Two Become One excerpt by Lisa Marbly-Warir
Chapter One
Destinee and Edward Becomes One
Planning for my wedding was one of the highlights of my life-especially since I was unsure if that day would ever come. Like most young women; I dreamed of my wedding day long before I knew who I was as a woman. I dreamed of my wedding dress and the handsome man that would sweep me off of my feet. When my dream became a reality-suddenly the thought of planning and money being spent didn’t appeal to me. My plan was to do simple yet classy on a budget and invite my closest friends and relatives only. My mother and mother-in-law didn’t take no for an answer when I protested that I didn’t need any help and that I wanted to keep it small and intimate; we ended up with over three hundred and fifty guests. Edward and I were their only children and they wanted a memorable day not only for us, but for them as well.
A longtime friend of my mother’s, Pastor Wilson agreed to walk me down the aisle and give me away. He and his wife had known me since I was a child and he was honored to be asked. Before the big day came, Pastor Wilson felt it was best to sit down with Edward and me-to make sure we knew what we were getting into. We had arrived at his office about ten that morning.
“Please sit,” Pastor Wilson motioned to us.
“Do you mind if my wife sits with us?” he asked.
“Of course not,” we said.
“Miss Destinee Jones, I can’t believe this day is finally upon us. I remember when you were just a little girl running about the church,” Pastor Wilson said. He made more small talk before he got to the point of why Edward and I were in his office.
“Venetia and I have been married for twenty nine years and we’ve seen it all and been through it all,” “We like to offer insight to couples just starting out from a male and female perspective.” Pastor Wilson told us.
We sat about an hour with them. At our age, there wasn’t really anything they could tell us except “Put God first and keep people out of your business. Marriage is about give and take but sometimes you have to compromise even when you don’t want to,” he told us.
“He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and I know you are getting a good woman here,” he told Edward.
Edward smiled and nodded in agreement. “And most importantly, young man,” Pastor Wilson said looking at Edward. “Happy wife makes for a happy life, you remember that.” he winked and we all had a good laugh about it.
After all was said and done-Venetia said some things she felt were pertinent about our union and then we left.
“That was enlightening,” Edward said as we walked hand-in-hand to the car.
I looked up at him; I didn’t know if he was being serious or facetious. He had a church upbringing, but wasn’t going as regularly as he should and he acknowledged that at times. I also knew he went to the meeting for my benefit. He was a man who was used to being the boss and pulling all the strings, so I knew he felt some kind of way sitting in front of Pastor Wilson, but he smiled and humored me. Our wedding was three weeks away. “Are you nervous?” he asked me. “No,” I told him. And surprisingly, I wasn’t. It still felt like a dream that I was scared to wake up from.
Once my mother and mother-in-law took the reins regarding my wedding, I practically had no say-so, but I drew the line when it came to my color scheme. I chose silver blue for my bridesmaid dresses and black for the groomsmen along with matching silver blue cummerbunds. Had I given my mother carte blanche, my bridesmaid’s would have been in pink frou-frou dresses with big bows. My dress was a pearl-beaded, formfitting mermaid dress with a sweetheart neckline. My hair was upswept with pearls woven through. I remember the day of the wedding; I got ready nervously with my mother and my best friends Sheri and Diane. My mother chose that time to embarrass me with “the wedding night” talk. I remember Sheri and Diane looking at one another and snickering. I gave my mother a ‘don’t do it’ look and she dropped the subject for the time being.
At thirty one, I didn’t need the talk and although I hadn’t done it yet, I knew what the mechanics involved and I’d read enough spicy romance novels to get an idea of what to expect. Looking back, I wondered what possessed me to read those books only to go to an empty bed.
“I should have had that talk with you a long time ago, baby,” my mother said, making the awkward moment worse.
“Sometimes mothers see their children as little ones forever, you’ll see what I mean when you become a parent,” my mother said wistfully.
I didn’t want to have this discussion in front of my friends; they knew how I was raised, but they didn’t need to hear this personal banter between my mother and me.
“There,” my mother said fastening my necklace. “You look so beautiful.” she said and started to tear up.
“Please don’t do that Mom,” I told her. “You’re going to make me cry and we’ll have to do my makeup all over again,” I said and hugged her. “We’ll get through this.”
***
The day of the wedding
Pastor Wilson patted my hand in a fatherly way, before putting my hand in the crook of his arm as we waited for our cue to walk in. He had daughters of his own and when I was younger I used to wish I was his daughter. I was pleased when he said yes to march me down the aisle, but I could never impose any more on him than that. He was like a surrogate father to me, unknown to him of course. He never knew I looked up to him in that way and I was thankful for him. By all intents and purposes he was the one man who showed me what a real man was supposed to be, even if I didn’t realize it as I was growing up.
Edward reminded me of Pastor Wilson in many ways and as I got to know him I noticed that he had an older man’s reserve and maturity. Edward was usually calm and collected unless he was riled up over something.
