by Ali Parker
I shook my head. “You know, for a second, I thought you were cheating on me with that bitch.”
Talon shook his head. “I would never do something like that to you. Not for all the money in the world. And I’m sorry I kept this from you and that I was forced to lie a bit to keep this whole thing a secret, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
I nodded. “I get that now, but at the time, I was really upset. Why didn’t you just tell me what was going on once we started fighting about all this?”
“I thought about it,” he said. “But I didn’t want to tell you when you were mad at me. Talk about taking all of the romance out of it. And I would have proposed sooner, but I wanted to do it on Christmas Day, the anniversary of our very first date. The day I already knew you were the woman I was going to marry. I started saving up for the ring the day after that Christmas.”
“You did not,” I said.
He nodded. “I absolutely did. I told you I fell in love with you the moment we met, and I’ve never doubted my love for you for a single second. And look, I know I hurt you by hiding this, but I never meant for this to upset you. And I promise I’ll never lie to you about anything again. It hurt me too damn much to keep this a secret and hide this from you, even though it was supposed to be a nice surprise.”
I wiped away the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. My thoughts continued to race through my mind at a million miles per second. I thought back to the day before when I was in my parents’ hotel room.
I looked over at my father. “Wait, did you know about this?”
My father grinned at me and shrugged. “Talon asked me for my blessing that day we were at the mall. I said yes, of course. I even helped him pick out the ring.”
I glanced at Talon, and he nodded. I inhaled a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm myself down and get a handle on all this new information rushing at me. Happy tears kept streaming from my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.
Talon gently wiped away the tears from my cheek with his thumb. “So what do you say, Charlotte? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I shouted. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”
Talon slid the ring on my finger, and then he kissed me, slow and long. Every ounce of love Talon felt for me was present in that kiss. It was filled with warmth and love and the promise of an amazing future with the perfect man at my side.
When we finally broke our kiss, my father was walking into the living room with an open bottle of champagne and four glasses. He filled them all and handed them out. All four of us, my old family and my new family, raised our glasses, clinked them together, and drank.
I’d never been happier in my entire life.
The rest of the day couldn’t have been more perfect if we tried. It was a day of celebration and love. Now that my worries had all been soothed, I was in a great mood. It helped that every time I looked down at my hand, the gorgeous engagement ring shined up at me, reminding me that all of this was really happening.
I was getting married to Talon.
Talon and my mother started preparing the food for our big Christmas dinner. The two of them were already as thick as thieves. I offered to help them with the food, but they told me not to worry about it. They said I should just relax and enjoy the day. I didn’t argue with them. After everything that had happened, I could use some time to let it all sink in.
My father was sitting in the living room, watching an old black and white Christmas movie I didn’t recognize. I sat down beside him on the couch. He glanced over at me, smiled, and gave my hand an affectionate pat.
“What are you watching?” I asked.
“It’s ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’” he said. “Have you not seen this?”
“I don’t think so,” I said.
He shook his head. “I thought I raised you better than that.”
I smiled at the joke and leaned my head against his shoulder. “I think you did an all right job.”
My father and I sat in silence, watching the movie, until the food was ready. Talon and my mother had gone all out. The table was laid out with a sliced ham, glistening with a sweet glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and buttery biscuits. Everything looked delicious.
We all sat around the table, and Talon offered a carving knife and fork to my father.
“Bob,” he said. “Would you like to the do the honors?”
My father smiled and shook his head. “You know, I think you should do it. You’re a part of the family now. I think you’ve earned the right.”
Talon looked surprisingly touched by my father’s gesture. I didn’t really understand why, and I assumed it was some kind of male thing, like the elder man of the family had just given Talon a true sign that he was welcome to the family and that my father approved of him. Whatever it was exactly, I knew Talon was more than excited to be carving the ham and serving it to me and my family.
We all ate the amazing meal, and it tasted even better now that I didn’t feel any tension between Talon and me. Things had been so strained with Talon over the last couple of weeks, but I didn’t realize how bad things were until the problems disappeared from my life.
A planet-sized weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and it felt like I could breathe again. Every single doubt I’d had about Talon’s behavior and our relationship had been put to rest by Talon’s proposal. Every nagging question had been answered, and the truth was more satisfying than anything I’d ever imagined.
It never once occurred to me that Talon might be getting ready to propose. I thought it was the exact opposite, and he was going to break up with me. I was wrong about everything, and I’d never been so happy to be mistaken.
