by Amelia Shea
Emory was guided through the living room and up the stairs. “The bathroom was redone but anything that could be used was kept. A new clawfoot tub was put in and it’s magnificent.” He opened the door to the main bathroom and she smiled. God, it was gorgeous!
They passed the three bedrooms that had been painted and the floors redone, windows replaced. The master was at the end of the hall. As they walked toward it, Emory stopped tugging Ethan’s hand.
“Wait, there was a door here?” She pointed to the bare wall with no door.
He winked. “This was my own personal touch on the house.” He opened the door and her jaw dropped. The room was huge. He had the wall knocked down to enlarge the master. This was the only room in the house with any furniture.
In the center of the room, overlooking the windows to the yard, sat a beautiful large bed, complete with bedding.
Emory walked over to Ethan, hugging him around his shoulders. “Ethan.”
“Now, now, don’t start thanking him just yet, there is one more thing to show you, and then I’ll leave and you can commence, and hopefully start filling up these little rooms.” Calvin said as he took her hand leading her out of the bedroom.
They walked back downstairs through the kitchen and out onto the screen porch. She was walking out in the yard when she stopped. It was as beautiful as she remembered but cleaned up, the walkway had been redone. A small patio set had been set up.
Calvin scooted her butt, encouraging her down the path. Ethan grabbed her hand and walked with her. At the end of the walkway past the large oaks, she saw two Adirondack chairs and a small table between them. She stepped forward releasing his hand and stared out at the bay.
This view was hers. Ethan’s arm came around her stomach, his head at her ear. He kissed her head, then whispered, “I made this dream come true for you.” His other arm came around in front of her and she glanced down. An open black ring box with a diamond sparkling in the center.
She gasped, her heart beating fast, tears already on the brink.
“Now, make mine come true, Em, marry me?”
Her tears streaming down her face, she shouted, “Yes!” She spun around and jumped, hooking her arms around his neck. She hugged him hard, resting her face in the crook of his neck.
Epilogue
8 years later
EMORY stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror in their bedroom. The blue sundress she bought at the beginning of spring finally fit. She grinned as she swirled around. All the sweat, tears, yoga, and kickboxing had paid off and she had lost all the baby weight. She smirked at her cleavage. Well, not all the weight.
She heard the laughter from outside and peered out the window overlooking the yard and the bay. She chuckled, watching the boys running from the girls. John got his wish, grandkids everywhere. T and Stone had arrived last night with their families. The others were due in today for the holiday weekend.
She heard the voices from downstairs as she made her way down the hall, glancing at the pictures that hung on the wall. There were so many, mostly of the kids, and some of her and Ethan alone. In the center of the wall was a photo from their wedding. She loved that picture. Her dress was gorgeous but the real beauty of the picture was seeing her husband looking down at her, their faces inches apart.
Their wedding was beautiful and elegant. Of course it was, Roxanne planned it. Her mother had tried to step in when they began making the arrangements but she shut her down with the help of her fiancée. Emory giggled at the memory.
“Mom, besides being my best friend and maid of honor, it’s what Roxanne does for a living.” She sighed heavily. She and her mom had gone back and forth all night about who should be in charge of the arrangements.
“And I am your mother. This should be planned by you and I, and certainly not at someone’s home.”
“It’s not someone’s home, it’s Ethan’s, and that’s where I want to get married. This discussion is over.”
“This is ridiculous!” She turned to Ethan, who was seated next to Emory at the restaurant. “Ethan, please talk some sense into my daughter. Certainly, you don’t want to get married at your home. Think of your clients, what would they think? The country club is available.”
Emory threw her napkin on the table, all prepared to lose her shit on her mother but Ethan grasped her hand and smiled. “Personally, I have no interest in what my clients think, our wedding and marriage has nothing to do with my business. Our wedding will happen wherever Emory wants it because this is about her and only her. The only thing that matters to me is that I get to marry her.” Ethan squeezed her hand and continued, “My childhood home, while it may not be fancy, holds a lot of memories for myself and Emory. It’s where our story began.”
