Having Prudence Read online

  She laughed since it was far from the first time.

  “The first time I make love to my fiancée,” he finished. “And the next time, it will be to my wife.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she couldn’t stop them from spilling over. “How did I manage to get so lucky and have you fall in love with me?” she whispered.

  “I’m the lucky one,” he replied as he slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and as his lips took hers again she breathed easy for the first time in many weeks. She was getting married to the right man, the man she loved and nothing would stop that. No matter what happened this night he would protect her as his family would. And when the night was over and she was his wife, she would protect him just as fiercely when anything else came their way.

  “I love you,” he vowed and increased his pace moving faster.

  Both of her legs came up to wrap around his waist and his hand slipped around to cradle her ass. His finger slipped between the crease and found her anus. He pressed there just barely breaching the opening as his cock surged deeply inside her pussy.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Love you,” she cried as her orgasm exploded through her.

  His low groan joined her cry as she felt the heat of his release inside her.

  “In just a few short hours I’ll be making love to my wife,” he whispered as they both worked to slow their breathing. “My wife,” he said again and she could see the awe and joy on his face.

  “You have it wrong you know,” she whispered.

  “What do you mean?” he said and shook his head. “It’s too late to change your mind now. I’ve already compromised you.”

  She had to laugh and it was delicious as he was still inside her. “I love you and I can’t wait to be your wife,” she promised.

  “Then what could I possibly have wrong?” he queried.

  “I’m the lucky one,” she whispered and kissed him softly on the lips.

  “We both are,” he whispered back. “We both are.”

  Chapter Four

  She wasn’t sure what if anything happened during the night, but she awoke alone in the bed she had fallen asleep in. It still held the scent of her man and the love they had shared. She remembered when he had slipped away and how she had automatically reached for him. But he had to go and they both knew it. If someone had shown up here to look for her then he would have to be accounted for.

  She smiled and stretched and reached for the covers as the door opened up. It was Mrs Wharfton and she was carrying a beautiful dress draped over her arms along with a bag.

  “Good morning,” Paula said as she crossed to the bed. “My nephew is here and it is time to get married.” Johnny’s mom was positively beaming and Pru thought again just how lucky she was. She was getting to marry the man she loved and was getting a new family in the process. Another chance at having a mom. It brought tears to her eyes.

  “Now none of that,” Paula said. “We have just enough time to get you dressed and ready. Johnny is already pacing holes in the floor up there.” Paula shook her head as she laid the dress on the bed and opened the bag to start pulling stuff out. Stockings, shoes, some jewellery cases and more stuff was pulled out.

  “Don’t just sit there,” Paula demanded. “Don’t think I haven’t seen a naked woman before.” Pru blushed scarlet and Paula just laughed. “I’m a woman too, girl, though I’m not sure I ever looked quite as good as you. I think this will fit just fine though.”

  Pru gasped as Paula held up a white lace camisole. It was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. There were a pair of boy cut white lace panties to match. She lost all embarrassment as she rose to finger the delicate lace before slipping them on. There was some lacing in the bag of the camisole and she sighed as Paula pulled it tight and tied it off. She sat down on the bed to pull the stockings up and loved the fact that the sheer white was topped on each thigh with a ring of elastic lace to keep them up.

  “That boy is going to swallow his tongue when he gets you out of your wedding dress,” Paula said and Pru had to laugh. It was going to take some getting use to where Paula was concerned but she was really looking forward to it.

  “Now I know this dress may not be what you wanted but I’m hoping it will do for now,” Paula said as Pru stood back up and Paula slid the dress over her head. It was simply gorgeous as far as Pru was concerned. It reminded her of a long sleek old Hollywood style dress that perhaps Betty Davis would have worn. It reached the top of her ankles in front with a little bit of a train in the back. It was sleeveless now though she didn’t think it had always been that way. There was very little decoration to the dress but honestly it didn’t need it. It was classic and beautiful by design. And it fit her perfectly.

  “I love it,” Pru breathed as she looked down at herself. “How did you find such a perfect dress?”

  She looked up and for the first time saw tears in Paula’s eyes and somehow she just knew where the dress had come from. “This was yours?” But Paula surprised her.

  “No,” Paula shook her head and smiled as tears spilled from her eyes. “It was your mother’s.”

  Pru gasped and her hands fell to her sides as she slowly stroked the fabric. Her mother’s wedding dress. She seemed to recall a picture but it had been so long ago that she had come across it that it just hadn’t connected in her mind. “My mother’s dress,” she whispered and her eyes flooded again.

  “Someone thought that you might want to wear it when you married the man you love,” Paula said.

  “Daddy brought this,” Pru said and shook her head.

  “Well, now as far as anyone knows your daddy left last night hot on your trail to one of your sisters’ houses. He didn’t know when he would be back. He asked if we would keep an eye on Destiny while he was gone.”

  “My sister is here?” Pru asked.

  “Upstairs waiting to be your maid of honour,” Paula promised.

  “I…” Pru began but her voice seemed to strangle in her throat. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions that she didn’t know what to say.

  “Just be happy,” Paula whispered as she hugged Pru tight. “The best thanks you can give to anyone is to be happy with your life. It is all a parent could ask for.”

  “I wish he was here,” Pru breathed and Paula nodded her head.

  “That is a start then isn’t it. Some day the time will come for all of you to sit down together and wade through the truth and the lies of what really happened. To your momma, your daddy and why things fell the way they did. Things aren’t always the way they seem and sometimes it is far easier to play the role of the bad guy.” Paula knelt down and helped Pru step into a pair of white heels. “But those are all for another day. Today is about you and that rascally son of mine getting married.” She stood up and laughed. “And about me finally getting the daughters I’ve always wanted.”

