Aiden takes me in his arms as we watch the rest of the fireworks display. The oh’s and ah’s can be heard behind us as the rest of the wedding guests filter out into the marina. As the finale starts, Aiden turns me in his arms, gently places his lips on mine, then dips me backwards. Still dipping me back, he ever so slightly stops kissing and smiles on my lips. It’s the perfect moment and I wish I could bottle it and keep forever.
The fireworks stop, the crowd claps, then Aiden leads me to the awaiting limo. The limo will take us to our honeymoon suite hotel. Aiden and I can’t go on an official honeymoon just yet. I’m still in school and probably will be nonstop for the next two years. But honestly, tonight is all the honeymoon I’ll ever need. That and to spend the rest of my life with Aiden.
The chauffeur holds open the back door, Aiden gets in first, and pulls me in and into his lap.
“I don’t think it’s legal for me to sit on your lap the entire drive to the hotel,” I tease.
“Sure it is,” he says, and kisses me quiet.
I’d say I feel like a teenager playing kisseyface on prom night, but I’ve actually never experienced that before. I can knock that off my I’ve never done list. The limo stops in front of the hotel. The driver gets out, then he opens our door. Aiden lifts me off of his lap and places me on my feet on the ground. He gets out, pulls me through the hotel, and stabs impatiently at the elevator button.
“Don’t we need to check in first, and get a key?” I ask, giggling.
He reaches in the breast pocket of his tux and pulls out a key, then dangles it from his finger with a smile.
“You sure you were never a Boy Scout? You’re awfully prepared,” I tell him as we enter the elevator.
He pushes the button for the penthouse, then stalks toward me, caging me into the corner of the elevator.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you are today, Mrs. Wellington?” he whispers on my lips.
I giggle, then he shuts me up with a kiss. He kisses down my jaw, and trails feather light kisses down my neck. I grab onto the railings as he slides down my body. His hands go to the hem of my skirt, then he runs his hands up my ankles, then up the sides of my leg to my knees. When his hand hits my garter belt, he stops and his lips turn up into a sly smile. He lifts my skirt up and over his head, then grabs onto the garter belt with his teeth. The elevator stops and the doors open to an awaiting couple. I quickly lift my skirt up to allow Aiden out, then push it back down.
“Going down?” the man asks.
“I was trying,” Aiden replies, looking at them over his shoulder.
“Oh, my God!” I whisper. “No, we’re going up,” I tell the couple.
The woman buries her face in the man’s suit jacket laughing, then they let the elevator door close again. I smack Aiden in the shoulder and pull him up so he’s standing, then I break out in a fit of giggles. His lips again come to mine as he moans.
I break the kiss, bite my bottom lip and say, “You like to make me stop giggling with your kisses.”
“No, I love making your giggle turn into that moan you do in the back of your throat every time I do it,” he says kissing me again, making me do that moan.
The elevator comes to a stop and the door opens on our floor. Aiden takes my hand and leads me down the hall to our room. Sitting on the floor outside the door is a basket filled with wine, flowers and all sorts of goodies. I bend down and remove the card. Opening the card all it says is, Love, Asher and Willow.
Aiden unlocks the door, kicks the basket inside, then picks me up and carries me over the threshold then into the suite. It’s dark except for the flicker of candlelight bouncing shadows on the walls. There are orange rose petals lined in a walkway leading to the bed. I flip my shoes off as he carries me to the bed, then he gently sets me down on top of the plush comforter. I put my hands on the bed and scoot myself further up, as Aiden removes the jacket to his tux, then walks forward on his hands and knees over me. Hunger, starvation, lust, need, and want fill his eyes. His full weight comes down on top of me as he begins kissing me. He toes off his shoes, then his body starts to get up, but his lips stay kissing mine. He reaches between us for his pants and starts to undo them. My hands go to the buttons on his dress shirt and start to fumble with them. He gets up on his knees, unclasps his cufflinks, then one at a time chucks them in different directions across the room. He finishes unbuttoning his dress shirt, then peels it off one shoulder at a time.
