I expect him to take my hands again to say his vows, but instead he steps away from me. “My turn,” he says as Dean stands and hands him his guitar.
My knees go weak. He’s going to sing?
Latson sits down and sets the acoustic across his lap. “When I tried to write my vows my mind kept turning them into a song.” He gives me his dimple smile. “I guess that’s the only thing I know how to put on paper.” He sets his fingers against the strings. “I hope you like it.”
Like there’s a chance in hell I wouldn’t.
He starts to play and the song stays instrumental for a few moments. When he opens his mouth to sing, I get lost in the smooth sound of his voice:
“Against the world
Guarded and numb
An unforgiving path was the only one
I questioned my choices
And doubted my heart
Until we crashed together
And never fell apart.
You broke down my walls
And cut my chains,
I’ll use them to bind us together.
No words or tears can stop our flame
Fall with me into forever.
Funny how love comes off a myth
Until fate decides it’s time
I didn’t know I’d lost my soul
Until your blue eyes met mine.
You see things in me I’ve never seen
You’ve opened up my eyes
I vow to protect your giving heart
And love you until the day I die.
You broke down my walls
And cut my chains,
I’ll use them to bind us together.
No words or tears can stop our flame
Fall with me into forever.
You broke down my walls
And cut my chains
Bind yourself to me forever.
There’s nothing in the world
We can’t do
As long as we’re together.”
When he finishes the song, silence falls around us. He studies my face, and I try to breathe; it’s difficult when my pulse is pounding so hard. Our family and friends start to clap, but I’m not having any of that. What he just did for me, said to me, deserves more than polite applause.
I throw myself in Latson’s lap as soon as he’s rid of the guitar. He laughs and grabs ahold of my waist as I take his face in both of my hands. I plant the most inappropriate kiss that I can on his lips, but I don’t care. He doesn’t either because he gives it right back and his fingers start to roam.
“I guess we’ll just skip to the end,” I hear the officiant laugh. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You can … keep doing what you’re doing.”
I hear the bridal party cheer, and I smile against Latson’s mouth. We did it. “I love you, husband.”
He holds me tighter to him. “I love you, Little Bird.”
Acknowledgements
As a writer, it’s hard to crush a character. Especially one you really like. In Sparrow, Jen was only supposed to be a blip – an ex-girlfriend to show Kyle’s inability to commit since losing Addison. Boy, did she have other plans for me! To quote Kyle, the “cute, funny, and talented” bartender became a much bigger part of Sparrow than I had originally planned (I didn’t see the twist with Derek until I was literally writing the chapter). While what happened to Jen in Sparrow was right for that story, it wasn’t right for her. I owed her, and she let me know it, too. She’s been living in my mind for the last year, questioning happily-ever-after’s and wondering if she’d get hers. I’m happy to say she found her forever with Latson. I hope readers will agree that she finally got the love and attention she deserves.
With that said, there are a few people I need to thank for their support and encouragement:
My family. Thank you to Drew – fictional Union drummer to readers, but real-life husband to me. Thank you for being in my band, for your “fight” advice, and for finding the Pink Floyd quote. Thank you to my son, my Oliver inspiration, for being adorable and loving Nerf and Minecraft so much that O does, too. And thank you to my daughter who, like an agent, is always checking up on me: “How much did you write today, Mom? Only a paragraph? You need to get moving!”
My betas. Koz, Tartney, JFF, and Brooke. This was a long process, ladies. Thank you for sticking with me. I know receiving one chapter every couple weeks, sometimes once a month, is tedious. Thank you for your faith in Latson and Jen (“She needs to be married and have tons of Latson babies!”), and for your faith in me.
My Street Team. Jenn L., Barbie, Tracey, Sonya, Lisa, Retta, Jordan, Charlotte, James, Angela, Brianie, Sarah, Deanna, Lyndsey, Tami, Colleen, Lindsey L., Christina, Leann, Kendra, Ginelle, Shawanda, Tiffany, Aubrey, Breena, Lori, Michele, Gloria, and Mary Ann. Whether we’re Facebook friends, in-person friends, or family, thank you for your never-ending support. Last but not least, a special thank you to Joelle – if it were up to her, the entire universe would know about my books. Her promotion is tireless, and I love her for it.
Dean McCarthy and the Union ~ Set List
All of the songs written by Dean and played on the Renegade Tour were inspired by real books written by authors who have become good friends. If you’re curious, check out the links below:
To Hell and Back
By Leigha Taylor
Breaking Free
By S.M. Koz
The Short Life of Sparrows
By Emm Cole
Over-Exposed
By Julie Jaret
Out of the Blu
By Jennifer Fisch-Ferguson
(coming soon)
Of course, Dean has more than five songs, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t fit them all into the story. Here is the rest of his set list:
Old No. 7
Tribute to my brother’s old band.
Paul, in Cardinal, is my real brother who plays bass.
Arrow On The Doorpost
The Walking Dead. Need I say more?
Until the End of Forever
See Guardian by Sara Mack
Red Ribbon
Eclipse, my favorite book of the Twilight Series
Raven
In honor of my daughter’s ice hockey team.
Those girls are some kick-ass chicks, just like Jen.
About the Author
Sara Mack is a Michigan native who grew up with her nose in books. She is a wife and a hockey mom on top of being trapped in an office forty hours a week. Her spare time is spent one-clicking on Amazon and devouring books on her Kindle, cleaning up after her kids and two elderly cats, attempting to keep her flower garden alive, and, of course, writing. She has an unnatural affinity for dark chocolate, iced tea, and bacon.
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Other books by Sara Mack:
Sparrow
The Guardian Trilogy
Guardian
Allegiant
Reborn
Available on Amazon