Happily Ever After (Forever and Always #7)

by Todd, E. L.

  “That’s so sweet.”

  “I know how much you like them.”

  I grabbed his face and kissed him. “You wanna split one?”

  “What happened to not sharing milk products?”

  “I can make an exception for my husband. We share enough body fluids anyway.”

  He moaned. “When the hell is this wedding going to be over?”

  18

  Scarlet

  The night of my wedding was so much more than I ever expected it to be. I never liked being the center of attention, but I enjoyed it tonight. Sean hardly ever stopped touching me, wanting to feel me every second of the night. The white lights hung overhead and the flowers in the vases looked so elegant. Everything was perfect.

  Janice and Monnique hit the dance floor with me, shaking their asses as we hopped around. Ryan came to the circle and shocked us all with his moves. Only Cortland seemed unsurprised.

  “Where did you learn to dance like that?” I asked.

  “That zumba instructor I dated for a month.” He clapped his hands and kicked his feet out, showing off.

  Cortland came beside him and showed us his best moves.

  “Wow,” Monnique said. “My white boy can dance.”

  “I can make love,” he said. “Is it that surprising?”

  She marched over to him then turned around, grinding her ass against his crotch. She moved all the way down then popped up again.

  Cortland flinched, his eyes wide. “Damn, baby.”

  She grinded against him, gripping the back of his neck. “Why are you so surprised? I can make love, can’t I?”

  He moved against her. “You always have to steal my thunder, huh?”

  Ryan looked at Janice. “Why don’t you do to me, baby?”

  “I already swing around a stripper pole for you.”

  He smiled. “That’s right. You’re exempt.”

  Sean came to the middle of the circle and danced, moving the same way as he did in Vegas.

  “My husband has some good moves too,” I said.

  Monnique bent over for Cortland again and he stared at her ass. “Scarlet, don’t kiss my girlfriend again. Her lips are mine—among other things.”

  Sean laughed. “I’ll keep an eye on her. I would hate for you to cheat on me a few hours after we tied the knot.”

  “I hate you all.”

  Sean grabbed my hand and grinded against my hip, swaying with me. His hand squeezed my ass and he licked my neck.

  “Your entire family is here, Sean.”

  “You think I give a shit? I’m going to grab my wife’s ass and rub my boner against her. They’ll deal with it.”

  “That’s so romantic,” I said sarcastically.

  “I’ll show you romantic later tonight.”

  “Ooh. I look forward to it.”

  He gave me his heated stare and I knew I provoked the beast within him. I had a feeling he would rock my world better than he ever had before.

  Mike jumped into the circle when a Michael Jackson song came on. He busted out his best MJ moves and made us all laugh.

  “My brother is such a show off,” Sean said.

  Mike grabbed Monnique and pulled her to him, dancing with her face to face.

  Ryan laughed. “Looks like you lost your girl.”

  Cortland grabbed Janice and started dancing with her, grinding his butt against her.

  Ryan looked at me and grimaced. “Why am I always stuck with my sister?”

  “I’m a good dancer.”

  “Yuck.”

  I pulled him to me and danced in front of him, keeping my moves very basic. Sean jumped in the middle of the group and danced solo. When Andrew came into the circle, everyone cheered.

  “Oh shit,” Mike said. “Dad’s gonna show us all up.”

  “Stand back,” Cortland said. “The master is here.”

  Andrew shook his hips and danced like he learned his moves from the eighties. It was so cute that everyone clapped and cheered. Diane walked into the circle and Andrew slapped her ass. “Dance with me, woman.”

  She smiled then danced in front of him, being a good sport about it. Andrew pulled her hips to him and grinded with her.

  “Eww,” Mike said. “This isn’t fun anymore.”

  “Go, Mr. Preston!” Ryan said. “That’s hot.”

  Sean grimaced and came back to me.

  “So cute,” I said.

  “Ugh. It just reminds me that my parents have sex.”

  “Well, you remind them every day that we have sex.”

  “It’s still worse for me. Speaking of sex, when do you want to have babies?”

  “I don’t know. Later.”

  “Let’s practice tonight.”

  “We’ll practice every night.”

  “I’m going to have my lawyer get that in writing.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You even said I need it more than you do.”

  “You’re a nasty bitch.”

  “Very nasty bitch.”

  “Okay, I’m leaving,” Ryan said. “I’m about to gag.”

  “Sorry, I forgot you were there.”

  “Apparently,” he said as he moved away.

  We eventually made our rounds and thanked everyone for coming. Everyone said I looked beautiful. I wasn’t sure if they were saying it just to be polite, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Sean held me tightly every step of the way, introducing me to his family members. When we finally stepped away for some water, I turned to him.

  “Did you see all the gifts?”

  He turned and looked. “Yowza.”

  “”That’s insane,” I said. “What should we do with them?”

  “Keep them? They’re gifts.”

  “Sean, we have everything we need. We didn’t register on purpose so people wouldn’t buy us anything.”

  “It’s still rude not to accept it.”

