by Delisa Lynn
As I walk down the aisle, I see Brody standing under the gazebo with Evan and the other guys. I’m last to walk down the aisle. Tatum and Nikki’s sisters are already there. Brody looks so nervous. I smile at my handsome husband, who’s holding our son. I reach my spot and wait for Nikki and my girls to walk down the aisle. They practiced so much.
The song changes to “At Last” by Etta James. Then I see the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen. Nikki walks with Addison and Maddison on each side of her. They have their little arms wrapped in hers. I can’t help but cry. Everyone is smiling at them. Maddison and Addison look so proud.
Once they reach the rest of the wedding party, they let go of Nikki. Brody takes her hand as she hands me her bouquet. The girls wait patiently, looking and smiling at all the guests. They know what they’re supposed to do next.
The preacher says, “Who gives this woman to marry this man?”
The girls look at me and I nod. They look at the preacher and, in unison, say, “We do, sir. Uncle Brody, take care of Aunt Nikki and our baby.”
I can’t suppress my gasp or giggle. They sit with Liam. I knew they could do it. They love Nikki so much. They were so excited when they found out she was pregnant.
As Brody reads his vows to Nikki, I can’t help looking at Liam, my wonderful husband. He’s so damn sexy, and seeing him with all three of our kids makes my heart melt. It makes me think of our wedding day and how nervous we both were.
He sees me staring and winks at me. He mouths, “I love you.”
I smile and continue to listen to Brody give his life to Nikki, the only woman he’s ever loved.
When Nikki starts her vows, I can hear the tears in her voice. She is shaking so bad. I step a little closer to her and whisper, “You got this, sister.”
She stands a little taller and continues with her vows. Tatum is standing next to me. I notice Evan looking at her with compassion in his eyes. This isn’t as awkward as I thought it would be. Hell, I’m just glad he didn’t end up with Alyssa. Tatum filled me in on her and Evan’s past and what Thayer did to her. It broke my heart. She and Evan are perfect together.
***
After the photographer took a million pictures, reception time began. I prepared my speech a few days ago. I’m after Evan, and I honestly don’t know what he’s going to say. I’m not sure I can speak after him. I drink two glasses of wine to prepare myself.
“As most of you know, my name is Evan and I’m Brody’s best friend. He and I go back a long time. Hell, he is the brother I’ve always wanted. I remember the day he and Nikki met. We were in New York at a pizza place, and he noticed her right away. Of course he needed me to go with him to talk to her. I didn’t think he would be able to snag a pretty lady like her, but he did. He was hooked from that moment.
“I’m glad that they found their way back to each other and I wish them many years of happiness. No one deserves it as much as they do. I believe that everyone is made for someone, and no one could make this man as happy as Nikki does. She also keeps him in line. I love both of y’all. And Nikki? Take care of my brother.”
Everyone starts clapping, and I hear some sniffles from Nikki.
Damn, how the hell am I supposed to top that? He didn’t even read a script. I’m so glad he didn’t mention us. I was worried about that, considering that he and I were always with the two of them when they were together. I take a sip of my drink and clear my throat. It’s my turn.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Lila, and Nikki and I have been best friends since we were five. She, Addison, and I were the three amigos until she moved to Ohio, but then I found her in New York. That’s where we met Brody. I can honestly say she was in love from the first time he spoke. She had a date with him and stayed out all night. They were at a coffee shop, and she came home the next morning happier than a bee in a honey jar.” I hear her snort and others laugh. “I, of course, was infuriated that she was out all night with a stranger, but she was on cloud nine.
“They were inseparable and you can see the love they shared. I can’t think of a better man for her to spend her forever with. He’s smart, handsome and a hell of a poker player. Nikki and Brody, here’s to you and many years of happiness. Brody, if she gets out of line, just take her credit cards and she’ll behave. I love you both and can’t wait to hold that sweet godchild of mine.”
