Part 14 (1/2)

Love.

A future.

Getting everything in the car we begin our car ride to the beach. It's a comfortable silence and Maddox is holding my hand. The music's off and all I hear is the wind blowing past me because my other hand is hanging outside the car and I'm brought back to the car ride up to school when I was thinking about how my life was going to change.

I had an idea that my life was going to change but I never realized how drastically. If you would have told me back in August where I would be right now I would have laughed in your face and said, ”Quit bulls.h.i.+tting me.” But now I realize that anything is possible and that I am special.

I have on sungla.s.ses and I'm looking out at the scenery around me and I start to tear up. I'm thinking about my life with Cynthia and how she was wrong.

How I am important.

How I am beautiful.

I lift my hand and begin to wipe the stray tears away and Maddox looks over. ”You okay Isabelle?”

I lift my sungla.s.ses and look over at Maddox while smiling. ”I am now.”

Finding a parking spot, Maddox carries our bags to the beach. It's sunny out but there aren't a lot of people around and I'm totally okay with it. We lay down our blankets and strip from our clothing. After applying suntan lotion I begin to stretch out on my towel but Maddox has other ideas for us. He lifts me up over his shoulders and runs into the ocean. The water is splas.h.i.+ng all over us and I'm laughing and having the time of my life. He places me down in the water and I wrap my arms around him and kiss him.

We spend the rest of the day lounging on our towels, playing in the water, and building sandcastles.

The sun is beginning to set and Maddox is sitting behind me and I'm leaning up against him. His head is on my shoulder and we're watching the sunset. He's playing with my fingers and then says, ”So did I change your mind about the beach?”

I giggle and say, ”I still hate it but I'd come here anytime with you.” He smiles and says, ”Maybe this will change your mind.” I look down and Maddox is holding a little black box in his hand and my heart stops and tears well up in my eyes. I'm trying my d.a.m.ndest to not let them fall but I close my eyes to try and catch my breath and the second my eyes close the tears fall.

Maddox hears me sniffling and walks over in front of me. He kneels down looking into my eyes and says, ”Sweetheart?”

I start to laugh and cry. For the first time in my life I'm speechless. I look into his eyes and I see he's tearing up and taking my left hand he says, ”Isabelle, you're the only thing in this life that makes sense. Without you I have nothing. No ideas. No dreams. No possibilities.”

I place both my hands on my face because I don't know what to say and then he looks down and opens the box and there's a ring. He picks the ring up in his fingers and holds it up to me.

Choking through his words Maddox says, ”The ring is simple with a diamond and a plain gold band but it symbolizes our time together. We have been on a roller coaster ride this entire year and I think we deserve some simplicity. That's what this ring is because asking you to marry me is the simplest thing ever.

I had an idea forever ago for you to move in with me and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I thought I knew all there was to know about life and then you ran into mine. The second I saw you I knew one day you were going to be Mrs. Mitch.e.l.l. Before I had time to think or breathe all of the pieces were falling together and now we're here. And as simple as taking my next breath I can say that I want you forever. So Isabelle Katherine Clark...Will you marry me?”

The only thing I can do is smile and cry because I can't believe where my life is. And I can only imagine where it's going to go. I start thinking about it and what I'm certain of is that Maddox is in it. I look into his eyes for just a couple of seconds, probably the longest of his life, and then I smile. I place my hands on his cheeks and with so much certainty I whisper, ”Yes.”

Chapter 21.

Maddox It's been two years since I ran into this beautiful girl who would change my entire life. I still can't believe that she took a chance on a guy like me. She literally saved me from myself. We have been through a lot.

Some good.

Some bad.

Some incredibly amazing.

Some horribly awful.

But I wouldn't change a d.a.m.n thing, because here we are today.

”Gabe. Are you positive that she hasn't changed her mind? You sure she hasn't run off with the pool boy or some s.h.i.+t like that? I mean really, you are one-hundred and ten percent positive she will walk out those doors over there?” I am pointing over at the hotel where we were all staying.

Gabe smiled and patted me on the back. ”Madd, calm down okay? That girl loves you, so don't worry about anything. Weddings never go exactly as planned. I mean, come on? You remember mine, don't you?” I smiled at the memory.

Sarah and Gabe got married the summer after junior year in Sarah's backyard. Their wedding was just immediate friends and family and was really beautiful. I walked Sarah down the aisle since her dad died from cancer when she was younger. Sarah thought it would be a cute idea for Rufus to be the ring bearer, but that idea turned into a complete and utter disaster when the Pastor asked for the rings and I saw that Rufus had eaten Gabe's ring. I thought Sarah was going to cry but she just started laughing and looked up at the sky. ”Oh no you don't! I am marrying this s.e.xy, gorgeous man whether you like it or not! Ring or not he is mine!” A couple days after the wedding I finally got the ring back for Gabe and Sarah.