I sit up and push his undershirt up, then kiss his muscled abs. I reach to my side and unzip my beautiful wedding dress down to my waist. Aiden lies back down on top of me, then turns me over onto my stomach. He gently pulls my wedding dress and shimmy’s it down my body, then lays it at the end of the bed. Starting at the back of my knee, his tongue trails up and over my ass cheek. I turn my head to look at him, and he smiles. He removes the pins from my hair, letting it fall on the back of my neck. He grabs it all in one hand, then kisses the back of my neck. He straddles my lower thighs, then places his hands on my shoulders and massages them down the back of my bustier, then finally down to my waist. I can feel his erection between my legs at my ass. He turns me back over and his eyes turn to lust. Just the reaction I was hoping for when he sees my white, lacey, strapless bustier and panties trimmed in pastel orange.
Aiden scoots me up to the head of the bed. I grab onto the wrought iron spindles as he removes my panties down my legs. Why, again, did I want to have this cast on when we got married? I can only wrap the tops of my left fingers around the spindles. He finishes taking off the rest of his clothes, but leaves my bustier on. His hands come to the top of my ankle, then slide up my legs. He brings my knees up and I plant my feet on top of the mattress. Aiden starts kissing feather light kisses just inside my thigh and makes his way over. I moan as his fingers start to work between my legs. I feel it building as my leg starts to twitch, then I come undone and I come on his lips with a loud moan. He gets on his knees and straddles me, then takes himself in his hand and strokes himself several times. I bring my hands down from above my head, sit up and grab onto his hips. I lie on my right side next to his knees and take just the tip of him into my mouth and suck hard. From underneath him, I drag my tongue from tip to balls. The muscles in his thighs go rock hard as he grits out a breath between his teeth. Grabbing him under his balls, I cup him firmly in my hand as I take him deep in the back of my throat.
“Savvy.”
I hum a response. His hands go into my hair, then he gathers a fistful and holds it firmly at the back of my head for support as I take him in and out. I let his hands take over the pace that he needs. My right hand goes around him and I grab a handful of ass and squeeze.
He pulls me all the way out, then places his hands under my arms and scoots me back up to the head of the bed. With his knees together, he pulls my ass up.
“Hang on tight, baby,” he demands.
I reach my hands back above my head and grab onto the bars and hang on as he enters me hard. As he moves in and out, I use the bars as leverage and give back everything he gives me. His pace quickens, his eyes close, he pulls me hard into him and holds me still as he starts to come.
With my hands still on the bars, I push in and out as hard as I can against his pressure of holding me still. He groans and I stop.
“Don’t stop,” he groans. I move in and out again as he continues to come. He opens his eyes, then sets my ass down on the bed. He leans down and gently kisses me on the lips.
He falls to the bed at my side and wraps his arms around me. I place my head on his chest, and I can hear and feel his heartbeat racing in his chest.
“I can hear your heart beating,” I whisper.
“My heart only beats for you,” he says, squeezing me tight.
“Oh, I almost forgot about your wedding gift!” I say, getting up to find my purse. I race to the door and pick my purse up off the floor. While I’m there, I also grab the bottle of wine, the bottle opener, and the two wine glasses out of the basket from
Willow and Asher. I reach in my purse, take out the small box, then drop my purse back on the floor on my way back to Aiden.
I set the wine and the glasses on the side table, then straddle Aiden on the bed. I set the box on his chest and smile at him. He tucks two pillows under his head, then picks up the box. I smile and bite my lip as he takes the gift wrap off the box. I’m so nervous I could pee.
He cracks open the box and immediately his eyes go big. “Savvy, this is incredible,” he says, taking it out of the box.
I give a little squeal knowing Ava and I did a great job picking it out. I plop on the bed beside him and look up at the watch as he inspects it. I don’t even know what brand it is, all I know is Ava went nuts over it. I reach for the watch and I turn it over in his hand.
I reach for the lamp beside the bed and turn it on. When I was standing in the store with Ava, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to have engraved on the back. But when I was standing there looking at it, I suddenly changed my mind. Engraved on the back now it says, My one and only love and the keeper of my dreams.
