by Kat T. Masen
We take the sharp left into the cellar.
“Oh, wow,” I mouth, walking into a fully finished room with glass doors and lights to showcase rows of wine. Some appear refrigerated behind the glass doors, plus a few barrels. Some bottles are lying flat on the wine racks. I move closer to the glass door to get a better look at what wine they’re storing. The couple who owns this place has a vineyard in Napa Valley, something Dad and I discussed investing in together.
Behind me, there’s a warm sensation as Austin leans into my back, his lips close to my ear.
“Did you do as I said, Miss Edwards?”
I nod with a knowing grin, pressing my thighs together to suppress the throbbing between them.
“When I check… ” he says with a ragged breath, “… there better not be anything beneath this dress of yours. I demanded your pussy be bare and exposed.”
“I always listen to doctor’s orders,” I murmur.
Austin slides his hands beneath my dress until he reaches between my legs, causing me to gasp.
“Hands on the glass,” he demands.
Placing my hands on the glass door, I hear his belt buckle unclip. Then, he slowly enters me as I try to quiet my moan. With each thrust, I’m on the verge of exploding as Austin pulls the strap of my dress down and exposes my bra.
With his lips kissing my neck, he keeps his thrusts hard, then demands, “Take your tits out for me, just the way I like them.”
I pull my bra down as they fall out for his groan to echo in my ear. He doesn’t waste time, grabbing them and tugging on my nipples which causes them to leak. Fuck, this is going to get really messy quickly.
My hands still press against the glass as I stick my ass out. Austin commands I come with him, my body shivering in delight, the same time he grips my hips tightly.
We both catch our breaths, trying to come down from the high. Austin slowly pulls out of me while kissing my shoulder.
“You came inside of me,” I remind him, basking in his juices between my legs. “How am I supposed to walk outside now?”
Austin turns me around, then presses me against the glass. My back shivers from the glass, cooling my heated skin.
With a penetrating stare, he runs his thumb against my bottom lip. “It sounds to me like you’re not finished.”
I shake my head teasingly. Austin drops down between my legs, running his tongue along my clit as my hands wrap around his hair. It doesn’t take me long before the sensation rips through me again, and I fall into a deep orgasm, the ripples of pleasure spreading throughout every inch of my body.
My eyes close while I try to catch my breath. We kiss deeply before Austin helps me straighten my clothes. He runs his hand through his hair to neaten it, then we hold hands and make our way back upstairs.
When we see Margaret, she glances at us furtively to wait for our response.
The house is just right.
And we just made it perfect.
I turn to gaze at Austin, then nod with a smile.
“We’d like to put in an offer,” he informs Margaret. “Now, let’s talk numbers.”
It’s Christmas Eve, and Mom has cooked up a storm with my help, of course. While staying here, she’s been teaching me to cook. Back in Manhattan, I either dined out or ordered in, barely using the kitchen.
Austin, however, is a great cook. His mother taught him well.
We can’t all be a perfectionist like him, but my stuffing sure looks good.
I wash my hands in the sink when Austin walks into the kitchen on a call. He says goodbye, then breaks out into a wide smile.
“We got the house.”
“We did?” I wipe my hands, then jump up into his arms. “Lucky number five.”
“I’m proud of you both,” Mom congratulates, embracing me, then Austin. “We need to celebrate with our best wine.”
Dad walks into the kitchen with Emmy in his arms. He’s a big old softy, even asking Mom to buy one of those bouncer things for his office when it came to babysitting. One of the perks of staying with them.
“What are we celebrating?”
“We bought a house, Dad!”
Dad’s eyes reflect with relief. “Excellent news. Now, is this the place near the hospital?”
“Yes,” Austin confirms while leaning back against the countertop. “A ten-minute commute. It helps when I’m on call though Chief Robinson wants to discuss me moving into a specialty. I’ve been considering cardiothoracic surgery, but I need to weigh my options on the studying aspect once again.
