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 Copyright © 2018 by Jamilah Jama
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DISCLAIMER
This book is a work of FICTION. It is fiction and not to be confused with
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The Wedding
Bonus Chapter
Smooth Sailing

Jamilah Jama

© Jamilah Jama 2018

 Lila
Matthew’s arms were gently wrapped around my bare waist as my
head was against his chest. He was fast asleep, but I couldn’t seem to reach
that point, so I occupied myself by drawing imaginary circles on his abs.
In the dark, I could vaguely make out his features, and I couldn’t
help but smile. In one day, he would be my husband. Even though we took
six months planning the wedding, it would be over in just a day.
After a few moments, Matthew stirred, and I could feel his lips
pressed against my forehead. “I would stop moving my hand lower if I
were you.” His voice was laced with sleep and sounded slightly raspy as
he intertwined our fingers. “What are you thinking about?”
Tilting my head up to meet his dark grey ones, I placed my lips on
his softly before beginning to pepper kisses all over his face. He laughed
as he pulled me on top of him, and I made sure to sit on his stomach since
he wasn’t wearing anything.
His hands moved to my hips, and I had to place mine over his to
ensure that he wouldn’t try to shift my position. “Matthew, you’re tired.”
I heard him slightly scoff as his fingers pushed up his shirt that I
had slipped on two hours earlier. He slid me further up his chest as he
tenderly kissed my stomach. “All you have to do is kiss me, and I’m wide
awake.” A few giggles fell past my lips as he kissed my stomach. “I can’t
wait until I get you pregnant.”
My hands threaded through his dark hair, and I accommodated my
position to kiss his lips. All of a sudden, he flipped me onto my back and
returned the favour by laying kisses across my face.
“See,” he spoke quietly, his eyes widening playfully. “Wide
awake now.”
He gave me another kiss that rendered me breathless before softly
nibbling on my neck. I knew Matthew liked giving me hickeys despite
what my dad told him all those years ago, but as a man who was soon to
be my husband, my dad no longer let it bother him.
“You can totally move your hands lower now.” He laughed
against my neck.
 “Haha, funny,” I responded, biting my lip as he secured my legs
around his waist.
Lifting himself onto his elbows, I could faintly see a grin on his
face. “You’re finally going to be my Mrs. Lane.”
My fingers inched up to caress his face softly, and I placed a kiss
on his nose. I stopped him from moving his hips as the scent I had become
so accustomed to encased me. “Imagine if my name was Lois.” I laughed
quietly, adjusting my legs around his hips. “And I became Lois Lane. That
would be iconic.”
He chuckled and pecked my jaw. “Lila Lane.” He tried my name
out, his grin widening. “That just sounds so sexy to me.” He laughed as a
hand travelled down the length of my thigh before cupping the back of my
knee.
“Matthew—”
His finger stopped me from finishing my sentence as he pressed
his lips to mine. “No more talking, babe.”
***
“I hope you know I’m going to go all out with his bachelor party.”
Isaac grinned as Matthew had me seated in his lap.
“No strippers.” I glared his way, knowing how hard Isaac liked to
party.
Matthew’s loud laugh filled my ears, and he pulled me closer.
“Baby, you’re forgetting I’m blind. What am I going to see them
stripping?”
A blush scattered across my cheeks, and I secured my arms around
his shoulders. “I think I’m concerned about the lap dances.”
Isaac’s blue eyes were filled with mirth as he raised his eyebrows.
“You think I don’t know what Yasmine and Maia planned?”
Maia, who used to be my co-worker when I worked at the bakery,
was Isaac’s girlfriend. They had been going steady for about two years
after his visit home had them crossing paths again. To know that Isaac had
finally moved on soothed Matthew’s teenage insecurities, but he already
knew I was never going to leave him.
 “I’m getting strippers?” I questioned incredulously as Matthew
laughed even though he was slightly frowning.
“Now, you’re not blind, which means you’ll definitely see them
stripping.”
Isaac rolled his eyes and sighed as he leaned back on the couch.
“Okay, grandma and grandpa. We’ve already agreed to not get you two
really drunk so you can make it to the altar in one piece. You’re both
getting strippers. That’s a classic way to spend a bachelor or bachelorette
party.”
After we reluctantly agreed, Isaac and Matthew left when Maia,
Yasmine, and my sister, Helena, arrived at my apartment. It was a given
that Helena was my maid of honour, and Yasmine and Maia were my
bridesmaids.
