500 Days (72 page)

I listened to his retreating steps.
“Casper?” He stopped. “I love you.”

“
I love you too, soon to
be Mrs.
Alexis
Covington.”

“
Dick,” I mumbled under my
breath.

“
I heard that,” he
grunted. I laughed to myself and waited until I heard the door
close behind him. Then I opened the stall and locked the door so I
wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else coming in. I looked at my
pale face in the mirror and sighed. I wet a paper towel and blotted
my face. Then I fixed my smudged mascara and brushed my teeth
before reapplying my lip-gloss. Once I was sure I was okay to
continue. I made my way back out to where the girls were
waiting.

“
Okay, I’m
good.”

“
Are you sure, because we
can wait. You know they can’t start without us.”

“
I’ll just hide a sick bag
inside my bouquet and all will be fine,” I joked. Declan frowned,
not thinking it was funny. I walked over to her and placed my hands
on her shoulders. “I promise you. Nothing is going to ruin today.
Everything will be fine. Now take a deep breath,” I paused, waiting
as she inhaled deeply through her nose and let out a big breath.
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”

“
Only you would be so calm
on a day like today,” Declan said, letting her nerves get the best
of her.

“
And when the roles are
reversed, you’ll be giving me the same speech,” I assured
her.

“
Okay, let’s go,” she
smiled, ushering us out the door.

Casper

I waited with the rest of my boys at the
front the church. Colton looked at me from where he stood. I patted
my pocket to assure him everything was in order. Shortly, the music
started and we took our places. My heart picked up at the thought
of watching her walk down that aisle, looking into my eyes and
accepting me as hers for the rest of our lives. I never needed a
piece of paper to prove that she was mine, but I wanted to show in
front everyone that I would love her until the end of days. I felt
like a school kid with his first crush in anticipation of seeing
her. My head turned, waiting, and when she stepped through those
doors and onto the path of red and white rose petals Katalina had
littered the floor with, I felt my heart stop.

She was breathtaking. The
most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. Her eyes instantly
met mine and she smiled. She took her time walking down the aisle,
her eyes never leaving mine. It was like time had stopped and the
only people in the church were Alex and me. The only thing I heard
was the sound of the blood rushing through my veins, my
pulse
racing, and my heart beating a
million times per minute. Alex stopped, her smile fell, and for a
second she looked like she was about to lose her lunch all over
Colton’s Aunt Mina.

I was about to rush to her side when Colton
held up a hand to stop me. I was ready to pound his face in until
he nudged me with his elbow. I looked up to see Alex was smiling
again, all signs of sickness gone, and making her way down the
aisle again. I sighed in relief. She seemed to be playing it cool
but I knew on the inside she was scared. When she took her spot at
the front I mouthed to her, “Are you okay?” She nodded in response,
placing a tender hand over her swollen belly. My grandmother’s
ring, glistening brightly against the sunlight shining through the
colored glass windows. I originally bought her an enormous rock,
but she made me take it back and told me she would not wear it.
Saying it looked ridiculous. I always thought girls liked big
diamonds, but I should have known better. Alex wasn’t most girls.
So I asked my mom for my grandmother’s ring which was a flat,
square diamond incased in several other diamonds surrounding it. It
was antique looking and Alex loved it. She actually cried when I
gave it to her. I knew I got it right then, for the fact that I
achieved what very few could. I got Alex Radcliffe to cry over
something girly. Her words not mine.

“
You look beautiful,” I
whispered, unable to wipe the smile from my face.

She cleared her throat and gestured with her
eyes to the woman of the hour who was currently walking down the
aisle. As hard as it was, I shifted my eyes to the beautiful bride
walking down the aisle. Declan looked stunning. I could feel the
nerves coming off of Colton in waves. I patted Colton on the
shoulder and lowered my voice so only he could here. “Relax man,
she’s not going anywhere. Look at her.”

“
I can’t stop looking at
her,” he smiled, releasing some of his tension. I slapped his
shoulder one more time before I took a step back to admire my soon
to be bride and mother of my children. Alex’s eyes were on Declan
and Colton as were everyone else’s. But I could not steal my gaze
away from Alex. As if she knew I was staring, she looked at me and
winked.

