She looks beautiful in a white lace gown with a long veil over her head. She went for the traditional look, as a reminder that this thing is for real. As if I needed any more reminders.
Dan elbows me and whispers to me for what has to be thousandth time, “I told you The Exchange had everything you needed.”
I grin and hiss at him through my teeth, “Dude, shut up. I’m getting married over here.”
As soon as Veronica’s in front of me, I want to take her in my arms and kiss her. But I remember I can’t do that until we’re officially married. As the officiant speaks, I realize it’s almost time to say my vows.
Shit.
I hope I can remember them.
When the time comes, I stare at her, momentarily frozen. But then she smiles at me, and I open my mouth to let the words flow out.
“I know we had a fast and unorthodox beginning,” I tell her, and she smiles as if to say, you’re telling me. “But I don’t regret a second of it. I love our past— as short as it might be—”
At this, we both pause to laugh.
“I love our present, and I’m looking forward to a long future together. I’ll protect you, love you, cherish you. I’ll be everything you ever wanted a husband to be, and everything I never even knew I could be—and that everyone else probably doubted I’d ever even want to be.”
Here, I look at my dad, and everyone laughs.
When we’re pronounced husband and wife, I can’t believe I have a real bride. A real marriage. A real life unlike any I’ve ever known before.
***
We party late into the night, and our reception is epic. Dan and Stacy appear to be getting it on, and they’re not even two of the most sloshed wedding guests.
I’m tipsy, but not too drunk to be turned on by my new wife. As soon as we get to our hotel room, I carry her over the threshold of the door and she laughs.
“I love you, husband,” she says, as I take off her beautiful wedding dress, being careful not to tear it.
“I love you, too.”
I’ve waited for this night ever since I first took her virginity— even if I didn’t consciously know it. Every time I reached for a condom, I would wish I could fuck her for real – raw, bare, without protection. And now I can.
I take her to the bed and use my tie to bind her wrists to the bed.
“We’re going to react the time I took your virginity,” I tell her. “But this time, I’m going to take all of you. Nothing is going to stand between us. Because we’re husband and wife now.”
“What if I get pregnant?” she asks, turning around to look at me.
“What if?” I ask her, spreading her legs apart.
I take her ass cheeks in my hand and spread her ass and pussy open wide.
“Here’s my pussy that I took for the very first time,” I tell her, slapping her ass with one hand while I stick my finger inside her with the other.
“Oh, my God. Isaac.”
I reach up and play with one of her nipples while kissing her shoulders and her back. I take off my pants and feel my cock hard and strong up against her ass.
This is it. I can take her without protection. She’s my wife. It’s real.
I slip my cock inside her and she whimpers.
“That’s a good girl,” I whisper up close to her ear. “Let your husband fuck you without a condom on.”
“Yes sir,” she says, as I watch my cock slide deep into her eager, wet pussy.
I push it in and pull it out, staring at it as her juices gather on it, making it slippery. I hold one hand on her ass and the other on her nipple as I thrust it in and out of her.
“That’s a good little slutty wife,” I tell her. “Let your husband do what he wants.”
“I’m coming,” she moans, as I reach around and slap her pussy with one of my hands while I twist her nipple with my other hand.
“That’s it,” I tell her. “Come for your husband.”
I grab hold of her ass and bear down into her, pushing and thrusting, being rough with her because I can. I can do anything I want to her, now and always.
As my cock begins to throb, she leans her head back against my chest and looks up into my eyes.
“I’m going to come in your pussy,” I tell her, as I feel the orgasm starting. “I’m going to shoot my load into you.”
“Oh, my God,” she says, “I’m going to come again too.”
I feel myself pulse inside her as my cum shoots into her.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I call out, feeling better than I ever felt before, when the condom blocked the full sensation. “I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming.”
We moan together and then fall onto the bed, both of us exhausted after a full wedding day and the best sex of our lives.
“That was amazing,” she says, as I curl my arm around the back of her neck. “I want to do that every night.”
“Me too,” I tell her, looking deep into her green eyes. “And now we can. Because you’re my very real wife.”
“And what if you put a very real baby inside me?” she asks, smiling that devilish, flirtatious grin I love so much.
“Then that would just be the icing on top of our very real wedding cake.”
THE END.
Extended Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
Veronica
I’d been wary about taking this trip. It’s not that I didn’t want to go, but with my mother’s illness and my pregnancy, it is a recipe for disaster. But the doctor gave us the both the go-ahead. So, mother, one year cancer free, and I, seven months pregnant, are in Ireland. And by God is it beautiful.
Mother had been wanting to go on a genealogy trip for years and it would be my last chance to go for a while. My doctor felt this would be the last week in the pregnancy where travelling overseas would be safe, and exploring our roots sounded fun. Obviously, our husbands joined us on this little excursion. Isaac and Dad are both being a little overly protective, though. Treating us like we’ll break at any second. I call it helicopter husbanding.
“Now, Honey! I don’t need you holding my hand everywhere we go.”
