Summers' Love, A Cute and Funny Cinderella Love Story (LPC Romantic Comedy Series) (30 page)

BOOK: Summers' Love, A Cute and Funny Cinderella Love Story (LPC Romantic Comedy Series)
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They’d not broken their gaze since they’d spoken their first vow. This time, they smiled at each other. “We will.”

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. Do you promise to trust each other, persevere when times are tough, and defend one another against all lies, gossip, and rumors?”

They both suppressed laughter. “We will.”

“Stu, was there something you wanted to say to Kate?”

Stu looked first at the pastor, then at Kate as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

Kate’s heart skipped. They hadn’t rehearsed this. She tilted toward him and whispered, “What are you doing? I thought we decided we weren’t exchanging our own personal vows.”


You
decided,” he replied in a hushed voice. “As an author I’m free to write whatever I want.”

He straightened, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “Kate Winston, I knew the first time I saw you, the first time I heard you laugh, that I was in love. Not love in the way you read about in romance novels. That sort of love tugs at the emotions of readers and creates a false illusion of what true love is.”

He cut his eyes towards Hattie, and they shared a knowing look. Stu turned his attention back toward Kate.

“The love I have for you goes so much deeper. I love your eyes, your crazy sighs, and the way you twirl your hair when you appear nervous. I love that little girl laugh that comes out when you find yourself surprised. And I love that even when you grow old and change, deep down there will always be that sweet, beautiful, little Kate who believes in new romances and slow dances, the magic of a sunrise, and the mysterious power of two hearts becoming one. So right here, today, is my promise to you. I will never give up on us, never lose faith in you, and remain hopeful for as long as we both shall live.”

She dabbed her eyes and sniffed.

“Your turn,” the pastor whispered to Kate.

“I don’t …” She swallowed. “What I mean is, I didn’t write anything to say.”

“Just speak from the heart.” The pastor touched his chest and smiled. “Tell Stu what you told me the other day in my study.”

Kate caught Red looking at her, encouraging her to try. Someone coughed. One of her bridesmaids fidgeted.

“Okay,” she said softly. She looked into Stu’s deep blue eyes. “Stu Summers, there is nothing I want more than to be with you each and every day for the rest of my life … to see your smile each morning and have you kiss me goodnight at the end of the day. There is not another soul in the universe who gets me the way you do, who accepts me for who I am. From now on … from this day forward … wherever you are—be it a boat, a beach cottage, or a single-wide trailer tucked in the woods—that will be home for me. See, the thing is, when you love someone, you
have
to trust them. I mean really trust them. There’s no other way for it to work. And until I met you, I’d never ever really felt safe. I guess that’s part of the reason why I sold stun … guns.”

He winced playfully; she smiled and squeezed his hands.

Kate continued. “But I feel safe with you. Safer than I have ever felt with anyone. For most of my life, ever since Dad died, I’ve lived in fear and fear is a bully. Fear refuses to share the heart with joy and I want to have the kind of joy you have. For too long, I have lived in fear. Fear of rejection. Fear I was too fat. Fear that I would fall in love and he would leave. But you changed all that … changed me. And I want the last face I see when I die to be yours.”

She could tell Stu was moved by her words. Tears had formed in his eyes and, now, escaped down his cheeks. She smiled at him and whispered, “Want to borrow my tissue?”

He laughed, shook his head, and dried his eyes and nose with a handkerchief he’d stuffed in his pants pocket.

“Now, then,” the reverend said. “Are there rings to commemorate these vows and your love?”

Red leaned over and gave Kate a gold band. Stu put away the handkerchief and produced a matching ring.

“Stu, do you take Kate to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only to her forevermore?”

“With all my mind, body and soul, I do.” Gently, he pushed the ring onto her finger and kissed her hand.

“Kate, do you take Stu to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?”

“I …”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw it, a dark shape moving beyond Stu’s right shoulder. She broke eye contact with him and focused her gaze on the harbor.

“I do,” the minister said, encouraging her. “You’re suppose to say ‘I do.’”

Stu chimed in. “Come on, Kate, stop messing around.”

Kate’s pulse raced; she felt a rush of adrenalin as panic set in. “Um … Stu, honey, did you remember to set the anchor?”

“What?”

She released his hands and pointed over his shoulder toward the harbor. “The anchor, did you make sure it was set? Did it catch?”

The
Summers’ End
was drifting through the harbor, its black hull bouncing off boats. Stu said an ugly word under his breath, then leapt off the stage and bolted from the tent. As he sprinted toward the wooden walkway, he shed jacket and shoes, wallet and cell phone. Everyone turned in their chairs to watch. Before Kate could yell for him to stop, Stu jumped. There was a loud splash; the crowd gasped.

Kate heard herself saying, “Oh dear God, what have I done? I’ve married a crazy man.”

“Not crazy,” Red replied. “Don’t you remember? That’s exactly what Navy Captain Brock Cane did when he saw the Mogadishu pirates getting away. Of course, Cane was captured by the Somalis and tortured, leaving Nan to worry if she would ever see her fiancé again.”

“I know,” Kate shot back. “But
In Heat
was just a book!”

“You better go get the dinghy,” Red said. “The girls and I will keep the crowd entertained until you two get back.”

Kate took a final long look at her almost-husband swimming frantically toward their boat. “And if we don’t?”

Red smiled. “Well, then … the two of you will have something
else
to write about, won’t you?”

J

Table of Contents

Praise for Summers' Love ...

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-five

BOOK: Summers' Love, A Cute and Funny Cinderella Love Story (LPC Romantic Comedy Series)
5.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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