Page 63 of A Constant Love
I looked around the large ballroom at all of the beautifully dressed people. It was a black-tie affair, and everyone had come looking their absolute best.
The last time I was in that large room, I was nervous. I felt like I didn’t belong and that everyone was staring at me…a peasant among the rich.
But this time, I was the one who organized this event to raise money for local women’s shelters. I’d come up with the idea when Tyler and I had been deciding what to do with his monthly shares he got from the Wendell company. Since he was making a killing on his app, which was now up and running, he wanted to take the money and put it toward something meaningful. When I suggested this idea, he was on board immediately.
Of course, he let me take the reins and plan this night exactly how I wanted down to every detail. At the end of the day though, I didn’t care what food we served or how we decorated the room. I only cared about raising money for these shelters that provided a safe place for women when they needed it most. Party planning was never really my forte.
That’s where Maria and Tess Wendell came in. Those two together were the ultimate party planners, and they helped me make sure it would be perfect…along with inviting all of their affluent friends who would be sure to donate to the cause.
My eyes leisurely took in the gorgeous room. They had really outdone themselves. Everything in the room was donned in different shades of lavender with accents of silver to give just the right amount of shine. I’m glad they offered their expertise in the decorating because I was sure I never could have made it look that good.
I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a voice whisper in my ear, “What are you thinking about, Mrs. Wendell?”
A cheesy grin crossed my lips. I would never get tired of hearing those words.
Mrs. Wendell.
Tyler and I had talked about waiting to take the marriage plunge, but we didn’t hold out for long. When it came right down to it, we knew what we wanted…to spend the rest of our lives together. I didn’t want to wait any longer to be his wife.
So, we had our friends and family come to the Berkshires for what we assumed was going to be just us and the Justice of the Peace. Maria Wendell, party planner extraordinaire, struck again though and gave us a wonderful, yet modest wedding.
The people closest to us watched us exchange our vows in the garden out back of the giant house before we ate a lovely dinner and danced to our favorite song. It was perfect.
I looked up into Tyler’s blue eyes, “I’m just admiring your mother and sister’s work. They did a hell of a job on this place.”
He looked around us, “Yeah, I guess they did. Mom has always had a knack for party planning. Our birthday parties as kids were out of this world.”
Now that Maria and I had made amends, I saw what everyone else saw…that Maria Wendell would move Heaven and Hell for her family. And now, I was part of that family.
After our talk in my hospital bed, I had felt bad that Tyler had been shutting her out of his life for so long. I convinced him that he should have a good relationship with his mother…especially since someone like me couldn’t do that because my mom was dead. It was a cheap shot, but it worked. We tried to include her in our lives, and at least one of us tried to call her every day. Pretty sure that gave me unlimited brownie points with her. She even offered me an architect job with the Wendell company. Although I wasn’t a fan of nepotism, when she told me they were flipping some old buildings for a company dealing with low-income housing, I jumped at the opportunity to help those in need.
Tyler pulled me close to him, “Enough talk of my mother. Can we talk about how mouth-watering you look in this dress?”
I looked down at the sparkly, form-fitting long gown I wore. “This old thing? It was just collecting dust in the back of the closet,” I joked.
“Well, later on, it’s going to be on our bedroom floor,” he whispered, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin.
“Behave, Mr. Wendell. We still have a long night ahead of us.”
“I don’t want to behave. I’d rather take you to the bathroom and bend you over the sink,” he growled.
This time, I whispered in his ear, “I promise I’ll make it worth your while later. You get me all to yourself later to do whatever you want to me. All…night…long.”
“You’re driving me crazy, Kansas.”
I winked, “I know. Will you go get me something to drink? It’s suddenly very warm in here.”
He smiled before giving me a light kiss and walking to the bar. How did I get so lucky as to find a man like him? Through it all, his love for me never wavered. He stood by me through everything. He made me believe that I was worth loving again. And his love gave me the courage to stand up and fight for what I wanted. He actually saw me when I tried my hardest to be invisible and came after me every time I tried to run away.
No matter what I did or how hard I tried to push him away, he was there. He tells me all the time that I was his constant surprise. And he was my constant reminder of how I was capable of anything, no matter what happened in my past. Together, we had a constant love that I had no doubt would withstand the test of time.
I blinked my eyes hard as he walked away, still not able to believe this wasn’t all some dream. That’s what the past year had felt like…one long amazing dream.
The night that James died, I felt that the old me died too. No longer was I that scared girl in the cornfield. But no longer was I the girl who went around punching people when they pissed me off. And no longer was I the girl who hid from the world because it made it easier to hide the pain.
All those versions of me died that night, and someone new was born in her place. Someone who tried to take more chances yet loved the quiet comfortable moments with her husband. The woman who vowed to make the world a better place even if it was in some small way. The woman who no longer dwelled on the past but instead looked toward the future.
As my mother insisted, I still had wildfire running through my veins, but it was now aimed a little differently. For starters, that passion and wildfire was poured into my marriage and our future. I no longer kept secrets from Tyler, and I vowed I never would again. No matter how crazy life got, we always made time for each other.