My parents camped out in the living room with Rob, who I’d taken out of school for the day. My son had his hair slicked down, slacks and a dress shirt on, and his shoes shined. He looked sharp. Jake had already left for the Santa Barbara courthouse, bringing his dad with him. His mother, stepdad, brother, and sister were going to meet us there.
I slipped on my dress. It was a bigger size than usual, but still fitted, strapless, knee length, and very me. Simple. Elegant. And white. Sara zipped me up the back and fastened the buttons.
Shoes on, hair down and straight, lip gloss applied. I was ready to get married.
Teetering, as usual, in high heels, I walked out of my bedroom and looked at my parents. My mom, dressed up in a navy skirt suit, came over to me with tears in her eyes. “Lucinda, you are a beautiful bride and you make your mama very proud.”
I mock-complained, “Don’t make my mascara run.”
My dad came over and without a word, wrapped me in a hug. “Dad, not you too,” I said, this time fighting tears for real. He took my hand and walked me outside, all of us leaving. I locked the door and then we all climbed into a black limo that waited at the curb.
Walking into the courthouse, I had an entirely different feeling than I did the last time I was here. Last time, of course, I was nervous with anticipation. This time, yes, I was also nervous with anticipation. But it was the delicious, happy kind.
We found the courtroom and walked in, the door unlocked for us.
My handsome Jake was standing up front, talking with the clerk. He wore a well-tailored black suit, black skinny tie, and looked like a Tom Ford ad.
Mine.
My dad held my hand and walked me up to Jake. My eyes locked on his, I held onto my dad for support, but I discovered, as I got closer to Jake, that I didn’t need it. My mom, Rob, my friends, and Jake’s family found seats in the audience. I held Jake’s artist’s hand, which was warm, firm, and comforting. As usual.
The clerk called the judge, who came out and spoke to us about how marriage was not to be entered into lightly, but with careful thought. And how the most important things in a relationship are love, communication, trust, honesty, respect, and understanding.
I looked back at my parents, holding hands, my mother daubing her eyes with a handkerchief. Those qualities were what my parents had and what I had with Jake. Glancing around, I saw Rob holding Georgie’s hand, looking serious. And Jake’s family, all with pleased looks on their faces. We had everyone’s support.
The nervous anticipation disappeared. I was in the right place with the right people. I wanted to do this and I was so, so happy.
The judge continued.
“Do you, Jacob Slausen, choose Lucinda Figueroa to be your lawful wedded wife? Do you promise to love and comfort her, and to honor her and keep her in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and hold her needs above all others, so long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” Jake’s words rang out, filling the courtroom with authority. My statesman lawyer in the courtroom.
“Do you, Lucinda Figueroa, choose Jacob Slausen to be your lawful wedded husband? Do you promise to love and comfort him, to honor him and keep him in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and hold his needs above all others, as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.” And as I said the words, I knew that all of that was true and would be as long as I lived. I would love this man who loved me back, who sacrificed for me, and who put my needs first before his. He’d done so already, in every way possible.
Rob came up and handed us our rings. I kissed him on his cheek and then watched him sit back down. And Jake and I exchanged rings.
The judge continued. “The groom has informed me that he has something to say.”
“I made a promise to Lucy today, but I am also making a promise to her son, Roberto.” He turned and looked at him. “Rob, I promise to care for you and put your needs above mine. I promise to read with you, play with you, and guide you. I love you.”
And the nerves and the tears that had been in check came bursting out of me, and judging by the rustling noises behind me, out of others. Jake loved me. But he also loved my son. He had drawn his way to my heart.
“Inasmuch as Jacob Slausen and Lucinda Figueroa have thus consented together in marriage; by virtue of the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
And my husband very gently, very slowly, and while looking me in the eyes, kissed me in front of our friends and family. And he was mine.
“Jake, my belly is getting too big,” I protested, while at the same time I wanted him.
Pregnancy made me horny. Sorry, I had to admit it. I mean, just Jake’s physical presence alone, most of the time, made me want to strip him down and touch him all over. But with the added natural aids during pregnancy? I was unstoppable. I found myself getting turned on all the time. He didn’t seem to mind.
I discovered a love of all of the positions that didn’t put weight on my back or belly. Doggy style. Standing up. On my side.
In the bathtub.
My joints were getting loose and achy and even though it was warm out, it still felt good to soak in the tub. Sometimes Jake would join me. Like tonight.
We’d been married for six months, honeymooning briefly in Mexico, and planning a bigger reception after I gave birth. We were in his house, which was now our house. I’d rented out mine, which brought in some extra income. But now, Rob was at Carlos’s house and I was ready.
But I mean, my God, my belly was so big right now. “I don’t know how we can do this.”
Stripping quickly, his athletic body graceful, he sunk into the filling tub and called me to him. “Come in the water, Lucy honey.” I took off my yoga pants and my cami, wanting to feel him and the warm water around me.
Reaching out his hand, he carefully pulled me into the bath. I stepped into the water, feeling it swirl around my feet, looking down at him for once.
