by Laura Lee
I wipe a stray tear off her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she mouths.
The minister clears his throat. “Do we have the rings?”
Shit. I didn’t think about that. “Uh...”
“I’ve gots them!” Nathan shouts.
Charlee laughs as he runs up to us and proudly presents her with a small black box. “Why thank you, handsome.”
Nate looks just as mesmerized by her as I am. My sister has to guide him back to his chair because he seems to have forgotten what he was doing.
The minister takes the box from Charlee. “These rings are a symbol of Andrew’s and Charlotte’s commitment to one another.” He hands me a thin gold band, almost identical to the one she had in Vegas, but obviously better quality. “Andrew, please place this ring on Charlotte’s finger and repeat after me. Charlotte, with this ring, I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband.”
I slide the band over her knuckle. “Charlotte, with this ring, I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband.”
He hands Charlee my band, which is also similar in style to my first one. “Charlotte, please place this ring on Andrew’s finger and repeat after me. Andrew, with this ring, I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife.”
Charlee places the ring on my finger. “Andrew, with this ring, I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife.”
He nods in approval. “With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Again. You may kiss your bride.”
I take her face in my hands and press our lips together. Our kiss is soft, nowhere near as ravenous as it would normally be, but there’s so much power behind it. I’m vaguely aware of the applause, but my focus is trained on my wife’s lips until she gently pulls away and gives me a radiant smile.
Charlee faces our family and friends. “What’s everyone sitting around for? There’s food and drink to be had. Get a move on!”
She laughs as I swing her around in circles. I don’t know what I did to get so fucking lucky, but I’m sure as hell never going to let her go.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHARLEE
As our reception winds down, my dad approaches us and pats Drew on the back. “Welcome to the family, son.”
My husband’s eyes widen at the title my dad has given him. I’d imagine it’s been a while since someone has called him that. “Thank you.”
My mom joins us and passes an envelope to me. “Here. This is from your father and me.”
I break the seal and gasp when I see what’s inside. “Are you serious?”
Drew leans over my shoulder. “What is it?”
I remove the tickets and hold them up for his inspection. “Two first class tickets to Italy with accommodations in the Riviera.”
“Wow,” Drew says. “This is incredible. Thank you.”
My mom waves her hand dismissively, like it’s no big deal. “They’re open-ended so you can go whenever you can get time from work. But may I suggest sooner rather than later? There’s no place more romantic than Italia. It’s perfect to get started on more grandbabies.”
Drew and I both laugh. “Of course.” I hug both of my parents in thanks.
“Hey, why didn’t I get a trip to Italy?” Brody complains.
My mom frowns at him. “You get married, you get wedding present.”
Brody pouts. “Hey, I’m giving you your first grandchildren.”
Rainey laughs. “That’s not how we planned to announce it, you moron.”
Huh?
I’m not the only one confused based on the scrunched faces in front of me.
Drew nudges Brody with his arm. “Dude, what are you talking about?”
Rainey loops her arms through my brother’s and smiles. “We had a bit of a surprise during our first ultrasound yesterday. I guess I shouldn’t be, considering it runs in my family, but it was still a bit of a shocker.”
My mom eyes them suspiciously. “What kind of surprise?”
Brody puffs his chest out. “Well, it turns out that my swimmers are so awesome, they knocked her up twice in one shot.”
It takes us a few seconds to get it, but we all seem to come to the same realization at once.
My mom presses her hand against her heart. “Twins? You’re having two babies?”
Rainey places her hand on her teeny bump. “Yep. It’s a little too early to determine the sex, but we know they’re identical.”
“Congratulations, man.” Drew swings his arm around Brody’s shoulders before lowering his voice. “Dude, if you have girls, you’re screwed. There’s no way they won’t be knockouts.”
Brody turns white. “Oh shit.” He drops to his knees and places his hands over Rainey’s stomach. “Babies, if you can hear me, please, please, please have little identical penises. My nerves can’t handle two beautiful girls. I’d have to spend the next eighteen years fighting off little horny assholes.”
Everyone laughs, thinking Brody’s joking, but I’m pretty sure he’s not.
Rainey shakes her head, used to his dramatics by now. “You’re ridiculous.”
He rises to his full height and plants a kiss on her lips. “You wouldn’t know what to do with me if I wasn’t.”
Rainey looks to me. “Oh God, I’m going to be raising three children, aren’t I?”
I nod. “I’m no eight ball, but I’d say all signs point to yes.”
She groans. “What did I get myself into?”
Brody smirks. “I’m pretty sure I got into you.”
My mom and Rainey both smack him on the back of the head.
“Ow! What the hell?” he shouts.
Devyn and Riley join our little circle, with Nate snoozing soundly in his daddy’s arms.
“What’s with all the shouting over here?” Devyn asks.
I point to my brother and Rainey. “They’re having identical twins.”
Devyn’s and Riley’s eyes widen.
Riley pats Brody on the back. “Congrats, dude.”
Devyn pulls Rainey into a hug. “Congratulations! I know I’ve said this before, but please make sure they’re girls. We need more estrogen around here.”
My brother shakes his head. “No. Do not let them be girls. I can’t handle three women in the house.”
