“Yeah, sure,” she said and pulled away from Ted. She could use the fresh air and could definitely use the space away from Ted.
She and her mother left the hotel room and walked down the breezeway to the stairs. They’d walked a short distance down the block before her mother finally spoke.
“So what’s eating you up?” she asked.
“How did you adjust when dad’s job caused you to have to move to California?” she asked.
Her mom thought for a few moments and then shrugged. “Everything takes time, but because I loved your father, I didn’t care. I would’ve moved across the world if that was where he would be. As long as we were together, I could handle everything else,” she said.
“I see,” Natalie murmured, looking down at the ground.
Her mother gave her a reassuring pat on the back. “Sometimes we have to take risks to get what we truly want. Just think, had I not faced my fears about math and not taken Calculus in college, I wouldn’t have met your father. Even though I failed that class, I gained so much more.”
“I wish it was as easy as signing up for a class.”
“Natalie, you have to trust yourself and your feelings. Anyone with eyes can see that Ted isn’t the one for you. I don’t want you to get married to him when you know your heart belongs to someone else,” she said. Natalie whipped her eyes up to her mother, who only chuckled. “I can see you’re still in love with Cameron. And if he makes you happy, I think you should go for it.”
“But my job—”
“Jobs come and go, honey. You only get your soulmate once,” she said. Natalie sighed. There was no doubt about that. She’d lived her life in the safe zone for far too long. Agreeing to be Missy’s maid of honor in a wedding across the country was a risk, but she wouldn’t have seen Cameron again had she not come. Maybe it was a sign. She’d come this far; it wouldn’t make sense to turn around now.
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it once all the dust from this settles,” she said.
“That’s probably for the best. No matter what you decide, whether you stay with Ted for whatever reason or be with Cameron, I’ll support you.”
“What if I just want to be single for a while?”
“That works too, but wouldn’t those toys get pretty lonely after a while?”
“Oh my god, mom!” she shrieked and laughed for the first time since the attack. Yeah, everything would be just fine.
***
Natalie woke up the next morning before her alarm went off. The alarm clock on the nightstand showed that it was 6:22 in the morning. Their plane was due to leave at noon, but they planned to leave for the airport by 10:30. She grabbed her phone and shot Cameron a quick text.
Natalie: I’m leaving for the airport at 10:30. I wish I was able to see you before I leave. Thanks again for everything. <3 Nat
She hit send and placed her phone back on the nightstand. Her mind went back to her conversation with her mother yesterday. How did she know if Cameron was her soulmate? Sure, she loved him, but she didn’t know the signs to look for when figuring out who was your soulmate. He was so different than Ted, that was for sure. But she knew she missed everything about him. She missed his cologne, the roughness of his hands on her, his soothing voice, and the way he made her feel. He’d grown so much from the selfish, childish teenager from years ago. He’d admitted to the wrong of his ways back then, even saying that he didn’t deserve her then. He saved her life when he could’ve just left her there and hoped the police would get to her in time. He’d loved her all this time, never giving up hope that he’d see her again. He told people she was the one that got away and that he couldn’t love anyone but her. That alone should’ve been her sign. Cameron could have any woman in the world but time and time again, he chose her.
He only chose her.
A tear slid down her cheek as the realization settled in. If he came to the airport to say goodbye, she’d tell him. She’d admit that she was in love with him and that she’d uproot her life to be with him. Her life wouldn’t be complete if he weren’t in it, no matter where she was.
She closed her eyes with a smile on her face. Yes, she’d tell him everything. She just hoped that he’d come for her one last time.
Chapter Twenty
Savage looked at his watch and looked up and down the drop off lane. He’d been waiting outside the airport for Natalie to arrive, unsure of where she’d be going. Just as he looked to his right, he finally saw her and her parents stepping out of a cab a few meters away.
“Natalie!” he called over the loud honking of cars. She hadn’t heard him, but she looked around as if looking for someone. Savage frowned as Ted got out of the cab and secured his arm around Natalie’s waist, placing a kiss on her cheek. She slightly pulled away and shook her head, which made Savage chuckle. They grabbed their bags and headed toward the sliding doors to enter the airport. If he was going to go through with his plan, the time was now.
He ran over to the sliding doors and entered, looking around. He spotted them moving toward the check-in desk. It’s now or never, sailor.
“Natalie!” he called. She turned around, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him.
“Cam, you—”
“Marry me,” he stated, his heart hammering in his chest.
“What?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Marry me,” Savage repeated, taking a step forward. “I let you walk away twice. I can’t do it a third time. So marry me.”
Ted scowled and grabbed Natalie’s hand, thrusting her ring out to him. “As you can see, she’s already—”
“Yes,” Natalie said, tears filling her eyes.
“What?” Ted shrieked.
Natalie pulled away from Ted and closed the distance between her and Savage. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she said and smiled. Savage took her into his arms, careful of her shoulder, and devoured her mouth. No one else in the airport mattered but the woman he held and she was now his fiancée. He could hear Ted fussing in the background, but he didn’t give a damn. He’d waited patiently for ten years and now it had all paid off.
