One Day You'll Be Mine: Steamy Contemporary Military Romance by Alana Hart, Lauren Lashley

father, a Black man who’d experienced his fair share of discrimination, brought up. While he never professed to know all the answers, he did everything he could to allow their conversations to be a platform of enlightenment, and often allowed my father the ability to vent in a manner that allowed him to feel “heard,” as he would put it.
    My mother’s protectiveness eased when she grew to see Ellis was truly protective of me, and had my best interests at heart. Although she felt getting married before deployment was too soon, she delighted in our upcoming wedding. Since I was her only daughter, it only made sense that she wanted a hand in all the details.
    ***
    We’d already picked out the venue, Villagio Resorts in Burleson, Texas. The luxury wedding villa had three ceremony sites, but I was in love with the lakeside wedding site most of all. The mansion was beautiful for a backup in the event it rained. Our package included the photography, videography, and catering. Finding everything in one place knocked out a great portion of my stress.
    After we’d locked in our spot, the only thing I had to worry about – and my biggest fret of all in general – was my dress. I’d dreamed about my wedding day for a while now, and didn’t want to mess up a single detail.
    And if anyone believed I was fanatical about it, my mother was even worse. She insisted on shopping at Nordstrom’s bridal boutique in North Park. As a Nordstrom cardholder, she shopped there all the time, and raved about the benefits.
    “I booked your appointment with Nancy for 12:30 PM. Get dressed.” That’s exactly what she said to me when she called out of the blue on Saturday morning. She didn’t even wait for me to respond, just simply hung up. Since I knew better than to pretend I didn’t get the memo, I jumped in the shower and threw myself together.
    Luckily, mom and I shared the same taste in style. Her stylist was very good in helping us find several nice gowns that we both liked. Although I budgeted $5,000 on my dream dress, my mother insisted I put my money away, because she’d pay for the dress.
    “You can buy me those Balenciagas I like instead,” she winked. “They’ll look good with my mother of the bride dress!”
    “Sure thing, mama!” I shook my head. Mom was always bargaining with me, but this was an offer too good to refuse. 
    After spending the day with my mother, I was so excited to share my updates with Ellis. We decided we didn’t need to go too crazy on his tux yet. Ellis was really picky about his clothes, and he didn’t want an outfit he’d only wear once. He wanted his suit to last him for a nice long time, well after the wedding; and even though he already had a nice muscular frame, he promised he’d be working out even more while overseas, giving him the opportunity to bulk up some more.
    “I want to look good on our honeymoon,” he said, flexing his muscle to the camera. “I want all the women like, ‘Oh my gah, that girl is sooooooo lucky! Her man is fooooine. Whoo chile!’”
    I giggled at his lighthearted impersonation. “Babe, you are too funny. You know you already look good. I was already attracted to your boyish appearance and muscular body when we met.”
    He smirked. “I know. I look good now, but wait ‘til I get back. I’ma pick you up, carry you over the threshold and ravish every inch of you.”
    Biting my lip, I leaned into the camera. “I’d love that.” My sexy attempt was cut short with a yawn. I stretched out across the bed and readjusted the angle, laying on my side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
    “It’s okay, sweetheart.” He laid down on his bed. It was daytime over there, so I could see him clearly. He gazed into the camera. “I miss seeing you like this. Relaxed and ready to fall asleep.”
    “Really? Watching me sleep is boring.”
    “Maybe to you. I love it. You look so beautiful and at peace.”
    “Until I start snoring,” I joked.
    He