The Everlasting Chapel (21 page)

Reverend Summerlin beams at us both,
welcomes everyone, and gives us an opportunity to speak.

We recite our written vows, which of course
makes me cry again, and then finally Reverend Summerlin marries
us.

“
You may now kiss the
bride,” she says.

Michael pulls me in close, and I feel my
whole body tingle at his touch. He leans in and kisses me just
enough to make me go wild and want so much more.

“
I now present to you, Mr.
and Mrs. Manning,” Reverend Summerlin says, and we walk down the
aisle, a couple which God has bound together and which no man can
put asunder.

As we exit the church, the guests cheer, and
a shower of white rose petals rain over us. Michael helps me step
into the white limousine, and then he closes the door behind us. We
laugh and smile and kiss for several minutes, just happy we are
finally married, and can finally start our new lives together.

“
We did it,” he says with a
generous sigh.

“
We sure did. You’ve made
me the happiest woman alive.”

He lifts his head and peers into my eyes.
“God, I love you. You’re beautiful, smart, my addiction,
generous—”

“
Speaking of generous, were
you able to transfer the funds to the new bank account?” I
ask.

A few months ago we founded a non-profit
organization granting well-deserving, but disadvantaged women,
full-ride scholarships to college. The organization and the grants
are solely funded by the checks Michael and I received from Diane.
Turns out Diane didn’t find out I told Michael about the checks,
and we didn’t lose out on the money anyway. I think it was just her
way to make sure we remember her.

Needless to say, Anne was one of the first
beneficiaries of this program, and we plan to send at least a
hundred young women to school this year and every year moving
forward.

“
I did,” he
says.

I sigh and snuggle up to my husband.
“Good.”

Michael tells the driver to take the long
way to his house, where the reception is being held. The privacy
partition goes up, and the vehicle starts to move.

Michael leans in and kisses my collarbone.
“Mrs. Manning?”

“
Yes?”

He traces his tongue along the side of my
neck and up to my jaw, and just like that, he has me thinking about
where else that tongue of his could be.

“
The ride over to our place
is about twenty minutes.”

“
Good,” I say, pulling up
my heavy skirt, and climbing on top of him, straddling him. I lean
into his ear, and whisper, “I’m not wearing any
panties.”

He grabs my face and crashes his lips to
mine. With one hand securing my head, he reaches the other one down
between my legs and finds my dripping wet pussy. I moan as his
fingers deftly shove inside of me, and all the way over to the
reception, we make sweet love for the first time as husband and
wife.

THE END