After round two and three, Aiden lays next to me sound asleep. The morning sun is just coming up in the sky, filtering light in through the sheer curtains. I hold my left casted hand up in front of my face and stare at my beautiful, sparkling rings. I thought my engagement ring alone was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. But the single row of orange sapphires nestled perfectly next to my engagement ring is just spectacular.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Aiden’s husky morning voice says, bringing me out of my stare.
“Good morning,” I reply, snuggling into his hold.
Aiden had a special wedding breakfast delivered, then regrettably, we packed our things and left our honeymoon suite. Aiden had parked Jade in the hotel parking lot the night before we got married.
Somehow, getting into Jade as a married woman I feel different. I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling though.
As we drive down the street, Ruby comes into view, parked in the driveway. My heart skips a beat with joy. She’s really back! Aiden pushes the garage door button, and pulls next to the piles of boxes and furniture from the storage unit. I walk back out into the driveway and do what I’ve dreamt of doing for weeks now. I hug Ruby’s hood.
Aiden walks up next to me and scoops me up into his arms. I squeal as he secures me in his arms. Instead of walking back through the garage into the kitchen, he walks up the front walkway to the front door. He then carries me over the threshold of our house for the first time as husband and wife.
Aiden and I play kisseyface in the entryway, then he goes back out into the garage and brings in our bags. We have the whole day together to play kissyface in every room of the house until it’s time to go to family Sunday dinner.
Aiden takes out his phone and listens to his messages. His brows furrow, then he makes a quick call. He calls Asher, who from the sound of this side of the conversation is beyond sorry for bugging him the day after he gets married. Aiden, being the awesome guy he is, assures him it’s totally fine. They have a quick conversation, then he hangs up.
While Aiden heads into his home office to take care of whatever Asher needs him to take care of, I decide to tackle the mounding piles of laundry. After I’ve separated the whites and the lights and darks, I gather up the darks and head into the laundry room. As I always do, I check all the pockets before shoving anything into the washing machine. Once you’ve washed and dried gum once, you learn to check your pockets.
I reach my hand into the back pocket of a pair of my jeans and pull out an envelope. My heart sinks and I know exactly what this is. It’s the envelope from my aunt. That day in the storage unit, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to open it and read what possible lame excuse she had as to why she did what she did. Now I know exactly what I want to do with it.
I head into Aiden’s office and grab his metal trashcan from under his desk. Aiden gives me a confused look, but goes back to his laptop. I empty the contents into the kitchen can, then put the trashcan in the kitchen sink and place the unopened envelope on the bottom. I open the drawer next to the stove and take out the matches. I take a deep, cleansing breath, then light the match. Holding it over the trashcan, the flame quickly travels down the wooden stick closer and closer to my fingers. Just before it reaches my fingers, I blow it out and toss it into the sink.
I set the matches on the counter, grab onto the ends of the counter and close my eyes. I grab the box again, then light another match and hold it over the can. Aiden’s body presses against my back, then his hand runs down my arm to my wrist. It was the strength that I needed. I let go of the match and watch the paper quickly light on fire. The smoke spirals upward. The burning fire is beautiful as it races across the envelope, eating up any and all lies and excuses it contains. It only takes a few minutes for it to completely burn. All that’s left are the ashes. I’m better off not knowing what was inside. In the end it didn’t matter. What could anything I read in the letter change? I don’t hold any anger anymore, why give that ugly emotion a chance to creep back into my life?
Aiden kisses the back of my neck, then heads back down the hall to his office. I smile, then head back into the laundry room and do our laundry.
Chapter 16
Aiden
The once beautiful clear blue skies of fall, have faded into the grey, cloud covered cold ones of winter. Savvy and I have been married for four months now. We’ve since welcomed a new puppy into our house, Theo. He’s a cute, white fluff ball, otherwise known as a Samoyed. After everything settled down, I knew it was time to make another one of Savvy’s dreams come true. I knew having a puppy is one of the things she’s always wanted. Theo just adores Savvy, and he’s never more than a few steps away from her. When she does her homework on the couch, Theo rests his cute little puppy head on her ankle. When she washes dishes, his little puppy butt is sitting on her foot. And much to my dismay, when she sleeps, he curls up next to her side.