Her mother had not said another word. Ethan shut her down, it was beautiful. Emory leaned over and whispered in his ear as he took a sip of wine. “You are so getting a blowjob when we get home!”
Ethan choked on his wine, bringing the napkin to his mouth. His eyes were gleaming and he was fighting back a smile.
She loved that memory.
Her eyes scanned the wall. Next to their wedding photo was a picture of her and all the girls. Emory snickered. The picture was taken in the limo on their way home from her bachelorette party. They had the driver take the picture, all the girls laughing and extremely intoxicated. It was taken right after they stopped by Nina’s apartment. Emory had invited her to the wedding, not wanting to cause an issue amongst the family but she hated it. Ethan insisted that she not be invited if it was going to make Emory uncomfortable. She loved him for that but she did what any good bride would do and she sent out the invite.
However, she was Emory fucking Kern. At the end of her bachelorette party they made a stop at Nina’s apartment.
They staggered up to her front door. Before she could ring the bell, Calvin, who had flown in for the party, stepped in front of her.
“As the only man, I feel it is my duty to be the voice of reason amongst you ladies. Are you sure you want to do this, Em?”
“Fuck, yeah! There is no way this bitch is stepping foot at my wedding!”
Calvin’s face transformed from serious to a wide grin. “Get her, girl!”
Emory rang the bell and stepped back. She was going let Nina have it, all of it. She was fully prepared to unleash on this bitch. The door opened and Nina stared back at the small group. She looked surprised and a bit scared. Emory gave her a nasty grin and opened her mouth to start her “fuck you” speech but she never got the chance. Instead, Roxanne started in on her.
“We are here to inform you that you better not show up at the wedding if you value your life.” Roxanne snarled.
Emory looked over at Roxanne. Holy shit, girl, no need to threaten with death!
Cassie leaned forward and reached up on her toes. “Yeah, I may be small but I will give you a beat down you’ll never forget if I see you there.”
Emory’s eyes widened staring at Cassie who was throwing daggers at Nina. Her body was jolted forward by Sadie, who had pushed past her and was pointing her finger in Nina’s face.
“I will go Nebraska all over your ass if you show up. Trust me, you don’t want that!” she shouted.
Calvin wrapped his arm around Sadie, pulling her back and said, “Okay, girls, I think she got the message, time to go! Nothing ruins a good party like mugshots.”
Emory burst out laughing, staring at Nina’s stunned face. Finally, this bitch was rendered speechless and Emory didn’t even say a word. God, she loved her crazy girls!
They started back to the car when Emory turned around, calling out to Nina, who was closing the door. Nina stopped, glancing back at her.
Emory smiled triumphantly, holding up her ring finger. “That’s how you get the guy!”
Needless to say, she did not make it to the wedding.
Emory chuckled thinking of that night and the look on Nina’s face.
S
he walked past the kids’ room and down the stairs.
They still lived in Houston but spent their summers and school breaks in Beaufort. Every few months, Ethan surprised her with a trip, just the two of them. She loved those trips.
Emory walked into the kitchen to see Cassie putting brownies into the oven. The girl was a brownie queen. She looked around. “Where’s Sadie?”
Cassie looked up and she opened her mouth but clamped it shut when they heard Sadie’s voice shouting. They looked at each other and laughed.
*
“Stay away from the water!” Sadie shouted to the kids running in the yard. Shaking her head, she headed back to the screen porch. The kids, all seven of them, were running in the yard playing, screaming, and getting too close to the water for Sadie’s liking.
Ethan was sitting on the screen porch with Stone and T. They were in charge of watching the kids. But apparently not doing a good job. Ethan sipped his beer as Sadie walked through the door, glaring in her husband’s direction.
“Babe, they’re kids, let ’em be kids,” Stone said.
Ethan tightened his lips to keep from laughing at Sadie’s face. His brother would be wise to keep his mouth shut.