“Cardiothoracic surgery is something I once too considered,” Dad mentions softly.
“Really?” I ask with curiosity. “You wanted to mend broken hearts?”
As I wait for a response, Mom watches Dad with a nostalgic gaze. She always wished he continued with medicine. However, Lex Edwards has done so much good in the world with the wealth he has created. He’s responsible for giving so many people jobs, and the charities both my parents are involved in are endless. Not only that, Dad has helped Uncle Julian and Aunt Adriana fund local villages in Central America, building schools, shelters, and basic things we take for granted.
He may not be a heart surgeon, but he’s done just as good in this world.
“Something like that.” Dad smiles, then follows with, “Eventually, you could move into your own practice. It is Beverly Hills, after all.”
I laugh as everyone watches me with curiosity. “As long as he’s not a plastic surgeon. Boobs and vaginas all day long? No thanks.”
“They do make an awful lot of money, Ava,” Dad teases.
Mom furrows her brows. “Why on earth would they be looking at vaginas?”
“Haven’t you heard?” I question with a sneer. “It’s the latest trend. Vaginal reconstruction.”
Both Addy and Alexa walk into the kitchen, no doubt smelling the food.
“What’s going on?” Addy asks, grabbing a bowl and dumping some Lucky Charms in there even though we’re yet to eat. “Sorry, I’m starving and need something small to tie me over.”
“Mom didn’t know vaginal reconstruction is the latest trend.”
Addy presses her lips flat, unimpressed with this conversation.
“Oh, yeah,” Alexa says while grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “A few of my friends have got it done.”
“What exactly did they get done?” Mom questions.
“Labia tightening. Just makes it look less creepy.”
Austin hides his smirk at the same time. Dad pinches the bridge of his nose, then groans.
“This is what I get for living in a house full of women. Labia reconstruction before dinner.” His tone is less than pleased, and his smile from before disappears as our conversation takes a nosedive. “Now, if I can pass off my princess, I’ll fetch that bottle of wine from the cellar.”
“Do you need help?” Mom asks, eyeing Dad as he hands Emmy to Austin. “A few bottles were moved, so you may not find it.”
“Always, Mrs. Edwards.”
My parents disappear as Will, Millie, and Ashton come through the back door. Millie is starting to show, the bump looking so cute on her. It makes me miss being pregnant and the newborn phase. Emmy is close to four months now and getting chubby. But then, I remember how Mom said this would happen. I shake my head, willing these crazy thoughts to stop.
Ashton runs to Austin, desperate to see Emmy. He’s so excited to be a big brother, telling everyone his mommy has a baby girl inside, too, although they have decided not to find out the sex of the baby.
“What’s happening, people?” Will asks, digging his hand into the bowl and scooping up Addy’s Lucky Charms, much to her annoyance.
“We were discussing how labia reconstructions are really hot right now,” I tell them.
“It is?” Millie asks.
“Yeah, we’re trying to convince Austin to get into plastic surgery,” Alexa casually mentions. “It’s a moneymaker.”
“First of all, we weren
’t convincing him. If anything, I said yes to any other specialty but not anything that’s got to do with boobs or vaginas.”
“So, wait a minute.” Millie raises her hand. “What are they doing to the labia?”
Alexa continues her story of her friend, Ella, who had it done only recently. She goes into detail about the excess tissue being removed from the enlarged labia minora or majora.
“It makes sense,” Will deadpans, with a mouth full of cereal.
Millie places her hands on her hips. “How does it make sense?”
“Well, frankly, no man likes an ugly pussy.”
“William Rockford Romano, I can’t believe you just said that in front of our son,” Millie berates him.
Thankfully, Ashton is too busy trying to tickle Emmy, who’s giggling every time he digs his tiny fingers into her chin.
“Is this true?” I turn to Austin.
“I mean, look, yes. Unfortunately, some women aren’t gifted in that area,” is all Austin says.
