by Ivy Jordan
“Me, too,” I tell her as I stand. I kiss the top of her head before going inside to let the hotel staff deliver our dinner. He wheels in a cart, and I direct him to leave everything on the table in the dining area. I tip him, and he nods with a smile and a thank you before he leaves. As the door closes, Serena comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me.
“Flowers, too?”
I grin. “No expense spared for you, my love,” I tell her.
She walks over and leans in to smell the white roses. “They’re amazing, Cade. You spoil me too much.”
“I like spoiling you. Come on, let’s eat,” I tell her. She nods and grabs two plates, and I follow with the large covered tray out onto the balcony. After she sits, I uncover the tray with a flourish. “Voila!”
Serena laughs at the mountain of fried chicken on the silver platter. “You ordered fried chicken?”
“I told you, nothing but for the best for you.”
“You get me so well.”
“There’s also potato salad, some kind of broccoli concoction, too. Dig in,” I instruct.
She takes a bite of her chicken, and I watch as she savors it. “Oh my gosh, Cade, this is soooo good. Try it,” she encourages me.
I grab a leg, take a big bite, and nod with satisfaction. “I gotta admit, I was never much of a fried food kinda guy until I met you, and now I feel like I’m at the very least a connoisseur of fried chicken.”
“You’re a fast learner.”
“Good teacher,” I wink.
When we finish eating, Serena sits back with her eyes closed. “Don’t go to sleep on me, babe, not before dessert.”
“There’s dessert?” she perks up.
“Of course. Stay right here, and I’ll bring it out.”
“Let me help you,” she offers as she begins to stand.
“I got it, babe. You stay right here and relax.”
“Okay,” she nods.
I collect the dishes and take them inside, placing them on the cart the staff left behind. From a second lower shelf, I pull out a small silver tray that I asked for them to send up. From my pocket, I pull out the ring box and flip it open. The oval-cut diamond sparkles at me, it’s eight carats are surrounded by another two carats of pave set diamonds, all set in platinum. It catches the light as I take a deep breath.
You can do this, I tell myself. All you have to do is ask.
I nod to myself, my resolve setting in, and place the ring box in the center of the tray and cover it up before I rejoin Serena. She looks up at me with a smile.
“I love you, Cade,” she tells me.
“I love you, too,” I say, leaning down to capture her mouth with mine.
“What’s for dessert?” she asks.
“You,” I answer, my eyes roaming over her hungrily. She blushes. “You know how much I love that I can still get that reaction out of you, right?”
“So you say,” she teases.
“I can show you,” I tell her raising my eyebrows mischievously as I sit down next to her. She laughs at me and reaches for the lid of the tray.
“What’s for desse-” The words die on her lips, and she is frozen as her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. She looks over at me and back at the ring. “Cade?” she whispers.
I take the lid from her hand and set it aside before kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in mine. “Serena, I love you. I think I’ve loved you since the minute I laid eyes on you in that bar and realized you had no idea who I was. When you skipped out on me the next morning, I was disappointed, maybe even a little heartbroken, but life had to go on. Then three years later, I see you and it all comes rushing back, reminding me of how I felt. I knew I had to find you and see you again. I knew I had to do whatever it took to make you mine.
“I had no idea you would mean as much to me as quickly as you did, but I did know that you were giving my life new meaning, even on that first date. I was so lost back then, trying to figure out my life, and you gave me perspective that night. You gave me direction. And now, you’ve given me a son, and I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes me to have the both of you in my life. It would mean everything to me to have you, and Alan, forever. Will you make me the happiest man ever and do me the incredible honor of being my wife, Serena Jacobs?”
“Oh my God, Cade,” she cries, tears streaming down her face.
“While normally, I love it when you say that, right now I’m just looking for one word.”
She laughs and leans forward to kiss me. “Yes,” she whispers against my lips. “Yes, yes, yes.”
I grab her in my arms, lifting her up, and twirl her around. When I set her down, we’re both crying, and I pick up the ring box. She holds her hand out and covers her mouth with the other as I slip the ring onto her finger.
“Is this real life?” she asks.
“You better believe it.”
She puts her arms around my neck and leans in to kiss me. “We should celebrate.”
“Have you ever made love on a balcony?” I tease.
“Cade!” she admonishes me.
“I’ll settle for the bedroom,” I say as I lift her up and carry her inside.
***
The rest of our trip is spent relaxing by the pool or on the beach. I catch Serena staring at the ring on her hand on more than one occasion, and even though I know my publicist would love it if she would let me sell the pictures, I put a picture on my social media of Serena and me, embracing with her holding her hand out to the camera in the foreground to announce our engagement.
When we land back at LAX, I'm not surprised to find paparazzi waiting for us, snapping pictures and yelling questions at us. We ignore them, and I keep a hand on the small of Serena’s back as I guide her toward our waiting car. I make sure she’s inside as the driver loads our luggage, and then I walk around to climb in the back of the SUV myself.
“I can’t believe how many of them are here,” Serena says, peering through the darkened windows at the swarm of reporters and paparazzi on the sidewalk.
