“Hello,” I say softly.
“I’m just finishing up with J and thought I’d give you a call. Have you had a good time?”
“It’s been great.” Tessa’s dad is driving, and Tessa and I are in the backseat. I smile over at her. She’s watching me like a hawk and smiles back with relief.
“Well, I won’t keep you. Just wanted to say—if you feel like seeing me later—I hear there are really good desserts in the lounge…”
“Hmm, well, I’ll give it some thought,” I say slyly. “We’ll see if fate allows…”
Ian groans and laughs. “Okay…”
Tessa motions to the phone and mouths, ‘Can I?’ I nod and tell Ian to hold on while I hand the phone to her.
“Hi, Ian, it’s Tess. Sorry to interrupt your phone call. I just wanted to invite you to the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night and also the wedding on Saturday.” She looks at me and smiles. “Yes, I’ve already discussed it with Ro, and she is fine with it. Okay, I understand. Yes, I’ll leave it up to the two of you; just know you’re welcome to come. Jared and I would love to have you there.”
We pull up to the hotel and say goodnight to Tessa’s parents. Our arms are entwined and we’re laughing about something Jared’s dad said over dinner.
We’re about to open the door, when it’s opened for us. “Ladies, wow, what perfect timing. I’m just getting here myself. It’s almost as if fate designed it,” Ian says with a smile.
Tessa laughs and kisses me on the cheek and goes up to the room. Ian and I sit on a luxurious couch and a waiter comes and asks if we’d care for anything.
“I’m always up for crème brûlée,” I speak up.
“I’ll have the bananas foster,” Ian says.
After a sweet, brief time together, I chastely kiss him on the cheek and tell him I need sleep. He kisses both of my cheeks and walks me to my door.
The next two days are a flurry of bustling activity. The wedding is spectacular. Every detail—from the bridesmaids’ black calla lily and feather bouquets to the archways draped with rich, colorful material—is unique and completely Tessa. She looks stunning in her dress. Her hair is up, with loose curls. She has a peaceful glow about her that makes me happier than I can say.
As I listen to Tessa and Jared recite their vows, holding onto Tessa’s bouquet and mine, I glance out and find Ian. His eyes mesmerize me from across the room. And I know. I know I am ready to take the risk. I know we’ve already survived our worst. And I know we’re coming out of it like gold after it’s been through the refiner’s fire.
Epilogue
One year later
I haven’t regretted marrying Ian for a single second. When I said ‘I do’ seven months ago, I made heads spin with my decision.
The naysayers:
“You’re crazy!
“How can you be so stupid?
“You’re just asking to be hurt…”
“He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Once a cheater; always a cheater!”
“You’ll regret this!”
But there were also a few believers:
“I’ve never seen two people love each other more.”
“You were made for each other.”
“You’ve survived this; you’ll survive anything.”
“If you’re sure, I trust you…”
“I do believe he’s changed.”
And the middle-of-the-roaders:
“Ohhhkay … but if he hurts you, I will shove his freakin’ dick down his freakin’ throat. (Maybe this doesn’t really belong in the middle-of-the road category)
“I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“We’ll be here for you either way.”
Believe me, I thought long and hard about it. Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t make a decision without over-thinking it to death. And then some. It really came down to love.
Love is enough.
Love does conquer all.
Love really does always protect, trust, hope, persevere…
I’d even go as far as saying that love never fails. I finally believe that.
And once Ian and I made our vows before God and our friends and family on a beautiful beach in Maui, we certainly had a better understanding of true love. We both boohooed throughout the entire ceremony and haven’t cried since.
Until last night on our tour bus, when I did my hair up with pencils and gave Ian a present.
“Oh, baby, we get to play Librarian AND you’re giving me a present? What have I done to get such treatment?” He grabs my bum and presses against me.
I point at the present. “Open that first and then me…”
With that incentive, he takes the wrapping paper off a teensy bit faster than usual, but he still folds it so neatly.
“Hurry!” I lean against him and nuzzle his neck.
“You’re just messing with me now,” he mutters.
He lifts the top of the box and stares. Nestled in pretty tissue paper, so he doesn’t have to touch it, I have the pregnancy test laying face up. That plus sign might as well be blinking for how vivid it looks against the tissue.
Ian sets the box down and I look up to see his reaction. He looks stunned, and then he’s laughing and has tears running down his face at the same time. He grasps my face in both hands, kissing me hard. Then he kisses his way down to my stomach.
“Ianow Orvillate Sterling,” he whispers, grinning up at me, “you were made with love.”
Thank you, Tarryn Fisher, for putting my chapter at the end of your book. That was beyond generous and has meant so much to me.
Thank you, Elena Cermaria, for painting the gorgeous “Saffo o dell’Amore” and allowing me to use it for my cover. I am so grateful!
Thank you, Ken, for finding the painting and working your magic with it. And for reading this book so many times...
Thank you, Sarah Hansen from Okay Creations, for putting your special touch on the cover. You’re a cover rockstar.
Thank you, JT Formatting, for making everything look so pretty.
Thank you to all the wonderful book bloggers out there who have spread the word about this book! Your help is invaluable and so appreciated.
Thank you to my family and dear friends for getting me through this—even if you didn’t realize you were! Thank you to those of you who have been pushing me to publish my books for so long, especially my three loves who I first told over coffee. You know who you are. Thank you to my fairy angel—your constant encouragement gets me through each day. Thank you to all of my dear betas. You saved me, especially during the last month before publishing. I feel like I made lifelong friends throughout this entire process!
I love each and every one of you.
A huge thank you to The Two. My best friends. The ones I don’t want to do life without. Ever. I certainly couldn’t be doing THIS without either one of you. You have my heart.
A lifetime of thanks goes to my husband and kids, without whom I could not function and wouldn’t even want to—I love you! Thank you for putting up with me while I wrote this book. I promise to listen without a dazed expression from here on out! Or at least until I begin the next book…
For information about Willow Aster and her books visit:
http://www.willowaster.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/willowasterauthor
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6863360.Willow_Aster
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Willow Aster, True L̶o̶v̶e̶ Story
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