by J. L. Beck
Remembering the men just outside the door a few feet away, I lift her into my arms and carry her to the back of the house. Once inside the bedroom, I close the door with my foot and set her on the bed where our mouths quickly find each other again.
Pushing her back and onto the bed, I move over her.
All I know is that I need to shield her from the world. To stave it back, so she is protected and safe while she makes decisions and choices for her life. I need to feel my masculine power over her and her feminine power beneath me.
I nudge her legs up and around me even though we are clothed. I reach back, still kissing her deeply. My forearms pin her shoulders, I lift my hips off of her and slam them back down between her legs, forcing my power into her. My cock strains against my jeans, raging hard, but now is not the time to give into it. I need her energy wiped clean first. To free her from the psychological chains, they had her bound within.
“You are free. Protected,” I grind into her again as she cries out, her back arches, and her pussy strains up to meet me, “safe,” another slam and her welcoming cry, “and free,” I groan as I slam into her the third time.
“You are so goddamn beautiful.” I move my mouth down to one breast and find her nipple beneath the fabric. “You always make me so fucking hard.”
She cries out again, and I know she is close to coming when her nails start clawing my back. I need her to understand she is more powerful than any stranger. That no act or deed can affect that. To have her really get that she is still in control of her life. That this was no setback. It was merely a fork in the road that we can overcome together. That she can steer the ship, anytime she wants to.
“Lex, oh, god, Lex. I need more.”
I flip her over on top of me and up, straddling my cock, in a position she has never tried before.
“Take it, baby girl. Take whatever you need. However, much you want.”
My little sweet angel has no hesitation. Her hands scramble for the belt buckle and buttons of my jeans between her legs as my hands paw her breasts. She smacks my hands away and then pulls my length out, causing me to groan. There is nothing like her hands on me.
Then she quickly stands over me and shimmies out of her panties before lowering her tight heat down to engulf the mushroom head of my cock along with a few inches of length. Even just that much has my mind screaming in ecstasy.
“In this position, it is going to feel bigger, and it might hurt,” I warn her.
But she has other plans. Everything about her is intense and aggressive. A woman not to be stopped, not that I would ever even try. I’d rather stop breathing than lose her touch.
With the head and top of my shaft inside her, she digs her hands into the flesh of my shoulders, almost breaking the skin with her nails, and the pain that zings through me only adds to my fire, and then she impales herself all the way down on me.
I’m startled, and she lets out a low whimper. There is a fierceness to the pleasure she is taking from my body that I have never encountered before. Now I’m the virgin as she pillages herself on my length over and over, needing to work out something that shocks me at first but then quickly shifts me down the river to the roaring ocean where our energies meet and flare.
She is my girl. My woman. My everything. The mother of my fucking child.
And then, rocking her hips hard against me, refusing to let even an ounce of my cock get away from her, she builds and builds and builds until we are coming together as one. My hot cum shooting up into her body as I growl out my release and surrender to her need as she leans forward, and her teeth grit into my shoulder, and the ravaging beautiful beast within her is released.
She is all power. All beauty. And all mine.
She sags against my chest, and I wrap an arm around her and hold her tightly, my fingers trailing over her back.
“Lex, I need to ask you something,” she whispers into the quiet room.
My attention stops short. She sounds serious. I pull it together and sober up a bit.
“What is it?” I feel alarm bells rising. We have been through so much that I worry it might be another unexpected twist.
She pulls back and sits up a bit, her eyes are downcast, looking away, and she is chewing on her lip but not talking.
“Jude? Whatever it is, we can weather it.” I feel big, wanting to protect her from whatever evil befalls her.
“I don’t know. It’s just—it’s just—”
“Baby girl, I swear to you, I can handle whatever it is.”
“I know, I know.” She looks up at me, and I see a touch of fear in her eyes. It’s just…I need to admit that I am in love with you.” Her eyes search mine frantically. “But know, if you don’t feel that way, it is okay. I know it doesn’t happen for all people the same. I don’t—I don’t want you to feel pressured. I just needed to say it.”
“Oh, sweet Jesus, mother of pearl, is that all?”
She looks all of about five when she nods once.
I crush her into an embrace and then swing her around and up, off her feet.
“Jude, I think I have been in love with you from very nearly the moment I met you. Definitely, since I shared the first story and especially after the way you look with Mr. Purrbox making biscuits all over you!”
“You mean, you mean, you’re in love with me too?” Shock riddles her gorgeous face.
“You are damn right! Jude, I am in love with you! Flat out, crazy, head over heels in love. There is no way of getting around it either.”
“I was so worried I would be pushing you away by telling you. I knew you cared about me, knew that you would go through anything to protect me, but I didn’t know if it was more than that. I have never felt normal before or had a family, not a real family. I always felt alone, and as if anything I did or said would make someone uncomfortable or push them farther away.”
