Title: The Holloways: A Made for Love Novella
Series: Made for Love #3.5
Author: R.C. Martin
Genre: Contemporary/New Adult Romance
Release Date: March 4, 2016
Life after ‘I do’…
It’s never what you expect. For Roman and Logan Holloway, it’s better. For years, they couldn’t stand each other. Now, they can’t get enough of one another. Falling in love might have been reckless, but there’s no turning back for them now.
Yet, every marriage has its bumps…
It doesn’t take them long to discover that who they are as Mr. and Mrs. isn’t who they used to be. On their best days, who they’ve become is every version of wonderful. But when the past shows up, threatening their newlywed bliss, their love is put to the test.
Now they must choose to fight or to surrender.
[Written as a novella companion to Reckless Surrender. Intended for audiences 18+ years of age.]
Roman
“Say it again,” she murmurs as her fingertips play with the hair at the nape of my neck.
I pull her closer, knowing exactly what she wants without further prompting. I smile at her and she returns the expression, both of us still swaying back and forth to the music. I can’t be sure if our feet move in time with the beat, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all.
“Logan Elise Schwartz—just like the sky we’ll dance under tonight, filled with the countless stars that God knows by name, my love for you is limitless; bound neither by time nor space. You, babe, are my everything, and I will treasure you until my last breath. In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, I will cherish the gift that God gave me in the beautiful woman that you are. Your generosity astounds me; your tenderness comforts me; your creativity intrigues me; and your love completes me. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life as your husband. I promise to stand by you, to encourage you, to support you, to take care of you, to honor and respect you. Most of all, I promise to never take back what you stole—my heart is yours, Logan. Forever.”
It’s the third time she’s asked me to repeat my vows this evening, and yet my words still manage to bring tears to her eyes. When one escapes, racing down her cheek, I reach up and wipe it away with the pad of my thumb before I gently grip both sides of her face and lean down to kiss her. She parts her lips immediately, pushing herself up on her tiptoes. I slip one hand around the back of her neck, dropping the other to the small of her back as I accept her invitation, my tongue sweeping through her deliciously hot mouth. She tastes like wine and cake, which is about all either of us have had all night.
When our guests begin to cheer and whistle in response to our open affection, I start to pull away. Logan groans in disapproval, her grip around my neck tightening as she tugs my lip between her teeth in a desperate attempt to keep me close.
I chuckle, pressing my lips to hers once more. “Babe,” I manage between kisses. “Have you forgotten that we have an audience?”
“I don’t think I can wait anymore,” she whispers, her green eyes opening in search of mine. The lust I see in her gaze makes my dick jerk. “I want you so badly, I can hardly breathe. Ever since the pastor said, you may kiss the bride, I’ve wanted you to myself. All these damn people—what was I thinking inviting so many?”
“I think that was more our parents’ fault than yours, babe,” I reply, grazing my nose along hers.
“Then let them entertain them for the rest of the night. Can we go? Please, can we just go?”
My chest tightens with longing. It’s been a feeling I’ve been fighting all day. I’ve waited twenty-seven years for this. The last six months have been particularly difficult. No. Nearly impossible. My wife is a knockout—in sweatpants, with her hair pulled up into a ponytail, or all dressed up for a night out, it doesn’t matter. But today, in her white dress…
It’s strapless, the front cut to accentuate the shape of her breasts. The white material covers her chest and her stomach, but the sides and the back are just scraps of lace that I can see right through. If the bottom wasn’t so long and heavy, there’s no telling what I would have gotten away with today. Then again, we haven’t had a minute alone in hours—and even then, it was literally just a minute. There’s no question that my desire to bury myself into my woman matches her level of want. But I know my bride. I know we need just one more minute.
I kiss her lips and then look away from her, searching the crowd for my best man. When I spot Ashton, drinking a beer and laughing with Ryan and his fiancée, Trisha, I pause a second to see if he’ll look my way. It takes a couple seconds, but being the man of the evening comes with just as many perks as it does setbacks. He nods at me when he notices me staring and I gesture with my hand, signaling that it’s time for him to hand over the keys to our getaway car. He smirks and then nods before elbowing Ryan. They exchange a word and then begin gathering the rest of the wedding party.
