Drunk on You

by Ember Flint

I can feel on my skin that she’s still smiling and before I know it, I’m grinning too.

  “I love you so much, little doll.”

  My wife snuggles further into me. “Hmm… love you too...”

  Epilogue 2

  ELLIE

  Three years later…

  I look outside the window at the calm waters of the Gulf, gently lapping at the golden shore, the setting sun shining orange and pink on each ripple and I sigh contentedly.

  We pass the gate of the complex and the smile that hasn’t dropped from my face once since we left the hospital, only gets bigger as I breathe in the familiar smells of the Key, the salty breeze tickling my nose.

  I can’t put into words how much I love it here.

  Puesta del Sol was already a paradise when I met my husband on these very shores and we got so incredibly drunk on each other we couldn’t pull apart for anything in the world, but now this island is more.

  Now it’s home.

  After only a few months of marriage, we decided that we loved this Key too much to leave it behind for Miami or even for New York, where the Conglomerate’s main headquarters still are, so we decided to build our future here, we certainly didn’t lack the space to make our dream a reality after all.

  Damon and Weston still have to travel to New York about once a month, but they mostly try to work from home and have their meetings in their Miami’s offices if possible, so my husband and I are hardly ever apart.

  They dropped the plan to develop more of the island after Cole was done building those additional cabanas for the guests.

  An enormous portion of the hinterland and the beach was fenced in and then the land was partitioned amongst us and the other two couples —Damon and Weston gifted a piece of land to Cole and Fay as a wedding present— so we all could built our dream house here along the shoreline. We all live about a thirty minutes’ drive away from the Sundown Whisper Luxury Resort in a private compound of sorts, each house a couple of minutes away from the next so we can all have privacy and still be near enough to each other.

  We also built guest houses for our parents so they could come and go as they please, but nowadays they simply tend to stay put to be close to our kids.

  I can honestly say I could not ask for more from life and yet two days ago, I did get it anyway.

  I’m lucky, loved and in love just like I knew I would be the first time I met my husband all those sunsets ago at that party.

  The Cullinan effortlessly climbs up the pathway leading to our home, beckoning us from its spot amidst the thick, lustrous foliage and I’m still smiling, tears sliding down my cheeks.

  I feel the comforting, steady caress of my husband’s thumb on the back of my hand and now the smile it’s splitting my face.

  “Why are you crying, babe?” he asks, his beautiful hazel eyes briefly flicking to me and then to the rearview mirror. They linger on our precious cargo, softening a bit and getting brighter before he goes back to focus on the road.

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m all over the place right now, love. I’m so happy, I can’t stop smiling, but I also can’t stop crying.”

  Damon’s fingers interlace with mine and he gives them a brief squeeze.

  “It’s probably hormones… and you’re tired, little doll, so you’re entitled to feel whatever you want and if you feel like crying, cry.”

  I nod, trying to stem the flow of my tears with the back of my hand. “I don’t want to upset you…”

  He gives me a look like ‘are you crazy?’ and it somehow makes me fall a little deeper for him. It’s strange how I think I can’t possibly love him more and then sometimes he does something or says something and I feel a little more give in my heart when I thought he already had conquered every part of it.

  “You could never upset me, El. As long as you’re sure they’re happy tears, it’s fine.”

  I sigh. Feeling just a little bit ridiculous. “Everything is more than fine.”

  “It was the same with Alec, remember?”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  He’s right. I couldn’t stop crying for days after our baby boy was born, but I figured it was because of the circumstances of that pregnancy.

  During our first year of marriage we were surrounded by couples having babies, it seemed like everybody was getting pregnant left, right and center, but no matter how much we wanted to have a little one, no matter how much we tried, we couldn’t conceive. It was heartbreaking.

  We decided to take a break and simply focus on us for a few weeks and just as we were starting to talk about fertility treatments and having tests done on, we found out we were expecting.