“We’ll probably have to get used to them for a while.”
“It’s okay; I’ve learned to live with it. I just want to get home so we can tell Alan.”
I’m glad we decided not to tell Alan over the phone when we called to tell Ashley. I want to see his face when we tell him we’re going to be an official family. I reach over and squeeze Serena’s hand.
“I can’t wait for that, either.”
Traffic is hellacious, and it takes twenty minutes more than normal to reach home. We had given Ashley a key before we left so she could meet us at home when we returned. Sure enough, her car is in the driveway as expected.
Serena heads inside as I gather the luggage and tip the driver. I can hear the two sisters squealing from the open front door. I chuckle to myself as I make my way up the front steps with the bags. I set them just inside and follow the sounds of the two women talking excitedly.
“Hey, Ashley,” I greet her.
She runs over and hugs me. “I can’t believe you proposed! That ring! You’re going to be my brother! Congratulations! Ahh!” she rambles out.
I laugh at her enthusiasm as she steps back. “Thanks, Ashley. I look forward to being your brother.”
“I hope you have some good prospects lined up for me for a wedding date,” she jokes.
“I’ll work on it,” I laugh.
“I’m gonna get out of here, let you guys have some family time with Alan. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Serena hugs her sister. “Thank you again for watching Alan.”
“It was no trouble. I love spending time with the little man,” Ashely offers.
“He loves spending time with Aunt Ash,” Serena replied.
“If Cade fails me in the date department, at least I’ll always have Alan.” She waves as she grabs her purse, and I follow her to the door. I watch until she pulls out of the driveway before I join Serena who has gone upstairs to see Alan. He’s in his room, givin
g her a complete play by play of everything that he’s done with Ashley the last few days. Serena listens attentively, and I sit down beside her, and Alan climbs into my lap to continue telling us his story.
As he winds down, I clear my throat. Serena takes my hand and squeezes it. “Alan, your mommy and I have something we wanted to ask you.”
“What is it, Daddy?”
My heart seizes. I still haven’t gotten used to Alan calling me dad and it makes my heart want to burst with pride every time he says it.
“Alan,” Serena starts, “Daddy and I want for us to become a family in every way.”
“I asked Mommy to marry me, and she said yes. And, if it’s okay with you, I want to file some paperwork so that once mommy and me get married, we’ll all have the same last name. How does that sound?”
“Okay, Daddy,” he shrugs as he scrambles off my lap. “Do I have to wear a dress?”
Serena and I laugh. “Why on Earth would you think you would wear a dress?” she asks.
“Because when you get married you wear a dress,” he answers matter of factly.
“I’ll wear a pretty dress, but you can wear a suit and tie,” Serena tells him. “No dresses...unless that’s what you want to wear.”
“No, I wear a tie, like Daddy.”
“Just like Daddy, my two handsome men,” she tells him as she leans into me. “My beautiful family.”
Epilogue
Serena
It has been three years since Cade came back into my life, two and a half since my writing career took off, and two years since we got married. Our life has been a whirlwind, to say the least, but it’s a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything.
The Science of the Super Bowl book that Cade and I wrote was a huge success. I quit my job as a researcher and professor and started to develop a science outreach program that took off. Now, I spend my days working with kids and watching them get as excited about science as I am, or I spend them writing. My third book, Movie Science Meets Movie Magic came out a month ago, and I’ve been doing a small book tour to promote it. Tonight is the last book signing I have on the tour.
I still can’t believe how many people actually come wanting me to sign their copies. Every book signing is beyond my expectations. It seems like every event is more popular than the last, but I enjoy every second I spend with the people who buy my books and I always stay until the very last copy is signed, even if it means I go into overtime.
I’m only ten minutes into the signing when Cade shows up and the energy of the crowd reaches fever pitch. Cade smiles and waves as he makes his way toward me carrying Alan. Ashley trials not too far behind. When they reach me, Cade sets Alan down and leans down to kiss me. An awwwww races through the crowd, and I can practically hear some women swoon as Cade sits beside me. I give Alan a kiss before Ashley swoops in to usher him away. I smile gratefully at her, and she returns the smile as she squeezes my shoulder.
“How about a little extra help with the autographs tonight?” Cade asks. “I have a little experience.”
I laugh at him, but stand up. “I know this is a signing for Movie Science Meets Movie Magic, but if anyone would like to purchase Science of the Super Bowl, Cade and I will both be happy to sign it for you tonight.”
Despites its length, the line moves efficiently, and some people even buy both books. Cade seems to be enjoying himself, and I love having him beside me. When we finally finish, Alan and Ashley wander back over, and Alan has a stack of books Ashley has bought him.
“I had a driver bring us over. He’s waiting outside for us,” Cade says. I nod and let him lead us out to where a limo is parked in front of the building.
“A limo, Cade? Really?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Only the best for my bestselling author.”
“Let him spoil us. You,” Ashley corrects herself. “I mean you,” she smiles as she climbs into the limo with a shit-eating grin. Alan hops in after her, and then I slide in, followed by Cade.
“It’s for the best, babe,” he tells me. “You’re a celebrity now.”
