My Chance (Chance #2) (28 page)

I laughed. Mary was there to fluff my gown, and she took my purse. Julie and Val came around the corner with bouquets of white orchids. They were simple but elegant. The stems were wrapped in pale blue organza. I held them in my left hand along with the gift from Jack.

Mary opened the double church doors, and the music started. I peeked inside and saw Mark, Brett, and Tyler. They looked beyond handsome. I looked at my girls. They were all smiles. I prayed that Julie would be okay. Val went first, and Julie followed her.

My dad placed my right hand on his arm. “Ready?”

“I am.”

The guests stood, and we walked down the aisle. I looked straight ahead. There he was. I almost had to stop and stare at him. He smiled at me, and I relaxed. My dad stopped, and I turned to look at him. He kissed my cheek and shook Alex’s hand. Alex put his hand out, and I placed mine in it. I felt his touch down to my toes, just like the first night we met.

The reverend started the ceremony, and soon it was time for the vows. Alex and I faced each other.

“Aubrey, I had a whole speech prepared, but after seeing you—by the way, you look gorgeous—I don’t think it’s good enough. So I’m going to speak from my heart.” He cleared his throat. “I knew I had to have you the first night I saw you. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. When I sat with you, I felt something I’d never felt before. I wasn’t sure what it was, but now I know that it was love. I loved you from the moment I saw you.” Alex looked down and then back at me. “When I lost you, I thought I was going to die. I can’t live without you, and I’m so thankful you’re going to be my wife. I promise to show you the world, to lift you up when you’re having a bad day, and to celebrate with you when you’re having a good one. I promise to support you mentally, emotionally, and physically.” He winked. “I promise I’ll be the best husband and father that I can be. You’re my missing piece, Aubrey. With you by my side, I know I’ll be whole. So will you... be my wife?”

“Yes, I will.” I wiped a tear away with the handkerchief Jack had given me. I saw a tear leave Alex’s eye, and I wiped his away. Then the reverend told me it was my turn.

I put my hands back in Alex’s and noticed him look at the cloth in my left hand. I whispered, “Your dad gave it to me.”

Alex grinned and nodded.

“I didn’t really prepare anything. Well, I tried, but I knew I’d forget it all.” Our friends laughed which made me smile and relax. “Alex, you said that you fell for me the first night you saw me, and I feel the same way. Being with you makes me a better person. You give me confidence and make me feel like I can take on the world. With you at my side, I believe that I can. I took a chance the night I met you. I didn’t know what to expect, but I certainly didn’t expect you. You were my unexpected chance. I want to give you everything I have and everything I am. I’m not perfect, and I’ll make mistakes, but I’ll be the best wife and hopefully mother that I can be. I love you, Alex Logan, and I want you to be my husband. Will you marry me and make me the happiest woman?”

Alex kissed my hand. “I will.”

We exchanged rings, and before I knew it, the reverend pronounced us husband and wife. We smiled at each other until we heard, “You may kiss the bride.”

Alex put his hands on my cheeks and kissed me. My hands ran up his back as I held him. Our tongues danced, and he dipped me. Our friends applauded. We walked down the aisle and out of the church hand in hand. We stopped at the bottom of the steps and waited for our bridal party. Brett came out first, then Julie walked out with Tyler while Val was on Mark’s arm. We all piled into the limo to head to our reception.

“So, Mrs. Logan, are you ready to start the rest of your life?” Alex beamed.

“I’ve never been more ready, Mr. Logan.”

Valentine’s Day

I could think of nothing better than waking up next to the most gorgeous man in our home. Alex was still sleeping, and I couldn’t help staring at his strong jaw line and perfectly messed up hair. Since the sheet was below his waist, I appreciated his fine body. My hands were tucked under my cheek, and I let out a quiet sigh of appreciation. He smiled and opened one eye to look at me.

“Have you been awake this entire time?” I asked.

“You mean the entire time you’ve been staring at me? No.”

I grabbed my pillow and smacked him with it.

He rolled on top of me and kissed me. His lips were soft and strong. He broke the kiss and looked into my eyes. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

I smiled at him. “Happy Valentine’s Day. I can’t believe I finally have a Valentine.”

He rolled to the side and propped his head up with his left hand while his right rested on my stomach. “You’ve never had a Valentine?”

“Pathetic, right?” I laughed. “Nope, I never have. The only Valentine’s Day cards I got were when I was young and the entire class had to bring in cards. But the girls who got flowers and real cards…” I shrugged. “I was never one of them. So you’re my first and last Valentine.”

He looked at me as though he couldn’t believe what I was saying. “The boys in your school must have been idiots.”

“Yeah, that’s what the problem was.” I sat up and looked at him. “I never in my wildest imagination thought my one and only Valentine would be a drop dead gorgeous reformed player and former member of the most wanted bachelor list.” I wrapped my arms around my knees.

