Beautiful Ever After

by Georgia Cates

  So. Fucking. Hot.

  I wrap my arms around her torso and thrust upward, fucking her as she bounces up and down my cock. Leaning forward, I kiss the space between her shoulders blades as I deliver those final few thrusts. When I come, I don’t pull out. I give Lou every drop that has been building inside me the last few days.

  She leans back and turns her face, kissing me over her shoulder. “The next time we do this, I’ll be your wife.”

  My wife. I can’t wait for that to happen. “And I’ll be your husband.”

  Lou relaxes and we look at our reflections. “I think we need a mirror like this in our bedroom.”

  “You like watching, huh?” she asks.

  “I more than liked it.” I think we could get very creative with it.

  Pound. Pound. Pound. I’m certain before she says a word that it’s my mum beating on Lou’s door.

  “I know you’re in there, you wee jobber. I can hear what you’re doing, same as everyone else in this castle. I’m giving you the courtesy of putting your clothes on before I open this door.”

  Lou and I laugh at the same time and my cock slides out of her. “She really doesn’t want to do that.”

  I kiss the side of Lou’s face. “I have to go but meet me at the alter in the chapel tomorrow evening. Six o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

  “I’ll be the one wearing white.”

  “I’ll be the one wearing a red and green tartan.”

  I yank up my trousers and toss my shirt over my shoulder. My mum is standing with her arms crossed when I open the door.

  I lift my arm and point at my watch. “Well, would you look at that? Ten minutes until midnight. I’m leaving Lou’s bedroom in plenty of time so I won’t see my bride on the day of our wedding before she walks down the aisle to marry me. Satisfied?”

  “Cutting it a wee bit close, don’t you think, since you already have so much bad luck on your side? It isn’t wise to tempt fate.”

  My mum believes in old wives’ tales and the folklore that elders talk about.

  “Fate didn’t bring us together only to tear us apart. That’s what I believe to be true.”

  “I hope you’re right. But just in case, I have a sixpence for her to wear inside her shoe tomorrow.”

  All of the Hutcheson women get a sixpence coin on their wedding day. Mum sees to it. And Mina tossed the one my mum gave her into the shoebox instead of wearing it inside her shoe. She said it was ridiculous to walk down the aisle in a pair of pumps that cost a thousand pounds with a sixpence coin stuck in one of them.

  “Lou will love it. Thank you very much.”

  Mum lifts her chin, gesturing toward the hallway. “Go on. Get in your room and let her be. Both of you need your rest for tomorrow.”

  “No worries. There’ll be no more naughty out of me tonight.” I hug my mum and she kisses my cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, son. And I’m so proud of the man you’ve become. You and Lou are going to be very happy together. This time, it’s meant to be.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  16

  Caitriona Louden

  I open my eyes and look at the time on my phone. It’s a few minutes after seven and there’s no Hutch beside me. He’s up and having his first cup of tar for the day.

  No, wait.

  It’s our wedding day.

  Our. Wedding. Day.

  I place my pillow over my face and squeal at the top of my lungs. I can’t believe that this day has finally arrived. I’m going to become Mrs. Maxwell Paden Hutcheson this evening.

  My beautiful ever after. It’s mine. I’m actually getting it.

  I’m changing out of my nightshirt when I hear a knock at the door. “Lou? It’s Clarissa. Are you awake?”

  “I am. Come in.”

  Clarissa has a cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. “I didn’t think you’d be sleeping in today.”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Did you sleep at all last night or did nerves keep you awake?”

  “I can’t believe it, but I actually slept really well.” I think that amazing orgasm was the reason.

  “You’re not nervous?”

  I thought I would be, but I’m not. “Excited is a better way to describe how I feel.”

  “That’s grand. You should enjoy your wedding day. Not wish it away because you’re ready to put the formalities behind you.”

  “I have no reason to be nervous. There will only be twelve people at our wedding and three of them are children.”

  “There’s still time to call your family if you like. I wouldn’t want you to one day regret not having them here.”

  Sharing DNA doesn’t make them my family. “I don’t want them to come.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “They don’t have a place in my life. There’ll never be any regrets about them not being here.”

  “You are ours now, a Hutcheson, and we love you. We’ll always take care of you.”

  I blink rapidly when I feel tears forming in my lower lids. “When you don’t have a family of your own, you truly understand how important one is. And I’m so happy to be becoming a member of yours.”

  “I already have a daughter, but I feel like I’m gaining another one today.” Clarissa looks up and touches her fingertip to the inner corners of her eyes. “That’s enough of that on your wedding day. You don’t want your eyes to be red and swollen, and nor do I.”

  I’ve shed too many of those salty bastards for things I have no control over. I have a wonderful life ahead of me now, and I’m done with the waterworks. “No more tears.”

  “The men have gone hunting. They’ll be out most of the day, and Max arranged for the women to be pampered. We have a masseuse coming this morning and then a hairdresser and nail tech will be here after lunch.”

