by Kaylee Ryan
“You brought me here. You’re responsible for bringing us together. You’ve always been there for me from the day we met.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
I watch as she blinks away her own tears. “You’re going to lean on your husband, your in-laws, and your new family. All of them. You’re not just marrying Seth. You have a huge support system behind you. And on those days when you need me, just talk. I promise you I’ll always be listening.” Reaching up, she wipes under her eyes. “Now, let that brain of yours rest, and get your ass in the car. We’ve got a road trip to get to and a wedding to attend.” With that, she grabs her oxygen tank and heads outside.
I don’t bounce back as quickly as she does; instead, I lose my battle with my tears. I’m not ready to say goodbye, and I know just by looking at her that the disease is taking its toll. Not to mention the pregnancy, which is draining to a woman who is fully healthy. Hearing the door open, I turn my back and quickly wipe away my tears.
“Mara?” Seth asks. He walks up to me and turns me to face him. He sees my tears and his face softens. “I figured when I saw Amelia wiping her eyes, this is how I would find you.” He doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he wraps me in his strong arms and lets his warmth seep into me. I feel safe here, like nothing else in the world can get to us, but we both know that’s not true.
“Okay, are we all loaded up?” I pull back and look up at him.
“Yes, Finley is already strapped in, and Amelia is too. You ready to go get married?”
“Yes.”
“Then get your fine ass in the car, Mrs. Jennings.” He grins.
That’s exactly what I do. Within minutes of locking up the house, we’re on the road, and in just a few short days, we’ll be married. Glancing over at Seth from his spot behind the wheel, I can’t help but dream about our future and everything it might hold. Whatever comes our way, I’m glad it’s him who will be by my side.
We allowed ourselves two days to make the drive. We figured it would be easier on both Amelia and Finley. We arrived at the beach house late yesterday afternoon and discovered that everyone else had beaten us here. Not that we minded. We made lots of stops to stretch our legs and just took our time. We knew we had three days. Last night, Ridge, Tyler, Mark, and Kent had the grill going when we pulled in, and we all relaxed around a small fire and had dinner. We had a small birthday party for Finley as she turns three next week. We wanted this to feel like a celebration to her. Kendall and Ridge stopped and picked up a cake when they got here yesterday, and my daughter loved every minute of the attention she was given. After presents, Amelia was exhausted, so she went to bed early, as did the kids. It was a long day of fun in the sun, and then birthday activities once we got here. I couldn’t have asked for more.
That brings us to now. It’s early morning, and I’m about to marry my best friend. Seth and I decided to marry at sunrise instead of sunset, with the hopes that we would all still be going at sunset. Sure, Amelia has already marked it off her list, but we thought why not have her witness it again? Finley and I are dressed in white thin-flowing dresses. Our hair is braided intricately thanks to Reagan, and our feet are bare. We had to get up rather early, but it’s worth it. We’re making memories after all.
“We get mawied now?” she asks.
“Yes.” I smile down at her, and slowly, she and I walk down the small aisle of chairs that the wedding planner we hired set up for us. Down in front is Seth, and Kent is standing beside him. He’s officiating the wedding just like he did for Mark and Dawn. It’s fitting considering how close these guys are.
My husband is wearing khaki shorts, and a white button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He’s handsome, and I can’t believe he’s mine. As if he’s thinking the same thing, his eyes watch my every move until we are almost to the end of the aisle.
“Daddy, we get mawied!” Finley yells and races toward him.
He bends down to catch her and scoops her up in his arms. He kisses her cheek as she settles on his hip. I take the few remaining steps until I’m standing before them.
“Both of my girls are beautiful.” He leans in and kisses my cheek.
I expect him to put Finley down—she’s supposed to be sitting with Seth’s parents—but he doesn’t even attempt to let her go. Instead, he tells her to take my hand. She reaches out for me, and I take it, smiling at her. Then with his free hand, he takes mine, and the three of us stand in a circle, a family, one unit as Kent proceeds to walk us through our vows.