“I still think it’s silly you arranged a driver for every signing event I’ve had.”
“Gotta keep you safe, love,” he states.
We drop Ashley at her house first and then the driver heads toward our home. Alan falls asleep on the way there, and when we reach the reach house, Cade carries him inside. Once we have him put to bed, we head to our bedroom. I undress and slip into a wine-colored super soft tank top-like gown.
“I love your PJs,” Cade murmurs as I slip into bed beside him.
“I could say the same about yours,” I reply as I run my hand up the front of his boxer briefs. He growls in response and rolls me to my back, pinning my hands over my head before claiming my mouth with his kiss.
We kiss like two teenagers making out for the first time. It’s several minutes before Cade finally rolls off of me onto his back, and I snuggle against his side.
“I have something to tell you,” I start.
“If it’s that you were on XYZ again today without me, I already know. Tyler has a really good time rubbing it in every time they refer to me as Mr. Dr. Thomas.”
I laugh a little. “That was not what I was going to tell you, but since you brought it up, isn’t it funny how karma works? I’m on that site more than Josephine now. Who would have ever thought three years ago that I’d be a bigger celebrity than Josephine Lowell?”
He laughs. “Umm. Anyone that actually knew her. She was always a bear to work with, and now she’s living up to her diva reputation. She’s a washed up has been and you, my beautiful wife, are a rising star.”
“You’re biased,” I tell him.
“Maybe, but I know a good thing when I see it. Josephine’s attitude is why she hasn’t been able to get a starring role in a blockbuster movie in over two years. You, meanwhile, have written two bestsellers and charmed countless fans with your wit and kindness. And, you married me. You’re definitely winning, as they say.”
“You’re a nut, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know. Nutty for you,” he adds.
“Now who's got bad jokes?”
“Oh, that’s still you, babe. Your sciencey jokes still take the cake.”
“You’re just jealous,” I state and stick my nose up in the air playfully.
“You’re right, I am. Maybe your next book should be science jokes.”
“Now, that is an idea, Mr. Dr. Thomas.”
He groans. “Serena!”
I giggle and lean up to kiss him. “You’re so cute when you’re sensitive.”
He pouts. “I think you have to make it up to me now.”
“Oh really?” My eyebrow cocks, and I climb on top of him, straddling his hips only to realize he’s already ready to go. I situate myself over his rigid cock and let the satin of my panties rub against his boxer brief-clad erection. He groans and grips my hips, moving me how he likes.
“Mmmm,” I moan as I feel my panties dampen. He shifts, and the tip of his dick is hitting me just right and the friction of our dry humping has me perilously close to orgasm.
“You wanna cum baby?” he asks huskily.
“Please, Cade,” I beg as I move faster against him. He lets go of me and lifts his hips, shimmying his underwear down so his cock springs free. He shoves my panties to the side and slides inside of me while I moan loudly.
“Oh God, yes, Cade!”
“Like that?” he asks as he thrusts up.
“Just like that,” I whimper as I begin to ride him. His thumb caresses my clit through the fabric of my panties, and I inhale sharply. “Cade!”
We lock eyes as his thumb strokes my clit in a hard circle. “Cum baby, cum all over my dick,” he tells me.
With his words, I feel an orgasm roll through me, and I cry out. He grabs me around the waist and flips me over to my back, still inside me, I wrap my legs around him as he keeps pounding into me. I grip him with my legs and with my pussy until I feel him tens
e, and then the hot spurts of his release take hold as he groans out my name.
Cade falls to his elbows, and I loosen the grip of my legs from him as he rolls to the side. “I fucking love you, Serena Thomas.”
“You better.” I smile before adding, “I love you. too.”
“You didn't tell me your news,” he says, sitting up on an elbow to look down at me.
“Oh that,” I say nonchalantly with a shrug. “I’m pregnant.”
Cade stares at me and his mouth opens and closes several times before he can make words. “Pregnant?”
“I took a test this morning. We’re pregnant.”
“For real?” He jumps off the bed and pulls me with him, picking me up and twirling me around in excitement.
“For real.”
“This is amazing,” he says when he sets me down.
“Excited much?” I laugh happily.
“I wasn't there for all this last time. I can't wait to experience every moment of it with you. And, we've been talking about it for over a year now. I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen.”
“Well, it happened, so get ready.”
“I know you’re going to go clean up before bed now, so...go, so we can talk more about this.”
I turn to go into the bathroom with a smile, happy that Cade is so excited. I discard my panties into the dirty laundry before joining him back in bed. He pulls me to him and holds me for several minutes before I speak up.
“So, what do you want?”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t know. A little girl as pretty as her mom would be nice, but then again, another boy would get us well on our way to eight, so we can start a football team.”
“Eight?” I ask incredulously. “No way eight kids are coming out of this,” I motion around my midsection. “Let’s start with two. They can maybe play doubles tennis or one-on-one basketball,” I joke. “And then we’ll decide about more.”
“Two is a start, and honestly, I don’t care what we have, as long as it's healthy and ours. Besides, girls can play football too, so win-win.”