When we were done with the meal, we all settled into the living room to watch Christmas movies. The ‘Christmas Story’ was on one of the cable networks, and we all agreed it was the perfect movie to watch.
I’d loved this movie ever since I was a kid, but now, I was seeing it through a different lens. Instead of identifying with Ralphie, the son, I was watching the parents in the movie, thinking about what it would be like to shop for my own children’s Christmas gifts. I imagined Talon as the father, picking out a tree, teaching our son to change a tire, and getting thrilled about a stupid lamp he’d won as a prize.
Suddenly, this beautiful, wonderful future spread out in front of me, where Talon and I would have children together, spend our lives together, and grow old together. It was the best Christmas gift I could ever imagine, and it was a gift that would last a lifetime.
Chapter 18
Talon
Charlotte’s parents had gone back to their hotel, and Charlotte and I were cuddled up in the bed beside one another, both of us in our pajamas. I looked down into her deep brown eyes, getting lost in their dark depths.
“I love you so much,” I said.
“I love you, too,” she said, smiling.
“I’m sorry things got so weird between us these last couple of weeks,” I said. “I mean, every man wants to surprise his woman with the marriage proposal. I just didn’t realize I would be so bad at keeping secrets from you.”
She giggled. “Yeah, you were acting shady as hell. It was like you were a different Talon than the one I knew.”
“I know,” I said. “I just wanted to make the moment special. I wanted you to be able to look back on this and remember it fondly. The only way I could keep it a secret from you was to be a little distant with you. If it’s any consolation. It’s the last thing I’ll ever have to lie to you about. Well, other than my gambling addiction.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What?!”
I laughed. “I’m kidding. But seriously, no more lies and no more secrets. My life is joined with yours now and forever, and I’ll never hide anything from you again.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said. “Because for a while there, I thought you were cheating on me.”
“I understand it must have been a nightmare for y
ou,” I said. “I raised so many questions, and you were left trying to make sense of it all. But just in case you still have any lingering doubts, I want you to know that I would never cheat on you with another woman. What would be the point? I already have the smartest, most beautiful, and most amazing woman all to myself. All other women pale in comparison.”
“I feel the same way about you,” she said.
“I love you more than anything in the world, and I am thrilled you’re going to be my wife.”
“I love you, too, and I’m so glad you’re going to be my husband and we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.”
I leaned over and kissed her lips. She kissed me back, pushing her tongue into my mouth. I growled at the intensity of the kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her body on top of mine. She straddled my hips, and my cock immediately stiffened underneath her.
Charlotte laid on top of me. Her soft, full breasts pressed against my chest, and I savored the feeling of them. I reached my hands down, grazing my fingertips along her back and sides, wanting to feel every inch of her body.
She moaned, and her hips moved over mine, igniting a delicious friction between us. I pulled her pajama top over her head, revealing her perfectly round breasts with their pert, pink nipples. The sight of her tits always sent a warm thrill through me, and this time was no different.
I sat up so that I could take her nipple into my mouth, and I swirled my tongue around her sensitive flesh. Her nipple hardened to a point, and I nipped at it with my teeth. Charlotte gasped at the feeling, and I moved to her other breast, not wanting it to feel left out.
Charlotte moaned and ran her fingers through my hair. Her body writhed over me, swept up in the growing passion between us. Warmth radiated from between her legs, and it echoed in my hard, throbbing cock.
I pulled away from her, and she looked down at me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I just want to try something I’ve never done before.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “If you’re talking about anal, that’s a hard no. I mean, maybe someday, after we’re married, but even then—”
I placed a finger over her lips, cutting her off. “It’s nothing like that,” I said. “Just trust me.”
I rolled Charlotte over so that she laid on her back. I slid down her body, planting kisses down her neck, her breasts, and stopping at the waistband of her pajama bottoms. My fingers hooked into the elastic, and I slid her pants and panties down her legs in one smooth motion. I stripped my shirt and shorts off as well.
She propped her head up on the pillows and watched me, still uncertain about what I was planning. I parted her legs, revealing her glistening pussy to my hungry gaze. My heart jackhammered in my chest as I drank in the sight of her, naked and exquisite in front of me. Charlotte was the sexiest woman in the world, and she was all mine.
I pressed my lips to her inner thigh, licking and sucking at her sensitive skin as I inched my way up to her quivering mound. I moved my mouth back and forth between each leg, making sure I teased every bit of flesh as I worked my way north.
Charlotte moaned at the feelings I awoke inside her, and her legs trembled ever so slightly. My lips brushed over her, my tongue swirled in circles, and my teeth grazed over her thighs with a light touch.
