by Hart, Eve R.
I received a picture a few minutes later with a caption that said Laurel and Catherine say hi.
I silently oohed and awwed over the cute baby. Who was big, by the way. I could just see it now, she would have her mommy’s looks and her daddy’s height.
I turned off the lights except for the one in the front hall. Then I made my way upstairs.
I smiled as I made our new bed for the first time even though I had a feeling we wouldn’t be making it ours tonight.
I was okay with that.
After all, we had a lifetime ahead of us.
And so many different places he had promised to take me on.
Epilogue
Mouse
It may have been super fucking cheesy to say it, but life was amazing. More than I could have ever dreamed of. I had two great children and a beautiful, strong woman by my side. I mean, hell, my mind was blown every morning I woke up and looked down at Ingram in my arms.
We’d been in our house for three months. It took us about a month of that to get it set up to where we both said it felt right.
The walls had been painted all kinds of colors. Chry’s room was a cool grayish-blue, he picked that one out but it worked really well with everything that went in there. Sparrow’s room was dusty-rose and with the white accents, it was perfect. The main area was a cool gray that looked lighter in the day because of all of the light that filtered in through the windows.
Ingram surprised me by picking out a bright purple with a hint of pink to it for the bedroom. I wouldn’t lie, for some reason, that color made me think about sex even more than I did before. Which was crazy. She knew what she was doing, that was for sure.
There were art and family pictures on the walls. And the furniture matched in its own way. It worked for us and every time I came home, I felt a sense of warmth wrap around me.
My parents waited until we were settled to come down here. Ingram had been so nervous but I knew there was nothing to worry about. Mom and Dad knew the whole truth of everything that had gone on. Well, the generic story, anyway. They knew about Amber and Chry. They knew how crazy I was about Ingram and that Ingram was off the charts amazing.
And just like I suspected, my parents took to Ingram and Chry right away. Oh, and of course Sparrow. I felt a little left out during their visit but as long as everyone was happy, it was okay.
Ky and Chris offered up their now empty spare bedroom to my parents while they were down here. Mom fell in love with them instantly and it didn’t surprise me that she tried to include them in our dinners.
But what did surprise me was how my mom acted around Ky, being that he was a brother. She seemed to be a little more relaxed about the club life. It threw me for a good day because she’d dug her heels in my entire life. I wasn’t sure if she’d just given up and knew that this was where my dad and my life was or if something else had changed. Maybe she knew that she didn’t have much of a choice at this point, and that if she hoped to be in our lives as much as she wanted to be that she would have to accept it.
Hey, it was all working out in my favor, so I wasn’t going to question it.
I knew she loved me and my dad, so that was all that mattered.
“Okay, I think I’m ready,” Ingram’s voice called out right before I heard her heeled feet descend down the stairs.
Was it weird that I was nervous?
I mean, this was pretty much our first date.
And like I explained to her before, this was going to be special. No sandwich shop for us tonight.
I was, get this, wearing a pair of fitting gray slacks and a clinging button-up shirt. Yeah, crazy, right? But I’d do anything for her and making this night memorable was a must.
Chris and Ky had the kids for the night and I tried not to think about being away from them for the whole night too much. Ingram deserved this night and I wanted to give it to her.
I stood and went to the landing of the stairs as I waited for her to round the corner and come into view.
All the air left my lungs the moment I laid eyes on her.
A little giggle escaped her mouth as she stood at the mid-way landing looking down on me.
“You look…” she said but her words trailed off.
“Weird, right?” I smoothed my hands down the front of my shirt nervously.
“No,” she whispered as her head shook back and forth. Her smile was blinding. “Different, but not a bad kind of different.”
I held out my hand for her as she made her way down the last few steps to me.
I stepped back because I wasn’t done taking her in.
Her dress was… damn! A little more revealing than what she usually wore but still her. I got a hint of the swell of her breast, which was currently heaving with every breath that she took in. The hem showed a little more leg than what I was used to but I loved it. The color was a bright magenta and looked blinding against her skin tone.
She had put on a little more makeup than what she wore every day and I loved the tint of her sexy lips. And her hair was curled in big waves but still pulled away from her face.
“Do I look okay?” she asked and I could hear the shakiness in her voice like she wasn’t sure about it.
“Absolutely stunning,” I told her and leaned over to place a light kiss on her cheek so I didn’t mess up her lipstick.
I was one lucky fucker.
I took her to a fancy restaurant on the beach. We sat out on the deck and watched the waves roll in.
We laughed and talked, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her smile.
After dinner, we walked hand-in-hand down the beach. It was pretty romantic and I found myself loving it.
“I can’t wait,” she told me after I’d climbed into the SUV.
I’d had Ingram on my bike before and damn it felt so right. She loved to take rides with me around the beach when we got the chance. But tonight was not one for my bike though I knew she wouldn’t have minded. I knew she worked hard on putting herself together and I didn’t want her to worry over messing any of it up, especially her hair.
