Our Forever Promise

by Mary Wasowski

  “Many years ago,” I said to Riley, “the fates were aligned, and the love story for Walker and Reese began. Through the years of separation, their love remained true and found its way back to each other through us. If you think about it, it’s pretty incredible. You, Riley, are incredible. I am so thankful for you and what you bring to my life. You are out of this world, spontaneous, crazy emotions all over the place, and beauty that stops me where I stand. I can’t breathe without you, and I don’t want to spend one day not loving you.”

  “Riley, I want you to have something. This belonged to my mother. What’s in this box was given to her by my father. Now although they didn’t have much time together, they did have a special love that began in friendship and became something more. How lucky for me that I was the product from that love. Although I never got to meet my mom, she’s very much part of my life and our life together. I look to her for guidance and strength, and I feel her protection over me. After my talk with my father, all the fear that I had just faded away into thin air. This incredible heavy burden just disappeared. I’m not afraid anymore. I have to believe and trust that I will be fine after my surgery. And when I wake up, I expect to be able to lose myself in your beautiful eyes.”

  “Riley, you’re the one that I want to spend every day with for the rest of my life. I want to fight with you and know we will be making up at night. I want to share everything with you and experience all our firsts together. Tonight I will be making love for the first time with the love of my life, but first, please open this box.”

  I rendered her completely speechless. Thank god she wasn’t a mascara wearing girl, or her face would be lined up by now. She’s cried quite a bit today, and once again I was brushing away her happy tears. Her hands were shaking as she opened the heart-shaped jewelry box. My heart was in my chest. I hope the ring will fit. I didn’t even think of that when I put my plan in motion.

  “Oh, Jackson! It’s the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. I can’t believe this is happening. This is real, right?”

  “Yes, baby it is,” I took the ring and slowly slid it on her finger. “Riley Taylor Briggs, will you make me the happiest ex-Yankee- now Oriole-loving fan and be my wife? I’ve accepted my fate and will forever love your birds. I see no one else beside me in this life. Allow me to be your husband, the father of your children, and the reason your eyes brighten. You have my promise—our forever promise—of an amazing life to look forward to. Please say yes?”

  Waiting for her response added years to my life. She was crying, moving her mouth, but no sound was coming out. I knew her answer was coming, as this was my girl in all of her wonderment. She was either going to scream at the top of her lungs and break the sound barrier, or kiss me senseless. I was hoping for option two.

  She wiped her face and looked at her ring. Taking my face in her delicate hands, she kissed me so softly on my lips, I could hardly feel her. Then she gave me the words I’d been waiting to here.

  “Yes. I will marry you, Jackson Walker Reed. I will love you forever, be all types of crazy, and not hold you to loving the birds. I will go to your Yankee games and cheer your team on, because I know it makes you happy. I can’t wait to tell you when I’m pregnant with our child. You will be an amazing father. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I will not argue with the universe, the heavens, and every spiritual being out there. I’m yours, and I can’t wait to say…I do.”

  “I’m going to make you so happy.”

  “You already have. Make love to me, Jackson.”

  As I took in Riley’s beautiful face, once again the candles glowed around her, I almost had to pinch myself. I said my silent prayer to my angel above and thanked her for my angel here on earth. Riley is here and with me in my arms. I’m a dreamer. I believe in the sun, moon, and the stars. Riley is my other half of my heart and she’s said yes to becoming my wife. I wish I could stay here forever with her, but the night will slowly become the dawn, and we have to cherish what we have right now.

  “I’ll be right back,” she whispered to me, but not before leaving a trail of kisses along my face. God! I wanted her so much. I feel like doing push-ups. I’m praying I last more than two minutes. Take a breath Jackson. You made it this far, and your girl is on the other side of that door about to come out and make all your dreams come true. I gently knocked on the door to make sure she was okay. She said she would be out in a minute. We’ve done other things with each other that have been leading up to this point, but this was our big moment. I couldn’t really blame her for being nervous. I knew I was.

  I turned down the bed and got undressed. I stripped down to my boxers. My heart was beating way too fast. I took in a few calming breaths to steady myself, which was beginning to work until Riley walked out from the bathroom, looking breathtaking. I actually put my hand across my heart. My world completely stopped. She brushed her hair out, and it was full and wild running down her back. She was dressed only in her baby blue lacy bra with matching thong panties. They looked like dental floss with a triangle patch that barely covered her most intimate spot. They left little to the imagination. I bit back my lip imagining my mouth on her. Yeah, I was going to rip that tiny scrap of material with my teeth.

  She slowly walked over to me, and began running her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer to meet her lips. Our mouths met as our tongues tangled with each other. She tasted delicious. I wanted more and couldn’t wait one more second. I loved pleasuring Riley with my tongue, but we always stopped ourselves. Oral sex was amazing, but I wanted all of her now. I easily picked her up and carried her to the rose covered bed. She was sprawled out in the middle and began to open for me. I was on my knees and over her, taking in every inch of her natural beauty.

  “I love you so much, Riley. I can’t wait to be inside of you.”

  “Don’t make me wait any longer. Please love me, and love me now.”

