by Mia Ford
“Yep. I mean it’s just one night and two days because I didn’t think you’d be able to handle more than that away from the kids, but it should be fun, right? And Mom is staying here with the kids during that time so we can have some real me and you time.” God we need that. We’ve done our best considering we have twins, but a whole weekend of just us sounds like absolute heaven to me. “What do you think about that?”
Serena squeezes me so tight I can barely breathe. “Oh my God, that sounds utterly amazing. Are you sure about this, Iris?”
“I’m definitely sure. You know how I feel about these two little darlings. Plus, we can start compiling some wedding ideas for you two to think about, I’m sure you’ll want the ceremony soon since you’re doing things the wrong way around...”
“Alright, Mom.” I have to stop her before she drives me nuts. She’s about to really get carried away. “Don’t dress up your keenness for a wedding on us doing the right thing. We’ll get married when we get married, okay?”
“Alright, alright, you know I’m just really happy for you, that’s all.”
As Serena moves over to her girlfriends to hug them, I wonder if she’ll invite her parents. She doesn’t talk about them much and I don’t like to ask her in case it upsets her. The last I heard they sent her away with some money because she was an embarrassment to them for having a baby out of wedlock. But this is a time we might have to discuss it. We’re going to have to plan what we’re doing next.
Not now though, not today. Today is a happy day and I want it to stay that way. Anything challenging can come later on. This is my proposal day. The first day of the rest of our lives.
Epilogue – Serena
“How do you feel?” Ethan asks me, looking about as pale and anxious as I feel. “All good? You okay? I mean, you look great I just want make sure that you feel...”
“Will you stop it?” I beg as I smooth down my ivory mermaid tail gown, which I pretty much chose for the sweetheart neckline and lace detailing alone. “You’re making me panic here. The last thing I want to do is panic on my wedding day.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right, it’s just... oh God.” Ethan’s eyes well up with tears. “Well I’m just so happy for you. And I’m so glad I decided to move to the city to be near you guys. Getting to reconnect with you and meeting, spending time with my niece and nephew, well it’s just been incredible. I feel so happy.”
I grip onto his hands and pull him to me for a grateful hug. “I’m so glad that you’re here too and I’m pleased it’s you walking me down the aisle.”
Mom and Dad are here, it would have been wrong not to invite them, and much as I’m not sure they deserve to know my babies, I need to be a grown up about it and give them a chance. If I think about it seriously, at least they gave me some money to get started with. They didn’t kick me out with nothing. I don’t mind giving them just one shot. It will only be the one though. They can be here, but not part of the wedding party. My very supportive brother deserves that role so much more, he’s never turned his back on me. Not once.
“I suppose we better get going in a minute. Your husband to be awaits.”
Luckily, the place we decided to stay in is just a short walk from the church, so I walk arm in arm with my brother and suck in some cool, fresh air which calms me down a bit. I don’t know what emotion is more prominent inside me, the excitement that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams, or the nerves that this day will end up in disaster. Iris has been amazing in helping everything to run smoothly, but I just want it all to go well.
“Oh look.” Ethan points in front of him. “There are your bridesmaids.”
Jenny has Rose with her and Tia has Brandon. No one but me thought it was a good idea to have my children as part of the ceremony while they’re so young, but they’ll soon see. They’re old enough to walk now and they both look utterly adorable in their outfits. There’s no doubt about it, today is going to be incredible.
“You look great,” Jenny instantly gushes as she spots me. “Really beautiful.”
“Oh well you two look wonderful too. I love the lilac on you both.” I don’t know if either of them agree, but they don’t complain. “Are you ready? I suppose we better do this.”
Jenny and Tia both hug me and whisper messages of congratulations and good luck to me, before they start walking with my little ones ahead of me into the church. I hear the music playing, it makes my heart skip a beat, but I manage to chill out just a little bit by thinking about the man waiting for me at the other side.
We fought hard to get to this place, we deserve this.
“I think that’s our cue.” Ethan grabs my arm again. “Come on, let’s go.”
All eyes fix on me as we walk into the church, but all I can see are a pair of hazelnut’s staring back at me with the same smiling look that he had when we first met. I was a naïve young girl waiting for my life to get exciting, dressed in barely anything and handing out drinks. He was the rich stranger who’s handsome good looks and kind nature made my time on the job seem not too bad. Who knew how irrevocably we would change one another.
“Wow,” he mouths as I get closer to him. “You look beautiful.”
I’m so fixed on him, loving the look of his moving lips, that I completely misstep and don’t quite keep in time with the music. But I’m sure it doesn’t matter. That isn’t what we’re here for after all.
Ethan hands me over to Ben who takes me willingly from him. Maybe it’s a bit archaic to be passing me along as if I’m some sort of property to be owned, but I don’t care. I like the traditional aspect of it all, it feels nice. I think I’ll enjoy the sensation of having just one person to care for me forever more.