Seth’s eyes hold my gaze the entire time. Finley rests her head on his shoulder as we speak of love and forever. It’s the perfect ceremony; I couldn’t have asked for more.
“Seth,” Kent says, drawing my attention.
Seth smiles at me, and then turns his attention to our daughter. “Finny,” he says, getting her attention. She raises her head and looks at him. “Today, I not only marry your mommy, but I marry you,” he says, and she grins, nodding her little head. “I vow to love you and be there for you. I promise to kiss your skinned knees and read you all the bedtime stories you want. I’ll be there when the boys come knocking to scare them away,” he says, and everyone laughs. “I love you, my daughter. For now, for always.” He kisses her cheek.
I’m bawling. The tears are falling at a rapid speed, and I’m sure I look a hot mess. Finley places her tiny hands on his cheeks and turns him to face her.
“I wuv you, Daddy.”
Seth swallows hard as his eyes well with tears. He turns his attention back to me and gives me a watery smile.
“You may kiss your bride,” Kent says.
Seth releases his hold on my hand and kisses Finley on the cheek.
“Come here, baby girl. Daddy has work to do,” Kent says, reaching for our daughter as everyone laughs. She goes to him easily, something she would not have done a year ago.
Seth steps into me, frames my face in the palm of his hands, and whispers, “I love you, Mrs. Jennings,” against my lips and then presses his to mine.
“Yay! We mawied.” Finley cheers, which causes him to chuckle and pull away with a smile I’ve never seen from him before. It can only be rivaled by mine and our daughter’s.
She knows today is a special day, that getting married is a big deal. We’ve explained that to her, but I know she doesn’t understand what really happened here today as the sun rose over the ocean. A man, a wonderful man, pledged his heart to us, to both of us. One day when she’s older, I’ll make sure she knows how special he is and what he’s brought to our lives. Not that she’ll need me to tell her. Her daddy will do that all on his own. But still, I want her to hear it from me. The way he came into our lives and loved us both unapologetically.
“Let’s eat!” Tyler calls out, and that’s that. I married the man of my dreams, and he wants to be a father to my daughter. He is a father to my daughter, and I thank God, and Amelia, every day for bringing him into our lives.
We head back to the house where we have a huge breakfast buffet catered. The kids loved the mouse pancakes, while the adults indulged in biscuits and gravy, french toast, eggs, and fresh fruit. You name it, we had it.
“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Seth says, pushing away from the table.
“Well, now that the most important meal of the day is out of the way, you two need to get moving,” Amelia says.
“What? Where are we going?” I ask her.
“The two of you have plans,” she says vaguely.
“Go on, we’re keeping Finley,” my mother-in-law informs us.
“I don’t understand.” I’m confused as to what’s happening.
“Today is a special day,” Amelia states. “It’s the first day of your forever, and you’ve been amazing these past few months. Both of you have been there with me through this, all of you have.” Her eyes scan our friends and family. “However, today it’s about the two of you, and the love you share. So we’re taking Finley
.” She waves at everyone in attendance. “And you two have a reservation here.” She slides a plain white envelope toward us. “While I appreciate the sentiment of the early sunrise wedding, I won’t be watching the sunset, at least not with the two of you. Go, enjoy this mini honeymoon of sorts.”
“We’ve got this,” Kendall speaks up. I know it’s because she’s a nurse and that will ease our minds. “You’re going to be five miles down the road. If we need you, if Finley needs you, we’ll call.”
“Mrs. Jennings?” Seth whispers in my ear. I turn to look at him and his lips press to mine.
“Go.” This from Ridge.
Standing from our seats, we hug Finley, telling her we have a special trip and to hang out with Mamaw and Papaw. She hugs us and sends us on our way. Not a worry in sight.
An hour later, I stand behind Seth as he slides the room key into the door of our beachfront room. We’re on the fifteenth floor, and I can imagine the views are breathtaking. Seth pushes open the door, stepping back and letting me enter the room, pulling our small suitcase behind me.
“Mara.”