  “Let’s give it to charity.”

  “Well, I guess we could do that. We’ll open them after the honeymoon and decide what to do.”

  “What’s that mailbox?”

  “Oh. People put cards and checks in there.”

  “Money? Why would people give us money?”

  He looked at me like I was a monkey working at a bank. “Have you ever been to a wedding?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be a smartass. Your parents are wealthy. Why would we need money?”

  “How about we give the money to my parents since they paid for the wedding?”

  “That works for me.”

  He shook his head while he stared at me.

  “What?”

  “You’re just—cool.”

  “Cool?”

  “Greedy people just get greedier. You’re so different from that.”

  “You aren’t like that either, Sean.”

  “Well, most people aren’t like us. They only care about money and what that money brings them.”

  “How much money will you be making when you take over the company?”

  He thought for a moment. “Probably half a billion. Maybe a little less.”

  My mouth dropped. “Holy shit.”

  “What were you expecting?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Not that much. What are we going to do with it?”

  “It’s like any other job. We pay the mortgage, buy groceries, and send our kids to college.”

  “We’re giving most of that to charity.”

  He laughed. “Whatever you want, baby.”

  “I mean it. I don’t want to be like those snooty rich people.”

  “Okay. That’s fine.”

  “And I’m still working.”

  “I expected nothing less.”

  I looked at him suspiciously. “I was expecting an argument of some sort.”

  “In my wedding vows, I said I would always put your first. If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”

  I smiled at him, moved by his words. “Thank you.”

  He kissed me on the
cheek. “I expect to be rewarded for my obedience, however.”

  “I knew there was a catch.”

  “There’s always a catch if I can get sex out of it.”

  “You always start off sweet then it goes to shit.”

  He laughed. “I love you.”

  “What?”

  “You’re just funny. I love you. You never take yourself too seriously. If you knew how smart, beautiful, and witty you were, you would be living in Milan, working for a modeling agency, being catty to everyone and everything, and just being a bitch all around. But you aren’t like that.”

  “Well, I could never be a supermodel. I’m not skinny enough.”

  “You’re a supermodel to me. Believe me, guys don’t like that emaciated shit they see on magazines and stuff. They want this,” he said as he gripped my waist. “You feel that?”

  “My fat?”

  He rolled his eyes. “No. It’s muscle, baby. The only fat you have is in your tits. And you know how much I love that.”

  “There we go again.”

  He pulled me close and kissed me. “I’m ready to leave. How about you?”

  I looked around. Most of the guests had gone home. Only the younger people seemed to stick around.

  “And we have our flight to get ready for.”

  “It’s so beautiful. I don’t want to leave.”

  “Then we can stay.”

  “I just don’t want to forget this night.”

  “You won’t. I’ll remind you every night.”

  “You’ll show me pictures?”

  “No. I’ll make love to you the same way I’ll make love to you tonight. That will always keep the memory alive.”

  “That’s so sweet.”

  He shrugged. “I can be sweet—only with you.”

  “I can’t believe this happened.”

  “What?”

  “That we actually got married. You were my friend, then you were engaged to Penelope, but now you’re married to me.”

  “It sounds like everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

  “I think so too.”

  “And I’m ready for the next stage of our lives.”

  “What?”

  “Forever.”

  19

  Scarlet

  Ryan and Cortland grabbed our bags and piled them into the limo, making sure everything was ready before we left the house. Champagne and desert was placed inside, just in case we needed it.

  Sean and I emerged from the house, our hands held together. Everyone grabbed glitter and threw it at us, showering us with the shiny fragments of paper. It stuck to my skin and my dress, making me glow brighter than I already was. Everyone cheered as we left. When we got to the end, Sean grabbed my face and kissed me, holding me for everyone to see. He pulled away and looked at everyone.

  “Don’t call us for the next week.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Have a good time, Son,” Andrew said.

  “Oh I will.” He opened the door for me to get in but I didn’t. I walked to Ryan and hugged him tightly.

  “Have a good honeymoon. We’ll start the move when you get back,” he said.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  “Thank you for letting me be a part of your day.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “You don’t need to call me on your honeymoon, Scar.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I repeated. I grabbed his face and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at me before I walked away.

  Sean smiled at me when I returned to the car. “He’ll always be the number one man in your life, huh?”

  “It’s a tie.”

  “I can work with that. Now get in.”

  I sat inside and pulled my dress with me.

  Sean waved before he shut the door. “Now let’s get out of here.”

  The limo pulled away, taking us to the plaza hotel in New York City. We would fly out tomorrow to start our honeymoon.

  Sean placed his arm around my shoulder and rubbed his nose against mine. “Janice packed us some chocolate strawberries.”

  “Yum.”

  “Can I feed one to you?”

  “Maybe we should wait until we get to the hotel.”

  He growled.

  “We won’t be interrupted the whole night.”

  “Fine. I’ll wait.”

  He grabbed my face and kissed me, loving my lips with his own. We kissed for a long time, savoring the moment as we drove away as husband and wife. It was a night that I would never forget. Everything had gone so perfectly.