She mouths “Love you, bitch” to me. I sit next to my handsome man. My mom took the kids so Liam and I can party with everyone else. He is sitting with Zander, Ashton, and Kade. Megan is dancing with some stranger, and by the looks Kade is giving them, he isn’t happy. I don’t know why they just don’t make it official. Instead, they walk around staring at each other like two teenagers afraid to talk.
“What are you up to over here?” I say as I sit on Liam’s lap.
“Hey, beautiful. Nothing, just talking with the guys. What about you? You ready for that surprise yet?” he whispers in my ear.
“Hmm, maybe. Depends on what it is. I figured I would wait ’til Nikki was ready to go. She looks so beautiful, doesn’t she?”
“Okay, it can wait. Of course she does. Brody is one lucky man, that’s for sure.”
“Weren’t our girls the cutest? They were so excited, and the look on their little faces was adorable.”
“They couldn’t stop talking about it. I had to tell them to keep quiet until the ceremony was over.”
“I love you and our perfect little family. I’m going to find Nikki and let her know I’m leaving. I can’t wait to see what you have planned.”
“I love you too. Hurry back,” Liam says. He smacks my ass.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Liam
I have a huge surprise for my lovely wife. Her mom is keeping the kids tonight. Lila’s been wanting to go to Hawaii, and, with everything that has been going on, I thought I should bring Hawaii to her. With help from Rosa and Megan, our beach has been turned into a tropical paradise. I think I’m just as excited as she will be.
“Okay, so where are we going?” Lila asks as she takes my hand.
“We’re going home for some alone time. I know you can’t have sex yet, but we can do other things. Maybe watch a movie and cuddle?” I ask, knowing there will be no movie watching.
“Well, as you know, Mr. Ellis, I can do whatever I want. I’m all healed, so if you want to make your very horny wife happy, you won’t turn me down.”
“Hell, baby, if you put it that way…we can go home, to the bed, and skip the surprise.”
I laugh. She has no idea what our beach looks like, and if she is ready to make love, we will do it on the beach, under the moonlight.
“I think I can give you a little example of what I can do; that’s if you can handle it,” she says as she licks her lips.
“I can handle whatever you want me to.”
I fasten her seatbelt and walk around to the other side of the SUV. I get in. She stares at me and turns the radio on. “Gorilla” by Bruno Mars starts playing. She bursts out laughing. I start the car and pull out of the lot, onto the long driveway.
“This song is perfect, and so are you,” she says.
She slides her seatbelt off, unzips my pants, and pulls my length into her hand. She pulls my pants with her other hand, so I lift my ass up. I still have both hands on the steering wheel. She cups my balls with one hand while stroking me with the other. Before I know it, her mouth is on me. She moves her mouth up and down while massaging my balls.
“Hmm, baby. That feels so good. You know exactly what I need.”
I put my left hand in her hair and gently push her head down farther. I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to drive while she was doing this, so I pull over. We are still on the vineyard’s property, the main road another ten miles away. I put the SUV in park and pull her dress up around her waist. She isn’t wearing any panties, and she’s so ready for me.
“Jesus Li, where are your panties?”
“I took them off when I went to the bathroom. T
hey’re in my purse. I knew at some point I’d take them off.”
She smiles and puts her mouth back on me. She’s bending over me. I reach around her perfect body until I find her spot, the spot I haven’t touched in almost five weeks, since we weren’t able to have sex the last week of her pregnancy. I love when she’s pregnant; I love looking at her round stomach and admiring her glow, but the no sex part is the worst.
“Come up here, woman. I want to kiss those beautiful lips. I want to hold you. Do you think it will be okay?”
“It will be more than okay. I told you, I’m all healed, and I am so ready for you to take me. Take me right here. No one else will be leaving for hours. All I want is to feel you inside of me. My body is aching for you,” she says as she straddles me.
I don’t have a chance to say anything before she takes my very hard shaft and guides it through her wet and tight opening.
“Do you know how much I love you and love having you on me like this? The day I can’t make love to you ever again will be the day I die.”
