CLINTEN
It took us some time to fully recover from everything. A lot of us, including myself were left with physical scars that will always be a reminder of what happened that day and thankfully nobody else got hurt. Like Karie for example seeing as to how she was still staying with her mother. Once she returned, we told her everything that had happened and it seemed to have brought her and Dusty closer than ever somehow as she ended up returning from her mothers a month later.
A year ago, Karie and Dusty decided to get married and nine months later, they had a healthy baby girl.
Shaundra saved our lives that day. I was so worried that she would get hurt or worse but she fired first and we all were surprised at how fast she did that, including herself.
It was horrible to know I lost both my Uncle, Gerard and a few other good men of mine but in the end, it all was over. I finally could put my past in the past and leave it there where it belonged.
That day was also a reminder of why I got out of that lifestyle in the first place and why I will never return to it ever again.
Life seems to have gotten a lot better though and the future is looking brighter than it ever has for me and for all of us.
My restaurant has continued to be a success and then Shaundra came on board and helped me with the booking and other things. Then I started teaching Dusty in how to cook and grill and he caught on quickly then soon became the Executive Chef in the restaurant a couple of months later and in all the years we have known each other, it never crossed my mind that he had always wanted to become a chef.
I believe the hardest point in the moment right now is that with Shaundra being at the restaurant with me, I sometimes if not all the time really hard to keep my hands off of her and there are many times we need to use the office for everything BUT what we should be using it for. But hey, what can I say? We love each other and can't keep our hands off of one another!
Today however has become one of the top most frightening days of my life and has made more nervous than anything else I have even experienced.
"Hey man, you ready?" Dusty asks with Nero at his side as I finish pacing back and forth in the parking lot.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am." I chuckle to myself.
"Damn bro. Take a few deep breaths. Maybe even a couple shots of tequila if you have to." Nero teases.
"I know. I have no idea in why I'm feeling like this." I tell them as we start walking out where everybody else is sitting down in the chairs waiting for everything to begin to start.
Dusty and Nero are technically my best men because it was hard to choose between them both so I made them both mine while Shaundra made Karie her Maid-Of-Honor.
While standing there for just a few moments longer, everybody stood up and the wind from the nice gentle breeze here by the bay side was perfect as the music played from one of her favorite movies ever that is based off one of her favorite authors, Stephen King's stories, was from the movie 'Stand By Me'. She was able to look for the score of that theme song and wanted to walk down the aisle to that and have our song that we dance together to 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri.
Just watching her walk down the aisle was amazing and took my breath away. Anything cliche you could think of rather you watched it in a movie or read it somewhere, I didn't care of that's how it sounded, it was the truth.
Her dress too was a little above her knee with a 1950's look to it, ivory white, with a see through lace fabric that are for the sleeves along with half her hair pinned back and the rest are loosely curled and went a little past her shoulders with beautiful make up to go along with the rest of her look.
After we said 'I do' and walked down the aisle as husband and wife hand-in-hand and went to the Reception and had even a greater time.
When everything was over, we headed towards a Sandals Resort in Tahiti First Class of course and this was the beginning of the rest of our lives together.
We both ended up falling asleep on the long flight but after we landed, it was early in the morning on Tahiti's time and we headed straight to the hotel then as soon as we got into the little hut we had to ourselves that had other huts lined up several feet between each other on both sides of ours.
As soon as I opened the door, I set our bags down onto the floor and told Shaundra to wait for me and when I went back over to pick her up bridal style to carry her into the room, she hesitated as she still wasn't sure she was light enough for me too but she was. She giggled a little bit and then after setting her feet onto the ground while giving her a kiss.
"I can't believe we finally did it." She smiles.
"Me neither." I smile in reply at her.
"Oh, before I forget, I have a wedding gift for you." She tells me before she goes over to my bag then takes out a small box.
"Baby, I said you didn't have to get me anything. That was our deal was not to give each other anything." I remind her.
"Yeah well, clearly you didn't follow that rule neither since you surprised me with a beautiful expensive Amethyst gem necklace." She points out at her neck since she's still wearing it.
"That's different." I smile at her.
"Uh-huh." She tells me before handing me the box.
Judging by the size and shape of the box, it looks like maybe she got me a watch possibly? No, a bracelet of some kind?
"Well open it dork." She laughs.
I laugh a little also and then remove the ribbon that is tied around it, keeping it together and as soon as I opened it up I nearly lost my balance. Was I looking at what I think I was? Was I reading this correctly?
"Is this...." I started and she nodded her head.
"Really?" I asked one more time to make sure this was for real and not at all a joke of some kind, that I know she'd never do anyways but this happens to be the one things that I have wanted with her other than giving her my last name.
"Yes. We're going to be parents." She smiles at me.
I stood there still shocked and surprised and then finally came back to the moment and grabbed her and spun her around then we landed on the bed with me on top of her, both of us laughing a little bit before I place the stick onto one of the side tables next to the bed here.
"I love you." I tell her for the hundredth time today while looking into her eyes.
"I love you more." She smiles back at me.
"Impossible." I tell her under my breath before leaning back in and we start to make love to each other.
The End
YOU ARE READING
HIS Challenge
Romance# 7 in the 'HIS' Series (Don't need to read them in order) Shaundra has recently lost her father and other than her brother, was the last family she had left. She has been left both her father's money and his club which she doesn't care for becaus...
