She took the box out of my hand and flipped it open slowly. I hadn’t wrapped it before and by the time the holidays came around I didn’t want to see the damn thing which was the reason I’d left it in the closet at my parents’ house. Her breath caught when she saw it. I have to say I was pretty proud of myself when I pick it out.
“Sam, this is really beautiful.” Her eyes were wide as she pulled out the silver necklace with a small diamond encrusted horseshoe. I picked it out because she was my lucky charm, the one I didn’t want to get away but that was even truer now than it was then.
“Here,” I said with the spin of my finger.
She turned around to so I could work the clasp around her neck. She lifted her long brown hair up and out of the way, which I took advantage of because I’m a guy.
I kissed and gently sucked her neck.
Miriam tilted her head giving me better access before I spun her back around.
“Thank you,” she said softly. Then she launched. Her lips touched mine with force, her tongue demanded the attention of mine which, hell no, I wasn’t going deny her anything she wanted.
Turning us so that she leaned against the desk, I pushed my hips into hers, the growing desire between us palpable even if she couldn’t feel the raging hard on I was now sporting. Like our bodies were in sync because her legs spread just the slightest, like an invitation. Oh I was done for.
Yes, we were in my parent’s house, in my old bedroom but this was the best thing to ever happen in my room. Even if I’d previously had a girl or four up there. This was better.
Lifting Miriam up onto the desk I slid the hem of her dress up her thighs and dear fuck, it was sexy as hell. My hands cupped her face as I pushed my still fully clothed self against her.
But she took those small hands to my pants making quick work of my zipper. The first touch of her fingers against my erection shot me back away from her. The confused look on her face was fucking adorable but I held up a finger asking for a minute.
I went to the nightstand hoping beyond all reason that I still had unexpired condoms in there. Score! They’d been in my bag when I moved back from California, and I’d shoved them there not even wanting to think about it. Thank the lord I’d left them. Otherwise this would have come to an end.
Miriam already breathed as heavily as I was when I got back to her, pushed the condom on, moved her panties to the side and sunk into her. This wasn’t slow, we weren’t making love. We both had a need that was being met and if the sounds coming from her mouth were anything to go by, everything was being met. My lips demanding against hers.
Her fingers dug into my hips. When the sound of the desk hitting the wall warned me that maybe we needed to tone it down, we were both already coming back down.
We kissed softly and slowly until someone banged on the door. Both of our eyes popped open but our lips still touched.
“You’re not as quiet as you think you are,” Cain called from the other side.
Miriam broke first. Her body shook with laughter that was so cute I couldn’t help but give in. Still I kissed her once more before we each took a turn in the adjoining bathroom to make sure we looked presentable. Yet I wasn’t surprised when I opened the door, Miriam’s hand in mine, and found the four people I call my friends waiting on the other side of the door with varying looks of amusement on their faces.
Fuckers.
Miriam covered her mouth with a hand. I wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment or if she was trying to smother a laugh.
Flannery stepped forward and reached for her hand, which Miriam gave willingly.
“No worries, Miriam. We’ve all been there.”
That pushed my girl over the edge. It’d been laughter she tried to hide but with Flannery’s words, Miriam couldn’t hold it in any longer.
The girls walked arm in arm back toward the stairs and the party.
“Don’t look at us like that,” Adam said standing across from me.
“Yeah. You’re mom sent us looking for you since it’s getting close to midnight. Could have been her that found you. You should be thankful.”
I narrowed my eyes even further.
“And it’s called payback, mother fucker.”
I cracked. The reminder of me interrupting Cain and Flannery when we were in Florida over spring break a few years ago was too much. It was funny then. It’s still funny now.
“With the exception that I stopped things from happening and you didn’t stop shit.” I gave him a hard shove before the three of us went to find our girls.
We waited for the midnight countdown to begin. I’d already planned to escape the crowd as soon as the clock told us it was a new year, full of new beginnings or whatever other shit people believed the start of another day would bring. I didn’t need the new start. I had my new start in my arms already.
And yet, when the ball dropped on the huge plasma hanging on the wall at the other end of the room, I kissed Miriam with everything I had. What I loved was that she met me move for move, feeling for feeling. It took someone bumping into us as they made their way through the bodies for us to realize that maybe we let it go on a little longer than a normal New Year kiss.
“I love you, Miriam. So fucking much.”
“I love you.” She smiled back up at me.
Looking around I found Flannery in Cain’s arms and Kendra in Adam’s. As expected. They looked happy and content and like they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Well maybe that minute they were looking for an escape to somewhere a little more private.
But I was happy and content for probably the first time in my life. I’d led a happy life up until then, didn’t have the sort of worries a lot of people had to deal with, but it wasn’t until Miriam that I found happiness in all aspects of my life.
And I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Epilogue
“We’re seriously doing this?” Miriam asked looking up at me. Her pale pink dress was better suited for summer than January but considering we were in the middle of the desert it totally worked.
“Unless you don’t want to.”
