Adore Me (Rough Edges 1)

Some people might find it crazy for us to be engaged and buying a house together already, but I think it’s the perfect time. From the first night at his place, I hoped that he would open his heart to me, and he did. Damon is someone who deserves everything and more. He’s handsome, thoughtful, caring, and loves Emily like his own. Plus, let me not forget to mention the mind-blowing sex. It’s like the icing on the cake to prove that we can make each other happy.

As we all sit down and dig into the heaping dishes, the conversations branch out and it’s hard to keep track of who is talking about what, but that’s the fun of having family over. You never know what’s going to come up.

A knock on the door sounds. We aren’t expecting anyone else.

Damon gets up from the table to answer it and in comes my mother.

“Surprise.”

Two visits within a few months. Something must be going on.

“What are you doing here?”

“You think I’m going to miss my daughter getting engaged and moving into her first home? Not a chance,” she says, pulling me in. “Now, let me see that ring.”

She twists it around on my finger, not verbally saying anything, but the smile says it all.

“Enough staring. Let’s eat. I’m starving,” I tell her, walking into the dining room and pulling out a chair for her next to me.

If someone would have told me just four months ago that I would be engaged before the new year, I’d have laughed in their faces, but fate intervened and pushed me and Damon together. Sure, there are things that could have kept us apart, but we fought through them and preserved.

No matter what house we live in, Carol will have a presence, and that’s okay with me. Damon trusts me with his heart, and who am I to tell him he can’t love her? It speaks wonders for his character that he still thinks about her every day, and we talk about her often. I want to know the woman that I am sharing his heart with, so that I can help him stay true to the man she helped him become.

The dinner table is surrounded by our family to celebrate yet another holiday, but also something special. Damon has finally accepted the fact he’s ready to move on and chose to let me in completely. I will not let him down and plan to never break his heart.

This is it for me. My heart belongs to Damon. Not only has he stood by my side when he had every opportunity to run for the hills, but he has embraced Emily into his life as his own since the night we showed up at his house. I couldn’t ask for a better man to share the rest of my life with or to help me raise my daughter.

I stare into his eyes, brown and bold, and then lean in to whisper in his ear, “I’ll love you for eternity.”

Things have been intense to say the least, like we have been on a roller-coaster ride with our hands up for months, and now we are finally at the end. I plan on taking full advantage of this high feeling and use it to push forward toward the new year. I get to plan my freaking wedding.

That gets me thinking who I will choose to be my maid of honor. I really only have one person and that’s Harper. Do I really have to have bridesmaids too? It’s my wedding and I’m just going to have a maid of honor instead. She has been there for me repeatedly since starting the high school. I hope we continue to build that friendship even when she takes over as a chemistry teacher next month.

Then I think about what the perfect date would be. How about August 31? Eight letters, three words, one meaning. I love you.

After his brothers leave, we start packing up things we want to take to the new house. The movers will be here around noon tomorrow to load it all up and take it over for us.

“When do I get to see the house?” Leslie asks, her hands on her hips. “If you are going over there, do you mind if I tag along?”

“Mom, you are gonna see it. Calm down,” I say, laughing.

The last time Leslie was here, things didn’t start off great, and it took many attempts for her to finally see how great of a guy Damon is. By the time she left, we had her support.

“I bet the kitchen is amazing. Both of you love to cook. It’s got to be the best room in the house,” she says, now sitting on the couch, flipping through a Homes & Gardens magazine.

I stare at the clock; it’s almost one in the morning. “It’s time for us to go to bed. We don’t need to be exhausted on moving day.”

“Alright. I can take a hint. Good night, sweetie,” Mom says, giving me a slight kiss on the cheek as she passes to the bedroom.

As my mind starts to wind down, the magic of today still hasn’t faded. I’m going to marry Damon Jackson.

“So future Mrs. Jackson, what is your final consensus on our new home?” he asks, pulling me close.

“It’s the perfect start to our happily ever after.”

To Be Continued...