THREE MONTHS LATER - December

“I guess Christmas dreams do come true,” Reba, Ava’s mother said, as she repositioned the tiara made of diamonds and lace onto Ava’s head.

She smiled at her mother’s reflection in the mirror.

“I never could understand how you held on so strong to your love for him. Never really giving any of your dates a true chance because they didn’t measure up. But it all worked out,” Roxanne marveled. “And you’re so stunning!” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Reba turned to Roxanne for a moment. “Sweetheart, you’re going to mess your makeup,” she said, clucking her tongue.

Roxanne smiled sweetly at her mother-in-law before turning back to Ava. “And just to think, this all started as a fake engagement.”

“Now there’s a story for the tabloids,” Reba chuckled.

“You two are going to be America’s next favorite couple, alongside Misty and Nick,” Roxanne stated. “Speaking of which, I’m glad they worked things out. From what Brendan tells us, they have been so happy recently.”

Ava smiled nervously and noticed that her mother had seen her fidgeting. “Are you worried about the TV cameras out there, sweetheart? Because if you are, don’t be. The cameras and Brendan’s fans are going to love you. You are an exceptionally beautiful couple. Friends turned lovers. How can you get more romantic than that?”

“Mom, I don’t care if they love us or not. I just can’t wait to become Mrs. Brendan Powers. I’ve dreamed about this almost an entire lifetime.”

“And at last, you finally have your dream coming true,” Roxanne agreed.

A knock at the door cut off the idle chatter, causing Ava to fidget in her satin-covered chair, nervous once again.

“Come in,” Reba called.

Her father, Paul, pushed the door open. “We’re ready for you, baby girl,” he said, stepping inside.

She walked into her father’s embrace and welcomed the tight hug he gave her.

“I love you so much, and I could not be any prouder of you than I am today. Brendan is getting an amazing gift in you, sweetheart. One that I hope he never takes for granted. And you are getting a wonderful thing in him, too.”

“I know, Daddy. Thank you for being a part of this special day for me,” she said, fighting back the tears.

Looking up into her father’s eyes, she noticed that his eyes were watering, as well. “There’s no place I’d rather be, baby girl.”

“All right, you two softies. Let’s get this show on the road before we all become a bucket of tears,” Reba teased, bustling them towards the door.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden was a splendid garden, filled with an impressive display of floral creations. But their wedding planner had transformed it into a breathtaking winter paradise. The evening was filled with the soft strains of violinists and a pianist playing Etta James’s At Last in the well-lit garden. Every chair at the end of the aisle, was decorated with a poinsettia.

Ava slowly made her way through the miniature trees trimmed in tiny, white lights sparkling in the beautiful glow of the evening. A trail of poinsettia leaves and petals littered the path before her. She listened to the hushed murmurs all around her, but she allowed nothing to deter her focus. Her gaze was drawn to the sight before her.

Brendan stood underneath an arch constructed from rough hewn wood, with boughs of pine and sprigs of holly interlaced between them. White roses and glistening pinecones were tucked in alternating intervals throughout the bough. Two large white ribbons were tied off on the top of the arch at either end.

Roxanne and Keith, a part of the intimate wedding party, both smiled at her with love and pride in their hearts as she made her way towards where they stood. She smiled back graciously at them.

While everyone was fascinated with the décor and her beautiful white gown, she only cared about the man who waited for her at the end of the aisle. Brendan looked amazing in his white suit with a red rose as his boutonniere. The smile on his face was contagious, causing her eyes to water, and her lips to turn up into a gleeful smile of her own.

This man, who loved her so openly, was about to become her husband. He was responsible for making all her dreams come true. She giggled as she heard him stage whisper, “Come on, woman,” and then again as his brother, Drew standing beside him whispered loudly, “Cool it, dude.”

When she finally reached him, she looked up into the eyes of her father whose startling green ones reflected her own. In his eyes, she saw tears and unconditional love mirrored, as he prepared to give his baby away to the only man he said he could ever trust her with.

“I will always love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

Her father leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I will love you forever, sweetheart, and your mother and I know Brendan’s going to take great care of you,” he said, winking at Brendan as he released her arm for Brendan to take.

She watched as her father and future husband shook hands, smiling warmly at one another. There was no greater Christmas gift she could ask for than this.

With cameras whirring all around, and the soft giggles and oohs and ahs of a few of her students that were able to attend, Ava felt like a princess in a fairytale.