Everyone laughs again but poor Brody gets paler by the second.
Drew pulls me into a side hug. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take my wife home now.” He hugs my parents. “Thank you for everything.”
My mom kisses each one of his cheeks. “Of course, of course. You two go make the babies.”
Drew and I laugh as we head to my car. “She’s not going to give up until you’re knocked up, is she?”
“Nope.” I end the word with a pop. “Probably not even then.”
He presses me against the door and leans down to kiss my neck. “We should probably get lots of practice in then.”
“Oh yeah, I’m all about the practice.”
Drew holds my cheek in his hand. “Thank you for today. It’s been perfect.”
I cup him through his pants, rubbing his thick length until he’s half-hard. “The day’s not over yet. Let’s go home so we can end it with a bang.”
See what I did there?
I’d say my husband is rubbing off on me but we all know I was like this before. It’s one of the many reasons we’re so perfect for each other.
Drew groans when I stroke him some more. “God, I love the way you think. Which home? Where are we going to live?”
“I don’t care. We can figure that out once your dick is inside of me.”
He opens the door and gives me a little pat on the ass to get inside. I laugh when I see him walking funny on his way to the driver’s side.
Drew adjusts himself and puts the key in the ignition. “You ready to begin the rest of our lives, honey?”
I flash him a smile. “Bring it on,
Big Guy.”
EPILOGUE
DREW
Well, that’s it, folks. We’ve reached the end. It’s been quite the ride, hasn’t it? Now, I only have a minute because my hot wife is naked and waiting to hop on my dick, but allow me to impart some final words of wisdom:
Never take the people you love for granted. Laughter truly is the best medicine. Quit treating our goddamn planet like your personal shitter. Work to live, not live to work—nobody wishes they had one more punch on that timecard from their death bed.
Last, but certainly not least, life is short. Don’t be a douche.
WOULD YOU LIKE AN EXTENDED epilogue so you can see what the crew is up to one year later? It’s available exclusively to Laura Lee’s newsletter subscribers. CLICK HERE to sign up!
DID YOU MISS DEVYN & Riley’s story or Rainey and Brody’s? CLICK HERE to find them!
ALSO AVAILABLE BY LAURA LEE
STANDALONE NOVELS
♥ Beautifully Broken
♥ Happy New You (Available 1/8/2019)
♥ Return to Hope (Coming 2019)
Dealing With Love Series (Interconnected standalones)
♥ Deal Breakers (#1 Devyn & Riley’s story)
♥ Deal Takers (#2 Rainey & Brody’s story)
♥ Deal Makers (#3 Charlotte and Drew’s story)
Pixie Dust Chronicles (Each installment must be read in order)
♥ Pixie Dust
♥ Vampires, Warlocks, & Exes ~ Oh My!
♥ My Fairy Lady (Novella)
♥ Finding Faerie
♥ Elemental Magicks
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LAURA IS THE BESTSELLING author of The Pixie Dust Chronicles and Dealing With Love series. Her passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!
Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury's chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she's not chasing the kids around, writing, or watching HGTV, she's reading anything she can get her hands on. She's a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires, bad boys, or cowboys!
For more information about the author, check out her website at: www.LauraLeeBooks.com
You can also find her “working” on social media quite frequently.
Facebook: @LauraLeeBooks1
Instagram: @LauraLeeBooks
Twitter: @LauraLeeBooks
Book + Main: @LauraLeeBooks
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TO MY HUSBAND, TAD: I couldn’t do this thing called life without you. You’re my biggest supporter, my best friend, and my partner in crime. You’re stuck with me for good whether you like it or not!
To my children, Kaitlynn and Carter: Thank you for understanding when Mommy had to lock herself away to write. (And not fighting too much while I’m doing it.) You two are my greatest gift.
To my critique partner, cover designer, fellow author, and most importantly, my friend, Jen: Thank you for all that you’ve done for me over the years. When are we gonna get started on that co-write?
To my lovely betas Jamie, Heather, and Anna: Thank you for being the first people to read Drew and Charlee’s story. Your feedback was invaluable.
To all the seriously awesome bloggers in the book world: Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love for a living. Your tireless efforts to spread the love of reading romance does not go unnoticed. I appreciate you more than words can ever say, as a reader and a writer.
To my incredible Feisty Fae: (In no particular order) Jen, Terri, Abby, Mary Ellen, Andi, Nikki, Yvonne, Cristina, Tiffany, Lindsey, Danika, Brandy, April, Heather B. and Heather D. – Thank you for being such awesome, hilarious, wildly inappropriate, and supportive ladies. I heart you hard!
To my PA, Lindsey: Thank you for simply being you and all the time you’ve taken to help support me.
To Rob and the team at Vancouver F.D. Station 10: Thank you for allowing me to tour the station and answering my really strange questions.
April Wells: Justin-Fuckin’-Biebs for life! (I couldn’t leave this out.)
To my editor, Erin Potter: Thank you once again, for polishing my work and making the final product so much better! With each book, I learn something new from you. I’ll always recommend your services at Shamrock Editing.
Last but never least, to my readers: It’s a privilege bringing stories into your life for a living. I hope you enjoyed Drew and Charlee’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.