Page 109 of For Emery

Father Hall winked at him.

“Can I kiss her now?” Jordan asked.

“Not yet,” Father Hall said. “Do you have the rings?”

Jordan dug into his pocket and pulled out my ring.

I turned to my mom who handed me Jordan’s wedding band.

Father Hall blessed the rings and then looked to Jordan. “Jordan, repeat after me. Emery, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.”

Jordan held a beautiful diamond wedding band between his thumb and index finger and slipped it onto my extended ring finger as he said, “Emery, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.”

I stared down at the exquisite ring on my finger. Jordan had picked it out on his own and wouldn’t let me see it. I glanced up at him. “It’s beautiful.”

He smiled as he eagerly held out his hand.

I held his band between my fingers. “Jordan, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.” I slipped the ring onto his ring finger.

Jordan smiled. “I hope you give me babies, too. Lots of them.”

Everyone laughed again.

Jordan glanced to Father Hall. “Now, Father?”

Father Hall shook his head with amusement in his eyes. “One more thing. It is with great pleasure, before your family and friends, that I pronounce you husband and wife. Now, you may kiss your bride.”

“My wife,” Jordan whispered, before lifting me right off my feet and kissing me.

Applause and laughter surrounded us, but all I saw was Jordan.

My husband.

EPILOGUE

One Year Later

Emery

A lump formed in my throat as I stood behind the door, waiting to see all the smiling faces. My mama stood beside me, her hand gripping mine like a vice. I knew she didn’t like to be the center of attention, but I couldn’t think of anyone I wanted by my side in this moment more than I wanted her.

The doors opened and we stepped out, greeted by a round of applause. I glanced to Jordan standing behind a podium, having just introduced us to the attendees. He walked over and kissed my mom on the cheek before pulling me into his muscular arms. “I love you,” he whispered. “And I’m so proud of you.”

I smiled, trying to push my nerves aside as he moved me to the podium. I looked out at the sea of women sitting there. So many of them had escaped difficult lives and the abusive men who had made it that way. They finally had a place to call home until we could find them a new place. A new job. A new happiness.

“Thank you,” I said into the clump of microphones, waiting for their applause to subside. “This is a true dream come true for me. It’s what I’ve dreamt about since my mother and I escaped an abusive home and didn’t know where to go to start over.”

I glanced to my mama. Tears glazed her eyes. She was so proud of what Jordan and I had created. So very proud.

“If we were able to escape our situation, then I am confident that any woman who finds herself in a situation that is unsafe or unhealthy can too.”

I looked into the television cameras in the back of the room. Thanks to Jordan’s appearance, along with a few of his teammates, we had quite the turnout and media coverage. “To any woman out there who knows she doesn’t deserve the life she’s living. To any woman out there who is scared from the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to bed. To any woman who wants better for not only herself, but for her children too. There is a place for you. A safe place. Here at The Safety Net, we want to help you. No. We will help you.”

The room burst into applause and Jordan stepped up beside me, wrapping his arms around me. When our gazes met, I saw so much in his eyes—love, pride, happiness. I smiled. Jordan had been my safety net. I wanted nothing more than to give that to women out there who didn’t have a Jordan Grady to catch them. Luckily, I had him, and I’d never let him go again.

THE END