She spills onto her back and, grinning, I climb on top of her. “Hey…” she breathes out as we gaze at each other.
“Hey…” I whisper back as I pinch the hem of her t-shirt and slide my hands under the fabric. She’s so warm and soft. And she smells like home.
I tug the shirt over her head and discard it somewhere in the darkness. Then she pushes my pants and underwear down in one motion. Our movements are practiced but natural, perfected by repetition over the years. I’ve made love to her so many times and I plan on doing it for the rest of my life.
When my mouth finds the tender flesh of her neck and begins to travel across her shoulder bone, she purrs. My lips work down her torso and over her belly. I take a moment to touch my lips to her scar. She shudders beneath me and slides her fingers into my hair, pushing me lower.
And just as I’m about to pull her panties down and slide my tongue over her sweet pussy, a shrill scream rips through the air.
I drop my forehead to her pelvis in disappointment. Ugh!
She sits up, pushing at me softly. “She’s having another nightmare,” Grace says, tilting her head in the direction of Bella’s room. She’s already trying to get out of bed.
I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “You stay here. I’ll go check on her.” I get dressed.
“No, no,” Grace insists. “I’ll go check on her. I’m still trying to get her to trust me.” I nod and watch her pull on her t-shirt before padding down the hallway.
A few moments later, she comes back into the room with Bella in her arms. “She asked if she could sleep with us,” Grace whispers, “Just for tonight.”
I smile and peel back the blankets, making room for them. They both climb into bed and Bella snuggles up right next to me. I kiss her forehead.
“Daddy, is Grace my mommy now?” the innocent girl asks quietly in my ear.
I nod. “She is.”
I hear the grin in her voice when she says, “I like Grace.”
“She likes you, too. She loves you.” My wife and I make eye contact in the shadowy room and share smile.
Grace reaches over and holds the girl tight. My heart swells up in my chest as I watch my child cuddle with her new mother. I pull the comforter higher around us and settle in.
Not two minutes later, I hear little footsteps pitter-pattering down the hall.
“Sebastian?” Grace questions with wide eyes just as the door swings open and our toddler strolls in with this bottle of milk in hand.
I rise onto my elbows and roar with laughter. “Hey, buddy,” I say. “How did you manage to get out of your crib?”
He flings his bottle aside and sticks both arms out to me. “Up!” he commands firmly.
Bella giggles as I scoop her brother off the floor and he crawls under the sheets next to her. He spreads his limbs out like a starfish and our little Vitruvian man promptly falls asleep. I've been pushed to the edge of the bed. One of my legs is actually hanging over the side.
I glance at Grace and she shrugs. I can hear the restrained laughter in her voice. “I guess we’re going to have to find more creative ways to get our private time, huh?”
I huff. “Looks like it.”
We lie in silence for a while as the children’s little snores fill the air. Grace whispers my name in the darkness. “Daniel…?”
I’ve already begun to drift off. “Hmmm…?”
"Thank you for not letting me break us." Her voice cracks on the words.
I reach across the mass of sleeping bodies between us and run my hand over her stomach where our baby is growing. "Thank you for giving me something worth fighting for."
Epilogue
Grace
A few weeks later…
(Keeland and Sammie’s housewarming party)
The door swings open and light pours in. I blink to adjust my vision and find Sammie standing in the entrance with both hands fisted on her hips. "Seriously, you two?" she says in irritation. "My broom closet?"
Laughing, I ease out of Daniel’s embrace and draw my fingers through my messed-up hair.
My husband grabs my hand and pulls me out of the closet. “Do I have lipstick on my face?”
I look up at him and give him a good once-over. Damn, he’s fine. No wonder I can’t keep my hands off of him. “No, you’re good,” I say as I reach across and straighten his collar. He grins at me and adjusts the sash at the waist of my dress. “Sorry,” I tell Sammie. “We’ve got two kids running around the house. We’ve got to take our sexy time anywhere we can get it.”
Keeland comes up behind his wife, sliding his arms around her waist to caress her stomach in circles. "Shush. Leave them alone. They're obviously working on baby number three."
She glares at him. “You stay away from me. I just filed a restraining order against your super sperm.” She looks at me with amusement playing in her eyes. “Would you believe this man just got me pregnant again?”
Keeland gives us a radiant grin. “She just took a pregnancy test a few minutes ago. We’re expecting!”
Daniel and I break out into cheers.
“Oh my god.”
“Congratulations!”
“That’s amazing!”
“So happy for you, two crazy kids!”
We draw the attention of the rest of our friends and family. Soon everybody is huddled in the hallway in front of the broom closet, showering Keeland and Sammie with their well-wishes.
I turn to my husband and give him the look. He knows what I’m asking before I even utter the words. “Go ahead,” he prods, “Tell them.”
Everybody watches us expectantly. “We’re pregnant, too!”
