Redeem Me

by Jennifer Foor

“Thanks. I’ve got no idea what’s to come, but I’m hopin’ for the best.”

  We pulled up outside of Cameron’s house of prisonment a couple hours later. Hurling my body over the large gates weren’t as difficult as I would have suspected. I took the flashlight and stood under her window, flashing it until I saw the curtain opening. Only moments later I saw her coming from the side of the house. She took my hand and we ran in the direction of the front gate. Cameron then led me to the side of the main entrance, where the rails were wide enough that she could fit through them instead of having to climb them. “I turned off the alarm, but they’ll hear it if I opened the gate. Come on before they wake up and check on me.”

  I didn’t feel safe until we were in the car driving away from the estate.

  We both sat in the back, her in my arms. I refused to let go until we reached the airport. Cam turned and looked at me so confused. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re goin’ to Vegas to get hitched. It’s dad’s idea. We need to hurry. Our flight’s in an hour.”

  She seemed both shocked and excited. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. This old man gave me his credit card too. I tried to warn him.”

  “I’ve still got my bank account. We can stop at an ATM and get more cash out. He can’t cancel anything without my permission. I researched it online the last time this happened.”

  “Take the card just in case. Be safe you two. Call me when you get back. I’ll come to pick you up.” My dad waved as we headed inside of the airport. Cameron had a small bag that I assumed had clothes in it, while I was going with what I was wearing. I’d buy clothes when we got there. As long as we stuck to the plan, I didn’t care if we wed naked.

  The almost six hour flight was spent sleeping. We both knew we were safe from her dad. Between the two of us we had three grand in cash, and my dad’s credit card. He’d paid for our flight, and a room package online, so we didn’t have to worry about it. I would have never believed that he’d do something like that for me again, but he’d obviously gotten over my mistakes from the past. He wanted me to have a second chance, and all I wanted was to be with Cameron.

  Most people planned their wedding around their careers. They wanted to be financially stable before taking the leap into matrimony. We both knew we were going against all of that by eloping. Still, I knew I’d find a way to provide for them, just as my dad had done with us kids. My dream was to be a professional football player. I’d worked really hard to make it happen, but now I saw what was even more important than that dream. It wasn’t just my love for her, or the fact that she was carrying our child. Cameron was my future. I knew it in the pit of my stomach, while my heart beat for only her.

  Cameron

  I was so nervous, yet so overwhelmed with excitement. I’d never been to Las Vegas, nor had I ever considered going there on little sleep to get married to the man I loved.

  Parker was on cloud-nine, gabbing the whole time we waited to board the plane, and finally until he’d fallen asleep in the seat next to me on the large airliner. I wasn’t used to such a long flight, but appreciated that the sun was rising as we touched ground. I saw the Grand Canyon, before the pilot made the announcement that we were almost ready to land. My eyes never left the window until we hit the runway.

  Since we didn’t have anything in baggage claim, Parker and I were able to exit the plane and head straight out to hail a cab. He called his father to let him know we’d arrived safely, after we’d checked into our room.

  Since the whole Vegas plan had been thrown together, we didn’t even know what we needed to do, or where to go to get hitched. I don’t know what other people in our situation did, but we hopped on a bus, and followed down the strip, taking note of all the wedding places, some even drive thru. It was at that point when I realized that it didn’t even matter. Our hearts were ready to become one. It didn’t matter if we were married by the king himself, or someone that could barely speak English. As long as the documents were signed I would be content.

  We stopped at the next place, agreeing to wait until that evening for our service. After filling out the necessary paperwork, we headed out to sightsee. I had no idea that he was doing it, but Parker took me into a jeweler. He was hell-bent on buying me something extravagant, until I explained that a simple band would suffice. After all, I’d spent my whole life getting extravagant gifts that meant nothing to me. Being his wife was more important than any of that.

  After purchasing two matching white-gold bands, we spent the rest of our wait time playing the slots. I’d never experienced this before, so you can imagine my excitement when I actually won. In the two machines I put money in, I won two thousand dollars. Parker seemed like he was shocked. He said his parents never won anything when they’d come here on vacation.

