by Ford, Mia
“Gladly.” David pushed inside again, pushing back my legs as I gasped. He always went so deep this way, and I loved it. He thrust harder with each movement, covering my mouth with his hand so I wouldn’t scream. I came with a harsh whisper of his name and he let my legs drop before pulling out and rolling beside me. We fell asleep this way before he woke up enough to cover us up, pulling me closer to him.
I woke up first, smelling coffee in the air. I turned onto my side, smiling and pressing closer to David as I fought the urge to run out to the kitchen for a cup. He was so warm, and I nuzzled against him as he pulled me closer. I looked at the small clock on the table by the bed and saw that it was nine and groaned softly. “What time is it?” He asked as I sighed.
“It’s nine and there’s coffee.” I replied as he slipped a hand into my hair.
“I have another idea.” I giggled, and he turned me to my back to kiss my neck. He took me sweetly as I wrapped myself around him, pulling him closer. Once we were done, I rose to freshen up in the attached bathroom before we headed down the hallway. We both dressed in the clothes from the night before and David made me laugh as he pulled down the messy bun that I was wearing.
“Quit it.” I hissed as we walked into the kitchen. I glanced forward to see Brent pouring some coffee and greeted him softly. He turned to look at me and I saw how red his eyes were. “Oh my God. Is everything okay?” I asked, rushing forward. I looked around, not seeing my sister. “Where’s Cam?”
“In bed. She’s having a hard time sleeping which means I am having a hard time sleeping.” He yawned, and I smiled sympathetically at him. David got us both coffee and we sat down at the table as he checked his email for any response from the agent. We told Brent about our plan to look at nearby houses and he clapped David on the back. “It’s about fucking time.”
It turned out that the agent called about ten and David asked me if I was willing to look at some places today. I agreed, and we headed to the condo to shower and change before meeting Jack at the first house. We pulled up and I looked at the soft yellow house appraisingly before David opened my door to help me out.
We discussed everything that we saw that day as well as the next. We stayed up late in bed comparing things when we weren’t talking about our wedding. Brent and Cammie threw in their opinions and went to see the ones we liked the best with us a second time.
The wedding kept getting closer and closer. I started staying up late, nervous and excited as everything fell into place.
Chapter Twenty-Three
David
I looked at Brent as we headed across town. “I’m getting a tuxedo. We’re getting them for my wedding.”
“I know. It’s surreal, isn’t it?” He asked as he pulled into the parking lot of the shop. I tugged a ball cap over my head and looked around to see how crowded it was. My lawyer had a talk with the dress shop about revealing personal information so that was squashed in time, but I wasn’t sure if there was media snooping around still. It looked clear and we headed to the door, both in caps. We walked in and I approached the first man that greeted us, explaining who we were and that we’d appreciate some privacy.
We were whisked to a back room where two men helped me select the tuxedo that I wanted. I tried a few pieces on, discussing it between ourselves as the men looked on. They knew damn well who we were but had the decency to stay quiet apart from saying how much they liked our music. We ended up going with the traditional black suits and pants but decided on a pale gray shirt with a darker gray tie. I knew that Cammie’s dress was maroon and thought that might compliment the color, though we did send pics of the items to the girls. They gave us a thumbs up and we went ahead with the order, paying in advance so we could just pop in the day before the wedding for a pick up. The measurements were done, and we were ready apart from everything else.
We replaced the ball caps and shook hands with the men before walking out to the car. There was still nobody around and we slipped into Brent’s car and headed out to meet with the rest of the band and the manager for a final listen to the album. We gathered in his large office and I leaned back as he went to push play on the device resting near a Bluetooth speaker.
I closed my eyes and listened to the songs that were so familiar, paying attention to every note of the instruments and beat of the drums. I knew that most fans didn’t pay as much attention as I did. Aubrey was one of the first women to know all of the songs and get the meaning, having asked me the meaning behind a few of them. That was part of the reason why I loved her so much. I couldn’t wait to play this for her, so she could read between the lines and see just how much she meant to me. For the other fans, there was the usual hard beat that we were known for and edgy sound.
