“Congrats, son.” My dad pulled me into a hug. “I’m glad you finally trusted yourself to make her an honest woman.”
“Thanks.” My voice was strained as I spoke around my emotion.
He nodded as he pulled away. His brown eyes were soft as he grinned. “Get the heck out of here, son. Go be with your wife.”
Todd’s eyes met mine from just across the room and he cleared his throat. “Can I have everyone’s attention?”
The voices in the room quieted down, and my niece, Molly, jumped down from one of the chairs and ran over to her father.
“Hey, baby, come over here for a sec.” Todd’s voice wavered as he called to Lily.
Lily furrowed her brow as she moved toward her husband. “You can do this. We practiced it in the room a million times,” she whispered, but I overheard it. Leave it to my big brother to be nervous about his best man speech.
“First I want to say, good job, little brother, you finally caught her.” Todd smiled and the room murmured with laughter. “I had this whole speech prepared. I was going to tell you how proud I am. How much of a man you’ve become, and how because of Cammie, your life will be better than you could ever imagine.”
Cammie wrapped her arm around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder.
“But, in all of that, I left out one thing.” He stepped away from Lily and took her hand, dropping his eyes from me only to bring them in direct alignment with hers. “I envy him. I want what they have. I want you.”
Lily’s lips separated with a gasp as he dropped to his knee. Molly whispered in his ear, and he chuckled before he spoke. “Go ahead, Mol.”
“Will…” Molly’s little voice trembled. Todd whispered in her ear, and my father chuckled as she continued. “You…” She giggled, and Todd prompted her again quietly so only she could hear. “M-marry my daddy?”
Todd’s smile was the fucking biggest I’d ever seen it. “Marry me, baby?”
Lily’s cat-colored eyes glittered as tears fell down her cheeks, and she nodded, unable to speak.
Todd stood and brought his hands to her either side of her face. “Yeah?”
She nodded again and smiled. “Yeah.”
I gave my brother a private smile just before my mother nearly tackled poor Lily. I was happy for him; he was the one who always believed in the notion of a happily ever after. He was a romantic at heart, and shit, if he didn’t deserve some sort of fairytale ending.
“Do you think we can sneak out of here undetected?” Cammie’s breath on my skin whispered suggestive thoughts into my brain.
“Hell yes, let’s go.”
It wasn’t hard to slip away, and the elevator ride up to the tenth floor was long as hell. Once we made it to our room, we were all hands, hot breath, and wet lips as we stumbled to the bed.
Cammie giggled.
“What?” I shrugged out of my tux jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs and started to work on my tie as I met her playful stare.
“You seem like you’re in a hurry.”
I pulled my tie off and let it fall to the floor as I took a step toward her. She backed up a step and gave me a small sideways smile. “You’ve been teasing me all night with this short as sin wedding dress,” I growled. “Was that your plan?” I closed the space between us, fitting my left hand on her waist as my right cradled her at the nape and my thumb dusted along her cheek.
“Yes.” She shivered and let her head fall back into my hold as her eyes fluttered shut.
My lips tasted a trail along her jaw to her neck, and her quiet sigh let me know I had her where I wanted her.
When I pulled away her face was flushed. “Cammie.” I lifted my hand from her waist, reached around her and gently pulled down the zipper of her dress. “You make me fucking crazy.” I trailed my thumb down her bare back as the dress fell to the floor. I stepped away from her so I could admire her perfect body. She stood in just heels and nude lace panties. My dick strained against my zipper as I stalled. My words were failing me as she stepped out from the fabric pooled around her feet. She started to unbutton my shirt, but I stilled her hands with mine. Her brows narrowed. “Cammie, every time I’m with you it’s something new, and I love that. I love that you never cease to surprise me.”
She brought my hands to her breasts and smiled as she leaned in to whisper in my ear, “It will always be that way with us.”