  Since I’d won what we both considered big, we went out and splurged on something nice to wear for our nuptials. I picked a white dress that did little for my growing baby bump, while Parker chose a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt. We knew they’d take pictures for us, and at least wanted to look nice in them.

  Finally, after a full day and little sleep, we held hands and walked back into the wedding establishment. With strangers as our witnesses, Parker and I were married. It was amazing that it was all it took to get hitched, but I couldn’t have been more excited.

  Less than an hour after our ‘I do’s’, he was lifting me up and carrying me inside of our room. I stood there, in the little white maternity dress, watching my husband approach me with determined eyes that I knew so well.

  Weeks had passed since my hospital visit, enough that we were sure it was safe if we took our time. I hadn’t bled since a couple days after leaving the hospital, and after that my last doctor visit assured me that baby number two wasn’t in any danger. I was still supposed to take it easy, but made the call just to be sure. I think the doctor was a little shocked at me ringing her from Las Vegas, asking if it was safe to sleep with Parker on our wedding night.

  Still, I think we were both still nervous about it.

  Parker pulled the dress over my head. He sat it to hang on a chair, while unfastening my bra. His eyes never left mine as he pulled my panties off at my feet. I yearned to be with him, and there was no denying that he wanted the same. He looked hungry, like he was starving for intimacy. I could relate feeling that same pull to experience what it was like to make love to my husband.

  We weren’t used to not being able to have sex. Admittedly, this felt like it was the perfect moment to get back in the game. I backed up on the bed, watching Parker slowly remove his clothes. He kicked off his pants and boxers together, before joining me on the mattress. I gasped when he leaned in for our first full kiss. His lips, so tender, caressed mine. Waves of emotions filled my senses as our tongues began to dance so synchronized. Our hands connected, intertwining together. Parker flipped us over, so that I was lying overtop of him. I could feel his eagerness, and wanted nothing more than to be filled with his stiff erection. “Make love to me.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you. You’re too important. We can wait for that if we need to.”

  “The doctor said it’s fine. Please. You can be gentle.”

  He lifted me up off the bed, pulling me into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, pulling me inside before I could oppose. From there he pulled me into his strong arms. His muscles flexed as he pulled me into his kiss. I savored his tongue, and the way the water tasted as it splashed over our faces.

  While the hunger continued to build, I couldn’t control my own actions. I hadn’t meant to be so aggressive, but I couldn’t remember ever wanting him so badly. “I’m so horny.” I shoved him against the hard tiled wall, breaking the distance between us. “If you won’t make love to me, then I’ll just have to find a way to change your mind.”

  I dropped to my knees, taking him in one of my hands and shoving it between my lips. His smooth skin filled my mouth as I bobbed my head, while sucking with medium force. Parke
r dug his hands into my hair and left them there as I worked on giving him pleasure. I placed my thumb on the main vein that seemed to be a sensitive area. As I stroked it with pressure, I could feel him reacting. He pulled away from me, lifting me up to face him. “Kiss me.”

  I did as he requested, knowing he’d stopped me so he didn’t finish too soon. Parker moved gradually down my body, kissing and licking me in all the right places. He stopped momentarily at my nipples, sucking them hard enough to where I cried out. He pinned my arms above my head, spinning me around and slapped on the base of my pussy. I leaned my forehead against the tile, feeling the throbbing beginning. It wasn’t just the slapping that I liked. The burn of that kind of action made my knees weak. He shoved his finger inside of my ass, and then pulled it out abruptly. I cried out, waiting for him to do it again. The second time I felt him crouching down lower, until his mouth was on my pussy. He rubbed my ass, while sucking on my lower lips. I rocked my bottom over his mouth, allowing his tongue to traipse over my clit. I’d waited too long for this kind of attention. As much as I wanted it to last, I cried out, losing myself to my own orgasm. Parker’s face lingered over my pussy, placing small kisses all over the outside. He steadied me when he stood and pulled me against his body. I watched him lick his lips as he began to talk. “I love makin’ you cum. It felt good didn’t it?”