I pull her bottom lip between my teeth and suck on it. Our tongues find one another. We make love in the driver side of the SUV until we are both breathless and satisfied.
“I love you so much, Liam. Do you still have a surprise for me?”
“I do. You sure you want to go? We can always stay like this forever.”
I laugh. Then I see headlights coming down the pathway. Fuck, someone is leaving. Lila is still on top of me and I’m still inside of her. I can’t see who it is, but they get a little closer and pull up next to us.
It’s fucking Evan and Tatum. My tinted windows are steamy. I roll the driver’s side window down.
“Hey, are you guys, uh…okay?” Tatum asks, laughing.
“Hey, sweets. Yeah, we are. We decided to pull over here and talk,” Lila says as she looks down at me, smiling.
“Be careful, and have a good night. We are headed to the hotel. Nikki still wants us all at brunch, so we will see you then,” she says. Evan waves and they pull off.
“Well, that was awkward. You think?” I ask.
“Not at all. I like Tatum. She is really nice, very southern. I’m glad she and Evan were able to finally be together after what her ex did to her.” She climbs back to her seat. “Oh fuck, maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought. I need something to sit on ’til we get home.” She grabs a blanket from the back seat.
“Are you okay? Are you hurting? I’m glad you like her. She seems really nice.”
“I’m fine. Yeah, I need to go home, shower, and make love to my sexy man again.”
“Home it is.” I pull my pants up and drive away.
Looking at Evan is still hard, but I need to just get over it. He knows he was wrong, and so does she. I have her, Greyson is mine, and that’s all that matters to me. I have the woman and the family that I’ve wanted all my life. As I drive us home, I silently thank God for putting her in my life and for not taking her away.
***
Lila
The look on Tatum and Evan’s faces when they saw me and Liam was priceless. Hell, I’m sure they do things like this too. Who doesn’t? I think Liam still has a hard time seeing and talking to Evan. He’s done really well, though. He knows it means a lot to Nikki to have us all together. He has a surprise for me, and it’s driving me bonkers. I’m not good with surprises.
As we pull into our driveway, I can see a light coming from the beach. It’s not normally that bright. Liam comes around and helps me out of the truck. He kisses me, hard and passionate.
“Let’s go shower. Then you can have your surprise. No peeking.”
“Hmm, a shower sounds great, but why can’t I have a little peek?”
“Nope, even a little one. Let’s go get cleaned up and then you will see. I’ll call and check on the kids while you start the shower and then I’ll join you.”
“You’re so bossy, but I like it,” I say.
I stomp to our bedroom. It takes everything in me not to look out the window and see what’s going on.
As I stand in the hot shower, I feel Liam’s arms around my waist. He pulls me close to him, my back against his chest.
“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you looked tonight? Well, of course you are always beautiful, but seeing you in that dress gave me a damn hard-on all night. Then, when you wrapped your lips around me, I wanted to come instantly. The things you do to me, woman.”
He places small kisses down my neck. Then he turns me to face him and kisses my lips. His kisses make me feel so warm inside and out.
“You looked mighty handsome yourself. I wanted to rip that suit off of you so I can stare at that sexy body underneath. How did I manage to get so lucky? You are perfect; you know that, right? ” I stroke his length.
“I knew it. You only love me because I make you feel so good with that part of my body.” He laughs.
“Oh, you sure do, but I love you for this.” I place a kiss over his heart.
“Hmm, I love every inch of you,” he says.
He washes my entire body, then his. “My surprise is waiting. Woman, let’s go.”
“What should I wear?”
“It’s on the bed. Meet me downstairs when you’re dressed.”
He hands me a towel. After drying off, I walk into the bedroom and see a bikini and cover up. It has a black and pink zebra print. I put it on and go downstairs, where I find Liam in a pair of swimming trunks, shirtless.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liam
I wanted to make love to Lila so bad when we were in the shower, but I contained myself. I’d rather make love to her under the moonlight.
