by ChaShiree M
“Baby,” I say looking at her. “I love you. I’ve never proposed to anyone in my life, and I never will again. You are it for me, Avalynn. I know it’s crazy, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh my God.” She says, eyes going wide.
“Oh my God good, or oh my God bad?”
“Just oh my God.” She says smiling, her eyes becoming watery and glassy.
“Avalynn, what’s your middle name?” I ask. I can’t believe I don’t know such an important thing. There are still a lot of things we don’t know about each other, but we have the rest of lives to figure it out.
“Marie.”
“Avalynn Marie Kimber, will you marry me?” I say pulling the ring out of my pocket and showing it to her. It’s a simple, white gold band, with a two carat, square cut diamond in the middle. I know I live simply, but when it came to picking out her ring, I wanted her to know she will always be worth it to me. She looks at the ring and gasps. I feel my chest start to swell with pride because I know I did good.
“You are right Ham. This is crazy, but I will marry you.”
“You will?” I ask, sliding the ring on her finger.
“Yes.” She says before throwing her arms around my neck.
“Thank fuck baby. I love you.”
“I love you too. I didn’t know that was possible.”
Those are the best words I’ve ever heard.
My hands start to rub up her legs, touching her waist, and slowly letting my thumbs graze her tits. When her breathing starts to become shallow and her tongue darts out of her mouth, I lose it. Gripping her hair in my hands, I pull her head back, so her eyes reach mine. “Fuck I love you.”
Slamming my lips against hers causes her to moan and grip my shirt. She is trying to bring me closer and pull my shirt off at the same time. I growl and get higher on my knees as I pull her hips closer to me. When her core meets my hard cock, I can feel her heat through our bottoms. My poor horny baby grinds against me trying to gain some friction, which is something I will never deny her. Fuck. I need it just as much as she does and have to be inside her, now. I rip her shirt open, buttons go flying as I toss it down and remove her dainty black bra. Next I pop the button on her jeans and slide the zipper down, pulling her jeans down to discover she’s not wearing panties, yet again.
“What do I have to do to get you to wear panties? I don’t want anyone else to see you like this, or smell you.” Irrational jealousy courses through my veins as I pull her down to the floor.
“Ham, I hate them and always have. Now I hate them even more because they keep you from seeing how wet I am for you.” Holy fuck. Those words alone would bring the strongest man to his knees. She pouts and it melts my heart. The fucking Grinch is dead. I pull my t-shirt over my head and shed my pants and boxers while leaning down to kiss her closed thighs.
“Oh baby. That’s a real good explanation.” I say as I spread her thighs wide. Gripping the base of my rock hard cock, I slide it up against her clit making sure she is ready for me before I slide into her wet heat.
“Shit, Ham. That feels really good. You’re stretching me, making my skin feel like it is coming alive. It feels fucking amazing.” She moans once I am fully sheathed inside her.
“Fuck. You are so fucking tight. I can’t wait until you are my wife.” I say as I pound into her, while I kissing her beautiful lips.
“Me either. Please keep fucking me. I am so close.” She never has to ask. I lose myself in her sweet sticky heat. Knowing that I am the first and last man to touch her has me rutting into her like a caveman. Mine. Mine. Mine. I chant over and over again. I need to say it so I can finish us both. Leaning down to her ear I ask, “say it Ava. Tell me you’re mine and I will give what you need.”
“Yours. I am all yours Ham.” Yes.
I bring my thumb to her clit to help finish getting her off. She screams out as I release my seed into her, praying it takes hold, showing more evidence of my ownership in the form of her ripeness with my kid. Shit. A grown man could weep.
“I love you Ham.” She says as I pull out of her tightness.
“I love you too Avalynn. You look so beautiful wearing my ring.” I say as she brings her hand closer to her face.
“It’s a beautiful ring, Ham. Are you sure you want to marry me?”
“I am absolutely sure, baby and I have never been surer of anything.”
She yawns, “I am so excited.” My girl is tired and satisfied, making my job here done.
She falls asleep, so I lift her in my arms and carry her to our bed. I slide in beside her and pull her closer to me. My cock is already hard again, but I let my baby get her rest. We have our whole lives to christen every room in this house.
THESE PAST TWO MONTHS HAVE been a marathon. A whirlwind romance gave way to a whirlwind wedding. I have been settling into married life easy peasy. After Ham proposed I was prepared to dig in and plan us a beautiful wedding for the summer. I had the flowers all picked out in my mind, the colors, and I even had the venue picked out. Should have known it was too good to be true. As soon as I told Ham the June 21st date, he flipped. In his mind, we should be married tomorrow, and although I couldn’t wait to become his either, I felt like we both deserve something more than just a regular old justice of the peace wedding.
When I said as much to him, he said, “You’re right baby. You do deserve better than that.” I immediately got really giddy thinking I had won this round when he smacked me on the butt and said “So you have to make it happen by Christmas.” Well shit!
“By Christmas? Ham, that is in two weeks. How am I going to plan a beautiful wedding in only two weeks?”
“I don’t know babe. But I am sure between the meddlesome twosome and your sister, it can be done. Now get your sexy ass over here and show me how the honeymoon should go.”