  That’s my Hutch—always pampering me like a princess. It’s what he promised and he hasn’t disappointed me yet. “He loves to pamper me and I’m sure that I have you to thank for that.”

  “I put a lot of effort into teaching Max how to treat women well. Ian too.”

  “Your effort shows.”

  “It’s taken thirty-four years, but Max is finally moving in the right direction. My worries are over with you as his wife. But Ian… I don’t know about that one.”

  “Hutch tells me that he and Shannon are trying build a relationship.”

  “Married or not, people are usually already in love when they conceive a child. I don’t know how doing it in reverse is going to work for them. A bairn is very stressful. I just don’t know how they can fall in love while trying to figure out how to feed and change a newborn.”

  “It’s amazing how things can work out when you give it a shot.”

  “Aye. Let’s cross our fingers that we’ll be doing this with Ian and Shannon one day soon. Because the thought of my grandchild being raised by Shannon and a man other than Ian is more than I can stand.”

  This month has been dedicated to planning the wedding, so I’ve spent almost no time with Ian and Shannon. I have no idea what kind of relationship they have. Shannon seems nice, but I’m not really even sure what kind of person she is.

  “They have all of us in their corner supporting them. Hopefully, they can make it work. And from what Hutch says, they seem willing to try.”

  “Aye. There’s that at least.”

  My hour with the masseuse was incredible. Exactly what I needed. I’ll have to give Hutch a special thank-you for that tonight.

  I’m sitting in a chair in the middle of the bride’s room and the hairstylist is curling my hair. Rachel is sitting on the bed watching her every move. “How are you wearing it today?”

  “The sides will be up and the back will be down.” Hutch loves my long hair when it hangs in loose curls. I wouldn’t dare wear it in an updo on our wedding day.

  “That’ll look great with the tiara and long veil.”

  The hairstylist gives me a mirror when she
finishes curling my hair. “Tell me what you think and if you want to change anything.”

  “No changes. It’s exactly the way I wanted it.”

  Shannon comes into the bride’s room and sighs when she looks at me. “So bonnie.”

  “Thank you.”

  “The photographer sent me to tell you she’ll be ready for you in thirty minutes.”

  “It’ll take that long to get you into that dress. We better get to work on those buttons,” Rachel says.

  I stand in my robe by the bed as Clarissa and Rachel remove my dress from the garment bag. Looking at it gives me chills.

  “It’s just as beautiful as I remember,” Rachel says.

  “Indeed, it is,” Clarissa says.

  It is the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen. The perfect shade of ivory baroque lace over creamy vanilla charmeuse—something I never imagined myself choosing. I always thought lace was old-fashioned, but this is classic and timeless. I think Hutch is going to love it.

  I step into my gown and Rachel helps me pull it up. “I’ve been dreading these buttons since the day you bought this dress.”

  “I know. Me too.” It’s the only flaw of the dress.

  “I’m going to do them up for you, lass, but it’ll be Max’s job to unfasten them tonight.”

  “He’s going to be sooo happy about that.” I can just see him growing inpatient and threatening to rip the bodice open.

  It takes a long time for Rachel to button my dress. Much longer than the consultant at the bridal shop. But in Rachel’s defense, I’m sure that’s something the attendant is good at because she does it on a daily basis.

  “Damn that was a lot of buttons but I’m finally done.”

  I walk over to the mirror and study myself. “What do you think? Anything out of place?”

  “Not a single a hair that I can see,” Clarissa says.

  Rachel assesses me. “That dress. The tiara. This castle. You look like a princess who is about to marry her prince.”

  My prince. My fairy tale. I’m finally getting my beautiful ever after.

  It’s been a long time coming. Twenty-three years in the making.

  Clarissa stands behind me and my eyes meet hers in the mirror. “I get to be your mum from this day forward, and my first duty is to give you this.”

  I turn, looking at the coin in her hand. “Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue. And in Scotland, a sixpence in her shoe.”

  I forgot about that tradition. “I’ve been so busy planning the wedding that I didn’t remember to get a sixpence.”

  “I’ll do the honors.”

  I lift my dress and Clarissa lowers herself, removing my shoe and placing the coin inside. “The sixpence represents good fortune and prosperity.”

  “This is so thoughtful. Thank you.”

  I don’t say so because I don’t want to cast a shadow on my happy day but Hutch and I are going to need good fortune and prosperity in our marriage with what we have ahead of us.

  I wish they weren’t, but Blair and the Lochridges are on my mind today. What if they’ve found out about the wedding? What if she shows up and tries to wreck our special day? She would have the gall to do something like that.

  I’m ready to walk down that aisle. I’m ready to say I do. I’m ready to have that wedding ring on my finger. After those things are done, we’ll be husband and wife and no one can stop our marriage from happening.

  I’m so close to having it all. Fate, please don’t ruin this for me.

  17

  Maxwell Hutcheson

  With the minister on one side and Brady on the other, I wait for my bride at the front of the chapel. It’s a tiny, intimate room in the castle barely large enough to accommodate our small wedding party.

  And it’s absolutely perfect.

  I feel great. And happy. So fucking happy.

