by Celeste, B.
Chief drives me to the James’ where River is staying, helping me out of his car and passing me my crutches. My leg is covered by a blue cast—the same color my arm cast was when I was five—and tells me to call him if I need anything.
I don’t even ring the doorbell before the door opens and River appears in front of me. She’s still in a wheelchair, but as soon as she sees me standing there, she pushes up and winces before throwing herself into my arms.
Somehow, I manage to keep us upright as I tighten my arm around her tiny waist. I’m about to tell her to sit back down before she hurts her feet when she draws back and presses her lips firmly against mine.
It’s the first time she’s ever initiated a kiss, and it takes me by surprise. It isn’t long before I take over, guiding her lips open and slipping my tongue inside her mouth to taste her. She moans when our tongues twist and I deepen the kiss, my fingertips digging into her fleshy waist.
When my cock twitches in my jeans, I pull back and force myself to take a deep breath. Neither of us are in any condition to follow through on what I’m sure both our bodies are telling us to do next.
“I love you, too,” she blurts, eyes glassy as they lock with mine.
“You read the letter,” I whisper, ghosting my fingers over her face. I never want to stop touching her. This is the first time in almost ten years I’ve been able to touch her the way I want. To feel her, hold her, love her.
She nods, her straight white teeth digging into her bottom lip and nudging the scar there.
Guiding her back down into the wheelchair, I give her a relieved smile. “I love you, River James. I’ve loved you for a long time.”
She sniffs back tears. “Longer than the letter indicates? I was seventeen when you wrote this. That’s a long time.”
I chuckle, wanting nothing more than to lean down and brush her hair behind her ear. To caress her face. To kiss her lips. “If my professor had told us to write down our feelings sooner, I probably would have admitted them long before that point.”
She blushes.
Bridgette appears behind her. “Oh, Everett! Robert and I were just talking about you. Oliver is coming home tonight to check in on River. Are you staying for dinner?”
The last time I saw Oliver, he pretty much told me he’d castrate me with rusty knives if I did anything to hurt River. Maybe if I stay and lay it all on the table for them tonight, they’ll know I have no intention of seeing her hurt again.
“I’d love to,” I tell her.
River and I stay in the living room propped up on the couch next to each other while Bridgette and Robert go off to plan dinner. At least, that’s what they told us. I know Bridgette better than that. Dinner has probably been planned for a day now, regardless of me agreeing to join them.
“How are you doing after what they found out about the fire?” I don’t say her mother’s name, because I don’t know how she feels about her.
“I’m …” She pauses, snuggling in to the side of my body. My arm is draped over her shoulder, hugging her close to me. Having her curled up against my body, not having to be ashamed for wanting to hold her, is more than I ever dared to believe could happen. “I’m not sure how I feel, to be honest. Robert tried finding out where she was staying and talked to the police about her drug use and past, but they couldn’t find where she was until the fire. They found her squatting in an abandoned house not far from the studio. They think she’s been watching me for a while, which is how she knew where I work. And how … how she first found me. We just want to help her, Everett. But to think that she burned down the studio …” She buries her face into my chest and when I feel the wetness of her tears soak into my shirt, it breaks me. She whispers, “Did she know I was in there? Did my mother willingly set the building on fire knowing her own daughter was upstairs?”
“Oh, baby.” I stroke her hair and shush her tears, wiping some away from the pad of my thumb. “Your mother is sick, River. I’ve seen drugs do some nasty things to people. They can’t think straight. Either way, she’s not going to be able to hurt you again. If she’s using, they’ll find traces of drugs in her system and get her help. And depending on if the evidence of what she’s done sticks, or if she confesses, she’ll have to face jail time on top of the charges she’s already been running from.”
River hiccups. “You know about the warrants?”
Wincing at the information I shouldn’t know, I nod. “Chief and I go way back. I won’t say anything, River. I just want you to know that she can’t hurt you anymore. She’s going away for a long time to face what she’s done.”
We both know it isn’t that easy, but it offers some comfort in a situation that’s heavier than anyone can handle.
“I love you,” I whisper.
She curls in closer to me, one of her arms looping over my midsection. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that to me.”
Kissing the top of her head, I rest my chin on the crown of her skull. “I’m going to be saying that for a long time, baby. We’ve got lost time to make up for. Which means a lot of I love yous, plenty of kisses, and you bet your pretty little ass there will be lots of touching.”
I don’t see her face, but I’m sure it’s red.
“You can’t say things like that,” she hisses, swatting my side. “My parents are in the other room.”
I laugh, my chest rumbling and shaking her body until she peels herself off me. She looks lost, her brows pinched together like I’m crazy for finding her amusing right now.
It makes me feel youthful to know that at twenty-seven, I still have to be worried about parents catching me cuddling and dirty-talking their daughter. I like it. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had to worry about being caught, but I don’t mind playing teenager again. Suppose it could be like role play.”
That thought definitely makes me happy, and I’m sure River can feel my cock turning to granite under her arm. In fact, the small inhale she sucks in tells me as much.
