A Love Like Ours

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I couldn't believe no one had been monitoring the time. The pandemonium that broke out after sent us all into further panic. I was literally trembling as I clattered my way after Mama out of my room and down the freaking way-too-many stairs. Ash was downstairs, pacing impatiently.

"Do you know what time it is?" he yelled at me.

"You can scold me on the way!" I shouted as I lifted my voluminous skirts and started off to the great entrance doors.

"Not that way! Out back! You're supposed to arrive on horseback!"

I swung around halfway out the door, yelling, "What?"

"What the fuck, Ash? I can't ride wearing this!" I pinched at the sides of my non-existent skirt to point out the form-fitting dress I had on that made riding astride impossible.

"Oh, fuck!" Ash swept his hand through his hair, destroying its carefully slicked back lines and said, "But that's the only way! There are no cars left. Only horses!"

This elicited groans from both Mama and Janet as well.

"I have my car," declared Dad, He did. His old battered-up, trusty Pajero!

"Uh, ... no you don't, Dad. I lent the key to Cousin Ralph. They needed more cars."

The silence that greeted this was tangible.

"We'll fucking walk!" I gritted my teeth in determination. It wasn't that far. Only the other end of the pasture, where there were scenic views. Stupid Justin and his harebrained ideas, only it hadn't actually been Justin's idea. It had been mine. Fuck!

"Not in those shoes, you won't. The grass is wet."

I turned baleful eyes on Ash at that. I was running late; I didn't care about the shoes. I'd run there barefoot if I had to.

I opened my mouth to say just that, but Mama beat me to it. "Ash will carry you, dear. Let's just go!"

Ignoring Ash's gaping mouth, I went to him insistently and lifted my arms expectantly. He was the only one who could manage it. What were all his muscles and brawn for anyway if not to help a damsel in distress?

It took some fumbling, but finally, Ash had my up and in his arms bridal-style. We started out at a sedate walk until the looming distance began to seem endless, and we all broke out into a haphazard run.

"Faster! Faster!" I urged poor Ash on, ignoring his heaving chest and hoarse, raspy breath fanning down on me from his overworked lungs. He threw me a fulminating look that promised limitless collection on his part over this one favor, but I merely lifted a brow at him, not in the least threatened. I had only one thought uppermost in my mind, and that was to get to my damn wedding.

The rumbling burr of powerful engines droned down on us, wrenching our heads as one to face the oncomers. Mama all but leapt onto the overgrown road and started to wave her hands long before the first of the bikers could even be seen over the hilltop. The bar brawl guests were arriving. I wiggled my feet and hammered at Ash's back insistently to have him set me down.

"Oh, fuck," I muttered under my breath. Bike after bike was pulled over as Mama took over military-style to explain everything.

I was bundled up on the bike behind the dude who started it all by wanting to cut in on our dance. I wasn't sure if he were going to give me a ride to my wedding or the opposite way, but I knew it was a chance I had to take.

Mama and the rest hopped on to ride with the other bikers. Even Ash bit back his grimace to accept the ride his bruising kisser and female biker readily offered.

To say we made a grand entrance to my wedding was an understatement, but I didn't really care either way. My only concern was to get to the other end of the aisle where my groom was impatiently waiting my arrival. And then, I was walking on my papa's arm towards Justin as if in a daze. My eyes didn't leave his, just as his stayed firm on mine.

He didn't grin or smile, but then, neither did I. We were both still tense and worked up by my unscheduled delay. I opened my mouth to explain and apologize, but he only turned away impatiently, eager to have the priest get on with it.

It was only later, much, much later, after the vows were exchanged and the documents signed, and we were in each other's arms on the dance floor, when he finally uttered the words that had been burning painfully within him.

"I would have killed you if you had missed our wedding, for any reason, any reason at all," he spat out viciously.

I tripped over my feet at his savagery and felt his arms close around me as tightly as any vice.

"S-sorry, Justin," I muttered out feebly if a little tearfully. The anxiety of what I had gone through was still riding high in my veins.

But Justin shook his head slowly at me. "No, not sorry enough!"

"Justin," I pleaded. But his closed-off face remained stony. Then, sparks ignited, and anger flew. My hand flew up as if to slap him, but he reacted swiftly, spinning me out then back so that I whipped up furiously against him, feeling winded in the process. My next attempt at retaliation ended with my body curving over in an impossible arch as he promptly lowered me into a dip.

The fight went on furiously all over the dance floor as yet more unexpected twirls and dips ensued, and then, I was danced away from the fringes of the crowd and behind a large Eucalyptus tree. Justin's lips slammed down on mine then, and mine rose to meet his onslaught furiously.

We kissed and kissed, both hurting and still in shock of the near miss. I was tearful when our lips finally parted. "You-you ... would have left me?" I wobbled out between gasps of air and gulps of tears clogging up my throat.

"Never!" he declared, shaking me almost violently. "I will never leave you. I would have hunted you down."

"To-to ... kill me?"

He nodded softly. "And myself with you."

"You ... you ... idiot!" I raised my hands to batter at his chest even as his head bent down to take my lips again in yet another bout of violent kisses.

"I love you," I gasped out, finally. The fit of temper was replaced with only acute need.

"I love you, Aria. I ... love ... you," Justin enunciated each word between firm kisses insistently.

"Oh, darling," I sighed. "My darling, darling husband, Justin!"

The excitement level spiralled uncontrollably before a firm voice called out insistently from the other side of the tree, "Get a room, you two!"

I pulled away from Justin's ferocious kisses to laugh happily at my mama. Seemed she was all for us sharing a room now.