Sadie scowled and pointed. “You shut your mouth, Trey Garrison Stone! One of those kids falls in the bay, your ass is going in after them. And for the record, we are not having any more kids, you hear me?”
“Baby?” His head tilted and Ethan watched his brother suppress a laugh.
She glared at him as she wobbled through the door. Sadie was eight months pregnant with baby number four. Add the Carolina heat in July to being very pregnant and she was not happy. Stone looked over at Ethan and shrugged. “I’ll have her pregnant again by this time next year.”
T snorted. “She’s gonna cut off your balls before she lets you knock her up again.”
The guys all laughed including Stone. Chances were, Sadie would be pregnant again. Ethan wouldn’t mind, he loved being an uncle. T and Cassie had said they were stopping at two but the way Cassie was with the babies of the family, he wouldn’t be surprised if they had a third.
The door to the screen porch opened and Ethan looked over to see Calvin walk in from the yard, his arms holding a beautiful little girl who was sucking her thumb. When she made eye contact with him, she smiled. He never knew his heart could melt from a tiny smile but it always did. He lived for that smile. The same one she shared with her mom.
After their boys, Everett and Evan, Emory was convinced she’d only have boys and suggested they stop having babies. Their boys were wonderful but they were boys, and they inherited their mom’s fiery attitude. They were a handful. With a little persuasion, knowing his wife’s weakness, he had convinced her to try for one more child. Nine months later, Ella Roxanne came into the world.
“This little girl is tired and wanting her daddy.” Calvin walked Ella over and Ethan reached out to take his eight-month-old, red, curly-haired, blue-eyed, baby girl. The boys were the exact image of Ethan with their dark hair and his eyes but they were all Emory with their energy, feistiness, and attitude. Whereas, Ella was a mini replica of Emory but she was all Ethan with her mannerisms.
Ethan snuggled her into his arms and she rested her head on his chest, falling asleep instantly.
“Hey, man, grab a beer and hang with us,” Stone suggested to Calvin.
Calvin looked Stone over, his gaze glancing at T and Ethan, his face puzzled. “Y’all are married and straight, why would I wanna hang with you?” He shook his head, turning to the kitchen and walking inside. Calvin had become an honorary member of their family.
Cassie poked her head out the door, looking at T. “Your dad called, they just checked into the B&B, they’ll be here soon. Talked to Rox, and she says they’re about ten minutes away.”
T asked. “Bogs?”
Cassie smirked. “Probably pulled over somewhere, trying to get his wife pregnant again. I swear he’s worse than Stone.” They laughed. Although it probably was true.
“Now, if you guys aren’t too busy, we could use some help in here.”
Stone and T got up, following Cassie into the kitchen.
Ethan peered out the yard. He loved it here. Emory called it their happy place and it was. They still lived in Houston. He had sold the apartment when Emory got pregnant. They bought a house in the suburbs, they loved it.
“E?” The sound of his wife’s voice had him turning to the door again. He’d never grow tired of looking at her. He scanned her outfit, taking pause at her breasts. She had worked hard to lose the weight from Ella. Lucky for him, some weight she couldn’t lose.
“Let me take her.” Emory came through the door, looking more beautiful than she’d ever looked. Her curly hair was in a messy ponytail, her face with the barest of make-up, showing her freckles and a blue sundress showing off her curvy body.
He shifted his little girl, who had fallen asleep to one side, and pulled Emory onto his lap. She smirked and cupped his jaw, kissing him softly.
He stared at her, smiling at her beauty.
“What?” she whispered quirking her head, smiling.
“First and last, Em.”
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Amelia Shea
Amelia Shea, is a writer of contemporary erotic romance. She believes in the mixture of a little sweet, a lot of sass, and a whole lot of dirty wrapped up in a happily ever after. She fell in love with reading as a child and began writing shortly after. This is her third published novel. A northern girl living in the south, she spends most of her time juggling, sometimes literally, the kids, the husband, too many pets, and life in general.
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Other Titles by Amelia Shea
Garrison Brothers Series
Perfectly Imperfect Mine
Flawlessly Flawed