by Amanda Black
“What do you want, Logan?” I whispered, my voice stuck in my throat. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he was making me worry with his serious tone.
“What I want is for you to be my wife, for the rest of our lives.”
“What?” I gasped, watching as he reached behind him under the edge of the blanket and pulled out a little velvet box. He slowly opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond solitaire in a platinum setting.
“Marry me, Eden. I know it sounds insane, but I just don’t work without you. I don’t even want to try.”
“But…what about college? Where would we live? There’s no way either of us could handle a full-time job and keep our grades up.”
“We wouldn’t have to. Listen, I haven’t gone into this lightly. I’ve tried to look at it from every angle, and my parents are willing to help us out as long as we stay in school.”
“Help us, how?” I asked, still staring at the diamond ring, as if it might be a mirage if I looked away.
“They own a condo in Chicago, not very far from the school. They’ve had it for years, and it sits there empty most of the year. They’ve agreed to let us live there while we go to school. We wouldn’t owe any rent because it’s already paid for, and we would actually save everyone a lot of money by avoiding all the extra room and board fees.”
“They’re actually okay with this?” I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“They are now. It took a while; I’ve been working on them for weeks. They’re still not thrilled with the idea of us marrying so young, but they know I’m dead serious about it, and I won’t change my mind. I guess they figure that at least with their help, we might have a decent chance of staying in school.”
“How did you convince them?” I asked in a daze, unable to believe I was really having this conversation—it felt so surreal.
“The same way I convinced your parents.”
“They know already?!”
“Of course. You didn’t think I would ask for your hand in marriage without asking their permission first, did you? I wanted to make sure that they were on board before I popped the question.”
“That’s why Dad was acting so weird earlier, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I thought he was going to slip up and ruin the surprise for a second there.”
“So what did you say to them? How did you manage to get them on your side?”
“Well, it’s not that they’re on my side as much as they believe I’ve thought this through carefully. I went to them and explained what I wanted and my parents’ offer of the condo. I told them we both wanted to live together and that I would much rather do it with you as my wife. I said that whether we got married now or four years from now when college is over, I still have every intention of it happening, so I didn’t see any reason why we should wait. I have no interest in dorm parties and joining a fraternity or meeting new girls. I told them that I was only interested in two things: graduating college and starting my life with you, and I want to do both as soon as possible.”
“And what did they say?” Somehow I choked the words out around my tears.
“Believe it or not, they were actually easier to convince than my parents. I don’t think they were very happy about it because we haven’t even started college yet, but they allowed me to state my case. When I was finished, your mom cried a little but said not to worry because they were happy tears; she actually helped me pick out the ring. Your dad told me that he wasn’t really that surprised; he said that he knew we would end up together the first time he met me. He said that he was proud of me for putting so much thought into it, and that he respected the fact that I came to him first. He didn’t say it, but I think he’s happy that I want to get married before we live together. I know it’s old-fashioned, but I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why should I wait to make you mine forever?”
He reached out and set the ring box in the palm of my hand.
“This is really happening, isn’t it?” I was blown away by everything he’d just shared with me.
“It is if you’ll have me. Will you have me, Eden? Will you make all of my dreams come true and marry me?”
“But…we’re naked!”
“What?” he asked, shaking with laughter.
“I can’t believe you just said the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard and we’re both sitting here buck naked!” I leaned forward and slapped his arm. “What kind of an engagement story is that to tell people?”
“You don’t have to mention the naked part,” he said with a smile. “Besides, this way you’ll always remember it.” He scooted closer and kissed me sweetly on the lips. “Does this mean you’re saying yes?”
“I don’t know…why don’t we see if the ring fits first?”
“You live to be a pain in my ass, don’t you?” he chuckled as he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it over my third finger. Of course it was a perfect fit—just like Logan.
“I sure do. I’m going to be a pain in your ass for the rest of your life.”
“Is that a yes?” His eyes had grown as big as saucers and he was holding his breath.
I nodded quickly, wiping at my tears. “Yes, Logan. You’re the only life that I ever want to know.”
He let out a loud whoop and threw his arms around me, tackling me down to the ground. We covered each other with kisses that quickly turned passionate, and when I opened my eyes again he was looking down at me as he placed himself at my entrance.
“I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me,” he panted between kisses. “But I can show you the benefit of naked engagements.” With that, he slid deep inside me and proceeded to prove his point.
Very, very well.
Chapter 33
What’s worse than having Amy plan your prom?
Having Amy plan your wedding.
I wasn’t stupid; I knew it was going to be a pain in the ass, but I also knew that nobody else in the world could throw together a function as fast as Amy Andrews. Whenever my aunt Emma made it into town on the weekends they would team up and their wondrous powers would unite.
It was kind of scary.
We only wanted a small get-together at my grandparents’ house, since they had an enormous backyard. We didn’t want to go crazy, but I had absolutely no idea where to start and we wanted to have it in August before we went away to school. Therefore, I enlisted the help of Satan once again, making her swear on a smoking bible that she wouldn’t let things get so crazy this time. Silly me.
