by Jen Andrews
“Come on, Sexy. Let’s get to the reception so we can eat, slow dance, and sing our song.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” he grumbled quietly.
“Don’t be nervous. If you need to, pretend you’re singing it to me. You’ll be great.”
He drove us to the reception, and we walked in holding hands as the DJ announced for the wedding party to gather in our designated area for wedding photos. Andy and I had a few pictures of us taken together all dressed up, so we would have photos other than the snapshots we took on our phones. After the pictures, we had a delicious dinner with everyone laughing and having a great time. The best man and maid of honor did their toasts for the bride and groom, then mine and Jess’s parents said a few words.
When the toasts were over, it was time for Andy and me to perform our song. The DJ made the announcement for Jess and Noah to come out on the dance floor for their first dance, as we made our way up onto the stage.
There were two barstools waiting for us next to our acoustic guitars and microphones. Andy was nervous, so I let him know I would do all the talking.
The DJ handed me his microphone. “Hi, everyone,” I said to the crowd as Jess and Noah stood in the middle of the floor staring up at us, wondering what was going on.
“I’m Zoey. I’m Noah’s only sister and one of Jess’s best friends, and this is my wonderful boyfriend, Andy.” I motioned to him as he settled on his seat next to me. “I was finally able to convince him to do a special song with me for Jess and Noah’s first dance. They didn’t know we were doing this for them.”
Jess looked up at me with tears in her eyes as I spoke. “Thank you,” she mouthed to me. “Jess, Noah, we are so happy for you. We love you both and hope you enjoy this song for your first dance. It’s called “My Light.”
I handed the mic back to the DJ, and we settled in front of our own microphones on the barstools with our guitars. Andy was a great guitar player, much better than I was, so he started the song, and I backed him up.
He began to sing lead while I sang harmony with him. I had to admit, we sounded great together. The barstools were set up to where Andy and I were almost facing one another, so we could see each other as we sang.
Andy was extremely nervous that for his first time singing in public there would be over two hundred and fifty people watching him. It was very romantic. The crowd clapped along to the beat of the song as Jess and Noah swayed on the dance floor. Jess pretty much cried the whole time as Noah wiped her tears for her.
When we were close to the end of the song, I did most of the singing, while Andy sang harmony and played his guitar. By the time we finished, even I was teary. When we were done, we stood up to put our guitars back on their stands, and the crowd erupted in cheers. I took Andy’s hand in mine and pulled him close.
“You did it. You were flawless.”
He pulled me into his arms and laid a romantic kiss on me as he dipped me over backward in front of the entire crowd. They erupted in even more loud and crazy cheering.
“I love you, Zoey. I’m happy we did this together.”
We walked off the stage, and Jess and Noah met us at the bottom of the steps.
“Oh my gosh, you guys!” Jess squealed with tears running down her face. “I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much. Andy, wow. Just…wow. I had no idea you sang.” She pulled us both into a bear hug after she stopped dancing around with excitement.
The rest of the night, we danced and had a fantastic time at the reception. At midnight, Jess and Noah left for their honeymoon. They were spending a week in Hawaii.
“Have a great time and take lots of pictures,” I called as they got inside their waiting car. We’d had a great night, but I was ready to go home. I was exhausted, and my feet were killing me.
Andy had shed his vest and jacket after our song. He was looking very scrumptious with his white shirt unbuttoned a bit and his untied bowtie hanging around his collar.
“Hey, handsome,” I said as I snuck up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Why don’t you take me home and help me out of this dress.”
He spun around to face me, cupping my face in his hands. “That sounds like a great idea, Beautiful. Let’s go.” We found his jacket and vest, said our goodbyes, and began the drive home.
On the way, I checked my phone to find a text from Jason. It was a photo of his gorgeous, baby girl, Mya Rose, who was born just after ten p.m. After I showed the photo to Andy, I texted my brother back to tell him we’d visit them after Heather had some time to rest. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.