  “I’m only one person,” Pru said with a watery laugh.

  “Oh, honey,” Paula said as she moved around to brush Pru’s hair. “When you marry into this family, we take all of you. So that means your sisters are family now too. They will always be welcome in this home, your home.”

  Pru felt the tears fill her eyes again and bit her lip to keep them in. In just a few minutes she would be Mrs. Wharfton too. Today was the most wonderful day of her life. Today was the beginning of forever.

  She took a deep breath as Paula slipped a veil into her hair and walked around to tug it so that it covered her face to the chin. Paula smiled and walked over to the shelf and touching something the door slid open again. Destiny stood there dressed in a beautiful green dress holding two bouquets of flowers.

  Her sister slipped in the room and into her arms squeezing her close.

  “You look so beautiful, Pru,” Destiny whispered.

  “So do you,” Pru whispered back. And her sister did. As a teenager Destiny was becoming even more beautiful than their older sister Charity. And finally one of them had the height. Already Destiny
stood five feet eight inches. Her blonde curls hung to her waist and her big green eyes were ringed with a dark blue.

  “I love you,” Prudence told her sister.

  “I know,” Destiny smiled. “I love you too. Now take your flowers.” Destiny handed her a bouquet of wildflowers. “I made it myself. They reminded me of you.”

  That was her sister. Destiny loved flowers even the ones some people saw as weeds. Destiny always found something good about things, and people too.

  “It’s time to get you married,” Destiny smiled.

  “When it is your time we’ll see if we can alter this dress for you,” Prudence promised.

  But Destiny just shook her head. “No, that dress was meant for you. There will be one meant for me as well.”

  Prudence gripped her sister’s hand with her free one. “I will do everything that I can to make sure you don’t have to marry him. I swear to you that I won’t let you down.”

  Destiny smiled and squeezed back. “Life has a way of turning out the way it should despite, or sometimes in spite of, what we and others think is best. I’ll be fine.”

  “Yes, you will,” Prudence agreed. No matter what came her way Destiny would take it and somehow make it into something beautiful.

  “Now, let’s get up there and get you married off,” Destiny laughed and together they moved towards the stairs.

  Prudence took a deep breath. Everything she wanted, had always dreamed of, lay just at the top of those stairs. The man, the family, the love. She was indeed the luckiest woman in the world.

  Another woman stood and watched as the vows were exchanged. She remembered the dress and how it had served the same purpose for her. It was wonderful to see it grace one of her daughters on her special day as well. So many things she had missed out on in their lives. So many plans that she had made when each of them was born that she had never been able to fulfil.

  She had named them all so well. They were the best of her. Her Faith. Her Hope. Her Charity. Her Prudence. And her Destiny. Through them she would live and experience many things. Or so she had dreamed. But life happens and the unexpected has a way of taking such plans and laughing at them.

  Fate built and destroyed with no remorse. She had been given the man of her dreams, the love of her life and together they had been blessed with five wonderful children before she was taken from them all. She could no longer walk among them but had been able to remain to watch over them. It was a gift she had grabbed on to.

  It had been hard to watch the man she loved so much fall apart. She wondered if she would have done the same if he had been the one to go first. But she had been the one to go. He had grieved and died a little with her. And he had forgotten about their blessings. He had fallen and fallen and she had been unable to reach him. She had cried with him as he mourned her and called her name even in his sleep.

  And she had felt a burning rage as she watched a man they trusted take advantage of her husband and get him to agree to something that he didn’t understand at the time. And she had watched as her husband finally woke up and realised just what he had done, the fate he had played a part in for their daughters. And she had silently cheered as he began to try and make things right, one daughter at a time.

  She had watched them grow, watched them mature, and watched him struggle to do right by them. It wasn’t too late, not for any of them. One day she hoped to see them all gathered again, as a family. She longed to hear her girls forgive their father so that he could finally find peace here on earth without her. How appropriately she had named them all. Each had grown more beautiful than she could have imagined, on the inside where it counts though outside they were nothing to sneer at either.

  And as she watched Prudence exchange the vows of a lifetime with her soon to be husband, it was Destiny that kept pulling her eyes. Yes, she had named her daughters well. For it would be Destiny that would pull them all together. Destiny who would fulfil what none of the others had and bring to light the true purpose of a man harshly judged.

  She smiled brightly as they were pronounced man and wife, just briefly remembering when she had done the same. Then with a sigh she turned and slipped out of the house, something far easier when you were a ghost. It was time to find the man she loved as much in death as she ever had in life. He would be already worrying about Destiny and how to free her from what he had started.

  Hers would be the hardest for him. For it wouldn’t be him that saved her. No, her Destiny would be the one to save him. To save them all.

  About the Author

  Lacey Thorn spends her days in small town Indiana the proud mother of three. When she is not busy with one of them she can be found typing away on her computer keyboard or burying her nose in a good book. Like every woman she knows just how chaotic life can be and how appealing that great escape can look.

  So toss aside the stress and tension of the never ending to do list. For now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride with Lacey. It’s your world…unlaced.

  Email: [email protected]

  Lacey loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

  Also by Lacey Thorn

  The Debtor’s Daughters: Faithful Beginnings

  The Debtor’s Daughters: Claiming charity

  Lottery Brides: Saving Sarah

  Lottery Brides: Discovering Daisy

  Legend Anthology: The Debtor’s Daughters: Gaining Hope

  Brit Party: Maggie’s ménage

  Finding Home

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