I had to give her credit—she was much more mindful of price this time, although Douglas and Nora sat down with my parents and me before we started planning and explained that they would be happy to cover any expense that we couldn’t handle. They told us they wanted to pay for the whole thing, knowing how hard it might be to arrange some last minute details, but that Logan had insisted that they must not leave my parents out and consult with them first.
Once the entire thing was greenlit, I brought in Amy and Zoe—Amy to plan and Zoe to keep Amy in line. Of course, I’d had to spend nearly an hour swearing up and down that I wasn’t pregnant when I told them.
“Bullshit, Eden,” Zoe had barked over our food at the diner, shaking her head at me. “No way you aren’t knocked up.”
“Keep your voice down!” I said, looking around our table quickly.
“Just admit it, Eden,” Amy whispered. “We want to be there for you, but we can’t plan this properly if we don’t know what to expect. I can’t have you in a skin tight dress if you’re going to have a five-month bump by August.”
“Guys, I’m serious! We’re always careful.”
“Oh, come on!” Zoe groaned. “The only two reasons a girl gets married at eighteen are because she’s saving herself for marriage and her boyfriend’s sick of waiting, or she’s got a bun in the oven. Now, I know for a fact you’re not a blushing bride, so you might as well just tell us when you’re due.”
“I
t’s really not like that. Logan just knows what he wants and doesn’t want to wait. He had to convince us all, including me, but I can’t imagine not being with him forever. The more it sinks in, the more excited I am to start my life with him. However…” I stressed, looking back and forth at them. “I’m not ready to have kids yet. I’d like to be out of college first.”
“Thank God,” Zoe sighed. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said since we sat down.”
“I think it’s all romantic,” Amy said with a dreamy look in her eye. “Now that we know it isn’t because you have to, this wedding sounds like a fairy tale!”
“Well, I’m happy to hear you’re on board, but I don’t want to be walking down the aisle at Disneyland, okay? I just want a small, tasteful ceremony for family and close friends.”
“No, no, no, I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said excitedly, waving her hands around in the air. “Oh my God, we have so much to do! We should discuss colors first—no, wait! Your dress! No—the cake!”
Zoe simply shook her head and arched her eyebrow at me, silently asking if I realized what I had just unleashed upon the world.
Somehow we made it through without too many scratches, although I was sorry to realize that some important moments fell by the wayside as a consequence. I barely remembered graduation; it was just another day among all the crazy wedding plans, except I wore a stupid cap and gown and listened to some boring speeches. I felt bad when I looked back on it, knowing that it should have been a bigger deal and in any other life in which I wasn’t planning to get married, it would have been.
Devon still had an ultimate graduation party at his house, however, with just about the entire class crammed in his basement and spilling into his back lawn. He and Owen sat Amy down and made her promise to leave all planning books and bridal magazines at home for one night, or else they wouldn’t allow her to come. When she huffed and tried to pout, Owen actually put his foot down and told her that he wouldn’t be taking her anywhere anymore if she couldn’t give them at least one night to just have fun and be young.
I loved that damn stoner.
Logan and I enjoyed the party, playing games and chatting with friends late into the night. We decided to make ourselves scarce when they started playing the Single Game again, choosing instead to slip away unseen into the closet that had been the scene of our very own seven minutes in heaven.
“I can’t believe I finally have you back here,” he whispered against my ear in the dark. He seemed to want to recreate our first encounter, because the first thing he’d done after locking the door was turn out the light.
“We hang out in this basement all the time. If you wanted to get me back in here so badly, why did you wait until now?”
“It’s usually just the six of us. That makes it a lot harder to sneak away.”
“You want to be naughty at a party again, don’t you?” I giggled.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, his voice growing husky. He backed me up against the wall of shelves, pinning me against it with his hard body. “Only this time, I know what I’m doing—and I have no intention of coming in my pants in thirty seconds.”
“Oh, really?” I panted against his hot mouth.
He slid his hands down underneath my skirt and grabbed my ass, lifting me up to perch me on the shelf. My legs wrapped around him automatically, where they were meant to be. I felt his hand reaching between us, cupping me against my underwear.
“Believe me,” he growled, “the only one coming in thirty seconds around here is you.” With that, his fingers slipped under the material and began stroking my wet flesh, knowing exactly where and how to touch me.
“Oh, shit!” I cried out, burying my face against his neck.
“Quiet, baby,” he whispered, unable to hide the smirk in his voice. “You don’t want everyone to hear, do you?” I dug my teeth into his collarbone after the first tremor shot through me. “Better keep it down, or else everyone will know what a dirty girl you really are.” I started shaking more violently, feeling his touch so deep. I bit down harder, eliciting another delicious growl from him. “That’s it, baby. Come for me.”
