I go out to make sure everyone’s situated.”

  Once the door closed behind her, I turned to Becca. Dressed in a knee-length spaghetti strap dress, she looked absolutely stunning herself. It might not have been tulle, but I figured the black chiffon was about as close as we’d get for a wedding.

  “What if I forget my vows?” I asked, grabbing her hands and clenching them inside of mine. “What if . . . what if I panic and run the other direction, like that movie, Runaway Bride. What if we get married and then he decides he doesn’t love me anymore. What if—“

  “Andy, you’re going to be just fine,” she said, shaking her head and then pulling me into her for a quick hug before pushing me back to look at me again, her hands back on my shoulders. “He’s going to be fine. Both of you will be fine. You love each other, chick. It’s almost disgusting sometimes.”

  I breathed a small sigh of relief. “Thank you,” I said, the tears starting to pool in the corners of my eyes.

  “No crying until after your big debut,” she said, turning to grab my bouquet off the dresser. “Which is right now, so let’s go.”

  As Becca held the door to my bedroom open for me, I took one last, big breath before stepping out into the hallway. My heart thudded faster and faster with each step I took. I was so excited to see him, but oh so nervous for it, too.

  When I reached the sliding glass door that led out into my parent’s back yard, I paused, closed my eyes, and thought of his smile, the one that I’d hated the day I met him but couldn’t live without. I thought of how he’d stood by me, through everything, and how he’d shown me what it meant to live life from one moment to the next.

  It was time.

  Smiling, tears in my eyes, I pulled open the door and stepped into the grass. On either side of the mock aisle we’d created were our family and friends—Robert, Zane, Thomas, Am
y, Brandy and Carly, my parents, all of my brothers and their wives and children—we’d wanted to keep it small and simple, intimate. Perfect. These were the people that would be a part of our lives today, tomorrow, and for as long as we walked the earth. These people knew the love we shared and supported it without question.

  At the end of the aisle, on a small wooden platform made by my dad, Cole stood next to Jace—yes, stood. He had to take it easy and couldn’t walk or stand too much, but he wasn’t confined to a wheelchair all of the time. Jace had asked him to be the best man since he had played a big part in our love story.

  Speaking of Jace . . .

  I couldn’t tell if my heart pounded harder or just stopped beating altogether when our eyes met, but God, he was gorgeous. Absolutely, positively perfect white teeth smiling at me. Warm brown eyes shining like the night stars. The definition of his arms and shoulders accentuated by the button down shirt and tie I’d talked him into wearing. And he was mine. Forever.

  My hands shook as he took them into his to help me up onto the platform. My knees felt weak as he pulled the veil up and over my head. And the tears just begged to be released as the priest ended his short sermon so that Jace could begin his vows.

  “Andrea, I promise, from now until forever, to love you. To me, that means more than just spending our days together. It’s listening to you when your heart is hurting. It’s buying you soup when you’re sick. It’s doing the laundry when you’re stuck at work. And it’s giving you the room to shine because you are my star. And, just like the sky would be dark and empty without the stars, so my life would be without you in it. I love you, from now until the end of eternity.”

  Leave it to a musician to show a girl up.

  “Jace, you have shown me what it means to truly live, to stop worrying about the regrets and jump into the best things in life, head-first. I promise to stand by your side, to meet you with a smile when you can’t find one anywhere else, to hold you when you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and to laugh at all your jokes, no matter how nonsensical they might be. I love you and I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives hold for the both of us, together.”

  When his lips touched mine, when the priest announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Richardson, my heart practically imploded. And, as we turned to face the small gathering of our family and friends, I knew that, in that exact moment, I was right where I belonged—hand in hand beside the man that I loved more than anything and who loved me back, surrounded by those that loved me most.

  I always had been.

  The End

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  THE RECKLESS SERIES IS NOW COMPLETE

  Read PART 1 Here

  Read PART 2 Here

  Read PART 3 Here

  Read PART 4 Here

  This is PART 5

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alice Ward is the author of the New Adult series, RECKLESS.

  Reading and Writing romance is her passion and she writes with her true heart.

  Living in Miami, the beach is her favorite place to relax with her laptop and write her next spicy romance.

  However, when she is not reading or writing romance, she also enjoys being with her beautiful family.

  COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER

  This book was a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 Alice Ward

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.