Cheers erupt again and I get swept up in a human wave of hugs and kisses.
“This calls for a celebration!” Daniel’s father says as he leads the way into the dining room where a feast is laid out for us.
“Come on!” Sammie says as she follows. “The zucchini casserole is getting cold and I’m not reheating it.”
We all laugh as we sit around the super-sized table. My eyes flit across the faces of the people I love as they bow their heads, allowing my mother-in-law to say grace.
Sammie and Keeland with Baby Hannah at her highchair. Isla and Reuben sitting side by side. Faith holding Maxwell’s hand (at least, I hope it’s his hand) under the table. Jakob with an arm slung around Lily. And finally, Sebastian and Bella sitting between Daniel and me.
Just a few months ago, this gathering wouldn’t have been possible. It’s amazing, the surprises life can throw at you. We all got lucky. We all got love.
And one thing is for sure; Love is magic. It’s the spark that lights your heart on fire. It’s the totem that heals a world of pain. The biggest lesson I’ve learned in this lifetime is that when all else fails, hold onto love.
It’s the only way to your dirty-ever-after.
The End.
(Not really the End…Keep turning the pages to read the Dirty Suburbs Series Epilogue)
(Not-so-quick) quick note from the author:
Hey,
(TL;DR version – Basically, I love you. Thanks for taking this journey with me. Join my readers' group or mailing list to find out how you can get my next book for free.)
If you're reading this on September 28, 2017, today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Dirty Neighbor and the launch of the Dirty Suburbs series.
Today, also marks the end.
I thank you for taking this journey with me. So many times along the way, I've wanted to give up. Being an indie romance author is hard...but having dozens of steamy romantic comedies bottled up inside of you is even harder. It makes you incredibly sexually frustrated, if nothing else. I write...that way my characters make all the slutty life choices so I don't have to.
All joking aside, thanks for sticking with me through the incessant Beyonce references, the self-loathing characters, the typos, the immature poop jokes (and by extension, the anal sex jokes) and all. At heart, I'm just a socially-awkw
ard girl who thinks about sex all the time and occasionally has funny thoughts that I write down. Thank you for reading my books and allowing me to call myself an author.
Anyway, to show you just how much I love you, I have a gift for you. My next series, (tentatively entitled Small Town Bachelors) releases in January 2018. The first book in that series (tentatively entitled Lover Boy) will be free on Amazon for five days after its release. And I want you to get it for FREE. However, I don't have firm dates yet so I can't confirm it with you right now.
So please stay in touch. Join my Facebook readers group or my mailing list for updates, teasers and other book-related fun.
And if you enjoyed the Dirty Suburbs series, share it with your book-loving friends, leave a review on Amazon, post it on your blog, send me a quick email to say hi. It all means so much to me.
Love ya loads,
Cassie-Ann xoxo
P.S.: Turn the page to read the Dirty Suburbs Series Epilogue and get one last look at all your favorite characters ten years later.
The Dirty Suburbs Series Epilogue
Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Ten years later…
Evangeline
"Can't I just wear my flip flops?"
I glance into the mirror and am met by my best friend's pouting expression.
"No, Annaleigh, you can't just wear your flip flops," I reply, "You're the mayor's wife. You have to look dignified tonight." I clasp the diamond necklace around her throat and admire the way it drapes over her black form-fitting dress.
She scowls. She still hates dressing up. Some things never change.
"But there's glitter on them!" she insists, still trying to get away with wearing those damn flip flops.
I smack her playfully on the butt. "Look how hot you are," I tell her reflection. "All eyes will be on you tonight."
I smile at the group of snobby older women over by the Barbadian seashell bracelets. They give me disapproving glares in return. People say that the customer is always right? Well in my shop, no customer has the right to have a stick up her ass. Unless it's made of neon-colored silicone and comes with three speeds. I'm the boss. I get to joke around with my friend if I want to.
Besides, my shop has a reputation for having some of the most beautiful, exclusive pieces in the country. Wealthy clients come from all around to shop here. I've done well for myself. I'm far from the lost and confused girl who offered herself up on the auction block ten years ago.
Annaleigh, however, is still a slobby pain in the butt. "Being the first lady of Reyfield is a drag." She lowers her voice and grumbles. "I probably wouldn't have voted for him if I knew that winning the election would lead to all this trouble."
"Oh, shush...Admit it! You love being the mayor's wife."
Our eyes lock in the mirror and my best friend squeezes my hand. "I'm so proud of him."
I'm proud of him, too. Prescott Brooks, the two-term mayor of Reyfield, my big brother. I was surprised, as everyone else, when he gave up the practice of law to enter politics but while pursuing the Shinewell vs. Town of Reyfield case all those years ago, he saw the blatant corruption in local politics. That's when he decided to jump in and clean things up. It's a decision that he's happy with to this day.