Once we arrived back at my apartment and stripped off our wedding clothes, we fell into bed, both of us worn out. We faced each other, and I noticed a serious expression on his face.
“Zoey, how do you feel about getting married again someday?”
Taken aback by his question, I tipped my head back to get a better look at his face. “Why do you ask?”
He reached up to brush my hair behind my ear and kissed me lightly.
“Well, I’m not getting any younger, you know? My birthday is coming up soon, and I’ll be twenty-nine. I always wanted kids by the time I was thirty.”
Shocked by his revelation, I felt my heart drop a little. I had no idea he wanted kids so soon. I didn’t know what to say to him.
“I know we talked about this briefly in Cabo, Andy, but I just thought it was a general thing we talked about. I didn’t know you actually wanted to do it soon. With me.”
He propped his head up on his palm. “There’s nobody else I’d rather do it with. I’m not asking you to go off the pill or anything, not right now, but we should talk about this. I’d marry you tomorrow. You know that, right?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m not sure if I’m ready to share you yet. Babies are a lot of work,” I replied softly, not wanting to disappoint him. I looked up into his big, blue eyes and imagined children with the same blue eyes, exactly like their daddy’s.
My eyes welled up with tears at the thought. The perfect man lying next to me wanted to be married and make a family with me.
“Hey, what’s with the tears?” he asked as he sat up. I sat up too, and reclined against the mountain of pillows behind me. He waited patiently for me to wipe my eyes.
“In one little moment, you’ve rendered me completely speechless, Andy. I guess now I am finally realizing this is all real, that we have a good chance to make a life together.”
He scooted over next to me and wrapped his arms around me, so I rested my head on his chest. He took a deep breath. “Seeing you walk down the aisle today, Zoey…I just about lost it.”
I smiled because I knew exactly what he meant. After seeing him in his tuxedo at the other end of the aisle, I wanted to marry him. But, a baby in the next year before he turns thirty? I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I finally had myself back together and couldn’t imagine having to take care of a baby too.
“So what do we do now?” I asked, still stunned at how the evening had turned from Jess and Noah’s wedding, to Andy telling me he wanted to marry me and have a family together.
“This conversation came out of nowhere, Andy. I wasn’t expecting to talk about this, at all. I don’t know if I’m ready for kids. I’m not even twenty-five yet.”
He looked at me intensely, yet confused. “Zoey, you were pregnant before. I thought maybe you wanted kids while you were younger.”
Why was this so confusing to me? I wanted to be with this man more than anything I’d ever wanted in my life. But kids? Soon?
“Andy, I do want kids. My pregnancy before was not planned. I thought you knew. I’m not sure I want them as soon as you do.”
He reached over to stroke my cheek. “So you’re not saying no, then, just not so soon. I get it.”
I nodded. “Exactly. I want to spend as much time as we can together before that. Plus, we aren’t even married, so there’s that too,” I laughed.
He blew out a relieved breath. “It’s jus
t a formality, Zoey.”
I rubbed my eyes. I was worn-out and couldn’t think straight. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? Give me some time, please. You’ve completely blindsided me and I need to think about this for a while. This is an intense conversation, I’m really tired, and I don’t want to say the wrong thing right now.”
He kissed me on top of my head, and we slid down under the covers. He fell asleep quickly, while I lay in bed thinking about our conversation for an eternity before falling in to a restless sleep. I woke up several times from dreams about my birth mom.
I dreamt I was going to be a horrible mother like she was. I dreamt I was going to fail my own children, as she failed me. I never knew my dad, but Andy would be a wonderful father if we did have kids.
It made no sense to keep tossing and turning, so I quietly slipped out of bed, pulled on some pajamas, and tiptoed to the living room. I picked up a book and my iPod then settled myself on the couch to read to get my mind off the baby conversation. I put in my earbuds and, of course, found Snow Patrol. I read a few chapters and finally grew tired again, so I set my book down and closed my eyes.