I was so enamored by the thought of making
Alex my wife someday I almost missed the part where I had to hand
over the rings. Colton had to clear his throat to get my
attention.

“
I now pronounce you
husband and wife,” the priest announced. The church erupted into
applause as they kissed. I started to get antsy waiting to take
Alex in my arms. I hadn’t seen her in almost twenty-four hours.
Declan made her stay with her in preparation for today. I didn’t
want to deny her, her best friend so I only sulked for an hour
before I dropped her off. She promised me she would make it up to
me tonight and I did a small jig to show my excitement. Sex with
Alex was amazing. But sex with Alex while she was pregnant, was
otherworldly. And she wanted it all the time. I can’t say I was
complaining.

I extended an arm to Alex when it was our
turn to follow the newlyweds out of the church. “How are you
feeling?”

“
Fine, I think I’ll be
good for the rest of the day. Just as long as my Great Aunt Ida
keeps her distance.” I scrunched my brow at her. “She smells like
an old folk’s home mixed with the perfume aisle at
Macy’s.”

I chuckled. “I’ll try to keep all elderly
women on the opposite side of the room.”

I escorted her outside where she took a deep
breath of fresh air. Alex loved being outside. The sunshine brought
out a different side of her. I stood behind her, enclosing her
tightly to my body, spreading my palms wide on her belly. I felt
the baby kick. “Did you feel that?” I asked excitedly.

“
I feel that all the
time,” she said, shifting slightly. “She seems to only be agitated
when you’re around.”

I narrow my eyes at her. Alex insists it’s a
girl. I say it’s a boy. We find out next week who’s right. I bend
down to kiss her belly, like I do every night before bed. The baby
kicked again. “See, it’s you.”

“
You ever think he just
likes the sound of my voice?” I also sang to the baby every
night.

“
Or maybe she takes after
her mama and already knows boys are trouble.”

I kissed her belly again and stood to meet
her eyes. “Oh she won’t have to worry about any of that because she
won’t be dating until she’s thirty.”

Alex giggled, pulling my lips to hers,
letting out a tiny gasp. She hummed quietly in the back of her
throat as I tickled her tongue with mine. “Alright, enough of that
you two. You know what that kind of stuff leads to,” Shauna
said.

“
I think it’s a little
late for that,” Alex said, rubbing her belly.

“
C’mon on you guys!”
Jaxson yelled, sticking his head out of the sunroof of the
limo.

“
Are you ready?” I asked
her.

“
Yeah,” she smiled. I
grabbed her, pulling her into my arms and dipping her back
slightly. She shrieked. “What are you doing?”

“
Just reminding you how
much I love you and that I can’t wait until the day you meet me at
the end of that aisle.”

She tightened her arms around my neck. “I
love you, Casper. Always –”

“
And forever,” I finished,
sealing it with a kiss.

The end…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica is a budding new
author with a passion for writing in her veins. She stems from the
suburbs of Pennsylvania where most of her time is spent writing,
listening to new music, or reading a good book. When not busy
writing, Jessica works part–time in a salon where she enjoys making
people look beautiful. You can catch up with Jessica on her blog or
follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Thank you for
Reading!

Dear reader,

I hoped you enjoyed 500
Days. This book was an emotional roller coaster for me and I am
happy to share those feelings with you. I dug deep with this one
and tried hard to make sure I got everything just right. I enjoy
writing these kinds of stories and hopefully can continue to share
more.

As an author, I love
feedback. You, the reader, are the reason I keep writing and
exploring new ideas to come up with to entertain. I’d love to hear
from you. You can reach me at my website –
www.jesslmiller.blogspot.com

Finally, I need to ask you
a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a review of 500 Days.
Loved it or hated it, I just enjoy your feedback. Reviews are hard
to come by these days and you, the reader, can make or break a
book. So I ask this small favor to let the world know what you
thought.

Thank you so much for
reading 500 Days!

Love Always,

Jessica Miller