Read Jarod's Heart (King Brothers Stories #2) Online
Authors: Elise Manion
Jarod's Heart (King Brothers Stories #2) (33 page)
Charlie stood tall and proud, answering clearly, “I do.” Then he kissed Julie on the cheek and sat down next to James and Camille. Because Charlie and Julie had lost their parents, the Kings were their only family. But that didn’t keep the church from being a packed house; both sides of the aisle were filled to capacity. And by the time Jason kissed his princess in a most inappropriate fashion, there wasn’t a dry eye in the building.
THE RECEPTION WAS
held at the community center, which had been transformed into a grand winter wonderland, complete with ice sculptures, crystal chandeliers, and sparkling fake snow. There was light-blue back lighting behind the white silk that curtained the walls to hide the generic look of the room. The tables were adorned with frosted pinecones, white linens, and tall white limbs decorated with twinkle lights. Strategically placed small candles added to the soft winter ambience.
In Lauren’s opinion, Camille had outdone herself with the décor and the speed with which she’d put this wedding together. Thanks to the style of Julie’s dress, no one but family noticed the small bump in Julie’s abdomen, the reason for having pushed up the date of the wedding.
The wedding feast was served in four courses, beginning with a five-onion soup served in a cored onion; Greek salad with fresh greens, Kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese; petite filet mignon with baked potato and Italian vegetables; and, lastly, apple cobbler, a dish the bride couldn’t get enough of lately.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Jessica ate most of everything. She’d insisted on sitting between Jason and Julie at the head of the wedding table, insisting that she wore a tiara like Joojee, therefore she was a princess, too. Jason had agreed.
When dinner was over and the wedding traditions of cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet and garters were performed, the wedding party was asked to join the bride and groom on the dance floor.
Jarod held out his hand to Lauren. When she took it, he twirled her to the dance floor and began leading her in a smooth transition into the crowd, slow-dancing their way around the floor. Julie and Jason stayed in the middle, while Camille and James two-stepped the perimeter, awaiting their turns to dance with the bride and groom. Charlie danced with Jessica, and her giggling voice floated around with the music. Josh and Melissa looked uncomfortable together, which struck Lauren as strange. Josh was smooth with the ladies, but it seemed he couldn’t charm Melissa out of her shyness.
“You look beautiful,” Jarod whispered in Lauren’s ear.
“So do you.”
He chuckled.
Since their return from Las Vegas and his declaration of love, he’d opened up his heart to her every day. He frowned less and laughed more, and she fell more and more in love with him, knowing that he’d made her wish come true. She was married to Jarod King, and he loved her with all of his heart. For the first time in her life, she felt complete.
They danced with their foreheads together, only glancing around every now and then to check on Jessica. When Lauren noticed Jason secretly rubbing Julie’s bump, she wondered whether now was the right time to share her own secret with Jarod.
Nah, she’d wait until they were alone later that night.
Thank you so much for reading
Jarod’s Heart
. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the book. Even if you didn’t, I would love to hear from you. You can let me know what you think by contacting me at the links below:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook:
facebook.com/elisemanionbooks
Twitter:
@elisemanion
You can also find me on Pinterest and GoodReads
I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Elise
I’d like to thank the team at Blue Harvest Creative for their much needed, and sound, advice on how to put this book together—not to mention for putting up with all of my little quirks and dramas.
To Jessica Santina, my editor, for her discerning eye. Without you,
Jarod’s Heart
would’ve had to have been classified as a different kind of romance novel.
And finally, to Mr. Tony Spencer of Yateley, England, for naming the fictional small town and county where the King family reside.
Elise lives in northern Nevada with her husband of twenty-three years, their young adult son, and Franklin the Weenie Dog. She’s worked in many different industries from retail to real estate. But with a passion for reading, especially silly little love stories, it was a logical step to try her hand at spinning a good yarn.
If you enjoyed
Jarod’s Heart,
you might also enjoy the first in the King Brothers series,
Jason’s Princess
, which tells Jason and Julie’s story. If you really, REALLY enjoyed the book, you can sign-up for SLLS e-News at
www.elisemanion.com
to find out when Josh and Missy’s story will be available in Josh’s Challenge.
Visit the author at:
Websites
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Cover, interior book design,
and eBook design by Blue Harvest Creative
Edited by Jessica Santina
Table of Contents
Nine: Deal With a Blue-eyed Devil
Ten: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Mother Scorned