As I’m waiting for her to get ready, I rush downstairs to make sure everything is all set up outside. I run through my iPod and start some music. The bar and the Tiki torches are all set up. There are two palm trees with a hammock in between them. The bar is set up with margaritas, pineapples, and strawberries.
When Lila finally comes downstairs, I’m waiting in the kitchen for her. She looks beautiful. Since she’s into animal print, I knew she would love the bikini. Hell, the way it sits on her hips, the way her boobs look…I’m ready to undress her now.
I don’t say anything to her. Instead, I kiss her and place my hand in hers. I lead her out onto the patio. We walk out together, saying nothing. The ocean and Luke Bryan playing in the background greet us.
“When did you have time to do all of this?” she asks, wiping a tear from her face. “It’s beautiful.”
I kiss her. “I had some helpers, and I wanted to do something special for you. We’ve been so busy since Greyson was born, and I feel like you never take time for yourself. I know it isn’t the real thing, but close enough, right?”
“It couldn’t be more perfect. I was wondering where all the lights were coming from. Are you going to make us some drinks, or stand here staring at me all night?” She laughs.
“I can stand here and stare, but if I do, that bikini will be coming off soon and that will make me stare even harder, so I better make the drinks first.”
I lead her over to the Tiki bar and help her onto the stool. I start making her a drink.
“Aww, you even have my favorite appetizers. You thought this all out, didn’t you?”
“I know how much you love cheese sticks. Hell yeah I did. I couldn’t do this unless I went all out. Maybe I’ll win husband of the year award.”
“You already have that award and every other award from me. Now, let’s try out that hammock.”
***
Lila
I can’t believe Liam pulled all of this off without me knowing. Laying here in this hammock with his arms around me, knowing I will forever be his and nothing will break us, is so beautiful and relaxing. I never thought I could love him more than I already did.
I thank God every day for bringing him into my life and for not taking him out of it. We found one another again, and that is a once in a lifetime chance. There is no way I would ever give up on
this man and his love, not even for another man. What Evan and I had is the past; I see that now. I’m happy with our friendship and the way things turned out. Life is about embracing love. I’ll spend forever embracing us.
“What are you thinking about, beautiful? You look so serious.”
“You and us. I was just thinking about how thankful I am that you are here and alive, that I’m here and alive. We have a beautiful family and that almost didn’t happen. They say everything happens for a reason, and I truly believe that. I also think Addison has a lot to do with everything. Do you know the entire time I dated Ashton, she tried to get me to go after you? She always had nice things to say about you. I think she knew we were soul mates all along.”
“She always told me you would love me eventually,” Liam says. “Do you remember that time, at that party, when I walked in on you and Ashton? Well, Ads told me you were there and I was hoping you dumped his ass that night. The first night you slept in my bed, it took everything I had not to kiss you and make you mine that night. I have loved you for so long, and there is no way I’m letting anything ruin what we have. No one will ever break the bond that we have formed. Ever!”
“I was so embarrassed that night. I was so glad you walked in. Poor Ashton. He was so determined to deflower me. Addison kept warning me, but she had one thing right. She said if I let you in, I would fall madly in love with you. Here we are, almost seven years later, and we are still going strong. What do you think we will be like in twenty years?”
“I could never stop loving you. I think we will live ’til we are a hundred and we will have three more kids who will drive us crazy and spend all of our money.”
“Three? Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started now,” I say, straddling him.
“I never thought you would ask,” he says. He turns over and we both fall to the ground. “I like it better down here. I’ll start by taking this off.” He slips my straps down my shoulders. “God, you’re beautiful, baby. Tonight, right here under the moon, I’m going to make you scream my name so loud that whoever is on the other side of that ocean can hear you. I’m marking my property. These are mine, this is mine, and you are mine. I can’t get enough of your beauty. Sometimes, when I look at you and realize that someone is beautiful as you are is all mine, my heart sinks.”
