“Natasha Cruz, I love you. I love how silly and sweet you can be. I love how nurturing you are and how you always try to find the good at the end of a really shitty day. From head to toe, I love you, baby. Marry me. Again.”
“Oh, babe,” I softly sighed.
“I won’t promise you an easy road, life isn’t built that way, but I promise to do everything I can for our journey to be as fulfilling and enjoyable as possible. I promise to always be your number-one cheerleader and to be open to hearing what you have to say and helping fulfill your needs. Marry me, Tasha, because without you, my life is worth shit.”
Tears rolled down my face as I nodded, kneeling in front of him and clasping his face with my hands. We kissed, sealing the deal for our forever. Our happily ever after might have been bumpy, but that was okay. It was an adventure. If it were smooth sailing, we wouldn’t appreciate what we had like we did now.
Vince
She was going to marry me all over again.
A lot of people said that, but we actually were. It was crazy and ridiculous but perfect. After taking my time kissing her and making sure the ring that suited her was on her finger, we held hands and headed towards the house. The owner, an older couple, expats from Denmark, were gracious enough to give us a tour of the property. After seeing it in person, I realized the location needed a lot more work than I had first thought when I had seen it online, but it was ten times more perfect than I’d originally thought. It was exhilarating to not only see the location in person but to watch Tasha take it in.
We thanked the couple and made our way back to the hostel, where I led her into the shower. Our bodies hungered for the other’s touch. I made sure to get her dirty and clean all at the same time. Once we were done and dressed, we went out.
We found ourselves at a bar and grill named Clandestino. Karaoke was in full swing. Those singing were given a free shot of tequila, making the show just that more enjoyable. We sat close, whispering sweet nothings into one another’s ears. The soft touches and lingering gazes foreplay. We danced and even made total idiots of ourselves singing in front of complete strangers. I was doing things outside of my usual comfort zone, but the genuine smile and happiness shining in Tasha’s eyes were worth it.
The red sundress she was wearing had been making me hard all night. The flirty way it skimmed the top of her thighs, making me wish I were that fucking piece of fabric as we made our way back to the hotel room.
“Fuck, Tash,” I groaned in her ear. My voice vibrated against her hot-to-the-the-touch skin, and I didn’t miss the way she shivered. Her feminine scent mixed with the beach tones of her sunblock were making my brain short circuit. All I could think about was the million different dirty things I wanted to do to her. “You smell so damn good. You always smell amazing.”
“I do?” she gasped, leaning her head to the side, giving me space to explore the line of her delicate neck with my mouth.
“Always,” I growled, watching the goose bumps prickle to life on her arms and shoulders. “All those months without you, I’d wake up reaching for you. I swear I could smell your skin next to me. You’re ingrained into me like my fucking DNA, Tasha. How could you have ever doubted my love for you?”
“Vince, it was—“
“My obsession with you. Obsession to posses you. Obsession to makes sure you are safe and sound. I was a fucking idiot. I blamed myself.” She stilled then turned in my arms, searching my eyes. “I couldn’t give you what you wanted.”
“I couldn’t either.”
“I felt like I failed you, like such a fucking failure, and before I knew it, all that shit had filled my head like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Oh, baby.” She cupped my face and rested her forehead against mine. “We both let ourselves get too deep in our head. I thought… I felt like I had let you down. That that was why you didn’t want to talk about our future when I brought it up.”
“Fuck no, Tasha. You want a family, we will have one. Whatever avenue we can find here or back in the States.”
“We already do,” she whispered against my lips. “You and me. We’re each other’s family. However we will be adding to it is a just blessed bonus.”
“Fuck yeah,” I rasped, clearing my throat. “I fucking love that. I love you, Tasha.”
“Good. Because I love you too, Vince. All these last months. So many regrets and things I wished I had done differently.”
“We both did things. I should have talked to you instead of shutting you out and getting in my head.”
“You know what you should do right now?”
“What?”
“Make love to me.”
“Anything you want, babe.” I grinned, kissing her before turning her around and pushing her onto the bed. “You like that, baby? Pop that ass out,” I ordered, my hand stroking her bare cheek. A deep groan vibrated in my chest as I took in her pretty bare pussy. “Did you forget your panties, naughty girl?”
“No.” She shook her booty as she looked over her shoulder, meeting my eyes. “I just didn’t put them on.”
“Fuck,” I cursed, leaning down to kiss her plump globes, biting down on one side hard enough to leave teeth marks, loving the little yelp she made. “Such a little tease. I’m gonna make love to you, Tasha, but this is going to go hard and fast.”
“Mmm, I like hard and fast,” she flirted, swaying her hips, making my dick too damn hard, my body aching to get inside of her.
I made quick work of taking off my pants, ripping my tee off and over my head. The sight of her, offering herself to me on all fours with her sweet bubble butt up and waiting, was going to have me coming in my pants.