  I pulled away and looked at him. “I’m so glad I married you.”

  His eyes softened. “I’m glad you don’t have any regrets.”

  “There’s nothing to regret.”

  His hand slipped under my dress and felt my thigh. “I’ve never been so hot in my life.”

  “You want me to turn up the AC?”

  “You know exactly what I mean, Scar.”

  “Everything went so well. I was so scared my mom was going to ruin the day.”

  He looked down at my dress, avoiding my gaze. He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. “I told you she wouldn’t come.”

  “I’m so glad you were right.”

  “I’m always right.”

  “I never expected to love a wedding so much.”

  “Because it was yours. I’m glad you got your happily ever after, Scarlet. It’s been a long time coming.”

  I chuckled despite the seriousness of his statement. “A really, really long time coming.”

  “Nothing will ever hurt you again, Scarlet. Now you have me to protect you.”

  “I know.”

  The limo arrived at the airport and the bellman carried our bags to our room. Sean and I checked in then took the elevator to the top floor.

  “We’re on the top floor?” I asked.

  “Yep.”

  “That must have cost a fortune.”

  “We need plenty of room.”

  My cheeks reddened.

  “My brother got it for me.”

  “He did?”

  He nodded.

  “He’s so sweet.”

  “Yeah. He’s a good guy.”

  “You know what Ryan got me?”

  “Huh?”

  “A milkshake maker.”

  Sean laughed. “I think Ryan wins.”

  “It was so thoughtful of him.”

  The doors opened and we walked to our room. Sean unlocked the door then grabbed me, carrying me over the threshold. He shut the door then stood in front of me. The whole room was lit with hundreds of candles. The glow reflected in his eyes, making them shine.

  My eyes welled up. “Sean.”

  He stepped toward me then wrapped his arms around my waist. He didn’t say anything, just brushing his lips against mine.

  Sean had done so many things to make this day so memorable. The room of pictures was too meaningful to describe, and now he did this. Sean had never been so romantic with anyone else, not even Penelope. I felt like a goddess on a pedestal. My heart hammered in my chest as I looked at him. Now that the moment was upon us, I was nervous. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but an excited feeling. I felt like this was our first time together. It made my heart flutter in my chest.

  Sean grabbed the back of my neck and my waist then kissed me gently, guiding me to the bedroom down the hall. Every touch of his lips made my skin light on fire. The moisture between my legs started to accumulate. I panted, breathing hard, knowing we were about to make love for the first time.

  I felt his erection against my waist as we moved. He was bigger than he had ever been. We came into the bedroom and he guided me to the bed. The bedroom was lit with candles as well. White rose pedals littered the floor and the bed. He leaned over me, kissing me as he touched me everywhere.

  When he reached for the zipper in the back, his hands shook with excitement. I grabbed his tie and loosened it, pulling it fro
m his neck. While he worked with my dress, I unbuttoned his shirt then slipped it off along with his jacket.

  He pulled my dress down, seeing the white lacy thong. He moaned quietly when he looked at it. Then, he reached down and kissed it before he unbuttoned his pants, helping me get them off.

  Sean crawled on top of me then looked into my eyes. Nothing was said but nothing needed to be sad. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before he pulled my hips to him. He leaned over me but didn’t enter me. Instead, he grabbed my neck and kissed me, breathing into my mouth for a long time.

  I never thought a night like this would happen. I never thought I would find someone who loved me this much. For the longest time, I felt like I was second best in everything. My mom loved Ryan more than she loved me, Sean picked Penelope over me, my boss hired me to harass me and not because of my abilities. I never felt loved or safe. It was the first time that I felt like the world bowed down to me, that the mountains had cleared a path for me to walk through, that the oceans parted so I could reach my own island, that for once, nothing went wrong.

  When I imagined my husband, I never expected him to be so beautiful and kind. He was gentle and loving, everything I wanted in another person. Our love wasn’t easy. It was complicated and hard work. There was so much pain that it almost broke me, but Ryan was right. The pain was worth the gain.

  When I looked up at Sean, tears were in his eyes. They mirrored my own.

  “Scarlet, I never thought I would feel this way for anyone.”

  “Neither did I.”

  He pulled me to him then slipped inside me. I was so hot for him that I already felt myself crumble. Sean looked into my eyes as he rocked into me, making every thrust slow and gentle. Tears were still in eyes and his breathing was heavy and uneven. I pulled his face to my lips and kissed his tears away. He did the same to me.

  I dug my nails into his back as I felt his soul touch mine. It was the most emotional experience I ever had in my life. Every pain I felt ebbed away in light of what we were doing. Sean made everything go away. I forgot about my mom, Carl, the pain Sean caused me—all of it. Now I just felt him.

  When the orgasm hit me, I didn’t recognize what it was. It was stronger than anything I ever felt. It was powerful and majestic, burning my entire body like I was on fire. I didn’t scream or yell. I remained silent as I looked in his eyes. My hands grabbed him tightly as it struck me like a freight train.