“Because Finn says once your married, you’re having a baby. I want you to have a baby.”
“He said what?!?” I screech a little too loudly, holding on to her for support. If she wasn’t still in my arms, I’d fall on my ass.
“Yep, just like Miss Ember. He said you were going to have a baby.”
Ember starts to giggle, and I swing my head to find her holding her very pregnant stomach. Reese purses her lips and starts to turn pink as she tries not to laugh.
“We’ll talk about that later but please, don’t believe everything Finn tells you.” I kiss her forehead and stand as Evelyn walks in. She stops dead when she sees me and covers her heart with her hand.
I hold my breath, waiting for her response. She sucks in a deep breath and smiles. “You’re an incredibly beautiful bride, Presley. Today may be the day I see my grown son shed a tear.” Her eyes start to shine as her lips tremble.
“Evelyn, please don’t make me cry,” I half-whisper, half-choke as a lump forms in my throat.
The sound of Finn’s ringtone fills the room, and Reese grabs it, holding it to her chest.
“Don’t you dare think about seeing him again before you walk down the aisle! I will hold you down myself if you even try!”
I roll my eyes again and snatch my phone. “Hey.” I walk to the other side of the room for privacy.
“Any chance I can get a kiss before heading into the church?”
“Hmmm, I wish but I think she may actually have an aneurism this time if I sneak away.” He chuckles at my reference to Reese.
“Just open the door. I’ll be quick. Promise.”
“Finn, I’m already dressed. You can’t see me.”
“All these wedding rules and traditions are fucking stupid. If it were up to me, I’d walk you down the aisle.”
“Think that may hurt my dad’s feelings, baby. He’s kinda been looking forward to this for twenty-five years.”
“Yeah, he’s told me about a dozen times today. He’s twitching so much you’d think this was his wedding.”
“He wants everything to be perfect. It’s kind of cute.” I giggle at the fact my dad has been a nervous wreck since the rehearsal dinner last night.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’ll be prefect the second you become Presley Black.”
“I really like the sound of that.” Butterflies dance around my stomach.
“Are you doing okay?” Concern seeps through his tone.
“Of course, why?
“Your dad told me Elisa called.”
“She did,” I whisper through the lump forming in my throat. “I’m okay. The purpose of the call was to congratulate me. Then she thanked me for being such a good role model for Winnie and loving her so much.”
“How did you guys leave it? Did she mention visiting?”
“Not anytime soon, but I left that door open. I’ll never deny Winnie a relationship with Elisa as long as it doesn’t disrupt her life.”
“You truly are incredible.”
“So are you.”
“Look down, babe.”
I do as he says right as a small piece of paper is slid under the door.
“What’s this?”
“A little note.”
“Finn, I have dodged two breakdowns in the last ten minutes. Please don’t make me cry.”
“I’m standing on the other side of the door. If I hear sobs, I’m coming in.”
I unfold the note and smile at the simple message:
When I first saw you, with your smile so tender
My heart was captured, my soul surrendered ~Elvis Presley
I lay my forehead against the door and breathe deeply. “I love you, Finn.”
“Love doesn’t come close, but it’ll do. I’ll see you soon.” He disconnects before I can say anything else.
Winnie comes up and tugs on my hand, pulling me back to the rest of the group. Within minutes, there’s another knock at the door, and my dad and Johnny walk in.
Dad takes one look at me, and I fight another impending breakdown. He must see the tears welling up because he shakes his head and blows me a quick kiss. Then he helps Johnny hand out champagne and sparkling juice.
We make small talk until Max comes in to get Winnie. She gives me a quick kiss, grabs her flower girl basket, and leaves, skipping next to Max.
Everyone else files out, leaving me with Johnny and Dad. The three of us look between each other, not speaking but sharing so much love my heart threatens to burst.
“I love you both…” is all I can get out before my voice cracks.
Arms wrap around me, and we hold tight until Dad straightens and kisses my forehead.
“Time to get you down that aisle. There’s a very anxious young man waiting.”
I nod in agreement and smile wide. “Let’s do this.”
“If you smash that cake in my face, it’ll be a very lonely wedding night,” I warn with a sugary sweet tone, pinching Finn’s elbow.
His eyes flash with heat, and he gives me a coy grin, moving his hand to my mouth. He outlines my lips with the buttercream icing and forces the small bite into my mouth. Then he dips down and licks the icing from my lips slowly, putting on a show, until whistles sound all around us.
One arm wraps around my waist, and I sink into his body, kissing him lightly. The taste of chocolate cake mixed with the sweet icing fills my mouth, and I moan against his tongue when he presses his hips into mine.
“Fucking perfection.” His breath is shallow when he breaks away.
“Divine.” I flashback to the night of our first kiss.
“My wife and her vocabulary.” He brushes his nose along my jawline. “I want another dance.”
He leads me away from the cake table and to the edge of the dance floor, wrapping me into his body and swaying to the music. I lay my head on his shoulder and kiss lightly along the column of his throat.
“Today has been perfect, but don’t think I’m going to let your little stunt with Winnie slide. Because of you, she thinks us being married means we’re also having a baby.”
