218 First Hugs

by E. L. Todd

  “I promise.” Her tears clung to my neck and slipped underneath my shirt. She pulled her face away and kissed me on the mouth, her soft lips feeling incredible against mine. My tongue detected the salt from her tears, and that made me need to possess her even more.

  I never wanted her to cry again.

  I would never make her cry again.

  “Blade, I love you… I love you more than I could understand.”

  My hand cupped her cheek, and I forced her gaze on me.

  “I was scared…just like you said.”

  “Are you scared now?” I whispered.

  “No. Never again.”

  I finally kissed her, knowing this woman was now a part of me. She was beautiful, strong, and passionate. She was my other half, and I never thought my other half could be so magnificent. I would love her every day for the rest of my life.

  And make her a part of my family.

  21

  Bree

  “Have you heard from Blade?” I grabbed the ball off the sand and threw it as hard as I could. Dino was so fast that it wasn’t worth his time to go short distances. He would just be back with the ball in two seconds. So I had to launch it far and into the edge of the water so he had to combat the waves to get his toy.

  It kept him in shape.

  “No,” Cypress said. “He hasn’t been at work all day, so I assume he’s getting laid—a lot.”

  “Ooh…he’s living the dream.”

  “Yep. We would know.” Cypress walked beside me and displayed a handsome grin. The sun was hitting his face perfectly, showing off his tanned skin and chiseled face. He’d just shaved, so more of his beautiful skin was visible.

  “True.”

  Dino was back in a heartbeat and dropped the ball at my feet. “Geez, he’s too fast. It’s like he’s still a puppy.”

  Cypress snatched the ball and threw it farther than I did, getting some distance so Dino would tire out. “It’ll be years before he slows down. By then, we’ll have kids. So the timing will be good.”

  When he spoke of the future in that context, it didn’t bother me anymore. Having a son who shared his likeness would make me happy. Starting a family and letting our love grow like flowers in a garden was a dream come true. “Yeah…” Cypress and I had a routine for our daily lives, but its predictability was wonderful. I loved waking up to his face in the morning, making love when we were still half asleep, and then heading off to the business we both owned. After work, we took turns making dinner then we spent the evening in front of the fire, talking or watching TV. At night, we made love again then went straight to sleep.

  To some people, it might seem boring.

  But I loved it.

  Dino was back once again.

  Cypress threw the ball. “That dog is buff.”

  “I couldn’t run like that if I tried.”

  “That’s not true. You ran that marathon.”

  “But I didn’t sprint it,” I countered.

  Cypress chuckled then grabbed my hand. Like some of the other couples along the beach, we strolled along like two people in love and enjoying the sunset. When we reached the far right of the beach, the sun was just about to dip behind the ocean. Watching the sun disappear over the horizon was something I would never get tired of. It was a wonderful sight, witnessing the change of daylight to evening.

  Dino came back with the ball and dropped it at our feet. But he took a seat, his tongue hanging out as he caught his breath.

  I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched the refracted light meet my eyes. The sun was gone, but the rays still penetrated across the sky. “Isn’t that amazing?”

  Cypress was silent.

  He wasn’t standing beside me, so I turned around, expecting him to tower over me with his extra foot in height.

  But he was on one knee.

  With an open box in his hand.

  `Along with a diamond ring.

  My eyes started at the glorious diamond, and I lost my breath. All logical thought died inside my brain. I stared at the man I loved as he kneeled before me, asking me to marry him even though he’d already asked me this once before. “Cypress…”

  “Marry me.”

  I cupped my mouth as the tears started. They dripped down my face and stuck to my hand. “Oh my god.”

  He grabbed my elbow and dragged my left hand down so he could slide the ring onto my finger. It was a princess-cut diamond, and it was more beautiful than anything I ever could have imagined. “How much longer are you going to make me wait?”

  “Yes!” I charged into his body and fell to the sand so I could wrap my arms around him. I ended up knocking him over, but he laughed so I knew it was okay. He took the hit as we fell, and he rolled over onto his back so I could be on top of his chest. When he looked up at me, he didn’t just wear an expression of love. It was joy mixed with relief, and I knew exactly why.

  “Thanks for marrying me—again.”

  “Thanks for asking—again.”

  He cupped my face and kissed me. “I’d ask you as many times as you wanted—if you always said yes.”

  * * *

  We skipped our dinner reservations and went straight home, no longer hungry because we were both high on joy. We kept Dino downstairs and headed to our bedroom. Piece by piece, our clothes slipped off and fell to the floor. When I only wore my ring, we were both in bed, our naked bodies tangled together.

  Cypress’s heavy mass sank me into the mattress, and he pressed his hips between my thighs, forcing them to fall open as he pressed his cock against my folds. His length rubbed against me, feeling the slick stickiness that my body produced en masse.

  My hands explored his chest as I looked directly into his face, seeing the masculine tension in his corded neck. His blue eyes were hypnotic but also hard as a glacier of ice. His look was hot enough to burn me, make me melt quicker than a pat of butter on the stove top.

