“Me too,” he agreed then kissed her again. “Now to eat and then we can get to making some plans, peach!”
Toddling down the long aisle with Clara following close behind her, Hope tossed out white rose petals as she smiled at everyone. Decked out in a small white wedding dress that matched Aulora’s, the little girl was on cloud nine as she shared her big sister’s special day.
Clara picked her up as they got to the end of the aisle and took her to sit down on the front row. “Look, Hope, Daddy’s about to bring out, sissy,” she whispered to her little girl.
Hope smiled and pointed as her father and sister stepped up to the back of the large church, and the music changed to that of the bridal march. She clapped as they came down the wide path, she’d sprinkled the flowers on.
Aulora couldn’t help but smile at her baby sister. She’d woken up to a gorgeous day. Everything about the day was glorious. Birds were chirping, and the sun was shining in warm rays that streaked the morning sky. At the end of the path was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
When Aulora’s father handed her off to the man she’d spend the rest of her life with, she felt a chill run through her. Weston took her hand in his, and they turned to look at the preacher who was about to make them man and wife.
A shrill scream came from behind them. The next thing they knew, they’d been upstaged by the little one-year-old who was bound and determined to be a bigger part of their union than they’d planned.
Weston had to pick Hope up as she tried to climb up him. Safe in his arms, she ran her small hand over Aulora’s face as the preacher continued to ask them to repeat the things he said.
Aulora’s eyes were brimming with tears. It was the happiest day of her life, and she was pleased to share the center of attention with the little girl she grew to love more with each passing day.
No longer did she fear becoming a mother. Thanks to the birth of Hope, she felt pretty confident that she did have what it takes to be a mom after all. And she knew Weston had what it would take to be a dad.
Before she knew it, the wedding bands had been slipped onto their fingers, and they were kissing while everyone clapped, and Hope added her kiss to theirs. A wet sloppy one that left spittle shining on their cheeks.
“Sweet girl,” Weston said with a chuckle.
“Think she’ll let us go on our honeymoon alone, West?” Aulora asked him as Hope clung tightly to her new brother-in-law.
Clara came to them and pried her little girl off him. ‘Come on, baby girl. They have things to attend to.”
Hope looked a little mad at her mother but soon was okay when Aulora pulled a grape sucker out of her bouquet and gave it to her, easing her anger at being pulled out of the spotlight.
Off the newly married couple went to have a party at the Four Seasons then off to Italy, they’d go for a month-long honeymoon. A time in which they hoped to become pregnant, starting their own family.
Somewhere deep inside Aulora, fear still trickled through her, making her wonder if she was a fool for taking such risks. She’d gone with Weston to Los Angeles on the anniversary of his son’s death a few months earlier.
Standing at the foot of a grave that should never have to be made so small, was sobering. For two months, the baby had been there. Filling the lives of Weston and Hayley. Their dreams were all about him. Their thoughts were all about him. In an instant, he was no longer there.
Aulora didn’t know how Weston could take it. How it didn’t kill him too. But she knew it had given him a strength most never know. Weston’s love was complete. No matter what she threw at him, he caught it and made it into something beautiful.
With him in her life, her artwork had flourished. He constantly told her how he couldn’t wait for her to become a mother. He wanted to see how feeling that particular love affected her art. Weston was sure it would become even better.
If she hadn’t been a wealthy woman before, she’d have been one anyway. Her art was selling as soon as she got another painting out on the wall. No longer did she have two walls to fill at the gallery. They never stayed on them long enough to make it necessary for two of them. Instead, she had space behind the front desk. It was large enough to house three paintings at on time. And she was always asked if she’d be getting right back to work, as it was certain there would be an empty spot within the month.
Aulora had changed. She was no longer the quiet, little, cynical young woman who thought darkness and drudgery were all that life held for her. She’d blossomed under Weston’s love, into a butterfly who knew there was a hell of a lot more to life than she’d allowed herself to ever believe before Weston had come into her life.
After the reception, they spent the night in the hotel, sleeping instead of making love as they were way too exhausted to do anything but sleep what was left of the night away.
But early the next morning found them not quite so tired and more than ready to get to the baby-making.
Aulora’s dark hair had been done up in a fancy updo. It was a rat’s nest of tangles, and her makeup that had once been perfect was a mess of black around her eyes and red smudged lips.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Weston said as he pulled her up to his chest.
He too had seen better mornings. The gel that was used in his hair to keep it in place was holding it straight up on one side and plastered to his face on the other. His eyes were swollen from drinking too much and too long. They had to laugh as they looked at one another.
“Lord, Weston. What have we become?” she asked as she pushed his hair back and found it standing at attention as the gel held it up.
“I think the shower is where we need to start this marriage thing.” He climbed out of bed and picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the bathroom.
In the shower, the warm water ran over their bodies as they ran soapy washcloths over the other’s body. Washing the tons of product out of their hair, they began to resemble the handsome couple they’d been before the long day of wedding festivities. “Remind me that I only want to ever get married once,” Aulora said. “That was too much work. I never want to go through that again.”