“Jude,” I pull her against my chest, willing her to hear the depth of my heart, “you will never, ever be alone again. I mean it. I will stand by your side through the good and the bad. That’s what us Miller boys do. We stay, we care, we cherish, and we love.”
“I love you, Lex,” she whispers, almost unsure of the words.
“I love you, Jude,” I say back, knowing it will take some time to get used to. Just like the kitten, she just needed to see she could trust me.
26
Jude
The next few days are filled with sorting and adjusting.
Lex speaks to Damon, who cleaned up everything after we left that warehouse. I don’t know the whole story, but Lex tells me to trust him on it. I’m kind of worried about what kind of people Lex is involved with, but I do trust him. Lex is a good man. I trust that, and I know he is not willing to put us in danger.
Lex helps me move out of my dorm, Blair too, and we move everything into Lex’s place permanently. We visit the doctor for the first time, hear the baby’s heartbeat, and find out everything is healthy and are given all green lights. I had never been so relieved in my life to know that everything was going to be okay.
We look at my school schedule because Lex wants to figure out how he can help when the baby is born so that I miss a minimal amount of time. He reminds me that Miller men pitch in; that baby duty is a happy and fulfilling part of their lives too, not just the women.
We tell the family of our great news over family dinner, and Pops decides I am to always have a place of honor beside him at the dinner table. Lily tells me that no one resists because they know I have lots of years to make up for in having a real family.
The boys take Lex out to the fort, it is finally his turn to receive the celebratory toast for getting pregnant. He tells me later that night that he got to hear all the ways they think he made the right decision to wait for someone like me. Because no one else could have compared or fit his family better.
Mr. Purrbox became a full-fledged member of our household, and so did Lady Loo, which delighted Maggie and Kayla to no end when they came over for the
ir first play date with me.
We shop for our first baby clothes, where Lex tells me about the tradition of having a baby shower, and how almost everything we need will be given to us, which rocks my world. I had no idea how much I was stressing about what I would not be able to afford, so I was overjoyed when he offered that piece. He said his family would come through and that they always did.
All is good and right in my world. Every single thing at every single level.
Until there is an unexpected knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Lex calls, rushing to the door, but I’m already up myself and being curious as I am, I follow right behind him.
Lex pulls the door open, and my father comes into view. Instinctively, my hands come to my stomach protectively. Just seeing him has my pulse racing and my heart slamming against the inside of my chest.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing here?” Lex growls like a dog.
“Getting my daughter.” My father’s black emotionless eyes find mine behind Lex. “You are coming home, right now!”
My eyes are wide with terror, and I’m clawing at the door frame to try and hold myself back in the safety of our house as my brain fills with images of what awaits me if he did get the chance, and I was whisked away by him. I know Lex won’t let that happen, but this kind of fear has been embedded in me for so long, it’s hard to let go.
Digging deep, I find the strength to speak, “You have no right to be here. I’m not your daughter anymore, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”
My father takes a step toward us, reaching for me, but Lex steps in between, shielding me from him.
“If you ever touch my fiancée again, it will be the last fucking thing you touch. You understand, old man? I will break every fucking finger on your hand until you get the point.”
Lex’s words stun him, and he steps back, startled as if the words actually slapped him. Uncertainty is plastered on his face, and I revel in it. I revel in all of it, his misery, his fears, and his wariness. For once, he is on the receiving end of the belt.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he spits back.
“I’m pregnant, and I’m going to marry Lex. Now leave, there is no reason for you to be here.” I rub it in his face, trying to simmer down my rage. Having found my protective momma-bear power, I plant my feet apart, daring him or anyone to take away my ability to choose ever again.
“I want you out of my life for good. I know what a scumbag you are. Liar. Thief. Child rapist. We know everything, and you will pay for the things you’ve done. All of them.”
Color drains from his face, and he stumbles back two steps. I can see that the carefully crafted façade he built and tried to project his entire life is now shattered. No more denial. No more operating in the shadows. No more ability to deceive or control.
His demons were finally coming home to roost.
He turns and walks away and looks a hundred years older.
I know then, we will never see him again.
Disease and decay can never live in the light.
Lex closes the door behind him and pulls me into his arms, telling me how powerful I was and how proud he is of me. “You did good, baby. You told him what you needed to, and now you never have to see his face again.”
Lex takes out his phone and starts calling people while I recoup my bearings. I lean back and look up at him, listening to his voice while rubbing my belly.
“Yes, he was just here… good… thank you… I owe you.” He hangs up. “Roman still had someone placed to watch the house, they followed your father and picked him up a few blocks from here.” He doesn’t tell me more, and that’s probably for the best. I don’t know what they are going to do to him, neither do I care, other than knowing he’ll pay for all his sins.
“Were you serious?” I ask the other thing that’s been on my mind for the last few minutes.
“About what?” Lex asks.
“You called me your fiancée? Do you really want to marry me?”