  His black ring sat on his left hand, the place where it belonged and never left. Since he’d moved in, I’d never seen him remove it. When he went to bed, he didn’t put it on his nightstand. When he took a shower, it was still on his finger. Now he wore it as he held himself on top of me, the metal touching the skin along my rib cage.

  He grabbed the base of his cock and guided the head inside me, meeting my soaking wet pussy and sliding inside.

  I was so wet. At least I didn’t have to be embarrassed since this was my husband.

  He slid entirely inside and absorbed my tightness with a gentle moan.

  “Cypress…” I just fell in love with him more. My hands gripped his back, and I felt the metal of my band dig into his skin. It was the same ring I’d worn for years, but now it felt old and new at the exact same time.

  “Wife.” He pressed his face to mine and rocked into me.

  “Husband…”

  He moaned at the sound of the title, the use of the word turning him on. He rocked the bed harder, crashing my metal headboard into the wall. He picked up speed and moved faster, fucking me hard before he fucked me slow.

  Our lips moved together, and our breaths were synced. When he moaned, I did too. When the sweat collected on his body, it collected on mine. We grabbed each other, our lips breaking apart and then coming together again. I could feel his definitive hardness as he swelled inside me, ready to give me his seed the second I was ready to collect it.

  My tits shook up and down with his movements, my nipples hard and rubbing against his body. My legs were wide apart, and I shifted them wider still, wanting all of that cock—balls deep.

  Cypress folded my body so he could get deeper, wanting to plunge his desire inside me fully. He pushed through my slick tightness, stretching me wide open and making me feel full like every husband should make his wife feel.

  I pressed my face against his chest and saw my diamond catch the light, watch it glitter in the minimal light. It was more than just a pretty ring, but the sign of our eternal commitment. I just wished I’d worn it as long as he
wore his.

  I didn’t want to come right away, but I couldn’t fight it anymore. I breathed into his face and let out a scream that shook the walls. “Oh god…Cypress.”

  He pumped into me harder, grinding his body against my clit and making me writhe until my orgasm hit its peak then began to pass. Our bodies smacked together as we moved, and the slick sounds our wet bodies made heightened the sex.

  I wanted him to keep pleasing me, but I wanted to please my husband. “I want you to come inside me. Give it to me.”

  He moaned before he released, giving me all of his come—mounds of it.

  My nails dug into his arms, and I locked my ankles around his waist, keeping him sheathed inside me so I could absorb all of his come. It felt so good to have his seed inside, heavy and warm.

  Cypress caught his breath when he finished but didn’t pull out of me.

  “How much come can you stuff inside me tonight?” My hands moved up his chest and to his shoulders.

  “We’re about to find out.”

  * * *

  When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was alone.

  It was just me and Dino.

  Cypress was nowhere to be seen. When I touched his side of the bed, the sheets were cold, so he’d been gone for a while. I sat up in bed, and Dino’s eyes perked at the shift in the mattress. “Cypress?” If he were downstairs, he would hear me.

  No response.

  I reached for my phone on the nightstand to call him but saw a note instead.

  It was from him.

  * * *

  Sweetheart,

  Put on your wedding dress and meet me at the Perry House at 5. I’ll be waiting for you.

  Happy Anniversary.

  Love,

  Your Husband

  * * *

  I read the note again and realized it was Halloween. How could I have forgotten? I jumped out of bed and found my wedding dress hanging in the center of the closet. It had just been pressed because it didn’t have a single wrinkle. The bottom was absent of dirt too, which told me someone had dry-cleaned it.

  “Oh my god…” I was getting married today.

  It was my wedding day.

  The front door opened and closed downstairs. I could hear it because the acoustics were crazy in this house. “Cypress?”

  “No.” My sister’s voice reached me from downstairs. Her feet tapped against the hardwood floor as she made her way up to me. “It’s me.” She stepped inside, in a purple gown with her hair pulled back. “You got his note.”

  “I did…” I looked her up and down. “You look beautiful. Is that—”

  “Yep. It’s the bridesmaid dress you picked out.”

  “You still have it?”

  “Like I’d ever throw this away.” She extended her arms to me and hugged me. “I’m so excited for you, Bree.”

  “That means there’s gonna be a wedding?”

  “Yeah.” Amelia pulled away and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Cypress and the rest of us started planning a long time ago. I’ve invited everyone that came to the wedding last time. All of your bridesmaids are here, the food is exactly the same, the flowers are the same…everything is the same.”

  Speechless, all I could do was cry. The tears started immediately and streaked down my face like rain on a windowpane. “That’s…I can’t even…”

  “If you still have doubts about Cypress, you need to forget them.”

  “I don’t.”

  She held up my hand and looked at the ring. “Still as beautiful as I remember…”

  “It’s gorgeous. I love it.”

  “Cypress did a good job, but I helped him pick it out.”

  “It all makes sense…”

  “Well, you need to start getting ready. We’ve gotta do your hair, your makeup, and you’ve got to eat something.”