As I neared the center of her between her legs, she smiled and shook her head. “I thought you said you wanted to try something you’ve never done before. I’m not complaining, but I mean, you’ve gone down on me before.”
I grinned up at her. “I’ve gone down on my girlfriend before. I’ve never gone down on my fiancée.”
Charlotte groaned and bit her lower lip, melting into a puddle at my words. “God, I love the way that sounds—”
I slid my tongue along her slit, silencing the words in her throat. My lips kissed her silky folds, and my tongue lapped at her sweet nectar. She pressed her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her breathing quickened. The ecstasy she felt urged me on.
I swirled my tongue over her hard clit, teasing it until her hips squirmed against my mouth, hungry for more. Then I slipped a finger into her tight slit, and she moaned. My thick finger slid in and out of her, moving in rhythm with the strokes of my tongue, and I could tell I was driving her wild.
She tangled her fingers in my hair and pulled my face into her, desperate for every bit of pleasure I could give her. I slid a second finger inside her tight entrance, and I sucked at her clit like it was a ripe peach.
“Don’t stop,” she moaned. “Don’t you dare.”
Charlotte’s entire body tensed up like jolts of electricity shot through her. Her legs quaked around my head, and she moaned so loud I thought the neighbors might hear. She gushed with pleasure against my face, and I lapped up every drop.
Her body relaxed as she came down from her orgasm, but the desire burning inside me didn’t allow me to wait another second to feel her. I pressed my body over hers and plunged my hard, eager cock inside her soaking wet pussy.
Charlotte gasped, and her head slammed back against the pillow. Her hot, wet juices coated my cock, and her warm pussy gripped me like a fist. I groaned at how good it felt to be inside her, and I thrust my hips into her.
I kissed her pink, swollen lips, and I sped up the tempo of my pumping hips. Her gorgeous breasts bounced with every thrust, mesmerizing me. I licked and sucked at her hard nipples while I fucked her, and she moaned exquisitely for me. The sound was music to my ears. I could listen to her like this for the rest of my life, and it would never cease to thrill me.
Charlotte’s hands gripped my hips tightly and pulled, urging me to bury myself deeper inside of her, and I was more than happy to oblige. My cock plunged into her scorching depths, going deeper and deeper until she screamed from the sensations I awoke in her.
I could feel her tightening up around me, and I knew she was getting close. I pounded into her with a steady rhythm, and I felt my own bodybuilding up to the final moment.
Charlotte cried out with a loud, wailing moan, and her pussy clamped down around me. She gushed around my cock, and I was lost, past the point of no return. I thrust into her one more time, and I froze as pleasure rolled through me in hot waves. My cock twitched inside her, and I filled her with my warm, dripping seed.
We lay frozen like that for an eternity, joined together by the pleasure pulsing through us.
Finally, I collapsed on the bed beside her, and I pulled her into my warm embrace. Charlotte laid her head against my chest, and I kissed her forehead.
“I fucking love you, Charlotte,” I said, breathlessly.
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Charlotte
One and a half years later
I looked at myself in the mirror in my dressing room. Katie and my mother had just helped me into my beautiful, lacy white dress, and my mother was still fussing over the folds in my gown.
“It’s okay, Mom,” I said. “You can stop. Everything is good. I look good.”
My mom stood up and looked at me in the mirror, her face breaking out into a smile. “You’re right. You look lovely.”
“You look freaking hot,” Katie said.
I laughed at the comment. “Thanks, Katie, but you have to say that since you’re my maid of honor.”
“No, I don’t,” she said. “My job is to tell you the truth, and the truth is that you are gonna break some hearts out there today.”
“There’s only one heart I care about,” I said. “And it’s Talon’s.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Ugh, so lame.”
“I think it’s sweet,” my mother said. “It’s her wedding day. She’s allowed to be romantic.”
Katie sighed. “I guess so. Still, maybe save it until the reception. I’m not sure I can handle any more mushy feelings.”
“I’ll remind you of that on your own wedding day,” I said, grinning at her
.
“Please do,” she said. “If I’m ever as lovey-dovey as you, it means I need a reality check.”
“I don’t care what you say,” I told her. “Nothing is going to make this day any less special for me.”
A knock sounded at the door, and my father’s voice came booming through. “Can I come in?” he asked.
“Yeah, Dad,” I said.
He poked his head into the door and smiled when he saw me. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
I blushed. “Thanks, Dad.”
