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that business and cost you so many years of Jacob s childhood. I should have tried harder to find
you.
He brought his lips back down to hers and kissed her with so much hunger and love that she was
tempted to skip out on the wedding and tell the driver to take them back home. As if he could read her
thoughts, he quickly pulled back and leapt out of the carriage.
 You re far too tempting, woman. We have a wedding to get to, he said with a brilliant smile. He
spoke to the driver and then jogged back to the church, singing  Get Me to the Church on Time. This
time, when the carriage pulled up in front of the carpet, she was more than ready to step from its
doors. She didn t even care about her ruined makeup, or her slightly mussed hair. She just wanted to
reach Derek and not lose one more minute of their time together.
The driver clearly wasn t taking any chances of a runaway bride again  as soon as she was clear
of the carriage, he drove away. She giggled a bit at the speed with which he left.
She stood on the wide carpet and could feel her nerves overtaking her. Before her heart could
thunder too loudly, the front doors opened just as the attendants got her dress all situated. Daniel was
once again walking down the steps and coming toward her.  Oh Daniel. I can t believe you offered to
walk me down the aisle when you believed I d done something so horrible to you. What a truly great
man you are, she said, with genuine gratitude in her eyes.
He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She was filled with warmth from the easy acceptance
of this wonderful man.
 Ah, Jasmine. I am nothing but a silly old fool. I knew you back then, knew what a heart of gold
you had, and yet I took the word of virtual strangers. I just pray that you will forgive me, he said.
Jasmine was so filled with love for this amazing man. He was standing in to be the kind of dad her
own should have been. Her eyes once again welled up, causing the attendants around her to groan.
 There s nothing to forgive, she whispered as she fought the tears.
 Now don t start crying again, young lady, or we ll never get you to that altar, Daniel said with a
gentle laugh. Jasmine gazed up into his eyes, and she noticed that they were suspiciously bright, too.
 Then you d better get me down that aisle quickly, because I can t promise not to at this point.
Their arms intertwined and, slowly, they made their way to the front of the church. The double
doors were opened, and Jasmine was left speechless by what she saw inside. There were thousands
of twinkling lights strung throughout the church, and the scent of roses wafted in the air from the
hundreds of floral arrangements adorning the interior from the narthex and nave to the altar.
The small church was packed from front to back with guests who were all standing and turned
toward her. She had to fight to keep the tears from falling once again. She looked down the aisle,
strewn with rose petals, to Derek, who made her breath catch in her throat as she saw him standing at
the front with Jacob by his side. Drew and Ryan were standing in the spot where bridesmaids would
normally be, so her side didn t look so empty.
The men were a stunning sight, all dressed in classic tuxedos with tails and white shirts. Jacob
was grinning at her as she slowly made her way down the aisle; it seemed to be taking everything in
him not to run up and hug her. She felt the same way.
When her eyes connected once again with Derek s, the rest of the world seemed to fade away, and
she could look nowhere else. The man was beautiful, and she couldn t believe he was hers, all hers
She picked up her pace, without even realizing what she was doing, until she heard a chuckle from
Daniel.
They reached the pulpit, and then Daniel reached down and gently kissed her on the cheek before
taking his place next to her son. The princess in her fluffy white dress stood secure in the middle of a
sea of masculinity, and she repeated the vows that meant forever while gazing into Derek s eyes.
At the beginning of their first dance, when Derek slowly drew her into his arms, her heart was
bursting in pure happiness. He was looking at her as if she were a hidden treasure he d just
discovered, and the lump in her throat wouldn t go away.
 Thank you for taking such great care of my son. I m sorry you had to do it alone all those years.
I m sorry you thought I had walked away from you. I m a real fool to think anything could have made
you do that. You re the purest person I ve ever known, and I promise you I ll spend the rest of my life
proving how special you are to me, he said as he spun her around.
 I missed you every day, Jasmine told him.  When I looked at our son, I was filled with a mixture
of joy and sadness. The older he got, the more I missed you. Still, the earlier days were the hardest
because I wanted to share all those moments with you. I ve never felt such pain as when I thought I d
never be in your arms again. I was never really able to hate you, though I tried, she said, her eyes
filled with emotion.
 We won t even talk again about the bad times and the misunderstandings and your father s lies.
From this time forward, we ll focus only on our future. If you can forgive a fool, I promise to love
you the rest of our lives.
She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck. She d never have to withhold her feelings
from him again.
Drew stood up, and the room fell silent, except for the noise of clinking glasses.  It s time for the
toasts, Drew said.  Derek and I are closer than even siblings could ever possibly be. He and Ryan
are about the only two beings on this planet I would ve taken a bullet for  until today. I ve known
Jasmine for many years, and only one thing ever outshone her beauty  her truly kind heart. It s such
a great privilege to have her as a part of my family. I m so glad to have her and Jacob as additions, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]