It took over an hour to listen to it with intermittent pauses as we discussed the finer points of the music. We also decided on the first single, which was about the first moment that I noticed Aubrey at the concert.
We left, and I felt the weight off of my shoulders from that small issue. Now I had to think about the wedding but that was going smoothly. We left the office and decided on an impromptu steak dinner to celebrate. I knew the girls were together, so we could relax since Brent was getting paranoid as the due date got closer. We headed to the finest steakhouse in town and there were cameras and questions about my upcoming nuptials as well as Brent’s future as a father. We waved them off and headed back to the private room where drinks and food were ordered.
The subject of the wedding came up since they were all going. All of the guys loved Aubrey and thought that she was good for me. They liked that she settled me down without taking away from the music. Nobody wanted a Yoko in their band, after all. If anything, they thought that she improved everything.
Cammie was the one they joked about with her strong personality. They also thought that Brent was a better man because of her and had adjusted to the fact that he was becoming a dad. We talked about the few famous friends that were attending as well as their families that I was close to.
I went back to Brent’s house where the girls were. I’d made an interesting deal with Aubrey about the houses we looked at. She loved the same three that I did, and all were in this area of town. I told her that I’d pick and take her to that house when we came home from our honeymoon. Aubrey struggled to agree but she knew that she liked each house equally and finally said that she trusted me. She didn’t know the half of my plans as I went about them quietly.
The days flew by as the wedding grew closer. The girls were staying in a suite in the hotel with the other guests the night before the ceremony while we stayed at Brent’s place. The other guys came over and we shared some beers and ordered out, discussing the time we’d known each other. I’d met them all in high school and though we’d been in other bands on our own, somehow, we ended up together. I moved to Seattle when Brent came here to be closer to his family and the others followed. I loved these guys as much as I did my own family. We’d seen each other through some good and bad times but the friendship always stuck.
The others crashed in the rooms around the house and I sat on the couch, staring at the late-night show on the TV. I was anxious in a way that I’d never felt before. Excited would be more than word to describe it but it was an intense explosion of emotions inside of me. I was going to be married after tomorrow. I was giving my life to someone and moving into a house that was ours, eventually having kids. I was going to spend Christmas with the first woman ever and we were going to be with my family. It was surreal.
I think I slept for a couple of hours that night. I couldn’t get comfortable. I missed the fuck out of Aubrey since we had not slept apart in quite some time now. I was thinking about my family at the garden hotel and the out of towners I’d be seeing in the morning. It was all so much.
I was up making coffee at six. I watched the sun come up on the deck and played back my time with Aubrey, knowing that I was madly in love with her. I was staring out at the blue sky when I heard the slider open
. “Morning, groom. How are you feeling?” It was Brent and I smiled.
“Good. I didn’t sleep well but I think that’s fairly normal.” I replied as I watched him sit down with a cup of coffee. We were side by side on separate chairs and he was quiet for a moment.
“Completely. I have no doubts that it is all for good reasons. You guys fit together.” He told me solemnly as I nodded. “I stay awake a lot at night watching Cam sleep. She’s going to have our baby in a month, D. How the fuck am I supposed to take care of something so fragile?”
“My mom swears that babies aren’t that delicate.” He laughed softly. “She says that when it’s yours, you’ll just know what to do.”
“I fucking doubt that.” He mumbled as he shook his head. “Sorry. This is your day.”
“It’s all good. We’re here for each other.” I glanced at my phone, seeing that it was now eight. The wedding was at four and I knew the girls had a busy day. I sent a text telling Aubrey that I loved her and couldn’t wait to see her, smiling at her sweet response. All I had planned with the guys was lunch at our favorite bistro, up on the roof where we’d be alone to talk. They were driving me, so I could do some shots if needed but I didn’t need liquid courage. Love was taking me to the aisle today.
