Trying Not To Love You

The Ending

The Ending

A/N Thanks for all the reads and comments, this story took over my life for far too long and is by far the longest thing I've ever written, and arguably the most controversial! Loved the debates and comments along the way, was a real roller-coaster!  Hope you enjoy their finale, I felt they deserved one.

Martha looked up at the man she could now call her husband and smiled. This had been a dream, a complete dream...come true. Sonny took her hand and brought it to his lips, planting them just next to the ring on her third finger.

                “I love you Mrs Carter.”

She beamed, she’d spent the whole day grinning, “I love you too.”

Feeling a million dollars, she basked in his smile, a smile that could warm the darkest night. He looked beautiful in his immaculate dark suit, cream shirt and bronze tie, all chiselled jaws and perfect teeth, though how he managed that after the fights he’d got into she’d never know. His almost black hair was shorter than she remembered it being, but that meant that his eyes seemed bigger. She remembered the first time she’d seen him, dark and mysterious eyes with a haunted look watching her from a distance. If truth be known she’d been entranced from that very first moment. And now he was FINALLY hers, after SO many false starts and hiccups. Her heart surged with pleasure, a privilege after so much pain.

                “Ready?”He whispered against her hand, still touching her lips.  When she nodded, he smiled again, “you are amazing!”

He nodded at the registrar before together they turned to face the people gathered to be part of their celebration, Sonny had wanted it to be just the two of them, he hated big occasions, and Martha had given in to that, but with his father, her father, Lucy, Stephanie, Henry, then of course Ethan...and Paul and his kids, Jack, Mike and Evie the guest list started to grow. So here they were in the ballroom of Michael’s house. It was decorated with dozens of white roses. The registrar stood on a podium in the centre of the room and the thirty plus guests were sat behind them.  Eamonn, Bill, their wives, plus a few others completed the crowd.

Everyone cheered smiled then walked through the room, out into the reception room. In the brief moment before they were inundated with the best wishes of their friends and family, Sonny turned to her, “you look...amazing. You ARE amazing,” he was repeating himself but he didn’t care. “Mrs Carter.”

She beamed again, she’d deliberated for days over her dress, she wasn’t one for meringues, and being the centre of attention was already stressing her out, it had been in the throes of all that, that her father had brought out the dress her mother had worn for their wedding thirty years earlier. She had no idea that had kept the dress, and it was perfect, vintage, classy, and definitely not over elaborate, a strappy floor length in cream but covered in lace, full length lace sleeves, and a slight train that made her feel SO elegant. She had no veil, but Helen had spent an hour earlier that day lifting her hair up into a Grecian style, appearing loose and light, but in reality teased to within an inch of its’ life, and embedded with clusters of gypsophila.

She smiled at him, “thank you, but I think I got the best deal. I have got the most amazingly beautiful husband.”

She gasped as she said the word, a myriad of emotions washing over her, then looked up and saw the same expression on his face. It was still a wonder to think that this was it...they were truly married.

                “My wife...” he breathed with amazement, “I love my wife.”