A Rose in Bloom

“No, they told me in person, up at the church this morning.” Elyssa fell back against her pillow, crossing her arms.

“You went to the church this morning? And you came home and got back in bed?”

Elyssa hesitated, glancing uncertainly around the room. “I don’t remember.” Her bottom lip curled inside her mouth, her upper teeth pressing into it. “We were… Sadie made me go jogging, and…” Her eyes widened.

“You dreamed it! You dreamed the whole thing, didn’t you?”

“Uhmm… It couldn’t have been a dream. I’d know if it were a dream.”

“It was a dream. It had to have been a dream. There’s no other explanation. So come on, Elyssa. Hurry up. You’re supposed to be at the brunch place right now. The photographer’s already waiting.”

Her lower lip pooched out. “Well aren’t you even going to apologize?”

“For what? I didn’t do anything.”

“You did something in my dream, and it really hurt my feelings.”

Jaxon bit back an indignant retort when he saw tears glistening in Elyssa’s eyes. “Move over,” he ordered, stretching out on the bed beside her, shoes and all. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head. “Elyssa, I’m really sorry Dream-Jaxon did that to you. I don’t think he just hurt your feelings; I think he scared you a little bit. And maybe you dreamed it because you were already a little scared.”

She sniffed her response, wetting his shirt with salty tears.

“So I want you to know something… Real-Jaxon would never ever do anything like that. I promise. Just think for a minute. I’ve never done anything like that before, have I? Don’t you know I would never hurt you on purpose? Since our first date, haven’t I proven you’re the most important person in my life? Don’t you believe I want to spend the rest of my life with you?”

“Yes.” Her voice was small. “But it seemed so real.”

“I know, baby, but this is a good thing. It’s good practice.”

“It is?”

“Yep. Things are going to happen in our life and in our marriage. Big problems. And you may think our love can’t handle these problems. But when a scary situation comes along, you don’t run away from me… you run straight to me. You can yell at me or cry in my arms, whatever you need to do. But we’ll handle it together, and I’ll be there for you. Real-Jaxon. Me. The one you can count on.”

She craned her head to look up at him. “That was pretty sweet, Jaxon. I’m sorry I went a little crazy. I guess I was more nervous than I thought I was.”

“Are you okay now?” He brushed a tear off her face with a gentle swipe of his thumb.

She nodded.

“Elyssa?”

“Hmmm?”

“Don’t be mad at Sadie and Scotty, okay? Remember, it was just a dream.”

“I’m not mad at Sadie. But as for Scotty…” One side of her mouth lifted in a twisted grin. “I’m not making any promises. He also told me I looked terrible.”

“In yo

ur dream, right? He said that in your dream? So you’re not really mad, are you?”

“But that's an awful thing to tell a bride the morning of her wedding, even in a dream.”

Jaxon studied her face, but found no clue to determine whether she was joking or serious. He strained to keep his eyes from rolling. One thing’s for sure… Life with Elyssa will never be boring.

Part 36: Happily Ever After

JAXON FORGOT TO breathe. He knew Elyssa was beautiful, but when she appeared at the back of the church, like an angel in flowing white satin, his body and mind simply quit functioning. An elbow jabbed his ribs.

“Hey man, you look like you’re going to pass out,” Nate mumbled from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t lock your knees. Remember? You don’t want to get a million hits on a YouTube video, do you?”