When I look back down at my bride, I find that her eyes haven’t left my face. I smirk at her before pressing yet another kiss to her luscious lips. “I love you.”
“I love you more. I can prove it. Let’s go!”
“We will. Just—one second, okay? I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Just look around. Really look around. One last time, take it all in. You’ve worked so hard on this wedding. I want you to see the details before we say goodbye.”
The lust in her eyes fades away, and something far softer takes its place. She inhales deeply and exhales slowly before she rests her cheek on my chest and gazes to my right.
My girl is outrageous and insisted that it wasn’t going to rain on her wedding day. She told me that she and God worked it out; that the miracle of our relationship wouldn’t be complete without the miracle of an outdoor wedding, at the beginning of June, in Colorado, with no rain—or snow—in the forecast. She refused to rent a tent, adamant that we would dance under the stars. I kiss her forehead, not at all surprised that she got her wish. She usually does.
We’re boxed in by an incredible amount of lights strung up around the dinner tables and the dance floor. Shades of pink and white are everywhere. I can’t deny that it looks pretty damn impressive. Leave it to Logan to make hot pink anything look elegant and classy.
A smile pulls at my lips when she takes another deep breath and turns to rest her opposite cheek against my chest. I watch her as her eyes dance around our first slice of happily ever after. When she giggles, I turn my head in search of what she sees. I spot Daphne and Trevor in seconds. Our two-month-old niece and goddaughter, Caroline Aiden, is nestled into the crook of Trevor’s arm; his free hand is wrapped around my sister as they both dance with their little shared heart. Daphne tilts her head back and Trevor is quick to give her a kiss. They look so happy, which only makes this day even better. Their love brought me mine and I'll never forget it.
“Thank you,” Logan murmurs, giving me a squeeze. She looks up at me with a smile. “Thank you for making me do that.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply, resting my forehead against hers. “Ready to say goodbye?”
“Hell. Yes!”
“Say it again,” she murmurs as her fingertips play with the hair at the nape of my neck.
I pull her closer, knowing exactly what she wants without further prompting. I smile at her and she returns the expression, both of us still swaying back and forth to the music. I can’t be sure if our feet move in time with the beat, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all.
“Logan Elise Schwartz—just like the sky we’ll dance under tonight, filled with the countless stars that God knows by name, my love for you is limitless; bound neither by time nor space. You, babe, are my everything, and I will treasure you until my last breath. In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, I will cherish the gift that God gave me in the beautiful woman that you are. Your generosity astounds me; your tenderness comforts me; your creativity intrigues me; and your love completes me. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life as your husband. I promise to stand by you, to encourage you, to support you, to take care of you, to honor and respect you. Most of all, I promise to never take back what you stole—my heart is yours, Logan. Forever.”
It’s the third time she’s asked me to repeat my vows this evening, and yet my words still manage to bring tears to her eyes. When one escapes, racing down her cheek, I reach up and wipe it away with the pad of my thumb before I gently grip both sides of her face and lean down to kiss her. She parts her lips immediately, pushing herself up on her tiptoes. I slip one hand around the back of her neck, dropping the other to the small of her back as I accept her invitation, my tongue sweeping through her deliciously hot mouth. She tastes like wine and cake, which is about all either of us have had all night.
When our guests begin to cheer and whistle in response to our open affection, I start to pull away. Logan groans in disapproval, her grip around my neck tightening as she tugs my lip between her teeth in a desperate attempt to keep me close.
I chuckle, pressing my lips to hers once more. “Babe,” I manage between kisses. “Have you forgotten that we have an audience?”
“I don’t think I can wait anymore,” she whispers, her green eyes opening in search of mine. The lust I see in her gaze makes my dick jerk. “I want you so badly, I can hardly breathe. Ever since the pastor said, you may kiss the bride, I’ve wanted you to myself. All these damn people—what was I thinking inviting so many?”
