“I can deal with that kind of job,” he says as he starts to examine the closures. I chose this kind of dress because with my expanding mid-section, I thought it better to have something that could easily be adjusted if need be.
Max actually makes quick work of getting me out of the dress, and after I slowly turn back around so I’m facing him, he stands there, staring at me in my wedding lingerie, a white lacy thong, garter belt and stockings along with a strapless bra set that makes the look in his eyes turns predatorial. He presses his lips to mine, teasing and licking, sparking heat throughout my body. Pulling back barely an inch, he says, “I love this outfit so much more than the dress,” then he moves to kiss down my neck.
“I thought you might.”
As he kisses a line down my body, he starts to remove his shirt and tie as he kicks his shoes off. Quickly standing, he drops his pants to the floor, leaving him in just his black boxer briefs.
Kissing up my leg, he makes his way to the apex of my thighs, blowing a soft breath against my panties then inhaling. “You smell amazing.” He hooks his thumbs in the sides of my panties and slowly pulls them down my legs before tossing them to the floor. He then comes back up my leg and licks up my slit a few times before finding my clit and sucking on it a few seconds. After he does that, I feel his finger playing with me, and I begin to squirm with need. One long finger enters me, and I gasp. It feels amazing, and I start to pant softly, gripping his short hair, holding him to me as I rock my hips. When I feel my orgasm coming, I release his head and grab the sheets at my side, holding on for dear life as I fall over the edge. Once I catch my breath, I look down at him, and he has a shit-eating grin on his face, still cradled between my thighs.
“You taste fucking amazing.” I have no words for this man. I’m still trying to catch my breath when he kisses me, and I taste myself on his tongue. As he’s kissing me, he kneads my breasts, and they are so damn sensitive that I could almost orgasm again from just his touch. Sliding my hands down his sides, I catch his waistband in my fingers, and I pull them down over his hard cock and ass until they reach his thighs. I lift my thighs up and use my feet to pull them the rest of the way down. As I bring my hands back up his sides, I feel him starting to push into me, painfully slow. When he’s fully inside, surrounded by my heat, he pulls back and looks at me a second before he speaks. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“I love you most.” And with his last word he starts to move faster and harder. His thrusts keep getting deeper and deeper as he moves.
“Oh my God! Yes, right there!”
“You feel amazing, so tight around my cock.”
“Yes, yes! I’m going to come!”
“Come for me, baby,” and I do, with him quickly following behind me with a groan and shudder.
He falls forward, catching himself on his forearms to keeping his weight off me, then rolls us to our sides as we’re still attached. He kisses me on my forehead and, wrapped in each other’s arms, we fall asleep.
A few hours later I wake up, having to pee, my new normal. I’m still wrapped tightly into his side. I don’t want to wake him, so I try and finagle my way out of his tight grasp. I fail, because he starts to stir and then I hear a low growl. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom, I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” and then he snuggles himself back in under the covers, looking like without my heat next to him he’s now cold.
When I crawl back into the bed, his arms are instantly wrapped around me again, and we doze off for a while longer.
The next few days are spent mostly in bed, but we venture out. We have to eat sometime, right? The area is beautiful, and the snow is starting to fall again. As I look out the window, it’s like magic outside. The three days is over before I know it, and we’re heading back to reality in the morning. With that reality, though, is our life beginning together, a new house, and then in a few months, two baby boys. I know Max will be busy with work and the new business, and I’ll have the house to keep me busy. I just hope I’m able to get it all decorated and situated before the boys arrive.
The next morning, we pack the car and head back home. As nice as it was to get away and celebrate becoming husband and wife, I’m ready and eager to move forward with all the exciting things we have ahead of us. We arrive home by lunchtime and take the rest of the day to ourselves, doing laundry and packing some more. Tomorrow we’ll be at the realtor’s office, closing on our house and getting the keys. We have a small dinner before taking ourselves to bed. I’m tired after the amazing few days away with very little sleep involved. It’s nice to curl up with Max and feel loved as we drift off to sleep.
Chapter Forty-Six
Max
Today’s the day we close on the house, and I can’t wait. Within two hours, the house will be ours, and we’ll have keys in hand. Once we’re both ready, we walk down to The Java and grab coffee—well, decaf for my beautiful wife, who claims decaf is only coffee-like. God, how I love to use the word wife. James is behind the counter, and when he sees us walk in, he starts our drinks.