He shrugged it off. “Whatever.” He got out of bed and walked into our bathroom.

I heard the shower running, so I threw on my robe and made a dash to the kitchen to make our first Valentine’s breakfast. I decided on French toast and bacon. I made a pot of coffee and whipped the eggs. I felt him looking at me. I turned. He had on a pair of loose-fitting running pants and no shirt. My eyes grazed his impeccable body. His hands were behind his back, which made his chest look even broader.

“I wanted to surprise you with breakfast. That was a really quick shower,” I said.

He moved toward me, and the look in his eyes said he wanted something other than food. “Breakfast can wait. I have something for you.”

“Are we exchanging presents now? I have something for you too. I’ll go get it.” I went into the spare bedroom for the present I’d hid there. I carried it into the family room where he stood holding a white orchid. “Where did you get that? I swear, do you have them just growing around here?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I’m not giving away my secrets.” He winked, and I melted. He brought me to the couch and pulled out a small square box. “Go ahead, open it.”

I unwrapped it and lifted the cover to find a beautiful diamond ring that matched my bracelet and necklace. It was a single orchid, and it was stunning.

“That’s the last piece to the set. I hope you like it,” he said.

I slid it on my finger. “I love it. Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Okay, your turn.” I was beyond nervous as I gave him his gift.

He unwrapped the box, lifted the cover, looked inside, and then at me. “It’s the journal I gave you.”

“I added to it, and I wanted you to read it.”

“I’m glad you’re writing again. Can I read it now?” He beamed and opened the book. He turned the pages past the ones he’d written on to find my words.

Entry 1 - Alex - My husband and chance at love

When I first met you, I didn't know what to think other than “Why is this man talking to me?” As time passed, I fell in love with you. I knew that I wanted to be in your life forever. Then I had my accident and things changed, but my love for you didn't. You proved to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you loved me and we were meant to be together.

When I started writing, I was looking for romance. What I didn't expect was to find you, my romantic hero. You're more than that to me. You are my best friend, my lover, my husband, and in October, you will be the father to our child.

I love you, Alex, more than you will ever know.

He looked at me with tear-filled eyes. “I’m going to be a father?”

I nodded.

“We’re going to be a family?”

I nodded. He wrapped his arms around me.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Alex.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Aubrey.”

When I think about writing acknowledgements, it really isn’t easy. There are so many people in my life that have supported me, encouraged me and quite frankly put up with me while writing
My Chance
, that I hope I don’t forget to mention anyone, but if I do, I apologize up front and tell you that you really weren’t forgotten; and I thank you.

I couldn’t have done this without the support of my entire family. Especially my husband Dave and my sons Nick and Zack, thank you for everything. For understanding why dinner is late, why the laundry isn’t quite done and why I am constantly glued to my computer. I am very blessed to have all of you by my side on this crazy ride!

A very special thank you to my beta readers; Nancy Truett, Kathy Coopmans, Kellie Montgomery, Tyf Snyder, Heidi Jo Bellus, Karrie Mellottt Puskas, and Lauren Collins. You all are more than just my “betas” you are good friends and I am so happy to have you on my side! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read for me. Your feedback and comments were incredibly helpful. Thank you for putting up with my numerous IMs. Hopefully, I didn’t drive you too crazy!

My friends that always have my back, thank you for supporting me!

My “Street Team”! Thank you for “pimping” me out! You are all the best!

I’d like to thank Madeline Sheehan for always being there for me; to answer questions, give advice or for that occasional virtual slap. You are a fabulous person and I am so happy that I’ve met you.

To all the bloggers, thank you for everything that you do. Your support and kindness means the world to me. I wish I could list all of you, but that would add several more pages! Thank you for all the time you spend pimping authors out. You take time out of your personal lives, and I appreciate it more than you know!

To my “Panty Dropping Spice Girls” I think you all are a riot! I am so glad to be part of your group!

I’ve been very fortunate to have Erik Fellows’ handsome face on my covers. Erik, you are a wonderful person with a heart of gold and I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to work with you on Unexpected Chance and My Chance. You know you are more to me than just a cover model; you are my friend, teammate and “second cousin twice removed” ha-ha. I think the world of you and I hope to work with you again.

Thank you Jovana Shirley of Unforeseen Editing for formatting
My Chance
. You are awesome, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Special thanks to my editor, Cassie Cox. I absolutely loved working with you. Your skills are amazing. I look forward to working with you in the future. I’d also like to thank Elizabeth Himes who proofread My Chance.

Thank you to Kellie Dennis at Book Covers by Design for creating my cover. You put up with all my changes and questions; I truly appreciate it.

Thank you all for encouraging me to take this chance; it means the world to me.