“Holy shit, do you not have an inside voice?!” Tobie yelled at him, “Not everyone wants to hear that crap!”
Adam laughed and Hannah blushed. He grabbed her under her hips and slung her body over his shoulder with ease. “Ack! Put me down!” Hannah screamed at him swatting her hands against his back.
“I’ll just take you into another room to whisper sweet nothings in your ear.” He grabbed a handful of her ass.
“You couldn’t whisper if your life depended on it!” Hannah cried as Adam stomped off into the guest room. “You’re like a bull in a china shop!”
Jack pulled Susan in for a hug while she was fiddling with the champagne bottle. He reached for the bottle to help her. Tobie returned from the dining room with the flutes. He set them down on the counter and locked eyes with me. I didn’t need him to say anything. I knew exactly what he was thinking. His eyes were alive with happiness. We were here together, in our home, with our family.
Jack filled all of the glasses so Cathy and Susan could pass them out.
“Adam!” Tobie called to the other room, “Are you two coming out of there or what? It’s almost midnight.”
“Nah, we’re good. We’re having our own little party in here,” he yelled back. No, not yelled. Spoke in his normal but very loud voice.
“Hannah!” I shouted.
“We’re coming!” she giggled.
Tobie looked at me with disgust all over her face. “When the fuck did she learn to giggle? She sounds ridiculous.”
I kissed him on the cheek, “It’s you who sound ridiculous, babe.”
He grunted and took a sip of his champagne. I rolled my eyes at him and went into the family room, turning up the volume.
Ryan Seacrest was all wrapped up in fashionable winter gear as he stood in Times Square preparing for the countdown. “Come on, everyone! Two minutes to go!”
Everyone migrated into the family room. Their champagne in one hand, a noise maker in the other. Jack and his arm around Susan’s shoulder and Adam had pulled Hannah onto his lap on the couch. Eric stood behind Sarah with his arms wrapped around her waist. I giggled at the sight of Aunt Cathy with Russell and her Westie, Scarlett, perched together on her lap.
Tobie was standing right next to me, his hand on the small of my back. I leaned against his strong body, my shoulder fitting perfectly under his. He kissed me on the top of my head. We were the perfect height combination.
“FIVE!” we all shouted,
“FOUR!”
“THREE!”
“TWO!”
“ONE!”
“Happy New Year!” we cheered and blew our noise makers. Tobie took my glass and set it down on the coffee table with his.
“Come here, love.” He pulled me tight against him. There were fireworks going off on the TV and I could hear them outside our house, too. “This is going to be the best year yet,” he smiled at me with that adorable dimple and deep brown eyes and pressed the softest kiss to my lips.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Amber
“OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod… PftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPftPft”
I was pacing the upstairs room of the farmhouse, fanning under my armpits and trying not to freak out. Who am I kidding? I was freaking out!
“Amber,” Sarah grabbed my by the shoulders and brought my pacing to a halt, “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor. You need to just calm down, girl!”
“Oooohhhh, I know I know I know. I’m trying but I can’t catch my breath and I can’t stop sweating did Tobie remember the wedding certificate? Where’s Hannah? Is everyone here? I need to brush my teeth really quick. Ooooohh, I’m so thirsty… where’s my bottle of water?”
Sarah handed me the water as Hannah walked into the room, “It’s ok, everyone! I’m here! We can have the wedding now!” she announced.
“Where have you been!?” I glared at her.
“I was calming your dear husband down. Sheesh! Looks like I need to pull double duty here.”
“Why is he freaking out!? Is he having second thoughts? Oh, God. What if he leaves me at the altar? I can’t handle this. Ohmygodohmygod…”
Hannah looked at Sarah, “Has she been doing this the whole time I’ve been gone?”
Sarah nodded her head with eyes as wide as planets.
“Ok, Amb. Let’s have a seat.” Hannah took my hand and led me over to a folding chair.
“I can’t sit down! I’ll wrinkle my dress! Do you know how long it took to steam every single wrinkle out of satin?!”
“Fine. Just stand there. But take some deep breaths. Come on, breathe with me…” she started taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly.
I tried my best to copy her. I tried to slow down and calm myself but my lungs are stuck and this dress is so tight and I feel like I’m suffocating and my chest is all splotchy and I hope my makeup isn’t messing up… the pictures are going to look terrible and why is Tobie freaking out?!
Hannah held onto my hands and kept breathing slowly, patiently. Finally, I was able to slow down from hyperventilating to just rapid breathing.
“Why is Tobie freaking out?” I squeeked.
“He’s not freaking out, Amb. He’s just nervous like you are. He’s fine. He’s excited. He’s even chatty!” she laughed.
I smiled, feeling a little more relieved. “So he’s not going to run?”
Hannah snorted, “No! He’s not going to run. Anyway, he knows that if he did I’d chase him down and cut his balls off. I already told him that.”
“Oh, great! So he’ll go through with it out of fear! Perfect!”