“Don’t want to? Are you nuts?”
“A little.” I chuckled. “I did take you sky diving yesterday.”
“I wasn’t nervous about that either. I was with you.” Miriam gave me a small grin.
When I came up with the idea two weeks ago at my parents New Year’s Eve party, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. So I set everything up first, then sprung it on her a couple of days ago. She didn’t even think about it. She just jumped. I loved that about her.
“I told you.” She stared at me like I was stupid for even asking her if she was sure. “I want you. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and all of that sappy shit.”
I snorted. Another reason I loved her. Yes, Miriam liked the romantic gestures but didn’t need to be overly sweet about everything. We were real with each other and that’s all I could ask for.
“Where is everyone?” she asked glancing around the room.
As if on cue, Flannery and Cain came through the door followed by Adam and Kendra. I loved my family but those four were the only ones I wanted to be there anyway. Well, originally I just wanted Cain to come and he’d bring Flannery but there was no way in hell Kendra would ever let herself be left out of anything let alone something as important as this. Truthfully, I wanted her and Adam there anyway. And Miriam said that while she had friends, there was no one close enough that she couldn’t do this without them. Except me, of course.
So we were ready.
Miriam and I stood at the front of the room, me with Cain and Adam beside me, her with Flannery then Kendra, and a tall man—who looked more normal than I expected—before us. He got right to it.
We’d requested the abbreviated ceremony because neither of us was attached to the traditions that went along with getting married. He said some words; we said our vows without breaking eye contact, then slipped a ring on each other’s fing
ers. When he said I could kiss my bride.
Miriam smirked until I took him up on the offer.
I knew the feel of her by heart, could do this by memory, yet there was something different about kissing a woman to seal the marriage contract. This one supposedly meant more than all the others and yet they all meant a lot to me.
The six of us went out to dinner afterward then Miriam and I ditched them so they could enjoy the Vegas nightlife or whatever the fuck they wanted to do.
We returned to our suite at the hotel where I took my time taking her little pink dress off her body. We laid there afterward staring at the ceiling, our hands still roaming over each other.
“I need to put some clothes on,” she said sitting up.
“Why? I’ll just take them off again.”
“Ha, ha. I have to call my parents, and I can’t be naked to do that.”
“You know they can’t see you, right?”
“But it’s weird.”
I couldn’t disagree with her there. When I asked why she needed to call them now she said that while they’d be pissed she got married without them being there, they’d be even angrier if she waited days to tell them.
Because this wasn’t really a planned out thing, we weren’t leaving for a honeymoon right away. Oh, I was taking her away but we needed to decide where and when and all that shit. I just wanted to be married to her. To be sure nothing could keep me from her again. I loved her that fucking much.
She pulled one of my T-shirts on then sat on the bed and dialed.
Miriam was right. Her parents were pissed. It might have something to do with the fact that they had wanted to see their daughter get married, which did make me feel a little shitty. The other part was they’d only really met me three or four times. It had to be weird. They ended the conversation telling her they loved her and would see her when we got back.
Could’ve been worse.
At first I played dumb when she tossed me my phone and raised an eyebrow. But where Flannery had the ability to get the truth out of people with a cold stare and Kendra could put the fear of God into someone with the raise of an eyebrow, Miriam could make someone do whatever she wanted with the narrowing of her eye and maybe the clench of her jaw. Maybe that was just me. So I hit the button for my dad and put the phone on speaker.
“Sam,” he answered.
“Jason,” I said back trying not to smile.
“What’s up?” He asked.
“I got married today.”
Dead silence met those words. So long I thought he’d hung up but then finally something squeaked in the background.
“Wait. I just put you on speaker. Could you say that again so your mother can hear you?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Coward. He didn’t want to be the one to tell Mom.
“I said I got married in Vegas today.”
“What?” I could hear the smile in Mom’s voice but thought Miriam probably couldn’t. At least that’s what the lowering of her eyes and the fall of her face told me.
Before I could respond, Dad did. “Please, dear god, tell me you’re with Miriam. Because Sam, I swear to all that is holy in this world—”
That made my girl smile.
“Yeah, Dad, I’m with Miriam. Listen. I know this might be a surprise—”
“I’m not surprised,” Mom said.
“Huh?”
“Ha! Sam, it was clear the first time you mentioned her that this would be the ending. Though I’d have liked to have witnessed this, you’re your own man. I can’t force you to include your poor, taken for granted mother in this monumental moment. I’ll just have to make do with this meaning I get grandchildren one day. I do get grandchildren one day, right?”
“We could have a reception,” Miriam piped up.
I threw her a questioning look.
“Like a wedding reception. Whenever to celebrate. I know it would take the edge off with my parents.”
“Perfect,” Mom exclaimed. “We’ll talk when you guys get back. And Miriam? Welcome to the family.”
Giving my phone a toss, I pulled Miriam down on top of me and showed her once again how totally in love with her I was. Thankfully, she returned every sentiment, every moan and made me feel complete. I only hoped that I did the same for her.