I was there before he even said the words, shattering into a thousand pieces and doing my best to keep from screaming. The next thing I knew, Logan was unzipping his jeans and pulling my panties to the side, groaning deeply as he pushed inside me.
“Oh, God,” he gasped. “I shouldn’t have said I’d last longer than thirty seconds…you feel fucking amazing.” He ended his sentence with a deep thrust, pushing me harder into the shelves. It hurt where the wood dug into my back, but the pain was oh-so worth it.
“Don’t stop!” I panted, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer for a fiery kiss. We moved against each other, grinding together furiously in our tight, enclosed space. His hands dug into my ass roughly as he pulled me harder against him, and I could feel every thrust and drag of him inside me.
Neither one of us lasted very long, Logan only managing to hang on until he felt my body beginning to squeeze him. We both rode out our releases with awkward fumblings and muffled curses, clinging to each other in the dark. When we finally caught our breath he slowly lowered me to the ground, helping to steady me as I stood on wobbly legs.
I took a few steps and winced at the squishy feeling between my legs. Logan chuckled sheepishly and ran his hands through his hair.
“Sorry, baby; I should have brought a towel or something for you to clean up with. I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.”
“No biggie,” I sighed. “Now that I think about it, I kinda like the thought of walking around like this and nobody knowing but you.”
Okay, I intended to go straight to the bathroom and take care of things, but the notion was still sexy.
“Jesus, baby,” he exhaled loudly. “How the hell do you keep finding ways to drive me insane? Now I have to think about that all night until I can have you again.”
“That was the idea,” I said with a wicked smile.
Logan hugged me tightly and laughed. “Eden… I can’t believe that I get to keep you forever. In less than three months we’ll belong to each other for the rest of our lives.”
“We already do belong to each other, this will just make it official.”
“I can’t wait,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss me sweetly. “Right about now, official sounds pretty damn good.”
* * *
On a warm Saturday afternoon in the middle of August, that’s exactly what we became.
Amy actually outdid herself, managing to make me feel like a fairy princess while looking elegant and tasteful at the same time. My dress was beautiful and simple, just like the ceremony. The flowers and decorations inside my grandparents’ house were understated but breathtaking, and the backyard was a better setting for the reception than I could ever have imagined.
Logan stood at the end of our makeshift aisle with Devon and Owen by his side, looking so beautiful in his dark suit that I wanted to cry. Zoe and Amy led the way as I walked to him, and as Dad gave him my hand I noticed that I wasn’t the only one with tears welling in my eyes.
We said our short vows in front of a small gathering. My mother and my aunts wept happy tears through the whole thing and my uncles took turns comforting my dad and promising to help him kick Logan’s ass if he ever even imagined hurting me.
When the officiant pronounced us man and wife and told Logan to kiss the bride, his eyes lit up brighter than the sun. His lips were gentle, sweet, and strong as they claimed me as his wife. I felt lightheaded and on the verge of tears again, but they were the happiest tears I’d ever shed.
It all seemed like a blur as we laughed and danced and sang in the backyard and ate our catered food. Devon gave a groan-worthy toast that surprised us all when it turned heartfelt. He explained how Logan was always there for him when he needed it most and thanked Logan for the opportunity to reverse the roles for a change. Zoe actually cried at that, kissing Devon soundly when he r
eturned to his chair. Owen was amazingly sober for most of the night, slipping the best of his stash to Amy because he claimed that she needed “major calming down” and he wanted to stay straight to keep an eye on her. It made her an uncharacteristically mellow girl for the duration of the wedding, sparing us all from her hyperventilating and panic attacks that usually came during one of her planned events.
Dad drank a bit too much and promised to let Mom drive him home, but not before hugging me tightly and whispering in my ear that I would always be his baby girl.
As the evening wrapped up, Logan and I said our good-byes to all of our loved ones before making our way to the airport and our honeymoon in Hawaii that my grandparents had given us as a gift. I would never forget how Logan held my hand as our plane began to lift off. He squeezed it tightly until I looked up at him, and when his beautiful gray eyes met mine through those damn sexy glasses, it was like he was staring deep into my soul.
“Ready for the rest of our lives, Mrs. Black?” he whispered.
I smiled at him brightly, raising our joined hands to my lips and kissing the back of his fingers. “More ready than you could possibly imagine.”
Epilogue
Six years later…
“Jenna, are you back from your break yet? I need to get going!” I huffed, wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my arm before squeezing more frosting onto the cake I was decorating. When I glanced down at my hand, I saw a long streak of chocolate frosting running up my sleeve, which could only mean one thing. Turning to look at my reflection in the shiny surface of the freezer door behind me, I could make out a huge smear of dark fudge right across my forehead. “Son of a bitch!” I grumbled to myself. “That’s just great. Jenna!”
“Sorry, Eden!” the perky strawberry blonde called out as she ran in the back door and headed to the time clock. “I was grabbing a quick cigarette in the alley. Guess I didn’t hear you.”
“I thought you quit that shit,” I said as I wiped at my face with a clean towel.