I did manage to get it done in exactly one week and four days. We were married on Christmas Eve in a very private ceremony, with a few family and friends. And no, my mother did not attend. But dad and my little sister Penny came, and that was enough for me.
Here it is Christmas morning, the day after my wedding, and I’m wrapping up Ham’s most important present. I am anxious for him to wake so I can give it to him. I’m practically bouncing in my pjs waiting…I went and got it a week ago, and have been holding it for this very moment.
“Avalynn, what did I tell you about leaving the bed before I get my morning wood wet?” Lawd, that man. Crap. I do not want to be wet for this surprise, but around him there is nothing else I can do. I am always ready for him.
“Morning. Husband.” Wow. I will never get tired of saying that. This beautiful, powerful, strong man is mine. And I am his.
“Morning. Wife. Give me your mouth.” He kisses me as if it is the last thing he will ever do. If it wasn’t for the box I was holding in my hand, I would have dropped to my knees right then and showed him how much I love him. Every. Single. Inch.
“What do you have behind your back there baby?”
Here goes nothing. “Merry Christmas Hammie”
“Awe baby, you marrying me yesterday was present enough for me. But, thank you. Can I open it now?”
“Yes, please.”
He tears through the wrapper in one swoop and looks at the box like it is a puzzle before he removes the top. I am so freaking nervous, and I feel like I gotta wretch. I am trying to breathe in and out through my nose to hold the offensive action at bay. What if he is not happy?
“Baby is this…? Are you…?”
I nod my head trying not to cry. “Yes. I found out last week, but I wanted to wait until now to tell you. I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”
He stares at me for a second, with a look of shock on his face. I start fidgeting because I’m not sure how to take it. Right when I start to ask him how he feels, he breaks out with the biggest grin and falls to the ground as he wraps his hands around my waist and places his mouth on my stomach. I can no longer hold the tears i
n. I cry and let all of the happiness I feel over flow as I caress the head of the man who holds my heart.
He looks at me and says “Thank you baby. So much. You have turned a holiday I hated into a lifetime of memories I will never forget. Thank you for giving me a family and showing me that holiday miracles do come true.” This man undoes me every time. With Ham, I not only found love, but I found myself.
The End
To my family. I love you all. Thanks for the support.
MK Moore, this was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and look forward to it in the future. I love you like a fat kid love cake.
Melinda Grier the greatest editor ever. You are freaking awesome. I can’t do any of this without you. Thank you for everything.
Jenny Tye. You are the craziest chick I have ever met. But you are also one of the most kick-ass proofers out there. Thanks for keeping things consistent.
Tracie Douglas, this cover rocks. So do the other covers I bought from you that I don’t even have stories for. Lol. Keep em coming.
Finally, to my Lifers!!! I love you ladies. Thank you for the support and the laughs and for being Betas and Alphas. If I didn’t have you, I would have lots of blurry days.
I want to say thank you to ChaShiree for taking this journey with me. It has been so fun! I can’t wait to finish this series and see what else we can dream up.
Thank you to my husband, Daryl. I love you so much for like ever!
To my Mama for all your support.
To my #UnicornPack. I love you guys! KL and Elisa <3
To all the readers and bloggers, I couldn’t do this without you! Thanks!!!!
-MK
ChaShiree M. is 34 years old. She loves to write as much as she loves to help mold and mentor the new generation. You can find her at home in Chicago chilling with her friends and family or trying to find the next book event to go to and fangirl.
You can join her Facebook Reader group here
Twitter
MK lives in Tennessee with her husband of seven years. When she is not working or writing, she can be found with a kindle in her hand. She also loves coming up with the perfect alpha who never shares. She loves to interact with her readers.
Facebook
Want to know what’s next in the Moosehead Minnesota Series? Turn the page and fall in love with Sterling and Kennedy in the next novella Cupid’s Kiss.
Story still being written and edited. Content subject to change.
Chapter 1
Kennedy
Good grief. I seriously hate traveling with my mom. She is so exasperating and now is no exception. We are taking the bus from Road-to-Nowhere Illinois…. seriously that is what it is called, and going to Moosehead Minnesota. I don’t mind the journey itself. It’s the traveling companion I have a problem with. If she knew how to reign in her ridiculous notions of life and learned how to live in reality, she would be ok. But my mom has delusions of grandeur and my name only proves how far gone she has always been.
Kennedy Onassis Sherwood. Yep. That is what she named me. My grandma, God bless her, was a very boisterous, bigger than life woman. And even bigger than her personality were the stories she used to tell. The one story she never let go of was how she was a distant descendant of the Kennedy Onassis's. She drilled this into my mother’s head her life. Even going so far as to name her Jackie. So my dear old mom, walked around like she was the queen of the trailer park and I her offspring was left to deal with the staring, whispers and pity glances, while she floated in God knows what cloud.