When they finally pulled apart, Natalie looked up at him in awe. “I’d planned to tell you that I was in love with you and that I’d wanted to stay here in California to be with you,” she said.
Savage smiled. “I guess this all worked out perfectly then, huh?”
“Sure did,” she said, connecting their lips once again.
“I love you,” he whispered between kisses.
“I love you too. Let’s go home,” she said and smiled. She turned and faced her parents, who came over and hugged the both of them.
“Congrats you two!” her mother exclaimed.
“Good job, son. I couldn’t imagine a better man for my daughter,” her father said, shaking his hand.
“Uh, hello? What about me?” Ted spat, his face completely red.
“It seems like you have a plane to catch,” Savage said with a smirk. “Oh, and one more thing.” He took Natalie’s hand and gently removed Ted’s engagement ring from it. “You can keep this. Her fiancé will get her a better one.” He tossed the ring to Ted and put an arm around Natalie. “Let’s go home, baby.”
***
Savage laid her on the pile of pillows on the bed and climbed on top of her, kissing her lips gently, still reveling in the fact that this woman was now his fiancée. It still felt surreal that she was here in his apartment, in his bed, and that she now called his place “home.” He still couldn’t believe she’d said yes and he hadn’t been able to wipe the goofy grin off his face ever since hearing that glorious word.
“I love you,” she murmured, gazing into his eyes.
He kissed her lips and trailed kissing along her jawline. “I love you too, baby. So fucking much,” he whispered. He took his time, slowly unbuttoning her blouse and helping her out of it. His fingers unsnapped the clasps at the front of her bra with ease as he kissed her neck. She released a sigh of pleasure as he palmed her b
reasts, taking one perky nipple into his mouth. There was a new satisfaction that came with taking her now. She was officially his. He didn’t have to worry about whether or not he could get her to stay or if she’d want to be with him. She was all his.
“Cam,” she moaned, running her hand through his hair. He moved down and unbuttoned her jean shorts. She winced as she lifted her hips to allow him to pull them down her legs.
“If this is hurting you too much, we can stop,” he said softly, nuzzling her neck.
“No, I’m okay,” she said, kissing him. “I need this.”
He kissed down her stomach and parted her legs, settling down in between them. He kissed her inner thighs, glancing up at her to see her arching her back as he moved closer to her core.
“Ouch,” she whispered.
Savage sat up. “This isn’t going to work.”
Natalie looked up at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to end up hurting yourself if you’re lying down. So,” he said, helping her up. “How about you sit on my face instead?”
She smiled and bit her lip, nodding. Savage stretched out on his king size bed and watched as she stepped out of her panties and climbed onto the bed. She moved to straddle Savage’s face, gasping the moment his tongue touched her.
“All mine,” he murmured, taking her clit into his mouth. He looked up at her, his erection growing by the second as he watched her embrace her pleasure. She rocked against his mouth, her hand tightly clutching his headboard to keep herself upright.
“Right there, baby,” she moaned, bucking her hips faster. Savage lapped at her wetness, savoring everything she gave him. Her breath began to come out in pants as she quickly jerked her core on his tongue until she screamed, her climax reached. Savage continued to lick her as she came down, her body trembling. She finally moved down and dismounted him, unbuttoning his jeans.
“Get those off,” she ordered. He pulled his pants and boxers off, tossing them to the floor and pulling her back on top of him. She positioned him at her core and slowly took him in, eliciting a groan from them both. His strong hands gripped her hips as she slowly rode him, gazing into his eyes. Their intimacy was so much more than it was during the weekend they’d spent together. The love in her eyes blazed a lot brighter than the lust harboring behind it. It wasn’t just sex with Natalie; he was now making love to his fiancée.
He groaned each time she tightened her core around him, bringing him closer to his climax. She didn’t pick up her speed or rhythm, only keeping a steady slow pace as she kept her eyes on him.
“I love you so much,” she whispered. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, devouring her mouth as she bucked her hips against him. His tongue caressed hers, another groan slipping when she squeezed him again.
“I love you too, baby,” he against her skin.
He held his woman tight as she rode him, careful not to aggravate her shoulder. She threw her head back. “Almost there, baby. Make me come,” she whimpered.
“Lie on your side,” he said. She laid on the pillows, adjusting until she was comfortable. Savage lifted her leg and slid inside her.
“Fuck me hard, baby. Please,” she begged.
“As much as I love it when you beg, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’ll let you know if it hurts,” she promised. He gripped the inside of her knee and pumped into her, harder and deeper with each stroke. He paid attention to her moans and whimpers, making sure to notice when they were coming from pain instead of pleasure. Fiery pleasure streaked up his spine each time he thrust into her, bringing him closer to the edge.
“You feel so fucking good,” he groaned, pumping faster.
“Cam, baby, I’m…” she trailed.