“Hey, how was the trip?”
“Amazing, but not long enough,” Bren whines beside me.
“We’ll have to go back in the summertime or fall. It’ll be beautiful with all the fall foliage.”
“Most definitely,” Bren agrees.
“Today’s the big day, huh? You finally get the keys?”
“Yeah, we’re heading there after we leave here. I can’t wait to have the place officially be ours.”
“I have a feeling I won’t be seeing much of Kat once you all move in. I know she wants to help Bren decorate and get situated. The boys will be here before you know it.”
“I know it. We have a lot of exciting things going on, and finally, they’re all good things. This has been a really rough year all around for everyone. It’ll be nice to finally have some things settled.”
Bren then asks, “So, now that I’m married, when are you and Kat going to make it official? That ring has been sitting on her finger for a while now.”
“God, Bren, really? You’ve got to start in on me too? Kat has officially started to talk about it, and I blame you two.”
“Hey, you can’t blame us just because we wanted to be married before the boys arrive. James, did you ever think that maybe she’s ready for you to make this thing official? It’s been a year since Steph was born. We’ve had another Christmas pass by and a really rough year. Marry the girl already, and make that little girl your daughter officially. You know that blood has nothing to do with it.”
“I hate when you’re right Bren, and what’s worse is admitting it that you’re right. I’ll talk to her and see when she wants to get married. This year has just been very busy, but now that things seem to have calmed down, I think it’s time.”
“Good boy, James.” She laughs at him then takes her coffee and runs to the restroom before we leave.
“You know I blame myself for this past year, all the shit that screwed up any chance of you actually getting married. I’m sorry, James.”
“Bro, don’t blame yourself. Just look at how far everyone has come this last year. We’ve all had stuff to deal with. It’s made us all a stronger family. But I appreciate the apology, even if it wasn’t needed.” James hands me my coffee then gives me a side hug.
When Bren returns, we start toward the door, “Good luck today! I’m happy for you both,” James calls to us as we walk out the door.
“Ready, wife?”
“Ready, husband.”
The closing takes so long I think I’m going to scream before it’s over. I feel like I’m signing my life away, but then again, I did hand over a large amount of cash. After an hour and a half of signing my name and handing over the check, we finally get the keys handed over to us.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Esposito. Enjoy your new home ,” Candace says as she walks us out.
When we are alone, Bren finally l
ets out her scream of excitement as she hops up and down on her toes. “Oh my God! We own a house. I can’t believe the week I’m having. First marrying you, and now this. It’s absolutely the best week ever.”
After she calms down a bit and has two feet on the ground, I take her in my arms and kiss her. “Definitely the best week so far. It’s only going to get better from here on out. I love you.”
“Love you more.”
“Love you most.” I always win when we play this game.
Taking her hand, I lead her to the car and get her settled in the passenger seat before I make my way around to the driver’s side. “Ready to go home, baby?”
“Yes!”
Twenty minutes later, we’re driving up our driveway for the first time as the owners, and it feels amazing. We sit in the car, just looking at it for a few minutes. I can picture us in this house for a long time and growing our family through the years. Finally, I turn the car off and get out. Bren does the same, and we meet at the hood of the car. “You ready to walk into our house?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
She tries to pull me along, but I stop her. “Wait, I need to do this the right way.” I pick her up like I did when we went to the chalet and carry her through the threshold just as the tradition goes.
“Welcome home, wife.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Bren
The house is perfect in every way. The boys have an amazing room, and it was put together with love by everyone in their family. Zeke and Zander have been a handful, but I wouldn’t change a second of it.
Right now, I’m trying to wrangle two squirrely boys into adorable little suits while trying to stay clean and without getting baby spit-up on my new dress. Thank God I can finally wear my gorgeous clothes again.
“Babe, you need any help in here? If we don’t get going soon, we’re going to be late.”
“If you can take Zeke and get him in his car seat, I’ll have Zander ready in a minute.”
Max takes Zeke from me and places him in his seat, getting him all buckled in. Zander, on the other hand, wants to be difficult and not let me put his pants on, as usual.
“Come on, buddy. We have to go. Aunt Kat doesn’t want to wait for us. She’s waited for this day long enough.”