The next day, we waited in the airport, the six of us. The six of us. I’d resigned myself to a life as the fifth wheel and had been happy for it. I didn’t want the complications that came with an actual relationship let alone having a wife and family. While the family would come eventually—later, much later—I wanted the wife that sat on my lap laughing with the best friends a guy could ask for.
Cain and Flannery were still newlyweds themselves. It seemed really odd that they’d only been married five months because it seemed like they’d always been together because those two couldn’t be more perfectly matched.
Even as Flannery got used to her new life, one where money wasn’t always an issue and everything wasn’t a struggle, she was still Flannery. The funny, sometimes violent girl Cain met in college. And she brought something out in him. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I guess I’d say he was more himself.
Kendra and Adam were the only couple among us that weren’t married yet. They were newly engaged so they were on the road. And they both still had their own apartments yet never spent a night apart. They’d each rented a place, one in Grand Rapids the other in Lansing, when they’d broken up and still had a few months on their leases. I had no doubt once the leases were up they’d officially become one household. Just a matter of who moved where, but Adam told me privately that he’d be moving to Lansing because he’d rather do the longer commute since Kendra had such long hours in law school. Their wedding would take place soon after. Scratch that, their small, non-traditional wedding according to Kendra. Whatever it turned out to be, it would happen because those two belonged together. There aren’t many men in the world that could be with Kendra, so she was lucky she happened to be in love with one of the few.
When they called for us to board our plane, my fingers intertwined with Miriam’s because I couldn’t not be touching her. We were headed back to our real life, the life we both needed, and there was nothing in this world I wanted more.
Or anywhere else I’d ever want to be besides where she was.
Settled on the plane, Miriam and I were unfortunately surrounded by our friends in first class. Usually if any of us flew somewhere it was coach but this was a special occasion. We leaned in whispering so the others couldn’t hear when Adam popped up beside us.
“I’m curious,” he said not bothering to keep his voice down. It didn’t really matter. There was only one other couple in first class but they were on the opposite side and looked asleep. “Now that you and Cain are both married will there be some wife swapping?”
Flannery snorted in front of us as Cain whipped around, kneeling on his seat in front of us.
“Probably not,” I said back. “He’s kind of a stick in the mud.”
“That sucks,” Adam sighed. “I was hoping for stories. Or videos.”
“Jerk.” Kendra huffed from her seat, her tone completely playful.
“Flannery’s pretty hot. I’d be willing.” Miriam hadn’t looked up from the magazine sitting on her lap as she spoke.
My mouth dropped open. I wanted to say something snappy back but all these images flooded my brain, and I’m pretty sure I heard a clunk inside there that meant it was shorting out.
“They never ask us what we want.” Flannery didn’t turn around either but Cain’s gaze dropped to her, and he probably looked exactly like I did.
“We’ll have to be covert about it, then,” Miriam said.
Kendra’s laughter indicated she could hear everything. Not surprising.
“I know you two are just fucking with us but please stop.” I finally found some words.
Flannery stood clasping a hand on her hip. “Who says we’re fucking with you?”
&nbs
p; Then Miriam stood. They were close, toe to toe really. My girl stood just a few inches over Flannery but the way they moved toward each other it looked like they were about to kiss. Holy fuck they were going to kiss. I didn’t really want to wife swap or even see Miriam and Flannery together but I couldn’t look away. Yeah, I know that was supposed to be every guy’s fantasy but I’d seen it before with different players. I loved Miriam. I only wanted my lips on her. Yet my body seemed intrigued if the way it responded said anything.
Glancing at Adam and Cain, I could see that they were holding their breaths just like I was.
The girls moved slowly until their lips were about to touch then they quickly slipped to the side and kissed each other’s cheeks.
Fuck. Three audible groans filled the air. I didn’t realize I’d made one of the sounds.
They started giggling. Kendra laughed even louder.
“I have to pee,” Flannery said with a smile.
“Cruel women.” Adam fell back into his seat which only made them all louder.
“Guys are too easy,” Kendra said.
“Yeah they are.” Miriam leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Besides, I figured if Cain got to kiss you, I should get to kiss Flannery.”
“What?” Adam and Kendra gasped at the same time.
Miriam giggled. She did that shit on purpose.
“Nothing,” I said curtly hoping that would be the end of it. I should have known better.
“The fuck you say,” Adam said again. “You and Cain made out? I figured you had at some point, you two are just too close, but I thought it’d be in the past. If Miriam saw it then it’s current.” He took a breath. “It’s ok. I love you guys no matter what. You don’t have to hide your love from us.”
“Fuck you,” I spat back at them. Cain just chuckled in front of me not bothering to try to help. Asshole.
“No, I think we need details.” Kendra leaned toward me. I could hear her moving. “Like, is Cain a good kisser? Does he use too much tongue? I always thought he’d use too much tongue.”
Up for Everything (Up for Grabs #3) Page 20