  Lou’s clever song choice “The Secret Wedding” from Braveheart begins playing, and my heart pounds because I know my bride, my secret bride, will be entering the chapel soon.

  Rachel enters and walks the aisle, taking her place opposite of Brady on the other side of the minister. And I’m only a heartbeat or so away from seeing Lou. And then she enters the chapel and I get my first look at my bride.

  I had no idea what her dress looked like or how she would wear her hair, but everything about her is perfect. Her beauty steals the breath from my lungs and my heart calls out to hers with an increased rhythm. My chest aches from the want, the need, the yearning to make her mine.

  Our friends and family stand when they see Lou appear in the entrance of the chapel. She walks down the aisle alone, her slow steps mimicking the tempo of her favorite instrumental song, and it’s the last time that she’ll ever walk without me by her side.

  The song fades, and the minister says a few opening words. When he finishes, Lou passes her bouquet to Rachel and I take her hands in mine. I slowly rub my thumbs back and forth over the top of her hands as the minister begins the ceremony that will officially make this woman mine forever.

  I bring her hands to my mouth, kissing both. I look at her eyes, which are more green than brown today, and I begin my vows. “Today I lay at your feet the man I have been so that I may become the man you need. I promise to be a faithful husband, a caring lover, a considerate best friend, and a loving father to our wee ones. I will always cherish and respect you, care for and protect you, comfort and encourage you, and stay with you for all eternity. I surrender my all to you today and every day hereafter.”

  Tears pool in her lower lids and I catch each of them with my thumbs before they stream down her cheeks.

  “Today you become my husband but also my best friend and lover. I will trust and respect you, laugh and cry with you, love you faithfully through good times and bad, no matter the size of the obstacles we face. I promise to cherish our union and every day love you more than I did the day before. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live.”

  We exchange rings and the minister finally gets to the part I’ve been waiting for.

  “You may kiss your bride.”

  I reach out, cradling Lou’s face, and I kiss my wife for the first time. And it’s our best kiss yet.

  “I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Paden Hutcheson.”

  We share a meal and cake with our friends and family. After they leave, we have the entire castle to ourselves. We may consummate our marriage in every room just for the fun of it. But we’ll begin in the laird’s room.

  “It was thoughtful of your dad to come up and start a fire for us while we were having dinner.”

  My dad’s great but he’s not thoughtful. “I’m sure he was only doing what Mum told him to do.”

  “Either way, it’s nice to have that done for us already.”

  “Aye.”

  The temperature dropped and it snowed today. The snow-covered ground made a beautiful backdrop for our wedding photos, especially the ones with the highlands in the distance.

  Lou pulls her hair over her shoulder, exposing the back of her dress. “Will you unbutton me, husband?”

  “I will happily unbutton you, wife.”

  Lou’s dress is exquisite but not at all cooperative. “These buttons are very small for a man with big hands. The maker of this dress didn’t have the groom or his eagerness to bed his bride in mind when he or she designed the back of this dress.”

  “Nor the eagerness of the bride.”

  That’s something I love about Lou. She’s always keen for sex.

  My fingers brush against the bare skin on her back, and I kiss the curvature between her shoulder and neck. “Just a wee taste to hold me over.”

  “I wish I could help you.”

  “Not too much longer. I’m over halfway finished now.”

  I unfasten the final button, pushing the dress down her hips, and it becomes a circle of fabric that partially stands on its own. “All done with th
at.”

  Lou holds my arms, stepping out of the dress, and I suck in a breath when I see the white corset, garters, and knickers she’s wearing. “I’ve been wondering all evening what was beneath that dress.”

  “And now you know.”

  “My wife, Mrs. Hutcheson.” I’ve said those words before but they take on an entirely new meaning for me now. “I know you’re strong and you’ve always taken care of yourself but you aren’t alone anymore. I’m going to take care of you, and protect you, and make sure you never want for anything in your life.”

  “I know you will always keep me safe. And I also know that while you talk of protecting me, you’re also planning in your head how you’re going to ravish me tonight.”

  Her comment makes me chuckle, mostly because it’s true. “My wife knows me well.”

  I circle her, inspecting her from every angle. I wrap my arms around her from behind and my mouth hovers over her ear. “I love the way you look in this lingerie but I want you to take it off. And I want to watch while you do it.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  I step away and watch Lou remove her corset, garters, and knickers while I shed all the layers of my formal kilt outfit.

  “I’m sad to see the kilt go. I love the way it looks on you.”

  “Maybe I’ll put it on later.”

  “I’d like that.”

  There’s still a slight chill in the room so I go to the bed and remove all of the linens. I carry them to the thick plush rug in front of the fireplace and spread them out, making a place for us to lie down in front of the fire. “Is this okay with you? I thought it would be nice to take advantage of the fireplace since we don’t have one in our bedroom.”

  “It’s very okay with me.”

  We lower ourselves to the floor and I kneel at Lou’s feet after she lies on her back. She’s staring up at me, and damn, I’ve never seen her look more beautiful.