Absolution(149)

Her heart melted and she reached up to stroke his cheek. He hadn’t yet shaved this morning, and the stubble was rough beneath her fingertips. “Of course I haven’t changed my mind.”

He rolled his eyes, throwing his head back with a theatrical sigh. “Whew! That’s a load off!”

She grinned, grabbing his chin between her thumb and forefinger. “Here’s your last chance to kiss me as your fiancée,” she said, smile fading. “Next time, it’ll be as your wife.”

He didn’t need any more of an invitation, covering her lips with his. She closed her eyes, burying her fingers in his newly trimmed hair, and tried to remember to breathe. She hoped it would always be like this between them - that his kiss would always have the power to soothe the worry in her heart and her soul. It seemed to last forever, which is exactly what she wanted right now – to lose herself in Jack’s arms, his lips on hers, making silent promises she intended on making sure he kept.

The thought of walking up the aisle towards him wasn’t as frightening as it had been earlier. Callum was right, and she had been practicing for months. Everything would be fine, and at the reception, she would dance in his arms in front of everyone, light-headed from the champagne. She couldn’t wait.

“Wow,” he mumbled, licking his lips.

She smiled.

Just you wait till you see me at the church.

“As much as I want to hang around here and see where this leads, I should probably get going, right?”

“You should.” She nodded, as he deposited her carefully back in her wheelchair. “Maggie’ll be here soon – and while you might not be superstitious, she is. She’ll kill you if she finds you here, and I want you to make it to the church in one piece, otherwise this very romantic gesture of yours will’ve been a total waste of time.”

“Very good point. I guess I’ll see you later, then?”

He looked as if he wanted to say more. She waited, but he didn’t elaborate.

“You will,” she smiled, trying to put him at ease. “I’ll be the one in the white dress.”

That seemed to do it. He winked, his lips tilting into that lazy, crooked smile that melted her insides. “Great, thanks for the tip.”

She nodded graciously.

“One more thing, before I go,” he said, his expression softening as he reached down to smooth her hair back from her face. “You look so beautiful today.”

She smiled up at him as he leaned down to give her one final, reassuring kiss.


THE END



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She also writes.

She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte. She has a passion for the colour green (particularly in clothes and gemstones) and insists there is nothing sexier than a man in a kilt.

She spent several months traveling around Europe in her late 20’s (there’s a story there – she’ll get around to writing it one day). After ridding herself of her wanderlust, she met the love of her life (while working to pay off said wanderlust) in Edinburgh, Scotland. They moved in together the week after their first date – so yes, she believes in love at first sight. She also believes in women’s intuition and following your heart.

She writes on her trusty laptop, predominantly late at night, when it’s quiet and interruptions are few. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour – love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and relationships in general. She loves to put normal, everyday people into situations that will test their boundaries. She is passionately curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge.

After living in Scotland for five years, she now lives back home in her native New Zealand with her husband and two children.