There was nothing I loved more than making love to Calloway.
He looked into my eyes as he made love to me, treated me like I was the only woman that ever mattered. There was no one before me, and there would be no one after me. He grabbed my right hand and pinned it to the mattress, his fingers interlocked with mine.
“Calloway…” I wanted this to last forever because it felt so incredible. Three weeks of no sex was a trial for our relationship. Every time we had the urge, we had to do something else not to risk his stitches ripping. But now we could do exactly what we wanted.
“Sweetheart.” He rocked into me on the bed as his lips moved to the corner of my mouth. He kissed me as his fingers played with my ring. Slowly, he pulled it off altogether.
I didn’t ask what he was doing because I didn’t really care. All I cared about was the connection between us in that moment, the way we moved together. I wanted to do this every night for the rest of my life.
Calloway grabbed my left hand and slipped the ring onto my left ring finger. He stopped rocking into me as he held my gaze.
I felt the ring with my thumb, noting how strange it felt on the opposite hand. I didn’t know what he was doing, but once I saw the intensity of his gaze, everything hit me. I knew exactly what he was doing.
I knew exactly what was coming.
“Marry me.” All he said were two simple words. He didn’t ask me. He just commanded me, like he wasn’t giving me the option to say no. “I don’t want to go another day wasting our potential. I don’t ever want to be with another woman. I want us to be together—and never be apart.”
I stared into the face of the man I loved, knowing he’d meant something to me since the first day I saw him. I slapped him in that bar because I was furious. But once he asked me my name, the room turned silent. I’d felt the heat in my body when he asked for my name. When I saw him later at that dinner, I knew I couldn’t let him go.
And now we were so much more.
Our relationship was a road of heartache, but we overcame the bumps. We weren’t exactly what I wanted, but I knew I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d only fallen in love one time—and that was with Calloway. I’d only been with one guy, but I didn’t need to be with others to know I’d found the right one.
He was the one.
The tears burned in my eyes and quickly dripped down my face. I saw the same emotion in his eyes even if they didn’t water. He knew what my answer was without waiting for me to give it. “There’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with.”
He kissed me as he rocked into me again, making love to me on the same bed where he took my virginity. Now we clung to each other in a different way than we did before, not just out of desperation, but out of love. “Mrs. Calloway Owens…I like it.”
“I love it.”
“I’m gonna call you that every day.”
I grabbed his hips and pulled him farther into me. “You better.”
23
Calloway
“You’re engaged?” Jackson asked over the phone. “For real?”
“Yep.” I sat in the same office chair I had since the day I opened Humanitarians United. I looked out the window and over the city, knowing this was the very office where I’d been shot. But no bullet was going to keep me from where I belonged. “I asked her last night.”
“Wow…you’re getting married.”
“Yep.”
“You know I’m happy for you. I just…I’m surprised. You made it sound like you were gonna wait awhile.”
“Yeah, I was going to. Changed my mind…” My black ring still sat on my right hand, but once I was married, I intended to switch it over to my left hand. I didn’t want to wear any other ring for the rest of my life. I may have worn it with Isabella, but it meant something completely different with Rome.
“Why?”
“Almost dying changes your perspective on things.” I’d always been a selfish and stubborn man. If someone had told me I was going to let me myself bleed out and die to save a woman, I wouldn’t have believed it. But Rome was special to me. She was my whole world. “I almost lost her to Hank…almost lost everything. I love her, I want to be with her, and that’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, I can understand that. Well, congrats.”
“Thanks.”
“When’s the big day? Are you gonna do a huge wedding with every figurehead in New York?”
No. Not my style. “We’ll do something small. Something private.”
“I’m invited, right?”
“Shut the hell up.” I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see my face.
“So…does that mean I’m invited?”
“Yes, idiot.”
“Oh, good. Because I was gonna come regardless.”
I eyed my watch and knew I needed to get back to work. “I’ll talk to you later, alright? I need to get back to work.”
“More like fuck your fiancée in your office.” He hung up.
I chuckled then returned the phone to the base. I got to work and focused on my emails, trying not to think about the beautiful woman down the hallway…who was going to be my wife.
Holy shit, I was going to have a wife.
If you’d said that to me a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I was going to be someone’s husband.
Damn.
A few minutes later, a light knock sounded on the door before Rome stepped inside. She looked just as beautiful as she did that morning. The ring I gave her sat on her left hand, a black diamond that made an unusual engagement ring. But it fit her—it fit us. “Hey.” She tucked her hair behind her ear as she walked up to my desk.
“Hey.” I looked her up and down, liking the curves of her body.
“So…this is hard for me to say, so I’m just gonna say it.”
That was basically a death sentence. Was she reconsidering marrying me? Did I do something to push her away? Everything seemed perfect, so I had no idea what the problem was. “Okay…”
“My birth name is Lisa. I changed it the day I ran away.”