The door to my shop swings open and three little blond heads storm in. "Hi mom!" the triplets shout in unison as they barrel my way and tangle around my legs.
"Hi!" I squawk, tottering on my heels as I crouch down to gather them into a bear hug.
"Hey guys!" Annaleigh greets them. "You guys ready for Tanzania?"
"Yah!!!" They shout, prancing around.
Raphael strides through the front door, looking way too dapper for a man who spent the morning herding a trio of nine-year-olds from school to the doctor's office to Walmart. My old man is a DILF, for sure.
"Hey Kitten."
"Hey."
He slips an arm around my waist and kisses my lips. With tongue.
"Eww!" the kids cry out. I laugh despite the weakness in my knees.
My relationship is going stronger than ever. Marrying my silver fox is the smartest move I've ever made. We're incredibly happy with our three kids, four dogs and one goldfish. Life couldn't be better.
To celebrate our ten-year anniversary, we're killing three birds with one stone, a two-week trip to Tanzania where I will be concluding a deal with a local jewelry maker, Raph will be negotiating a fair trade partnership with a precious gems dealer and we'll all enjoy some time at the beach.
Raph chitchats with Annaleigh as I run off to my office and grab my purse and the documents I'll be reviewing on the plane if these kids give me a second. I kick off my high heels under the desk and slide into my running shoes.
"Okay, Annie. We're off," I say to my friend as I shove my family toward the door. "Be good tonight."
"I'll try she groans.
"Hold down the fort, Bella," I call out to my employee as I hurry out.
"Will do, boss. Have fun!"
I smile. With this herd of boys, fun is guaranteed.
Lily
"I'm about to have an orgasm just looking at you."
Jakob's eyes move to mine in the mirror but he doesn't turn away. His fingers just keep working on fixing his necktie. "Don't you talk like that," he growls in warning. "You know what happens when you say things like that."
I groan and look over at the baby bundled up on the bed next to me. "Ugh! You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now," I say. "How many kids do we have?"
Laughing, Jakob slips into his suit coat. "I dunno. Lost track after the one with the lisp."
I throw a pillow at him. "Chellie does not have a lisp," I defend my second daughter. "She's just a late talker. She'll figure it out."
This is an argument that Jakob and I have had repeatedly over the years. Tonight, he's not in the mood to go into it. "I've called ahead and pre-ordered eight extra large pepperoni pizzas. You think that's enough?"
Grace, Sammie and Isla will all be dropping off their kiddos for the night so they can go have a night out. Since I'm just a few weeks post-partum with my sixth child, I'll be staying home to keep an eye on everyone. It's going to be a full house. "That should be enough," I tell him as I rise from the bed and brush lint from his shoulder. I wrap my arms around his strong torso for a quick hug.
He takes my hand and puts a kiss on my fingers. Then he turns toward the door. "I'll be out of there as soon as I can," he promises, "but if things get out of hand, just call me and I'll come right back."
"Did you forget the speech? Don't forget the speech!"
"I've got the speech," he assures me in a placating tone as he hustles through the living room of the old farmhouse. Yes, tonight my man is giving a speech. When I met him ten years ago, he wouldn't go anywhere near a crowd. Now, he's about to stand in front of a group of people. And talk. In a business suit. He's come a long way.
He stops in the living room to give Mini a kiss on her cheek. "Hold down the fort, will ya old girl?"
She gives him a tired smile. "Please – we all know that your hooligan children will have their way with me. I already saw the one with the lisp circling with her momma's makeup bag. As soon as you step out the door, I'm about to turn into her unwilling mannequin."
Chellie takes great pleasure in painting Mini's wrinkled skin with blush and eyeliner and all the rest before sticking clips and ribbons in her hair. Mini acts annoyed but she secretly loves all the attention she gets from her great-grandkids.
"Just hurry back," I tell Jakob as he walks out the door.
"You don't have to tell me twice! This crazy farmhouse is my happy place. The best kept secret in the world. I miss you all already." He throws me a wink as the screen door swings shut.
Isla
"Clover! Where are you?" I bellow as I hurry up the stairs, securing the silver clip-on hoops to my earlobes. I'm not a big fan of jewelry but this event definitely calls for dressing up. It's a big night for the town of Reyfield. And Reuben and I a
re running late because our son is nowhere to be found.
I shove the door to the master bathroom open and need to give myself a moment to adjust to the darkness. But there he sits, legs folded in lotus position with his fingers in gyan mudra on his knees. Calming sitar music plays and the room spells of sage and lavender.
"Clover Patchouli Barre!" I hiss, "I have been looking all over for you!" I plant my hands on my hips. "We have to drop you off at Lily's house for the night. I'm sure that Sebastian and all the other kids are already there."
Dirty Forever (The Dirty Suburbs Book 8) Page 21
