by Jamey Moody
When they finally pulled back, Riley threw her head back and yelled, “Woohoo! She said yes!” She threw her arms around Alex, and they tumbled over on the blanket both laughing.
“You know when you wear that dress, I’m going to take it right back off,” Alex stated as she rolled on top of Riley.
“That’s what I was counting on,” Riley said with her best seductive smile.
Alex ran her hand over Riley’s hip and a daring eyebrow popped up. “And you’re not wearing anything under it!”
Riley smiled a little shyly now. “I was hopeful.”
Alex laughed, then stilled, hovering over Riley. “I missed you and now I’m going to show my fiancée just how much.”
Later, during a night swim, with the moon shining down on them, Riley made Alex hers. As they lay on the blanket letting their bodies dry, Alex rolled onto her elbow. She didn’t mind that Riley had proposed first, maybe they could get married sooner. “How long are you going to make me wait to marry you?”
“You don’t want to be engaged for a while?”
“I do not. Don’t you think we waited long enough to find one another? I don’t want to lose another minute,” Alex said.
“I agree, but...”
“But?” Alex said raising an eyebrow.
“But there are people that want to be here when we do this. What would you think about getting married in June?”
“I think that’s nine months away! That’s too long!”
“Wait, hear me out,” Riley said, rolling onto her elbow and running the back of her finger down Alex’s cheek. “There’s nothing I want to do more than marry you. I’d do it tomorrow, but I thought it would be appropriate if we get married on June fourth. That’s one year after the day we met.”
“Appropriate? I think tomorrow would be more appropriate.”
Riley gazed into Alex’s eyes, deep in thought. She looked at that most beautiful face, saw the love in those eyes that was only meant for her, and she couldn’t ask her to wait. “I don’t know what to do. I wanted Liz to marry us, and I thought all our family and friends could be here if we did it in June. But the way you’re looking at me, I don’t want to wait either.”
Alex took a strand of Riley’s hair and curled it around her ear. They both kept gazing and thinking until Alex said, “I like the idea of June fourth and Liz marrying us. I don’t know how I’ll ever wait that long, though.”
“I have an idea. I’ve thought about starting a bucket list,” explained Riley.
“A bucket list? Like places you want to go or things you want to do before you die?”
“Sort of, but my bucket list is a little different.”
“So?”
“My bucket list would be all the places I want to make love to you on the islands,” said Riley.
Alex looked at her and smiled. “Where to first?”
Fourteen
Nine Months Later
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“In about twenty-four hours you will be my wife,” Riley said, sitting down in Alex’s lap and putting her arms around her. They were taking a few moments to themselves before meeting their families and friends for the rehearsal dinner. There was a cool breeze caressing their bodies on the rooftop deck, and the sun was just beginning to change colors and bathe the horizon with the promise of a coming light show.
“I’m so relieved you and your brothers are on good terms. It only took nine months but, I was anxious about doing this without them.”
“I know, I was too. But, it’s our life Alex. And we’re prepared to face anything together, they needed to understand that.”
“I can’t believe you made me wait this long, and I can’t believe I made it,” Alex said kissing Riley softly. “There is something I need to talk to you about before we go to dinner, though.”
“You sound awfully serious for someone that’s about to make me the happiest woman alive,” Riley said.
“One thing we never finalized was our last names,” said Alex.
“Hmm, I guess we didn’t. I figured we would hyphenate them, Adams-James or James-Adams. Which do you like?”
“I’ve thought about this quite a bit, and I’d like for us to go by James.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“My past has messed up the name Alex Adams for me. It was okay in my childhood and before my mistake. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the last sixteen years I’ve been waiting. Waiting for you, Riley, and here you are! Here we are! There is an ‘us’ now, and I can’t tell you how good that feels. It’s all because of you, so I want to be Alex James.”
“So, you’re telling me that when Liz declares us wife and wife tomorrow and we turn to the group, you want her to say, ‘Let me present Riley and Alex James’?”
“Yes, exactly. The best part of my life began with you, Riley James, and that’s why I want to be Alex James.”
“I don’t really know what to say, babe. This has taken me by surprise, but you have obviously put a lot of thought into it.”
“I have,” Alex said smiling. “So? Is it alright with you? Alex James?”
Riley looked at Alex with love spilling from her eyes. “I love you, Alex James.” Then she kissed her tenderly, long and slow. Riley pulled back with a sigh. “Now I don’t want to go to dinner.”
“I know. We seem to keep doing this, don’t we?” Alex said with a chuckle.
“We do, and I hope we never stop.”
“I don’t know how you got Alex to wait this long to get married,” said Samantha. She and Rosie were standing with Kara and Riley as they watched people gather for the wedding on the beach.
“Oh, I found a few ways to keep her busy,” Riley said, sneaking a look at Kara. They both laughed.
“Do I want to know?” Samantha said, looking from one to the other.
“What you don’t know is that it was just as hard for me to wait as it was for her. We even played with the idea of getting married and just not telling anyone.”
“Have you seen her today?” Rosie asked.
“Oh yeah, there’s no way we were doing the ‘not seeing the bride before the ceremony’ thing,” said Riley. “Our wedding is not full of tradition anyway. You have to admit the whole thing has been a bit out of the ordinary.”
They all laughed. Riley started looking around a little nervously as it was almost time to start. “Where is my fiancée? She had better not be messing with me!”
“She wouldn’t miss this for anything. She’ll be here, Riley,” Sam said, giving her a hug. “We’d better go take our seats. Come on, Rosie.”
“I’ll see you after you’re a Missus.” said Kara, hugging her close. “You’re going to be a Missus! I’m so happy for you!”
Riley couldn’t stop smiling thinking about that. She never thought it would happen. Being a Mrs. wasn’t that big of a deal, she thought, but after they were engaged the idea of being Alex’s wife meant so much to her.
Peaches was closed since they were having the wedding on the beach outside the patio. When Riley last saw Alex, she was making sure everything was ready for the party after. They were supposed to meet on the patio to walk down the aisle together, but she couldn’t see Alex anywhere. Everyone else was there, and some were beginning to take their seats. Riley was beginning to get concerned when Max came out of the bar onto the patio and motioned her over.
“You’re needed inside,” he said, holding the door open for her.
She walked inside, and when the door closed, it was like entering another world. The bar was never this quiet. She looked around, and then she finally saw her. Alex was standing across from her in the corner of the dance floor. Her heart began beating out of her chest at the thought that this beautiful woman was about to become her wife. A smile broadened across Alex’s face as she held out her hand. Riley walked over to her, and when she placed her hand in Alex’s, she said, “May I have this dance?”
Riley smirked. “You do know there are several people outside waiting to see
us get married.”
“I do know that, but I wanted just a couple of minutes to hold you close, calm our hearts, and sway to the music before all the chaos started. You do kind of owe me for making me wait so long to marry you.”
“Oh, all those bucket list payments weren’t enough?” Riley asked, stepping into Alex’s arms.
“Riley James, I will never get enough of you,” Alex said, tenderly pulling her close.
About the Author
Jamey Moody is a small town Texas girl living her best life with her little terrier Leo, who brings her a toy every time she walks in the house.
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When she’s not reading or writing her next lesbian romance you can find her on a bike ride, paddle boarding the lake, or in the middle of an adventure.
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Reach out, she’d love to hear from you.
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[email protected]
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www.jameymoodyauthor.com