“Don’t you worry,” he told her as he scooped her now clean and fresh body up in his arms. “I will never allow you to marry again.”
Pressing her against the warm shower tiles, she wrapped her legs around him as he buried himself inside her. She moaned, her nails ran over his back, and she found he fit her better than he ever had.
“I love you, West,” she purred as he stroked deftly. “I want all of you.”
“You have all of me,” he told her as he looked into her eyes.
“I want you inside me,” she said with another moan.
“I am inside you, peach,” he told her then kissed up one side of her neck.
Trailing soft kisses over his shoulder, she whispered, “I want to feel your baby moving inside of me.”
He growled with her words. She hadn’t been very vocal about having a baby. She’d agreed to it, but he wasn’t sure if she was doing it all for him or not. Her admission to wanting to have his baby inside of her was new, and he loved hearing it.
It invigorated him, making him take her with more force. With the slightest twinge of her body as she began to climax, he held back his orgasm until she was nearly through. Then he let his go, filling her up with his love.
Their mouths come together as they exchanged their love. Then he left the shower, taking her to the bed. Laying her back on it, he moved back in for more.
She spread her legs, inviting him in and hissed, “Do it again, baby. Damn, it’s good to be your wife.”
“Not nearly as good as it is to be your husband,” he said then thrust into her hard and swift.
She cried out with pleasure as he pounded her body with his. Faster and harder he went until they were quivering again and he spilled more of himself into her. “Oh, this month is going to be so much fun,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.
&nb
sp; “You can say that again!”
It was their first morning as a married couple, and they were set on doing it right!
“Grab him, he’s getting away!” Weston called out to his wife as their three-year-old son streaked through the main living area.
Aulora put down their one-year-old daughter to go after their little nudist. “Come here, Brady!”
With a squeal of laughter, the boy zipped past her and headed out of the room, apparently seeing fit to give the staff a looksy at his goods. “You can’t catch me!”
“I’ll take Bree over,” Weston shouted. “You go chase him down. The kid is super speedy!”
Aulora chased their son down the hallway as he laughed like a maniac. Suddenly, he stopped when a door opened. “And what do we have here?” Laura asked as she scooped up the naked bundle.
“Yes! Great teamwork, Laura,” Aulora said as she stopped running and walked up to get her son.
“Aw, man,” Brady whined. “I don’t wanna wear clothes. They get in my way.”
“Your way of doing what?” Laura asked him as she handed him over to his mother.
“In my way of being free,” he told her. “I like to feel fresh.”
“Well, I like to see my son wearing clothes, like a normal human boy, instead of a wild animal,” Aulora scolded him.
“Maybe he was a monkey in his past life,” Laura teased then messed up the dark mop of hair on his head.
“Maybe I was,” he agreed. “Come on, Mom. Let me be a wild monkey again! Please!”
“Shouting the word, ‘please,’ is no way to get what you want, Brady. Now, come on. Back to being a boy and wearing clothes.” Aulora took him back into the living area where he’d ditched his shorts and T-shirt.
Finding Weston reading to their daughter, had her heart fluttering. “I got him, Dad.”
“I see that,” Weston said as he put the book down. “Why is it that you want to be naked, son?”
“Apparently, I was a monkey one time. That’s what Miss Laura thinks. And I believe she’s right!” Brady struggled with his mother as she put his clothes back on.
“Well, you’re no longer a monkey. If you keep your clothes on, I might take you to the zoo later. That way you can see how monkeys actually live. It’s not nearly as nice as you have it,” Weston said, earning him a smile from his wife.
“Clever, West.” She gave him a wink.
He gave her one back. “Brady, what do you think monkeys eat, anyway?”
“I know they eat bananas. I saw it in a book. I like bananas too.” He climbed up on the sofa next to his father.
“The also eat bugs,” Weston informed him. “How would you like to have to eat bugs to stay alive?”
The face the boy made had both his parents laughing. “Yuk!”
“And monkeys live in cages,” Aulora added. “How’d you like to live in a cage?”
Brady shook his head. “No thank you. But can we still go to the zoo? I wanna show Bree the animals too. I’m her big brother, and it’s my job to make sure she has fun every single day of her life.”
“Let’s go. And we can stop by and pick up your Aunt Hope too,” Weston said. “Uncle Jimmy might want to come too.”
“He’s only a baby, Dad. Don’t be silly,” Brady said about his six-month-old uncle.
Aulora smiled as Weston got up and put his arm around her. They herded their two kids out of the room to get them to their rooms to get ready to go to the zoo. She felt it every time they touched. That spark that had started it all and continued to keep their fires going.
Becoming a mother was the best thing to happen to her. If it hadn’t been for Weston, she’d never know what love really was. She’d loved her mother and father. And she even loved Clara. But she would’ve never known what it really felt like to love someone you’re a part of.
As they went up the stairs, Bree tripped and hurt her knee. Weston snatched her up and kissed her boo-boo. “Daddy’ll make it better, sweetheart.”
