First Class Stamp (17 page)

The wedding was a relatively small affair and took place
just eight weeks later. There was a small disagreement over which parish they
would marry in…Gloria winning as she only had one child and had pointed out to
Maureen that she’d been blessed with seven. Surprising the family, Maureen had
agreed and her son was wed to Sophia in a church near Little Italy. The small
reception was held in The Atherton Gallery where David was curator. And The
Bourbon restaurant catered.

Sophia wore the palest of yellow dresses, made of satin with
a chiffon overlay that had Ben’s jaw dropping the moment he saw her. She looked
exquisite and Ben could not have imagined himself happier. Ella and Isabelle
were flower girls, with two of Sophia’s young second cousins as bridesmaids. A
very pregnant Lindsey was her matron of honor. The two women had become close
and Sophia had been welcomed by the Lathems with open arms and she was thrilled
with her new family. Gloria and Maureen had become friends and family gatherings
were already including the Manning family as part of their own. Nic’s
grandparents, the Wilkins, often joined too, as did Shelby, Katy’s young
friend, so Aldo and Gloria fit right in immediately.

On their wedding night, after making love with such
intensity and love that Ben had shed a tear, Sophia whispered in her husband’s
ear that she was pregnant, to which his reply was to make love to her again,
thanking her over and over for making him the happiest and most content man
alive.

Sticking with family tradition and with Ben already owning
his apartment, the leasing agent of the building relocated the renters in the
apartment next to his and Matt signed it over to Ben and Sophia as their
wedding present. A contractor had knocked down dividing walls and was in the
middle of creating a large home with many empty bedrooms for the newlyweds to
fill.

Alex would stay with his father while the newlyweds
honeymooned in Key West for two weeks. Willis had decided to be a better
father. Perhaps it was the idea that he would lose his son to Ben, Sophia
didn’t know, but in the two months since they’d announced their intent to be
married, Willis hadn’t missed one visitation and Alex had even seemed to enjoy
staying with his father. It appeared to Sophia that this marriage had blessed
her life in every facet imaginable.

While lying on a chaise on the beach, Ben had asked his wife
what she wanted to be when she grew up. Sophia had laughed and Ben had asked
again.

“I want to go back to school and graduate with a degree in
early childhood education.” She sounded determined.

“You want to be a teacher?” Ben was surprised.

Sophia smiled and shook her head. “I want to be the best
mother I can possibly be.”

“You already are, my beautiful wife. And I cannot wait for
our new baby to come.” He slid from the lounge chair and dropped to his knees
and kissed her still-flat tummy. Then he took her hand in his and pulled her
up. “I think it’s time we go back to our room,” he grinned and winked.  And he
was
happy and content.

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AJ Harmon was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.
She currently resides in Oregon, USA, with her husband Brad. They have two
grown children and a dog named Max.

An avid reader of the Romance genre, the books in her
personal library range from historical to erotica and everything in between. “I
love reading a sweet romance set in the English Regency period where men were
gentlemen and the women pretended to be naïve. But sometimes you just need a
hot sexy romance to cap off a long week,” she smiled. The bookshelves in her
home are filled with a variety of authors and she is humbled to now be among
their ranks. 

AJ is a new author, finding her passion in writing after her
children had left home, leaving her and her husband empty-nesters. She says the
‘First Class’ series has been a pleasure for her to write and has been
absolutely delightful that readers have received them with such a warm
embrace.  “It will be hard to say goodbye to the Lathems,” she said. “They have
become a huge part of my life and I consider them my family.”

The last book in the series, First Class Farewell, will be released
in November, 2013, bringing the total to nine.