Hannah rolled her eyes, “Get a grip, girl! He’s not going to run away because he is madly in love with you! In fact, his exact words were ‘in all my twenty two years, there has never been a moment I’ve been looking forward to more than marrying Amber.’ See? Isn’t that sickeningly sweet? He’s not going to leave you at the altar any more than you’re going to leave him. So chill out already.”
“He said that?”
“Of course he did! And you know I’m not making it up because there’s no way in hell I could think of something that romantic.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“You’re seriously going to insult me right now? When I’m calming you down right before your wedding?”
“I wasn’t insulting you! You’re the one who said your not romantic.”
“You didn’t have to agree with me!”
“But you’re not!”
“I know that, Amber!”
“So why are you so upset then?!”
“I’m not.” She grinned triumphantly.
“What?”
“I’m not upset… and you’re not panicking anymore.”
She was right. I wasn’t. For the first time all day I felt normal. “That was a dirty trick.”
“Master distractor, at your service.” She did a little bow.
Sarah laughed, “Let’s get this show on the road!”
Tobias
My palms were sweating. I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair. I felt my dad place his hand on my shoulder and give it a squeeze.
The music began and Susan and Cathy walked down the aisle together to sit in the front rows. Adam draped his arm around Cathy’s shoulder and shot me a ‘thumbs up’ sign. I returned a nervous smile. Hannah made her way down the aisle next sporting a huge grin on her face aimed directly at me. How I ever got so lucky to have her as my best friend and her sister as my wife I will never know. She took her place across the altar from me and winked.
The music changed signaling the guests - all twenty four of them - to stand. I felt my heart try to break through my ribs. My legs froze in place as the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen began walking towards me. God was really showing off when he made Amber.
Her ivory dress clung to her perfect shape as if it were made for her. The silky material looked amazing on her equally silky skin. At the top of the dress, it was cut into
a heart shape that accented her perfect chest (Amber later told me that this was called a “sweetheart” cut). There were thick lace straps that framed her shoulders and joined to the back of the dress that was open, exposing that delicate skin to my fingertips all the way down to the dimples on her lower back.
She looked simply stunning. I felt all the emotion I’d had for her since I was fifteen years old swell up inside me. It grew beyond the confines of my body and began spilling out the corners of my eyes. I cleared my throat in an effort to stop from crying like a baby in front of all these people. I couldn’t help it. I blinked several times to my vision.
She stood before me in all her beauty smiling from ear to ear. The pastor began speaking about love and marriage and I’m sure some other things but I couldn’t hear any of it. I could only see the love of my life standing before me. I could only feel the warmth of her hands in mine. I could only hear my own heartbeat in my ears.
The only thing I can clearly remember from the entire ceremony was when I finally got to touch my lips to hers. The moment that I was able to kiss my wife.
Amber
Hannah stood up in front of everyone holding her champagne glass. No need for a microphone. For one thing, there were only twenty eight people in the whole room. Secondly, Hannah didn’t need any amplification. Her voice could carry for miles as it was.
“It might shock some of you to find out that I wasn’t exactly excited when I first learned that my bestfriend and my sister were dating.” A few chuckles broke out between guests.
“Incredibly pissed off would be a better description.” More chuckles. “But… as I came to see what was really happening, I saw two people whom I absolutely love and adore, love and adore each other. And that’s really something.
“Amber has been so much more than my big sister. She has been my guide, my mentor, and my cheerleader when she should have been able to focus on her own life. And Tobie? Well, I’ve known Tobie since we were fifteen. He has been my very best friend, my rock, my stronghold every minute since my world came crashing down. God works in mysterious ways, doesn’t He? He puts people in our lives at the exact right moments and keeps them there… until they fall in love with your sister.”
I couldn’t help join in with the laughs coming from our family and friends. Hannah was truly gifted in the art of public speaking.
“But seriously. Amber… Tobie… I love the two of you like no other. I really am so incredibly happy for both of you and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Mom and Dad are here with us now; happier than we could ever imagine. On their behalf, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and love. And lots and lots of babies that are made in test tubes because I don’t even want to think about that!”
Tobie wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me close to him. Taking my right hand in his, we side stepped in place while Etta James sang At Last through the stereo. Luis had insisted that we use the entire restaurant for the reception and allow him to cater the meal. Of course, we offered to pay him since he was closing to the public, but he was persistent that this was his wedding gift to us. As you can imagine, the food was spectacular, as were the constant flow of margaritas.
Tobie’s fingers traced lightly up and down my back as he sang along in my ear, At last… my love has come along…
I completed the sentiment, “My lonely days are over…”
I tipped my head up to lose myself in his deep brown eyes. Eyes that I would gaze into every day for the rest of my life.
Tobias
The reception was a freaking blast. Luis went all out with the food and drinks and had even cleared a whole section of the dining room for everyone to dance. And our friends? Well, let’s just say that they aren’t exactly reserved once we gave them alcohol.
Amber and I stayed on the dance floor all night. Dad and Susan were laughing and smiling the entire time. Adam apparently can dance - like for real dance - and was twirling Hannah around like they were on Dancing With The Stars. Even their Aunt Cathy was bustin’ a move to some of her favorite Motown hits.