We were headed home, which wasn’t even ten minutes down the road. There I had plans of taking her in several spots all over the house.
But it seemed my woman couldn’t wait.
In fact, she was hitching up her dress and climbing over the console to straddle my lap.
“Ingram,” I said trying to make it come out like a warning, but it ended up sounding more like a pathetic plea. I knew there was no stopping this and suddenly I was thankful for the SUV with its tinted windows and doors and such.
Oh, yeah, I wasn’t going to tell her no.
“I’m wearing those panties,” she breathed into my ear and my hands didn’t hesitate to slip under her dress and go to her hips.
My fingers worked deftly to untie the strings. A second later, I was pulling her panties free.
This was a bad idea. We were sitting out in the open in the middle of a parking lot. There were a lot of cars around and someone could have walk by at any second.
Still, I couldn’t stop this.
She quickly worked the fly of my pants. Since my boxers looked strange under these pants, I didn’t have anything else on.
“Malcolm, you naughty man,” she said the moment she took notice of that and I tried to hold back my laugh.
Somehow, it was still sexy as fuck.
She helped me roll the condom down my throbbing shaft, which did nothing but make me feel like I needed to be inside her right fucking now.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned out as she sank down on me.
With my hands on her hips, I guided her up and down. I kissed her hard as I began thrusting up into her just as hard.
It didn’t take long to have me feeling like I couldn’t hold back any longer.
The windows were fogged up and I was pretty sure I heard an engine start up not too far away.
But did I care?
Nope.
“I love you, my Malcolm,” she pan
ted out as her body shook and her pussy clamped down on me.
I came with a grunt, my hips suspended in midair as I pumped everything I had in me into the condom.
“Fuck, I love you too, Ingram,” I told her right before I tangled my hand in her hair and pulled her lips to mine.
A car door slammed and we practically jumped apart.
A giggle escaped her mouth as she slid back into the passenger’s seat. I’d never get tired of hearing that sound.
She pulled the pack of baby wipes out of the glove box and handed one over to me before she took one for herself.
“Having kids does come in handy, I guess,” she said with a laugh.
I laughed with her as I tied the condom off and wrapped it up in the wipe.
“Here,” she said as she held open an old, empty to-go cup. I shook my head as I dropped the trash down into it. With a shrug, she closed the lid back up and set it down in the holder. “Don’t let me forget that.”
I laughed again.
“Home?” I asked her just to make sure there wasn’t anything else she wanted to do.
“Yes. I am not done with you yet.” She smiled at me. A sexy, mischievous smile that had me half hard in a second.
Oh, I wasn’t done with her either and I knew I’d never fucking be.
It was going to be a long night.
Hell, I wasn’t complaining.
I thought I had nailed the first date thing, for sure.
Ingram
I stood there in my cream dress feeling like a bundle of live nerves. I was buzzing with excitement and I couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off of my face. Sparrow was on my hip in a tiny dress that matched mine. She was so cute.
I glanced over at Mouse on the other side of the aisle and no surprise, his eyes were already on me. His smile grew the moment I met his eyes. I looked down to see Chry standing tall at Mouse’s side with his little hand in Mouse’s.
I didn’t have to look to know that Brand, Lake, and B-ry were all standing over on his side too.
The warm air whipped around my face and I deeply inhaled the salt air.
The ‘I dos’ would be coming soon and I couldn’t wait.
Our attention shifted as the crowd moved around, turning in their seats to see the wonderful couple walk down hand-in-hand like they’d decided to do.
Chris’ smile was blinding and I had never seen my brother look happier. Chris wore black slacks and a white button-up shirt that fit him snuggly, the top button undone to make it look more relaxed. My brother matched him, only he was wearing black jeans and a plain, white tee shirt. It worked on some level and was so perfectly them. They were so cute, though I’d never tell my brother that.
Oh, did you think this was my wedding? Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear.
Today, two of my favorite people were finally taking the plunge, or so I’d heard a few people say it that way.
And no, Mouse and I wouldn’t be following them.
I knew that some people wouldn’t understand my lack of need to get married. I guess to the outside world, it was strange.
Date, move in, get engaged, then married. And then maybe have kids. I had sort of learned that was usually the way it was supposed to go. Maybe in an ideal life.
Mouse and I had done it all out of order from the beginning so why change it now?
I was his.
He was mine.
And we both shared a son and a daughter.
That was all I needed.
I didn’t need a ring to show that he was mine. I didn’t need a piece of paper to hold him to me. And honestly, I didn’t really want it.
At first, I could tell Mouse didn’t get it but he never pushed me for anything. I suggested we change the kids’ last names and that seemed to make him happy.
We had the Solis-Ramsey children.
I took it a step further and changed mine to that too.
And Mouse surprised me one day when he came home and told me that he had jumped through the hoops and gotten his changed as well.
So now we were the Solis-Ramsey family.
And it was perfect. I felt complete. Whole. Like all I’d ever dreamed for.