We parked, and Tony took us to our table that overlooked the water. I gazed out as everyone took their seats and ordered drinks from the waiter that was set aside for us. He was a friend of mine and we joked back and forth as he ribbed me about my wedding. We ate a few courses of food to get us by until the dinner after the ceremony with the guests and I got more anxious as the hours passed.
We left and headed to the hotel where my tux was already waiting for me in a suite. All I needed to do was dress and be waiting on the hill before four for Aubrey. Brent and the guys stayed with me and Jacob came to get ready with me. Dad trailed in with him, assuring me that the women were getting ready. He promised that Aubrey looked stunning and I had trouble replying that I had no doubt about that.
I slipped into my room to change into my tuxedo, doing what I could on my own before I started fighting with the tie. I walked into the living room and saw Jacob bitching about the same issue and smiled when Dad stood to help him. Dad looked great in his own tuxedo with the same colors and he fixed Jacob before looking over at me. “Need help, son?”
I nodded, and he walked over, straightening my tie before pulling it tight. He stepped away, patting my cheek before he went to take a sip of his water. I walked over to the window and looked out as I sipped my own water. I wanted to do a shot, but I knew I didn’t need it. That was just habit talking since I handled a lot of issues that way in the past. Everyone finished getting ready and we headed down to the back of the hotel where the aisle was draped with rose petals in colors of cream, soft pink, and darker pink to match Cammie’s dress. There was white gazebo that was wrapped in a flowered vine and decorated with vases if the same roses and I saw a man standing in the back of it, chatting with the crowd. He was the pastor that I met a couple days before at the rehearsal and I liked him. He knew to keep it simple and short, but I expected that he would make the entire experience memorable.
I glanced at the chairs and noted that they were mostly full. I walked down the aisle and kissed my mother’s cheek as I smiled at everyone else, taking my place by the pastor. We made small talk and he had me laughing as we waited for the moment of truth.
I glanced up as music filled the air from the harpist playing off to the left of me. I watched as Cammie started walking down the aisle, glowing with her belly as the wind blew her hair. Jacob came to stand beside me, moving slowly as I glanced his way. He shrugged, and I knew that he’d been with Vanessa as she sat down in the back with a sheepish smile on her face. I turned my attention back to Cammie as she shot me a reassuring smile before moving to my right and gazing towards the back of the aisle. It didn’t go unnoticed that Brent was staring at her like she was the only person here. I smiled and froze as the music changed, feeling my heart drop in my throat.
I stared past the chairs to a vision in cream as she took her place. Aubrey had her hair in some kind of curly bun on the side of her neck and a veil that flowed behind her. Her dress…shook me to my very core. It was fitted in the top and showed her sexy curves perfectly before falling down around her waist in a soft, flowing material that I assumed ended with some kind of train. It didn’t matter because I couldn’t take my eyes from her face once I met her eyes.
She had makeup on but just enough to make her eyes shine brightly, the color prominent. Her lips were full of a moderately dark pink that I hoped wouldn’t smear when I kissed her in a few minutes. She smiled at me and kept walking, seeming to move faster. I took in the necklace around her neck with the red glimmer and knew it was her mother’s necklace. Aubrey had cried buckets when Cammie brought it to her. I also knew that she was wearing earrings with two of the diamonds from her late grandmother’s ring and Cammie was wearing the others.
I blinked and was surprised by the moisture under my eyes as I sucked in my breath. She stopped and looked at me with big eyes as I reached out to stroke her soft cheek. I was mesmerized by her. The pastor cleared his throat and she parted her lips and reached for my hand as we moved to stand beside each other. Aubrey handed the flowers to Cammie who was openly crying as I glanced at her. I squeezed Aubrey and tried to listen to the words of the pastor as her heat washed over my body.
I stumbled over my vows as she smiled at me, a tear sliding down her cheek. We went with basic since I knew I’d have issues with those and I said them with only her in mind. When it was her turn, Aubrey blinked and spoke her vows through tears and I watched as she slid my ring on my finger. Hers was on her left hand with its mate, shimmering and gorgeous.
