Vivienne's Guilt (34 page)

Tillie pauses when she reaches the front pew where I sit, handing her bouquet off to Reid. Then she melts every piece of my heart with the emotion in those baby blue eyes. “Momma,” she cries, falling into my arms. “Momma, I love you so much.” I feel her body tremble with tears and my heart nearly bursts.

“Oh, sweet girl,” I cry out, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. “I love you...more than life.”

We stand there holding onto one another and crying. I kiss her beautiful face and wipe away her tears. “It’s not too late,” I whisper, trying to lighten the mood.

Matilda Grace rolls her eyes and laughs. “Stop...”

“I mean it. We can run out of here right now.”

“I’m with Ma...let’s go,” AJ teases. He’s a boy, so he doesn’t show it, but Tillie leaving is weighing on his heart as much as mine. It’s been the three of us for so long. For all of his life.

Tillie just shakes her head at the two of us.

“Go get your prince, Bossyrella,” I say finally, and Reid links his arm with hers and leads her right into the arms of her soon to be husband.

I watch Blake’s face as Tillie approaches, and I remember a time when I saw that same look on the face of her father. Tears unabashedly fall from his eyes as he looks at my daughter like she is the answer to every question. Like she holds the stars in her eyes. If love had a face...it would be his. My baby girl is going to be just fine.

I wiggle my bare feet nervously in the hot sand. This is it. Today, I will marry Abbott Parker.

“Stop doing that, Vivienne. You’re going to mess up your pedicure. You can’t get married with fucked up toes.”

Oh, Cassie. I laugh. “Says who?”

“Says your best friend and wedding planner extraordinaire!” she huffs.

I still my toes while she fusses over my hair and makeup one last time. “You know, it’s not too late,” she offers. “We can hightail our pretty little asses out of here right now.”

“Really, Cassie?” I thought she was on board with this.

“Hey...I’m just checking off all of the boxes. I’m supposed to say that.” Cassie shrugs, nonchalant.

I shake my head and roll my eyes.

“For real, you can look it up,” she insists.

“I’m not changing my mind, Cassie,” I say seriously.

“I know, babe. I would kick your ass if you tried. You’ve got a good one. Now, let’s go make it official.”

I can’t believe how lucky I am, and I don’t know if I will ever accept that this is actually my life. “Let’s do this.” I lace my arm into the arm of my best friend and together we make our way down the sandy path. I’ve chosen Cassie to give me away. I know it’s not very traditional, but next to Abbott, she owns the biggest piece of my heart. There is no one else on earth that I would want to share this moment with.

As we draw nearer to my groom, my heart rate speeds up. By the time that Cassie places my hand into his, I feel like it may very well beat right out of my chest.

I look up into the eyes of my soul mate, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am making the right decision. I have never felt more certain of anything in my life. Abbott looks at me like I am the very air he breathes, and my heart comes alive whenever he is near.

I stand there in awe...in a love-induced fog. Vows are exchanged, and it all goes by in a blur, but I will never forget the moment when he takes my face in both his hands and places his lips to mine as husband and wife for the very first time. In that kiss, we communicate emotions so deep we could never find the words to describe it, and it feels like coming home.

He is mine.

I am his.

This is forever.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There’s so much that goes into the process of writing a book. It’s scary and exciting. There are days when the words seem to fly right out of your fingertips and others when you can’t seem to string two words together. It’s such an emotional journey, and I could not have done it without the help of so many people.

First, thank you to my husband, Adam, for believing in me and for supporting my dream. Thank you for all of the times you’ve kept our six children for entire weekends so that I could work on this book, and for listening to me go on endlessly about the voices in my head.

A huge thank you to Shanora, Kate, and Edee for not only believing in me but for your constant support. You’ve been my biggest cheerleaders, amazing friends, and many times my therapists, as well.

Shanora, without your insistence, Vivienne would not exist. You saw something in me that I didn’t even see myself, and you’ve awakened a passion for writing that I otherwise may never have discovered. I can never tell you what that means to me.

Kate, my eggplant! The way you’ve embraced me throughout this journey and held my hand throughout the entire process is everything. You are so generous and supportive. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything, especially your friendship. Soul sisters.

Edee, I feel like I hit the jackpot on my first spin. You are so much more than an editor. You are a beautiful person inside and out. Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty and for teaching me all the things!

Nicole...you are the other half of my brain, and I will never be able to thank you enough for the help you’ve given me. Thank you for your excitement, your encouragement, and your love for my characters. If there is one person who knows them as well as me, it’s you.

Thank you, Juliana for designing my beautiful cover. You captured my vision perfectly! You are a jack of all trades and have made this entire publishing ordeal so much easier for me.

To my beta readers: Shanora, Kate, Edee, Pam, Nicole, Selene, Karla, Megan, Ashley, Jessica, Sara, and The “Dude” Reviewer, thank you! Thank you for assisting me in making this book the best that it could be. It’s not easy to separate yourself personally and to provide unbiased feedback, but it’s so necessary, and I can’t thank you enough.

My book besties, Selene and Brandi, thank you for sharing this journey with me. From books and blogging to best friends. Your support is invaluable. I love you BBs!

Thank you to my author friends over at The Indie Squad; Shanora, Kate, Tina, Ava, Nicole, Rose, Mo, Emily, Leia, and Nevaeh . . . I am incredibly lucky to have you in my corner.

Thank you to the girls in my reader group, “Heather’s Hunnies.” I appreciate your excitement and that you’ve given me a place to share my thoughts throughout this process.

To all of my book friends I’ve come to know while blogging at The Real Housewives of Romance Book Blog, who have followed me and supported me in my writing career, thank you so much.

Thank you to my family and my closest friends for listening to my ideas and for never telling me to shut up when I’ve gone on and on about different stages of this process: Mom, Tasha, Sandie, Ashley, Krista, Liz, Karla, Candy, Jo, Julie, Leslie, Abby, Lindsey, and if I’ve left anyone else off, it wasn’t intentional and thank you as well.

To the readers and bloggers who I hope will read this book . . . thank you for taking a chance on my book baby, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the time you spent with these characters as much as I have.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather M. Orgeron is a Cajun girl with a big heart and a passion for romance. She married her high school sweetheart two months after graduation and her life has been a fairytale ever since. She’s the queen of her castle, reigning over five sons and one bossy little princess who has made it her mission in life to steal her Momma’s throne. When she’s not writing, you will find her hidden beneath mounds of laundry and piles of dirty dishes or locked in her tower (aka the bathroom) soaking in the tub with a good book. She’s always been an avid reader and has recently discovered a love for cultivating romantic stories of her own.

If you would like to connect with Heather M. Orgeron, you can find her here:

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