“Are you kidding? Of course, I do! I even have the ring already. Seb and Rem helped me pick it out. I was just waiting for the right time.” He is grinning as if he has won the mega lottery and eaten the last piece of pie all at the same time.
“I suppose that means—Wait right here.” He runs out of the room, rummages around in what sounds like a drawer, and runs back.
He looks at me, takes a deep breath, and then drops to one knee.
I gasp and clutch my chest with my hand.
“Jude, you came into my life like a shooting star. One fiery, magical night, you lit up my sky, and I have never been the same since. That night, I was destroyed for any other woman and any other life. I only wanted you. Even at your most vulnerable and weakest, I saw your brilliance and strength.
“In the time since, I have come to know the depth of your goodness, your playfulness, and the bravery equal to any of the best Marines I have ever fought beside. I want a wife who is loving and works to embody all of her power, in the face of any foe. Who will fight to live the life of her heart, one she will forever be proud of. That woman is you.
“Jude Abbot, will you make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife? Will you marry me?” He holds the ring out, and I take in the vintage band with one large middle stone and two smaller stones tucked in beside it.
Tears are streaming down my face now, and as I wipe them away on the backs of my hands, I nod.
“Yes! Yes, Lex Miller. I will marry you.”
27
Lex
Lily and Jules did a bang-up job on the decorations. Jude did not want a church wedding, and instead, opted for a more intimate ceremony at the house. As I walk through the house and survey the nuptials, flower arch in front of the fort, my heart swells. In just a few short minutes, the woman who captured my heart will be pledging her life to mine, and mine to hers. I am nervous, proud, deliriously happy, and overwhelmed. I was never sure I would reach this day.
Yet, here I am.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see it is Seb, with Rem, my best men.
“Ready?” Seb grins.
I nod. “So damn ready.”
“Let’s go then.”
As we walk out, I hear the music begin to play, and the officiant smiles as we make our way down the aisle to our spots. I turn around and look out at Jules and Lily, who are sitting with Blair, the only non-family member, Jude wanted to invite.
Nods are given, and a new song plays, which ushers Maggie and Kayla out with baskets of flower petals. Their white dresses are sashed with red velvet belts, and they drop red rose petals as they meander down toward us. At one point, Kayla stops and turns her basket upside down, obviously tired of pulling them out one by one, which causes us all to laugh. Maggie prefers instead to toss hers in the air to see how high they will go, some landing on her head or Kayla’s, which creates a different kind of righteousness.
Once they reach the end, they turn to sit with their moms.
The music quietly fades and, because Jude wanted “all the normals,” the stereo begins to play Here Comes the Bride.
The women stand and face the house as Pops waits just outside the door, ready to open it.
When Jude steps out, I cover my heart and nearly fall to my knees. I have never seen any woman more beautiful.
Her floor-length dress has a semi-full tulle skirt with a lace V-neck top and short cap sleeves that provides the illusion of nudity in a fresh, new way. With her hair tucked in a small, loose bun at the nape of her neck, she looks like she just stepped off the pages of Paris runway magazine. If our children look anything like her, I will have to beat off suitors with a stick!
My dad offers her an arm, and they pause long enough to greet each other and exchange a few words. Then he escorts her down the aisle.
She is a vision. One of my brothers claps me on the back, understanding how much this one moment means. They have each married the love of their lives, and now I get to m
arry mine. My woman and my child are moving toward me so that we can become one and build a family.
When they reach me, Pops holds her back and looks to the officiant.
I turn to face him too.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
Pops, who has pledged to become Jude’s new father and offered to fill this role today, steps forward, proudly.
“I do.”
I look at them and realize Jude is crying, tears slip down her cheeks as she looks at Pops with awe and adoration.
He moves her hand to mine, and we connect across time and difficulties and lost years and waiting to bring us to this perfect moment that was worth all that came before.
I place her hand on the arm of my dress blues, and we turn to stand under the floral awning together as Pops joins the girls.
“The vows you are about to exchange are sacred, intended to last to the end of your lives, however long that may be. Words offered from one pure heart to another and given in return, create a bond, a sealant that can never be altered or destroyed.
“Jude, from this day forward, your life will never be the same. Do you understand that?”
“I do.”
“Lex, from this day forward, your life will never be the same. Do you understand that?”
“I do.”
“I understand you each have vows to say to one another. Lex, will you go first?”
I say yes and turn to Jude. I release her hand and dig into my pants pocket for my vows. Not finding them, I check the other pocket. Not there either. Rem taps me on the shoulder, and I turn to him, and he pats my chest, which reminds me to check my breast pocket, where I find them. Relieved, I wave them, and everyone laughs.
I look back to Jude. Then I take a deep breath, steadying myself, and begin.
“I made you a promise on the very first night I met you.
“I promised to protect you and keep you safe.
“Since that day, I have tried to live up to that promise, but today, I want you to understand what is behind it.