She was dripping. Glistening arousal made her lips shiny and sweet. I leaned in, giving her a long swipe, her flavor on my lips, before standing up, resting a knee on the bed, and aligning the head of my cock with her entrance. I slammed into her body in one long smooth thrust. Her hands clenched the bedding beneath her, and her back arched, taking me deeper. We lost ourselves in the moment. And right as I released inside of her, she came hard, making my eyes roll into the back of my head, my hands clenching her ass as I came harder than I even knew was possible. Spent and exhausted, we rolled into bed, both of us on our sides looking at one another. Her tired smile made my heart full. I’d done that. I’d taken care of my woman, and I always would.
Chapter Seven
Tasha
I WOKE UP reaching for Vince, but before I opened my eyes, I knew I was alone in bed. I blinked, slowly taking in the sun-filled room, and looked around the empty hostel room. I sat up slowly and stretched, not worrying about having to cover up.
Sleeping naked seemed to be our new thing.
We had been in Tulum for three weeks. Our divorce officially filed and stamped, we were officially just boyfriend and girlfriend. As weird as it was, I dug it.
So much had happened. Not only had we explored the city and the outskirts of it, but we had gotten to know one another all over again. Not only that we had fallen back in love on a whole other level than we had before. I had always loved him, even through the divorce, but what I felt for him now was bigger and stronger than the first time we had said ‘I do’.
I got up and grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom. We had made an official offer on the property he had found online and had shown me. We had seen other properties, but there was something that we both liked about that location. I turned the shower on. Warm water cascaded down, and I smiled like I did any time I thought about our new business and the future.
Together.
I stepped in. The water pounding down my body, I breathed in deep and exhaled slowly. I couldn’t believe it was possible to be this happy. I had worried he would hate it here, leaving his business and family, moving to a whole other country, but from what I could tell, we had both taken the change well.
“Want any help scrubbing your back?” he asked, and I looked out the glass shower door and grinned.
“I wouldn’t
be against it.” That was another thing that seemed to be reawakened between us. We flirted now. Not only were we communicating, sharing our wants and needs, but we were actually flirting.
He took his clothes off. I loved the show. He had always had a great natural tan, but with the time we had been spending outdoors, it had deepened. His square jaw was sprinkled with scruff I freaking loved. He had always kept his face clean shaven, but here on the island, he was more relaxed, and I got to reap the benefits and enjoy what that scruff felt like between my thighs when he got in a mood. Which was a lot.
“Morning,” his voice rasped at my shoulder, his hands wrapping around my waist. I could tell he was already hard.
“Morning.” I smiled, melting into his embrace. “Did you go for a run?”
“Yeah. That and had a couple calls to make.” Everything was still being finalized for the transfer of his business.
“You still okay about this?” I asked. I asked this question almost daily. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him to tell me what he wanted but because I was so happy I was worried the other shoe was going to drop.
“You mean moving here?” he teased and kissed my neck. “What did I say, Tash?” he asked, the sound of his voice deep as it vibrated against my skin, his hands stroking the sides of my body. I had a newfound love for morning showers with Vince. “I belong wherever you are.” His fingers teased my entrance, and I opened my legs wider, my eyes fluttered shut.
“You wanna stay here, then this is where I’m supposed to be. You decide you wanna open a smoothie bowl place in New Jersey tomorrow, where am I going to be?”
“New Jersey,” I whispered, bucking into his touch.
“Exactly.” I felt his smile against my skin. “Our do-over is endgame forever and for keeps, baby,” he promised, and I believed him.
I didn’t know where life would take us. What it would give or take away. I didn’t know if our crazy bed and breakfast plans would pan out, but I did know that Vince and I would get through anything. Together.
We stayed in the shower long after the hot water ran out and cooled. But funny thing was, we were sweaty as we stepped out.
Epilogue
Vince
OUR ENDING WAS far from an ending, but a new beginning.
Every day would be the start of a beautiful adventure with her by my side. She looked at me as we walked into the small guest house that would be our home. Our stars had aligned once again, the keys to the bed and breakfast given to us mere moments after we returned from to the courthouse to elope.
Our two witnesses, the very attorneys who had been in charge of our divorce and the Justice of the Peace, had been the only people in the room as we said our vows to one another. It might sound crazy to some, but for us it was perfect.
Ada and Royce had both flown out, separately, but something about the way Royce was looking at Ada had me thinking there was more to that. Not that Ada spared him a second glance. Each vow made meant more than the first time we had spoken them almost sixteen years before. Each promise was sweeter this time around because we knew one another so much better. We had been kids with the whole world in front of us the first time around. Naïve and green behind the ears with fairytale dreams. Now, we were older. Wiser. We had the tools to make our own fairytale ending come true.
It wouldn’t be easy. It would be work. But we were both more than ready to jump into it and make our marriage work. Our marriage along with a business in a tropical beach city hidden in the perfect setting. It was like my grandmother had said to me years ago—flowers didn’t grow without the rain. And the garden of our love was in full bloom.
We’d had lunch, tacos and beers, before excusing ourselves from Royce and Ada, heading to our space at the bed and breakfast. I carried her over the threshold, something I hadn’t done the first time.
She kissed me as I set her feet on the ground and she looked around. I had arranged for our place to be filled with a variety of white flowers.
