by Sophie Stern
I hear Colby fake-gagging and I stop kissing Savannah, but don’t raise her up just yet.
“You’re gorgeous, cinnamon.”
“All for you, bear.”
Selena giggles and after I bring Savannah back to her feet, I turn to my future sister-in-law.
“Welcome to the family, Blair,” she wraps her arms around me in a huge hug. “I’m so happy it’s finally happening.”
“It’s all thanks to you,” I tell her. If she hadn’t called me, none of this would be happening.
“That’s not true.” She looks solemn and places her hand on my cheek. “You two would have figured it out eventually. Your hearts are connected, Carter. They always have been.” Selena shoots one more knowing glance at her sister. “You guys just needed a little push to help your brains catch up.”
Chapter 15
Savannah
At 7:00, we all gather on the large porch in front of Carter and Wyatt’s house.
Our house.
Our big, full, family house.
Colby is wearing his nicest outfit and holding a bouquet of daffodils he and Micah picked from the garden. Hope and I opted to forgo the flowers since it didn’t seem fair to make Selena hold that many bouquets during the ceremony.
My heart is tumbling and rolling and doing somersaults as I stand on the porch and hold Carter’s hands. I can’t believe we’re finally doing this. Only a few days ago, I wondered if he would ever feel the way I do, and now I know.
Now we both know.
It might have taken Colby, our sweet little boy, to bring us together, but nothing makes me happier now that the three of us are going to be a real family.
Alex is wearing a nice pair of jeans with a button-down and a huge belt buckle. Nothing says fancy like a big belt buckle. I don’t mind. He actually looks happy, and I’m glad he’s the one performing the ceremony. I know it was mean putting him on the spot, but it’s nice to see him coming out of his sour mood, even if it’s only for a little while.
Wyatt and Hope are whispering next to us, also holding hands. Micah, Colby, and Selena are standing next to us, listening intently to what Alex is saying about love. He reads from the Bible and adds a few words of his own. He tells about how fun it was to see Wyatt and Hope fall in love and then, to my surprise, he talks about what it was like growing up with Carter and me.
He says we were made for each other.
He says he knew it all along.
I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but the tears come anyway, dripping down my cheek. Carter leans out and kisses them, but Alex keeps on talking and my heart swells.
I never knew it was possible to feel this.
Carter and I have our whole lives ahead of us. Not only do we have a beautiful past together, but we have an amazing future. No matter what life throws at us, we’ll always have each other. We’ll always be there for each other. We’ll get through anything with determination, hard work, and the solid foundation of our friendship.
Alex finishes speaking and it’s time for the vows.
We agreed ahead of time that Wyatt, being the oldest brother, should go first, but just as he opens his mouth to speak, we hear a car honking.
And honking.
And honking.
We all turn to see a bright green VW van pulling up to the house. I don’t even have to squint to know who that is. I don’t recognize the car, but I don’t have to.
It’s Mr. and Mrs. Blair.
They’ve returned from their round-the-world trip just in time for the wedding.
I’m guessing someone called them.
My money’s on Alex.
The van stops and honks a few more times, then the older Blairs hop from the vehicle and scurry up to the porch.
Donald Blair is almost as tall as Carter, but he’s always been a bit wider. His trip must have been kind to him, though, because he looks like he’s lost weight. I’d guess 20 pounds, at least. He’s wearing a blue button-down with khakis and despite being a little bit wrinkled, looks like he’s dressed for a wedding.
Rebecca Blair has her grey hair pulled back in a neat little bun. She’s wearing a pale blue sundress with white flowers on it and matching white sandals. Neither one of them looks like they were rushed in getting here. In fact, it’s almost like they planned to show up precisely on time.
“Mom?” Carter asks, embracing his mother when she hurries up to the porch. “Dad? What are you guys doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be home for awhile.”
“Well,” Rebecca’s eyes roam from me to Hope before settling back on Carter. “Somebody told me we needed to be here tonight at exactly seven or we were going to miss something very important.”
“Who was that?”
“Who else?” Donald says, shaking Alex’s hand. “My man.”
“Traitor,” Wyatt mumbles.
“Your dad signed my paychecks long before you did, buddy.” Alex smiles and I’m struck again by how nice it is to see him relaxed and having fun. He doesn’t have enough of it. That I’m certain of.
“What’s happening?” Rebecca claps her hands and grins. “Is something in the water? Two of my boys getting married today?” She wraps Wyatt and Carter in her arms somehow. I’m not sure how. They both tower over her tiny frame, but she’s still their mother, and she doesn’t let them forget it.
Then she hugs me.
“Welcome to the family, honey. I wondered when it was going to happen,” she kisses my cheek.
Finally, Rebecca turns to Hope, who has turned eight shades of red.
“Hope,” Rebecca says, embracing her. “I’ve heard all about you. I’m so happy to meet you. I can’t believe you and Wyatt are getting married. Donald and I are both just thrilled for you.”
“Delighted,” Donald grins, and it’s not hard at all to see where the Blair brothers get their good looks from. Even though he’s older, Donald still has suave. He and Rebecca are one of my favorite couples in Honeypot. I’ve always admired the way they’ve worked on their marriage over the years.