“Come all over my cock, baby. Give it to me,” he murmured, kissing her neck. Her walls tightened around him as she screamed, pushing him over the edge as he came with her. He collapsed onto the pillows behind her, her walls still pulsing around him.
“That was amazing,” she said with a content sigh.
He wrapped his arm around her. “It was.”
They were quiet for a moment before Natalie looked at him over her shoulder. “Was it worth the ten-year wait?” she asked.
He thought back to all the nights he’d gone to bed alone, thinking about her. He remembered all the dates he went on but never led to anything more because they weren’t Natalie. He thought about going on missions, her face being the first and last thing on his mind before going out and serving his country. But now she was going to be his wife. Now he’d have her every day and could see her outside of his dreams. Who would’ve known that he’d end up getting the greatest gift of all on his 28th birthday?
He kissed and nuzzled her neck, holding her close. “It was worth every damn second.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Three months later
“I beat Ghost’s run time by four seconds,” Joker boasted as the SEAL team walked through Savage’s apartment door.
“It’s just four seconds,” Ghost said.
“Yeah, four seconds you didn’t have,” Joker threw back with a grin. Savage threw his duffle bag with his PT gear in the closet and headed toward the kitchen.
“You guys want anything to drink?” he asked. “Got Gatorade, tea, water, and pop.”
“I’ll take water,” Diablo and Bullseye said.
“Gatorade’s cool,” Ghost said, flopping down on the couch.
“Yeah, Gatorade for me too,” Joker said and turned his attention back to Ghost. “Now back to you being a loser.”
Savage pulled open the refrigerator and grabbed three bottles of Gatorade and two bottles of water, stopping when he noticed a note from Natalie on the small magnet dry erase board.
Doctor’s appointment this morning. Be back soon.
Love, Nat
He went back into the living room and passed out the drinks, taking a seat next to Joker. “What are you fools in here fussing about?” Savage asked.
“Oh, just about how I beat Ghost in everything. You know, like in PT, in NBA 2K, in Call of Duty, in—”
“You can’t beat me in picking up women,” Ghost said and smirked.
“Well yeah, because I’m too busy beating your mom up in bed,” Joker teased, smacking the air. The guys laughed as Ghost hurled a throw pillow across the living room at Joker.
“Leave my mom out of it,” he said.
“Don’t be embarrassed, son. Moms need loving too,” he said.
Savage chuckled and took a gulp of his drink. Bullseye looked around.
“Where’s Baby Doll?” he asked. Savage swallowed the drink in his mouth.
“She hasn’t been feeling well lately. Finally seeing a doctor,” he answered.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. Having flu symptoms or some shit. Throwing up, fevers, fatigue and all that.”
“Damn, hope she feels better,” Ghost said.
Joker jumped up and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. “Well, what are we waiting for? The lady of the house isn’t here, so we better get this game started,” he said. Savage chuckled and grabbed a PS4 controller from the wicker basket under the table and pressed the power button.
“Don’t be in such a rush to get your ass kicked, Joker,” Savage said.
“Shut up, Savage. You’re the only person who can beat me in 2K. Everybody else is trash,” Joker teased.
Everyone set up their teams, Savage and Ghost on one team and Bullseye and Joker on another. Diablo typed away on his phone, but still engaged with them as they played.
“Oh! BUCKETS!” Joker shouted, pretending to shoot a basketball in the air. “That’s how you score instead of standing on the free throw line pump faking, Ghost.”
Savage snickered just as Natalie walked through the door. Her tear-stained face instantly made him pause the game. Her normally flawless skin was now red and blotchy, her eyes pink and wet.
“Everything okay?” he asked, standing and walking over to her.
She looked up at him and then looked at the other men sitting in the living room. “Um…it’s something we need to talk about in private,” she whispered.
Savage wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the bedroom. “Give me a second, guys. Diablo, you can fill in for me if you want.”
“Oh hell no! He’s trash!” Joker complained. “We’ll just wait.”
Savage nodded and closed the bedroom door, looking to Natalie who sat on the bed. He joined her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. “What’s going on, baby?” he asked her.
“I think we need to change the wedding date,” she whispered. Savage raised an eyebrow. It hadn’t even been six months and she was already having second thoughts?
“Change it? Do you not want to get married anymore?” he asked.
She sighed and met his gaze, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Of course I want to marry you, honey. I just…I just want to be Mrs. Garrett before I give birth,” she said.
Savage ran her words through his mind. She wants to be Mrs. Garrett before she gives…
“You’re pregnant?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered. She reached into her purse and pulled out a black and white sonogram photo. “Two and a half months along.”
“Holy fuck, you’re pregnant,” he murmured, taking the picture into his hand. Many emotions rushed through him ranging from fear to joy. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to be a father. “You’re pregnant.”
“Are you mad?” she asked.
“Fuck no, baby. I thought you made me the happiest man alive when you said you’d marry me, but this takes the cake,” he said and hugged her tightly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Cam,” she murmured, burying her face in his neck.
“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, pulling away and cupping her face in his hands. “Dry those tears, girl. We’re going to be fine.”
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