“Vince,” she softly gasped as she soaked in the space. White rose petals covered the ground in a trail to our bedroom. I didn’t have to go int there to know brand new clean bedding covered our king-sized bed. Blue satin sheets were waiting for us, and my dick was ready. Hard as nails.
“Husband,” I corrected, and a shy smile fell over her lips.
“Husband,” she whispered, and my cock jerked beneath my dress slacks. “I think you’re wearing too much,” she said, and without a thought, my hands made quick work of undoing each button of my white dress shirt, pulling it off my body and letting it fall to the ground.
“Is that better for you, wife?”
“Hmm.” She walked toward me, her hand gliding down my tanned chest, tracing each muscle on its way down, not forgetting to slightly scrape my nipples with her nails.
Edging me, teasing me until her hand reached my belt buckle and her eyes met mine. Lust and unabashed desire reflected in my direction. I planned on spending at least the next three days sating that look. It would be our own little honeymoon. I would take her in every space of our bed and breakfast before we opened to the public. I liked the idea of doing things here and there and looking at a wall and remembering when I’d taken her there, or her cooking in the kitchen and thinking about how she took my dick and I fed her my cum.
“You’re hard.”
“That’s all for you,” I shared in a low tone. “Undo my belt. Let my pants fall,” I ordered, and she licked her lips. My woman was fucking starving for my cock and the pleasure only I could give her. She followed my instructions, leaving me in black fitted boxer briefs.
“Turn,” I instructed, and she did. I moved closer, not enough to touch her back with my front but enough for my body heat to touch her skin. My fingers did nimble work of unzipping her dress. Grazing the line of her spine, loving how she wasn’t wearing a bra beneath the dress.
Her white dress fell to the floor, exposing tan skin that seemed to glow against the tiny scrap of white satin from her sexy thong hid between her sexy cheeks. I kissed her shoulder and down her spine as I knelt behind her and helped her step out of her dress.
I stood, and we moved to the bed. Silently, only the sound of our breathing echoing against the walls of our space as we made love. Slow and sweet, bringing our bodies together as one. Cresting over the peak of wild abandon almost simultaneously. Her back tucked into my front, we cuddled closely, our hearts synced as one.
She turned, and my breath hitched in my throat as I looked into the eyes of the woman who had stolen my heart so many years ago. A woman who had been by my side as we both grew up and became the adults we were today. The woman I would grow old with.
The woman I would spend the rest of my days on earth making sure knew how loved and appreciated she was.
The woman I would forever be grateful to for giving me a do-over.
Tasha- many years later
Life was a lot like an Outkast song, you could plan a picnic, but there was no way you could predict the weather. Though in Tulum, eighty percent of the time, the weather was picture perfect, life wasn’t easy.
Though I never wanted it to be.
Who wanted easy, anyhow? When things came too easily, you didn’t tend to appreciate the beauty you had in your everyday moments. The simple things like standing still and feeling a cool breeze on a warm day, or the sound of a bird and the rustling of trees.
Vince and I, well… we were Vince and I.
We had amazing picture-perfect days, and then we had days when even though we loved one another, we didn’t like each other a whole bunch. As weird as that was going to make me sound, those were my favorite.
It showed how strong the foundation of our relationship was. We had deep-seated roots. It wasn’t a cake walk. We were both too stubborn for things to be easy. But we had something better than a cake walk.
We had love.
Our business thrived, and we hired employees, even opening a restaurant attached to the bed and breakfast. Three years aft
er we opened the doors to our B&B, a teenage girl named Isabelle showed up. She was the niece of a friend of Vince’s family. She worked for us, and soon we realized she had come pregnant. I understood the heavy sadness the girl wore. She was young and scared. We tried to be there for her as much as she let us. One day, close to her due date, she came to us and shared her story. One I won’t share, because it was hers.
Afterwards, both Isabelle and I teary eyed, she asked if we could adopt her baby. She told us to think about it. As wonderful as it sounded, Vince and I were hesitant. Two previous adoption attempts that had fallen through for different reasons had made us weary.
But everything happened for a reason. Isabelle went into labor, and we rushed her to the local hospital. I held her hand and was there when a beautiful little redheaded baby girl was born. Isabelle refused to hold her, so I took her in my arms. When Vince came back into the room, Isabelle asked us again, told us more about her heartbreaking story, and we agreed to adopt her. Isabelle held her for two hours the next day, alone in the room, and then was gone from our lives. Just like that, she vanished, and I was never sure she knew what an amazing gift she had bestowed on us.
That was how we were gifted with our beautiful bright girl. The light of our eyes, Lucy.
Funny how things happen. It would be two glorious sleep-deprived years later that I would realize our baby girl was born on the very anniversary we had signed those silly divorce papers.
Vince and my road had definitely been the one less traveled, but without us taking that road, without our do-over, we wouldn’t have found and crossed paths with the young woman who gifted us the opportunity to be a family.
When Lucy turned four, we sold the bed and breakfast and moved back to California. We loved the beach city but had missed home. There, we fostered to adopt three other kids. Two boys and another girl.
The Do-Over Page 6