“Friends and family of Ben Katch and Serena Jones,” the minister starts in a tone that booms around the quaint small church that’s been made even more beautiful by the pink and white roses decorating it. “Welcome, I would like to thank you for joining us on such a special day.” I don’t look anywhere but at Ben, my eyes already shining with pure love. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the special love between these two people by joining them in marriage. You have chosen to have your wedding here, because it symbolises the union you share and the love in which you wish to indulge in for the rest of your lives.”
There is a hush in the church, I can even feel myself holding my breath. I knew today would be an emotional one, but I didn’t think it would feel this intense. It’s almost overwhelming.
“Your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united in your hearts...”
That’s it. I’m a mess. The tears stream down my cheeks making me so glad that I put on water proof make up this morning. It’s almost as if I knew that I would fall apart.
“Marriage will allow you to grow as individuals, as well as together, it will deepen your love and allow you to face the world together, hand in hand. Of course, you will need courage, patience, and a sense of fun to get you through this, but this time will ensure that you fall in love over and over again.”
Ben’s fingers loop through mine the entire way through the ceremony and I can feel myself gaining a strength from him. We are different, there’s no denying that. Our lives have been unique, we have grown into individuals, but those differences between us strengthen us as much as our similarities. He is my ying to my yang. I guess, we complete each other in a way. He gives me all the things I didn’t know I needed, and I think I do the same for him. Yes, we have struggled, but the fight we’ve endured now means we know we can tackle anything.
The only time Ben takes his hands away from mine is the moment he speaks out his vows and he slips the ring onto my finger. Because of how upside down and back to front our love story has been, we decided to stick to the traditional wedding vows.
“I, Ben Katch, take thee, Serena Jones, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poor
er, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.” Once the ring is on my finger, Ben cannot help himself. He adds a little bit of his own. “After all, it was only ever going to be you, wasn’t it?”
Then, it’s my turn. “I, Serena Jones, take thee, Ben Katch, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To respect you in your successes and your failures, to care for you in sickness and in health, to nurture you, to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.” I cope him. Once the ring is on I add my own little bit. I basically say the same but with much less fuss. “Only you.”
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Ben spins me and dips me low in an unexpected dramatic fashion before he places his lips against mine, creating a massive whooping and cheering from the crowd around us. As we share our first kiss as husband and wife, I finally feel that sense of excitement that I’ve always been looking for, but this time it’s mixed in with security too, making it the most amazing feeling in the world. With our children beside us and our friends and family watching us and sharing in this moment, I couldn’t be happier. Everything is perfect.
“I love you,” Ben whispers as we finally pull apart. “Only you.”
Only you, it seems that is going to become our thing, our mantra to push us forwards when it seems to hard to do so, our motto to remind us that even when it seems that way, it really isn’t that bad. Only you, the words of me and Ben. The glue holding us together.
“I love you too,” I tell him softly while gently stroking his cheek. “You and only you.”
His Brother’s Wife
Blurb:
Jason Banks always gets what he wants.
And this time, he wants his brother’s wife.
I knew it the first time I looked at those delicious curves,
Until she decided to walk down the aisle with my brother.
I knew it from the look she gives me,
That she wants to submit…give in to what I want.
But she’s a good girl, plays by the rules.
I? I say f*ck the rules!
The only rule I wanna play by is, ‘If you love someone, love HARD. Fight HARDER’.
Tiffany Baby, Care to bend down on your knees…for me?
Chapter 1
Jason
The last place I wanted to be was here, sitting at this bar, waiting for my brother to come in, but it was our routine and I wasn’t about to make trouble between us—well, at least not more trouble than there already was. I was starting to feel like working for the family business had gone a completely different way than I’d anticipated. My father had created this media company with just the pennies in his and my mom’s pockets. Through the years and with some serious hard work, Banks Media had become a force in the business. We spanned seven countries and pretty much took over the media relations sector of journalism. Of course, it was destined for my brother Jordan and I to work at the company and then eventually run it together. On a business level, Jordan and I saw eye to eye, so running a company with him wasn’t what I was worried about. It was his private life that had come into question on a daily basis.
I saw the man every single day, including weekends when we went to our parents for events and cookouts. Spending that much time with my brother was a bit overwhelming in nature, especially when he had become the biggest douchebag I ever met. I was no saint, by any means, and never really had a steady relationship with any woman, but I was upfront and honest about it. He dragged his wife, Tiffany, through the mud and back. Jordan had fallen for Tiffany before they had ever spoken a word, not that I could blame him with her gorgeous blond hair, green eyes, and a body that belonged in a pinup ad, but it wasn’t until his father hired her on that he really got close to her. Everyone was ecstatic when they announced their engagement, she was one of the sweetest girls I’d ever come across, and Jordan actually seemed like he was settling down and becoming more patient and caring. Well, that lasted an entire three months, and now, we had to deal with this divorce that literally came out of nowhere.
