Full Circle (57 page)

“Are you nervous?”

“No. I’m excited. And you’re not going to be
home to distract me.” He pulled her closer.

They’d agreed she would spend the night at
her parents’ and he, Rob, Daniel, and Zach would stay at their
house.

“It was your idea that we not spend the night
together before the wedding,” she reminded him.

He uttered a soft, frustrated growl.

“And,” she added, “to abstain.”

They hadn’t made love for two weeks, and it
was damn near driving them both mad.

“Don’t remind me,” he said softly, nuzzling
her neck. Then he whispered, “I’ve been hard for days.”

“Have you now?”

He nodded, kissing the tender skin below her
ear.

“Well, your wait is almost over. Twenty-four
more hours.”

He growled again. “I don’t know if I can make
it.”

“I’ll make it worth your wait.” And she meant
it. She had one extra special wedding present to give him tomorrow
night.

He pulled away, a devilish grin revealing his
thoughts.

As for tomorrow, everything was set. All the
arrangements made. The only thing left was to say, “I do.”

Rob eased up beside them. “You about ready to
go, groom-to-be?”

“Yeah, just give me one more minute with my
fiancée.”

Rob nodded and joined the others by the
door.

When they were alone again, Mark said, “Just
think, the next time we see each other, you’ll be walking down that
aisle for real, and we’ll be getting married.”

“And you’re okay? You’re not nervous or—”

“Panicking?”

He’d taken the word right out of her
mouth.

“Yes.”

He shook his head. “My heart’s racing, but
it’s not because I’m panicking.” He leaned forward and kissed her
ear then whispered, “It’s because I know that tomorrow night I’ll
be making love to my wife for the first time. And I can’t wait to
know what that feels like. I can’t wait to be your husband.”

She smiled and dipped the side of her head
against his cheek, knowing that the night would be even more
special than he realized since she’d started on birth control over
a month ago. What would it feel like to have sex without a condom
separating them?

“And I can’t wait to be your wife.”

He hugged her, kissed her, and then sighed as
he released her. “Good night, Miss Mason.” A sparkle lit in his
eyes, and she didn’t need him to tell her what he was thinking.

This was the last time he would call her Miss
Mason.

Because tomorrow she would be Mrs.
Strong.

Chapter 42

I’m looking forward to the future, and feeling
grateful for the past.

-Mike Rowe

Mark applied the last chocolate petal to the
chocolate-covered strawberry rose he was making then carefully set
it in the vase with the other five. Six down, six more to go.

“Hey, what are you still doing up?” Rob
shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep. What about you? Why are you
up?”

Rob plopped onto one of the barstools. “I
never sleep well when Holly’s not with me.”

Mark rolled a small ball of chocolate between
his palms and placed it on a piece of parchment paper. “I know the
feeling.” He rolled out another small ball then puffed out a
derisive breath. “Look at us. Two years ago, we were both
contentedly single. Now, neither of us can sleep without the women
we love next to us in bed.”

Rob snorted and peeled himself off the
barstool to head to the fridge. “Yeah, I never saw this day coming.
But, you know . . .” He grabbed the milk and set it
on the counter. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Mark placed a second sheet of parchment over
his five chocolate balls and one chocolate snake then grabbed the
rolling pin. “Neither would I.” He flattened the chocolate then
carefully peeled away the top sheet of parchment while Rob poured a
glass of milk then grabbed a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies from the
cabinet and returned to his seat.

“Are these for tomorrow?” Rob pointed at the
vase of chocolate roses with his pinky as he bit into a cookie.

“Yep.” He dipped a cake pop stick in melted
white chocolate, pushed it into the center of the strawberry from
the bottom, rolled the strawberry in the white chocolate, and then
set it aside so he could roll his flattened milk chocolate snake in
a coil around the top of the berry.

Rob dipped his cookie in his milk and quietly
watched him mold the round discs of milk chocolate into petals
around the strawberry, turning out the tops to make it seem like
the rosebud was beginning to open.