As if the kiss was magic, Bree stopped crying and giggled. The pain all gone, it seemed. Aulora was always surprised by how easy it was to make the kids happy. A kiss on a boo-boo, a piece of candy, a nighttime story, all were easy to give, and all made their children happy.
Aulora realized that being a parent was scary. Fear was always an underlying thing when you have a kid. But fear was already there, anyway. She was afraid something would happen to Weston, her father, her mother, Clara, Hope all before she ever became a mother. It was life, Weston was right about that.
She’d learned that there could be a constant concern for people, but it was overshadowed by this sense of joy that was also constant. A continuous river of joy flowed through her. It hadn’t before. Aulora wondered how she had ever lived without it.
That stream of joy was what made her world turn. Without it, she didn’t know what life would be like. But she had reasons to believe, once you found that little piece of wonderful, it never went away. Hence, Weston’s always upbeat idea of life, even though he’d lost his first precious child.
Aulora respected her husband more than she’d ever admired anyone. He was the best husband and father she’d ever known or knew of. His support was unwavering.
They had their disagreements like anyone else did, but Weston never let them go to bed angry. If they had to argue a little bit longer to work it out, then they did that. If he had to kiss her into seeing things his way, they did that too. He was always there, never giving up.
Aulora wondered what she’d done to deserve such a man. She had to admit to herself that she could be a real downer at times. There was her penchant for seeing the worst in things. None of it stopped Weston from loving her.
On the other side of that coin, Weston wondered at times what his remarkable wife saw in him. She was a brilliant artist. Her work was coveted by many in the art world. And she saw fit to be with him.
He didn’t have an artistic bone in his body. When imagination was needed, he had to confer with Aulora as he couldn’t seem to come up with a thing.
One of his favorite things to do was to sit and listen to his wife as she made up stories she told their children when she was getting them to go to sleep. Stories about fairies and kingdoms that she made up filled their children’s ears and sparked their vivid imaginations.
Weston couldn’t even imagine coming up with the stories she did, nor the ideas for her intricate paintings. She was a genius in his eyes, with both their kids and her imagination and ability to bring it to life.
Aulora had been so worried about becoming a mother. Weston found that hilarious as she was a complete natural at it. Hardly anything bumfuzzled her. She was like the kid-whisperer. She knew why Brady would get cranky or Bree was having a hard time sleeping.
Aulora had a sixth sense, Weston didn’t. She was fantastic in his eyes, yet she didn’t see herself in that light. No matter how many times she was right about the kids or him, she never saw it as a gift. She’d say any mom knows these things, but she was wrong. Weston knew she was a gift to him and their kids and he treated her as such. The couple had finally found their happily ever after and they were going to keep it that way.
The End
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His Beautiful Revenge
A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance
Norah, a beautiful, young graphic designer, is convinced her boyfriend Lucian is having an affair but as yet hasn’t been able to prove it. Miserable in her relationship, she throws herself into her work, and through it, meets an enigmatic billionaire, Giacomo, who hires her to design the marketing campaign for his new tech. There is an instant attraction, but Norah is determined not to sink to Lucian’s level and denies herself, even when Giacomo makes it clear he wants her.
Meanwhile, after a terrible tragedy, Giacomo is trying to convince his best friend, Orlando, a single father to
a young daughter, to get back into the dating game. Lando is unenthusiastic …until he meets Zulika, a feisty young photographer with whom he bonds. But Zulika has her own demons to overcome, not less the fractured relationship with her brother, Lucian, who is cheating on Zulika’s best friend, Norah.
When she finally discovers the truth about Lucian’s infidelity, she is shocked to find his lover is supermodel Tara Hubert—Giacomo’s fiancée. Realizing that Giacomo has also discovered the affair, she starts to spend more time with him after they both end their relationships. Soon, things become sexual and Norah wonders how she could ever have settled for anyone less than this gorgeous, sensual man.
But both Lucian and Tara are infuriated by the discovery of their betrayal and both plot their revenge in very different ways—ways that may split apart more than just one couple. Can Norah and Giacomo’s love survive the ferocity of their ex lovers’ anger, and just how far will Tara and Lucian go?
The phone’s shrill ring broke across the bookstore. Zulika waved the receiver.
“Lucian,” she yelled across the room. Norah didn’t notice the man sitting at the corner table and the way he stiffened at Zulika’s words, his attention caught. Norah grinned at Zulika as she took the phone from her.
“I’ve told you before, me Norah, him Lucian.”
Zulika poked her tongue out good-naturedly at her friend.
“Ha ha.” She walked away, swatting Norah’s butt with her hand.
“Hey, you,” Norah glanced at the clock on the wall of the bookshop.
“Hey, doll,” Lucian sang cheerfully. “It’s Friday, work’s out, and I’m in the mood for some quality time with you. Are you going home soon?”
Norah grinned, caught up in his mood. He sounded more cheerful than he had in months. And wanting to spend time alone with her? Rare, she thought to herself, what was up with him? But she didn’t want to waste his good humor.
Dr. Orgasm (A Holiday Romance Collection Book 2) Page 64