The Lady Stole My Heart (The Lady is Mine, #2)

by Aimee Nicole Walker

  “Middle of May sounds like our best option. It’s only seven months away.”

  Elijah grumbled. “Fine. Are we having a church wedding or one here at our home?”

  “I prefer here if it’s okay with you. I think our back yard would be an amazing place for a wedding. If it rains, we can shuffle furniture around and get married inside. Does that sound okay with you?”

  “Sounds perfect,” Elijah said, lifting his hands to caress my breasts. “Still tender?”

  “Yes, but they don’t hurt,” I said, wriggling my ass against his hard-on. “Don’t stop.”

  “Never,” he whispered huskily in my ear. Then he slid one hand underwater to tease and circle my clit. “Tell me about the kind of wedding you see us having?”

  It was harder than hell to concentrate on things like arbors and menus while he played my body like a finely tuned instrument, but I still managed to do it in between gasps, moans, and pleas for more.

  “Do you want to hear about the wedding night I envision?” he asked hoarsely. By this time, I was beyond speech. All I could do was undulate my hips and rub against his tormenting finger. “I will strip off your wedding dress and kiss every precious inch of my wife. There won’t be anything between us when I finally slide my dick inside your greedy pussy. I will fuck you hard and fast then make love to you soft and slow until you cry out my name. Then I’m going to come deep inside you.”

  Fireworks burst behind my eyelids as Elijah brought me to a climax with his touch and the vivid picture he painted with his words. Instead of collapsing against him like a limp noodle, I got to my knees and turned around to face him. He was too far gone to get out of the bath, towel off, and suit up for action. I push my wet breasts together and he read exactly what was on my mind.

  “Are you sure you’re not too sore?”

  “I promise.”

  Elijah stood up so fast the water sloshed over the sides of the tub and splashed onto the floor. He cupped my face, running his thumb over my lips and took turns teasing my nipples as he fucked my tits. It didn’t take many thrusts before he painted my chest and chin with his cum. Of course, his inner caveman insisted he rub his dick through his release, massaging it into my skin and marking me as his own. People saw the ring I wore and knew I belonged to him, but in our private moments, he marked me in more personal ways. I loved his possessive nature and all the ways he showed I belonged only to him.

  Once we were dried off and in bed, Elijah said, “About those Halloween costumes…”

  Two days later, I was in the bathroom putting on makeup for my new costume when I felt a slight trickling between my legs. Even though I hadn’t felt it in thirteen years, I recognized it right away. I rushed over to the toilet to confirm my suspicions then called Vanessa.

  “What’s up, gorgeous?” Vanessa said when she answered.

  “Van, I need a big favor.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I need a pad. Do you think you could bring one over? I really don’t want to send Elijah to the store for them.”

  “Pad of paper?” she asked.

  “Van, I got my period just now.”

  “What? How’s that possible?”

  “I planned to tell all of you tonight, but it turned out my menopause wasn’t permanent, and my ovaries sparked back to life.”

  Vanessa hooted and hollered. I could tell she was jumping around. “You’re not playing a joke on me, right?”

  “I’d never joke about something this serious. Can you please bring me a few pads to tide me over until I can get to the store tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be there in a jiff. I’ll just finish getting ready there if it’s okay with you.”

  “Perfect! It’ll be like old times.”

  Vanessa arrived ten minutes later with a variety of options to choose from. “Wasn’t sure if you were talking light flow, heavy flow, liners with wings, or maybe you wanted a little more freedom, so I brought you a few different sizes of tampons.”

  “Things have changed a lot since the last time I had a period,” I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

  “Speaking of changes,” Vanessa said as she looked at the Halloween makeup I’d started to put on. “What happened to your tavern girl outfit? Is she now a zombie tavern girl? I swear, I hope the zombie craze passes sometime soon. Zombie cheerleader, zombie bride, and now you got sucked up in to it too.”

  “It’s not zombie related,” I assured her. “Elijah and I decided to wear special costumes for an announcement we plan to make tonight.”