  I nodded, unable to talk as my lips brushed over his. “I want more,” I admitted mid-kiss.

  When he started to crouch back down I closed my eyes. I couldn’t watch him licking my clit without losing immediate control over myself again. I needed to savor the way it slid over my wet skin, and the sounds he made as he was sucking up the remainder of my last orgasm.

  By the time we’d made it to the bed, I could still feel my pussy quivering. Little touches caused me to jump, and his kisses only left me craving more. I didn’t know what had come over me. Here I was, feeling so horny that I couldn’t even stand up. Parker ran his hand over my little baby bump. I felt like I looked fat and tried to cover up, but he tore down the blankets. “Don’t. You’re so sexy. That’s my baby in there. We made that together, and I’ll never be ashamed. I love you, Cameron Hutchinson. Nobody will ever come between us again. I promise.”

  We made love, slow, but passionately together. After we’d both climaxed, we fell asleep with our bodies mangled together. I didn’t care that we were in a city that never sleeps. I was exactly where I wanted to be, in bed with my husband.

  I held my hand up and looked at the band on my finger. I belonged to Parker, and we were going to make our own future. I didn’t have to be a lawyer. The window of opportunity was open, and with all of my extra studies, I have plenty of options. For now, we were safe. We’d have the whole summer to figure out school, and what would come next.

  Chapter 32

  Parker

  There hadn’t been another time in my life where I felt so happy. She was safe in my arms, her belly a reminder of what we were fighting so hard to protect. When we’d return home there was nothing her father could do to tear us apart. He could have me arrested for a crime I didn’t commit. He could take football away from me, but he’d never take them; my wife and our unborn child.

  After all, he was just a man. He’d never know what it felt like to have a family that loved with their whole hearts. He wouldn’t know what it felt like to love his child so much that he’d let them make their own mistakes, just because he knew he’d be there to pick up the pieces if it didn’t work out. I was going to be that dad, and my baby was going to have the world at their feet.

  It wasn’t surprising that Cam and I spent the remainder of our trip in bed. We ordered room service, and ate it in the nude. We spent hours talking about the past, and how the twins had impacted my life. I can’t even explain how good it felt to have her comfort me. I’d been so afraid that I’d lose her, and maybe I would have had it not been for the brutal mistakes of her parents. Maybe if Cam had two loving parents she would have left me a long time ago. In a way I was thankful that they were such assholes, because it allowed me to continue to have her heart.

  Once we returned from Vegas, we went back to life as usual. We drove together back to the college and took our exams with all of our classmates. With summer upon us, we moved into the beach house, which was a lot more comfortable for my pregnant wife. I wasn’t too far that I couldn’t still work for my dad and uncle to save up, so that we could find a place that we could raise our child in.

  After the sonogram, we discovered that we were expecting a little girl. It was bittersweet for me, experiencing all of this for the first time, even though I knew I could have done it before. This was my second chance, and I was determined not to mess it up.

  By July, we’d found a little rancher near my parents. It was a ten minute drive to Shayne and Ashley’s house, and about twenty minutes away from Peyton and Jamey. On the weekends we’d all head to the beach. My mom and the females would cook, while us guys watched the kids. I couldn’t wait to see my little girl come into the world, but appreciated that I had the opportunity to bond with the twins. I knew they belonged to my brother, but they would forever have a special place in my heart. I’d promised to be the best uncle that they could ever want, and if anything happened to their parents, Cameron and I would make sure they were taken care of.

  Shayne and I bonded, probably more than we had in the past. I’d like to think that somehow Cameron had been the reason. Indirectly she’d showed him and Ashley that they had nothing to worry about. My parents couldn’t have been more excited being surrounded by all of us. It really was a special time in our lives that none of us would ever forget.

