I nodded. I got that from him.
“So now, here you are. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that he found someone decent. You’d think that someone like him wouldn’t have a problem finding somebody real to love. But the ironic thing is, his looks and his wealth have always made it harder for him to find someone good.” She shook her head, and looked at her hands. “You seem normal, though. Mom loves you, so that’s something.”
“Well, thanks for the support,” I said, not sure if she really was giving her support.
“Listen, Iris, I don’t want to be harsh here. But he’s my baby brother, and I was never able to protect him when we were younger. I look out for him now. He thinks you hang the moon.” She smoothed her platinum blonde hair. “He would be devastated if you ever left him. But if you don’t sign a prenup, then there would be insult added to injury.”
“It’s not a big deal. I don’t care about money, and never have.”
“Yeah, but you know the good life now. Private planes, red diamonds,” she said. “Do you really think you can just go back to the way you were before? In a tiny apartment, working a job you hate?”
I was somewhat stunned that she knew so much about me. I guessed that she and Ryan were closer than I thought.
“I don’t see why not. I got along fine for 33 years.”
“You’re so naïve.” She called for Cori, who came bounding into the den. “Take Cori, here. He’s a rescue dog. Lived on the end of a chain for the first two years of his life. It was the only life he was used to, so I guess he was ok. Now he lives with me. I baby him, take him everywhere with me, let him sleep in our bed.” I made a face at that one – that huge thing sharing their bed? “It’s a king-sized bed,” she continued. “Hate to say it, but I like this dog more than my husband most of the time,” she said with a chuckle. “And my kids for that matter.” She threw her arms around Cori’s neck, and he licked her face. “Anyhow, imagine if poor Cori had to go back to living on a chain. I’d think he’d be devastated.”
“So, you think I’m like your dog.”
“In a sense. Not literally, of course. I’m just saying that you have a taste of the good life. I would think that living in a tiny apartment, just getting by, would be tragic to you now.”
“I’m not going to worry about that. Ryan and I are very much in love. There’ll be no divorce.”
“Yes, of course. That’s what they all say. ‘We’re in love, nothing will happen.’ Trust me, shit happens. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t have so many high-priced divorce lawyers.” Taking another sip of her brandy, she continued. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you left with nothing if you and Ryan break up. I just don’t want you taking advantage of him.”
“Give me the papers. I’ll sign them.”
“Don’t be silly. There are no papers yet. But make no mistake, I’m going to exert my will on him to make sure that there’re papers drawn, and that you’re forced to sign them. It’s bad enough that you own half this house.” She shook her head. “My idiot brother. I can never understand why he does what he does.” She shrugged. “Then again, he doesn’t get me, either, all the time.”
“Not a problem. I’ll sign whatever.”
“Nothing personal, of course.”
“Of course.”
Later on, I was alone in the den. Well, not entirely alone. Cori, Maximus and Brutus were all snoring loudly beside me. I was sitting on the floor with them, my back against the sofa. I wanted January Jones, I mean Sarah, and Ryan to bond some. So, I got out of their way.
I heard loud shouting, though, coming from the living room.
“Goddamn it, Sarah, I’m not going to do it! Now leave me the hell alone!”
“Fine. You want that girl to take everything you got, then go right ahead. Be a dumbshit.”
“She wouldn’t do that. She’s not like that.”
“God, you’ve always been so stupid when it comes to women. Wake up. She’s not a saint. She had nothing before she met you, and, trust me, she won’t want to go back to that. She’ll take you to the cleaners, just like Alexis tried to.”
“I had a prenup with Alexis.” Ryan wasn’t shouting anymore, but was talking loudly.
“Good. You see - if you didn’t have a prenup with her, she would've taken you even more to the cleaners.”
“Iris isn’t Alexis.”
“They all turn into Alexis when enough money is involved.”
I peeked out the den door. They were now in the kitchen. They weren’t shouting anymore. Sarah was getting a jug of milk out, and was pouring a glass for her and Ryan.
“So, tell me what the problem is. Why’d you give a prenup to Alexis, but won’t with this girl?”Sarah asked, taking a sip of her milk.
“This is going to sound silly and romantic.”
“You’ve always been silly and romantic. Go on.”
“Iris is my soul mate. Alexis wasn’t, and I never felt that she was. That’s all.”
Sarah started laughing hysterically.
“What?” Ryan asked.
“Your soul mate. Oh, lord. Mama raised a fool.”
“Ha, ha. Mama didn’t raise me, remember?”
“Then Nick’s mama raised a fool. I got something for ya. There’s no such thing as a soul mate. Now, don’t be ridiculous, and get to a lawyer’s pronto.”
“No. The answer is no, and that’s that. My foot’s going down.”
“Suit yourself. But when you guys break up a few years from now, and Iris is suddenly this greedy harridan who wants everything, don’t come crying to me.”
“Won’t happen. We’re in this for the long haul.”
“Right. That’s what every person in love says. They’re in it for the long haul, until they’re not. Be an idiot. What do I care? It’s just that I helped you pick up the pieces every time that other witch pulled her crazy stunts. Every.time. I won’t be there for you this time. You can handle your shit on your own.”
