by Mari Brown
I quietly sob tears of extreme joy. When he nervously fidgets with the ring box in his hand, I realize I need to say something before he thinks I’m turning him down. I open my mouth but nothing comes out. I close it and open it again, finally finding my voice. “Yes,” I barely whisper. He slips the ring on my finger, so he must have heard me. Without even bothering to brush the sand off his knees, he stands and pulls me tight to him, fusing his lips with mine. The kiss ends with our foreheads resting together, and we stand there quietly smiling, just staring at one another. I am so happy in this moment.
“You have made me the happiest man on earth tonight.”
“Am I dreaming?”
“Princess, you’re not dreaming. This is very real, I promise you.”
We walk along the beach for a little longer, stopping every so often to steal kisses. We are completely wrapped in one another. There is no one else in the world.
Troy pulls me into him, lifting me off the ground and spinning around with me
“You have made me the happiest man tonight. Have I told you that?”
I giggle. “Maybe once.”
“I’m going to keep telling you until you realize how much I mean it.” He seals his words with a soft, supple kiss.
We slowly make our way back to his car to head home. Since we have a game in the morning, we can’t stay out late. The whole ride home, we steal glances at one another. Troy’s face is lit up with a grin from ear to ear, as if he just won a championship game. It warms me to know he is that happy with me. I smile back at him, blushing a bit with the way he makes me feel. It’s silly to feel shy in front of him right now, but I do. Yet, at the same time, I am thrilled that I am going to become his wife.
Needing more time alone, we quietly sneak back into the house and head straight to our room. We don’t want to be disturbed by anyone. Shutting the bedroom door, Troy locks us in, and the rest of the world out. As I stand in front of the mirror on the closet door and lift the hem of my dress, his arms wrap around me and hot kisses trail down my neckline. I sigh as I lean back into him. The warmth of his lips on my shoulder makes me shiver and goose bumps break out across my skin. He helps me out of my dress, carelessly throwing it over a chair. Then he steps away from me as he begins removing his clothes. He turns me to face him and hunger laces his kiss. My body melts in his arms.
“Troy,” I whisper with a plea in my tone.
“I got you, Babe.” He picks me up and carries me to bed.
I am completely lost in the feel of Troy. He settles us carefully on the bed. I reach up and trail my hands through his hair, and pull his lips to mine. My back arches to remove any space between our bodies so that we are skin to skin. I want to be closer. No, I need to be closer. Desire consumes me.
“Destiny,” he moans, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” My grip on his hair tightens as my body begins to tremble.
I lose myself in the passion of our kisses. His hand slips between my legs, and his fingers move inside me at a slow, sensual pace, bringing me ever closer to the edge of the cliff. My body arches to meet the rhythm of his fingers, and mewling sounds come from deep within me. Troy finally pulls his fingers out, and as he sucks my juices from them, my moans turn to groans. That is seriously one of the hottest things I have ever seen.
Troy lowers his head and buries his face in my wet slit. His mouth begins to make love to me. The sensual, soft pace makes me lose all ability to think as he feasts on me. My body writhes under him, and my hands tightly clutch his hair as my heels dig into the back of his shoulders. As I reach the peak, I can’t hold back and cry out his name in pleasure.
He keeps up his assault on my senses, licking and sucking, and before I can catch my breath, he brings me to the edge again. Just when I think my orgasm will consume me again, he pulls away to kiss his way up my stomach to my neck, and then finally covers my mouth with his. As he kisses me, his hard cock presses into me, and it’s no secret that he is more than ready. He pulls back from the kiss, positions himself, and with one thrust, enters me. My trembling legs find their way to his waist, and my heels dig into his ass as I try to pull him in deeper. Our groans of pleasure mingle with the sound of our bodies moving together. Troy surprises me by keeping the pace slow and smooth. Another orgasm begins to well up, and I don’t know if I will survive this many so close together. As I explode around his cock, the spasms send Troy over the edge with me. As I float back to Earth, the only thing I clearly remember is hearing him call out, “Destiny, I love you.”
With our bodies soft, pliant, and satisfied, we can only lay there for a few moments while struggling to catch our breath and come back to our senses. Troy gently pulls out of me, and walks into the bathroom. When he comes back, he has a warm washcloth that he uses to gently clean me. The way he takes care of me makes me fall more in love with him. Every moment we are together brings us closer to each other.
Most people will not understand how easily we have fallen into our future role as parents, but I am not sure I can give a detailed explanation. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, there has been no question or doubt in my mind that I am already madly in love with this peanut.
Troy wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his side as he slips one of his legs between mine. This is the last thing I remember before falling asleep.
Today, we continue our normal game day ritual, and wait until we are all back at the house before we announce our engagement. Loud squeals fill the air, causing the men to just roll their eyes at Amy and our moms’ reactions. Following the strict bro-code, the guys all fist bump Troy, but our dads show their acceptance and excitement with warm hugs. Men can be so funny when dealing with their emotions.
