Broken Bridges & Tattered Hearts

The Relief of the White Rose

Dedicated to my mom. She has pushed me to finish this story and I will forever be grateful to her.

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The Relief of the White Rose

:: Samantha ::

Wedding Day: T minus 10 days

Flowers.

They were on my mind for the whole day. I felt bubbly and jittery despite the stressful situation that unexpectedly bombarded my life. The only way I could express my feelings were sitting in a shop in town. A florist's shop, to be exact. I wanted flowers.

"Why do you need flowers, Sam? We've already got enough lying around the house?" Jordyn whined for the fifth time since she got in the car.

I sighed, determined not to let Jordyn ruin the good mood that surrounded me. "Those are fake. I want real flowers and I already told you, JJ, I just want them. I'm feeling very excited today."

Jordyn nodded her head and eyes me warily. "I can see that. Are you sure you didn't raid the sweetie jar again? It's a rare occurrence for you to be this hyper....ever since Alex."

"I'm fine. I just want flowers. They're going to brighten the house and make everything better," I said as I parked the car. "Now get out before I drag you out."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You wouldn't dare."

Tilting my head, I stared at her, feeling the determination building. "Try me."

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The Flower Emporium. The name lived up to its expectation. As soon as Jordyn and I stepped through the frosted glass door, flowers in a variety of colors and sizes and types invaded our sight line. Happily, I gasped, loving the feel of the excitement that coursed through my body. I felt like I had died and went to flower heaven. Behind me, Jordyn gasped as well and I turned to see her resting her hand on her moving stomach. The baby was kicking.

I smiled at her. "Now do you want the flowers?"

"He's happy," she said in a wistful tone.

We moved through the aisles, touching and smelling the baskets full of flowers. Lady in the night, Frangipani, Roses, Daffodils, Tulips; their perfumes invaded our nostrils. It was amazing.

I turned towards Jordyn, slowly walking backwards down the aisle, basking in the smile that was present on her face. This was the most peaceful I've ever seen my sister since she found about her pregnancy. Still walking backwards and touching the petals of the flowers, I felt myself come to a stop as I collided with something hard. I stumbled forward, thinking I had hit into a wall, only to have hands grip my waist to keep me from falling on the ground.

"Thank you," I said all the while gasping in relief. I turned to face my savior, stopping short as I looked at the person. Sky blue eyes. Tousled jet black hair. Unforgettable features like enhanced muscles and a height that could surpass the Eiffel Tower. These features belonged to one person. Alexander Martin.

"Sam?" He asked, genuinely surprised.

My heart fluttered in my chest and my stomach was doing back flips. He was here. In front of me. And I missed him so much it hurt. I hadn't seen him in two weeks and my body was still affected by his presence. Dammit.

I cleared my throat. "Hello, Alex."

"What are you doing here?"

I shot him a small smile, "I wanted flowers. I'm feeling very excited today and I thought flowers would help bring excitement back into the house. What are you doing here?"