The door swung open behind me, and Jordan’s smug laugh rang out as he greeted the bartender before slapping me hard on the shoulder. He pulled up a stool next to me and ordered a beer, a maniacal grin on his face. It was late, I was tired, and the last thing I wanted was to listen to him gloat about his impending divorce. I hoped he was worn out from the day, but that was too much to wish for.
“It’s almost over,” he chuckled. “On Monday, we will officially not be married any longer. Thank God, I have some good lawyers.”
“You mean dad had some good lawyers,” I grumbled, scooting his hand off my shoulder. It looked like I wasn’t going to be very good at holding back my opinion.
“What’s up with you? You seem a bit more tense than usual,” he said looking over at me. “And that’s saying a lot for you.”
“Just tell me,” I said turning quickly toward him. “Why the fuck would you give up on this girl after chasing her for so long?”
“She can’t have kids,” he said smugly. “I didn’t sign up for that shit.”
“You’re a fucking dick,” I said nodding to the bartender for my tab.
“How?” He turned to me angrily. “When I wanted a kid, to carry on this legacy because God knows you don’t have any prospects, she wouldn’t be able to give me that. It wasn’t what I thought it would be, so how is our marriage supposed to even work? What’s the fucking point of it?”
“So, what? You just said the vows and didn’t think about what they really meant? You know there's more than one way to have a child, dickhead. You could adopt. There are thousands of children out there who need a good home.” I threw cash down on the bar and stood up, drinking the last gulp of my beer.
“What the fuck does it matter to you? Why are you so bent out of shape? Do me a favor, Jason,” he said, glaring, “shut the hell up and stay out of my damn business.”
“You never deserved that girl anyway,” I said grabbing my jacket and walking toward the bathroom.
My brother was such a dick, and here I was, giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking she had cheated on him or something. But no, he’s broken up a home, ended a marriage, and broken a girl’s heart over something she had zero control over. I really felt for Tiffany. She didn’t deserve any of this. He was so stupid for throwing away a life with this girl. She would have done anything for him, and she’d kept him in line. Maybe that’s what it really was. He didn’t like someone else being in control, not that she was in control of this situation either. She couldn’t have kids. It was probably devastating for her to find out, and then, she goes to her husband, who is supposed to be caring and supportive, and he turns his back on her. I suddenly felt embarrassed that cocksucker was my brother.
I washed my hands and walked out of the bathroom, stopping suddenly at the sight of Rose, the girl I had been messing around with for months. She was a hot little number and instantly all my cares flew right out the window. There was nothing better than getting some frustrations out through some tight ass and a little playtime. She had no misconceptions, and in reality, I was pretty sure she didn’t want to be any part of our fucked up family.
“Hey there,” she said, grabbing me by the shirt and yanking me forward. “I was looking for you.”
“Oh, yeah? What for?”
She bit her lip and looked up at me with her dark brown eyes. I chuckled at her lack of subtlety and looked around quickly as she reached down and cupped my balls. I pressed my hand to the wall behind her head and leaned in, dipping my tongue between her soft, poised lips.
“Where are we going this time?”
She giggled and grabbed me by the collar, pulling me into an old stock room in the back. It was obvious no one ever came into this place, and it was the perfect scenery for our normal debauchery. She clicked the lock closed and turned to me with trouble written on her face. She grinned, biting her lower lip and pulling her shirt over her head. I put my hands up chuckling at h
ow forward she always was. She reached back and undid her bra, letting her big, round tits bounce all over the place. She pulled my shirt from my pants and dropped down on her knees, unbuckling them and yanking them down to my ankles. I leaned back against the dusty pillar and put my arms over my head, waiting for her lips. She pulled my boxers down and grabbed my shaft as it bounced free from the fabric. This girl had me going before she ever took her shirt off, but then again, I knew what she could do with those lips and those hips.
She wasted no time going straight to work, gliding her mouth over the tip of my cock and down my hard shaft. I groaned at the feeling of her tongue whipping wildly around my erection and looked down at her bright red hair as it bobbed back and forth. She slowly reached up and massaged my balls while sliding her head all the way down, taking the entirety of my cock into her throat. She pressed down hard, her lips touching the base, and I could feel her sucking at the back of her throat. She was so fucking hot, and to make it even hotter, she had a tongue piercing, leftover fashion from ten years ago. The soft gel ball rolled along my shaft and pressed right underneath the head of my cock, sending waves of pleasure through my body. I groaned as my hips moved forward, meeting her mouth and then pulling back. I grabbed onto her red hair and shoved her down, watching a smile curl at the edge of her lips. Her eyes gazed up at me, watering and wild as I continued to push my hips toward her face, fucking her mouth hard. She reached her hands up and groped her breasts, bouncing them up and down as I pleasured myself with her mouth. She spread her legs apart and reached up under her skirt, rubbing her clit, rolling her eyes, and moaning with my cock in her mouth. I could feel the vibrations of her voice against my shaft, and immediately, all I wanted to do was fuck the hell out of her.