  “Oh my God. Are you dressing up as an egg and a sperm? You won’t be offering any kind of fertilization demonstration, will you?”

  “I love the way you think, Van,” Elijah said, startling me. “I did, in fact, suggest we dress up as a sperm and an egg, but Maegan doesn’t have the same sense of humor as we do.”

  “I didn’t hear you come home,” I said, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

  Elijah acted like he was sketchy about kissing me with my makeup on, but he couldn’t resist temptation. “I guess it doesn’t matter if you get any of the goop on me since you’ll be painting my face next.” Vanessa snorted and I knew her mind had headed straight to the gutter.

  “Did you have trouble finding what I needed from the state liquor store in Goodville?”

  “That was an extensive list of liquor,” Elijah said, eyeing the feminine hygiene products on the vanity. “Um, has something happened?”

  “The best thing ever,” I said, clapping my hands. “I’m having a period.”

  “I’ll just head to the other bathroom to start getting ready so you guys can talk.”

  Elijah blinked a few times before he said, “This is a good thing? We’re happy?”

  “Deliriously so,” I assured him. “This means I am truly ovulating. My egg wasn’t fertilized so I had a period. This is normal and healthy and good.” Elijah held me tight and rocked me back and forth. “Don’t worry, Pooh Bear, there’s nothing wrong with my hand or mouth.”

  Elijah snorted. “Maegan, I may be on you like a bee on honey, but it doesn’t mean I can’t get by for a few days while your body does its thing. I’m not really a savage beast; I just growl and thump my chest like one.”

  “Fuck like one too,” I reminded him.

  “So, you called Van to bring you some girlie items, huh? You could’ve called me, and I would’ve stopped at the drug store and picked up what you needed. I probably would’ve needed you to send me a picture of what I was supposed to get.”

  “You would do that for me?”

  “Freckles, I’m not one of those idiots who thinks his dick will shrivel up and fall off if he touches a box of tampons. I’m very comfortable in my masculinity. Expecting you to leave the house to pick things up when I’m already out is a dick move. Rule number one: Love your dick without being a dick.”

  I snorted. “I don’t think I’ve heard you say that before, but it’s very catchy.”

  “Thank you, Freckles.” He kissed the tip of my nose even though I had white costume makeup spread over it. “Ready to continue our transformations?”

  Elijah and I decided to change our costumes to Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein and created cute “save the date” cards to hand to our guests letting them know we were getting married on May 18th. We’d send formal invitations later, but this was a fun way to announce our wedding date.

  I was thrilled when Elijah’s family arrived, and we could officially introduce our families. Jack and Brenda were dressed as the Scarecrow and Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. Jack Jr. and Daphne were dressed as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. I’d hoped they would bring Isaac and Will but understood they needed a night out without the kids. My parents were dressed as Sandy and Danny from the closing scene in Grease. Elijah’s dad took one look at Milo and Andy dressed up as Elly May Clampett and Jethro Bodine from The Beverly Hillbillies and about lost it.

  “We’ve decided on a wedding date,” Elijah said once we had our famili
es in front of us. “I tried to get Maegan to marry me next month when we fly west to film the final segment for The Paranormal Whisperer, but she wouldn’t agree to it. Something to do with our mothers killing us.”

  “She’s a very wise woman,” Brenda said to her son.

  Elijah reached into his pocket and pulled out the stack of Save the Date business cards we printed. “The eighteenth of May and not a day later.”

  Milo and Andy looked at each other and burst into laughter.

  “What?” I asked even though I already knew. “There’s no way you picked the same weekend.”

  “March was too cold and unpredictable,” Andy said.

  “April has too much rain,” Milo added.

  “May is just right,” Elijah said, sounding like Goldilocks. “We had a very similar conversation.”

  “Well, we can move our date,” Milo said gallantly. “It seems like I do everything before Maegan does, so I should let her have this one thing.”

  “Milo,” I growled.

