A Life Unexpected: Holly Nather Book One (Holly Nather Series) (17 page)

“Are you sure?” Luke asks.

“I want to be the only girl you love your whole life.” He kisses me softly on the head and then covers us both up. It isn’t long before we are both fast asleep.

“GOOD MORNING.” LUKE
kisses me softly and smiles against my lips. “I can’t wait to wake up like this every day.”

“Me too.”
I think.
Geez, what is wrong with me? My heart says I’m doing the right thing, but my head is telling me I’ve lost my mind. My emotions are like a rollercoaster, and it is extremely annoying. I know I’m falling in love with him. There’s no way to make up feelings like this.

Luke smiles. “Don’t worry. This is all going to work out.” I give Luke a half-smile, that he can’t see, and then there is a knock at the door—interrupting the kiss Luke was just about to give me.

“Come in,” he says, and I quickly get out of bed. I stand beside the bed so there won’t be an odd lump in the covers.

“Hey,” Brody says while walking into his room.

“Does everyone know?” Luke asks. As he gets out of bed he accidentally steps on my foot.

“Ouch!” I yell.

“Sorry!”

“It’s okay.” I’m surprised a curse word didn’t come out of my mouth. That shit hurt!

Brody shakes his head then looks at Luke. “Yes, everyone knows. Even the minister who is going to be there to marry you and Lana.”

“Thank you. I better get ready. I’ll see you at the wedding.” Luke walks to his closet to find something to wear. Brody nods and walks out of the room. Luke pulls out a black tux and white button down shirt. After he is dressed, he goes in the bathroom runs water through his hair with his hands and then messes it up perfectly.

“Well, how do I look?” He asks while doing a slight turn.

I laugh. “Smokin’ hot!” He walks over to me and feels for my waist. He smiles and pulls me close to him.
Mmmm
he smells so good.
I lay my head on his chest and never want this moment to end.

“Jett is doing a good job at not letting you become visible. I hope you don’t get stuck like that!”

“What!? I could get stuck like this?” I say in a high pitched voice.

Luke starts laughing really hard. “No!”

“Not funny!” I punch him in his arm. He makes a face at me and then rubs his arm.

“Well, we better go. Just be ready to say, I do.”

“You owe me a real wedding after this.”

He laughs. “After this you can have whatever you want.”

We walk out the door and to the church that is attached to the castle. There are maids and a ton of people all around adding finishing touches to everything. The guests are also beginning to arrive. I have to walk extra close to Luke so people don’t run into me. People keep stopping and congratulating him. He is doing his best to talk to everyone that speaks to him, but he is also trying to hurry. We make it to the back of the church where he is meeting with the minister. They don’t say anything to each other. They only communicate with a silent nod.

“Time to get in place!” A lady in a black and white maid’s uniform says to Luke.

“Where are my parents?” Luke asks while scanning the front pews.

The maid hangs her head low before responding. “I’m sorry my Prince, they will be brought in last minute. Lana doesn’t want you and them binding magic to stop this.”

Luke nods at her and readjusts his tux. He heads to his spot with me right beside him. We are standing at the end of the aisle, and I look around the church. There has to be thousands of people here. It is full of white daisies and candles. The lights are down low, attempting to set the mood for what is supposed to be a joyous occasion. Whoever is playing the piano is doing a great job. It sounds heavenly. It doesn’t take long, and the large wooden doors open and in come the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The groomsmen are Brody, Jett and Mason. Brody is his best man. After they are in their places, the three guys nod at Luke with smiles on their faces. Mason’s smile is extra huge. I assume it is because he gets to fight.

The music changes to the traditional wedding march and in walks Lana. Her dress, I have to admit, is gorgeous. As bad as I don’t want to admit it, she looks really pretty. Too bad she is absolutely horrible.

“Gathered here today, we will join Lana and Prince Luke in marriage. This marriage is a bond that can’t be broken. Their magic will mesh together in such a way that neither can depart from this bond without one ending their life. If anyone objects to this marriage please say so now.” There is not a single peep. I want so badly to start jumping up and down screaming my objection, but I am a good girl and just stand here. I tug on Luke’s suit every once in a while to let him know I’m still here.

After no one objects, the minister continues. “Prince Luke, repeat after me. I, Prince Dreyton Lucas Denton, take you, Lana, to be my wife, till death do us part.” My heart starts racing. It’s about to get crazy up in here.

Luke nods and says, “I, Prince Dreyton Lucas Denton, take you
Holly
, to be my wife till death do us part.” At the sound of my name everyone in the room gasps. I must be visible now. Lana looks like she is about to kill me…and she probably is.

