by Lisa Shelby
“Cameron Marie Holsted, you are without a doubt the bee’s knees. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”
The bees make sense now.
I take his handsome face in my hands and kiss him senseless.
When I finally release him, he holds the ring up, and I raise my shaking hand so he can place the piece of jewelry that represents our future on my finger.
“So, you’ll marry me then?”
“Of course I will, baby. There’s just one thing.”
The fear in his eyes is unmistakable. I pull him up from his knee and ask him to take a seat next to me.
“We have to redecorate one of the guest bedrooms.”
“Shit, did I get it wrong? I swear I followed your plans to the T.”
Hating that he surprised me first but thrilled to pay him back, I reach into my jacket pocket.
“No, baby. You didn’t get it wrong, but I have a little surprise for you too.”
I hand him the sonogram picture of our little nugget. “You’re gonna be a daddy, and we’re gonna need to get some blue or pink paint for the nursery.”
Shock.
He is in pure shock.
“What? When? How? You sure this is what you want?”
“I think you know how and when, Liam, and yes, I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Epilogue
Liam
“Now listen, Charlie. I need you to be on your best behavior while you’re at the Kelly’s, got it?”
“Got it, Dad.”
“I mean it, mister. I don’t want to hear about you picking on Carrie while you’re here. You and Matty need to stop ganging up on her,” I say, knowing that it’s all innocent and that Carrie is just as much to blame. But he’s a boy, and my son, and we always take the high road when it comes to our dealings with the fairer sex.
“But she starts it every time!” Pointing over my shoulder, he says, “Look, Dad! She’s sticking her tongue out at me right now!”
I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know he’s telling the truth.
God help you, little man. The women in this family are feisty, and you better be tough.
“I don’t care who starts it, you have to be the bigger person. Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Emily aren’t gonna let you come over for sleep overs with Matty anymore if you and Carrie can’t get along. You are going to have to learn to put up with it.”
Just like the rest of the men around here do.
“But Dad…”
“Nope, I don’t want to hear it. You got this, buddy.”
With his arms crossed, my little green-eyed monster pouts and lets me know just how unfair he thinks I’m being without saying another word.
Stubborn, just like his mother.
“I love you, buddy. Have a fun weekend.”
He softens instantly and wraps his tiny little arms around my neck. “Love you more, Dad.”
“You wish.”
He smiles and wrinkles up his nose—his trademark expression—and holds his chubby fist out to me and waits for his fist bump. I lightly touch my knuckles to his, and then we both pull back and blow it up with sound effects and all!
“Now go have fun and behave yourself!”
My little man runs away in the direction of Matty and Carrie who have been patiently waiting for him to join them. They all yell in excitement and run down the hall to Matty’s room to get the weekend festivities started.
I can’t believe he’s six. How the hell did that happen?
I stand and turn to my friend who is so kindly taking my perfectly stubborn little boy for the weekend. “Good luck to you, my man.”
“They’ll be fine. Besides, Carrie is tougher than either one of those boys. They better be on their game. She’s a little fighter, that one.” Jonathan places a hand on my shoulder.
“Oh, I have no doubt about that. Women are always tougher than we are. Besides, maybe this is a case of Miss Caroline having a schoolyard crush on my boy. I mean, he is a Fanua. How could you blame her?”
“Liam, my brother, that will never happen. I love Charlie like my own, but he better keep his sweaty little hands, off my sweet little girl.”
I love getting Jonathan all riled up, and he knows it. “It’s not my boy that starts all of these tiffs. Your sweet little girl is the instigator, my friend. You know that so let’s not argue the fact.” My phone pings.
Cami: You on your way home yet? I think I have a situation, and I need your help.
Liam: Just about to leave. Everything okay? I’ll call you from the car.
“Hey, man, it’s Cami. It’s seems there is some kind of situation, and I gotta hit the road.”
“No problem, man. She doing okay after…well, you know after everything?” Jonathan asks, referring to our miscarriage a couple of months ago.
“It’s been hard, but she’s getting better day by day. The bossy side of her seems to be back this past week. So, that’s a good sign.” He chuckles lightly because he gets it. “Really, man. I can’t tell you how much I missed her sass. My wife was not meant to be quiet and closed off. It’s nice to have her back.”
“Glad to hear it. How about you? You doing okay?”
“You know. As long as Cami’s okay, so am I. Thanks for asking, but I’m fine. It sucks, and I wish things were different, but as long as I’ve got Cam and Charlie, I’m a happy, man.”
“I get it, but I know it’s been hard on you too. Liam, if you need anything…I don’t have to tell you but…I’m here.”
“I know and I appreciate it.” I glance back down at my phone, wondering what the situation with Cami is. “Listen, if I don’t get my ass home I may be needing to sleep on your couch. I hate to drop the boy and run, but I gotta bail, J.”
“No worries, we got it. Have a great weekend and don’t worry about Charlie. We promise not to let Carrie do too much damage.”
