Awakening (The Magic of the Black Forest Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

about it and voicing my concerns, Colleen came over placed her hands on my shoulders and assured me, repeatedly, that it would be here in the morning when I woke.
    With nothing left to do, I headed off to bed and attempted to get some sleep. Bad idea. The second I turned out the light and laid down on my bed, my mind started to race. First, the possibility of anything and everything that could go wrong flashed through my mind. Bad weather, no cake, no photographer, ripped dresses, or even worse… Andrew or Anthony showing up and spoiling our big day.
    Fearing I’d never get to sleep, I sat upright. To calm my nerves I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. The last thing I needed were black bags under my eyes on my wedding day. After taking a few deep breaths, I reached over to the nightstand and turned on my CD player. As I lay back down to rest on my back, the sweet melodious sound of Bradley’s voice filled the room. The nervousness and anxiety were fading away.
    Images of Bradley at the altar watching me walk down the aisle, saying our vows and, our bride and groom dance flitted through my mind. My imagination had my excitement growing. Happy thoughts of my wedding day—and my fiancé’s angelic voice—had me drifting off to dreamland in minutes.
     

 
     
    Chapter 2
     
    Eager to start the day, I woke before the alarm went off. Today, I would marry the love of my life!
    Melissa, my aunt, and Colleen’s voices drifted from the kitchen. When I was getting dressed, their conversation changed topic, from breakfast to my wedding cake. Racing towards the kitchen I shouted, “Is our cake here?” Rushing through the kitchen entryway I skid to a halt, my mouth dropping open. The combination of all the colors: burnt orange, yellow, red, brown, white and bronze, transformed my cake into a work of art.
    “Oh, Colleen, it’s perfect.”
    “Hope you like buttercream…” Colleen said with more than a little pride in her voice.
    “It’s too pretty to eat. Did anyone take a picture or two yet?” I’ve never seen a cake this beautiful. It’s exemplary.
    “The photographer is already here and he took a bunch of pictures,” my aunt answered, standing on the opposite side of the table.
    “Brad wanted the photographer to set videos up and take a bunch of pictures of your face when you saw the cake, along with all of us getting ready,” Melissa chimed in. She pointed across the room and there stood the photographer snapping away. Pausing to check the lens, Melissa caught his attention and waved him over.
    “I didn’t even see you there. Thank you for doing this for us at such short notice.” My eyes went immediately back to the cake. “Look at all the detail… Amazing.” Reaching out to touch it, Colleen smacked my hand away.
    “The colorful fall leaves are made of fondant. For decoration they had wrapped a bronze silk ribbon around each of the round tiers.” She pointed back to the leaves, “They airbrushed all of those leaves so that you would get the autumn affect. You said you loved it here that time of year, how the leaves were the color of fire…”
    The fall themed wedding cake matched perfectly with the theme of our wedding.
    “The vibrant autumn colors are a beautiful contrast to the white fondant cake walls. Thanks Colleen.” I sniffled, hugging her tight.
    “Okay, Nat, no crying! It’s time for breakfast. Afterwards we all need to start getting ready.” Aunt Susie definitely took her newfound parental role seriously. It felt good to have a motherly figure around. The thought had me thinking about my mom. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, wondering, “ Is she here in spirit? ” Moments before sadness consumed my very being, my aunt’s voice saved me, reminding us, “The guys will be here in an hour and you get married in two. Let’s get a move on, ladies.”
    There was a lot going on all at once, but it wasn’t chaotic. It was surprisingly going well. Thankfully, Melissa’s parents showed up