“How are you?” Helena excitedly asked, surprising me and
suddenly pulling me into a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re getting
married! And to Matthew!”
I laughed and hugged my friends after with an unstoppable grin
plastered on my face. “I always knew he was the man of my dreams.”
Tears gathered in Yasmine’s eyes and curled her eyelashes with
her fingers. “I’m going to be a mess tomorrow. I remember the day you
two started dating. It feels so long ago.”
It was only then I realised that they were all dressed and were
waiting on me. I had no idea where we were going, but if it included
strippers like Isaac stated, I knew that they planned something wild.
They entertained themselves with a pre-recorded episode of
Grey’s Anatomy as I proceeded to get ready. First, we would spend the
afternoon with my family, and after, Yasmine and Maia would take the
wheel.
Once I was set to go, we all climbed into Yasmine’s car as Helena
leaned her head on my shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but I’m
honestly really happy that you and Matthew are getting married. We’ve all
seen the way you love each other, and you are high school sweethearts.”
She sighed and rolled her lips inward to redistribute her lipstick. “I wish
you and Matt nothing but happiness, sis.”
I blinked rapidly to control the tears that had yet to fall and grinned
so wide that it almost hurt. “I love you so much, Helena.”
“I love me too.” She joined in with my laughter, rubbing my arm.
“You ready for dad’s speech?”
“Of course.”
Silence encompassed the car after that, which surprised me in a
way because I could tell that Yasmine kept glancing back at me from the
driver’s seat, desperate to say something. But I guessed she was saving it
for the actual wedding.
My heart soared at the thought that after nearly six years together,
we were finally tying the knot and promising our lives to each other. I
knew I did that a long time ago anyway, but to walk down the aisle with
Matthew waiting for me at the end would fill me with euphoria.
He had told me that even if he couldn’t see me in my wedding
dress, I would still take his breath away by just being near him. He would
either squeeze my hands tightly or barely get through his vows, but the
latter seemed most probable.
Matthew and I lived relatively close to our old homes, so I visited
my parents quite often after work. My mom and my dad were waiting at
the door, and I could just about make out the decorations that hung on the
walls.
“You look beautiful, girls,” my mom complimented, striking a
smile that lead me to see myself in her, which was understandable since
people said I was almost the spitting image of my mother.
“There are my little girls.” My dad pulled Helena and me into a
bear hug, and the comforting smell that reminded me of home surrounded
me.
“Dad,” Helena mumbled against his shoulder. “We’re both in our
twenties.”
“You just turned twenty, Helena,” I retorted with a snort, and my
dad pulled back with a laugh.
 “You both sound like teenagers.”
Looking over my dad’s shoulder, I met the gaze of the person who
said that and almost cried then and there. Standing in front of us was my
older brother, Dan, who had joined the military.
I quickly glanced at Helena who had a smile on her face. I had no
idea that he was coming back in time for my wedding, let alone coming
back at all.
He buckled slightly when I bounded towards him and threw my
arms around his body, hugging him very tightly. “I love you, I love you, I
love you!”
Dan laughed and kissed my forehead. “That’s definitely the
reaction I was hoping for. I needed the reassurance that my baby sister is
still my baby sister.”
“You’re a year older than her,” Helena deadpanned, rolling her
eyes when he opened an arm out towards her.
“But three years older than you. Get over here.”
Yasmine joined in with the hug after a few moments. “Group
hug!”
Once I had greeted every family member, we were all seated at
the large dinner table that my parents had purchased for family events with
an abundant supply of food in front of us.
Digging into my plate of food, I felt a sense of serenity with my
family surrounding me. Spending time with them never failed to make me
happy especially I saw what losing a family member could do to someone.
“So, Lila,” my cousin spoke up, smiling broadly at me. “Are you
sticking to tradition and not staying with Matthew tonight?”
Yasmine and Helena snorted simultaneously. “Only because
Helena and I are forcing her.”
Smiling saccharinely in her direction, I forked my steak and rolled
my eyes. “I doubt Isaac would allow me to cut Matthew’s night short,
anyway.”
***
 I struggled to not laugh when I began replaying the night in my
head. The strippers were something different, and in my whole eleven
years of knowing Yasmine, I saw a different side to her.
“You can’t deny that was fun!” Yasmine exclaimed, hiccupping.