Mom gives Dad a fierce scowl, but he only counters with a big, bright smile.
“Oh, but dearest, holding your hand is one of my few joys in life.”
She gives him a look, but doesn’t let go. I turn my head to Isaac, who’s embracing me from behind, his hand protectively around my belly. He’s also watching my parents, but looks down at me when I shift towards him.
“You, know,” I tell him. “You’re hovering a bit as well…”
“Well, one of my few joys in my life is being close to my dear wife.”
He nuzzles into my neck and moves the sleeve of my dress to the side a little, so he can place a few soft kisses along my shoulder. The scruff of his beard tickles and I let out a small laugh.
“Do you find my affection funny?”
His face is still buried in my neck, so it comes out muffled.
“No, but I find your beard hairs ticklish.”
Before he can respond, my parents call us over and we go to join them. We’ve decided to spend the day being tourists, going to all the popular spots and gawking at the Irish landscape. Since we’re in Dublin, we start our day off by heading for Trinity College. I’m most excited to check out The Long Room.
But anything we do today will be fun, since I’m in a gorgeous country with my loving husband, healthy mother and happy— if not over-protective— father. And in a couple short months I’ll be having Isaac’s baby. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
Isaac
We leave for Trinity College, hell bent on navigating the streets of Dublin with a map we picked up at the airport. I’m worried that Veronica is exerting herself too much, but she seems to be in top form and I don’t want to annoy her with all my doting. Helicopter husbanding, she calls it.
We head into a café to take a small break and grab a bite to eat. Once we’ve sat ourselves down and ordered, I ask Veronica if
she’s doing okay.
“Of course I am. I’m not some delicate flower that needs constant attention.”
She crosses her arms to show that she’s done with this conversation. I know she’s not mad at me, but that she just wants to keep hold of her independent spirit. Her fierceness is what drew me to her. But her sexy curves sure didn’t hurt.
Everything about her is so bright and welcoming. When we first met, I’d been worried about my darker nature. I didn’t want to dampen any part of her spirit by entering her life.
But the opposite occurred. My life was much brighter with her in it. And now, a year after our wedding, I’m sitting with my wife and her parents and there’s a little one on the way. I’m excited, but admittedly a little nervous. For the longest time, it was just me, and then just Veronica and me, which I thought was a huge change since I’d never thought I’d be in a committed relationship, although I loved it.
Soon, though, I’ll have another person to love and I know I can get this right. But even with my attempts at constantly reassuring myself, I still have my doubts.
“You seem distracted, Isaac.”
Veronica’s father is keenly observing me. His face is open, letting me know I can tell him anything. Veronica and her mother are chatting away, paying us no mind.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
I offer him a small smile, hoping he’ll drop this topic. But Veronica’s family isn’t known for giving up so easily.
“Do you care to tell me about it, my boy?”
A part of me really wants to tell him all about the thoughts that are racing through my head, but I don’t want Veronica to overhear all these anxieties I’m having. So, I shake my head.
Thankfully, our food arrives and it’s the distraction I need. As we dig in, the conversation quickly shifts. We talk about Trinity College and all the other things we’d like to see while in Dublin.
Last night, we met with one of Veronica’s family’s relatives that we’d managed to track down. Her name is Lily. We speak of her for a bit, hoping that we’ll get to meet the others and they’ll be just as friendly. We finish our meal and finally find our way to the college.
Veronica pipes up, full of interesting facts.
“This room, The Long Room, is what they modelled the library in Harry Potter after. Pretty neat, huh?”
Veronica seems particularly proud of her fun fact and after dropping it on us, goes off to explore the library. She looks so happy, perusing the shelves of books, marveling at the architecture. I let her revel in The Long Room and turn in the other direction to check the space out for myself.
I decide to check out the famous busts that line the room. As I walk around, I once again get lost in thoughts of impending fatherhood. Veronica has definitely made me a better person, but my own childhood wasn’t very ideal and I don’t want to project any of this onto my child.
I go deeper into the library as I delve further and further into my mind. Sometime later, I hear someone shouting my name. I run out and see Veronica’s dad rushing over to me. I go towards him quickly.
“What is it?”
My thoughts immediately go to Veronica, thinking the worst.
“It’s Veronica,” her dad confirms my worst fear. “We think her water broke. Looks like the baby’s coming.”
It doesn’t sound as bad as I was fearing. Still, I’m stunned for a second, unable to move or speak. Veronica’s dad notices this and pushes me in the direction of my wife.
We reach her and she’s steadying herself against a table, breathing heavily. I go to her aide and place my arms around her.
“I’m fine,” she says through labored breaths. “I just think the baby wants out.”
She gives me a small laugh and it warms my heart to see her in such a jovial mood. Another patron comes over and lets us know she called the hospital and there’s an ambulance on the way. We thank her and wait.
“Don’t you think it’s a little early, though?” she asks me.
I see the strain on her face mixed with worry.
“I’m sure everything’s going to be okay,” I try to reassure her. “The doctor back home didn’t note anything concerning. The baby probably can’t wait to see us.”