Addy smacks Wills hand again, grabbing the last Lucky Charm. When she finally wins, she joins in the conversation. “I guess in comparison, it’s like a man having an ugly penis.”
“What does an ugly penis look like?” Alexa asks while scowling.
Everyone turns to look at me. Then, with an inward gaze, my lips press flat.
“I have no idea why you all just looked at me. You should respect my fiancé, who is standing right beside me.”
Austin almost snorts, his smug face not running to my defense at all. “C’mon, Ava. You were the wildest one here. Even I know that. Surely, in your younger days, you’ve encountered one.”
My eyes glare at him as I cross my arms in defiance. “Listen, this isn’t exactly how I expected to spend Christmas Eve with my family.”
Everyone laughs, and it’s impossible for me not to join in. So what if I slept with a fair few men in my younger years? It’s not like Austin and Will were saints. Millie is a commitment girl. As for Addy, I’m still not sure what is happening with her since she never talks about any man like ever.
And well, Alexa, she isn’t a virgin but clearly hasn’t encountered an ugly penis yet.
“Where are the parentals?” Millie asks.
“They went to the cellar together to get a bottle of wine,” I muse.
“Oh, God.” Millie shakes her head with a grimace. “I don’t want to know.”
“I dare any of you girls to go down and find them,” Will challenges.
“Hell no, from me,” I blurt out. “I’m still scarred from that time I snuck in late after a party and heard mom say ‘Daddy’, followed by a disturbing giggle.”
Millie shudders. “More so than ‘spread your legs, Charlotte. I need to taste you.’ Huh?”
“Um, how about, ‘turn around and give me that ass now,’ then you hear the sound of a slap,” Addy complains, flinching.
We all groan. My parents are the worst, but then, we all turn to look at Alexa.
“Why are you all looking at me?” She releases a huff, and before she says anything, my parents walk back in with a bottle of wine.
Mom’s cheeks look red, and I could’ve sworn she had her hair parted to the left, not centered, earlier on. As for Dad, he seems rather pleased with himself.
“Everyone is here, so what are we discussing? Hopefully, we dropped our earlier discussion?”
“Actually, Mom,” I say, Austin lowering his head with a smirk, the same as Will. “Alexa will tell you.”
“Argh, I hate being the youngest…”
As we all laugh, even though my parents have no clue why we’re laughing, I can’t help but thank the Universe for blessing me with every single person in this room.
For my parents, my sisters, my brother-in-law, and my nephew.
And of course, my soon-to-be husband in just over a week and our little girl.
Emerald Charlotte Edwards-Carter.
Also, for teaching me how fairy tales may endure heartache but how they should end.
Happily ever after.
Inside this very room, I have exactly that and more.
Epilogue
Lex
New Year’s Eve
“Get your fucking dick out of my face!”
Rocky yells to Eric as the both of them are once again embroiled in the game of Twister. The same thing happened last year. After all these years, I should be immune to this, but it is still entertaining to watch from the sideline.
“How about you get your hairy gorilla balls out of my face,” Eric counters with his face turning bright red.
“I told you, dude, I get my balls waxed.”
“You wax your balls?” Adriana blurts out, then covers her mouth with disapproval. “Why on earth?”
Rocky grins from his awkward pose. “My wife likes it that way.”
Will swipes the bottle of tequila, drinking straight from it. Still in his suit, like the rest of us, he has removed his jacket and appears desperate to erase what he just heard. I don’t blame the boy. I’m still in shock.
“You’re fucking kidding me, Dad,” Will shouts, wiping his mouth. “You said you were doing that for a prostate exam?”
“Yeah, kid. I say a lot of things to you.”
Nikki is sitting with Charlotte and Kate, keeping very quiet on the matter. But then, she leans in and whispers something for the women to laugh.
It’s New Year’s Eve but also Austin and Ava’s wedding day. When they asked if they could have the ceremony here, with only close family and friends, of course, I wasn’t going to say no.
