by Sarah Curtis
More tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked up at Garrett. "I love it."
Garrett slipped the ring on her finger. "I love you." Then he cleared his throat and spoke in a loud, clear voice. "This ring is a symbol of my endless love for you. May I never give you cause to doubt it again."
Then his lips were on hers, searing her with a kiss that filled her heart and curled her toes.
"Daddy, we're not to the kissing part yet. Mommy still needs to talk, and the church man needs to say, you may kiss the bride."
Ali chuckled against her husband's lips at her son's words, and their guests erupted in laughter.
Garrett leaned away from Ali and looked over at Noah. "Sorry, little man, I couldn't help myself. Your mommy looks too pretty."
Noah beamed up at him, Garrett's transgression clearly forgiven.
The officiant cleared his throat. "Mrs. Evans, you may proceed."
In a panic, her eyes flew to Garrett, and he immediately came to her rescue. "Everyone knows I sprung this on you. It wouldn't look bad if you didn't say anything."
Ali shook her head. "No, I want to. It just took me by surprise." Her lips twitched. "Seems to be a reoccurring theme today."
Little creases formed by Garrett's eyes as his lips pulled into a smile.
Ali took a deep breath. She had no idea what to say so blurted the first thing that popped into her head. "I'm really happy you're not having an affair."
She realized her joke fell flat when Garrett lost his smile and a frown line formed between his eyes. "I have never wanted anyone but you. Never loved anyone but you. You are the reason I was put on this earth. Without you, there is no me, so baby, I would never do anything to take you away from me."
More tears fell, making Ali hope the makeup artist had used waterproof mascara or she was sure to look like a raccoon by now. Standing before Garrett, seeing his love for her shining in his eyes, made her wonder how she ever doubted that love. She gave him a look she hoped conveyed all her love in return.
Clearing the emotion from her throat, she said, "I know what I want to say now." Garrett moved his hands back down to her hips. "When we first met, you swept me off my feet, and I fell in love with you with the first smile you gave me. I wanted to be Mrs. Evans so badly, I didn't care how the goal was achieved so long as it happened. I never once regretted our hasty wedding." She reached up cupping his face as he had hers. "When it comes to you, I've never regretted anything."
Garrett captured her wrists, pulling her hands from his face before turning to the minister. "Can you say the magic words now, please."
The officiant had a smile in his voice as he said, "You may now kiss the bride."
And then Garrett did.
Boy, did he ever.
≈≈≈≈
The party was in full swing, and Ali was having a blast. Garrett hadn't left her side once. The light reflected off the stone of her new ring whenever she took a sip from her glass of champagne, and she couldn't help but smile at it every damn time.
"It was a beautiful ceremony," Jade, Lucas's wife, said as she, with a toddler on her hip and Lucas on her arm, walked up to her and Garrett.
Ali laughed. "I'm sure it was one of a kind." Her eyes moved to Lucas. "Were you in on the shenanigans, too?"
He gave her a smirk, not looking the least bit contrite. "I was in charge of defending the office."
Ali heard Jade gasp before her shouted, "Lucas St. James!"
Lucas looked down at his petite wife, raising a brow. "Yes?"
Not intimidated, she informed, "Lucky for you, I'm holding our son."
Lucas leaned in closer to his wife and said suggestively, "You won't be holding him tonight. Should I be worried then?"
"Tonight I'll be holding something else you'll need to be worried about."
Lucas tipped his head back and laughed, and Garrett said, "And that's our cue to leave." He gave Lucas a slap on his shoulder. "Good luck tonight, my friend."
Garrett plucked the champagne flute from Ali's hand and handed it to a passing waiter. "Come dance with me."
He didn't need to ask her twice.
Bodies pressed closely together, her head resting on her husband's chest, swaying to the beat of a slow, love song, Ali had never felt more content.
"I have another surprise for you." Her husband's rich baritone voice crooned in her ear.
Ali lifted her head and grimaced at Garrett's mischievous expression. "I'm not sure I can handle any more surprises."
His expression turned contrite. "I am truly sorry, baby. When I first set this whole thing in motion, I had no idea that's where your mind would go."
She moved her arms from around his waist to around his neck so she could lean up on her toes and brush her lips to his. "I know. But one good thing did come from it, though."
Garrett raised a brow. "What good could have possibly come from you thinking I was cheating on you?"
She twined her fingers through the short hair at the back of his head. "It reminded me not to take our love for granted. I think when people have been married for a while—getting stuck in the day-to-day things that make up a marriage—they forget the most important thing."
"And what's that?"
"Why they married that person in the first place."
"And did it remind you of why you married me?"
"Yeah, because you knocked me up."
Garrett tipped his head back and laughed. "Yeah, and I did that proudly."
Ali turned serious and said, "And also because you're my soul mate. The other half of my whole."
Garrett placed his lips on hers and mumbled, "The yin to your yang?"