“Why?” The one word begged for her touch and begged for her to relieve the pressure building in each beat of my pulse. I fisted one of my hands in her hair as she nipped at the sensitive flesh just below my ear.
“Because ever since that first kiss, Colby, we’ve been playing our little game of tag.” She met my gaze and pulled her bottom lip through her teeth as I increased my grip on her satin strawberry strands. “Sometimes I win, and sometimes you do, but today… I won, and I know… each time you lose, you find a new play, and I can’t wait to see what you’ve chosen for tonight.”
Her eyes were hooded as I moved in slowly, and the closer I got, the heavier she would breathe. Waiting… for what was to come. Now she was the one begging. Begging for me to just fucking take her – it was how I became the champion of our cat and mouse game.
I’d let her believe she’d always had the advantage — just like the night of our first kiss. But in the end, it was me that had the prize… because I had her. After everything, she was mine, now and forever still.
PART TWO
Tea Time Pink and Fairy Dusted Screwed
Seth and Tiffany
“You have bewitched me body and soul.”
Jane Austen
SETH
IT WASN’T ME; THE fucking melody was off.
“Sam, did you drink last night? I don’t have time for this shit. You’re flat. Do it again.” I released the intercom button with my finger and nodded at Sam through the glass.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. These young kids had no clue how to make an album. They wanted everything to be over produced and had no respect for their own natural ability. They wanted to be in and out. Everything had gotten too fast, or maybe I was just getting old. My daughter Annie was turning nine this year, Liv would be five, and I was pushing forty. My harsh exhale did little to ease my building tension. Time was getting away from me — from us.
My eyes lowered to the tattoo on my left finger. I am hers. Those three words were all it ever took to calm me. My lips broke into a smile as I pulled my phone from my pocket and swiped the lock screen. The picture I’d taken over at Todd’s the other day was now my home screen. Tiffany’s long dark hair matched our daughters' as they sat on swings in his backyard. The almost black and shiny strands fell over their shoulders in exactly the same way. Their alabaster skin was a deep contrast to Tiff’s ink covered surfaces. My life — my girls. They looked just like Tiff, but had my pale blue eyes. We were in trouble.
The universe had a funny way of paying you back for all the wrongs you’d committed in a lifetime. My penance… I had all girls. Tiff and I had only planned on two kids, and when they both ended up being girls, she was thrilled. I, on the other hand, was horrified. Being the kind of guy that I used to be, knowing what was out there… this was someone’s idea of a sick joke, but I wasn’t laughing. If anything, Liv and Annie would never leave the fucking house as far as I was concerned.
The beep of the intercom broke me from my thoughts. I pressed the button with one hand and set my phone on the desk.
“What?” I asked. The irritation in my voice couldn’t be helped; I wanted to head home already.
“Was that better?” Sam pulled nervously at his stupid ass man-bun. He had this whole hipster shit thing going on. He shoved his glasses with his finger and placed his acoustic guitar into its stand.
“It’s fine for now. I’ll listen tonight, see what I think. You better bring it next week. I know what you’re capable of, and it’s fucking genius.” I wasn’t lying; he was talented.
His smile widened. “Go home
to your family. I’ll work over the chorus this weekend.”
“Sounds like a good idea. You know the way out.” I gave him a nod and released the intercom.
I switched off the equipment and grabbed my phone. I swiped at the screen and pressed Tiff’s number. It rang three times before I was gifted with her soft, sexy voice.
“Hey. You headed home, Mr. Montgomery?”
I chuckled. “Soon. How are you feeling?”
I grabbed my keys from my desk and shut the studio lights off behind me.
“Tired. I’ve been having contractions.” She sounded out of breath, and my pulse skipped.
“You okay?” I moved quickly through the hall and out the back door. The frigid temperature shocked me, and I had to take a deep breath. “Shit.”
She laughed quietly, and I could hear her take a deep breath. “I’m fine, Seth, they’re just getting closer together.”