  Her pleas were making me lose my mind. She took her bra off and led me to her perfectly round breasts. Her nipples were pebbled and so inviting for me to suck. I took them in my mouth one by one as she cried out from the tantalizing sensation coursing through her body. I couldn’t help my desire for her as I marked her breasts. She went wild at the sight of my love bites. Trailing my tongue down her sternum and to her swollen clit, she was tight, so tight, and I knew I had to take it slow. She lifted her pelvis, meeting my mouth at her entrance. I entered her with my tongue and began to fuck her with my mouth. All thoughts of erotic fantasies were filling my mind. How many times did the guys come over and play porn in my media room. I wanted more with Riley, but she was so fucking hot, I couldn’t help it.

  “Oh my god! Jackson, suck me please. I’m going to come so freaking hard.”

  And she did, all over my face. She was soaking with arousal and waiting for me to push deep inside of her. Sitting up to kiss me, she showed no resistance. Kissing me and tasting the remnants of her orgasm on my lips and tongue, she took it all. I fucking loved it. We were marking each other.

  “I’m on the pill, you know this, but I would still be happy if you used a condom for our first time. Do you have one?” she asked so innocently.

  “Of course.”

  I kissed her again and rolled off the bed to retrieve it from my pocket. I pulled down my boxers as my hard throbbing erection sprang free. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. We’ve seen each other naked before, but the expression on her face was priceless. Compared to other guys, I was rather fortunate. I crawled back up the bed to my girl and reassured her that it would indeed fit inside of her. That was it, I knew it. Her cheeks reddened, and she ducked her chin to her chest.

  “Hey, look at me. Please don’t ever turn away from me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m nervous too. Let’s take this slow, and if you want me to stop, I’ll stop.”

  “Okay. I trust you Jackson. Please don’t make me wait any longer.”

  “I love you so much.”

  With my five words, I easily sli
pped inside of her. I watched every emotion play out on her beautiful face. She pinched her eyes shut a couple of times. When I tried to pull away, she pulled me back down.

  “It’s okay, baby,” she said, holding her breath. “Just go slow and let me get used to it.” She let out her breath.

  Inch by inch I went deeper inside of her. “I’m almost all the way in baby, just a bit more.”

  Once I was completely inside her body, I began to go faster, but not too much that she couldn’t handle. Our bodies began a steady rhythm of perfect unison. Sweat trickled down in between her breasts as I lapped it up with my tongue.

  “You taste amazing, Riley, and feel so good. Wrapping her legs around my waist, I couldn’t hold back anymore as I listened to her commands to go faster. I pumped and pumped every last drop into her, filling the condom. I collapsed on top of Riley. Our bodies were entwined with each other. I wanted to stay with her forever.

  “I love you so fucking much. You are my life,” I said to her.

  I crushed my lips onto hers, making them swell before me. I licked, bit, and kissed her madly until I had to come up for air. How I waited this long was a miracle.

  I slowly pulled out of her, causing her to wince a little. I was already feeling the loss of our connection. I disposed of the condom and climbed back in bed with her.

  “Are you okay baby?”

  “Fantastic. Can we take a bath?” she asked.

  “We can do anything you want. I’ll go start it. Be right back.”

  I kissed her again and made my way to the bathroom. This bathroom wasn’t small by any means. It had a huge oval tub that we would easily fit in and still have room. I filled it with jasmine flower bath oils, one of Riley’s favorites. I turned to see her standing in the doorway, and she looked scared.

  “Baby? What’s wrong?” I kissed and held her face.

  “There’s blood on the sheets.” I looked over her shoulder and saw the evidence of her lost virginity.

  “It’s okay, baby. They’re just sheets. It’s supposed to be normal for your first time.”

  “I know, but when I saw the blood, I just got scared.”

  “Come on, let’s take a bath, and you’ll feel better.”

  I picked her up once more and placed her in the warm bath. She winced again, but then fell backward to my chest. I wrapped my long legs around her and kept her snuggled close to me.

  “Are you okay, Riley, I mean really okay? This was a big step for us. Please tell me that I didn’t hurt you?”

  “Jackson, are you crazy or something? You did not hurt me. I loved what we just did and can’t wait to do it again. I guess the reality of it all just slammed in to me. We’re not virgins anymore, and we’re engaged.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

  “No!!! It’s an amazing thing, and I will always remember this night with you for the rest of my life. I love you with all my heart. Thank you for making it so special. I knew so many girls in school that did it in the back of some boy’s car, or a quick fuck at a party. What we shared, you and me, was something from a movie, like a fairy tale love story. You are amazing, Jackson. I will spend every day proving that I’m deserving of your love.”

  “You are, baby. I’m the lucky one. It was the same for me. I had plenty of opportunities to be with girls, but none of them held my heart. I was just waiting for you. You have my heart, body, and soul for you, and only you.”

  After declaring our love for one another once more, nothing at all needed to be said. We belonged to each other. The fear and tension blissfully faded away as Riley straddled my hips and lowered herself on to my dick.

  “Are you sure? I can get a condom.”

  “No barriers between us. I trust you Jackson. Now let me show you how much I love you.”

