And I wait.
Oh no. Aren’t they happy?
“What?” Will frowns.
“My eyes rise to Julian. I frown, unsure what to say.
“Brielle is going to be my wife. That means she’ll be your stepmother. She’ll be moving in to live with us,” he explains.
They both look at each other, then us, and then each other again.
Finally, Willow screeches. “Yes!” She jumps from her chair and nearly knocks her father and I over as she wraps her arms around both of us. “Oh my God. I’m so happy. This is awesome.”
I laugh at her excitement, and then my attention turns to the beautiful little boy in the room.
Sammy’s face falls.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I whisper.
“I don’t want you to marry Dad.”
I crouch down in front of him. “Why not?”
He twists his little hands in front of him. “Because if he gets cranky then you will leave.”
I smile and Julian rolls his eyes. “No, I won’t baby. I like your dad… even when he’s cranky.”
Julian smirks.
“That’s just who Dad is.” I smile. “And I love him, faults and all. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sammy smiles and looks between the two of us, a flicker of hope blooming in his little eyes. “Really?”
I nod. “Really.”
He jumps up to kiss me and hugs Julian.
“Where’s your ring?” Julian asks.
I dig it out of my pocket and hand it to him. He slides it onto my finger as the children watch on in awe.
Julian kisses me softly. “Now you’re really stuck with the three of us.”
I giggle and I pull the three of them into a group hug. “Where are we going to celebrate?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but can I have some champagne?” Willow asks as she pulls out of the hug. “It is a celebration.”
“Definitely not,” Julian grumbles. “You’re only-” Willow cuts him off. “Yeah, yeah. I get it, Dad. I’m only sixteen.”
The children are in bed asleep. Julian and I are downstairs in the living room, lying on the sofa in each other’s arms. I brought my essentials back for the weekend today and put them in my old room. “Let’s go to bed,” Julian says with a tender kiss to my lips.
“Okay.” I smile, stand, and go to walk to my room.
“Where are you going?”
“To my bedroom.”
Julian shakes his head and his dark eyes hold mine. “Your bedroom is upstairs.”
Time stands still.
He takes my hand and softly kisses the back of it before he leads me up the stairs at a torturously slow pace. We finally make it to his beautiful, luxurious suite.
He opens the walk-in robe. “This is your wardrobe.” I look in and smile because it’s already cleared out and empty.
He takes me into the bathroom and opens up the bathroom cabinet-the one I got caught snooping through at the beginning of this whole story. “I’ve cleared your side out.”
I smile cheekily. “Am I allowed to look in here now, Mr. Masters?” I tease.
Who knew all those months ago that this story would turn out like this? I certainly didn’t.
He smiles and stands behind me, his lips dropping to my neck in reverence. I watch us in the mirror. Julian towers over me and is wrapped around me like a blanket.
He adores me. I can feel his love seeping through his touch.
“You can do whatever you want now, baby. This is your house and we are your family.”
I smile as my eyes tear up and I turn to him. “Then I would like to go to bed and make love to my fiancé.”
He kisses me softly. “Not for long.”
I frown.
“You have six weeks to organise the wedding.”
I frown as our lips meet. “That’s not enough time!”
“I’m not waiting any longer. I want you as my wife.”
Julian
ALINA MASTERS
1984 – 2013
Wife and beloved mother.
In God’s hands, we trust.
I stand at my wife’s grave for the last time.
Spencer and Sebastian are by my side and we’re dressed in our black dinner suits.
It’s my wedding day.
The guilt I feel is heavy. After today Alina won’t be my wife anymore.
Brielle will.
I lean down and brush the dust from her name. I rearrange the pink lilies I’ve just placed in the vase. I touch her face in the small oval photo as she stares back at me, unblinking.
I step back, put my hands in the pockets of my suit, and I stare at her.
“You ready to go?” Spence asks.
“Yeah.” I murmur, distracted. “Give me a minute, will you?”
They both turn and walk back to the car, leaving me to and I swallow the lump in my throat as I stare at the headstone.
“I’m getting married today, Alina,” I whisper through tears.
“I’m sorry that you didn’t get to find your true love.” I lift my gaze to look at the surrounding graves. “I’m sorry I couldn’t love you the way you deserved to be loved.” I close my eyes. “I’ve been punishing myself for it for years. You deserved so much better than who I am.” I frown. “Was,” I correct myself.
“I was so angry at you for killing yourself. For leaving the children.”
I smile. “They’re beautiful. You should see how much they’re flourishing.
You’d be so proud of the young people they have become.”
I drop my chin to my chest and frown. “I’ve been seeing a therapist who’s helped me see the error of my ways in all of this. It was never your fault.” I wince like I’m in physical pain as I push the words past my lips.
“I can’t live in the dark anymore, Alina,” I whisper. “She’s my light, my love, my soul mate. Her name is Brielle, and I knew from the moment I met her that she was the one. You’d like her, I know you would. She loves the children as if they were her own.”
I clench my jaw.
“But they’re your children, you’re their mother. You will always be their mother.”
I sniff as I stare at her photo. ; She stares back at me void of emotion, just …like she always did.
“They miss you.”
Tears fill my eyes again.
“I’m going to bring them to see you soon, I just haven’t been strong enough to do it yet.” I toe the dirt with my shoe. I regret so many things that I haven’t done to honour her memory.
“Thank you for giving me my children.” I screw up my face in pain and I swallow harshly, feeling the sting of it in my throat.
I turn to see Seb and Spence leaning on my car waiting for me.
And I know I have to do it., I have to say goodbye to my wife for the last time. Tomorrow, she will be the children’s mother, Brielle will be my wife.
I bend and brush my finger over her image, and then I kiss the cold, hard stone.
“Goodbye, Alina. Rest in peace, angel.”
Brielle
Julian rocks forward onto his toes in anticipation and I smirk, we are holding hands and facing each other as the Priest reads our marriage vowels. He can hardly wait until this ceremony is over and his eyes dance with mischief.
Who knew that Julian Masters would be so excited about getting married?
I know I certainly didn’t.
He gives me a slow sexy smile promising me carnal things and I blush…I know that look. For goodness sake Julian, don’t look at me like that in the house of god.
Willow and Emerson are beside me and Sebastian and Spencer and Samuel are beside him, we stand before all of our united family and friends, and the church is filled with love.
This is a happy day, for all of us.
“I will.” Julian smiles as he slides the gold wedding ring onto my finger.”
He rocks forward onto his toes again as if happy with himself and I giggle.
“By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.” The priest smiles.
In slow motion Julian lifts my veil back and folds it over. This is it, our whole story is coming to a beautiful climax, right here right now.
My eyes fill with tears at just how intimate this moment is.
With his beautiful big brown eyes locked on mine he slowly leans in, holds my face in his hands, and he kisses me tenderly. It’s the most perfect kiss he’s ever gifted me and my feet lift off the ground. “I love you,” he whispers.
I giggle against his lips, and the crowd all laugh and cheer.
I turn to see my mother sitting in the front row. She’s so happy and smiling with her hand over her heart, and I smile right back through my tears. She told me all along that the love of my life was waiting somewhere for me.
And she was right.
He was.