I clicked the automatic starter on my keychain, and my Audi Q10 roared to life. The snow was falling in fat, heavy flakes; the roads were sure to be shit. A chill went up my spine, but not from the weather. Snow storms. They reminded me of our darker time, and I hated it. The winter always brought me back to that fucking tattoo shop where I’d almost lost my whole life. Where I almost lost her.
“Seth?” Tiffany sounded concerned as I pulled open the SUV’s door and took a seat.
“I’m here. The weather’s shit.” The fear in my voice was bubbling to the surface.
“It’s bad here too.” She exhaled. “Will you be okay?”
“Yes.” I infused as much confidence into my voice as possible. She didn’t need to worry about me.
“Good, because the contractions… I think they’re getting stronger.”
“I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Okay, drive safely.” I heard the girls yell I love you in the background, and my lips spread into a giant smile.
“You tell that baby to wait till I get home.”
She laughed. “I’ll try my best. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“Love you, Angel.”
“Love you too.”
I pressed the end call button and threw my phone onto the passenger seat. The wipers easily removed the snow from my windshield and, as I pulled onto the road, a calm washed over me. Tiff and I had been through our worst and we’d survived. We were about to have our third child — a child we’d never planned for, a child we’d chosen to wait and see what the sex was until he or she was born. Even though I secretly wanted a boy, I was okay with whatever the hell I was given, because my life, it should have never been this good, but with Tiff and my girls — I had it all.
TIFFANY
THE CLOCK ON THE stove read fifteen minutes past seven as I hung up the phone. The pizza guy had said deliveries would take up to forty minutes due to the weather. I placed my cell on the counter and bit my bottom lip. Seth should be home any minute. I hated that he was always anxious when it stormed. Even through the phone I could sense his unease. My stomach tightened again, and this time the pain radiated around to my lower back and my pelvis felt as if it would split open. I took short little breaths and worked through the pain. It was almost second nature now, but I had to mentally prepare myself for Seth. I shook my head with a laugh. When I labored with Annie, those thirty-six hours, they had been pure hell, but Seth, he’d acted as if he thought I would die. He was this sexy smart-ass covered in beautiful ink, with eyes that ate me up and a mouth that could turn me into a puddle, but put him in a hospital setting, and all his rationality flew out the fucking window.
We worked hard in therapy to get through what had happened to me — to us — but the lingering effect of violence never truly fades. Seth loved me with his whole heart; he was my match, my soul mate, and I tried to remember that when he became too over protective. Liv’s labor only took nine hours; she was always in a hurry. But even then, Seth had been a wreck. It wasn’t until each baby had been born and the small life was in his hands that he would finally allow himself to breathe.
I brought my hands to my round belly. I missed that image. Seth holding our newborn. It was the most surreal and beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Mom, when’s dinner going to be ready?” Annie’s dark hair was pulled into a bun; her pink leotard was still on even though I’d told her to change before dinner.
“I just finished ordering pizza, so about forty minutes.” I rested my hand on the counter and braced myself as another contraction started.
“I’m so hungry,” she whined.
“Your dad will be home really soon, I promise. I spoke to him not twenty minutes ago.” My tone was harsh, and Annie frowned just as I closed my eyes. The pain was too sharp this time.
“Mom?” Annie worried too much, just like her dad.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” I exhaled as the pain eased. I’d been counting, and the contractions were about five minutes apart. “Where’s your sister?”
“Liv is having a tea party with Pippa Bear and her Pretty Pretty Princess doll.” She rolled her eyes and I laughed.
“Do me a favor? Can you pack an overnight bag for you and Livvie?”
“Why?” Her brow furrowed and she chewed at the corner of her lip.
“I think we might meet your brother or sister tonight.” My lips parted with a small smile, and Annie’s light blue eyes widened.
“Oh my gosh. Liv!” She turned to run down the hall, and as her ballet slippers hit the wood floor with a light clap, she squealed as she slipped. “Mom said the baby is coming,” she hollered as she pounded up the stairs.