Even as I say this to her, I find myself filling with some dread. Seven months is a bit early. I try not to dwell on it and we wait for the paramedics to arrive.
It doesn’t take them long and soon Veronica’s in the back of the ambulance. Only one of us can ride with her, so her parents say they’ll meet us at the hospital. The paramedics close the doors and we’re on our way.
I do my best to comfort her. I hold her hand and say all the reassuring things I can think of. She offers me a smile and I know my words are getting through. Even in the midst of this chaos, I’m glad I can be a calming presence for my wife.
We make it to the hospital in one piece and Veronica is rushed to the Maternity Ward. They tell me to wait outside, so I take a seat on a bench in the hallway.
I guess this place is old fashioned; in the US, I know they would let me go in with her. I do my best to try to figure out what’s going on from the bench to which I’ve been vanquished, but the doctors and nurses are speeding past and don’t have much time to tell me anything. So, I sit and wait for Veronica’s parents.
They soon arrive and ask me all kinds of questions and I can’t answer most of them, so Veronica’s mom goes to talk to a nurse while I sit, feeling a little defeated. Her dad plops himself beside me, aware of my current state of distress.
“I’m sure everything is going to be just fine. My girl has got our family’s fighting spirit and she will pull through. I just know it. And that baby of yours will too, since we’re all one big family.”
“It’s not that,” I tell him. “I mean, that’s a part of it, but there’s also… I’ve just been having these doubts all day about how I’ll be as a father and if I’ll be any good and blah, blah, blah. I left Veronica alone. I left her all alone.”
I’m distraught. Getting wrapped up in my head letting all the dark thoughts make their way to the front.
“Listen, son,” her dad reassures me. “You didn’t leave Veronica alone. You were there when she needed you and you’re here now. All parents have their doubts. Raising a child is one of the hardest tasks out there and if you went in with all the confidence in the world, that’s what would be concerning. All you can do is be the best version of yourself.”
He gives me a small pat on the back and goes to join Veronica’s mom at the counter. I think about what he’s said and it resonates with me. I’m glad I get along with Veronica’s parents, even though at first they understandably didn’t approve of our unorthodox way of “meeting.”
It takes a few hours before we get any updates. One of the doctors who took Veronica away earlier reappears and I jump up to talk to her.
“Doctor, is my wife okay?”
The doctor offers me a warm smile and proceeds to tell me the news.
“Everything went smoothly,” she says. “The labor was a bit long and intensive, but we were able to stabilize your wife and the baby was delivered safely and healthily.”
The relief that washes over my person is so strong that I almost collapse.
“We would like to keep them both for observation,” the doctor continues. “Especially the baby, given that she is a little early.”
“She?”
Veronica and I had decided not to know the gender of the baby before delivery, so it’s all a surprise to me.
“Oh, I’m afraid I’ve let the cat out the bag,” the doctor says. “Yes, you are the father of a brand new baby girl.”
A baby girl. I have a daughter.
“Would you like to go see them now?” the doctor asks.
I nod, speechless. The doctor motions for me to follow her. Veronica’s parents try to follow, but the doctor requests that I be the only one to come to the back for now. I leave them behind in the waiting room and go to see my wife and baby daughter.
Veronica
A little baby girl. She’s so precious… and small. I’m afraid I’ll harm her just by breathing on her. And I can’t stop nuzzling her with my nose.
Her soft skin against mine is comforting and I don’t want to break the contact. Even though my body is completely tired, I just want to spend all my time staring at this bundle of joy.
I look up when I see the doctor return and notice she’s accompanied by Isaac. My sweet, sweet Isaac. He looks so worried.
I smile, hoping to assuage his anxieties. He’s by my side in an instant, showering kisses on my face.
“Are you okay?” he asks me.
I laugh because once again he’s forgotten how ticklish I am and his beard is all over my face.
“I’m fine. Look at her,” I say softly, motioning towards the baby in my arms. He turns to our daughter and his tense shoulders finally relax. “Do you want to hold her?”
He nods and I pass her on to him. I watch father and daughter meet for the first time and my heart soars. I could tell he’d been having doubts about becoming a father even if he didn’t share them with me. But the love in his eyes is so immense. I hope he finally feels confident in his ability to be a good father.
He takes a seat on the bed beside me and we both fawn over our little girl.
“What are we going to name her?” Isaac looks at me, waiting for my input. It’s funny how we hadn’t really settled on a name. We threw some back and forth, but none were confirmed. I can see him thinking.
“Remember, that one name?” he asks. “What was it… Flannery.”
I nod. An Irish name seems appropriate given where she was born. I had suggested it because of one of my favorite writers, Flannery O’Connor, but now the name holds even more significance.
“Doesn’t it mean red bravery?” Isaac asks me.
“Too on the nose?” I ask him back, looking down at the little tuft of red curls already sprouting from her head.
“No, it’s perfect,” he says.
And it is. She is.
Our little Flannery. Our baby girl.
Three Months Later
Sold on Christmas Eve Page 29
