Page 113 of Axton

“That’s good to hear, now get that jacket on and escort a lady back from the ladies room.” She ordered.

She hooked her arm in mine, and we started walking. When we stepped into the room, Morgan stopped us, and I scanned the room. I could feel Morgan's eyes on me, but I didn’t pay any attention. When my eyes landed on the unbelievably gorgeous woman in blue, I took a sharp breath.

“I told you she’s stunning.” Morgan was still looking up at me and I swallowed hard.

“I now understand what breathtaking means.” I had to blink a few times to make sure I really was seeing her, my God she was perfect.

“Well, I’m going to find my husband. Enjoy yourself, Mikey.” She giggled because she never called me that before.

I was frozen and all I could do was look at Belle. She was facing away from me, but I caught her profile when she turned her head to laugh at something Wrenly said. She turned just right, and I noticed she had a glass of champagne. The ring on her finger caught the light and a smile rose on my face. There wasn’t anything in this world more worth fighting for than that girl in the blue dress. The girl that was so proud to wear my ring and carry my name, despite knowing I grew up on that mountainside. It didn’t matter to her who my father was or what he did, what mattered to her was being my friend, my wife, and my future.

I took a step forward, then another one, and another one. I was no longer Axton, the soldier, or the guy that took care of everyone else. In that moment, I knew who I was meant to be, and that was a husband, a friend, and the only person that could ever make her feel safe and loved. I had to remind myself she wanted to be my friend and the love of my life, which meant she wanted to understand me, and I had to have faith in her. I had to accept I never would have been ready to solve any of my problems without her. Each step closer to her felt like I was shedding the boy that would cry himself to sleep at night, the young man that held the girl he loved in his arms as the coroner tried taking her away, the soldier who wished he had a real home to miss while at war, and the brother at arms that would never leave a friend behind. I was transitioning into the man I always hoped to be someday. My eyes were trained on her and I saw the moment she felt me behind her. Those delicate shoulders relaxed, and she slowly turned until her eyes met mine. I lowered my lips to her ear without touching her. “You are and always will be everything I will ever need or want. I have spentmy entire life trying to find what I’ve always needed, and I felt it as soon as I got off that elevator in that hospital, before I ever even saw you.” I stood straight up and looked down at her. Her lips parted and she didn’t know what to say.

“You trusted me with your life and your soul before you ever opened those beautiful eyes of yours. I need you to shut those eyes again and feel me.”

She shut her eyes.

“I never needed her, Belle, and she never needed me. We used each other because we thought what we were doing was what we needed. That whole time I was searching for something to fix me, I was broken and probably was since I was eight years old. That’s not what’s happened with us, Belle, you didn’t fix me because you don’t see anything to fix. You gave me the strength and the confidence I needed to let you in so I could accept that maybe I didn’t need anyone to fix me. I am who I am, and I know I am better than ever after meeting you. Nobody could fix me anymore than I could have fixed Natalie or Faye. Now I have this amazing woman in my life that doesn’t need fixed either. She’s everything I need and then some, she’s unbelievably brave, accepting of those different than her, and she is the smartest person I have ever known. You have learned so much about this world that once scared you in a matter of days. I am so proud of you for that, Belle.”

Her eyes fluttered open. “I feel you.” She whispered.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, and to be honest I was ashamed of how far I let it go. I wasn’t proud of the man I was or the things I did, but now I’m damn proud of the man I am and the woman I love. I am the soldier your father told you about, Belle. I am your husband.”

She studied my eyes. “Are you angry that I invaded your privacy?”

“Not at all, I believe you did warn me that your curiosity got the best of you at times. Not just that, but I gave you my pass code because I didn’t have anything to hide, really. I would have preferred to tell you about it, but I don’t want to keep secrets from you. Well, I can’t exactly share top secret government contracts with you, but believe me you don’t want to know what our government is up to. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.”

She smiled. “I only need one thing from you.”

“What’s that?” I wanted to reach out and hold her.

She bit her bottom lip then her eyes met mine again. “I saved all my dances for you.”

Belle

I laughed when Michael dipped me then pulled me back up to kiss him. For a man that said he didn’t like dancing, he was sure having a lot of fun. It wasn’t a matter of forgiving him, it was a matter of trusting our instincts.

I barely knew myself, let alone Michael. I knew the people in my community, including my parents, weren’t deeply and madly in love with their spouses. They married them the day they met them, and the wives were only children.

My instincts were telling me to dive in and don’t look back with Michael. I knew I was falling deeply in love with him, but it was too fast for me to trust those feelings. I grew up only knowing unhappy miserable women, and I wanted more than to jump into a marriage out of obligation. I didn’t want to be them, but when he came to me about a fake marriage to get that inheritance and fool my community into trusting him, I jumpedright on it. No more child brides, I would be safe from Jeremy, and I could save all of the women who were oppressed and walking through life like a robot. That was what my brain was telling me, but my heart and soul believed I found my forever home in Michael. What happened with those texts was cold feet, because I knew he was the soldier papa dreamed for me. My greatest fear was Michael thinking I was only attached to him because I was brainwashed by his prophecy. I was with Michael because there were true feelings involved. I loved everything about him from how hard he had to fight to get off that mountainside to his crooked pinky toe. Every imperfection was absolute perfection in my eyes.

I was learning and adapting quickly. Every day was something new and I loved every moment. I was so happy, and it wasn’t all because of Michael, but a big portion of it was. I grew to love every moment at Creed’s Lake, and the mind of the man I was falling in love with helped create it. The snowflakes at Creed’s Lake seemed fluffier, the sun glistened on the lake every morning like it was full of diamonds, and the people were happier and kept me warmer than even my own family could keep me.

My life was filled with music, laughter, and the love of growing friendships. God was still with me, I could feel him, but he wasn’t found in a church or in a book. He was in my heart, rewarding me with all the things I wanted before I even knew they existed. Michael was one of those rewards and I soaked in his smile, his kisses, and his warmth as we stayed on that dance floor almost all night.

We weren’t rushing us, our circumstances were rushing us. It was okay because I would love to date my husband for the rest of my life. We would be getting to know each other and ourselves as our lives would change through the years. I’d take the dinnersout, carriage rides around the lake, snowball fights, and all the motorcycle rides in my future, over a life where I had to wait longer for him.

A new year was about to start, and I had all the hope in the world for what was coming next.

We stopped dancing and Michael pointed at the large television screen as a very large ball lifted toward the sky.

“Six! Five! Four!” I felt a tap on my elbow and turned but Michael wasn’t standing, he was on one knee.

“Bellemy Axton, will you join me in a spiritual marriage where we not only save the women in your community, but also let me date you for the rest of my life?”

“Oh my God!” A few women squealed. “Look at Axton!”

I nodded my head, and he slipped a gorgeous ring on my finger. He stood and pulled me into him then kissed me as everyone around us clapped and screamed. “Happy New Year!”

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