When asked if we had set a date, I look over at Troy to see if he wants to tell them what we’ve decided. He just smiles at me as if to say whatever I want is what he will want, too.
I hesitantly say, “Well, if we can get everything together in time, I’d like to marry over the Christmas holidays. That way I’m still skinny, and we can go on a honeymoon without missing school.”
Since I am the bride, our moms reassure me that we’ll get it all planned so that I can have the perfect wedding on the day that I want. Once the date is settled, other plans fall quickly in place. Amy, without question, will be my maid of honor, and David is more than happy to stand up for Troy as best man.
Because we want to get married in our hometown, my mom volunteers to take care of all the details so that all I will have to do is approve the choices. She is so excited that she can barely sit still, and squeals that she plans to start making calls first thing Monday morning. She then informs me that I need to start shopping for my wedding and bridesmaid dresses, and I assure her that Amy and I will do it next week after class.
Despite the nearness of the date, this wedding is going to be a big, loud occasion with a lot of very important people attending. It’s to be expected when the children of two well-known, retired, NFL players marry each other. At the thought of all the football people involved or attending, I crack a joke about having a football themed wedding, and getting married in our old high school stadium. The guys get excited because they think it’s a great idea.
“I hate to break it to ya, but that was a joke. I want the princess wedding that I’ve always dreamed of having.”
“Whatever my princess wants, my princess gets.” When Troy says this, David begins to grumble, but Troy shuts him up with a smack to the back of his head. My face lights up with a smile. If it’s at all possible, Troy may actually spoil me more than my daddy does.
Sunday lunch brings more talk about wedding stuff. My hands shake with excitement when I think about how well the planning is going. My mom may be driving me crazy, but she wastes no time or energy getting things done. It’s strange since we are pulling it together in a little less than a month’s time. I am marrying the love of my life, a man who is my best friend, and has always been in my life. It is very close
to perfect.
As conversation flows around me, my thoughts drift off to dance practice tomorrow. Buffy is going to blow a gasket when I announce I am getting married and having Troy’s baby. Maybe she will finally realize that Troy has never been hers.
On Monday afternoon, I meet with Mandy and we decide I will dance through the football season, and into basketball season until I start showing. After that, it will be like I am on injured reserve the rest of the year. She wants to use me as much as she can for choreographing and consulting. She is being more than fair. She tells me I am too good to not keep me on the team. I let her know that Troy and I are planning to get married over the Christmas break and she says that would help with any questions of being a good role model. I give her a brief history of how we grew up together and how we became a couple. We are going straight to meet with the team, so we decide I will make my announcement to the team this afternoon. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous.
I search for Amy in the dressing room to quickly tell her what Mandy and I have discussed. I am telling the team at our team meeting in just a few minutes. It will be interesting to see how Buffy takes this news. Mandy is waiting for us and we all take our seats. She calls me to speak first.
“So, I want the team to be some of the first to know, because this will be public very soon. I will be getting married over the Christmas break and will be having a baby by mid-June.”
I hear a few squeals, and then I see the look of disgust that Buffy gives me. I give up on trying to get along with her. We may be teammates, but we will never be friends. That is for sure. When Mandy explains how my role with the dance team will change further along in my pregnancy, the team, minus Buffy, is more than willing for me to stay.
After dance practice, I notice three missed calls from my mother and have three long voicemails about different things I need to call and discuss. Wedding planning has created a monster out of my mom, I am afraid to say.
The football players are still practicing, so I go sit in the stands to wait for my fiancé. How strange it is to even say that. I talk to my mom while I watch the guys practice. When Amy sits down next to me, I smile and continue talking to my mom. She has been busy searching for the red and white roses I want. And since the ceremony will be followed by a formal sit down meal, we’ve decided a buffet of finger foods and an open bar should be available for the rest of the evening. Last but not least, several selections for both my invitations and my wedding cake wait for me in my email. Before we hang up, she reminds me to decide ASAP on the invites because they need to go out by the end of the week. I am going to go nuts.
When I finally get off the phone, I heave a heavy sigh and look over at Amy. “Remind me that I love Troy and that this is all worth it.”
“You love Troy and it is worth it!” She grins at me, and we share a laugh.
“My mom has gone insane with wedding planning.”
I pull up my email on my phone, find the one with invitations, and look at the three selections my mom sent. I choose the burgundy and cream one since those are my wedding colors, and send a quick text to my mom so she can order them. When I open the cake email, Amy and I narrow the choices down to two, but I want to get Troy’s opinion tonight. If I have to go crazy with all these plans, then Troy is going down with me.
With those decisions made, and my mom notified, I sit back and take a moment to watch my man practice. Troy makes several throws to various receivers on the field, and I can’t help but admire what a good arm he has. His chances of playing in the NFL in 2 years are great, so I better start preparing to be an NFL wife.
Since neither of us wants to go home, Amy and I sit watch rest of the practice like we have nothing better to do. With only three weeks left of classes, we have several projects that need to be finished. Instead of working on those, we choose to relax. I am feeling a little stressed between classes, planning a wedding, and being pregnant. The stress is starting to get to me. I can’t believe how crazy my life has become, and it is just the first semester of college.
