“What time is your mother landing tomorrow?” Marcus asks.

“At around 12 noon,” I reply. Waiting to see if he offers to go and pick her up from Heathrow or if he is just going to send a car for her.

“I will have Carlton drive us down to greet her,” Marcus says, restoring my faith in him that he will make the effort with my mother.

“That would be perfect. Thank you for coming with me to pick her up and welcome her to London,” I say, walking over to him and giving him a kiss.

“I want your mother to like me and see how much I love her daughter,” Marcus says and my heart melts from his words.

“When she gets to know you, she will see why I’am so crazy about you,” I say encouragingly, but I’m really not sure she will ever get over losing John. Pathetic isn’t it. Like I said, I think John reminded her of my Dad.

Chapter 17

Marcus

There’s an awkward silence in the town car as we head back to our flat after picking up Sophie’s mother. She’s a cold and reserved woman. When I think back to how Sophie was in the beginning, I can see where she got her cold and reserved attitude from, Mrs. Shawn is not giving me an inch. Try as hard as I may to charm her.

Once we get to our posh flat, she doesn’t make a single comment, like, You have a beautiful home. And you know me; we have a very posh flat that Sophie has made to look like something out of Architectural Digest.

“Mom, this will be your room,” I overhear Sophie say, as she walks her mom to the spare bedroom. I carry her suitcases into the room and place them down under the window.

“I hope you will be comfortable here Mrs. Shawn,” I say.

“Yes, Marcus, this should be fine,” she says, actually calling me by my name.

Sophie and I leave her to freshen up.

“She will just have to get used to you, Marcus,” Sophie says to me once we are in the kitchen. She’s already making excuses for her mother’s cool behavior.

“I will deal with it, don’t worry about me,” I say, trying to reassure her. I wrap my arms around her and she rests her head on my chest. Sophie doesn’t need any more stress this close to the wedding and her mother being here is definitely adding unnecessary tension around here.

“Are you hungry, Mom?” Sophie says, pulling away from our embrace to go to the refrigerator to get her mother something to eat and drink.

“Yes, and very thirsty. Those long flights are so dehydrating. Some water would be nice,” Mrs. Shawn says, as she takes a seat at our kitchen table.

“I am going to head back into the office for a few hours this afternoon, will you be alright?” I ask Sophie.

“Oh yes, that’s fine. We’ll see you at dinner then,” Sophie says.

“Thank you for picking me up from the airport,” Mrs. Shawn says to me directly.

“Of course, it was my pleasure,” I reply and give Sophie a kiss before I have Carlton take me back to the office.

Chapter 18

Sophie

“Pretty fancy, Marcus has a car and driver?” Mom says, with disapproval in her voice.

“You almost have to have one in London, the traffic and congestion is worse here than in LA,” I reply.

“You are caught up in this lifestyle,” Mom says, with a wave of her hand as she looks at her surroundings.

“Mom, I love Marcus for who he is inside. None of the trappings matter to me and you know it,” I say, but my voice goes up a notch.

My mom is silent, drinking her water and eating the cheese and crackers I put out for her.

“Mom, please try and be happy for me. The more time you spend with Marcus, you will see what a wonderful man he is and that he treats me well. We love each other.”

My words are met with silence.

“So do you have your dress and is everything ready and planned just how you wanted it?”

“Yes, the dress is in that huge bag you have hanging in the closet of your room.”

“Marcus hasn’t seen it has he? It’s bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding.”

“Mom, that’s an old wives tale, but no, he has not seen the dress.”

“Apparently you don’t heed tradition, since you’ve been living with him before you’re married.”

“Mom, please don’t lecture me. At least I waited until we were engaged to live with him here in London.”

“I’m exhausted, I’m going to take a nap before dinner. Is that alright?” Mom asks.

“Yes, Mom, please go and get some rest,” I reply, maybe then she won’t be so grouchy once she gets some sleep.

This is going to be a long week leading up to the wedding, as if I need any more stress.

Chapter 19

Sophie

The day has arrived when I will be taking my wedding vows to become Mrs. Marcus Hunter. I still can’t really believe it all. It has been a long, tumultuous road to get here, but it has been worth it. This afternoon I will be marrying the love of my life.

We got lucky with the weather. It’s perfect this afternoon. The wedding ceremony is set up on the lawn overlooking the River Thames.

I hear the quartet playing the wedding song as Christopher and I reach the beginning of our walk down the aisle.

Since my Dad couldn’t be here today, I asked Christopher to give me away. I don’t have any Uncle’s and I thought since he has been with Marcus and I since day one, he would be a good choice.

All eyes are on me and everyone stands, as I gaze down at the end of the aisle I see Marcus with his gorgeous smile lighting up his handsome face. He looks nervous, but happy and ready to say I do.

To say marrying Marcus is a dream come true sounds so cliché. I never imagined I could find such happiness in love. Remember, I was the one that felt love was an over rated emotion, one I thought I wasn’t capable of. But I know now, I feel it for Marcus ten times over. And I feel it from him. A wise old woman once told me, if your heart skips a beat when he walks into the room, you are in love. My heart definitely flutters when my man is near. I have found my soul mate, the love of my life.

To think back to how this all started, as a flash in the pan, a roll between the sheets. In the beginning, I had absolutely now faith in this man or in us as any kind of real couple. I scoffed at the idea. But he proved me wrong and I for one am truly glad he did. It’s been a long road, but it was worth every step to get here.

“Do you Sophie, take Marcus, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I most definitely do,” I reply, without hesitation, without a single doubt in my crazy mixed up mind. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life, and that’s saying a lot.

When I look deep into Marcus’s eyes, I see the same love staring back at me, mirroring my eyes. My eyes are starting to well up with tears of happiness. Sappy tears of joy I didn’t know I had in me.

“Do you Marcus, take Sophie to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” he says, in his usual sexy bedroom voice for the entire world to hear.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Marcus lifts my veil covering my face and I’m beaming at him.

“I love you,” he whispers for my ears only. And kiss me he does, he leaves me dizzy and blushing!

We turn around and face our family and friends and they all cheer.

I look at my dear little mother and I catch her dabbing her eyes. When we reach her I stop in front of her and hug her tightly.

“I love you, Mom,” I whisper.

“I’m happy for you, honey,” she finally says. The words I have been waiting all week to hear from her.

I continue my walk down the aisle on the arm of my husband, my future, my life and I know all is right in our world.

~THE END~