Now that I knew what this was about, I stopped breathing. I knew she had a secret, something she’d never felt comfortable telling me about. But now she was coming clean—without my asking her to.
“The man who adopted Christopher and me was a pedophile. Adoption agencies usually have foolproof techniques to make sure kids are going to great homes, but this guy was too smart for that. When I was sixteen, he started making his moves. He would force me to lie down while he jerked off—”
“I don’t want to know.” I thought I was prepared for this information, but I would never be prepared for it. I had to walk in on a man trying to rape my woman. I couldn’t handle any more of this bullshit. Now that she was mine, she would never have to worry about being treated like that again. “I’m sorry…I can’t handle it.”
“I understand,” she said quietly. “Long story short, he wasn’t a good guy. I ran away as soon as I turned eighteen and moved in to an apartment next to the university I’d secretly applied to. I didn’t start class for a few months, but that’s where I stayed—with Christopher. I changed my name, so my school application was updated. I knew he would try to find me, and changing my name was the only way to ensure my safety.”
Now I needed his name—because I was going to kill him. “Has he bothered you ever since?”
“No. Haven’t heard anything from him.”
Maybe that asshole was already dead.
“So…that’s the truth. The only reason why I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want to talk about it. I wanted a fresh start. I didn’t want to drag my past everywhere I went.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Now that I knew the truth, I felt like a jackass for sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. “You don’t need to discuss it anymore.”
“Okay…I just want to forget about it.”
“Absolutely.”
“I prefer Rome. So please don’
t call me Lisa.”
That was all I’d ever known her as. I liked her name. “I like it better anyway. What made you pick it?”
She shrugged. “I was eighteen at the time, full of hopes and dreams.”
I nodded for her to continue.
“Historians say Rome was the greatest empire in the world. I guess I wanted to be strong like the greatest historical government. It’s stupid…but that’s what I was thinking.”
“No, it’s not stupid,” I whispered. “It fits you perfectly.”
A small smile came onto her lips. “Thanks…”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“No secrets between spouses, right?” she asked.
I nodded. “No secrets.”
“Well…I’ll let you get back to work.” She walked to the door, her hips swaying as she moved.
“Sweetheart?”
“Hmm?” She looked at me over her shoulder.
“When do you wanna marry me?”
The mention of the wedding made her smile brighter. “As soon as possible.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I was thinking something small, something intimate.”
“Me too.” She leaned against the door with her hair pulled over one shoulder.
“City Hall?”
She shook her head. “More personal than that.”
“Where do you want to get married?”
“There’s this church that I love on Fifth…”
I wasn’t a big fan of churches, but I wouldn’t deny the woman I loved what she wanted. “I’ll make some calls.”
“Really?” she whispered.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
She smiled wide, the love reaching her eyes. “I’m a very lucky woman.”
She was the one who saved my life. I was the lucky one. “I think we’re both pretty lucky.”
“Cheers.” Christopher raised his wineglass, and we clinked our glasses together.
“Cheers.” Jackson downed his scotch because he wasn’t refined enough for wine.
“I’m happy for my sister.” Christopher clinked his glass against hers. “She deserves the best, and I think Calloway is the best.” He turned to me next. “Calloway…I think you’re making a huge mistake, but I don’t think you’re gonna listen to my advice.”
I chuckled. “Not a chance.”
Christopher drank his wine before he set it down. “You’re gonna have to tell me what you want for your wedding because I’m not good with gifts.”
“You don’t need to get us anything,” Rome said. “The wedding will be tiny.”
“Just the four of us,” I said. “Next Saturday.”
“What about Mom?” Jackson asked.
Christopher didn’t know anything about my mom as far as I knew. I didn’t want to discuss it in front of him, but he was bound to find out anyway. There was nothing to be embarrassed of. He’d had a hard life, just the way I did. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t you want her there?” Jackson asked.
“I don’t think she could handle that since she doesn’t remember anything.” Even if my mother could come and enjoy the day, she would never remember it. The next morning, it would be like it never happened.
“I think she should be there,” Rome said. “I’m sure we can figure out a way to make it work. It would mean a lot to me if she was there.”
I locked eyes with Rome, the woman who only wanted the best for me. She’d been by my side since the beginning, going to visit my mom even on days when I didn’t want to be there. She was my rock—and she understood my pain.
“So, does this mean I’m the maid of honor?” Christopher asked as he cringed. “Because I’m not really the girly type.”
“You just have to stand there,” Rome said. “And not say something stupid.”
Christopher laughed before he took a drink. “Can’t promise anything, sis.”
“I’m the best man, right?” Jackson asked.
“I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.” I fist-bumped Jackson across the table.
He smiled and fist-bumped me back. “Thanks, man.”
