Unspoken Words (Unspoken #1) (41 page)

Five Months Later ~ May

CAMRYN

I CAN’T BELIEVE
the image staring back at me as I take in my appearance in the full-length mirror that stands before me. How much I’ve changed in a year. My life is filled with joy. My reflection shows a woman who is truly happy where she is in life. My eyes are bright and shine like the stars in the sky on a dark night. The smile I have on my face today radiates with excitement.

I no longer feel like I was stripped of my spirit, dignity and hope. There were moments that I thought I no longer wanted to live. That I wished Buffer would have killed me when he had the chance. There were moments that I didn’t think I had the strength to get through this. I was wrong. That night had the power to destroy me. I made the choice not to allow it to dictate my destiny.

For a period of time, I thought it was only my burden to bear. But with the love of my friends, family, and Jamie, I knew I didn’t need to go through it alone. I have the best support system a girl could ask for. My parents stood by me, supported my decisions, showed me that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. My brother has always been an amazing listener. Many nights he sat by my side, allowing me to cry, holding me while I broke down in his arms. Not once did he ever push me to talk, rather he simply listened. Christian encouraged me to talk to Jamie, which I knew I had to. I just needed to do it at my own pace.

Scars take time to heal and in time mine did. I no longer view myself as a victim, but rather a survivor. I am now helping others who have endured the same as I did. I volunteer at a rape crisis center twice a month. Some months it is more difficult than others with my schedule for work, but somehow I make it work. I continue to see Gayle when I feel overwhelmed with my emotions.

I rub my palms on my dress to ensure there are no wrinkles. The tiara that rests on my head with my veil attached makes me look like a real life princess.

Since I was a little girl, I have always imagined what my wedding would be like. I never thought the man of my dreams would have been by my side my entire life. He was there to wipe my tears when I skinned my knee. He was there to help me learn how to catch a ball. He was there for all of my firsts. My heart belongs to him . . . it always has.

Today I will walk down that aisle to marry the love of my life. And I couldn’t wish for anyone else to be waiting for me at the end of that aisle.

All of my girls are here in the room with me. Each of them promising not to make me cry. There is a soft knock at the door. Lindsey opens the door to find my brother standing there in his black tuxedo, looking handsome as ever.

“Hot damn, you look fine,” Lindsey says with a whistle.

I hear my brother’s hearty laugh. “Thanks, you look beautiful as well.”

Morgan quickly walks to the door, trying to block his view of me in the room.

“You know the rules, no seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle with your dad,” Morgan says firmly.

“Relax, Maidzilla. I’m not trying to sneak a peek. I came bearing a gift from the groom.” Lindsey takes the box from Christian, while Morgan shuts the door in his face.

“Men. . . .” Morgan mutters hastily.

Morgan’s phone starts to ring, I can tell it is Lincoln by the assigned ringtone,
Fall Into Me
by Brantley Gilbert. She looks at her phone, then tosses it onto the chair with a huff. Morgan seems a little off today.

“Is everything okay?” I ask while I watch her in the mirror. She makes eye contact with me and quickly averts her gaze.

She bites down hard on her lower lip. “Everything’s fine. Today is your day. You don’t need to be worrying about me.”

“I know you're lying. I know you better than this. I’ll let it go for now, but this isn't over. We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Deal?”

“Camryn, don’t worry about me. Today is your wedding day. It’s your special day.”

“You are my best friend. When something bothers you, it bothers me. Promise we’ll talk tomorrow before I leave for the airport.”

“Okay, if you insist,” she says as she walks over to the couch to gather her belongings.

I know my best friend is lying, but I’m not gonna push the issue. Not today, I won’t. If I had to guess, I think she’s a little disappointed that she’s not the one walking down the aisle. Things between her and Lincoln have been strained the past few months. A couple weeks ago I asked what was going on with her and Lincoln, she simply said, “I need more than unspoken promises from Lincoln.”

Breaking the moment, there is another soft knock at the door. My mom makes her way over to open it. My dad stands there in a black tux, looking just as I’d always envisioned he’d look like on my wedding day.