Laughing, I wrapped an arm around my best friend and held her
close. “I love seeing you happy.”
She smiled softly. “Well, my life is going great right now. And
my best friend is getting married to my other best friend.” She cheered
loudly, throwing her arms up in the air and almost hitting me in the face.
As if the stars were aligned for us, my phone vibrated in my jacket
pocket, and once I pulled it out, my heart pounded against my chest.
‘I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you so much. I
haven’t always been the easiest to love, but we’ve stuck together through
thick and thin. So thank you so much for helping me through the bad times
and experiencing the good with me. I’ll love you forever, Lila Lane.’
Needless to say, I fell asleep with the widest smile on my face.
The next day, however, was slightly hectic. From the moment I
opened my eyes, people were surrounding me, and Helena, Yasmine, and
Maia were eager to let the day go without a hitch.
They had stayed over at my apartment as Matthew slept at Isaac’s
place. Once they had told me how the morning was going to go, they left
me to my own devices. Stretching my arms over my head, I laughed to
myself momentarily. The day was finally here.
“Lila! Hair and makeup are going to be here in an hour. Maia made
you breakfast, and your mom has your dress! Come on!” Yasmine’s voice
drifted into my bedroom, slightly breaking at the end.
Throwing the covers off my legs, I pulled my door open and met
the gaze of my best friend again. Tears gathered in her eyes, and a joyful
grin was on her face. Her arms wrapped around me tightly, and her body
shook.
“I definitely need to wear waterproof eye makeup today.”
My hands pressed against her back. “I think my dad will cry more
than you.”
 She giggled, pulling back and pivoting on her heel to briskly walk
to the living room. As I followed her, I saw the pictures of Matthew and
me that we hung on the walls, and my heart warmed at the thought of us
expanding our family.
Maia stuck her fork into her pancake and nodded towards a plate
stacked with a few pancakes. Climbing onto the stool, I rolled my
engagement ring around my finger before picking up my knife and fork.
Just as I began wondering where Helena was, the front door
opened and in she came with my mom in her pursuit. Giving them a smile,
I turned back to my food but could only stomach a few bites due to the
anxiety that filled me.
“I’m so nervous,” I uttered my thought out loud, clenching my
fist. “I’ve been waiting for my wedding day since I was a little girl, and
what happens if I mess up on my vows?”
My mom came towards me and gathered me in her arms. “It’s
okay to be nervous, Lila. Your vows will come from the heart. You can’t
possibly mess up.”
Helena stood behind her and whipped her phone out. She dialled
someone’s number and held the device out to me, which made me realise
she had called Matthew.
“Hey, Helena,” his deep voice sounded from the phone. “Is Lila
okay?”
Walking back to my room, I closed the door quietly before smiling
softly. “Just experiencing pre-wedding jitters.” I couldn’t see him, but I
could tell he was smiling.
He sighed in relief. “Oh my god, tell me about it. My hands can’t
stop shaking, and even Toby is uneasy.”
Laughing, I trapped the phone in between my ear and my shoulder
as I traipsed towards my dresser, taking some lotion to moisturise my
hands. “I definitely don’t have cold feet. Marrying you is definitely
something I want to do, but I want it to be perfect.”
“It will be,” he reassured me, clearing his throat. “And tonight,
we’ll go on our honeymoon.”
 “That’s all you can think about?” I joked.
“Of course,” he responded. “It’ll be the second best thing that will
happen today.”
“And what’s the first?”
“Our first kiss as a married couple. I can’t wait to hold you.” In
the background, I could hear Isaac gagging, and I laughed. “Less than five
hours, baby. I love you.”
“I love you too, Matthew. So much.”
***
An awe-filled sigh passed my lips as I squeezed my dad’s arm, my
eyes meeting the sight of Matthew in his pristine black suit. The
magnificent sun illuminated his grey eyes, and his show-stopping grin
made it clear that he knew I was coming.
Glancing at my dad, I saw his bottom lip trembling once I brought
his hand to my lips as we walked down the aisle. “You’re going to make
me cry, Dad,” I whispered, directing my gaze back to my beautiful fiancé.
We had chosen a natural, summery wedding, and Matthew stood
under an arch that had green leaves wrapped around it. Two more steps
and I was directly in front of him, a quiet sob falling from my dad’s mouth.
