Secrets & Surrender 2 (12 page)

“Yeah, I see that now.” I smiled widely.

“You know a secret,” she said. “I see that twinkle in your eye.”

“Yes.”

Turning, she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. “Spill it.”

“I think Nic’s going to pop the question. Like really soon. Maybe even today.” I bounced on the balls of my feet. I was so excited.

“Oh my God! That would be so cool. When he does, you have to tell me everything.”

There was a knock on the door and Willa Mae poked her head in. Her face shined as she gazed at Cassie. “My, oh my, don’t you look pretty. Ain’t you just the picture of an angel.”

“Thank you, Willa Mae.”

“And you’re next.” Willa Mae’s wrinkled hand patted my arm.

“You think so?”

“I know it. I can feel it in my bones. It’s time to go now, chile. Cody’s waitin’ for you and your man,” she turned to me, “he’s waitin’ to see you too. Sure is a fine day to see youngins gettin’ married. A fine day. I’m ’fraid these ol’ eyes won’t be seein’ many more.”

“Now, Willa Mae, don’t you talk like that,” Cassie said as she headed to the door. “I’ve seen Abraham Johnson checking you out.”

“Good Lord, chile,” she hooted. “He ain’t checkin’ out nothin’ with that glaucoma of his.”

Leaving the room, we teased Willa Mae about her boyfriend. She snapped at us, claiming he was no such thing, which made us laugh even more. As we walked down the hall to the chapel, I looked out of the windows into the parking lot, searching for my dad’s minivan. It wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.

I glanced down at my watch, my brow furrowed with worry. Dad was never late. The drive from San Marcos was only a couple of hours, and knowing Mom, she would’ve gotten my brothers and sister up at four in the morning to make sure they were here on time for the wedding. Cassie was family to them.

“Nothing.” I turned to her, placing a bright smile on my face. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

I
t seemed like the entire town of Koppe was sitting in the church pews. Some people I recognized, like Tricia and her uncle. Buster and his father sat near the front with Cassie’s mother. Dozens of eyes were on Cody. Mandi had told me about how hard it was for Cody growing up in this town, especially with his father’s reputation. After he confronted Seth and Dillon when they attacked Cassie, I guess the townspeople saw him with new eyes. “Confronted” was putting it lightly. The man beat the shit out of them. I didn’t know if I could be as kind as Cody had been if they had done something like that to Mandi. I would’ve killed them, no doubt about it.

Cody didn’t seem to notice the admiring looks from the pews, especially from a few of the girls sitting in the third row. His eyes were glued to the closed doors at the end of the chapel and he looked like he was going to hurl.

“Nic, what time is it?”

“It’s exactly thirty seconds from the last time you asked.”

“Oh.” He nervously brushed a hand through hair that looked like it’d been gelled to death. Realizing what he was doing, he pulled his hand out and grimaced.

“Shit. Got my hand sticky.

He looked down at the suit he was wearing, waving his hand as if deciding whether or not he should wipe it on his pants.

Chuckling, I reached into my front pocket and drew out a crisp white handkerchief. “Take this.”

“Thanks.”

“That’s what a best man is for.” I grinned.

He swayed as if he was about to pass out. I latched onto his arm, keeping him steady. “Hey, breathe, man. It’ll be over before you know it. Look, there’s Willa Mae.”

Willa Mae gave us a grin as she hobbled down the aisle.

“Oh no. She ain’t comin’. Cassie sent Willa Mae to tell me she changed her mind.” Blue eyes looked at me in alarm. “I should’ve known better. Someone like me ain’t got no business with someone like her. Mandi’s probably drivin’ her out of town right now.”

The dude was really freaking out. This was the most I’d ever heard him speak at one time.

“They’re just a couple of minutes late. Don’t worry about it. Look, see, Willa Mae is sitting down right next to Cassie’s mom. Just try to chill and—”

The doors opened and Mandi stood at the doorway. Dark eyes locked onto mine as she made her way down the aisle.

While the “Wedding March” began to play and everyone stood, it was my turn to try to remember how to breathe.

Mandi was a goddess. The floor length gown hugged her curves perfectly. The gown was asymmetrical, gathering the draped fabric on one shoulder while leaving the other bare. A band of material around her middle hugged her tiny waist, and the wine color of the gown set off her dusky skin to perfection. Her hair was piled on her head with a few loose curls framing her delicate neck.

There was a sound of oohs and ahhs as she walked down the aisle. I beamed. This was my girl. She was all mine.

Behind her was Cassie, looking beautiful in her simple dress. Cody’s uncle escorted her down the aisle. He looked just as nervous as Cody.

Mandi took her place only a few feet away from me. She was even more stunning up close. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I barely noticed when Cassie finally made it to the front and joined hands with Cody.

With a soft voice, Cassie promised to always love and cherish Cody. Although they were exchanging traditional vows, they were words I longed to hear Mandi say to me some day soon.

When it was Cody’s turn, I fingered the velvet-covered box in my left pocket, ready to do my duty as best man and hand it over to him when it was time.

Mandi’s eyes glistened as Cody spoke, and I wondered if she was thinking the same things about me that I’d just been thinking about her. I hoped so. I used to think I couldn’t love her more that I already did. I was wrong. Since that night, when she said those three words to me, my love for her was different: stronger, deeper.

Whenever she spent the night after one of our long study sessions, I’d watch her sleep. I was in awe of the beauty that lay next to me in my bed, her hair flowing over the pillow, her sweet smell surrounding me. I still couldn’t believe that someone like her could love me. Then in the mornings, tasting her sweet kisses, I could feel her love, and it’d blow me away all over again. I’d never been as close to anyone as I was to Mandi, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

After I handed Cody the ring and the preacher announced them man and wife, I stuck my hand in my other pocket, grinning widely. I was happy for the newlyweds, but I was even happier for myself. I touched the other velvet box, knowing that in a couple of hours its contents would be on Mandi’s hand.