Jonathan’s standing in his front doorway when I reach my car and yell, “Thanks again, man. We really need this weekend. We’ll take your rugrats any time.”
“Just enjoy yourself. That’s all the payback we need.”
He waves and closes the door, and I jump in my SUV, waiting for the Bluetooth to sync. I pull out of the driveway of Casa de Kelly and push speed dial and call to check on my wife.
“You on your way?” My wife’s sexy voice fills my car, but I’m waiting for the bad news that will explain the situation waiting for me at home.
“I am. You okay?”
“Well, I’m okay, but your favorite piece of furniture may need some attention when you get home.”
Oh, hell no!
“My table, Cami? What happened to my table? Was it Charlie or the dog?”
“Babe, don’t stress. I think we can fix it, but I’m gonna leave it alone until you get here. I’m gonna let you deal with it the way you want to. I know how precious your table is to you.”
“Shit! Okay. I’ll take a look when I get home. Are we all packed and ready to go? Did Beast get to Mick and Alex’s okay?”
“Yep, the old Beasty boy is all settled and doing just fine with the Jacob’s crew. Now, get home to me. We are all packed and ready to go. We just need to deal with your table, and we can hit the road.”
“Okay, baby. I’ll see you in a few minutes. I can’t wait for our weekend away, little lady.”
“Me too. See you when you get here. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
The phone disconnects, and as pissed as I am that my table has been fucked with, my thoughts are only on my wife.
The last three years have been tough on my feisty little lady. We struggled to get pregnant again after Charlie, and when we finally did get pregnant months ago, we were elated. To lose the baby at ten weeks was tragic. Cami is the strength that holds our little family of three together and to watch her break like she did after losing the baby—the baby we tried so hard to get pregnant with—was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.
&nbs
p; To watch her put on a brave face during the day so Charlie didn’t notice there was anything wrong, only to fall to pieces in my arms every night after he went to bed, was excruciating. Losing our child was something I could have never prepared for. But to see my wife hurt so badly and not be able to do anything to make it better was the hardest part for me.
To think when we first got together she didn’t think she wanted to be a mother. Well, the real issue was that she didn’t think she’d be any good at motherhood, but damn if she isn’t the best momma out there. Charlie and I are some lucky dudes to have her to love and take care of us. To see her coming back around and getting back to her usual feisty self couldn’t make me happier, but I want to be sure to tread lightly. I don’t want her to ever think she has to fake it for me.
When she instigated sex for the first time last week, she was quiet and cautious, and I couldn’t tell if she was just doing it for me or if she really wanted to make love. She said she enjoyed it and she sure seemed to, but I still can’t help but wonder if she was just doing it for me.
I pull into the driveway, excited, and can’t wait to get inside and deal with this table so we can head out of town. We have the next two nights booked at an adults-only resort in Cannon Beach. We’ve always wanted to stay there but had never made it happen, so I was stoked when Cami said she had made plans for Charlie and had booked our room at the Stephanie Inn. It was a nice surprise and one I didn’t argue with.
“Honey, I’m home,” I yell into the oddly quiet house.
No crazy little boy running around.
No hyper dog jumping all over me.
And at the moment, no wife.
When I don’t find her in the master bedroom, I figure she must be in the den.
The den that used to be Cami’s library and that she made me change and redecorate as soon as we moved into the house. She wanted me to have my own space, and I had purchased all of my new furniture not long before I proposed, and she didn’t want it all to go to waste. As much as I love the big leather couches and all the decor we bought for my loft…it was and still is all about the table.
The table my vixen of a wife seduced me on that day we went furniture shopping all those years ago.
The table we have used for more than holding our drinks and putting our feet up on.
The table that holds so many sextastic memories it almost feels wrong to have it out for company to use, not to mention our little boy.
I round the corner into the den, and my breath catches, my heart starts pounding at a thunderous pace, and my dick is hard in an instant.
Sitting in front of me on my precious table is my wife.
My hot-as-hell wife is sitting on my table in the same position she was in that damn furniture store all those years ago. Only this time she’s in nothing but a skimpy piece of black lace lingerie, thigh high stockings, and black stilettos.
Cami is known for her heels, but I think these shiny, black ones dangling off my coffee table are my new favorites.
“Hey, big guy. I know we need to get on the road, but I thought you might want to deal with this situation before we leave.”
She’s back. My little firecracker is back. Thank God.
“Well, little lady, if you’re the situation then you know I always want to deal with you.” I casually saunter toward her with my hands in pockets, like I’m not really dying to rip my clothes off and ravage her. She knows me better than anybody, though. She knows what she’s doing to me, but I know she likes to play the game as much as I do. “What exactly are we dealing with here?” I’m standing in front of her now, and my finger grazes over her knee.
“I’ve missed you, big guy. We haven’t played on your table in quite some time, and I think we need to remedy that.” She uncrosses her legs and places her heels on the floor in front of her with her legs spread wide and her hands lying flat on her thighs.