He kissed my forehead and gave my hand one last squeeze. “It’s
just overwhelming, princess.” He shook Matthew’s hand with a watery
smile. “There’s no one else in the world that I would want Lila marrying.”
“Thank you, Jonathan.”
Matthew intertwined our fingers and gave me his signature lazy
grin when he spoke. “Hi.”
Wisps that had escaped my waterfall-style hair and the flower
crown that held it blew with the soft wind. My vibrant green eyes filled
with gratitude when I gazed into his. “Hi.”
My dad was in hysterics in the front row, eliciting laughs from
mostly everyone as he held on tightly to my mom who was also crying.
My bridesmaids stood to my left, holding their bouquet of flowers so
tightly that it looked like it was going to break.
 On Matthew’s right were his groomsmen, three of which were
close friends of mine. Isaac, Greg, and Matthew’s cousin, Marco. His
parents were seated next to mine, and Katherine had begun crying along
with my dad.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and
this woman in holy matrimony.”
Truth be told, I was so entranced with Matthew that I zoned out
until it was time for our vows. Matthew blew out a breath, squeezing my
hands.
“Today, I’m honoured to tell you in front of everyone that I love
you with everything in me. The day I first met you will forever be my
favourite memory of us because I knew you were perfect for me when you
didn’t realise that I was blind and asked if I was deaf.” My laugh and
others’ interrupted him, and he stopped to kiss my hands. “You make me
feel alive every day. You constantly keep me going, and you’ve been my
rock for as long as I can remember. Every morning that I wake up, I feel
blessed to have you in my arms, and I often wonder why I deserve you. I
haven’t always been the best boyfriend, but you’ve believed in me ever
since we were teenagers. You are my best friend, my support system, and
to put it simply, you’re my everything. I promise to love you until the day
my heart stops beating.” His voice cracked, and he released a shaky breath.
“I love you to the moon and back.”
By then, tears were strolling down my cheeks, and almost
everyone was crying with me. It was my turn, and just the sight of him
breaking down in front of me fuelled me to speak from my heart.
“Matthew, the first time I realised that I was falling in love with
you was when we went on our first date. You pretended that you couldn’t
ice skate just so I could hold your hand for the whole night.” His cheeks
flamed red, and I laughed through my tears. “I noticed, but I loved being
with you because you made me happy. When you smiled at me that night,
you took my breath away because you have got to be the most beautiful
person I know, inside and out. You’re caring, sweet, and talented, but the
reason I’m in love with you is that you always try to see the good in people.
You have a heart of gold, and I’m irrevocably in love with you. You’re
my world because I don’t think I could live without you. My heart beats
for you, and every day that goes by is a day where I’ve loved you to the
best of my ability. I fall in love with you every time I see you, and I can’t
wait to spend the rest of my life with you because the one thing I’ve always
been sure about is that you’re my forever and always. I promise to remind
you every day that my love for you extends the distance between all the
galaxies in space.”
Matthew was quick to almost close the distance in between us
when his dad called out. “You have to wait, Matt!”
Resting his forehead on mine for a moment, he cleared his throat
as everyone erupted into laughs, turning to the officiator. “Please hurry it
up.”
He laughed and nodded.
The second Tobias, Matthew’s nephew, approached us with the
rings. We were both eager, and when Matthew had slid my ring onto my
finger, he cupped both my cheeks and kissed me squarely.
Isaac hollered, and applause surrounded us as my arms wrapped
around Matthew’s waist, his kiss taking my breath away. His passion
poured into it, and a comment from my dad had him pulling away with my
bottom lip trapped in between his teeth.
“Alright, mate. There are kids here. Keep it PG.”
“I now pronounce you man and wife.” The officiator laughed at
my apologetic glance. “It happens a lot.”
Matthew held my hand and raised it in the air. “Mrs. Lila Lane,
everybody!” he cheered, pulling me close as his other hand gripped Toby’s
leash. Confetti was thrown as we walked down the aisle together, and I
brought his lips to mine once more.
“I love you, Matthew.”
He grinned. “I love you too, baby.”
Make sure to read the whole story
when you buy Smooth Sailing
available on Amazon!
 About the Author

Jamilah is an introspective and curious writer with a passionate love for

all aspects of literature. Her first recognition as an author came when she
won a local poetry competition that had her work featured in a published
poetry anthology. When she’s not writing or reading, Jamilah enjoys
rowing competitively with her school and spending time with family and
friends.