  Her inhibitions gone, Riley took me over and over again. My eyeballs were rolling to the back of my head as she took control. Water was splashing over the sides of the tub. She gripped my shoulders as I held on to her hips and guided her up and down. I was so deep inside her.

  “I’m going to come..,” I breathed.

  She bent backwards with her hair falling into the water. I held her hips so tightly, I was sure I bruised her. We came together in a catapulting thunder of pure pleasure.

  “I can’t move, Jackson. Oh my god, what the hell was that?”

  “If you have to ask, maybe I didn’t do it right.”

  “Shut up, you jerk. Oh, you did it right. Not sure if I’ll be able to walk in the morning, but you’re good babe.”

  We kissed and held the other in our arms as the bath water turned cold. I wrapped her up in a warm bath sheet the size of a blanket and carried her back to the bed. Riley was all I needed. Her body fit mine perfectly. She ran her fingers across my chest, stopping over my heart.

  “I love you so much. Always believe that, Jackson, okay?”

  “I do, baby, I do.”

  “Your father is going to be so mad that you left. Probably will blame me.”

  “Stop it. He’s not going to be mad at you. Everything is fine with my father. Let’s not talk about him right now. The only people that matter are in this room. Me and you. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  The drums of her heart were slowly lulling me to sleep. No matter what happened after tomorrow, Riley and I would always have this night.

  “GOOD MORNING, BALTIMORE! It’s going to be a beautiful day here in the city.” I heard this all too cheery greeting blasting from the television. A beautiful day? Um…I don’t think so. My son will be getting brain surgery in twenty-four hours and there’s Henry Townsend to deal with.

  As I sipped my morning coffee and stared out to the rising dawn, I replayed the previous night’s events that led to the confrontation with the man I despised most in the world. I had just been finishing up a meeting with Liam, when unexpectedly coming face to face with my former father-in-law.

  “Liam, are you absolutely positive it was okay for Jackson to leave the hospital?”

  “I do. I medically cleared him myself. Don’t forget, Walker, he’s not alone, he’s with your guy, Richard, who I’m sure is trained and more than capable of assisting if anything happens.”

  “That’s just it, Liam, what if he has another seizure? I can’t even begin to have my mind go there.”

  “Then don’t, Walker, you need to relax and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day for your son and he is going to need not only you, but his entire family for support.”

  I couldn’t help notice Samuel’s grim expression. He had to be thinking what every father did not want to believe, his little girl was all grown up. He, along with Liam, reassured me that Jackson would be fine. It had been a rough few days, and Jackson needed to relax before his operation. I trusted them both and tried to relax, but finding my son’s note sent me spiraling.

  Does he not know me at all? Me not worry? Yeah that’s like asking the sun not to rise in the morning. Reese calmed me as best as she could, but I was still livid. My calls and text messages went unanswered, which proved to be more frustrating.

  As angry as I was with Jackson for sneaking off with Riley, I was thankful he wasn’t present to witness my confrontation with his grandfather. They had just arrived as I was leaving my meeting with Samuel and Liam. He didn’t see me at first, but I certainly heard him demand information on his grandson. He certainly had balls, I’ll give him that: to walk in and begin shouting out his demands, as if he was entitled to them. In my eyes, he lost that right after he screwed with my life. Jackson was my son, and he would not lay claim to him.

  After discovering Jackson’s leaving, I phoned my mother and explained to her that she would be driven to the hospital in the morning. She insisted on meeting me tonight, but without Jackson here, tomorrow was a new day. Olivia wasn’t happy about it, but she did as I asked.

  Now if it was only that simple with Townsend. Going unnoticed, I continued to listen to his rants. Stephen asked me if I wanted him to handle the sit
uation Henry was causing at the nurse’s station, but I refused. Gail saw me first and rushed over to me for an embrace. I accepted her affection as she immediately began crying over Jackson.

  “Oh, Walker, where is he? They’re telling us he’s been discharged. How can that be if he’s about to have surgery?”

  Before I could answer her questions, Henry lunged forward at me only to have Stephen jump in and block him.

  “You asshole, Reed! Where the hell is my grandson? You can’t keep him from us. I know he’s here.”

  A small gathering quickly surrounded us. Samuel immediately walked toward me, and I assured him I would silence the irate man in front of me. He didn’t want his other patients disturbed, and rightfully so.

  I excused myself from Henry’s derogatory rant, and he had no choice but to follow. I led him into an empty conference room and out of sight from the rest of the floor. I was thankful that I sent Reese back to the hotel while I finished up my meeting with the doctors. Once we were all inside, I closed the door and turned around to face my former father-in-law.

  “You will lower your voice and show respect for the patients who are residing on this floor,” I sternly said to him.

  He wasted no time and began spewing his ugliness once again.

  “Respect? You want to know about respect, son. Well, what about my respect? How dare you! My grandson needs me. I will not be pushed aside because the great Walker Reed says so. I will fight you with everything I have.”

  “Henry! What has gotten into you? Why are you so angry with Walker?” Gail cried out.

  “Quiet, woman! Let me talk to my son-in-law.”