The second that the preacher told me I could kiss my bride, I stepped forward and cupped her face with my hands. I claimed her mouth hard and she whimpered under me and everyone started whistling at us as I teased her lips with my tongue. Cammie’s laughter rose above everything and Aubrey giggled as she pulled away. I looked into her face and noted that her lips were still pink before staring into her eyes. I kissed her again softly before Cammie handed her the bouquet and we headed down the aisle to cheers and whistles.
We took photos with Jacob and Cammie as everyone got settled in the reception area. It was staring to get cold and we were all happy when we could go inside. I was appreciative that it stayed good for us during the most precious moment of my life. We had dinner, greeted guests, and danced the night away to a band I’d hired for the night. They were fun and played as many covers as they did catchy originals and I loved watching Aubrey dance with her sister. Everyone had a great time and I laughed at Jacob’s speech that shared stories of being my brother. He ended saying how much he loved me and how glad he was that I was so happy. Cammie was a crying, pregnant mess during hers and Aubrey hugged her tightly before I kissed her cheek.
It was close to midnight when people started trickling off to their rooms and I took Aubrey’s hand. We had our own suite waiting for us and I led her to it, nervously shifting on my feet in the elevator. “Mrs. Foster.” I tried the words out and she stared at me before moving towards me. “Have I told you how fucking beautiful you look tonight?”
“Only about a thousand times.” Aubrey batted her eyelashes at me and I cupped her face for a long kiss. We both fell silent as it heated up, both of us needing to make this official. There had been kisses during the ceremony and even the reception, lots of them. They weren’t like this one. I deepened it as our tongues danced together and her moan vibrated against my lips. I slid my hands down her body, searching for a way to get her out of this ethereal dress without ruining it. She looked like my angel walking down towards me and I would always cherish that memory.
I found a small zipper and pulled it down gently, feeling her hot skin as the material fell away from her body. She stepped out of it gently and the light from the lamp on the table revealed the purple lace bra and mat
ching thong, complete with white garters. I took her in slowly, still in disbelief that this was my wife. I leaned down to kiss her again as she unbuttoned my shirt and smoothed her hands against my chest. I ditched the tie a few hours ago and the jacket was hanging over the couch a few feet away right now. “I love you,” Aubrey murmured as she kissed me lovingly, touching my skin with her soft fingertips.
“I love you,” I replied as she worked my pants, letting them drop down to the floor. I managed to get my shoes off before kicking them off and reached out to pull her to me, lifting her as she wrapped herself around me. I walked Aubrey into the bedroom, pausing as she lifted her head to look around. My sisters had snuck in here before we left the reception, lighting the vanilla candles I’d purchased and pacing bouquets of Aubrey’s favorite flowers around the surfaces. The bed was covered in rose petals and she smiled at me as I eased her down to the floor.
“This is beautiful.” Her eyes turned mischievous as she raised her perfect brow at me. “Who helped you?”
“I’m magic, baby.” I teased her, nipping at her lips as she turned to walk deeper into the room. Her ass was gorgeous, and I stared at her as she looked around slowly, taking some pictures with her phone that was resting on the table. I grinned as I watched her. Only Aubrey would be taking pictures right now and I chuckled as she finished and walked over to get a selfie of us. “Only you.”
“I never want to forget this,” she explained before she pressed her mouth to mine. The phone slipped from Aubrey’s hand to land on the chair beside us as I lowered my hands to cup her ass. I sipped my tongue against hers as I backed up to the bed slowly, enjoying every taste of her. When we reached it, she pushed me down and crawled over me, the heat between us threatening to burn the material between us. I groaned as she rocked over me, stoking my desire as she nipped at my jaw. I reached out and loosened her hair, watching the soft curls fall around her shoulders as I breathed in the tropical scent of whatever was in them. I reached around her back and unhooked her bra, letting it fall as I cupped her breasts with my large hands. “David,” she murmured before kissing me again, her hands in my hair.