“I hope we are.”
I stop moving and look up. The expression on his face kills any argument in my mind.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“There are only a few things in my life I’ve ever been more serious about. One of them is in my arms right now. Tell me you want to wait and we will, but if it’s up to me, we start trying immediately.”
My heart threatens to explode with the sincerity and love pouring from his words. I grin and give him a quick nod then cover his mouth with mine.
“Will you finally tell me where we’re going on our honeymoon?” I ask between kisses.
“Absolutely, if you promise we can leave now.”
“Finn! We can’t leave yet. The party is just getting started.”
“The only party I care about is our private party.”
“A girl dreams about her wedding her whole life. Can I have another hour?”
He looks down at me with such tenderness and love, I almost retract my request. “Anything you want. I never stood a chance. Seeing you today, walking toward me on your dad’s arm, sent a shock to my heart. You are easily the most breathtaking woman in the world.”
I stop swaying and shift my hands to his head, bringing his face to mine. “I’ve never been so tongue-tied in my life. When my eyes landed on you, I lost all thought.”
His eyes darken then flash with hunger. “What the fuck did I do to deserve you? Will you ever understand how much I treasure you?”
I run my lips along his and nibble as I speak. “If you treasure me so much, tell me where we’re headed on our top secret honeymoon.”
“St. Martin.”
“Oh my—”
“Can I cut in?” Max interrupts.
“Not a chance.” Finn stiffens and tries to turn, until a small hand grasps our wrists.
“But it’s my turn. I’d like to dance with you.” Winnie looks up at Finn with an expectant glance, and he physically melts, picking her up and sending Max a deathly glare.
“Max, you’ve got one song.”
I start to giggle and lean into Max’s embrace as Finn stays close.
“Is it too late to steal you away and make you forget about that dipshit?” Max starts to laugh as he leads me deeper into the dance floor.
“Oh, no, it’s totally appropriate to run away with the groomsman hours after saying I do. We’d only be on the run for about fifty years,” I joke with him.
“That’s why you’re cool as shit—you totally get me!” He lifts me and spins until I squeak, bringing attention to us.
“You’re going to make him very happy.” Max sobers, and I feel a tug at my heart.
“I’m going to try my best.”
He opens his mouth to say more, but the song ends, and he remains quiet. There’s a statement in his expression that I read loud and clear. I lean up to kiss his cheek and force him to look me in the eye.
“I will love him forever.”
“He deserves no less.”
“You’ve had long enough. I need my wife back.” Finn steals me to his side.
“Tell me when it’s time to run.” Max winks and punches Finn lightly as he walks away.
“SOB is trying to steal my wife at my own wedding,” Finn hisses.
My head flies back as I laugh loudly at their antics. Ember warned me this would happen. Even at eight-months pregnant, Max still goaded Robbie tonight that Ember was too good for him.
That’s why we all love Max.
“Hero, Max may be hot, and sexy, and a total lady killer… but I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me,” I assure him.
His eyes flicker with jealousy at my description, but instead of arguing, he laughs along with me.
The last few months flash before my eyes, and I lay my forehead against his, locking our gaze. “For the rest of my life—”
“—‘til death do us part.”
“—you will be my light…”
“—and you will be my always…”
He repeats my vows from earlier along with me, and my heart swells with bliss and happiness.
This is my forever…
Finn - Three weeks later
“Oh, fuck,” I growl as Presley sucks me deep into her mouth and massages my balls with her fingertips, lightly scraping her nails across the under-skin. My hips buck up, and I grab onto the headboard, gripping tight.
She backs away and takes her time licking up and down my dick with her tongue, taunting me as I start to pant. She rolls her lips across my head, kissing my slit, then works her way back down, finally increasing her suction until I start to see stars.
My stomach tenses, and I lose all control, my hands flying to haul her up my body until her pussy is hovering over my pulsing cock. She flips her hair over her shoulder and gives me a seductive grin as she positions herself and sinks down, taking every inch of me slowly. I close my eyes for a brief second to soak in the feeling and then look back up at her.
“You’re so tight. So fucking tight. It’s fucking perfection.” My hands skim up her torso and massage her breasts as she rocks back and forth. “I feel every inch of you wrapped around me. Each movement makes me want to pound into you until you scream.”
“Finn,” she moans, her own hands bracing on my chest. Her body and back arch into my touch, and I lower one hand to rub my thumb against her clit. She bites down on her lip and throws her head back, arching further onto my dick.
Her cries fill the room as she tenses and screams my name, falling down and covering my body as she comes hard. I feel every muscle in her body tighten, jerk, and then relax as her heart beats against mine.
I bend to nibble on her earlobe and pivot my hips into her, enjoying her twitch. She gives a small gasp, and I twist, rolling her under me and taking her mouth in a gentle kiss as I drive in and out gently. She clenches hard and whimpers shamelessly, sending shockwaves through my body.
I fight the urge to explode as I work her body back into a frenzy, moving at a slow and steady pace. She starts to meet me thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around my waist and squeezing tight.