“Thanks, Sarah. What a great, supportive sister you are.”
“You don’t take my sound advice, then you’re on your own, buddy.”
“You really are manipulative, aren’t you?”
“What,” she said with a shrug.
“I don’t follow your advice, so you’re threatening to cut me off.”
“Not cut you off. I just don’t want to hear about her when she inevitably screws you over. We’ll talk about any topic but her.”
“Deal. I’m not scared of making this deal, because I know that Iris and I will be 90-year-olds in a rocking chair together.” He pantomimed having no teeth, then grabbed her around the waist and pantomimed biting her on the neck with no teeth.
She giggled. “Stop that, Peanut.” Ryan had explained that “Peanut” was Sarah’s pet name for him. When she was four, Maggie showed her a sonogram of her baby brother, and Sarah said that he looked like a peanut. That had been Sarah’s nickname for him ever since.
She ran off, with Ryan chasing her around, acting like he had no teeth. They ended up wrestling on the floor. Her perfect hair was getting messy, and they were both laughing hysterically. Then Ryan started tickling, and Sarah started shrieking. The dogs immediately woke up and ran into the living room, barking and growling at the two.
Sarah finally extricated herself from Ryan and the dogs. Her hair was pointing in every direction. She brushed herself off and sat down on the couch. Ryan got up off the floor and joined her.
Ryan said “I know you’re just looking out for me, and I appreciate that. But, trust me, Iris and I are in it for forever. And, god forbid, if something happens, and we do break up, I always want her taken care of. You don’t know how much that girl means to me.”
“Wow. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Nobody has.”
“Soul mate, huh? I gotta find me one of those.”
They clinked glasses.
Later on, Ryan joined me in the den. “I suppose you heard that.”
“Yeah.”
“I know. But I would be willing-“
“Of course you would be. But you’re not going to.”
And that was that.
Chapter Three
It was the day of our wedding. The backyard was decorated with twinkly lights and Chinese lanterns. I picked out the decorations myself, and Ryan and I worked together to put them up. We had rented some white chairs from a party planning company. The gazebo, which was where we actually would be married, also was decorated in pretty lights, and these lights were in the shape of little butterflies.
I prayed that it wouldn't rain.
I chose a simple white sheath dress. No buttons, no bows, no lace, no bustle, no train, and no veil. I did, however, bother to put my hair up, with little tendrils framing my face, and I put a thin diamond headband in my hair. I felt thin and beautiful in my dress, glad that I had not gained back the weight that I lost during my coma. I had started eating again and working out again, so I wasn’t as skinny as before, but I knew that I still looked good.
Ryan chose a suit in light grey, a silk lavender dress shirt underneath, and no tie. His collar was open.
He never looked more handsome.
As I walked down the aisle, strains of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata filled the air. Ryan stared at me, his penetrating green eyes showing a vast reservoir of love for me. I took an enormous breath, but I didn’t feel nervous. I only felt extreme happiness and peace.
Nick and Nate stood up for him, Debbie and my sister for me. One of my favorite judges performed the ceremony.
Ryan said to me “Iris, I felt like I was struck by lightning from the moment I met you. It wasn’t just that you were quirky and dynamic, although those were definitely two words that I could use to describe you. It’s just that I recognized that you were my soul mate. My missing puzzle piece. You have brought me back to life, and I never want to be without you. So, I will love you, cherish you and protect you all the rest of my days. When you are sick, I will nurse you back to health. When you need me, I will be there. You are an inseparable part of me now. I really mean it when I say ‘til death do us part.”
I looked at my hands, which were holding his, and I saw that I was shaking. With a tremulous voice, trying to tamp down the tears and emotions that were threatening to overwhelm me, I began. “Before I met you, I didn’t know what love really was. Now, since I have met you, I realize that love is unconditional and free. Love is something that is there when you are at your lowest point. You saved my life, in more ways than you will ever know. I know that there will always be challenges ahead, but I vow to you that we will face them together. I love you, Ryan Gallagher, and I will be with you until death do us part.”
Then we kissed for a long time, while everybody cheered.
Afterwards, we partied at the house. Ryan catered in pan-fried chicken from Stroud's, which was a rather famous local restaurant, known for its pan fried chicken, amazing mashed potatoes and gravy, and fried cinnamon rolls. The spread had a little of everything, and we served wine from his winery.
All in all, it was perfect.
As we made love that night, I thought that I couldn't be happier. That nobody could be happier.
Thinking back now, I think about the saying that every story has a happy ending. It just depends on when you end the story.
And if the story ended here, this story would have a very happy ending.
If only the story ended there.
Chapter Four
“Mmmmm…Mrs. Gallagher, you are such a naughty girl,” my new husband told me as I slowly and gently went down on him in his private plane. We were heading to Italy for our honeymoon. I had never been overseas, and to say that I was looking forward to this trip would be the understatement of the year.