I woke up to sunlight streaming through my windows, and Andy was kneeling beside me, trying to untangle my earbud cords from my hair. I reached up and pulled them out of my ears. “Good morning,” I whispered as he finally freed my hair and set my iPod on the coffee table.
“Hey,” he said quietly as he maneuvered his arms underneath my shoulders and knees to pick me up. He carried me back to bed and gently laid me down. Without saying anything else, he stripped my clothes from me and tossed them onto the floor, then pulled the sheet up over us both, and we fell back to sleep.
“Are you all packed, Zoey?” Andy asked when he walked into my bedroom.
It was Friday after work, and we were going to Sonoma for the weekend to visit his family. I would be meeting them for the first time and I was so nervous it was making me sick to my stomach. They were good people based on what Andy had told me, but I was psyching myself out bad.
“Yes, I’m finished. Are you ready to go?” I zipped up the suitcase lying on the bed and prayed I’d packed the nicest clothing I had. I wanted to make a good impression.
“Did you pack a fancy dress? My aunt wants to take us out to dinner tomorrow night at one of the vineyards for my birthday.”
I laughed because that was the first I’d heard about us going out to dinner for his birthday. “Guess I’m not ready then. Let me find a dress and shoes real quick, and we can leave when you’re ready.”
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist as I was looking for a dress in the closet. He swept my hair to the side, started kissing my neck, then gently nipped my ear with his teeth.
“You know, if you keep doing that, we’re going to get to Sonoma even later than we already are,” I mumbled as I reached behind me and ran my palm across the front of his pants, giving his hardening cock a gentle squeeze.
“Join me in the shower?” he asked as he took the bottom hem of my sundress and pulled it over my head. Not waiting for me to answer, he unhooked my bra and slid it down my arms. Andy lightly ran the tips of his fingers down my back then rid me of my panties.
There I was standing naked in the closet, while he was still fully clothed in his work uniform.
I turned around and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off over his broad, muscular shoulders. He pulled his white tank top over his head while I undid his pants. I kissed his chest, trailing a path of kisses and my tongue down to his nipple, lightly taking it between my teeth. He shivered after I released it and stripped off the rest of his clothes.
Andy picked me up high, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and shoulders. He held my legs around his waist and slid inside me as he backed me up against the wall.
We made it to Sonoma an hour later than we planned, but it was well worth the delay. I would be late to anything for a quickie with my man. I actually fell asleep in the car halfway there, so he had to wake me up when we neared his aunt and uncle’s house.
He pulled my car up in front of a mini mansion in the hills of Sonoma; the house lit up inside as if there were a party going on.
“Wow,” I uttered nervously as I stepped out of the car and looked up at the enormous house that towered over us. “You left this place for a crummy apartment over a garage in Sacramento? Are you sick?” I giggled as I rested my palm on his forehead, pretending to check for a fever.
He picked me up in his arms and spun me around twice, making me so dizzy I begged him to put me down. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, Zoey. I’d live under a bridge if I had to, to be with you.”
Shaking my head, I laughed at his declaration. “You could always move in with me, instead of living under a bridge.”
He raised his eyebrows and a hopeful grin spread across his face. “Is that an invite to move in with you?” he joked as he put me down. I didn’t have time to answer him before we heard someone clear their throat behind us.
If I’d had the chance to answer him, my response would’ve been yes.
Andy turned around and pulled me along with him to meet his uncle. “A.J., it’s good to see you back here again.”
I adored that they called him A.J., but wondered why he never asked anyone in Sacramento to call him that. Maybe it was just a family thing. Andy let go of my hand and walked into a rough, but loving man hug with his uncle. It was obvious to me that the man loved his nephew very much by the way he hugged Andy.
“We’ve missed you around here,” his uncle chuckled, confirming my suspicions about him missing Andy. “It’s too quiet without you.”