“Baby, I need you to come with me.” My balls tighten as heat sears through my skin.
She spasms, and I slam into her one last time, covering her mouth with mine, sucking on her tongue as we both let go. Her nails scratch down my back as pleasure and pain shatter together. I move my mouth to her neck and bite down gently, loving the sound of her moaning.
Our sweaty chests stick together when I roll to my back and hold her tight.
“Every fucking time, Presley. You own me.”
She snuggles into me, laying her head over my racing heart. Our hands lace together, and she kisses my chest.
“The feeling is mutual.”
“Have I told you how much I love you today?”
“Only once, but it’ll never be enough.” Her breathing starts to even out, and I know she’s close to sleep.
I kiss along her temple, soothing her to sleep, when my phone rings, jarring us both.
“Motherfucker!” I snatch the phone from the nightstand and freeze when I see Robbie’s name.
“Hello—”
“Man, it’s time… Ember’s water broke. We’re at the hospital.”
Presley hears every word and jumps off me, scrambling to the bathroom. I roll off the bed and look around for clothes.
“You okay? You get the bag? What can I do?”
“I got everything. It’s not going to be long. They just gave her some sort of shot to numb her.”
“We’re on our way.”
I hang up as Presley comes out of the bathroom, fully dressed and glowing. “Sweetie, you smell like sex. Go take a quick shower. I’ll put some clothes out for you.” She presses up and kisses my jaw then disappears into the closet.
I take the quickest shower of my life and dress as Presley watches with a smirk. She hands me my keys, and we leave in a rush.
The whole way to the hospital, I think about Robbie and wonder how he’s doing. Then I glance at Presley and think about our first child.
“You nervous?”
“Why would I be nervous?”
“Because you’re gripping the steering wheel like a vice, and you keep looking at me like a lost boy.”
“I wouldn’t call it nerves. I guess it’s excitement wrapped with uncertainty. This is Robbie and Ember, and knowing they’re about to be parents—”
“Is surreal?” she finishes my statement.
“Yeah, it’s surreal.”
She laces her fingers through mine and squeezes. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how much she’s lived through. Without explanation, she knows exactly what I’m feeling. She went through it five years ago when her brother had a daughter.
We walk into the hospital hand in hand, and I’m not surprised when we’re greeted by a room full of anxious adults. Thad is pacing in circles so fast that I get dizzy after a few seconds of watching him. He’s running his hands through his hair repeatedly, murmuring under his breath. James, Jenna, and Chloe are in a corner, drinking coffee and chatting, ignoring Thad completely.
When they see us, they smile wide and wave us in.
“How are things going?” Presley goes to Thad and forces him to stop moving by throwing her arms around his waist.
“They say she’s fine. Everything’s fine… that’s all they’ll tell us.” His voice is grave and does nothing to hide his worry.
“Thad! Stop it, she IS fine,” Chloe scuffs at him and then looks at Presley. “Ember is perfect. She’s fully dilated, and the baby’s heartbeat is strong and good. Robbie will be out any minute to tell us when she’s going to push. The doctor on call has already stopped by to say it’s almost time.”
“Eeeekkk! This is so exciting!” Presley
gushes and dances in a circle.
“WHY IS SHE DANCING? I didn’t miss it, did I?” Cruz bolts into the room with panic written on his face. Alex is close behind with the same expression.
“No, calm down,” Chloe shushes him.
Robbie walks in and slaps me on the back then looks at everyone with a slight tremor in his voice. “We’re going to start pushing now. Ember is ready.”
There’s a collective round of ‘good lucks’ around the room, and I follow him down the hall out of earshot.
“Man,” I put a hand on his shoulder, “you got this.”
“Yeah, I do.” A spark of excitement flashes across his face.
“Oorah!” I whisper fiercely.
“Oorah, brother.”
He walks away, and I watch him disappear into a room.
“You know you never cease to amaze me. You are my real life Hero,” Presley says softly, and I turn to see tears in her eyes. “That was priceless.”
I shrug, my heart warming at her calling me ‘her hero’.
“Come back in. Raven and Declan are here. Everyone wants to hear about our honeymoon, and I want you to help me tell them.” She holds out a hand, and instead of taking it to follow her, I pull her close.
“Should we skip over the part about fucking for two days straight? Or setting our all-time record of earthshattering orgasms?”
She giggles and nods rapidly. “Yes, I think we can skip that part. Let’s stick to the snorkeling, shopping, and general trip details.”
She leads me back to the waiting room where a few others have arrived, and we share the PG- rated details of our honeymoon… while we wait…
“Your turn. Robbie insists it’s you next,” James says quietly, eyeing Presley sleeping in my lap. I nod and jostle her lightly.
“Babe, wake up.”
She sighs and stretches a bit then scoots back. “What’s going on?”
“Robbie and Ember want to see us.”
This wakes her up fully, and she pounces out of my lap and goes to the sink on the other side of the room, motioning for me to join her in washing our hands.
We walk into the hospital room, and I am shocked to see Ember sitting up, glowing. Robbie is hunched over her with his forehead against her shoulder, staring at a bundle in a pink blanket.
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