We’ll get there, eventually.
“I’m going to take you out,” I whisper, brushing my lips against her jaw, and trailing them toward her lips. “I’m going to buy you dinner, flowers, hold your hand, everything you deserve and then some.” My lips graze hers in a barely-there kiss. She shivers, making me smile against her lips, before pressing a little harder against them until she opens up.
Exploring her mouth is like searching for lost treasure, except I’m not searching for long before I find it. She tastes like hot chocolate and peppermint candy, which makes me wonder if she just had one of Landmark Café’s specialty cocoas they’ve been advertising in preparation of fall weather.
My hand cups her face to tilt her head at a different angle when a throat clears at the archway of the room.
River makes a little squeaking noise that reminds me an awful lot of a mouse, which makes me fight off a grin.
Robert is standing with his hands in his pockets next to Oliver, who’s shaking his head at the two of us on the couch.
River tries pulling away, but I don’t let her. Instead, my arm wraps around her waist as I pull her closer, not ashamed of having her as mine finally. The whole world needs to know it sooner rather than later. River James is mine, now, tomorrow, forever. One day I’m going to get down on one knee and ask her to be my wife, then she’ll be River Tucker. Fuck, I love the sound of that.
She clears her throat. “I thought your flight wasn’t coming in until tonight?”
“Figured I’d surprise everyone.”
Robert chuckles. “Surprise.”
River’s blush deepens.
Oliver sighs and turns his focus to me. “I already warned you, so I won’t bother threatening you again. Just remember what Peter York’s face looked like.”
His brow raises as if to make his point.
River straightens. “You hit Peter York?”
Robert clasps Oliver’s shoulder, like he’s saying, thatta boy.
“Don’t you know by now,
River? We’d do anything to protect you. And if that means throwing a few punches,” he shrugs, “that’s what big brothers are for, isn’t it?”
The tears in River’s eyes aren’t sad ones, and her brown hues turn that golden shade I love so much. It gives her pale skin color, a glow that’s all mine to love, cherish, and appreciate every damn day for the rest of our lives.
“This is what it’s like, River.” I kiss her cheek, and she doesn’t flinch away this time despite her family’s watching eyes.
Bridgette walks in and wraps an arm around Robert’s midsection, smiling at the people surrounding the room.
“What?” River asks.
“To have a family.”
Epilogue
The Wedding
Everett / 28
The white lace dress clings to River’s body as Robert guides her down the long aisle with her arm wrapped around the crook of his elbow. The dress is long, tapered in to accentuate her every curve, and the veil covering her face doesn’t hide her curled red hair or red lips split into a big smile when she sees me standing in front of the altar.
This goddess wrapped in white is mine, and the thought alone nearly brings me to my knees. The feeling of absolute completion consumes me when Robert places her hand in my outreached one. His eyes are full of tears that match my own as he nods his head once as if to silently say, welcome to the family, son.
Our closest friends and family are watching us from the white foldout chairs placed in two separate sections. River invited Steph and Mason, who got engaged not long before I finally popped the question, as well as Melanie, her social worker Jillian, and of course her family. Steph and Bridgette stand behind River in long, mint green gowns holding white bouquets in their hands. Oliver and Robert stand behind me, both in black suits and matching green ties.
The crowd is small. There are only a few of our close friends from high school watching one of the best days of our lives unfold in front of them. I’d like to believe my own family is watching from the sky, kissing us with a gentle breeze of praise and compassion. Margaret passed away just after Christmas last year, but she gave me her old wedding bands to give to River when I was ready. We were engaged by New Year.
The ceremony takes place in the James’ backyard, an intimate setup of white, greens, and pinks. It complements the early summer setting with the sun caressing us as we say our vows.
“I, Everett Tucker, take you, River James, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, through every fight, disagreement, and argument, because I think we both know I say stupid things sometimes—” People laugh as I hold onto River’s soft hands tighter. “—as long as we both shall live.”
I choke up by the last few words, tears sliding down my cheeks as I watch the love of my life say the vows back to me, her own eyes filling with happy tears that turn her brown eyes golden.
“Ethereal,” I whisper. “Mine.”
I’m told I can kiss my bride, and I don’t waste time before my lips are tenderly pressing against hers. One kiss will never be enough for us. She takes my breath away when her arms wrap around my neck, drawing me closer. Our lips nip and suck each other’s until someone behind me clears their throat.
I think it’s Oliver.
The crowd laughs again as I draw back, just enough to press my forehead against hers, her green apple scent grounding me. Our noses touch as we catch our breath. Her eyes close for a moment before they reopen and lock with mine.
My hand cups her face, my thumb stroking her cheekbone. “I love you more than words, baby. So much. Every day.”
“As long as we both shall live,” she whispers back. When she pulls away, I swipe the pads of my thumb against her damp cheeks.
We face the crowd hand in hand,
The priest announces us as Mister and Missus Everett Tucker, and the overpowering feeling of love consumes us as the breeze picks up the flower petals from the ground and blows them around us in a gentle dance. We walk down the aisle as people clap and cheer, and I can’t help but stop just before we go into the house to change and pick up my wife.