When I walked down the aisle, I remembered utter silence. I didn’t hear the wedding march and I couldn’t see anyone else but the man standing at the front of the church. Edward looked exceptionally handsome-more handsome than usual, I thought, as I marched up to him. He’d finally shaved off the goatee that Stephanie insisted on a few years back; he was the fresh-faced handsome man I first fell in love with. I could tell he was a little nervous and I was pleased. I would have something to tease him about later. I stood with my hands in Edwards-looking up at him and repeated after the minister my vows to the man I loved. I closed out the world around us and lost myself in his soft brown eyes.
“Since, then, you have pledged your mutual vows, I, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state and the church, declare you to be husband and wife, according to the ordinance of God and the law of the state. You may kiss your bride!” The minister proclaimed. And Edward bent his tall frame down to kiss me.
After the ceremony, the reception and a million hugs and kisses from well-wishers, we changed our clothes and we were off to the airport via limo. Edward would not tell me where we were going for the honeymoon until we were on the plane. I did have to get a passport so I knew we would be leaving the US.
“Where are we going?” I asked once we were situated in our seats.
“We’re going to spend one night in New York and then we’re going to Tuscany,” he said. I gasped.
I never knew that was a place I wanted to go until he said it. He chuckled at my reaction.
“I’ve always wanted to go there and I get to go with the woman I love,” he said and leaned over to kiss me.
Many a day I dreamed of this moment-a kiss from Edward. It didn’t matter if it was our first kiss or the hundredth; the sensation of his lips pressed against mine always felt like the first time, and in just a few hours I was going to be naked under him.
“Is something wrong?” he asked and drew back.
“No, just thinking,” I said.
We held hands as the plane took off. That night was the start of many new things for me, including it being my first time out of the country as well as my wedding night. When we got to the hotel, it was very late and we were very tired, but not too tired to do what we had waited years to do; or at least I had waited years. Edward used the key card to open the hotel door and then used his right knee to hold the door open. He picked me up and carried me over the threshold and kissed my lips before setting me down. I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. I remember walking over to the window to look out over New York and how the lights shimmered from the surrounding buildings. I sighed at the beauty of it all. Edward walked up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulder. He tilted my head with his to kiss my neck and to help me out of my dress, but I told him I wanted to take a shower before we did the deed.
“We can shower together after,” he whispered close to my ear as he unzipped my dress.
With my shoulders exposed he caressed my bare skin savoring the feel and scent of it, and nuzzled the nape of my neck.
“I’ve been very patient,” he said. A lesser man would not have waited this long.” He drew me into a sensuous kiss; a kiss with more passion and force behind it than our previous make out sessions, which were very tame in comparison.
I never realized how much he was holding back until that night. All the inhibitions I had forced on him went out the window once I was legally his wife. I helped him take off his jacket and he undid his tie and reached for his belt. I waited with bated breath as his fly was unzipped; I could see its occupant was ready to be released. He smiled at my nervous anticipation and let’s just say-I wasn’t disappointed. Edward was a little heavy-handed at first, or maybe I had to get used to being manhandled. “Sorry,” he said and was a little more gentle and careful with me, as his hands continued to roam every inch of me. It didn’t take me having previous experience to know he was skilled in the bedroom. When he tried to penetrate me it was painful-something I expected, but he still knew what to do to get me off. His fingers and mouth explored every nook and crevice. I never knew a body could come alive the way mine did that night.
By the end of the week, I knew what my friends meant when they said they couldn’t live without a man. Having my personal space invaded took some getting used to but I was glad to finally experience what everyone else was. I wasn’t the odd woman out anymore.
Tuscany
Tuscany was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The countryside alone was awe inspiring. There was nothing I’d ever seen to compare it to. We stayed in a five-hundred year-old converted farm house with three other honeymooning couples. The food was delicious, unlike anything I’d ever tasted before. Edward was in his element with the wines, the cheeses and the rich and satisfying foods. He even surprised me with the fact that he could speak a little Italian, even though it was limited; but it was enough to get us around the scenic cities. I was the one out of my element, but I was enjoying everything about it; walks down country lanes and century-old villas, visiting the outdoor markets and walking hand-in-hand with Edward.
It was December, and he told me we would have to come back during the summer months if we wanted to see the poppy fields. It was something to look forward to. Every night of our honeymoon, he showed me pleasure that was beyond my previous comprehension. My body was twisted and contorted into positions I didn’t think were humanly possible.
“Whew, was it good for you, Mrs. Johnson?” he asked climbing off of me one night.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly. It always turned me on immensely when he called me Mrs. Johnson.
“You like it when I call you that, don’t you?” he asked.
“You have no idea,” I said.
“Mrs. Edward Johnson; I like the sound of that,” I said.
“I like the way that sounds too-and I’m glad you are my wife,” he said.
“I thought I had lost you forever, when you went to New York.”
“I can’t believe I did that,” I said. “I mean I did want to go to New York, but I should have been adult enough to tell you how I felt about you instead of running away,”
“Babe that was a part of your charm; that is what I liked most about you,” he said. “I wasn’t used to a woman like you; but I was equally guilty. I didn’t tell you how I felt either,”
We got up, had a snack and relaxed a little before going at each other again.
We stayed in Italy another week before coming back home to begin our new life together.
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If you got your free copy of the first book-A Love Worth Waiting For-Destinee's story. You'll want to read what happens next. A woman from her husband's past comes to stir up trouble and a family secret also comes to light.