“I think that was more our parents’ fault than yours, babe,” I reply, grazing my nose along hers.
“Then let them entertain them for the rest of the night. Can we go? Please, can we just go?”
My chest tightens with longing. It’s been a feeling I’ve been fighting all day. I’ve waited twenty-seven years for this. The last six months have been particularly difficult. No. Nearly impossible. My wife is a knockout—in sweatpants, with her hair pulled up into a ponytail, or all dressed up for a night out, it doesn’t matter. But today, in her white dress…
It’s strapless, the front cut to accentuate the shape of her breasts. The white material covers her chest and her stomach, but the sides and the back are just scraps of lace that I can see right through. If the bottom wasn’t so long and heavy, there’s no telling what I would have gotten away with today. Then again, we haven’t had a minute alone in hours—and even then, it was literally just a minute. There’s no question that my desire to bury myself into my woman matches her level of want. But I know my bride. I know we need just one more minute.
I kiss her lips and then look away from her, searching the crowd for my best man. When I spot Ashton, drinking a beer and laughing with Ryan and his fiancée, Trisha, I pause a second to see if he’ll look my way. It takes a couple seconds, but being the man of the evening comes with just as many perks as it does setbacks. He nods at me when he notices me staring and I gesture with my hand, signaling that it’s time for him to hand over the keys to our getaway car. He smirks and then nods before elbowing Ryan. They exchange a word and then begin gathering the rest of the wedding party.
When I look back down at my bride, I find that her eyes haven’t left my face. I smirk at her before pressing yet another kiss to her luscious lips. “I love you.”
“I love you more. I can prove it. Let’s go!”
“We will. Just—one second, okay? I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Just look around. Really look around. One last time, take it all in. You’ve worked so hard on this wedding. I want you to see the details before we say goodbye.”
The lust in her eyes fades away, and something far softer takes its place. She inhales deeply and exhales slowly before she rests her cheek on my chest and gazes to my right.
My girl is outrageous and insisted that it wasn’t going to rain on her wedding day. She told me that she and God worked it out; that the miracle of our relationship wouldn’t be complete without the miracle of an outdoor wedding, at the beginning of June, in Colorado, with no rain—or snow—in the forecast. She refused to rent a tent, adamant that we would dance under the stars. I kiss her forehead, not at all surprised that she got her wish. She usually does.
We’re boxed in by an incredible amount of lights strung up around the dinner tables and the dance floor. Shades of pink and white are everywhere. I can’t deny that it looks pretty damn impressive. Leave it to Logan to make hot pink anything look elegant and classy.
A smile pulls at my lips when she takes another deep breath and turns to rest her opposite cheek against my chest. I watch her as her eyes dance around our first slice of happily ever after. When she giggles, I turn my head in search of what she sees. I spot Daphne and Trevor in seconds. Our two-month-old niece and goddaughter, Caroline Aiden, is nestled into the crook of Trevor’s arm; his free hand is wrapped around my sister as they both dance with their little shared heart. Daphne tilts her head back and Trevor is quick to give her a kiss. They look so happy, which only makes this day even better. Their love brought me mine and I'll never forget it.
“Thank you,” Logan murmurs, giving me a squeeze. She looks up at me with a smile. “Thank you for making me do that.”
“You’re welcome,” I reply, resting my forehead against hers. “Ready to say goodbye?”
“Hell. Yes!”
I chuckle, bringing my mouth to hers before I take her hand. She laces her fingers with mine and we both tighten our grip, ready and anxious to finally be making our escape.
I'm a born and bred Coloradan. While I now reside in Virginia, the land of the Rocky Mountains is where I've left a piece of my heart and where my characters come to life. When I'm not writing I'm reading; when I'm not reading I'm writing...you know how it goes! I also enjoy cooking, baking, crocheting, and jigsaw puzzles. Basically, I'm an old soul with a young heart, nonchalantly waiting for my prince to come.
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