Hooked (A New Adult Romance) (11 page)

Six Months Later

Ruby

It’s 5:45am and the sun is just
rising over the Pacific Ocean.

        
The
green mountains towering out of the sea provide a spectacular backdrop for our
paradise wedding.

Not a weirder band of misfits has
probably ever populated this pristine island: Jake, myself, Julie, Ricky,
Chance, Zach, Vinny and my mother, along with a preacher and a photographer are
gathered on the beach.

I’m wearing a dress of white
silk. The dipped neckline borders the string of white pearls around my neck,
and my matching earrings complete my elegant style.

Jake is handsomely attired in a
tuxedo; he is clean-shaven with a proper haircut.

I catch myself thinking what a
long way we’ve come in life.

We feel a million miles away from
the trailer trash from which we sprouted, but couldn’t be more satisfied with
where we are heading.

Ms. Murphy was right: life is an
adventure. Ride it, learn from it, but don’t try to control it, because you
will almost certainly fail. I wish she was here with us, but sadly she passed
away only three weeks ago.

The waves gently lap at the shore
as the wedding ceremony begins. My mother already has a tear in her eye.

I wonder how she’ll react when
she finds out I’m pregnant.