Through raising kids, the loss of family members, job struggles, financial difficulties, running the ranch, and being upstanding members of the community, they’ve somehow managed to keep it all together.
I only hope Carter and I can do the same.
“Mom, Dad,” Wyatt hugs both of his parents and then suddenly, everyone seems to notice Colby.
“And who is this handsome young man?” Donald asks, squatting down and holding his hand out to Colby.
Again, Colby looks to Carter for guidance.
Carter moves behind Colby and places his hands on his son’s shoulders. Something tells me Rebecca and Donald are both quite aware of how Colby and Carter are connected. A look passes over their faces that looks like curiosity, then confusion, then contentment.
“Carter?” Rebecca asks.
“This is my son, Colby. Colby, this is your Grandma and Grandpa.”
Rebecca gets choked up immediately.
“A son? Carter, you have a son?”
“Nice to meet you,” Colby reaches for Donald’s hand, but Donald pulls him into a big ol’ bear hug, suitable for the brown bears they are.
“I’m going to be the best grandpa,” Donald tells Colby. “Have you ever been fishin’? I’m gonna take you fishin’. Then we’ll go on a hike. Then we’ll explore the old creek. Have you ever seen a mill, Colby? We can even go hunting sometime.”
“My turn,” Rebecca pulls Colby from Donald’s arms and hugs him herself. “And before your grandpa even thinks about taking you hunting, you’re going to learn how to bake chocolate chip cookies with me and we’re going to work in that garden together, Colby. I’m going to spoil you just rotten. What do you think?”
Colby giggles.
“I like it!” He says with a little squee.
“That’s not all the news,” Carter says to his parents. I reach for his hand and give him a little squeeze.
“What else could there be?” Rebecca’s eyes go w
ide. Then she turns to me and looks at my belly, then back up to my face. “Savannah? Are you pregnant?”
I burst into laughter.
“Good dragons, woman! No!” I giggle.
Then Hope starts laughing, too.
“But I am!” She pats her belly and Rebecca moves over and starts rubbing it and asking questions.
“How far along are you? Do you think it’s a boy or a girl? I never could tell, you know. I always thought Wyatt was going to be a girl. I had all these plans for dressing him in little pink dresses, but that didn’t happen. He was all boy. How long have you know? How did Wyatt take the news? Do you want more after this one?”
Carter wraps me in his arm as his parents fuss over Wyatt and Hope, and I’m once again caught up in how fantastic this whole thing is.
Carter Blair is about three promises away from being my husband forever, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish.
We’re going to be a family, and it’s everything I ever thought it could be.
Chapter 16
Carter
The wedding finally ends, we eat our cake, and my parents leave to get settled in their cabin. I’m glad we got it finished before they arrived and so are they. The two of them are more than pleased with their new retirement space and my dad already has plans for building some shelves for his tools and Mom is thinking of painting a mural along one wall.
When my brothers and I explained our plans to turn our ranch into a destination for tourists, they both squealed with delight. Maybe they’re just overexcited from their recent travels, but that’s fine with me.
Hope and Wyatt retreat to their room and the rest of us gather in the living room to watch a movie. It’s one Colby has never seen before and he’s glued to the television. Snuggling up on the couch, I take a look at my beautiful bride pressed against me.
My mate.
My darling.
Alex, Selena, and Micah are absorbed in the movie, as well, but after a few minutes, Micah catches my eye and motions for me and Savannah to take off. He nods to Colby, who is starting to doze off, and gives me the thumbs-up sign. He’ll take care of Colby while Savannah and I get some much-needed alone time.
I mouth a silent “thank you” and take her hand, silently pulling her from the couch. She looks confused until Micah winks at her. Then she gets it and blushes. Selena makes a lewd gesture, which makes Savannah blush even more, and I whisk her away before she has second thoughts and is too embarrassed for “alone time” on our wedding night.
We sneak quietly up the stairs and hurry past Wyatt and Hope’s room. We don’t hear any noises, but that doesn’t mean anything except that maybe he’s gagged her. I don’t know. Wyatt and Hope aren’t insanely kinky, but they like to mix things up sometimes, which is how it should be. You should always feel comfortable with your mate, your spouse.
You should always feel comfortable and open with your partner.
As soon as our door is closed and locked, I push Savannah against the door and kiss her until she can’t breathe.
“You’re beautiful, my little wife,” I murmur.
“You’re beautiful, my bear,” she says.
“Bear?”
“Bear husband. Mr. Bear. Teddy husband. You get the idea.”
“I should spank you,” I murmur.
“Okay,” she says, and before I have time to be surprised, she kisses me back, pushing me into the room. Savannah’s hands find my shirt and she slowly, tenderly unbuttons it.
Her fingers graze my skin as she tosses the shirt aside. I kick my boots off, and she reaches for my belt buckle.
“Come on, cowbear,” she says.
“Now you’re just being silly.”
“You love it.”
“I love everything about you.”
Once we’re both naked, we tumble onto the bed and she straddles me, lifting her body over mine. Savannah sinks onto me and I groan at the feeling of her tight body wrapped around mine.