  “What? It’s true. I was born first, hit puberty first, lost my…um library card first, and got engaged first.”

  “You have such a swelled head it’s a wonder you fit through the door,” I teased.

  “Hey, my swelled head stretched out Mom’s baby chute so you could have an easier delivery. My head is misshapen from being stuck in the birth canal while yours is perfectly round. You’re welcome.”

  “Milo!” Mom admonished. “We’ve only known the Markhams for ten minutes. Maybe you wait a good thirty minutes before you bring up your glorious delivery.”

  “On Halloween night, no less,” Milo told the Markhams. “I’ll let you figure out which one of us is the trick and which one is the treat.” He blew air kisses then tugged Andy along with him to circulate.

  Halloween was my favorite time of the year, and not just because it was also my birthday. People cast off all the reasons they shouldn’t do something and lived a little. They wore costumes people wouldn’t expect them to wear, and they let themselves feel like a kid again when passing out candy on beggar’s night.

  “I wasn’t sure he was going to make it,” Elijah whispered in my ear an hour into the party. I looked at the front door and saw Theo had arrived wearing a pirate costume similar to the one Elijah was originally going to wear. “It’s a good thing you painted me green and glued bolts to my neck. I’d hate for Theo to feel bad because I wore the pirate costume better.”

  “Undoubtedly,” I said. “We should go say hello to him.”

  “I don’t think he knows anyone at this party besides Vanessa,” Elijah said.

  I followed Theo’s line of sight, and sure enough, Van stood there still as a statue in her sexy, lady pirate costume as she returned his bold gaze with a raised brow. It was like she dared him to make a move in her direction. Not one to back away from a challenge, Theo headed directly for her. Vanessa pivoted and headed toward the library in the back of the house. I suspected she had a lot to say and didn’t want witnesses.

  I looked over and saw April and Violet, dressed as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, were whispering to each other in the corner. “I bet they make an announcement of their own soon.”

  “It looks that way,” Elijah said. “Where’s Candace?”

  “She’s in Europe on business. She’s bummed she missed the party this year. Candy Apple takes her costumes to the extreme.” Then again, Candace was hardcore about everything she did.

  “There’s always next year. Then again,” Elijah said, placing his hand on my flat stomach, “you might not feel like having a big party.”

  “I’ll let Milo throw the party next year.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Elijah said, pointing to my brother heading our way.

  “You win, Maegan,” he said dramatically.

  “What are you—” I reached over and gave him a hard pinch. “You peeked!”

  “How could I resist the temptation?” Milo smiled warmly and pulled me into a hug. “Your nursery is as beautiful as you are, and I can’t wait until my little niece or nephew is sleeping safely there.”

  “What kind of theme did you pick?” I asked, fighting the urge to drive over to the house they were moving into the following week.

  “Atlantica,” Milo said with a smile. “You know how much I’ve always wanted to be a merman.”

  “It sounds amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “It is amazing, but the treehouse is unbeatable.” Milo hooked his arm around my neck. “Andy and I decided we’ll get married in June.”

  “Am I invited?” I asked jokingly.

  “Are you kidding? You’re going to be my best girl.”

  “And you can be my man of honor.”

  Up above, a door slammed loudly, pulling our attention upward. “Sounds to me like Anthony’s had enough partying for one night.”

  “So it seems,” I replied, trying to keep the sadness from my voice.

  Anthony’s shenanigans caught everyone’s attention, but it didn’t frighten them into leaving, and the party lasted another few hours before our guests started trickling out.

  After everyone left, I sat in the stillness of the living room while Elijah slept soundly upstairs. I should’ve been exhausted, but I couldn’t seem to turn off my brain and came downstairs for a cup of herbal tea. I smelled Anthony’s pipe tobacco after my first sip of tea and was glad he’d decided to join me. I knew taking Anthony’s ashes to San Francisco to reunite him with Wallace was the right thing to do, but I was going to miss him so much.