  I guess sometimes it’s just takes a little bit longer for no particular reason, because we later realized there was no issue with either of us to begin with, in fact, only six months after little Alec was born, we found out we were pregnant again and with twins no less!

  I wonder what he’s up to right now. Alone he is manageable, if a little vivacious but with his cousins, he turns into a little terror. They all do. Poor mom and poor Regina!

  We left him at home with them — they are basically honorary grandparents for all the children along with Adele, Lucas, Cali’s and Fay’s dad, and Elijah, my husband’s uncle, regardless of degree of kinship and love to babysit, but I can’t imagine the last four days have been easy for them.

  Cali’s and Wes’s little girl, who is 27-month-old and my brother’s son, who was born a month before Fay’s due date and therefor is the same age as little Haven, are both staying over at our home, because Cali and I got pregnant within a few weeks of each other this time around and we ended up going into labor a day apart or so we thought.

  Turns out, for Cali it was a false alarm in the end; the doctors thought it best to keep her there overnight and then yesterday just as they were about to discharge her, she actually really went into labor.

  When Damon, the twins and I left the hospital a couple of hours ago, she was still working on delivering their little bundle and Adele and Lucas are with them right now.

  We had the whole thing carefully planned, but of course when babies and pregnant ladies are involved nothing ever goes as expected.

  We were supposed to be looking after our godson because Fay’s ob-gyn put her on bed rest a few days ago –this pregnancy has been very rough on her and no small wonder, considering what they’re having!– so we offered to keep Garrett with us for a couple of weeks to give my brother the chance to focus entirely on caring for his very pregnant and exhausted wife, but he was barely settled when Calista went into non-labor and left little Haven with us and then of course, I went into early real-labor and off we went leaving our moms stranded with three mischievous toddlers.

  Yet they keep saying they’re all having fun, those women are saints!

  Damon and I were very worried because we had to leave in the middle of the night and couldn’t even tell our little son we were not going to be there when he woke up.

  We were afraid he would miss us too much and fuss, he’s very attached to both of us and we’ve never left him for more than a couple of hours before, but our moms told us he’s been having a blast playing with his older cousins.

  I sigh. “I miss our baby so much! I feel like I haven’t seen him in weeks instead of just a couple of days!”

  “Me too, baby. I can’t wait to see his face when he meets his new little brothers.”

  I giggle to myself, shaking my head as the huge gray SUV slows to a stop in front of our house.

  Damon kills the engine and turns toward me. “Thinking about being outnumbered again?” he asks.

  Every single sonogram since the first told us we were having one of each, but three days ago I delivered fraternal twin boys.

  I nod. “You so owe me a baby girl, mister!”

  He chuckles. “You’ll get one, little doll. I promised, remember? But let’s get these two at least weaned this time around, alright? Unl
ess you want for all of my hair to turn gray!”

  I waggle my eyebrows.

  He smirks. “What?”

  “You would be so totally hot as a silver fox! Yummy!”

  He rolls his eyes and I giggle.

  We both turn around to look at our beautiful little babies, fast asleep in their little car seats, they’re dressed in matching light blue onesies that their daddy rushed out to buy after they were born.

  I’m happy and incommensurably grateful that my newborns are fine, but now I have no idea what to do with all the pink stuff I bought!

  I can’t even give it to Cali and Wes for their baby even if we happened to be sure they were having a little girl –which we aren’t as of yet ‘cause they wanted it to be a surprise– because my BFF hates pink with a passion.

  Maybe I’ll have more luck with Fay, after all she’s responsible for most of the pink crap I bought over the months anyway!

  Well, I guess we’ll see...

  I smile, once again feeling tears slide down my cheeks. “They look so much like you, love! They look bossy even asleep!”

  And they really do: from the downy fuzz of brown hair on their little heads to the brooding curve of their tiny lips and the deep setting of their eyes.

  Damon grins, reaching out to stroke Anthony’s chubby little fist with a finger and then does the same with Alan’s.