Mason, Jett, and Brody have their hands up ready to fight. They must be putting some sort of hold on her because she can’t move or speak. I turn to look at where her parents are sitting, and they are not there. I look at Luke trying figure out what to do next.

“HURRY!” He yells to the minister.

“Holly, do you take Prince Luke to be your husband, until death do you part?”

“I do!” I yell.

“Prince Luke, do you take Holly to be your wife until death do you part?”

“I—” Luke starts to say it, but Lana’s father grabs him from behind and covers his mouth.

No one in the church moves. Everyone is sitting here, not saying a single word. Aren’t they supposed to be ready to fight? Why is no one doing anything?! Brody, Mason and Jett are using everything they have to keep Lana in her spot, so there isn’t much they can do. Why is Luke not using his magic!?

“DAMN IT! DO SOMETHING!” I yell to Luke.

Luke immediately starts fighting Lana’s father. This causes everyone in the church to start fighting. There is stuff falling and things exploding. I am on the ground covering my head with my hands. I start thinking about what I wish would happen to Lana’s father. I wish he would be bound by chains and couldn’t move. When I look up I realize he is in chains! Luke is fighting off others as he looks over at me.

“HOLLY DID YOU DO THAT?” Luke yells over all the chaos. I quickly nod my head.

I can’t believe I actually did that!
Lana’s turn. I imagine her being bound just like her father, and she is. It isn’t long, and Lana and her little family are all bound up and can’t move. I look around the room, and Luke and the guys have it all under control.

“Holly…How did you do that?” Luke asks as he gets closer to me.

“I just thought it, and then it happened.” I say while shrugging my shoulders.

Turning to Mason, Luke says, “Mason, I thought we confirmed magic was not transferred to her?”

“I did too.” Mason says while looking at me.

“Holly, I think this whole time you have had magic, and we didn’t know it! I kept sensing magic that was unfamiliar, but when you couldn’t even create food, I figured I was just sensing someone’s magic here.”

“Okay, can we talk about this later? We really need to get on with the vows and end this!” I say while realizing the fighting is starting again.

The minister looks at Luke and says, “All you have to say is I do!”

Luke takes my hands in his and smiles. “Of course I do.”

Before the minister can say,
you may now kiss the bride;
Luke wraps me in his arms and kisses me. As he is kissing me, the whole room becomes quiet. All eyes are on us now. He smiles and looks me in the eyes and says, “I am unconditionally, crazy in love with you. You have no idea how long I have waited for this very moment. I am so thankful you gave your heart to me. My little mortal is finally mine.”

I lay my head on his chest and smile. “We did it.”

“MOTHER, FATHER!” LUKE
yells when he sees his parents walk into the now calm church. He grabs my hand and leads me to where his parents are.

“I am so sorry we didn’t believe you!” His father says with a pained look on his face. His mom isn’t saying anything, but she is crying.

“When Mason reversed the spell that Lana put on Holly, magic transferred to her. We don’t know her abilities yet, except that she bound Lana and her parents in chains. We will know with time. I will make sure she is trained properly.”

“Welcome to the family, Holly. I admit I was wrong about you,” Luke’s father says while smiling. His mom is staring at me with a pissed look on her face.
Oh great. My mother-in-law hates me.

“Well, I would like to take my wife to get cleaned up and rested. It’s been a long day.”

He puts his hand in mine and we walk to his, I mean
our,
room. We walk in, and he closes the door quietly behind us. I lean against the wall and nervously bite my bottom lip. Luke is sitting on the edge of the bed staring at me.

Noticing my nervous expression, Luke asks, “Holly, are you alright?”

“Yeah…I know this sounds silly…But, I’m just nervous. You are my first.” I give him a small, nervous smile. He gets up and slowly walks towards me. He runs his hands through his hair and smiles as he gets closer. His expression becomes serious and intense. He runs his hand slowly down my neck and with his other hand, pulls me close to him. The way he smells and the warmth of his touch makes me crazy.

He whispers in my ear and my heart begins to race. “Don’t be nervous.” He slowly removes my shirt, and I start unbuttoning his. My hands are shaking, and when he notices, he smiles and finishes taking off his shirt.

He kisses me slowly as he leads me to the bed. He lays me down, and we are both breathless from anticipation. He starts kissing my neck and slowly works his way up to my ear. “Seeing you laying here, and knowing that you are mine,” he kisses me again and whispers against my lips, “Is so damn perfect.” I smile and pull him closer.

He’s right. This is perfect. My life has changed dramatically and it’s like I lost complete control over it. I’ve done things based off “the moment”. I’ve always been the girl to do things the right way. Every bit of this has been out of character for me. I can honestly say I’m glad I lost control over my life. This . . . this is perfect and I
have
fallen in love with him.