“I’m happy for you guys,” Christopher said. “You guys have had your ups and downs…a lot of them. But I think this is gonna last forever. I can see that you really love each other. If you ask me, that’s all you really need.”
“Aw,” Rome whispered. “That was sweet, Christopher.”
He shrugged. “I’m a big softy. Don’t tell anyone.”
“We’ll keep it between the four of us,” I said. “No one else needs to know you’re a pussy.”
Rome turned her fiery gaze on me. “Calloway.”
“Come on, he knows I’m kidding,” I said. “We’re brothers so I have to tease him.”
“He’s got a point, Rome,” Christopher said. “And as brothers, it’s my job to get him back. And I will.”
I gave him a slight nod. “Bring it on, bro.”
Rome walked inside with her wedding dress covered in a thick plastic bag that blocked my view.
I couldn’t wait to see it—and then rip it off. “How’d it go?”
“The woman did some alterations, and now it fits perfectly.” She opened the hallway closet and gently placed the dress inside.
“I’m sure it looks stunning on you.” I walked to her in the entryway then circled my arms around her. Her hips were a perfect place to rest my arms as I held her petite waist.
“You’d say that if I were just in a thong.”
“And I would mean it.” I kissed her on the mouth and felt the heat scorching through my veins. Even a simple kiss, a closed-mouth one, still got me hard. My hands moved to her ass, and I gripped her cheeks. I wanted to fuck her right against the wall, to claim her as my woman for the thousandth time.
Rome pressed her hands to my chest and stepped away. “I think we should wait until tomorrow.”
What the hell was she talking about? “Wait for what?”
“You know, wait until after the wedding to have sex.”
My eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“It’ll make it more special.”
“It’ll already be special,” I said with a growl.
“Come on, Calloway.” She moved back into my chest and rested her forehead against mine.
We’d already screwed before marriage, so why did we have to wait now? But if it was important to her, I suppose I could wait one more day. “After we say I do, I’m in charge, alright?”
“Fine by me.” She looked up at me, smiling now that she was getting her way.
“And that means lots of sex.”
“I’m not gonna argue with you.”
“Good. Because we both know you’d lose every argument.” I kissed her again, and when the feel of her tongue made me harder, I pulled away. If I couldn’t get any action, there was no point in torturing myself.
“So, do you want to go see your mom today?”
I knew it was going to come up at some point. “I don’t know…probably just bum me out.”
“I think she should be there.”
“Even if I talked to her today and tell her who I am, she’s not gonna remember tomorrow.”
When Rome bowed her head, I knew she agreed with me. If my mother had other problems, we could make it work. But if she never remembered anything from the previous day, no progress would ever be made. “I’ll stop by and see her before the wedding. It only takes me five minutes to get ready anyway.”
“Yeah…that would be nice. I would go too but—”
“We shouldn’t see each other before the wedding.” I wasn’t a traditional kind of guy, but I understood the basics. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure? We could see her afterward.”
“I know exactly what I want to do after the wedding—and it’s not visit my mother.” I placed a kiss on her forehead and stepped away. “We’re leaving for our honeymoon, and nothing is getting in the way of
that.”
Rome couldn’t contain her excitement. She pressed her lips tightly together like she was trying to stop herself from letting out a scream. Her eyes were nearly double in size so that was a dead giveaway. “Drinks on the beach and visits to the spa…”
“And lots of lovemaking in our bungalow.” I was taking Rome to the Caribbean, where we would be staying in our private bungalow over the water. The privacy would allow me to stare at her tits while she swam in our own pool.
“It’s gonna be amazing.” She moved into my body and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too.” I wasn’t just excited for the awesome trip we were about to take. I was excited that I was sharing my life with this incredible woman. When I was old and gray, I wouldn’t have to sit on a balcony alone and stare out into the gardens. I would be surrounded by my wife and kids—my world.
24
Calloway
I walked onto the patio in my suit and tie. My shoes were shiny because they were brand-new, and I’d ordered this custom suit for our special occasion. I wouldn’t wear it again after today. Like a woman with her wedding dress, I would hang it up in my closet and keep it for sentimental reasons.
I didn’t care if that made me a pussy.
I took a seat with my mom, the same paperback tucked under my arm. She looked exactly the same way she did every other day. Her hair was short and curled, and she’d lengthened her eyelashes to make them thick and long. She wore a white blouse with dark jeans, looking just as classy as she did when she still retained her memory.
I introduced myself for the zillionth time.
She eyed my tie, her eyes focusing on the silk fabric. “You look very handsome, Calloway. A little dressed up to visit an old woman like me.”
I smiled. “You don’t look old to me, Theresa.” One of these days, I would slip up and accidentally call her Mom. I wondered what her reaction would be.
“You’re a sweet, man. What’s today?”
“Saturday.”
“You’re dressed like that and spending the day with some woman on a Saturday?” She chuckled. “Boy, you need to get a life.”
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