Against the Odds A Love Story

Chapter 19

Nothing improves the silence like the sound of a lover's pledge!

Nineteen

I wore a teary smile as I stood with my hand in Hayden's beneath a white linen gazebo that had been set up on the side of David and Caroline's home.  Vases of white roses surrounded us, their scent filling the air and adding an extra sweetness to the occasion.

I wore a white, silky wedding dress that I'd bought off the rack and Hayden wore a new dark blue suit. We were surrounded by the people closest to us as we exchanged vows and pledged our love to each other.

The moment Hayden and I exchanged the beautifully etched gold bands and were pronounced husband and wife, I knew true happiness for the first time in my life. In that moment, I became his, he became mine, and our lives were instantly merged.

Tears of joy slipped down my cheeks as he took me in his arms and kissed me whispering, “I love you, baby,” as our lips parted. He pressed a hand to my face, brushing a tear away. “And I'm all yours, Mrs. McKade.”

I nodded, unable to speak at the moment, but I was sure he knew what was in my heart.

David and Caroline showered us with hugs and congratulations. Tom and the rest of the men shook Hayden's hand and slapped him on the back heartily. They each hugged me and pressed a kiss to my cheek. Hayden told them to enjoy it because they would never get to kiss me again and they all laughed.

After having some cake and punch, Hayden quickly swept me up in his arms, said thanks to Reverend Collier and everyone else, and carried me out to the truck. Before we drove off, he called out the window, “We'll see ya'll in two days. If anybody knocks on our door before then, you're dead.”

I laughed as the guys hooted and yelled wise cracks, some of which, would have caused me to blush had my skin tone been lighter. As we drove off, I waved to Caroline, returning her teary smile with one of my own. Then I turned to my new husband and smiled, warmed by the complete love I saw in his eyes.

~ ~ ~

When we reached the house, Hayden carried me in and locked the door. He took my hand and we walked back to the bedroom. Standing next to the bed, Hayden stood for a moment, silently gazing down at me and I could almost read his thoughts as easily as I could read the love and desire in his eyes.

“I can't believe I really have you,” he finally said. “I can't believe you're mine.”

I reached up to touch his beard, but my fingers settled on his lips instead. “I can't either.”

“I have ached to have you for so long, to be with you like this.”

“I have wanted you, too. More than you know.”

He continued to gaze down at me quietly for a another minute before turning and pulling back the covers.

I looked up at him in nervous anticipation and I sensed that he was a little nervous too. I smiled and turned my back to him, lifting my hair for him to undo the buttons on my dress. I felt tingly with each button he undid.

“Raine,” he breathed into my hair, taking my shoulders in his gentle hands and turning me to face him. “It's been a long time for me.” His voice was low and raspy.

I took one of his hands in mine and kissed it. “That is the best wedding present you could ever give me.” I pressed my hand against his chest and felt the pounding of his heart. “You are the love of my life, Hayden McKade. And you will be the last man I ever give myself fully to. I am completely yours.”

He smiled at me tearfully. When he spoke again, I could hear the deep emotion in his voice. “Woman, you completely own me, heart, mind, body, and soul. And you always will.”

There were no more words between us. Staring into each other's eyes, we undressed, slipped beneath the cool covers, and we loved.

Never in my life could I have ever guessed that love, passion, and ecstasy could produce an experience that was so fulfilling, so unearthly that it literally gave me the sense of being lifted to a higher plane. I never dreamed a body could experience them all at once. But I did, with his every touch, his every kiss, and his every softly whispered word. When we finally became one, I reached an even higher plane, a plane that I never knew existed.

Then we held each other, never wanting to let go, and I was amazed.