We were mixed up but oh, so beautiful. And there wasn’t a second that went by that I didn’t feel surrounded by love.
All that said, it didn’t mean that I wasn’t happy for Chris and Ky. I was thrilled for them and excited to be here to share this day with them.
“Ky,” Chris started and the only sounds around were the slow rolling waves crashing in the background and the occasional seagull cheering them on. “It may have taken you a while but eventually you let me in. I’m so happy to be standing here, by your side today. I couldn’t have asked for more in life. I’m glad you stayed.”
“Chris.” My brother cleared his throat and I knew he was going to have to choke out the words that followed. It didn’t mean that he meant them any less, Ky wasn’t an overly emotional person. But I knew he wanted to do this for Chris. “You are everything I never knew I needed. You are the love I never knew I craved. I don’t know what I would do without your patience and kindness. What the hell, I love you, baby. Is there really more to say than that?”
There were soft chuckles all around, even from Chris, who looked like he expected nothing less from his man.
Forevers and love were promised. And the crowd finally wasn’t able to hold back a second longer. Honestly, I thought they’d done pretty well considering they could be a rowdy bunch most of the time. Whoops and cheers rose up in the air as Ky and Chris shared their first kiss as a married couple.
It might be weird to say that I watched and took this moment in so that I’d never forget it. And, yes, seeing my brother take Chris’ mouth like that was a bit disturbing, but there was so much love there that it warmed me all the way down to my toes.
I was so happy for my brother. He’d come a long way. And I was pretty sure everyone knew how I felt about Chris by now. I loved those two so much and they deserved this more than I could ever say.
The newlywed couple broke apart and raised their clasped hands in the air, then made their way back down the aisle. Mouse and I met in the middle and he didn’t hesitate to slip his hand into mine as we followed after Chris and Ky, our kids right there with us.
Everyone piled into their beach house after the short walk up the shore.
The day went by in a blur and soon turned into night. Everyone was having a good time celebrating and before long, we were saying our goodbyes.
Chris and Ky would be heading out the next morning. They didn’t have a destination in mind but I did know— to Chris’ uncertainty— they were riding out on Ky’s bike.
We’d see them in a week when they returned.
“What a day,” Mouse said once we had the kids down and were in our room getting more comfortable.
“Right? But it was so good.” I slipped my foot out of my sandal, happy that I didn’t have to wear heels. It sort of didn’t make sense with the beach wedding and all.
I felt him move behind me, his fingers going to the top of the zipper on my dress. His lips met the curve of my neck as he slowly pulled the zipper down and released me from my dress.
“I’m going to spend forever with you,” he whispered into my ear. “No matter what, I will be by your side.”
I smiled as I turned in his arms.
We may not have needed a wedding, but we had our own vows that we promised to each other. He told me this from time-to-time, just to make sure I’d never forget it.
“I’ve given you my heart,” I told him as my arms went around his neck. “Because I trust you to love and protect it always. And I promise to do the same for yours.”
He kissed me then, like he had been waiting a million years to do so.
Mouse
“Row! Dammit, Row, get your ass back here,” I yelled out but there was no stopping the sixteen-year-old as she took off across the lot in the direction of the two newest prospects. One of the
m being her brother, Chry. The other one being his best friend and guy that couldn’t take his eyes off my little girl whenever she was around. “Sparrow!” I called out to no avail.
Ingram had the nerve to chuckle beside me.
I blew out a harsh breath and silently cursed at the sky.
“You can’t stop love,” Ingram said causing me to cut my eyes over at her. This only made her laugh harder.
“She’s too damn young,” I grumbled.
“Everyone has to get their heart broken, right?” She fluttered her eyes at me.
“You didn’t,” I pointed out. Sure I might have had a few moments of bad judgment and hurt her more than words could say. But she’d told me once that she knew the truth in her heart the entire time and that I had only cracked it a little. I had mended it and had taken care of her heart in the end, and I still was.
“Then maybe she won’t either,” she pointed out and my lips flattened into a thin line because I couldn’t argue with that.
“She’s still too damn young.” It was a lame comeback and I knew it.
She wrapped her arms around my waist as we watched what was going on across the lot. Sparrow had her back to us but by the way her body moved I could tell she was trying her hardest to flirt with the prospect. To his credit, he was a mask of stone. As if he sensed my hard gaze on him, he snapped his eyes in my direction. A second later, he turned on his heels and walked away from her. But I knew he wouldn’t be going far, more than likely going to brood in the corner all the while keeping his eyes on Sparrow.
These kids were giving me gray hairs. Chry was sharp as a whip. Never missed a thing. But he was quiet most of the time and didn’t cause too much trouble. Sparrow though, she came out fighting and hasn’t stopped since. She liked to push buttons and was so damn hard headed. The only thing that helped me sleep at night was the fact that I knew she wasn’t reckless. Or at least so far. Sometimes she’d get something in her mind and there was no way of talking her out of it, but when it came down to it, she knew how to make the right call at the end of the day.