“Don’t stop, beautiful, please don’t stop,” he said, as I gently teased him, my tongue running up and down his enormous shaft, my fingers lightly massaging the opening of his sphincter. Then Ryan was suddenly begging me to stop - “stop, stop, stop, I’m too close. I want so badly to be inside of you.” Then he pulled me up on the couch, unbuttoned my pants and said “are you ready to join the mile high club?”
I could do nothing but nod eagerly. He pulled on my hair, kissed me all over my face, lips, and neck, nibbled my ear, then plunged deeply into me as the plane ascended in altitude. It felt amazing, like it never had before. I now knew why the mile-high club was so popular. I couldn’t imagine doing this in an airplane bathroom, mind you, but doing it here in luxury, and in private – there were no words. I orgasmed almost immediately as he filled me up, slipping in and out of me until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
There was something about this scenario that made Ryan even friskier than usual, because he brought out a pair of handcuffs and a blindfold. “Lay down on the floor,” he said, “on your belly.” I obeyed. Then he handcuffed and blindfolded me, and got on top of me, kissing my back and neck. I felt the familiar shivers of anticipation. I could feel him rubbing something on my back. Something warm. Then he spent several minutes licking it off. Then he flipped me around so that I was on my back, and I felt the same warm liquid being spread on my stomach and my breasts, and he did the same thing. I could feel his hardness on my body as he slowly explored every inch of me, putting this substance on little patches and slowly licking them off.
I started to giggle a little, trying to guess what it was he was putting on me. It smelled like raspberries and chocolate. “What is that?” I asked.
“What is your favorite sundae?” he asked.
“The hot fudge and raspberry sundae at Sheridan’s,” I said. Sheridan’s ice cream was a well-known place in Kansas City that didn’t have any indoor seating, yet was constantly packed on every hot summer night. Their sundaes were the best I ever had.
“That’s what I’m rubbing on your body. Are you jealous?” he asked, then gave me a taste of the concoction.
“Oh my god, that’s so amazing,” I said, as I ate the hot fudge and raspberry, while he continued to explore my body with his tongue. He smeared some on my lips, then slowly licked it off. Then his tongue was inside my mouth, exploring inside gently. He was, once again, inside me, thrusting hard and deep. Then, just as I was about to cum, he withdrew himself from me. “Here,” he said. “Have some Ben and Jerry’s.” At that, he put some ice cream on a spoon, and fed me some Chunky Monkey.
“Stop teasing me!” I said.
“Ok, then,” he said, as he plunged into me again. I exploded at this point. “Mmmmm, what do you say we do this the entire way to Italy?”
“It’s an 11 hour flight,” I said.
“My point exactly. I think that we can make love the entire time. What do you say, Mrs. Gallagher?”
The thought of it made me titillated. “Oh, god, yes,” I said.
So, for the duration of the flight, we explored each other’s bodies, teased each other, and made love. This was the best flight I ever had, and, yet, I knew that the best was yet to come.
We finally touched down at the Malpensa airport in Milan at around 10 o’clock their time. By then, I was driven crazy with lust. Somehow, I wasn’t sated, even though we had just completed the sex marathon to end all sex marathons. We had always been known to make love for hours, but doing it for 11 hours non-stop was a feat, even for us.
“Whew,” I said, feeling slightly dazed. “That was amazing.”
“Oh, yes,” Ryan said. “I can’t wait to get you to the Nick’s villa, so that I can ravish you all over again.”
I was so excited to see the place. But first, we had to go and get our rental car.
We arrived at the rental car place, which was open all night. Ryan spoke in fluent Italian to the clerk, who nodded his head, and spoke Italian back. I had no idea what Ryan and this man were saying. I only knew that Ryan was smiling at me devilishly.
The man came back with the keys in his hand, and Ryan called to him in Italian, waving h
is hand. I only recognized the word “Ciao.”
Oh, how I wished that I prepared more for this trip, language-wise.
“By the way,” I said, “how do you still know your Italian so well?”
“Beautiful, I lived in Europe for several years, and I spent summers here in Italy. It’s not that big of a deal.”
I smiled. I didn’t know any other languages at all, and I was impressed with Ryan’s fluency here.
I followed him out to the parking lot, then blinked my eyes in astonishment when I saw to which car Ryan was headed. It was a black Lamborghini.
Ryan raised his eyebrows, motioning to the car. “Get in, my lady,” he said, as the doors opened up in their trademark upward trajectory.
I cocked my head. “Really? This the car we’re going to be seeing Italy in?”
“We’re in Italy, beautiful, we have to do as the Italians do.” At that, he turned the ignition and I had never heard such a roar in my life.
Man, this was a car.
“We’re doing as the wealthy Italians do,” I said, with a hint of condescension. “I don’t know about Italians, in general. I’m pretty sure that most Italians can’t afford to cruise around in a car like this.” I was somewhat put off that Ryan was being so pretentious with the car.
But then I realized that he was just trying to impress me, which made me love him all the more.
Ryan just smiled, and tousled my hair a little. “I have to take you on the Audubon sometime in this car. Then you can see what it can really do.”
We got to Nick’s house on Lake Como just after midnight. I have to say that I was exhausted by this time. The trip was catching up to me.
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