Finally getting the little man in his pants, and then in his seat, we’re ready to go.
“This boy is too much like his daddy—difficult and a pain in my booty.”
“Hey, but you love us.”
“Damn straight I do. Now let’s go before we miss the miracle that is known as Kat and James getting married.”
“On it.”
Max
As I drive to the church with my family, I can’t help but appreciate them. The past six months have been full of so much happiness, and those crazy boys are most definitely the best and worst of both Bren and me. We’re going to have our hands full for a lifetime, if not more.
The second Zeke was born, I melted into a pile of goo and fell in love, then Zander came next, and I was overwhelmed with emotion. Bren did amazing during the delivery and has the scar to prove it. She had a scheduled C-section, a waiting room full of family and waiting for the news of Zeke and Zander’s arrival. Bren was nervous about a C-section but she was more excited to meet the boys for the first time. In the end, everyone was okay and Bren was recovering well.
I was scared out of my mind when we had to take them home and do everything by ourselves, but I was soon reminded that we’re never alone in anything that we do. The entire family was there to greet us and welcome us home, including a welcome banner for the boys and a small party with snacks and drinks. Not everyone stayed around, but Mrs. Montgomery did. Bren was still healing from surgery, so we had a guest for a few days, and I was so damn thankful for that.
Of course, we’re the last to arrive at the wedding. We haven’t gotten the whole leaving and arriving where we need to be on time thing down yet. Bren rushes off to go find Kat, and the boys and I meet up with the guys.
“Good to see you finally marrying the girl,” I say to James as I give him a hug.
“About damn time you show up, man.” Looking at the boys, he melted just a bit. “But understandable.”
We met the minister at the front of the church and heard the music start. When I saw Bren and her smile from ear to ear, I fell in love all over again. When she approached, I mouthed, “I love you” to her, and she mouthed back, “Love you more.”
Cancer free, married, and two crazy boys, our life is complete.
The End
Acknowledgments
Wow, another book is finished, and I can’t believe it. It took a while to get this one done, but the subject matter means the world to me. I lost someone I loved, who I considered a second mom, to ovarian cancer. Llama, you were there for a lot of firsts with my kids, and I refused to give Kat her first Oreo for so long because that was your job. I love you, miss you, and forever hold you close to my heart.
I want to thank my husband and kids for always supporting me, no matter what comes our way, where we move to, and for pushing me to get this book complete and being okay with entertaining yourselves for just “ten more minutes” while I wrapped up a chapter. My family, I love you.
Allison Harris, you definitely deserve your own line. You were awesome, and I appreciate every second that you spent sifting through my words to help me make them even better.
Ella James, without your guidance and encouragement, I really wouldn’t be where I am or know the people I do! So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
My editor, Kiezha, with Librum Artis Editorial Services. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It means everything.
Jamie Davis, you have made my book look amazing. Thank you.
Lindee Robinson, with Lindee Robinson Photography, thank you for the beautiful photo for my cover. It was perfection.
Melissa Gill, with Melissa Gill Designs, the cover design was perfect. I am so happy with the end result. Thank you for making it go with my first book cover so well.
Amber Garcia, YOU have done so much for me and getting this book to where it needed to be. Much love sent to you.
To my beta team—without your notes, suggestions, and support, this story would be a mess. I appreciate every word of notes and reactions you have sent me.
Bloggers and reviewers, thank you for giving my book a chance, and thank you for supporting the self- published community each and every day. If it wasn’t for your support, this community wouldn’t be where it is today.
Readers, thank you for taking a chance with my words. I really hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed writing it for you, the readers.
About the Author
Sarah Stevens is a New Adult Romance author.
Sarah started writing her first novel The Night He Saved Me in her free time while being a stay-at-home mom. Then one day, it started to flow, and she was writing "The End" in a matter of two months.
When she isn't writing, she is enjoying the southern life with her husband, three kids, a Saint Bernard—who is still adjusting to the southern summers and Bruno a rescue dog. She can't go a day without her coffee in the morning—and a few more cups during the day and her late nights writing.
She enjoys reading Contemporary or New Adult Romance and going to the pool or beach as much as she can. She loves all things Disney and collects Disney mugs to drink her beloved coffee in.
Stay up to date with Sarah’s upcoming releases and promotions by signing up for her newsletter: eepurl.com/dFwRgb
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