  We wanted our kids to have the same initials and were lucky because while doing that, we still got to honor the memory of our dear ones: Alec is named after Damon’s father, while baby Anthony is named after his paternal grandfather —my husband told me he was his favorite grandparent growing up and he had a special bond, both with him and Weston. Baby Alan, our little surprise, carries my dad’s middle name, since Cole already used his first name with Garrett.

  Damon walks around the SUV, opens my door, unbuckles me and then helps me out.

  I giggle. “Why stop now, babe? Want to carry me in as well?” I tease.

  “Sure I do.”

  Damon’s eyes glint and I raise both hands to stop him as he smirks at me.

  “No, no! Stop right there, I was kidding!”

  He picks me up anyway and keeps me to his broad, muscular chest, his strong arms fold around me and my feet no longer touch the ground.

  I laugh, pushing away from him. “Put me down!”

  He turns to look at our babies, probably to make sure they’re still sleeping and shakes his head, making me giggle more and then his lips are lowering onto mine and my laughter morphs into a moan.

  Damon kisses me gently with a restrained passion that makes me long for a much deeper closeness, it makes my heart quiver and my soul floats with every sweep of his tongue against mine.

  There is something in this kiss, something that makes me want to never let go, something that makes me want to stay in this little bubble with him forever, a tenderness, a joy that once more makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.

  Before Damon, I had no idea that such a slow sweet kiss could leave me this breathless this fast and fire up such feelings within me.

  My husband slowly breaks the kiss and gingerly puts me down, still keeping me in the circle of his strong arms, now covered in even more tattoos than three years ago —he added the story of us onto his skin and told me it’s still a work in progress, never to be completed if he has anything to say about it.

  And he still thinks he doesn’t know how to be soft!

  We simply gaze at each other in silence for a moment that lasts several breaths as tears roll down my face and shine in his eyes.

  I feel his inked thumbs on both of my cheeks as he sweeps them away.

  I smile up at him, my hands clutching his neck.

  “You have no idea how blissful you make me every day. Three babies! Three wonderful babies and a wife I can’t stop kissing! I never knew I could be so happy! I love you so much, little doll. I’m still so drunk on you…”

  I pull his head down for a kiss, slipping my tongue past his lips.

  “I love you too, so, so much, Damon. Every time you look at me, you make me feel like you did that night and every time I look at you, I love you more, I hope we never sober up.”

  We smile at each other and then we pull apart.

  He carefully retrieves our napping sons, holding each little cute car seat in one hand and looking so big and adorable with both of them that I can’t help but whip out my phone and snap a few pictures and then film him as he slowly walks the short distance to our door.

  “Ready, love?” he asks.

  I nod, smiling big. I can’t wait to see what Alec’s gonna do when he sees the babies. Up until now, he has been very excited every time we mentioned that two little new playmates were growing in his mommy’s bafflingly bigger and bigger tummy.

  The door opens and our moms step out, each holding a sleeping toddler in their arms, our little boy standing in the middle, looking like he just woke up from a nap.

  I have a small moment of anxiety when I wonder how he’s gonna take this, now that the babies are actually here.

  Yawning and rubbing a fist on his chin he looks up with a face that’s all his dad, aside from his eyes, those are as green as mine, and then he sees us and starts to smile, immediately toddling over to us as fast as his little chubby legs can carry him.

  “Mama! Dada!” he yells excitedly as he throws himself in my extended arms. I pick him up and hold him close.

  “Hey, big boy! Mommy missed you so much!”

  I feel his tiny arms tighten around my nape.

  “Miss Mama,” he whispers, cuddling his little head on my shoulder.

  The ruckus wakes up the twins and they start to whimper in their little car seats. There’s a moment of panic in Damon’s eyes, since both of our mothers are now holding back one curious toddler each and can offer no assistance.

  This isn’t our first rodeo, sure, but the first time we had only one newborn to handle where now we have two, plus, the little sweet rascal in my arms.