Short girl gets a new perspective. Nice. It felt very different to be the one above him, almost like I could see new things about him. His eyes looked so arresting in the sunny, lit room.
There wasn’t that much room, but I managed to kneel down and straddle him, setting my knees on both sides of his belly.
Running his hands up slowly up my body, over my swollen abdomen, caressing my breasts that were now perkier than ever, pausing at the hollows in my collarbone, and sliding one artistic hand behind my neck, he appraised me with his eyes. “I don’t know that you have ever been lovelier,” he whispered. “Carrying our baby.” And he knifed up and kissed my belly.
Splashing a little bit in the water, I leaned down to kiss him, my belly in the way. He sat up, his cock hard below me, my need for him inside me increasing.
We kissed, a loving, total, passionate kiss, the kind of kiss that makes you forget about aching joints and knocking knees and just focus on the fact that you were getting some lovin’. Because heck yeah, Jake gave me some lovin’.
He reached around, gripping my ass, firmly but gently, then pulled me down, allowing me to guide myself onto him.
And now I was in charge. This was exactly what I needed—connection with him, release of tension, the warm water of creation all around me.
Enjoying our last days or weeks of being a couple without a baby.
Jake had learned, over the years of his life, that it was not okay to dream, that his art was not safe, that he had no family support, and that life was not certain or secure. But we had set to work undoing that.
He’d carried through and switched his job. While he spent a lot of time with me and Rob, he also spent time drawing, painting, playing, doing art. He’d rekindled a connection with his dad, who had recovered from his hospital stay and was working reduced hours. And every day that we were together added evidence to our relationship, proving that we were committed to each other and that life was secure when you were honest an
d open with the ones that you loved. Whatever the opposite of abandonment was, that was how we were. I spent my nights cuddled with him. My mornings in his arms. He came with me to every doctor’s appointment. When we heard the baby’s heartbeat go thuwump on the machine, every time, both he and I cried. And we talked all the time.
For he had learned that I couldn’t read his mind and told me what he thought. He asked questions, he made mistakes, and he told me what he was thinking. And, be still my heart, he paid attention to Rob, too.
He had walked out of a romance novel and into my life, but he wasn’t the hero of a romance novel. He was just my Jake.
Now, making love to him, in the water, with the baby that we’d created growing in my belly, my novel out there, doing well, and him finally taking his art seriously, I knew that this was bliss. In the arms of my lover, who cared about me. With the knowledge that I was loved. And doing what fulfilled me.
All of life existed in the waters of the earth. We needed water to exist, to create, for gestation, and for survival. Every single person on this planet was created from almost nothing—a tiny egg and a sperm. Then cells divided in the waters of the womb and there we were. Every single thing on this planet, from laptops to toothpaste, was created from nothing—starting with an idea and making it real. And the art, music, stories, movies, and dance that made us swoon? That wouldn’t exist without all of us either.
As I arched my back, shuddering in ecstasy, I looked down at him, head thrown back, chiseled torso shaking as he came too.
After he recovered, he wrapped his arms around me, and then cleaned us off.
“I love you,” he said, drying me off with a towel.
“I love you, too,” I replied, nestling my head in his arms.
It is in our very nature to create. And it’s the only way to live for real.
“Come here, girl,” I crooned, as I plucked my daughter gently out of the stroller. Three months old, she fit in the crook of my arm, right on my bicep. As she liked to do, Lucy had decked her out in pink fluff, a pink band around her head taming her mass of dark hair. My wife liked to dress up our daughters. Lucy treated baby Natalie like a doll. With pretty brown eyes like her mama, my little baby girl sleepily rested her head on my shoulder.
Chelsea, my four year old, had run ahead of us and was now swinging on the swing set, free and wild. Her hair was up in two ponytails on the side of her head. She wasn’t as pinked out as her sister, wearing a comfy dress over striped pants. She didn’t let Lucy dress her up these days, because she liked to dress herself. Pumping her legs, going higher and higher, she giggled in delight.
I’d left the house—and taken everyone with—to give Lucy some quiet time to write. She had a new idea for a book and was excited to get going. I’d read everything she’d written and she still surprised me with her creativity and intelligence. Even though she had a string of major successes with her latest writing, she still pushed herself to try new things, to challenge herself. So I’d taken the kids and a diaper bag (it was amazing how much crap they needed) and walked down to the playground at the beach. She’d said that she would come and join us later so that we could get a ride back up the hill.
I’d settled on a bench where I could watch Chelsea and hold the baby, while talking to Roberto, who had come along.
“Dad?”
I looked over at Rob. Sixteen years old, he normally was too cool to hang out with me and Lucy and his sisters, wanting to spend time with his friends. But today they weren’t picking him up until this later afternoon and he’d decided to come with. I was glad he did. Today was a tough day for me—the anniversary of my brother Ethan’s death. I was glad to not be alone any more. The more people around the better. I was done with being by myself.
Losing Ethan didn’t get any easier. His memory just got a little quieter. And I learned that celebrating his life was important, but it was also important to be here now, present, with the ones I loved—and that didn’t take anything away from his life.
Over the years, Rob and I’d become pretty close. Now he called me Dad.