Her wedding gown was a Vera Wang original covered in hand-placed pearls. Her fitted bodice plunged into a V-neck, giving her a sensual but subtle look of sexiness. The lacy concoction clung to her slim figure, venturing out slightly just below mid-thigh into a frothy pool of silk and tulle swirling around her feet. The spaghetti straps of the dress crisscrossed in the back spanning into a multitude of ties. A silk wrap was the only covering she needed for the mild December day.

When Brendan took her hands into his, she saw a thousand memories they created over the decades flash before her. Together they turned to their minister to exchange the vows that would unite them as one.

Looking out at the assortment of family and friends gathered to share their special day, Brendan was overjoyed. He could picture no more perfect day than this. When they had set the date, it had all circulated around the fact his parents would be in town for Christmas.

Looking over at his mother, he watched her smile adoringly at him as she blew kisses his way, and his father, who Brendan very much resembled, looked at him with pride. His parents sat next to his grandparents who seemed to be reliving the moment they shared their own vows, he felt a rush for the four people who had taught him about sacrificial love.

With Rick and his bandmates in attendance, along with Misty and Nick, Brendan knew he was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who truly loved and cared about him. He was thankful for the friendships he had forged over the years in and out of the music industry.

The cameras were all there for show, and he could care less if they had attended or not. Ava had agreed to Erin’s idea, thinking it was a perfect way to bring a conclusion to the rumor that they weren’t truly a couple and finalize the “Clear Brendan Powers’ Name Campaign.” So, as he would with everything she had ever asked of him, Brendan went along with it.

But of all those in attendance today, Brendan’s heart flooded the most at the sight of the woman standing before him. Gone was the young girl and geeky teen he had known. She had blossomed into a vision of beauty, love, and warmth right before his eyes. No song he could ever write, or no song that could ever be sung would be enough to capture how he felt for her.

Ava was his friend, his confidante, his security, and now she was his home. A home where his heart could find love, peace, and nurturing. His heart could finally find the rest it had been seeking for decades, that he had not known he was missing.

Placing the ring on her finger, he gazed deeply into her eyes. Her heart was pulling him forward. He wanted to taste those soft lips one more time, delight in the beauty of her heart, and truly make her his own. But he knew that would all come in time. He was amazed to know a love so deep, and that there was a love out there waiting for him that he had not known he needed. And for that love, he was willing to create a new song with this woman just to call her his own.

The first dance was given to Paul. Brendan waited patiently at his table, as his father-in-law took his wife for a whirl around the dance floor. He smiled, thinking about that word. Wife.

“Mom, would you do me the honor of having this dance?” he asked, leaning in to his mother, who was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

“Of course, I will, Bren.” He held his hand out, grabbing her hand and leading her onto the dance floor.

Maureen Powers was five-ten without heels, but tonight with her heels on, she was at eye level with her son. “I’m so proud of you and honored.”

“Honored?”

“Yes, the woman you chose to become your wife is a woman who’s selfless, dedicating her time and talent to the shaping of young minds. And I’m honored because her chosen career is that of a teacher.”

He smiled. “Yeah, well, they always say that a man finds a woman who is like his mother. And she is like you in many ways, Mom.”

Her eyes twinkled in the night. “We were surprised to get that call. But I couldn’t tell you how thankful and humbled we were that you chose to marry her when we could be here.”

“I didn’t have a choice; I wanted you all here. That was important to me.”

“Yes, but I know it put a lot of pressure on you to have it in such a short amount of time. Brendan, I want to share something with you.”

“What’s that, Mom?”

“Your father’s and my decision to become missionaries was not one that we made easily. And in the beginning we took you and Drew with us, but we struggled. We saw suffering and inhumane treatment around the world, and we knew we could make a difference. But we didn’t want you boys to partake of any unnecessary suffering, so we chose instead to send you back home with your grandparents.”

“I never held that against you, Mom.”

“I know that, son. But it was not an easy decision for us to send you home, and to stay away. Every time we had to leave you, I cried the entire flight to wherever our journeys led us. Well, your father and I have had a lot of time to talk and discuss things, and we’re going to retire.”

“What does that mean?” Brendan asked, slowing down his dance steps.

“It means that we’re moving back home. We’ll finish the last tour over the next three months, and then we’re returning home. We haven’t had much time to be a part of your later growing years, but we want to be a part of the new family you boys will be building.”