I heard the garage door open and the anxiety in my shoulders relaxed. He was home. I did the best I could to compose my features as I moved to our bedroom. I reached down under the bed, grabbed the “hospital go bag” Seth insisted we had ready at all times, and dropped it on the bed. The zipper echoed in the quiet room as I checked to make sure everything I needed was there. A few changes of clothing, my toiletries, and raspberry Crystal Light packets. I couldn’t eat anything but ice cubes, so I flavored them… like I said, not my first rodeo. I smirked as I zipped the bag shut. Seth always worried for nothing.
“What’s that smile for?” Seth’s low timbre, still to this day, filled my stomach with flittering butterflies. I looked up at the mirror and caught his reflection. He only got better with age. Seth’s body was still in top condition, and the muscle under his navy V-neck sweater still showed through the fabric. His hair had peppered just a little with gray over the years, but he still kept it like he always had, short on the sides, longer on top, and deliberately messy. His clear blue eyes sent heat through my body and down my limbs as his smile pulled up on the side. He wrapped his arms around my belly from behind and kissed my neck, meeting my gaze in the mirror.
“I’m glad you're home.” I leaned my back against his chest.
His nose skimmed along the line of my neck as he inhaled a long breath. “I missed you.” He nipped at my shoulder and I giggled. As I turned to face him, his eyes moved to the bag on the bed and his smile faltered. “Tiff?”
“You ready to be a daddy all over again?” I asked with a shy smile.
His lips twitched and finally turned up at the corners with a sly grin. “If it’s a boy, we’re naming him Seth.”
I frowned. “No, I thought we discussed this. If it’s a boy—”
“Are we going to Grandpa’s?” Annie’s little voice turned Seth’s smile all the way to ten as he dropped his hold on me and turned to greet his daughter.
“Hey, sweetheart, is that a new costume?” he asked as he knelt down.
She ran and hopped into his arms with a giggle. “Daddy, it’s a lee-o-tard.” She emphasized each syllable and I laughed.
“Sorry, Annie, I’m still learning.” He squeezed her until she squeaked and then let her go. “Where’s Livvie?”
“She just finished serving tea to Pippa Bear. Mom, she won’t listen. I told her she needed to get her shoes on.”
“Mmm
, she won’t listen. I wonder where she’s learned that?” I looked at Seth and tapped my upper lip with my finger. “I’m pretty sure I told you to change into something else when we got home from ballet class, but look, there you stand, still in your dance clothes.”
Annie rolled her eyes and groaned, “Fine.”
She turned and stomped out of the room. I narrowed my eyes at my husband as he chuckled. “What?”
“She learned all that sass from you. She’s so stubborn.” I turned to grab the bag off the bed, but Seth grasped my wrist and pulled me toward him.
“I’m pretty sure she got her sass from her mother, and she’s not stubborn — she’s strong willed.” He pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth, and my annoyance eased to barely a simmer.
“She’s stubborn,” I argued, but my lips melded with his regardless. I would’ve loved to get lost in this moment, the feel of his mouth on mine, his spiced scent surrounding me. But just as his teeth pulled at my bottom lip, my stomach muscles contracted and a low groan escaped my lips.
“Shit. Are you okay?”
I held my hands on my belly and bent over trying to relieve some of the pressure. I couldn’t speak. Seth’s warm hand rubbed circles in my back. “I’ll get the kids and I’ll call my dad in the car.”
I nodded as I breathed through the pain. He disappeared through the bedroom door. He was only gone for a few minutes, and by the time he got back, the pain had gone. He grabbed the bag from the bed and moved toward the door.
“I ordered pizza,” I remembered out loud.
“I’ll call them too. Let’s roll, Angel.”
I watched him. His shoulders were broad and sure; his eyes were filled with excitement. The fear I’d suspected never showed as he paused in the doorway and turned to look at me.
Now and Forever Still Page 2