But alas, the time had come for Amber and me to depart from the group and make out way home. Amber was exhausted. She looped her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Tobie?” she spoke between little kisses, “You big stud.”
I grinned against her mouth. “Mm hmm?”
“Take me to bed or lose me forever.”
“Show me the way home, honey.”
“Eek!” Amber squealed when I scooped her up in my arms. I was a gentleman and that meant that I was going to carry my bride over the threshold of our front door.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face against my neck leaving a trail of kisses up to my jaw, across my cheek and to my mouth. By the time she had stopped, I had made it to the top of the stairs and into our bedroom.
I laid her down gently on the bed, keeping one hand under her back while my other explored the silky fabric of her dress.
“You look amazing in this dress,” I whispered. “But you look even more amazing without it.”
She giggled and began to loosen my tie. She pulled it seductively through the collar of my shirt. “I might need to keep this for later,” she wagged her eyebrows.
“We can do anything you want, love. Anything."
Her hands moved like whispers over my body as I removed her dress leaving her completely bare. I stood at the side bed and removed my shirt. Her eyes widened in anticipation as she locked her gaze onto my stomach. Her tongue peaked out to moisten her plump lips.
I slowly removed my belt, unfastened my pants and let everything fall to the floor. The way she zeroed in on my growing hardness made me feel like I was all she had ever desired. I joined her in the bed, placing my knees between hers, and lowered my torso against her warm chest.
One hand slid behind her back as I pulled her close to me. I supported my weight with my other arm so I didn’t crush her. I wanted her to feel me, to connect our souls together. I wanted this time to be slow. To be gentle. I wanted to show her that it was my mission to take care of her for the rest of our lives.
I felt the head of my cock press against the heat of her opening. I paused, looking deep into her eyes. I pressed my lips to hers as she raised her hips to give me permission.
I’d never done this before. Yes, I’d had sex before but never with Amber and never without a condom. This was completely uncharted territory for me. The heat of her slick sex against the head of my cock was enough to send me over the edge. I paused to take a deep breath and regain control of my body.
I slowly edged my way inside her, letting her body adjust to my size. The feeling of her walls hugging against my length was like no other. It was tight. It was hot. It was like silk drawing me in.
Amber’s face was in a state of bliss as I continued to enter her until I was fully seated, her walls were twitching to accommodate my girth. I never wanted to stop. I wanted to crawl deep inside her and stay there forever. There’s a reason they call it making love. Sex is just sex until there’s love involved. Then it becomes something else entirely. This was so much better than anything before. This was love in it purest form.
Slowly, I began to withdraw, taking my time so she could feel every inch of me. I stopped when just the head was inside her, then pressed my way deep inside her again. Her hips began moving with mine. After a few slow strokes her legs wrapped around my hips, pulling and guiding me deeper each time. Her arms were wrapped around my shoulders, her face buried in my neck. I could hear her panting and moaning in my ear. My cock was throbbing and pulsing with each stroke. Her legs began pulling me harder inside her, keeping me deep each time before letting me slide out again.
I reached between us and lightly stroked her clit with my thumb. She moaned at the sensation. Her walls began to quiver against my shaft. I wasn’t going to last much longer. I picked up speed, thrusting hard and deep inside her, grunting with each stroke.
“Tobie,” she gasped, “I’
m going to cum.”
I felt her walls gape open and suck me deep inside her. They clamped back down the second I was fully seated and began spasming and squeezing my cock harder than I’d ever felt before. I pushed hard against her, my thumb still stroking her clit as I felt the cum rush up and out of my shaft. The image of my hot seed shooting out of me and filling her womb saturated my mind. It was a never ending pulse of pleasure. Her nails raked down my back and dug into my ass as her climax continued, her tight sex continued to grab and spasm against me as I unloaded deep inside her.
I collapsed next to her, my cock still deep inside her body. I pulled her tightly against me, never wanting to let her go. This had been the best day of my entire life but I knew that it was only going to get better because I was married to Amber Kilroy Miller.
Epilogue
Amber
** Seventeen Months Later **
"Did you see that Jason Momoa is going to be in a new movie this summer?" Hannah gapped over her plate of french fries.
"Oohh, I will definitely be seeing that one!" Sarah said, sipping off her mint chocolate chip milkshake. "Although I'll probably have to leave Eric at home with the baby... maybe I'll tell him I'm going to the grocery store and then not come back for a while."
I laughed at her comment but then grimaced in pain.
"You ok?" Hannah asked, "You're looking a little weary lately."
"Yeah, I'm alright. This little one is getting pretty restless in here." I rubbed over my massive belly. "She keeps shifting down and pushing on my sciatic nerve."
"Ugh. Brady did that when I was at the end of my pregnancy." Sarah consoled. "That really sucks."
I shifted in my chair trying to achieve any amount of comfort. So far, pregnancy had suited me pretty well. I only had a mild case of morning sickness through the first trimester and other than that, weird food cravings were the only thing that kept me up at night. If you're ever wondering: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with pepperjack cheese is not as good as your pregnancy brain might think it will be.
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