“I’d love nothing more than that, Mom,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

The song ended, and he returned his mother to his father. Mitchell Powers was a tall, lean man with kind, gentle eyes.

“I’m assuming by that look in your eyes that your mother told you the news?” His father was an intelligent, kind, and soft-spoken man, despite his towering height of six-foot-four.

“Yes, she did, Dad, and I couldn’t be happier.” He pulled his father into a hug, and he fought to hold his own emotions back. He had missed his parents so much, and it felt good to have them here now, at the most important moments of his life. Squeezing his eyes tight, he had to block out the tears as he thought back to the countless letters his parents had written while overseas in their painstaking handwriting after having served long days in the field. Letters that they would mail to him and his brother, and they both would store away to pull out when they were missing them or having a rough patch in life. Those letters he still held on to until this day, and he knew Drew did the same.

A throat clearing behind him, caused him to pull back from his father. Turning around, he smiled at his wife, who stood holding hands with his mother.

“I hear that the next dance has been reserved for me and some special gentleman tonight. And I choose you,” Ava said, playfully tapping him on the chest.

Grinning at his parents, he bashfully grabbed Ava’s hand.

“Son, it sounds like duty calls,” Mitchell said, squeezing Brendan’s shoulder.

Brendan walked with Ava to the dance floor as the DJ called their names, “Guests, it is my pleasure to present to some of you for the first time and re-present to others, Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Powers!”

A thunderous applause erupted in the vast ballroom as Max Load took the stage in their suits, each of them holding a glass that they would soon set to the side.

The soft melody of the tune they created and the lyrics poured through the room, enveloping everyone into the air of romance. Brendan had to admit, Kevin’s deep baritone sounded perfect for the song he had written.

Casting his eyes back to his wife, he inhaled the sweet scent of Ava’s perfume. It smelled like a touch of Heaven to him. She had changed from her wedding gown into a silk two-piece that fit her body perfectly. The long skirt sported a slit up the back to her mid-thigh. The halter top she wore displayed a sweetheart neckline that beaded in hand-placed pearls like her wedding gown.

His heart still swelled at the thought of the number of people who had chosen to spend their Christmas with him and Ava. As the two of them danced around the floor without saying a word, his eyes drifted from the number of guests in attendance down to his lovely bride. They would be flying out to Bora Bora in the morning for their two-week honeymoon. But tonight, they planned to stay at The Avalon, an exclusive hotel located in Buckhead.

Brendan smiled down at Ava as he held her close in his arms while they made their way from one end of the ballroom to the other. He was thinking about all that their future held and looking forward to many years with this woman. Max Load was doing an amazing job with the piece he had written, and he was thankful they had agreed to step in for this one song only, before the DJ took over once more.

My Home was a song Brendan was inspired to write about the love he had for Ava, and after he wrote it, he realized that he had written it specifically for this night. He hadn’t shared this song with anyone until the week before when he spoke with his band members and they agreed to do it. They had spent hours in rehearsal each day until they all felt they had gotten their performance to where they wanted it to be. And what a performance it was.

“I’ve never heard this song on any of your albums. Is this going to be on the new album?” she asked, gazing softly into his eyes.

A cocky grin lifted the corners of his lips. “I don’t know right now. That wasn’t my plan when I wrote it.”

“Well, what was it?”

“I wrote it for you. For this night,” he whispered, beginning to sing the lyrics into her ear.

She gasped softly. Then, “Brendan?”

He lowered his head to kiss her, loving the taste of that strawberry lip gloss she so favored and the faint hint of cotton candy on her breath. When they ended the kiss, she rested her head on his chest. Not long after, he felt his shirt grow wet underneath him and knew he had provoked her to tears.

“You have given me so many gifts, Bren. I don’t think I deserve the goodness you share with me.”

“Why not? I treasure you, Ava. You’re so perfect in so many ways, and I didn’t realize until I had to return to New York that my life was not complete without you. I took a pledge to you today to bring happiness into your life, and that I would spend the rest of my life cherishing everything about you. You’re my heart, my love, and my soulmate. There’s nothing that’s too good for you.”

She held her head up, leaning back slightly to catch his eye. “See, you say the sweetest things,” she said, growing emotional again.

Brendan chuckled and dipped his head down to kiss her. “I love you, sweet Ava. I love you forever.”