As the team finishes practice, Amy and I head down the stands. When we reach the fence around the field, David calls out my name, so I walk toward him.
“Hey, you okay?” He takes a long look at me.
“I’m tired. Mom is driving me insane, but yes, I am okay.”
“Well, then you’ll probably like what I want to ask you.”
“What is that?”
“I want to take us all out for dinner tonight. Mark has a date, so I thought the four of us can go out to eat like old times.”
“You are the best brother ever.” I kiss him on the cheek and he smirks at me. I really do like the idea for more than one reason.
As we talk, Troy comes up and crooks his finger at me, motioning me to come closer. When I do, he leans over and gives me a kiss. One that makes my knees go weak.
My brother interrupts us. “Come on, Romeo. Let’s go shower, and then take the girls out to eat.”
Troy laughs but follows him off to the locker room. I greet a few of the players as they walk by Amy and me. We decide to go to her car and wait for the boys so that I can rest. I can only guess that this whole being pregnant thing is causing my bone-deep exhaustion. I don’t know. It’s not as if I have any experience being pregnant.
After about a twenty-minute wait, the guys walk out. The sight of Troy makes my heart leap, and all of a sudden, I need to be right next to him. Stupid hormones make me feel all kinds of crazy things. I run to Troy, jump, and tackle him in a hug.
“Did you miss me, Beautiful?” He laughs and easily catches me.
“Yes,” I purr.
“Destiny, not in front of your brother. He already gives me a hard time about us.”
“Who cares about him? What’s he going to do when we are married?”
Troy and Amy laugh; David, on the other hand, gives me a dirty look as we walk back to the car.
Dinner ends up being fun and relaxing, just what we all need. We hang out, laugh, and talk like we did back when we were in high school. After we get back to the house, we all settle down to do homework. Amy and I are able to finish both of our projects for our classes.
I am so tired that my bones hurt. I want a shower, and then bed. When I walk into the room, what I find surprises me. Soft candlelight and a warm bath are awaiting me. After a soft kiss, Troy slowly undresses me, and then himself. Taking my hand, he leads me to the tub, climbs in, and then helps me get settled. It feels so good to lean back against his solid chest. The warm water and soothing fragrance from the candles help wash all my tension away.
“Thank you, Troy. This is just what I needed.” I sigh as I snuggle deeper into his arms.
“Yeah, you looked kinda beat today. I thought this would help you and the peanut unwind.”
“You have no idea. I’m going to let you deal with my mom tomorrow on all the wedding stuff. She has become a wedding Nazi.”
“She can’t be that bad.”
“Yes, she is, trust me.”
He gently washes my body, making this the most comforting bath I have ever had. I am seeing a new side of Troy that I really like.
“Troy, when did you become so romantic?”
“Somewhere around the time I fell in love with you.” I turn toward him and give him a quick kiss. “Seriously Destiny, I never wanted to do these things for any other girl. You are the only one I want to make happy, and I don’t care if my friends think that I’m whipped, either.”
“Are you telling me your friends say you’re whipped?”
“Yes, they do and they’re right. I would do anything to make you happy.”
“You do make me happy. I am so glad that I have you. I can’t wait to be Mrs. Troy Daniels.”
He presses a small kiss on my neck. I sigh and we finish up our bath. After drying off, I slip on clean underwear, and he throws me one of his T-shirts to sleep in. I love wearing his shirts, especially since he said he finds me extremely sexy in them. We
climb under the covers, and he pulls me close to him. He keeps talking to me about how lucky he is to have me.
As I lay there wrapped in his arms, I think of how life has changed for me since I have started college. I didn’t expect to sleep with Troy after a party, and I didn’t expect to start a relationship with him. I sure didn’t count on getting pregnant and married. I know my life has detoured from the path I had originally planned, but I wouldn’t change any of it. I love Troy so much, and I love our baby so much already. I want to make Troy as happy as he makes me. I know we are sure to have rough patches. What couple doesn’t? But I know our love will conquer it all.
I can’t seem to get my mind to shut off no matter how tired I am. I have so much I need to do to finish planning my wedding. Final exams are coming soon. I need to start shopping for the baby. Troy and I have to decide if we are going to get our own place. So many thoughts keep swirling around in my brain.
“Baby, stop thinking and worrying. Everything will work out. Get some sleep,” Troy whispers to me. He pulls me into him again and holds me tight, showing me that he is there for me. I slowly drift off to sleep.
Between final exams and wedding plans, time flies and weeks disappear. Christmas break is here, and suddenly, it is the day before my wedding. I am excited and nervous. Oh my gosh, I am marrying Troy tomorrow. How crazy is that? Dress rehearsal has just ended and it’s time for dinner with family and the wedding party at a local restaurant. After dinner, David has planned a bachelor party for Troy and Amy has planned my bachelorette party. This is the last time Troy and I will be together before we meet at the end of the church aisle tomorrow.