I still can't get enough of my man. And the feeling is more than mutual as Jamie can't keep his hands off me either. Even with my swollen belly, my husband never misses an opportunity to tell me—or show me—how attracted to me he is.
A thick throat clearing catches my attention and pulls me reluctantly away from my sexy husband. "I hardly think that's appropriate behavior for a wedding, Ella."
I'm not surprised to see Aunt Beryl's judgmental face screwed up in a grimace when I turn.
"I don't know about that," Jamie says smoothly. "I think a show of affection is exactly appropriate for a wedding." He winks at me and holds his hand out to my aunt. "You must be Beryl, Ella's aunt. It's nice to meet you."
Aunt Beryl looks at his outstretched hand, and then up to his face. She swallows hard and finally takes his hand. "I must say it would have been nicer to meet you..." she raises her eyebrows and looks pointedly at my stomach. "Before," she says. "How did the two of you meet again?"
She knows perfectly well how we met, but I don't care. "We were matched," I tell her for at least the fifth time.
"We are a perfect match, actually." Jamie gives me a tighter squeeze, and I look up at his handsome face.
"That's right," I say. "We were a 100% match. The first one the site had ever seen."
After our fight that night in the snowstorm, Jamie took me back inside the Den and ordered me a bowl of chili. He sat at the bar alone and refused to leave until he'd completed the questionnaire in its entirety. When he was done, it turned out we were a perfect match.
One hundred percent.
Any lingering doubts I might have had evaporated at that moment. His friends had done a pretty good job, but together, we were perfect.
Aunt Beryl's next question pulls me from the memory. "How could you have gotten married without your family, Ella?"
I swallow hard and try not to let her get to me. After spending so much time with Jamie and the Wolf family in Rock Creek, I know now what a loving family is supposed to be like. I've always known that Beryl and Clarissa are toxic, but after feeling Jamie's love so completely, I realize just how unhealthy my upbringing really was and exactly what Idon'twant for my future.
"There really wasn't time," Jamie says easily and squeezes me close. "I fell so hard for Ella, I needed to make her mine as soon as possible. Please accept my apologies, Beryl."
I bite my tongue to keep from telling her that I didn't want or need her there to make my day special. Instead, I say, "I didn't want all this, Aunt Beryl." I wave my arm to encompass everything around us.
"Are you saying my wedding is?—"
"It's beautiful," I tell Clarissa as she walks up in her puffy ballgown dress. "Congratulations, Clarissa. You look?—"
"I suppose this isyourhusband?" She shoots Jamie a look and tries to look disinterested, but I can see the flash in her eyes when she takes him all in.
I wrap my arms around him and squeeze as he draws me in even closer. "This is Jamie."
"It's nice to meet my girl's family," Jamie says with a handsome smile. "Congratulations on your marriage, Clarissa."
My aunt and cousin exchange glances. I can see the disbelief in their eyes and how hard they're fighting with themselves to not be mean to me in front of Jamie.
I wasn't sure about coming to the wedding at all, but ultimately, I knew I needed the closure. Beryl and Clarissa havebeen terrible to me. But they are my past and as much as I might want to bury it, my past makes me who I am today. And I wouldn't change that.
Jamie and I stay long enough to enjoy a dance together, and then my new husband takes me back to our hotel room where he shows me exactly how much he loves me. Again and again.
I know with certainty that I'll never be back and I may never see Aunt Beryl or Clarissa again. Instead of filling me with fear and sadness, I feel nothing but happiness and peace.
My family is with Jamie, the baby growing inside me, along with all of our children to come and everyone back in Rock Creek. And I couldn't be happier to have been matched to the mountain man.
Ten Years Later...
JAMIE
There's nothing better in the whole world than coming home to Ella and our three children after a long day on the mountain. We moved out of the one-bedroom cabin after our first son was born into a cozy—but bigger—three-bedroom cabin.
There are still times I miss all the memories we made in our little cabin, but Ella has done such an amazing job turning our house into a home. It's so full of love and life.
Now, as I pull my truck into the yard, the boys are swinging from the porch rails into the shrubs below. I can't help but shake my head and laugh.