* * *

Y
ou know it’s love when the love of your life convinces you to do the chicken dance in front of half the town of Koppe and you do it willingly.

Standing in the center of the dance floor, that’s exactly what Cody and I did.

Mandi and Cassie were having a blast watching us act like total fools.

“Do you think our girls have a bet going on?” I handed Cody a bottle of Shiner as we stood back, taking a break.

“Could be.” He took a swig. “Mandi keeps lookin’ at her watch like she’s timin’ us or something.”

“I think they have money on who will break first.”

“Maybe. So far it ain’t that bad. Long as they don’t play none of that Rick Astley stuff Mandi likes.” He grinned.

“I can’t believe Mandi told you about that.”

“You bet.”

At that moment, Rick Astley’s voice blasted through the speakers and Cassie and Mandi bounced up and down with delight.

I groaned. “You didn’t.”

He chuckled. “I slipped a twenty to the DJ.”

“Come on, Nic. Let’s show these two-steppers what real dancing looks like,” Mandi said, pulling me to the dance floor.

Giving in to dancing to a Rick Astley song was easy when it made Mandi’s eyes light up that way. I’d never tire of seeing her like that. As the evening wore on, she kept checking her watch and eyeing the entrance.

“What’s wrong?” I asked when we took a break.

“Mom and Dad aren’t here yet. It’s not like them to be so late.”

“Why don’t you give them a call? There’s a pay phone over there.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She pecked me on the cheek. “And when I get back, I’ll get the DJ to play ‘Thriller.’”

“You’re killing me, woman!” I chuckled.

I looked over at Cassie and Cody as they danced to a country song. It was like they were dancing in their own little world. The love they had for each other was clear on their faces. One day really soon, that was going to be Mandi and me on the dance floor, dancing as man and wife. As soon as her parents arrived, I planned to sneak her out of here to somewhere private to ask the question I’d been longing to ask.

I glanced over at Mandi. She gave me a wink as she talked on the phone. I fingered the velvet box again firm in my decision that tonight was the night and confident of her answer. Tonight was the beginning of the rest of my life with her.

As Mandi spoke on the phone, her face shifted. My heart pounded frantically as her face fell and she grew pale. Immediately, I weaved my way through the crowd toward her.

She nodded as she held the phone’s receiver in a death grip. Her eyes squeezed shut. Whoever she was talking to had obviously told her something that caused her a great deal of pain.

I was only a few feet away when she opened her eyes and looked at me. Eyes that had always held love when they looked at me turned cold. I halted, startled at the dark ice that pierced my heart.

She spoke quickly into the phone and slammed it down.

“Mandi, what’s wrong?”

She rushed past me, ignoring my question. “Mandi!”

I was in such shock; I couldn’t move as I watched her dash over to Cassie. Whispering in her ear, Cassie nodded and then gave her a hug. With a determined expression on her face, Mandi rushed out the door, not giving me a second glance.

A chill flashed through me, and I willed my feet to move and run after her.

“Mandi! What is going—”

A sledgehammer slammed against my chest when I came face to face with Julian.

No! Not this asshole again!

I blinked. I had to be imagining it. Julian couldn’t be sitting in the Koppe church parking lot on his motorcycle. There was no way in hell Mandi would accept the helmet he was handing to her. And Mandi would never slap it on her head, gather her dress up, and hop onto the back of his motorcycle.

Julian’s eyes flicked to mine. His eyes narrowed.

Shit! It was real!

“Julian!” I roared, marching to him. “Stay the fuck away from her!”

“You’re the one who needs to stay away from Mandi and her family,” he growled. “You’ve done enough.”

“Fuck off, Julian! Come on, Mandi.” When I reached out for Mandi’s arm, his hand clamped down on mine.

“I’m not afraid of you or your kind,” he said, his voice cold. “And if we weren’t in a hurry, I’d beat the shit out of you.”

Ignoring him, I turned to Mandi. Her eyes drifted down, studying Julian’s leather jacket. She couldn’t even look at me. “Mandi, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Pained eyes drifted up.

“I trusted you,” she croaked. “Let’s go, Julian.”

“Mandi, what do you mean? Mandi!” I ran after the motorcycle as it slowly maneuvered through the parking lot. “Please tell me what happened.”

“La Migra se llevó a su mama,” he spat.

At the sound of Julian’s words, my world shattered. I watched helplessly as Mandi wrapped her arms tightly around the waist of the one man who I’d thought was finally out of our lives. As they drove off, she gave me one final look, a look that would haunt me for the rest of my life. In her eyes, I’d betrayed her.

As I watched them disappear into the horizon, Julian’s words repeated in my head.

La Migra. Immigration. Immigration law enforcement took Mandi’s mother!

Mandi was right.

It was all my fault.

Click to download Secrets & Surrender 3!

The heartbreaking conclusion to Nic and Mandi's story.

Nic's love meant everything to me, but his betrayal crushed my soul. In a brief moment of doubt, I left his side and stood alone, drowning in a sea of Juan's anger, Julian's jealousy, and the loneliness of a broken heart.

Even though Nic regretted what had happened with my mother and vowed to do everything he could to make things right, I couldn't shake the fear that our love wouldn't survive. The entire world seemed to be against us, and I didn't know if I could continue to fight for him.

A trembling hand, a single bullet, a final breath, and the decision to fight for Nic was made for me.

* * *

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