  Three months after our marriage, my parents threw us a reception. Cameron was so pregnant that I was sure she was going to explode. Nothing could have prepared either of us for when we started opening our gifts afterwards. A card with only our names on the front was one of the last things we opened. I’d got up to get a drink, and heard Cameron gasp. She had a hand up to her face, as if she was in shock. “You’re not going to believe this, babe.”

  “What?”

  “This is from my parents. It’s a check for a hundred and fifty grand.”

  “No shit. Is there a note?”

  “Yeah, it says…

  Dear Cameron,

  Your mother and I have given you the space and time that you asked for. We’ve respected your decision to marry Parker, and have the child. While it upsets us, we do realize that it is your life to live. Please accept this gift as a wedding present. We hope you’ll use it to get a house that you can start out in. As our only child we do hope you’ll allow us to see our grandchild. When you’re ready you know how to get in contact with us.

  Love,

  Dad and Mom”

  Cameron stared at me, waiting for my response. Honestly, I was in shock. Her parents had made it clear that they despised me. It was obvious they missed their daughter, but I couldn’t trust them. “Babe, I’ll do whatever you think, but just know that I’m still not over what they did to us. It’s goin’ to take me more time to get over somethin’ like that.”

  She nodded. “I agree. I think they should suffer for a while longer.”

  It was the easiest decision that we’d made so far as a couple. The next one was picking out a starter house that we could raise our daughter in. That also came pretty easy when the landlord we were renting from agreed to sell us the house. Since it needed some work, he gave a us a great price. Two months went by before it was legally ours, but at least we didn’t have to leave with Cameron being so pregnant.

  Our daughter, Freya, was born on a Thursday morning. Like my sister Peyton, Cameron invited the whole family to be in the room. As reluctant as I was, I’d changed my mind soon after when she started freaking out from the pain. I knew I needed my mom and sister to comfort her in ways that only they knew how. Shayne stood alongside of me, watching and waiting. Finally, when it came time to push I couldn’t take my eyes off of what was happening. I
don’t even know if I blinked during the whole process of watching my daughter come into the world.

  Then, after cutting the cord, she was placed in my arms. The world stopped spinning, as I looked down into those opened eyes. I’d already loved her, but this was unexplainable. This was the most beautiful little thing I’d ever seen in my life, and she was all mine. “Hello there, little girl. I’m your daddy. Yes I am,” I spoke like a child, making my voice high-pitched. “I love you so much.”

  I reached over and placed the little princess in her mother’s waiting arms. Cam looked toward me, just as I leaned down for a kiss. “We did it, babe. She’s perfect.”

  “I know,” I agreed.

  The family passed her around until they’d all had a turn, and then finally we were all alone. I looked down at my two girls, and felt like I was the luckiest man in the world.

  Cameron

  Sometimes I felt bad about Parker losing his scholarship because of what happened. Even though he said it no longer mattered, I did my best to try to make him proud of what we did have. While I was still pregnant with Freya, he’d tried out for the Baltimore Ravens. They kept him on until the first preseason game and then cut him. I know it broke his heart, but some of the coaches had asked him to come back next season. They’d even given him pointers on what he had to work on.

  In the meantime, Parker focused on working with his dad, which also helped them rebuild their once broken relationship. Once our daughter was born, he changed. Even though he still worked out, I found that he spent more time with Freya than he did on anything else. From the moment he arrived home from work at night, she was his main focus. It helped me out since I was still working on getting my degree in teaching. With two more semesters left, I had a ton of studying ahead of me.

  I never would have pegged my life changing so drastically. Given everything that we’d dealt with, I had to say we were pretty blessed. It was amazing how his family treated me like I was blood. Even though it took me a while, I was even beginning to build a relationship with Ashley. Sometimes I still have difficulties seeing the twins as being Shayne’s children, but I never made it obvious. If Parker was happy with the way life was, it wasn’t my place to voice an opinion. No matter what, we were all family. We’d be able to watch them grow up, and celebrate every event in their life. Had they been put up for adoption that never would have happened.