So here we are 20 minutes from our destination and she is babbling away to the man next to her about her “heritage”. Poor man. Better him than me. I don’t have time to worry about her right now because the reason for this trip is my most primary concern. My grandpa Dale lives in Moosehead. He is my Dad’s dad may he rest in peace. His lady friend Greta called me the other day and told me that he was having surgery to replace his hip after a fall a few weeks ago. This instantly made my heart hurt. I didn’t even know he fell. I talk to him once a week and he never said anything. As soon as I got the call I told Greta I was going to catch the first bus out. What i didn’t expect was my mother to join me. “You are my only child. There is no way I am going to let you go traipsing all over the country by yourself.” You would think I was a little kid and not the 22 years that I am.
Finally the bus pulls into the depot and I grab my one bag. I don’t even wait for Madame President to get off. I just step down and start looking for some old guy named Sterling. Greta said she was sending a friend named Sterling to pick us up and take us to gramps so we can get his truck and head to the hospital. Searching through the crowds I see a few older gentleman, but they all seem to have found their person. I swiftly glance past a guy that could easily be on the cover of GQ and even though my heart starts going crazy the minute my eyes land on him, I immediately dismiss that thought cause what would someone that looks like him want with me?
Even from a first glance, I can see I am way out of his league. He looks like he spends most of his days in the gym perfecting his body, which let me tell you, phew, I can totally see where that ‘V’ would lead. He looks tan but not an artificial way, more like he spends a lot of time outdoors. I wish I could see his eyes, but he is too far away. Or his ass. Man I bet he has a great…. “Kennedy. Why didn’t you wait for me? Is our ride here?” And mood killed. “I’m looking mom.” “Well how hard is it to find an old man with a truck?”
This is going to be a long trip. Just as I am about to walk around and look for him some more, Mr. Hottie comes walking toward me. I am so stunned by his sudden advancement, that I literally stop in my tracks, suck in a breath and do absolutely nothing else…include breath. Nice Kennedy. Real smooth.
“Good afternoon. Ma’am and…?” I know I am supposed to be saying something right now, but due to the lack of oxygen, my brain is not computing. Trying to mentally shake my fog away, I look down only to hear my mother say, “Kennedy. Her name is Kennedy ONassis Sherwood and I’m Jackie. None of that ma’am nonsense.” Oh great! Here we go.
He reaches his hand out to take mine and says “Sterling. Sterling Crawford.” Holy crap this is Sterling. It’s only then when I am thinking about how to hide the pink blush from my cheeks that I remember I need to breathe. By then it’s too late. I don’t remember anything else but hearing him say “I got you baby. Don’t worry.” And then everything goes black.
Chapter 2
Sterling
I catch the beautiful girl in my arms before she hits the ground. She is as light as feather. Carrying her bridal style, I look over my shoulder at her mother. “Jesus. I can’t take this girl anywhere. She will be fine. She sometimes forgets to breathe.” Jackie laughs. I don’t know how she can laugh. I am freaking the fuck out. They don’t have many bags and she has already picked them up the ones Kennedy dropped. Kennedy Onassis Sherwood. There has got to be a story behind her name.
“Follow me Jackie. My truck is parked just over here.” I say as I begin walking in the direction of the parking lot. I look down at Kennedy’s face. She has the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen. She begins to stir. When her eyes open, my knees almost buckle. They a wide and the most shocking emerald color. Her golden hair shines in the rare sunlight. Once I reach the truck, I open the passenger side and set her down on the seat and gently close the door. I am working hard to get my emotions in check. My world just spun on its axis and I don’t know exactly what to do. I know that I need to claim this girl before I miss my chance. My chest feels tight. Is this what a heart attack feels like?
I turn to Jackie and take all of the bags from her and place them in the bed of the truck. I open the rear door and help Jackie into the cab.
I rush around to the driver sheet. I take a deep calming breath before getting in.
“I am sorry to hear about your kin ladies. I will get to Dale’s place as soon as I can. I would like to drive you all to the hospital and come back for you after I fin
ish up work for the week. I am sure you are tired after your trip.”
“We are. That would be lovely. Thank you.” Kennedy says. Her voice makes me think of what angels must sound like.
My cock is hard and my need for her is suddenly fierce.
“Was it a long trip?” I ask. I’d do anything to keep her talking.
“About 10 hours.” She says, pulling her coat tighter around her.
“Are you cold, baby?” Her eyes widen at the term of endearment and Jackie laughs.
“She is always cold. We could be in the Bahamas’ and she’d be cold. Not that we’ve been to the Bahamas. This is her first time out of Illinois.”
“Ma,I don’t think he cares.”
“I do care.” I assure her.
“Why?” She says so quietly, I almost don’t hear her. A quick glance in the rear view mirror, tells me that her mother has started to go through her phone and isn’t paying attention to us.
“Because I must. There is no way I wouldn’t care. I caught you baby. That makes you mine.”
“That’s crazy. You don’t even know me.” She retorts.
“I will though. Very soon. I will know you in all ways.” I declare.
“You’re fucking crazy, Sterling. Certifiable really.”
Since that very well may be the case, I continue ignoring her remarks. “So your husband sent you to deal with this alone?” I ask fishing for the information I need more than my next breath.
“I don’t have a husband” She says crossing her arms and pushing her tits out farther.