Andy had only been back to Sonoma two times since he moved to Sacramento, once while I was in Cabo, and the other time was when I was sick with the flu again. I had made him go the second time so he wouldn’t catch it too, which worked out for the best since I stayed in bed the entire weekend and slept anyway.
“You must be Zoey,” Andy’s uncle said as he shook my hand.
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you finally, Mr. Tate.”
He was a giant of a man, bigger than Andy was, even. He was at least six foot five, long and slim though, unlike Andy’s long muscular body. They had the same golden skin and blue eyes.
“Please, call me Hamish,” he said politely. “This is my lovely wife, Sarah.”
Andy’s aunt stepped forward and hugged me. “Zoey, I’m happy to meet you. A.J. has told us so much about you.”
I looked at Andy curiously, wondering what exactly he’d said about me. “I didn’t tell them about any of your bad habits,” he joked.
I laughed and smacked him lightly on the arm. “I’m sure yours are much worse than mine.”
His aunt Sarah smiled at us. “Don’t worry, Zoey. A.J. would never say a bad thing about someone he loves. It’s just not in him.”
She put her arm around me. “Let’s get you inside. You’ve been driving for a while so I’m sure you’re tired and hungry. Boys, get the luggage will you?” she called over her shoulder to Andy and Hamish.
Both Tate men started laughing. “We’re here five minutes and she’s already bossing me around,” Andy joked as he pulled our bags out of the trunk.
I walked with Sarah up the natural stone walkway to the front door. The house was breathtaking. The stone from the walkway carried up several wide steps and on to the front of the house surrounding the entrance.
“Your house is beautiful, Sarah. You must love living here,” I stated in amazement as we walked into the foyer. I followed Sarah’s lead when she kicked her shoes off just inside the door.
The house looked like it belonged in a magazine. Andy’s aunt and uncle obviously had loads of money. I would need to work on changing my views on rich people all being assholes. The Tate’s were definitely not that way.
“I do love living here, Zoey, although it is a lot to take care of, and much too big for the two of us. We miss A.J. being here, but we know he’s happy w
ith you in Sacramento now, so that’s all that matters.”
Andy and Hamish came barreling loudly through the door with our bags.
“Hey, animal prints look good on you, Andy,” I teased as he walked into the foyer with my zebra print purse slung over his shoulder. “Maybe I’ll buy you one for your birthday.
Hamish clapped him hard on the back. “You know, she’s right. I think you need some shoes to match.”
Andy looked back and forth between Hamish and me, shaking his head at us. “Very funny, smartasses,” he smirked as he handed my purse to me.
“A.J., do you two want to sleep in your old room, or would you rather sleep in the guest room? It’s up to you,” Sarah said.
Andy looked at me and I gave him a slight shrug, as if to say either room was fine with me. “My old room is perfect for us, Aunt Sarah. I kind of miss my bed actually,” he replied with a laugh.
“Let’s get your stuff upstairs then, so we can relax and get ourselves acquainted with Zoey after all this time,” Sarah suggested.
We took our bags and ascended the stairs to his room at the end of a long, wide hallway. There were several family photos framed on the walls along the way. Photos of Andy, his parents, his sister, and his aunt and uncle as well. They all seemed so happy in the photos. Everyone was always smiling.
It made me sad for Andy because he lost so much. It also made me realize why he was ready for a family of his own.
How could I have been so stupid not to realize it before? All he had left of his family were the two people who lived in this house. They didn’t have children, so he had no cousins or anything. Andy’s mother was an only child. Her parents, along with his dad’s parents were already deceased.
Yes, I would definitely need to rethink the kids by thirty idea.
We entered a large bedroom at the end of the hall. It didn’t look like it had been touched since Andy left. The walls were a nice shade of blue that was eerily similar to the blue we painted his bedroom at the apartment. There were real surfboards hanging vertically as decorations on one wall.