No Deal Breakers
By Amanda Clark
During
the week that Brian Harris should have been having his bachelor party and
watching his fiancée rush around making last minute wedding plans, he's in Las
Vegas licking his wounds after catching her in bed with her longtime lover.
While Brian is enjoying a meal alone and bemoaning his broken nuptials, a young
woman approaches him.
At
first he's certain that she's a prostitute, but soon decides that's
impossible...isn't it? Feeling
broken and lonely Brian proposes to and marries her on the spot. He soon
realizes that his new wife, Aria, has a much darker and twisted past than
anything he even suspected.
Aria
is terrified of what she's just done. At first she saw it as her ticket out,
but soon realized that she couldn't be the wife Brian needed her to be. She
fights to get out of the marriage, but will it be that easy?
Brian
and Aria have to work together to grow and develop not only in their faith
lives, but in their relationship as well if it's going to work. Will Aria be
able to overcome her past? Will Brian be able to handle all of her limitations
for the long haul?
Book Info: http://amzn.to/1V7ZHPe
The room flooded with light. She forced her eyes open and saw
Brian's concerned face staring back at her. She wasn't in that place anymore.
She was home. In bed with her husband, safely in her new life. It was just a
nightmare, but she could still feel his weight on her and smell his stench in
her nostrils, though the smell was drifting and harder to make out.
She looked around the room, everything was just the same as
when she crawled into bed. It was just her and Brian in the quiet room. But,
she could still feel the weight pressing her to the bed. She looked down and
saw one of the pillows she had used to build a wall between them was covering
her.
As the world continued to right itself and the reality that
it was just a nightmare sunk in, Brian continued to stare at her in the light
of his bedside lamp, concern etched on his face.
She tossed the pillow to the floor and sat up, preparing to
explain that it was just a dream when Brian's hand came up as if to rest on her
cheek. When he realized what he was about to do, he froze, as he always did
when he was about to unconsciously offer her comfort. Normally she just let him
drop his hand and pretended not to notice, but this time she wanted his touch,
she craved the comfort it brought. She had never before felt as safe as she had
tonight in his arms. She wanted, needed
his comforting touch again.
"It's okay, Brian, you can touch me." She
whispered, and watched as his concern turned to shock. His eyes held hers for a
moment, silently asking for confirmation of what she'd said. She nodded
slightly in response. He hesitated just a moment longer before leaning in and
brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and then gently cupping her face.
As soon as his warm hand rested on her skin she felt
grounded. All of the worries and anxieties that always came from her nightmares
simply melted away at his touch and she knew she was going to be okay. Brian
was her safe haven, always there to offer as much comfort as she needed. She
leaned into his palm as he continued to study her before finally breaking the
silence.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it was just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you
up."
"I had hoped you weren't having them anymore. It's been
almost a week since your last one." She started to nod when his words
finally sunk in.
"Wait, how do you know about them? I've never mentioned
them…?" He stroked his thumb down her cheek one last time, then sat up
further to face her fully.
"The first night I woke to the sound of a blood curdling
scream coming from above me, without thinking I ran up the stairs and tried to
open your door, but it was locked." She flushed as she remembered how she
used to lock her door every night, it had been almost two months since she'd
done that. She felt silly for it now. "I was seriously contemplating
kicking it in to get to you when I heard you start to mumble in your sleep. I
realized it must have been a nightmare that had you screaming like that.
"I didn't know what to do. I wanted to offer you any
comfort I could, but I knew you were still afraid of me, so I sat on the floor
outside of your door and prayed for you." She felt the tears running down
her cheeks and didn't even move to wipe them away. That was so incredibly
unbelievable, yet totally Brian.
"It broke my heart to hear you screaming and crying in
your sleep every night. I sit outside of your door and pray until you finally
calm down and your breathing returns to normal. I—"
"Wait. Sit, as in, you still come to my rescue every
time I have a nightmare?" He looked away with a sheepish grin and
shrugged, "I do." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Brian
was always trying to take care of her when she was awake and apparently, his
care for her went far beyond what she realized. No one had ever taken care of
her like that. Aside from her mother.
"Why?"
"Because I l—" Her eyes grew wide at what she was
certain he was about to say. She wasn't ready to hear it, even though she knew
it would be true. She felt his love in everything he did for her. But, she
wasn't ready to hear it. She wasn't deserving of hearing it and as good as
Brian was, she knew that even he couldn't love her if he knew about what she
had done. No one could. She let out a sigh of relief when he cut himself off
and changed tactic.
"Because I care about you. Because you're my wife.
Because I want to protect you and comfort you when I can. Because how could I
possibly sleep knowing you're right above me, hurting and scared? Because I
vowed to be there for you, for better or worse and I meant it. Because even if
you don't accept my comfort, I'm going to offer it anyway." She just
stared, open-mouthed with tears streaming down her face. She didn't know how to
respond, but she knew every word he spoke was truth.
"Are you offering it now? Comfort, I mean."
"Always, honey. Whenever and however you need it."
That was all she needed. Without another word she tossed the pillow-barrier on
the floor and scooted over, lying down next to him. He only hesitated a moment
before lying down next to her. As usual, he kept a few inches of space in
between them, respecting her boundaries. For some inexplicable reason, she
didn't want space. She wanted the comfort and security that she'd only ever had
in his arms.
She closed the space between them and nuzzled his chest
through his thin t-shirt, breathing in his clean, masculine scent. This felt so
right. She couldn't remember now why she had avoided his touch for so many
months. After welcoming it today she didn't know if she'd ever turn it away
again. She just hoped he understood that this intimacy was the most she could
ever offer him. Hopefully it would be enough for him, too.
"Do you want the light off so you can sleep?"
"Please" she said into his chest and he turned to
shut the lamp off. They stayed that way for some time. Her arms crossed over
her stomach, her face against his chest, he on his side with one arm folded
under his head and the other along his side.
Finally, he whispered, "May I…would it be okay for me
to…uh, hold you?" His voice was filled with apprehension. She was glad he
had asked, that's what she really wanted, but couldn't bring herself to ask for
it.
"I think I'd like that." She could almost feel him
smile as he readjusted himself so that one arm was under her head, his hand
caressing her back, and his other arm was draped across her waist, and bent up
to rest his hand on her shoulder.
She didn't have words for what she was feeling. She'd never
felt this way before. There was safety, comfort, and security. Those she could
identify, though they were still new to her. But, there was something else.
Something that set her entire body on edge in the most wonderful way. It had
her heart pounding faster and her stomach full of butterflies. She snuggled
closer and fell asleep relishing his closeness.
Author Info:
Amanda is a full
time wife and homemaker. She has a passion for children, her husband, cooking, reading,
writing, and most importantly, Jesus. She's been writing since she was a small
child, everything from poetry to stories. She's always loved telling stories, true or
imagined.
She currently resides in a small Midwestern town with her handsome hero and their furball, Minion. Her days are filled with baking, hanging clothes on the line and dancing to whatever music she has blaring on the stereo.
Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaClarkAuthor
She currently resides in a small Midwestern town with her handsome hero and their furball, Minion. Her days are filled with baking, hanging clothes on the line and dancing to whatever music she has blaring on the stereo.
Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaClarkAuthor
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