  “Do I need to help with anything—”

  “We’ve got it covered, alright? You just worry about enjoying the happiest day of your life.”

  * * *

  All of my girls were there, friends from high school and college. They didn’t ask about my memory issue, obviously caught up and aware of the whole thing. Lily and Rose were the flower girls, and Blade looked handsome in his suit and purple tie. He was one of my bridesmaids, along with the rest of my girls.

  I hadn’t seen Cypress yet, and my heart was doing somersaults. I wanted the wedding to start as soon as possible so I could see him. It had only been a day since I was in his arms, but I missed him.

  I missed him like crazy.

  My distant relatives, friends, and family were all there. His parents were there too, and I met them for the first time when I was getting ready. But they didn’t greet me like a stranger. They greeted me like I was already their daughter.

  Amelia grabbed me after I said hello to a few other friends and pulled me to the side. “The photographer is ready for your first look. Cypress is there.”

  I remembered the story he’d told me, but I’d just assumed I would see him after I walked down the aisle. But seeing him alone made sense, in front of the brown door with the beautiful ivy hanging down.

  The moment was finally here.

  Amelia guided me outside, and a few of the wedding guests spotted me, all waving and smiling. We walked up the street and turned the corner, and fifty feet away stood Cypress. His back was turned to me, his shoulders broad and powerful in his navy blue suit. His hands were held at his sides, and he stared farther up the road.

  Both photographers were there, waiting to snap our pictures.

  Amelia dropped her hand from my shoulder. “Walk up behind him and tap him on the shoulder when you’re ready.”

  “Okay…”

  Amelia smiled before she walked away.

  Now it was just Cypress and me. The photographers were ready, but I didn’t notice them off to the side. They blended in with the road, unseen. I slid my hands down the front of my dress, suddenly unable to breathe. The fabric was restricting because the panic was rising. I looked down at myself, tested my heels, and then walked forward.

  The hill had a slight include, so I picked up my dress and walked twenty feet until I was close to him. When I got there, the tears started to fall. I’d experienced this moment before, years ago. All of this had already happened. I wore this dress, and he wore that suit. The sun was out and the sky was clear; the breeze smelled the same.

  I couldn’t believe he’d done this for me.

  I stopped because I needed to get a hold of myself. I didn’t want him to look at my red and blotchy face. I wanted him to see a beautiful bride. I grounded myself and forced myself to stop crying, to just feel happiness.

  I stepped forward when I had pulled myself together.

  But then I started to cry again.

  Forget it.

  I came closer to him until I stood right behind him. I knew he could hear me because I was making such noise with my shoes and tears. I stared at the center of his back, watching it rise and fall with his deep breaths. He seemed to be calm, while I was nothing but a mess.

  I finally pressed my face to his back and rested my hand on his shoulder.

  He paused for an instant before he turned around.

  Tears were in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. Once he looked at me, his bottom lip quivered slightly. There wasn’t just happiness in his eyes, but overwhelming love and affection. He looked at me like I was the only woman in the world, the one person he’d been waiting for his entire life.

  I cried harder.

  My arms moved around his waist just as he brought me close to him.

  That’s when I noticed the stain on the front of his suit. It was tan, the same color as my foundation.

  He watched my gaze. “That’s your makeup…from our wedding. We were standing right here when you did it. You hugged me and cried, and that’s when you marked it. You loved it so much you asked me to never wash it…and I haven’t.”

  My fingertips felt the material, noticing
how dry it was because it had happened so long ago. “Cypress…”

  He brought me into his chest and buried his face in my neck. He breathed hard with me, the emotion overcoming him just the way it did with me. I had always hoped my husband would cry on our wedding day—and he did.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you more,” he said back.

  We held each other until we both stopped crying. Cypress meant the world to me because he’d never given up on me. He was always committed to me, always the best husband in the world. He could have walked away from me a long time ago, but he never did.

  He was fully exonerated in my eyes.

  “Thank you for giving this to me,” I whispered. “For letting me experience everything that I lost.”

  “I promised I would help you remember. And I keep my promises.”

  I moved my face in front of his so I could look him in the eye, moisture pooling on the surface just like mine. “You never gave up on me…”

  His fingers moved underneath my chin so he could keep my gaze locked on him. “Till death do us part.”

  A smile crept onto my lips even though my eyes were still damp with tears. My mascara was running, and I got another blot of foundation on the front of his suit. My fingers felt the stain, the foundation sticking to my fingertips. There were so many things I wanted to say that I couldn’t get past my lips. How could I express everything that I felt in such a short amount of time? All I knew was we were in this together—forever. “Till death do us part.”

  Epilogue

  Bree

  I walked downstairs and found Dino’s leash in a drawer. “I’m gonna take Dino on a walk. He’s been restless today.”

  Cypress was sitting on the couch playing a video game. His headset was on because he was playing with Blade online. “I’ll be right back.” He pulled the headset off and paused the game. “You’re going now?”