  Damon’s CEO, I-can-take-care-of-this attitude kicks in however, and the insecurity leaves his face just as fast as it got there.

  “I’ve got this, baby,” he assures me.

  In under a minute, he has lowered the car seats on the ground, picked up both twins and gently maneuvered them until each boy is firmly but delicately settled in the crook of each one of his muscular inked arms.

  Alec looks up at his daddy and smiles. “Miss Dada.”

  My husband almost crumbles here and now at this. “I missed you to, buddy, but see what mommy and I brought you?! You have two little brothers now!”

  Our baby boy peers over my shoulder and studies both babies for a long moment, almost without blinking with an expression that I’ve often seen on his daddy’s face when he’s looking over spreadsheets.

  “Bebbies… ‘ittle… noissy,” he assesses calmly making his grandmas laugh, then he looks up at me again.

  “’K,” he nods to himself and then looks at his daddy and shrugs his little shoulders. “We pay,” he concludes — again looking all serious and determined, just like Damon does when closing a billion-dollar deal— and starts to wiggle in my arms to be put down as we all laugh.

  He thrusts his arm in the air, holding his hand up to me.

  “We sake…”

  “Sure, sweetie: we can shake on it.”

  “Oh my goodness, I can already see him in twenty-five years, cool as a cucumber, making shareholders shake in their boots in the Boardroom as they wonder what’s he thinking!” Regina exclaims loudly and then starts to giggle.

  My mom laughs with her.

  Meanwhile, Alec walked up to his father and grabbed one of his leg and he’s now looking up at him, big green eyes full of sweetness.

  “Dada hug Al fist…”

  Awww, my darling baby!

  Damon’s lips twitch and I can see he’s once again moved, aside from diverted by our little future
CEO’s antics.

  “Okay, peanut, you got it, Daddy’s picking you up in a minute.”

  My husband leans over to kiss my temple. “I guess they passed muster with him, babe,” he says, laughing as he passes Anthony over to me, so he can bend down to cuddle Alec a bit.

  “I guess they did.”

  I grin as I watch my oldest son settle against his daddy’s free arm; his curious eyes on Alan’s little face, one chubby finger gently caressing his brother’s tiny hand.

  My heart swells as I take in the scene, cooing at little Anthony while I hold him in my arms, falling in love a little bit more with all of my boys just as the sun completely dips into the ocean, turning the waves a dark gold.

  There isn’t a single thing I would change about this moment: our life here is a perfect hangover of happiness.

  Secret Billionaire Baby Daddy

  By EMBER FLINT

  34-year-old Zeke Winston with his wild beard and tattoos might not look like your typical financier, but everybody knows not to let his appearances fool them. Businesslike, sensible and level-headed, he’s been the CEO of his family privately held, worldwide hedge fund company, E&W Capital International, for years and leads the most unromantic life ever.

  Old-moneyed, hard-working, charitable and ruggedly handsome as he is, he can hardly avoid hitting the list of most eligible New York diehard bachelors every year, but he doesn’t think his status will ever change.

  He is the man who can’t be moved until, suddenly, he becomes quite the opposite when he touches love for the first time one fateful night and a curvy fairy turns his life upside down.

  And then she disappears like a dream and now he’ll do anything to find her, but the Big Apple has never been so immense it seems, yet no matter how heartbroken he is and how little he has to go on, he still can never forget her and will never stop looking for his little bit of sky.

  He will find her. He was her first lover, she was his first love, he has already lost her once and won’t let it happen again.

  22-year-old Skye Brighton is a camera-shy accountant laden with more curves than she can handle sometimes. She may be full of energy, spunky and gritty, but she’s very private, doesn’t like to draw attention to herself and she has never known much happiness. Orphaned and almost completely alone in the world, she just got unfairly fired from her first real job, but she’s used to be an underdog with no champion and won’t let this drag her down.