Releasing the suitcase, I turn to him. He smiles and stalks toward me. “Mr. Jennings.”
“Mrs. Jennings,” he replies. “Turn around.” I do as he says. He traces his finger over my exposed back. “I’ve thought about stripping you out of this dress at least a hundred times today.” I not only hear the zipper, but feel the cool air of the air conditioning hit my exposed back. “So soft,” he murmurs.
“Seth,” I moan as his lips trail up my back.
“Yeah, baby?”
I turn in his arms and wiggle my hips until my dress pools around my ankles. I’m standing before him in nothing but a white thong that has Mrs. Jennings embroidered on it. “You’re taking too long.” I reach for his shorts, and manage to get the button undone before he’s stepping back and removing them himself. I watch as his shorts and boxer briefs are kicked to the side. His thick cock juts out like a beacon; he doesn’t bother with the buttons of his white shirt; instead, he rips it open. Buttons fly around the room, but we’re so lost in one another, in this moment, we don’t even care.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Reaching out, he traces the swell of my breasts with his index finger, running his thumb over my pebbled nipples. “I want to devour you and I don’t know where to start first.”
“How about here?” I fist his cock in the palm of my hand and stroke him.
“You’re going to have to stop that. This will be over before it starts.”
“Then you better step up your game, Mr. Jennings.”
“I want to cherish you, take my time loving every inch of you, Mrs. Jennings.”
“We have the rest of our lives for that. I need you inside me. I need to feel connected to you, to my husband.” His eyes soften and I know I’ve got him.
He drops to his knees and slips his fingers under either side of my thong, carefully removing it. He peers up at me and grins. “I’m keeping these,” he says as I step out of them. I watch as he holds them up and grins when he reads Mrs. Jennings. Reaching behind him, he places them on the suitcase before turning back to me. “On the bed, wife.”
“Oh, is that how it’s going to be? What if I said I wanted you on the bed?”
He stands, and with his hand on mine, he guides us to the bed. He climbs on and moves to the middle, placing his hands behind his head. “Well, you got me here, now what are you going to do with me?”
He makes me feel brazen and bold, something I’ve never felt in my life. To know that this man is mine for eternity, it does something to me. It gives me a confidence like I’ve never known before. Slowly, I climb on the bed, settling on my knees beside him. I run my hands over the ridges of his abs and find my way to his cock. I grip him, causing him to moan. Lazily, I stroke him.
“Mara, baby, I thought you said we didn’t have time for this?” he pants.
“Did I?”
“Tease,” he grumbles good-naturedly.
“What do you want, husband? Tell me what you need.”
He sits up, slides his hand behind my neck, and pulls me close. “I want you, Mara. All of you, and preferably coming all over my cock.”
“Like this?” I move to straddle him.
“You’re getting close,” he says, wrapping his arms around me. My breasts press against his chest as his lips make themselves at home in the crook of my neck. “Let me help you.” He breathes the words into my ear.
Lifting to my knees, I wait for him to align himself at my entrance. When I feel him, I lower myself, painfully slow until he’s deep inside me. “Now what?”
“Fuck me.”
“Like this?” I swivel my hips and lift myself off him only to have his hands settle on my hips, pulling me back down.
“Like this.” His lips crash to mine as he lifts me and then pulls me back down. We easily find a rhythm as we make love for the first time as husband and wife. Fast, slow, intimate, or wild, it’s still love.
“Mara,” he growls as his hand slides from my hip to settle between us. As soon as his thumb brushes across my clit, I explode. Light flashes behind my eyes, as an electric current courses through my veins.
Together, we cry out before collapsing onto the bed. Our bodies are slick with sweat, but neither one of us seem to care. We’re celebrating.
“I never thought that sex with you could get any better. I was wrong.”
“Yeah?” I ask, barely able to form words.
“Yeah. Must be the new title and the new last name.” He pats my ass and we both laugh. “Come on, wife, let’s take a shower and then do that again.”
“We’re not getting any sleep tonight, are we?”
“Nope.”
