Skipping Stones - COMPLETE

Chapter 27

TODAY HAS BEEN the best day of my life, but I wish Papa and my parents had been here to experience it with me. The band is playing that famous strip tease song as Stone is starting to pull the many layers of my dress up my leg. He glances into my eyes, and I can't help but burst into giggles. He chuckles. It's like no one else exists at this moment. It's just us, for the rest of our lives.

Today, I married my best friend. We made promises that we vowed we'd never break. Today I married the one who makes my soul complete and full, the one who has always saved me when I felt like there was no hope left in this world.

His fingers dance on my legs, and it sends shivers through my entire body. When they reach their target, there's a glimmer in his eyes that hypnotizes me. It's a look of other kinds of unspoken promises. I can't hear his voice because our family and friends are cheering so loud and the band is right behind us. I read his lips, "You're beautiful."

It freezes me, and my heart pounds in my chest. The fun moment turning serious in slow motions. "My heart," I glance down to my chest, "is so full. Complete. Whole."

When he gets it off my leg, he clenches the garter in his hand. On his way to standing, he stops and holds my head between his hands, pulling me into the sweetest kiss. When he releases me, his lips brush my forehead. A tear escapes my eye, but before it is able to land on the fabric of my dress, he catches it and winks.

***

HOURS LATER WE'VE left the reception, and I think we're headed to our honeymoon suite, but instead the limousine takes a detour. Glancing around at the familiar scenery, I ask, "Are we going home?"

He scoots closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, spooning me. "Nope."

"Hmm," I wonder aloud. "Where to then?"

"You'll see in a minute." He threads his fingers through mine, then brings our hands to his lips. "I don't want this day to end," he whispers, huskily.

"Me neither." It sure looks like we're headed home, then another idea pops into my mind. "Are we going back to the creek?"

He nods. "I came here earlier, and it just didn't feel right not having this as a part of our day."

I grin. "I agree, thank you." Stone wanted to get married in our field. It would have been beautiful. I could picture it. Yet, there is something so sacred about our field, our place. I just couldn't imagine sharing it with so many people. Then the thought of rain and no place to flee made my decision to have our wedding indoors an easy one. "Did you know I came to the creek earlier, too?"

He turns his head. "You did?"

"Uh huh. I had a few pictures taken here before I went to the church." I smile remembering them. Me skipping stones, picking flowers, sitting in our spot, giggling as I point to a patch of poison ivy. Then there's my absolute favorite. I'm in our spot eating a Little Debbie Swiss Roll and a piece of Red Velvet cake.

He kisses my hair. "What kind of pictures?"

Closing my eyes, my lips curve up. "They're a surprise."

"Humph. I can't wait."

Soon, we're there. The chauffeur opens our door, but Stone leads the way. When he is out of the vehicle, he offers his hand. I place mine in his. Then as soon as my feet touch the ground, he swoops me into his arms. "They say you're supposed to carry your bride over the threshold."

"Uh. There's no –"

He silences me with a passionate kiss. Our tongues dance and swirl like the very first time we ever locked lips in this place. He rubs his nose against mine. "There may not be a threshold to a bedroom, but when we cross over that path into the field, it's like crossing into a magical place."

He's right. My cheeks hurt from the smile that seems to be a permanent fixture today.

He continues. "It's the only threshold I'm going to carry you across tonight."

I furrow my brows, the smile quickly replaced by a frown. "But we have reservations."

"No we don't." He shakes his head as a sly, sexy grin creeps upon his gorgeous starlit face. "Trust me?"

"Uh huh."

He tightens his grip on me as he starts to walk. Our big rocks that we sit on are decorated with flowers from the wedding. There's a trail of red roses that lead to our special spot. Then I see a glow, like there is more light than there usually is.

Stone stops as soon as I am able to view what he's done. There's a white tent with a large, plush white bed covered with more flowers in the middle. Mosquito netting surrounds the perimeter, and the extra light I thought I had noticed was from the white string lights giving the entire area a romantic ambiance.

Gasping as I cover my heart to try to keep it in my chest. "It's...it's absolutely incredible."

"Hey," he whispers, "look at me."

As my head turns, I'm captured by beautiful, milk chocolate eyes. "Yeah?"

"We've had so many firsts here, so many memories."

I nod.

"I want this one." Stepping into the grass, he kisses me once more. "I love you, Alex. I dreamed about being able to spend the rest of my life with you, but I thought it was just that: a dream."

"I know. Me, too." I pause because it's still painful to remember the time I spent wondering if he was real. "I thought I was losing my mind. I really wondered if I had just made you up in my mind."

He shakes his head. "I'm very real. I've always been. I'm never leaving you. I promise."

This time, I know he means it.

"And one day, we'll bring our babies and grandbabies here. We'll tell them everything worth having in our life happened because two people fell in love...right here."

He puts me down, making sure I'm steady on my feet. Then he opens the netting and takes my hand, leading me to the bed. Soft music is playing in the background. He pulls me into his arms and starts to dance to music that is easily recognizable. "These are our songs, this is The Promise," I say.

He nods. "On repeat."

I close my eyes and commit this scene to my memory. One day, I'll make a drawing of it and hang it in our room with the other photos from today. "Thank you for making this so special."

He nuzzles my neck, nibbling on my ear. Coherent thoughts begin to leave my mind. His voice is husky. He breathes into my ear, causing goose bumps to erupt on my skin. "The day I carried you home, after you passed out..."

I freeze, not sure why he's bringing this up right now. "What about it?"

He continues to plant sweet, tender kisses everywhere but my mouth. "I told Memaw and Papa that you were special."

"Huh."

"Alex, you're my everything. You make me feel so alive. It's easy to make something special when the one you're with is so rare, so wonderful." He begins to unzip my dress, which causes me to reflect back to when I felt like my insides were being torn apart with a seam ripper. Tonight, with each notch that is undone, I am a step closer to finally being able to share everything with him. A fire ignites within me. He leans in, his warm breath tickles my ear. "Do you remember when I said I wanted to teach you everything after we first met?"

Not sure I can form words, I nod. Bricks, good bricks, are weighing heavily on my chest. I'm breathless, like I've been swimming against the current, but it's because of my need for him this time. "Yes," I whisper.

"I'm ready to teach you everything I know, Alex. Everything. Are you ready?" His eyes sparkle against the light.

"Stone, you don't have to ask. I'm yours. All of me. For the rest of our lives. And I can't wait for you to you to teach me something so special. Something so sacred that no one has ever taught me before."

He huskily whispers into my ear, "Oh, and I promise that you've not seen special yet."