I loved that.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“How do you know when a girl likes you?”
He’d grown from a skinny, gangly kid to a classy young man, still bookish, but now with some serious style. Taking after his mom, his hair was always very cool, his clothes sharp, and he looked good.
The fact that he trusted me enough to ask was everything. “You got me, son. I have no idea. They’re mysteries.” My eye caught Chelsea’s, who’d hopped off the swing set and was now headed to a slide. “But they’re worth it.”
“I want to take her to the movies, but I don’t know if I have enough from my allowance.” I shifted Natalie to my other arm. Rob didn’t know yet that he was taken care of. The money from my grandparents sat in a trust to be divided equally between him, his two sisters, and also his half-sister Ella, Carlos’s daughter. Lucy had asked for that, not wanting Rob and his sister to be treated differently, and I’d agreed. Rob was part mine now, if not legally adopted, definitely in spirit. And now he saw his dad too, regularly. That seemed to work, too.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“A girl at school. She’s quiet, but I like her.”
“I’ll give you money to take her to the movies,” I offered. “Will you babysit the girls so I can take your mom out?”
He nodded. “Deal.”
We sat on the park bench, watching Chelsea play with a little boy who looked about her age and a little girl who looked a little bit older. It was the weekend, but these days, I had plenty of time to spend with my family. My job at the courthouse suited me. I helped people, but I didn’t work crazy hours. And I had time to paint.
My first show at the schoolhouse collective in Ventura went well. I actually sold all but one of the paintings. With that success, Lucy persuaded me to do a show of pictures of her. I’d been worried that they were too intimate, but she was right—the intimacy gave them the spark they needed.
It’s amazing that I’d worked so hard for as long as I did. Before, I didn’t know how to live. I just existed. Now? This was living—watching my kids play at the park and talking with my son.
And then Lucy pulled up in her car.
Emerging from the car, I gazed at my wife.
She was so fucking hot.
Compact, yes. Curvy, fuck yes. So, so beautiful. She took good care of herself.
But more, she was wise. She was sassy. She loved deep, and she gave herself to me.
I loved her. More each day.
Lucy always wore high heels, today at the park was no exception. She had on some sort of sandals, along with little shorts and a pretty top. School would be out soon and it was warm out. She smiled and ruffled Rob’s hair, which he protested, then leaned over and kissed me. Sitting down on the park bench next to us, she picked up Natalie, cradling her.
“All good?” she asked me, rubbing her nose into Natalie’s hair.
I looked around.
“Yeah,” I said. “All good.”
Check out the other standalone romances in the Giving You . . . Series!
The Sun and the Moon
2015 Watty winner!
She follows all the rules.
He’s going to teach her how to break them.
After a heartbreaking tragedy, successful attorney Amelia Crowley has numbed herself to the pleasures of life, clinging to a specific set of rules, finding strength in order and organization. When she meets easy going surfer Ryan Fielding, that organized life is turned upside down by a sea of washboard abs and sun-kissed hair.
Sexy and charismatic, Ryan looks for pleasure however he can find it in an effort to silence his own inner demons. Until Amelia crashed into his life the only thing he chased was the next wave. Refusing to break their connection and determined to break through her carefully crafted walls, Ryan sets out to throw out every rule in her book and show Amelia that pleasure can't be planned.
&nbs
p; Can Amelia let Ryan take the lead or will she cling to her rules and wipe out their chance at love?
Buy now on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2gK8Wda
The Stars in the Sky
When foul-mouthed, tattooed, vegan Marie Diaz-Austin accepted a summer internship on a ranch north of Santa Barbara to work with underprivileged and special needs kids she was expecting hard work. She wasn't expecting the gorgeous, but conservative rancher, Will Thrash who wants nothing to do with left-wing hippies like her.
While they both may be stubborn when it comes to climate change, they're much less rigid about considering a summer fling. Although they hate each other’s politics, they can't deny their immediate and growing attraction to each other. But when the stakes are raised and they're forced to make a choice what will give? Their principles or themselves?
Buy now on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2gpR4nj
All the Waters of the Earth
Romance novelist Lucy Figueroa lives a life of the imagination. While her stories are filled with fictional alpha male heroes, her real life is filled with nothing but Mr. Wrongs. As a sassy, strong, single mom, she doesn't need anyone... except maybe a new book idea. And to forgive herself for the mistakes of the past.
Lucy's sexy new neighbor, Jake Slausen, looks like one of her characters come to life. While he fits the heartthrob part, he doesn't act it, too distracted by his cell phone and his job for any relationship. Damaged by his childhood, he's ignored his true calling and goes through his days on autopilot...until he meets Lucy.
First drawn together by chemistry, then by a fierce need to protect each other even from themselves, will Jake and Lucy learn to accept their pasts or will they convince themselves that happily ever afters only exist in romance novels?
Buy now on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2gMk7zW
Also, check out Lumbersexual, a standalone novella!
2016 Summer Indie Book Award winner!
"Beautifully written, poignant, and so sexy!" USA Today Bestselling Author, Lex Martin
All the Waters of the Earth (Giving You ... Book 3) Page 21
