Page 58 of Pretend I’m Yours
Since she was over eighteen, that was her money to do with as she pleased, no matter what they had to say about it. At first, Hannah had wanted to donate all of it, getting as far away from her parents as she could. But I talked her out of the idea.
“We could use that money, you know,” I said. “There are so many things you and I want to do, and we’re going to need money to do it. Just because you are using funds that you got from your family doesn’t mean that you support them. In fact, I’d say that it’s a great way for your family to actually do some good in the community.”
“You’re right,” she finally agreed. “We’ll use it for furthering our goals.”
And that’s exactly what we did. We found an inexpensive apartment that was much more suited to my taste and Hannah’s wishes. She didn’t want to live in luxury. She wanted to be closer to the people she was trying to help, and never felt that she was quite with them when she came home to a place that was far nicer than anything they ever got to have.
But the new apartment made her feel at home. I knew there was only one thing left to do.
The day we moved into the place, I got down on my knee and asked her to marry me – for real this time. I’d purchased the ring the same day I moved in to stay, knowing without a doubt I wanted her to marry me for real one day. I didn’t want to fake it with her anymore.
And, I didn’t want to wait. We already knew we would make a great husband and wife. We’d been doing it already. Why put off any longer what we both wanted?
We were married in a small ceremony with only our closest friends present. I didn’t want a lot of people there, and I knew Hannah didn’t want any of her relatives there, either. But she had her three close friends as well as people she met at school, and I had my guys.
Brody was my best man, Teisha was the maid of honor. But my eyes were on the bride and the bride alone. Seeing Hannah in that wedding gown, knowing she was making her vows to me was almost more than I could handle. I choked up more than once, struck by the beauty of her being.
We didn’t go on a honeymoon right away. I wanted to go somewhere out of Chicago and spend some time, just her and I, but she had to finish school first. She was so close to graduation, she didn’t want to do anything that would prevent her from walking down that aisle with the rest of the class.
I was so proud of her when the day finally came. I knew she could do it. I knew she would do it, it was just a matter of removing the stress in her life and giving her the tools to succeed.
With my support and all the help I gave her moving into our new apartment, she was able to study as much as she needed to. Our wedding had been small enough, she was even able to study right up to the day before, making it possible for her to graduate at the top of her class when the day came.
She was every bit as beautiful in her graduation gown as she was in her wedding gown, and I didn’t think there was a prouder person in the room. She beamed as they handed her the degree, and I snapped the perfect photo of her throwing her hat in the air with the rest of the class.
After that, we both decided it was time to take a few weeks off and spend some time together. A real husband and wife, just enjoying each other and all that life had to offer.
We flew to Hawaii and spent three weeks in a condo, forgetting the rest of the world and just getting to know each other on a whole new level. I learned things about my wife I hadn’t known before, and I was finally able to figure out what I wanted to do with my own life.
The night she had been kidnapped was one of the most terrifying nights of my entire life. I knew what could happen if something were to go wrong, and I hated that I wasn’t there to protect her. Of course, she fought back against Brandon as best she could, but how could she protect herself when he was so much stronger and knew how to subdue someone?
And it wasn’t just Hannah who was in danger. Women all over Chicago – hell, women all over the country and even the world – were in danger of being kidnapped, taken advantage of, murdered, anything. And I hated it.