He makes his way toward me. He takes my hands in his, leaning in placing a kiss on my cheek. “You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart,” he says with unshed tears in his eyes. I am sure this is tough on him. But I will always be his little girl. No matter how old I am. This man has taught me what to accept from a man by showing me his unwavering love for my mother.

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready to become Mrs. Banks?”

“You better believe it.”

My dad extends his arm to me. I lace my hand through his elbow and we walk out of my

bridal suite silently.

We make our way down the hallway to the double wooden doors leading to the Wedding

Pavilion. Jamie and I opted for an outdoor ceremony. The location is enchanting. Handsomely landscaped, it features a beautiful pergola covered with flowering wisteria and a winding brick walkway leading to a charming, open-air gazebo.

Music is playing from the violinist. As we line up, I see Christian escort my mom down the brick walkway, then each of my bridesmaids make their way to the front of the garden to stand near the gazebo.

When Morgan reaches the front, I inhale a deep breath before my father and I begin our

walk down the winding brick walkway. My eyes immediately lock with Jamie as he stands at the gazebo waiting for me, as always.

THE END

Make sure to check out UNSPOKEN PROMISES, Lincoln and Morgan’s novel coming Fall 2016

Hanging On
by Ellie Goulding (Divergent)

Toyfriend
by David Guetta

Desnudate
by Christina Aguilera

Not Myself Tonight
by Christina Aguilera

Love Somebody
by Maroon 5

Crazy Bitch
by Buckcherry

I Won’t Let You Down
by Static Cycle

Down on Me
by Jeremih & 50 Cent

Every Breath
by
Boyce Avenue

On My Way
by Boyce Avenue

You Got Me
by Gavin DeGraw

Shut Up and Dance
by Walk the Moon

One Life
by Boyce Avenue

Keep Holding On
by Boyce Avenue

Fall Into Me
by Brantley Gilbert

FIRST AND FOREMOST,
I want to thank my husband for his unwavering love and patience with me. There have been plenty of nights that my face has been buried in my laptop and I have ignored you. Don’t ever forget how much I
want
you in my life. You are my heart, my soul, my whole world. I love you.

To mother, father and brother, you have supported me through all of my hiccups in life. There have been times where I fell on my face and you have always been there to help pick me up. You taught me to reach for the stars and never to settle for less.

Michelle Kemper Brownlow, THANK YOU . . . These small words just don’t seem enough to show you how grateful I am for our friendship and for the amazing support you have given me. You have been there since these characters began speaking to me. You have held my hand since last year when I wrote my first word. You allowed me to bounce ideas off of you every day. You are the reason why these characters made it to paper. You pushed me to have the confidence to write this story.

Michelle Lynn, thank you for the countless hours you put in with helping me. You have a way to know what I want to say without spoken words on my part. I can never thank you enough.

Megan Smith, you are my girl. Words cannot explain how much I value our friendship. I know I can always count on you to be honest with me no matter what the subject is. Who would have thought our friendship would have formed from simply our love of books.

Michelle, Megan, and Michelle, you ladies rock. You have been there from the very beginning. You answered countless questions and the three of you have held my hand throughout this entire process. I will forever be indebted to you.

To my betas, Heather, Chrissy, and Jennelyn you girls rock. Thank you will never be enough. I appreciate your feedback and how you love Jamie and Camryn as much as I do.

Elaine, girl, you nailed my cover. You were able to take my vision and make it real. Your editing skills are amazing. You were able to work your magic on my manuscript and have it say exactly what I wanted it to.

Christine at Perfectly Publishable, you nailed my vision. I am beyond thrilled with the final copy. Christine, you are AMAZING !!!!

And of course, YOU, the readers. Thank you for supporting me and buying my debut novel,
Unspoken Words.

Thank you to the bloggers who have shared my posts, read
Unspoken Words
and provided a review. All of your hard work does not go unnoticed. I myself am also a blogger, so I know the time and dedication it takes to run a successful blog. Word of mouth is the best way for me to get
Unspoken Words
in the hands of readers. So once again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

H.P. DAVENPORT GREW
up in Philadelphia, graduated from Temple University, and is currently living in southern New Jersey. She is a litigation paralegal by day and romance genius by night! When she’s not tending to her furry children and her handsome husband, H.P Davenport is seamlessly carving beautiful stories from her mind in her comfy PJs.

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