The night is magical, and one I’m sure neither of us will ever forget. Although it was nice to get away from it all, we miss our girl and head back to the beach house the next morning.
“You ready for this?” I ask the girls. We’re all standing hand in hand in our bathing suits staring at the ocean.
“I’m not really a fan of swimming with fish, or sharks, or snakes, or… creatures,” Dawn admits.
“The water’s warm. We already know that,” I say as it laps at our feet. This is one of the final items on Amelia’s bucket list, and we wanted to be there with her to mark it off, not just to watch, but to make the memory. Our husbands—it’s not even been forty-eight hours, and I’ve already said it a dozen times; I can’t seem to help myself—anyway, our husbands and Seth’s dad are on the beach with the kids. Seth’s mom is on one side of Amelia while I’m on the other. Ladies unite as we stand tall beside an amazing woman, who is fighting to bring a healthy baby boy into this world. Fighting to leave a piece of her behind after she takes her last breath.
“Okay, on the count of three,” Kendall says.
“One,” Reagan counts.
“Two,” Dawn calls out.
“Three!” Amelia cheers, and we move forward into the water.
We walk until we’re about waist deep and stop. Amelia stands still with her eyes frozen on the horizon. I can’t begin to imagine what’s going through her head right now. We’ve successfully marked off everything that we’re capable of making happen but the tattoo and having a baby, which she’s working on. The tattoo, we have picked out. We decided on a heart that also appears to be two hands that are locked together. We know where we’re going to get it and have already made arrangements that if Amelia is too sick to go there, the guy is willing to come to us.
“It’s beautiful,” Amelia whispers as I wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“It really is.”
“Hey, what are you two gabbing about over there?” Kendall calls out.
“I thought we were swimming?” Dawn asks.
I love her for pulling us out of this sadness that is threatening to take over the moment. Instead, Amelia turns to her and splashes, and just like that, the water fight is on. We move closer into shore, where the water is just at our a
nkles, and the kids join us. The guys stay back and snap pictures. Every single one of them has a camera in their hands, and it’s a moment that touches deep in my soul. They’re capturing this, savoring the little things in life to be shared with our kids later. They probably won’t remember it since they’re all under the age of four, but they’ll see it. They’ll hear the stories and know about this day. The day Amelia got to swim in the ocean for the first and more than likely, last time.
After frolicking in the water with the kids, we head back up to the house where the guys again man the grill, and with full bellies, and the kids snuggled in their beds, we watch the sunset. Dawn, Amelia, and I are huddled together on a blanket on the beach, while Kendall, Reagan, and Shannon are on another right beside us. I can hear the guys chatting, and the echo of their laughter fading into the dusk of the day.
“Thank you,” Amelia says quietly. “Thank you for today, for this trip, for all of it.”
Before I can form words through the lump in my throat, Kendall, Reagan, and Shannon are surrounding us, and we’re all in one giant group hug. No words are spoken, but we don’t need them. She knows we’re here for her and we love her. She knows that today will be forever in our memory and in our hearts.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Seth 23
* * *
“If you don’t stop staring at me, I’m going to have them put you on the ‘not allowed to visit’ list,” Amelia says. Her eyes are closed, but she can feel my stare.
“Do you have one of those?” I ask, not fazed by her threat.
Slowly her eyes open, and I can see the exhaustion plain as day. “No, but you’re first on the list.” She sighs heavily. “Seth, I’m fine.”
“You’re in the hospital. You’re not fine,” I fire back.
“I’m dying, Seth. What do you expect?”
“Stop.”
“No. I won’t stop. It’s my reality. No matter how unexpected this diagnosis is, it’s my truth, and you have to face that. Our son needs you to face that. I’m going to be here until he’s born, maybe longer. Who knows if I’ll ever get to leave, but you know what? I’m okay with that. I’m okay with it because these tubes are giving him what he needs since my body seems to be revolting at anything I put into my mouth. You sitting here staring at me is not going to work for me. Go home to your wife and your daughter.”
