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Authors: Teresa Mummert

The Good Girls (18 page)

BOOK: The Good Girls
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EPILOGUE

Cara

W
e got married on a Tuesday. The sun was warm, and the flowers were in bloom in Kissimmee, Florida. Ellie had insisted that we wait until after we’d graduated college to make our lifelong commitment. I didn’t mind because I knew that we’d always be together. There was never a doubt in my mind after we found our way back into each other’s lives.

I’d be lying if I said that it was an easy road from that point. Coming out officially to my parents didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. Even with me nearly being killed, they still couldn’t find it in their hearts to forgive me. I had no other choice but to accept their decision not to be a part of my life.

David, however, had drastically changed his views when he realized how much hatred and bigotry had hurt his own daughter. When he witnessed how much Ellie had changed me, he knew that we were meant to be together, and no one had a right to tell us anything different.

As I sat in front of a gilded mirror and looked over my simple white gown, tears sprang to my eyes. Dawn was quick to wipe them away and scold me for nearly messing up my makeup. Aiden tugged at my veil. I picked him up, sitting him on my lap so he could see himself in the mirror. “You ready to be my ring bearer, with the help of your mommy, little one?”

Dawn looked at me with so much adoration it made my heart swell. “He’s so handsome,” I praised him, and she put her hand over her chest.

“Do you think one day you’ll want a little one?”

“No,” I said with a laugh as I shook my head. “It’s too soon to talk about kids. Although I’d love to see a little one with Ellie’s smile.”

That comment caused Dawn to sigh as she lifted Aiden into her arms, propping him on her blue satin-covered hip.

“I’d be happy to help you all in that department,” Brody called out from behind me. I caught his reflection in the mirror. He winked, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Keep your dirty hands off my wife,” I warned as I pointed at his reflection. He held his hands in the air as if to surrender, and we both laughed. “Have you seen her?” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, dying to know how Ellie was holding up.

“For the millionth time.” Brody stood and walked up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. I reached up and covered his fingers with mine. “She can’t wait to see you in your dress. She is not going to run away. I promise.” He placed a kiss on my cheek before patting my shoulder. “Now if you don’t mind, she isn’t your wife just yet, so I’m going to go pay her a visit.” He waggled his eyebrows and jumped back as I swung my arm behind me.

“It’s time,” Dawn’s voice shook with excitement. I rose from my chair, looking over myself one last time before following her to the door.

We got into place, my arm looped in Brody’s as “Für Elise” by Beethoven began to play. We decided against the traditional wedding march because our marriage was anything but traditional. And I found the title appropriate because there was nothing I wouldn’t do
for Elise
.

As I reached the end of the aisle I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking. I turned to watch Ellie walk toward me, holding her father’s arm. Her gown made her look like a princess with intricate lace and delicate pearls over the bodice. Her mother’s single pearl hung from her neck, and her hair was pulled up in soft curls. Her eyes shimmered as recognition washed over her.

“This is the song,” she whispered as I held her hands in mine. “All this time, this is what you’ve been humming.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I looked into the eyes of my future wife. “Für Elise
.

She inhaled a sharp breath as she looked at me adoringly. “For Elise?”

“It’s always been for you, Ellie. It always will be.”

 

 

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

I
was a Russian spy at the ripe age of thirteen, given my uncanny ability to tell if someone was lying (I also read fortunes on the weekends). By sixteen I had become too much of a handful for the Lethal Intelligence Ensemble (LIE). I was quickly exiled to the South of France, where I worked with wayward elephants in the Circus of Roaming Animals and People (CRAP). I was able to make ends meet by selling my organs on the black market for pocket change and beer money. At the age of twenty-three, I decided to expand my horizons and become a blackjack dealer in Ireland. I loved the family atmosphere at Barney’s Underground Liquor Lounge (BULL). People couldn’t resist the allure of liquor up front and poker in the rear. Eventually I became tired of the rear and headed off to the United States to try my hand at tall tales. That is what brings us here today. If you have a moment I’d like to tell you a story.

(This bio is not to be taken seriously under any circumstances.)

The
New York Times
and
USA Today
best-selling author of the
White Trash Trilogy
,
The Note
,
Perfect Lie
,
Pretty Little Things
, the
Honor
series,
Safe Word,
and
Rellik
.

www.TeresaMummert.com

BOOK: The Good Girls
12.52Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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