"The Bert to my Ernie," she mumbled back.
Garrett's chuckle vibrated her lips. "Someone's been watching too much Sesame Street again."
She didn't get the chance to reply because he chose that moment to deepen their kiss, his tongue sliding down the length of hers, while his fingers tangled in her hair, loosening it from its confines. His kisses were like a drug—addictive and they made her feel so good.
After a few more spins around the dance floor, she remembered to ask, "So what's the next surprise?"
"There's one last thing I neglected to give you seven years ago."
Ali thought for a moment but came up blank. Shaking her head, she asked, "What?"
"A honeymoon."
≈≈≈≈
Garrett sat, lounging in the recliner, his dick growing unbearably hard as he watched his wife slowly walking up the steps, rising out of the pool. Hair slicked back. Water droplets shimmering on lightly tanned, smooth skin and sliding between the swells of her full, rounded tits. Nipped in waist, slightly rounded stomach, and flared hips. Killer fucking legs. She was any man's wet dream.
And she was all his.
God, he'd really screwed the pooch with the whole wedding thing. When he'd first found her diary and saw the wedding she'd dreamed about as a teen and knowing he'd gypped her out of the experience, his only thought had been to make her dream come true. Never in a million years had he thought his sneaking around and deceptions would lead her to believe he was having an affair, although in hindsight he supposed he should have. After all, if the shoe had been on the other foot, he would have suspected the same thing.
Though he wouldn't have handled it nearly as well.
Even after he'd realized where her mind had gone, he'd thought he had waylaid her fears. His mistake.
His thoughts were pulled back to his wife as she drew near, sauntering across the cement with a coy smile playing on her kissable lips. "Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
He hooked a finger over the frame of his sunglasses and slid them halfway down his nose, eyeing her over the top. "It's a dick in my shorts, and it's always happy to see you."
He loved her laugh and was treated to it now as she braced a hand on the lounger and leaned over him, water droplets falling from her onto his chest and stomach.
"Hav
e I told you today how beautiful it is here?"
He'd rented them a house in Maui for seven days. A day for every year they'd been married. Not nearly long enough as far as he was concerned, but he knew his wife, and seven days away from the kids was pushing it as it was.
"And have I told you today how beautiful you are?"
"I think you may have mentioned it earlier."
"Well, let me mention it again." He reached behind her neck and pulled the bow, untying her bikini top. The cups fell away, exposing her tits to his greedy eyes. "I wouldn't want to be neglectful." He palmed her breasts, squeezing, and she leaned into his touch with a moan.
"No one would ever accuse you of being neglectful." Her hands landed on his shoulders, and she straddled his hips, rubbing her pussy up and down his cock.
One of his hands roamed south, landing on her ass, squeezing a handful. "You're playing with fire, baby."
She leaned into him, finding his ear before whispering, "Then let's make an inferno."
Fuck. He didn't think he could get any harder, but her words left his dick throbbing. Grasping her under the arms, he stood, throwing her over his shoulder. "I think we need to cool off."
She shrieked as he tossed her into the deep end of the pool. Not a second later, he dove in after, swimming to her side, and catching her around the waist. Under the water, his hand found bikini bottoms, and he tugged them down her legs. "If I recall correctly, skinny dipping had been one of your fantasies."
He saw his wife's cheeks turn pink before she buried her face in his neck. "I can't believe you read my diary, that's so embarrassing."
He chuckled as he untied the last string on her bikini top and watched it float away. "What a dirty, dirty mind my teenage wife had."
Ali groaned. "Don't remind me."
He chuckled again. "Oh, I'm not only going to remind you, but we're also going to enact every one of your fantasies while we're here."
She leaned back raising her brows. "Every one?"
He smirked. "I even bought a pair of handcuffs and made sure the refrigerator was stocked with whipped cream."
He watched as she licked her lips. "And chocolate sauce?"
His smirk turned into a leer. "Yes."
"And what about vanilla ice cream?"
His leer turned into a frown. "That wasn't in the diary."
"Oh, I know. I'm just really craving an ice cream sundae, now."
She kicked away from him, swimming for the steps, calling over her shoulder. "Last one in the kitchen has to clean the dishes."
He didn't move from his spot. Instead, he enjoyed the view as his wife ran naked across the yard and into the house.
It was definitely a sight worth doing dishes for.
Author’s Note
First and foremost, a big, fat thank you to my readers. Without you, I would have given up on my dream. I honestly can't thank you enough.
My girls, Layla and Brynne, thank you for keeping me sane, having my back, and being such an important part of my life. May our streak never die.
JR and Carla, my alpha readers, the first people to read my words, thank you is not strong enough to impart how important you both are to me.
My betas, Nic, SB, and Nicole, your insights are invaluable, and I don't know what I would do without you.
And last but definitely not least, thank you to all bloggers for unselfishly taking the time to read, review and promote. XOXO