Mark smirked as Rob dipped another
cookie.

“What?” Rob said innocently.

“You still dip your cookies in milk? Really?
What are you, nine?”

Rob flipped him off, his mouth full.

Mark chuckled, finishing the chocolate rose
then carefully adding it to the vase with the others.

“You know,” Rob said, chugging a swallow of
milk, “maybe you should open a restaurant.”

“A restaurant?” Mark stole a cookie for
himself.

Rob’s hand dove into the bag and dragged out
another. “Yeah. You’ve been trying to figure out for years what you
want to be when you grow up.” He chomped half the cookie in one
bite. “You’ve been guarding your inheritance like a dragon guards
its hoard of gold, saying that someday you’ll start your own
business and use the money to fund it.”

“Yeah, but a restaurant?” Mark dusted off his
hands and started on rose number eight. “I don’t know the first
thing about running a restaurant.”

Rob pushed the bag of cookies aside. “You
learn, man. I mean, Mark, you’ve got to admit, you know food. You
love cooking. I’ve eaten your homemade spaghetti and meatballs,
which is better than any spaghetti and meatballs I’ve eaten
anywhere
, whether in a restaurant or out of a can. And,
dude, most people simply use spaghetti from a box. But you? Noooo,
you have to make your own. You could make a killing if you opened
an Italian bistro.”

Mark contemplated Rob’s words as he flattened
his chocolate petals for the next flower. He did love cooking. And
how did that saying go?
If you do what you love, you’ll never
work another day in your life.
Maybe Rob was onto
something.

“Good idea, huh?” Rob said, obviously seeing
Mark’s wheels turning.

“It’s got potential.” Mark dipped another
cake pop stick in the white chocolate. “I’ll look into it, but
right now, my mind’s focused on tomorrow.”

“You nervous?”

“No.”

“You sure? I know how you get with churches
and weddings.”

Mark pushed the stick into the bottom of a
strawberry. “That was before Carol and I talked. Now, though?
Everything’s different now.” He rolled the strawberry in the melted
white chocolate. “All that shit from before is gone.”

“I told you it would work. You just needed to
bury the hatchet with Carol. You two never did that before.”

“What can I say? You’re always right.”

“Damn straight I am.” Rob drained his glass
of milk and plunked it back on the counter.
“So . . . you’re okay? No panic attacks? I don’t
need to bring the Valium?”

Mark chuckled, his fingers busily coiling a
chocolate snake on top of the berry. “No, buddy. I’m good.”

Rob closed the bag of cookies and hopped off
the barstool. “Well, I’m going to head back up and try to get some
sleep.” He put the cookies away then rinsed his glass and set it
beside the sink. “You should try to do the same.”

“I will. I’ve got to make four more of these,
and then I’ll head up.” If he slept at all, he’d be grateful. As
excited as he was about tomorrow, though, he’d be lucky if he slept
more than a couple hours.

“Night.” Rob headed out of the kitchen toward
the stairs.

Alone again, Mark continued making his dozen
special roses for his very special bride. The last time he’d made
these for her, he was getting ready to whisk her away to Saint
Lucia. Just like now. She didn’t know it, yet, but that was where
he was taking her for their honeymoon.

And this time, no secrets stood between them.
His slate was clean.

For the first time ever, he felt whole.

And he couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

Karma sat in the living room of her parents’ house,
watching some cheesy late-night movie. The rest of the house was
dark and quiet, but she couldn’t sleep. She imagined Mark was
suffering the same fate. Maybe even watching the same movie in
their bedroom.

“Hey, pumpkin.”

She jumped at the sound of her dad’s voice
then settled back, laughing at herself. “Dad, you startled me. I
thought you were asleep.”

“Sorry.” He pulled his robe more securely
around him then clicked on the lamp on the end table before taking
a seat in his chair. “Just thought I’d check on you. You all
right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t sleep.”

“You nervous?”

She smiled as she recalled how Mark had
answered that same question just a few hours ago. “I’m excited. Too
excited to sleep.”