I hope this moment never ends.
Her breasts bounce in my face and I reach up, squeezing her soft, tender breasts. I pinch each nipple and she groans.
“You like that, cinnamon. Don’t you?”
“Oh, yes.”
I pinch a little harder and her pussy clenches around my cock. Now I’m the one groaning.
“More,” she whispers, and I give her what she wants.
She grinds on me, twisting her hips in sweet little circles until I can’t take it anymore. It’s a slow torture, a tender burn, but I want more from her tonight.
I thrust up into her and she looks surprised, so I do it again. Savannah lets out a little squeak, and that’s about all I can take.
I flip us over without losing our connection. Now she’s on her back with her legs angled over my shoulders and I’m thrusting deep inside of her. Our eyes are firmly on each other, but then I reach down to rub her clit and she moans.
“That’s it, cinnamon. Come for me. Let me feel you come.”
Savannah opens her eyes when she comes, and she melts even deeper into the bed. She whispers my name, then I’m coming too, filling her up.
I collapse beside her and pull her into my arms, satisfied, spent, sated.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to be, bear.” Her words are sweet. They’re perfect. They’re everything I’ve ever wanted to hear.
In a minute, we’ll have to get dressed and go get Colby. Being parents is going to be tricky as we learn to navigate our new relationship with each other and with Colby, but I have no doubt we can figure it out.
And there’s no one I’d rather have with me than Savannah.
“Okay, we should go,” she says, sliding from the bed. A glance at the clock shows it’s well after 10. The movie is probably over and my poor brother is probably waiting for me to retrieve my son. We still need to get Colby a proper bed, but for now he can sleep on the little couch in my room.
Things have moved so quickly that we’ve had other things on our mind than furniture, but I vow to take care of that tomorrow.
Savannah and I pull on pajama pants and t-shirts and quietly head down the hallway and down the stairs. We sneak into the living room first, and we’re not surprised to see the menu screen for the DVD flashing on the television.
The movie is over, but Micah isn’t waiting up for us. He’s asleep on the couch on his back and Colby is sprawled across his chest. A thin stream of drool is pouring onto Micah from my son, but neither one of them seems to notice or care.
“Micah sure is good with him,” Savannah comments.
“Who would have guessed?”
Not me. My little brother has always been a great guy, but he’s also very private. I never would have known he was good with kids if I hadn’t seen him with Colby this week. Anytime the two of them are together, they seem to have some sort of connection. I love seeing Colby fit perfectly into my family.
I know there will be plenty of rough roads ahead. I don’t have any weird illusions that things will be perfect or okay, but I also know that with my brothers, parents, and Savannah rooting for us, Colby and I are going to be just fine.
“Should we leave them? They look pretty peaceful.” Savannah whispers to me, and I drape my arm around her and pull her close.
“If we move Colby, there’s no telling when he’ll fall back to sleep. Let’s leave him for now. Micah can bring him upstairs if he wakes up.”
“Okay,” Savannah says. She grabs a blanket from a hope chest in the corner and drapes it over the two of them. Neither Micah nor Colby move at all, but Micah snores slightly.
We sneak out of the living room and stand in the hallway for a moment.
“Hey, did Selena go home?” Savannah looks around. “I didn’t hear her car.”
“I’m not sure. Maybe she and Alex went outside.”
“Maybe she texted me. It’s late. I’m guessing she was tired, but I wish she would have waited and said goodbye.”
“Baby, she had no idea h
ow long I was going to be fucking your sweet body.”
“Carter!”
“Don’t act all shy and innocent with me now, cinnamon.”
“I’m not, it’s just…she’s my sister.”
“I know.”
Savannah looks around the hall, as if it’ll make Selena appear.
“Come on. Let’s get a snack.”
“Hungry bear,” she murmurs, and follows me down the hall and into the kitchen.
But when we walk into the kitchen, we find out exactly where Selena went, and it wasn’t home.
She’s on top of the counter with her legs wrapped around Alex and they’re having the most intense make-out session the kitchen has ever seen. He’s fisting her hair and her hands are clawing down her back.
“Holy dragons,” Savannah says before I can clamp my hand over her mouth. Even though she whispers, it’s loud in the quiet kitchen, and Alex and Selena both quickly look over at us.
“It’s not what it looks like!” Selena says.
“I can explain,” Alex says solemnly, turning around. I can see his boner straining against his jeans. It looks painful.
Savannah just giggles.
“Have fun, you two.” Ignoring both Selena and Alex, Savannah takes my hand and leads me out the back door of the kitchen so we’re outside. We walk a little bit into the yard and sit down on the grass.
“Do you think they’re secretly dating?” I ask.
“No clue,” Savannah says. “I just hope they’re happy, whatever they’re up to.”
We look up at the stars together.
“Hey Carter?”
“Yeah?”
“This was the best day of my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding night.”
“I can’t wait to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep next to you every night.”
“You’re everything to me, cinnamon,” I whisper. I press my lips to her forehead, wrap my arms around her, and close my eyes.
There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with my darling mate.