I knew without a doubt in my mind that Gabe would be my best man and Isabelle chose Patrick to be her ”man of honor.” We decided to keep our wedding intimate so just our small group of friends and my family were there. It seemed like everything worked out just the way it was supposed to.

I tried to convince Isabelle to call her mom, but she never did. I didn't really push her too much on the matter because I couldn't believe that somebody would beat down my beautiful sweetheart. It broke my heart that her own mother didn't see the beautiful girl who everybody else got to know. The girl who I fell in love with and who I was marrying today.

After I proposed to Isabelle on the beach her mind was set that she wanted to get married on the beach. She thought it would be a cool idea that we get married at sunrise because I proposed at sunset. She used to hate the beach even though she had never been to it, but I changed her mind on that one after the proposal.

The icing on the cake was that after she whispered, ”Yes,” we made love on the beach and again in the ocean. I smiled just at the thought and all of the memories we had made and how many more we were going to create together.

But back to reality, I literally started to freak the f.u.c.k out. I felt like I was sweating bullets. I was wearing a pair of tan khaki pants and a white b.u.t.ton down s.h.i.+rt with a few b.u.t.tons unb.u.t.toned at the top and was barefoot. We wanted to keep our wedding casual and fun. The only thing that really mattered to Isabelle and me was that in the end we would be married.

You get married because you are in love. That's what matters the most. That's what is important, not all the hoopla and crazy stuff. I told Isabelle that I would be glad just getting married at the courthouse because I couldn't wait to marry the girl and finally make her mine. But she told me that our friends and my family had to be there. So while we were going through our senior year of college we were also planning a wedding. Jokingly, I would complain all the time but Isabelle's only response were words that I had used to her earlier in our relations.h.i.+p. Patience is a virtue.

G.o.dd.a.m.n, what is taking so long? It feels like an hour has gone by. What if she changed her mind? What if she realized there was somebody else out there that was ten times, ten million times better for her than me?

I started psyching myself out but then the music started and everybody stood up. My heart literally skipped a beat I was so nervous. And then I looked up and the view took my breath away. In that instant everything changed. Isabelle was standing at the end of the beach looking like an angel. A beautiful angel. My angel.

Her hair had grown a few inches and it was in waves running down her back. Her dress was strapless, flowing in the wind and she was barefoot. I couldn't wait to get my sweetheart barefoot and pregnant. She was carrying a bouquet of Ambrosia and when I looked up into her eyes she smiled and winked at me.

d.a.m.n, what I wouldn't do for that girl. My girl. I really would do anything. There are people who say things, but they don't actually mean them. Actions are what really matter. Words are amazing, but actions...they're beautiful.

My heart is beating out of my chest and she is only a quarter of the way down the makes.h.i.+ft aisle which was scattered with white rose petals. It looked like she was walking a bit faster than normal. I was starting to wonder if she had a change of heart, but then she broke out in a run towards me, to me. I couldn't take it anymore and ran to meet her halfway. When I finally reached her I picked her up and spun her around but before I could put her back in the sand I kissed her on those beautiful lips of hers. She dropped the bouquet in the sand, wrapped her arms around my neck, and began to play with the ends of my hair. I was so caught up in Isabelle's kiss that I almost missed the laughter and cheers coming from all around us.

After setting her down we both looked around and started to laugh. I finally looked back at Isabelle and there was a blush on her beautiful face. ”You ready sweetheart?”

She started to giggle and then said, ”More than you know.”

I took her hand in mine and we gladly walked back up to the preacher together. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gabe smiling and then I looked across from him and saw tears coming down Sarah's face. She was always a hopeless romantic. Still is.

After I kissed my sweetheart on the cheek and winked at her, I looked towards the preacher and nodded for him to begin.

The preacher looked between us and then looked out at our family and friends. ”Well that was some introduction everybody!”

All I could hear was cheering and laughter but it played in the background because I was so focused on the beautiful girl staring back at me.

”You know I have done a lot of weddings in my life time, but it is a rare treasure to see two people who are completely in love with one another and I am deeply honored to bring those two together in marriage today. Now I heard that you both have written your own vows. So Maddox how about you get started on that. Whenever you are ready.”

The preacher handed me the microphone and I could feel my hands shaking. I had written a beautiful love letter to Isabelle. I always liked to be prepared, but the words I wrote didn't even come close to how I felt about this amazing girl. After looking at her I realized that it just had to come from the heart, in the moment.

When I looked down into her big brown beautiful eyes I couldn't help but tear up. I don't think for the life of me I'll ever get over Isabelle choosing me. Wanting me. So, I took a few breaths and shrugged my shoulders to try and calm myself, but it was no use.