You see, I’m not one for lavish affairs, and I prefer to keep my family close to me.
In the end, that’s all that matters.
I drop my gaze to meet the smile of my precious princess. In my arms, her emerald eyes shine brightly, just like her mama’s.
“What do you think, princess? Was it a good day for you too?”
She responds with a coo, a simple sound that makes my heart sing.
Before Emmy was born, it was a long while since I’d held a baby girl in my arms. For the longest of time, I never knew any different. Charlotte and I had been blessed with four beautiful daughters, each one unique in their own way.
Beside me, Ashton tries to tickle Emmy’s feet.
“Grandpapa, when is my sister coming?”
“Ashton, remember how we told you inside your momma’s tummy is maybe a boy or girl?”
His big brown eyes stare at me. “There are two babies inside?”
“No, buddy. Just one. But maybe it’s a baby brother.”
“But I don’t want a brother because then Daddy and Momma won’t love me lots and lots,” he sulks.
I motion for him to sit on my lap while I juggle the two of them.
“That’s not true. Look at your mimi and me,” I tell him, referencing the affectionate name he calls Charlotte. “We had four girls, and we love them all equally.”
“Even Alexa?” He scrunches his nose. “She got angry at me because I went into her room. I played with her phone. But then I dropped it.”
“That sounds like Alexandra,” I mutter beneath my breath.
Charlotte joins us, offering me a plate of food. I motion for her to place it on the table beside me as she sits on the chair and scoops Ashton into her arms. He puts his thumb in his mouth, the same thing Andy would do as a child.
“Andy used to put his thumb in his mouth,” I say wistfully.
“I remember. It drove Adriana crazy.” Charlotte laughs, then sighs. “It was a beautiful day. You held up well, Daddy.”
I lean in and kiss Charlotte's hair. “It’s not easy giving your baby girl away.”
“No, it’s not,” she agrees, stroking Ashton’s hair as he closes his eyes. “You and Ava have always had a special bond, but trust me, she’ll never leave you. Why do you think she’s pushing you to partner in the winery together?”
We have been discussing it of late. Ava and I have always been passionate about w
ine. She managed to find a vineyard which listed on the market only yesterday and even contemplated delaying her honeymoon to get this project started.
“I didn’t think of it that way.”
“She’s always going to be a daddy’s girl. That doesn’t stop just because she’s married. So now, you’ve got another little princess to worry about.”
I look down at Emmy, who has fallen asleep in my arms. “No one is going to touch this little girl. I will protect her for the rest of my life if I have to.”
Charlotte grins beside me. “How you ended up with four daughters is beyond me. I think the Universe really wanted to test your patience.”
“I have sons too.” The both of us shift our gaze toward where Andy stands. He’s near the back door in what appears to be a heated argument with Jessa.
The two of them have always been close, but according to Addy, that was until Jessa moved to London last year.
“What’s going on there?” I ask Charlotte.
“I would say they seem to be embroiled in some argument, and judging by the way Andy is running his hands through his hair, I’d say he’s jealous over Jessa’s new fiancé.”
“Fiancé? Since when?”
“Since that’s why she flew over, to tell Noah and Kate.”
I purse my lips, still in shock. It only felt like yesterday Jessa was born, and she’s always been a massive part of my girls' lives. After all, she is their cousin.
“Wait a minute, rewind back to Andy being jealous? They’re cousins.”
Charlotte releases a breath. “They’re not technically cousins. They are cousins to our girls, but not each other. It just feels that way because they spent so much time together, like Will and Amelia.”
Charlotte has a point, though as I watch Andy in what I’ll agree appears to be a jealous stance, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. We’ve all been there, done that. Thank God I never have to go through that again. The woman I love is all mine, and that’s all she’ll ever be.
“I’m going to take Ashton to bed. Then I’ll come back for Emmy.” Charlotte stands up slowly, careful not to wake Ashton. Before she leaves, I quickly stop her.