  “I’ll never forget you, Anthony,” I vowed, noting the scent got stronger as if he was sitting right beside me on the couch.

  Two weeks later, Lyric, his crew, Memphis, the hotel concierge, Anh Yang, and I all went up to the penthouse floors of The Golden Gate Bridge Inn to film the moment when the two spirits were reunited. I don’t know what I expected, but there was no obvious paranormal activity to record. There were no moans, dramatic winds, or slamming doors. There was just a peacefulness that washed over the room, letting you know the two men were once again together. An actual shift in the air that made the hair on my arms stand up.

  When it was over, I returned to the room I shared with Elijah. “How’d it go?”

  “It was peaceful and beautiful,” I said in a voice thick with emotion. “Anthony is where he always belonged.”

  “Come here,” Elijah said, opening his arms wide for me.

  “It’s going to be so quiet around our house now.”

  “Not for long, Freckles.”

  THE DAY AFTER WE GOT back from San Francisco, Maegan’s gynecologist called to say they had a cancellation and asked if Maegan wanted the appointment. They advised her to drink a lot of water because they’d be performing an ultrasound to check out her ovaries. Of course, I wanted to be with her in case they told her less than exciting news. I’d seen plenty of ultrasounds on television shows, so I was prepared for them to squirt the lube on her belly and move the device around. Easy peasy. Then the technician rolled a condom on this wand-like probe and squirted lube on it.

  “This might be a little uncomfortable with having a full bladder. Are you ready, Ms. Miracle?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” she said.

  Instead of rubbing the wand over her stomach, the ultrasound tech raised the paper blanket draped over Maegan’s legs and… Whoa, Nelly!

  “That’s it?” I asked out loud. “The wand isn’t going to introduce himself first or at least take her to dinner?”

  Maegan and the technician started giggling. Then Maegan let out a tiny yelp. “No more funny-guy routine. I have to go to the bathroom so bad.”

  “Not much longer,” the tech said. “I’m sorry for the discomfort.”

  I was sitting up by Maegan’s head and couldn’t really see the action down below, but I could see the tech moving her left arm around while typing things onto her equipment with her right. Maegan squeezed my hand, letting me know she wasn’t having a good time. I felt violated f
or her.

  “A few more pictures and I will let you go to the bathroom,” she said and offered a sweet smile to Maegan. “You’re doing great.”

  I dropped an encouraging kiss on her forehead which seemed to help relax her. Once the technician was done, Maegan was allowed to use the restroom.

  “When will she have the results?” I asked.

  “As soon as Dr. Stephens finishes with her current patient and can look at them. She shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Oh, that’s great news.”

  When Maegan returned, she got dressed and sat on the exam table, staring off like she was a thousand miles away.

  “I learned quite a bit from the pamphlets of information they have out in reception. Did you know in some IVF processes they pick out the best eggs and sperm and guide the sperm into the egg? They don’t let him choose his own egg.”

  “He’d probably choose based on looks alone,” Mae said. “We don’t need the prettiest egg; we need the one most likely to become a baby.”

  “My swimmers are outraged you think so little of them and are shocked at the self-hate directed at the eggs you’re producing. You couldn’t produce a bad egg if you tried.”

  “Hopefully, Dr. Stephens will tell us everything looks good and IVF isn’t something we have to worry about right now. It’s an amazing process, but so damn expensive.”

  “I read that too. We’d find a way to make it happen. I’ll dip into my retirement account if it’s what it takes.”

  Maegan sucked in a shaky breath. “You’d do that for me?”

  “I’d do it for us,” I told her.

  “I love you, Pooh Bear.”

  “I love you too, Freckles.”

  “I think I have a better solution should the need arise,” Maegan said. “The deed and mortgage for Bliss House are only in my name. I want to refinance the mortgage once we get married so we both own Bliss House. I know there’s a lot of equity in the house, and we could borrow against it for a procedure if we need it.”

  There was a swift knock on the door then an African American woman with a warm smile entered the room. “Hello, Maegan. How are you?”