Wedding Morning

Watching Liana sleep, Ben reached out to softly stroke her dark hair. The night before their wedding. Or, actually, the morning before their wedding now, since the clock read a few minutes past one a.m.

They'd lain awake for a long time after making love and, finally, after their months together, Ben had told her about his mother. About her leaving him when he was a boy. He'd kept his voice neutral, even cold at times, because that's how he'd taught himself to think about the whole thing--how he'd dealt with the pain of it since he'd been a child.

Liana had cuddled close against his side as she did every night, not speaking as she let him talk in his own way, at his own pace. When he'd finished, he'd looked down at her in the soft light of the moon shining into their bedroom and seen the tears running down her cheeks.

She'd wrapped both arms around him, held him tightly, and whispered, "I'll never leave you, Ben. I promise."

His mother had made promises too. He knew they meant nothing, but he found himself daring to believe that Liana meant it. That he'd finally found someone who would stay with him. Not that he'd ever let her leave.

"I know you won't, honey," he whispered back. He was looking forward to the wedding tomorrow.