I catch Savvy several times a week just standing in the hallway, staring at the photos lining the walls. Mixed among the ones she loves so much of the family, are photos of us, and our wedding photos. But nothing compares to the photo that hangs over the fireplace in the family room. There is her favorite photo. We had it blown up to 20X30, framed and hung it over our mantel. It’s Savvy’s absolute favorite photo. It’s her and I on our wedding day standing out by the marina. I’m dipping her into a kiss while fireworks light up the star studded night sky. You would have thought her cumbersome, orange cast would somehow mar her perfect day. But to Savvy it was perfect in every way. And this is where I find her and Theo. Theo is slouched on Savvy’s ankle as she stares at the photo above the mantel. I wrap my arms around her and kiss the side of her face.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask in her ear.
“Yep, all ready,” she says, turning in my arms.
“Jade or Ruby?” I ask.
“Ruby, and I’m driving,” she answers.
We head into the garage where Ruby and Jade finally are parked side by side again. It took Savvy two months to go through all the boxes and decide what to do with the furniture. Some of the smaller personal items are scattered throughout our house, and some of it is in a local storage unit waiting for the day that maybe we’ll be blessed with a daughter of our own. Savvy also donated a fair portion of items to Goodwill.
Savvy heads to the passenger side of Ruby. “I thought you were driving?” I question, confused. She opens the door and gestures with her hand for me to get in. “Sir,” she says.
“You’re a goof,” I tell her. I get in, then she closes the door.
She heads around the car and gets into the driver seat, and then I watch for it. Every time she gets in the car, her entire face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. She lovingly runs her hand on the soft leather, red trimmed steering wheel every time before she starts it.
As she drives to my mother’s for Sunday family dinner, I rest my hand on her thigh
. She smiles at me out of the corner of her eye, as she pulls up to the curb outside my childhood family home.
The noise is at its usual deafening level. Children run around shrieking and screaming. Savvy joins the women in the kitchen to help finish dinner, while the men set the table and keep the kids entertained. Of course, we still set a place setting at the head of the table for my dad. Just as Savvy once said, there are mismatched chairs gathered from all over the house sitting at the table, just to accommodate my very large family.
“Dinner’s ready,” my mother says, setting a roast on the table.
There are mashed potatoes, carrots, dinner rolls, and red wine. Everyone takes their seat. Some kids even sit on laps, but no one ever minds. Family Sunday dinner is the one time when we can all come together and just be a family. No work, no television, nothing but family.
“Doesn’t that annoy the crap out of you?” Ava leans in and whispers.
“Does what annoy the crap out of me?” I ask confused.
“Savvy’s incessant gum smacking!” she replies.
“She’s chewing gum?” I ask, turn the other direction and look at my wife. Huh, I actually thought she’d given up chewing gum.
“Oh God, it’s happened. Never mind, you’ve gone love blind,” she replies, then rights herself in her seat.
Savvy digs in her pocket, removes a gum wrapper, then puts her gum in it and shoves it back in her pocket. She digs her fork into her mashed potatoes and just before it enters her mouth, Asher stands and clinks his glass.
“If I could have everyone’s attention,” he starts. He looks down at his very pregnant wife. Willow’s due to give birth any day now. I’m surprised my mother didn’t make her sit on the plastic covered chair. Hey, it’s happened before. Willow and Asher’s third child is a girl, and they’re going to name her Avery. Asher takes her hand in his, and continues. “Every December I have the unbelievable honor of adding to my wife’s charm bracelet. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Willow being cancer free,” he continues, but starts to get choked up. He takes a ragged, deep breath, then continues, “I know I say all the time that I’m the luckiest man alive to have met you. On a daily basis, you prove that to me over and over again. I stand here today, and I look at our family and at our children, and I just don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t have run into me and thrown up on my shoes.”
Unexpected Chance Page 19