“Is that so?”
I kneel in front of her and drag my hands up the back of her calves and all the way to the side of her thighs where I slide my hands all the way to her ass and pull her gently to the edge of the table. When the corner of her mouth lifts from the sly smile she’s trying to hide but can’t help but show me, I growl and can’t hide what I’m feeling either.
I love my wife’s playful side, and as much fun as this is, knowing she couldn’t wait the two-hour drive to get to the beach to start our time together makes me as hot for her now as I was for her the first time we made love in my loft seven years ago.
“Baby, I don’t think my table has ever looked hotter. The thing is, I don’t think I can wait any longer to remedy the situation at hand.” My hands wander up and down her thighs and then find their way up her arms and across her collarbone where my fingertips trace the swell of her breasts.
Her breasts are barely contained in the tiny piece of lace she’s wearing. All it takes is one finger to pull the fabric down and fully expose her perfect nipples. I bend forward to take her in my mouth, and her head falls back, and her sweet sighs fill the room. My hand finds its way back to her thigh and to my favorite place to spend my time. I find the thin piece of lace separating us damp upon my arrival.
“It seems my little lady is ready for me.”
“Always,” she says with her voice covered in lust. She holds my gaze while her hands slowly pull my shirt over my head. “I love you, baby.” Her tiny hands unbuckle my belt, and slowly she unbuttons my jeans and pushes them off my hips. Her hand starts stroking my cock, making sure I’m ready to give her what she wants. “I need you.”
I know after years of practice, that her on the low coffee table like she is and me on my knees in front of her is the perfect positioning for what she’s asking for.
For what she needs.
“Little lady, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t need you more than I need my next breath.”
I press a kiss to her lips and then rest my forehead against hers as I enter her and hear her gasp.
There is so much more to this moment than having sex on my table with my sexy wife. This is her way of letting me know that although she’ll never forget, she’s made it through to the other side. She’s telling me she’s ready to move on with our life.
To be connected to this woman in this way is something I never would have believed existed before I met her. We move together slowly with her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms around my neck with her hands in my hair.
As we make love, I pull back to look at her.
My wife.
My best friend.
My game changer.
My everything.
Playlist
Wide Awake by Katy Perry
Tainted Love by Soft Cell
Drink You Away by Justin Timberlake
Love Me Like You Mean It by Kelsea Ballerini
Roots by Six60
All on Me by Devin Dawson
Craving You by Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris
Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon
Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran
T-Shirt by Thomas Rhett
Something Just Like This by Coldplay/Chainsmokers
In Case You Didn’t Know by Brett Young
All Time Low by Jon Bellion
Vandalizer by Sam Hunt
Too Good to Say Goodbye by Bruno Mars
Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton
Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line
Spotify Link: http://spoti.fi/2im2UC0
Preview of Gorgeous: Book One
The Gorgeous Duet
Ronan
Boredom.
I can’t escape it.
It usually sets in earlier in the evening, but tonight’s event is less painful than usual.
But, the boredom has set in.
It's no one's fault.
You've been to one charity gala...you've been to them all.
This one is better than most.
Elegant and classy yet somehow different than the norm. The band is pretty good, and the silent auction, surprisingly, has some unique and impressive items up for bid. My assistant can throw a mean gala, but whoever is in charge tonight, isn't too bad either. With Evelyn's impending retirement hanging over my head, maybe I should inquire to see just who is running the show here tonight.
As fine as the event may be, it's still the same old stuffed shirts and money men I see every time I attend one of these events.
This is my life.
The same meetings I attend at work each week. The same workout routine day in and day out. The same vapid women who only care about my name and my money. I seem to be stuck on the treadmill of life, and tonight doesn't appear to be changing my routine. This may be Portland and not San Francisco, but old men with money are the same no matter the city. At least Portland is a bit less stuffed shirt and a little more casual.
With the usual after-dinner monotony setting in and my donation made, it's time to find Dr. Evers, give him my best, and take my leave.
I join the good doctor and some of his colleagues, whom I met earlier in the evening, and clasp him on the shoulder. “Leo, you throw a great…”
My words are cut short by the sudden static in the atmosphere. When I move my line of sight ever so slightly to the left, I see the cause of the storm taking place in my chest at the same time my breath seems to falter. Across the room is a sight unlike anything I have ever seen.
Her chestnut hair is up, exposing the olive skin of her exquisite neck. She's too far away for me to see her eye color, but they're dark. Mysterious. Her smile...her smile is life-altering. She has the adorable elegance of Audrey Hepburn while being sexy and alluring at the same time.
Gorgeous.
Dr. Evers snaps me back to reality, although I’m not sure my reality will ever be the same. "Ronan, thank you for coming tonight. You were more than generous with your donation, and it's much appreciated. I hope you weren't coming over to say your goodbyes. The night is still young."