“I can see that. You
are
pretty
smitten with that boy.”

“He’s not a boy, Dad. He’s—”

“I know, he’s a man. I remember you telling
me that a time or two.” He grinned.

“Yeah, once or twice.” She smiled. “You know,
I’m still getting used to you being so nice to him.”

He sat back and gently rocked his chair a
couple of times. “Well, he’s a good man. Any fool can see
that.”

“Are you calling yourself a fool?” She folded
her forearms over the arm of the couch and laid her chin on her
hand.

“Never.” He grinned and gave her a wink.

They held each other’s gazes for a few
seconds.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she said. “It’s
a big day for you, too.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m already worried I’ll
mess up my line.”

She laughed. “All you have to do is say ‘I
do’ when the minister asks who’s giving me away.”

“I know. Can you see why I’m worried?”

They laughed together then Karma said,
“You’ll do fine, Dad.”

“You know, when I had my heart attack, I was
afraid I wouldn’t make it to this day.”

“Is that why you changed your mind about
Mark?”

He shook his head. “I’d already started to
change my mind about him. The heart attack just helped hurry me
along.”

“I’m glad. And I’m glad you and Johnny are
getting along better, too.”

“Me, too. It seems my heart attack woke us
both up.”

A lot had changed in the last two years,
especially in the last couple months. She felt closer to her
brother than she ever had, and for the first time, the three of
them had discussed taking a fishing trip together later this
summer. It would be nice to spend time with her dad and her brother
and not feel like she was in the middle of a war zone.

“Well, honey . . .” Her dad
rose. “I’m heading back to bed. And you need to try and get some
sleep, too. We’ll be getting up in less than seven hours to get
ready.”

“I know. Maybe I’ll get lucky and fall asleep
on the couch.” If she tried to sleep in her bedroom, her mind would
just fire back to life with a million random thoughts about
tomorrow. Or today. After all, it was after midnight. First would
be a trip to the salon to get her hair and makeup done, and then
back to her parents’ house to get dressed. Then off to the park in
the limo they’d rented to get pictures taken after Mark and the
groomsmen finished with theirs.

And then . . . the
wedding.

Finally.

It had been a long time in the making—over
two years, in fact—but their big day had finally come.

Chapter 43

Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my
favorite.

-Xuan Ta

Mark stood at the front of the church, hands clasped
in front of him, as Sonya, Holly, and Lisa slowly walked up the
aisle in their pale-pink dresses.

“You doing okay?” Rob whispered beside
him.

Mark nodded without taking his eyes off the
back of the church. “Yes. Stop distracting me.” If he turned away
for only a second and missed his first glimpse of Karma in her
dress, he would never forgive his best friend, who seemed intent on
checking on him every ten seconds.

“Just making sure you’re not going to pass
out.”

“I told you, I’m fine.” He was better than
fine. He was about to see his bride in her wedding dress for the
first time. Not a shred of fear remained in his heart, which held
nothing but love and hope for their future.

What they’d been able to pull off in only two
months was nothing short of a miracle. His first attempt at a
wedding had taken over eight months to plan, and it had been
nothing like the extravagance he and Karma had managed with the
help of their friends. The church was a beautiful display of
flowers, ribbons, and candles. Daniel and Zach had done well.

If the reception hall looked anything like
the church, they were in for a fairytale evening.

The wedding march started, and all the guests
rose. He squared his shoulders and straightened his back, gaze
locked on the back of the church. In the vestibule, just outside
his line of sight, she was waiting with her dad. He could see their
shadows moving on the floor.

“You still doing okay?” Rob whispered.

“I’m fine, Rob. Stop asking.”

He’d taken such a long, hard journey to get
here. For so long, he’d had no interest in falling in love, and
then he met Karma. She had changed everything. She’d made him want
to love again, take chances, break free from his fear.

He couldn’t imagine two people could love
each other more than they did. After tonight, they would finally be
one. His name would be hers, her heart his.

The shadows crossed the floor beyond the
entryway, and he fought not to crane his neck to see her.