My wife.
Fuck, that won’t get old.
She squeals when I lift her into my arms, cradling her close to me and kiss her again before stepping into the entryway.
“You look beautiful, River.” I nuzzle my nose against her cheek, my lips grazing one side of her face until our tongues are tangling together and our breaths become one. I withdraw first, setting her down on her feet. “But you know what would look even better?”
Her breath catches. “What?”
My hands skim her sides in a slow, sensual fashion. “Nothing but skin.”
The reception lasts until after sunset, and breaks apart when I sweep River away to the hotel room I booked for the night. As soon as we’re locked away in the honeymoon suite with a do not disturb sign hanging on the door, I prowl toward River, hungry.
We’ve become well acquainted with each other’s bodies over the past year. Finding new ways to make her come has become my favorite pastime. River still has shy moments over her exposed body, but I always make sure to wash away any doubt she has. There is nothing about River that I don’t love.
Her heart is pure.
Her laugh is intoxicating.
And her body brings me to my knees.
She’s not the innocent sixteen-year-old who asked me to take her virginity. She’s dangerous now.
She doesn’t stop me from cupping the sides of her face and bending down to kiss her, my lips desperately seeking entrance until she gasps and gives in. I back us up until the back of her legs are against the edge of the king size bed, her fingertips digging into my biceps until she abruptly pulls away.
My brows pinch. “River? Wha—”
She slowly sinks to her knees, hands fumbling with the button and zipper of my black dress pants. I groan when the air hits my suffocating erection.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
She doesn’t answer as she draws my pants down my toned thighs, her eyes sparking with an amber glow when she realizes I’m not wearing boxers underneath. My fingers itch to grab ahold of myself, because I’m so fucking turned on it physically hurts. Instead, I watch in awe as River shifts closer and blows on my tip.
“Shit. Fuck. River—” I’m cut short when her hot mouth wraps around my cock, wet and tight, taking me in as far as she can. My hands go to her head, not moving her but threading my fingers in her hair as she runs her tongue over me.
I moan when she draws back and takes me in all the way again, sucking me off in the most torturous slow manner.
“That feels so fucking good, baby.” My hips jerk forward which makes her gasp, the vibration on my cock making my eyes roll into the back of my head.
She picks up the pace with her mouth the same time she starts fondling my sack, rolling it in her hand until my legs fucking shake.
I try pulling her away, but she doesn’t let me, my hips match her rhythm thrust for thrust. “Fuck, River. If you keep doing that, I’m going to come in that pretty little mouth of yours.”
I never expect oral from River, so the few times she’s gone down on me, I let her set the pace. Usually, I pull out right before I come, painting her naked body with my seed like my own type of masterpiece. But this time she isn’t giving me a choice, and it’s when she applies pressure just under the tip of my cock that I explode in her mouth, moaning her name the whole time I come down from the high.
When she finally pulls away, her face is flushed. She stares up at me until I help her stand, kissing her with such fervor that it makes her stumble backwards onto the bed. Quickly stepping out of my pants and ripping off my shirt, I work on disposing of the dress Steph made her wear to the reception, until she’s in nothing but sexy as sin white lace lingerie.
It doesn’t take long before the skimpy panty set is off her body and she’s exposed completely to me. Hove
ring over her, my lips trail down the front of her body until my nose nuzzles her inner thigh. She writhes under me, hips arching when I start playing with her clit, and moaning my name when I lick one long line from her entrance to her sensitive bud.
I hold her thighs open as she squirms, tasting her sweet juice on my lips and probing her with my tongue as I finger her clit. Her movements are jerky, and I know she’s about to unravel when she yanks on my shoulders.
“Please, Everett. Please.”
I come up for air and look up at her through my lashes. I’m ravenous, needing to taste her orgasm on my tongue. “What is it, baby?”
“I need you. All of you. Everywhere.”
My brow raises. “Everywhere?”
She lets out a tiny breath. “Please? I need to feel you everywhere. I want you to have all of me.”
Is she saying …?
“Babe, I’m going to need you to be really specific,” I press, rising over her. I have every intention of making her come using my mouth but need to know what exactly she’s asking me to do right now.
Her face turns red as I wait for a response, my cock swelling with need and ready to take her however she wants me to.
The palm of her hand comes up and brushes my face gently as she sits up. Her nipples are pebbled and I can’t wait to feel the weight of her breasts in my hands again, but she doesn’t give me the opportunity to play before turning onto her hands and knees.
I’m on my knees in an instant, my cock very much interested in the direction this is going. I’ve never pressured her into anything, never asked for what she’s suggesting.
“Baby,” my voice is raspy. “We don’t have to do this. If you think I’m not happy with burying myself in your pussy, you’re wrong.”
She glances over her shoulder, teeth biting into her bottom lip. “I want to feel you where nobody else has been. You’re my husband, my best friend, the person I want every experience with. You didn’t get the first that mattered, so take this. I-I’m letting you have it.”