The butterflies were still fluttering furiously in my stomach, so much so that my entire middle vibrated and my fingers shook.
Romeo stepped up, so close that our feet bumped together, and his face turned down, his blue, blue eyes swept over my face. He cupped my jaw in both his palms, spreading his fingers wide. Even without my glasses, he stood so close I could see him clearly.
His gaze divided itself between my lips and my eyes as he literally stripped me bare just with his stare.
“Romeo,” I whispered, reaching up to grab his wrists. I was desperate for our first kiss, desperate to seal in all the beautiful words we’d just exchanged.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured, then brought his lips to mine.
I sighed on contact. Everything inside me fell silent, the butterflies stopped fluttering, my fingers stopped shaking, and for one suspended moment in time, my heart stopped beating.
His lips were soft and smooth. They nibbled at my mouth gently as his thumb stroked the underside of my jaw. His tongue slipped out and met mine; they slowly moved together, stroking and caressing until the familiar pool of moisture met the fabric of my panties.
He started to pull back, but I tightened my hold on his wrists and leaned up for one last taste before letting him go.
We stood there smiling stupidly at each other until Abe cleared his throat and we remembered we weren’t alone.
After that, everything moved fast but in a blur, like a dream.
A dream I never wanted to wake from.
An official marriage license was presented to us. Kathy and her friends cried. Romeo signed a lot of stuff for Abe, and then all four of them promised to never tell anyone about our secret wedding.
When we stepped outside, it was completely dark. The night was cold, but I didn’t feel it. I was so drunk on Romeo that I could likely get hit by a bus and I wouldn’t even feel it.
We were holding hands, but he let go and moved in front of me.
Crouching low, he offered his back.
I laughed and jumped on, looping my arms around his neck.
“There’s no threshold to carry you over right now, and I sure as hell am not doing it when we get home. Ivy would call us out in seconds,” he said. “Besides, since this entire wedding was untraditional and spur of the moment, then this moment should be, too.”
He gave me a piggyback ride to the Hellcat, and I pressed warm, moist kisses to the back of his neck the entire ride.
“Mrs. Anderson,” he said when he set me on my feet.
“Mr. Anderson,” I echoed.
“How do you feel about consummating our marriage in the back of a Hellcat?”
“I feel like it would be the perfect end to this perfect night.”
He pulled me close, and I dipped my head back to stare up at him.
“Oh, baby,” he drawled. “This isn’t the end. This is only the beginning.”
Best. Beginning. Ever.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Romeo
Married to the girl of my dreams?
Having her ride me in a Hellcat?
Knowing this was just the beginning of our life together?
Hells yeah.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rimmel
I couldn’t stop smiling.
I know all we did was run off to the courthouse and exchange a few vows.
Well, okay.
They weren’t just a few vows. They were words I would never in my entire life forget.
It wasn’t fancy. I looked like a bum, and Romeo’s hair had been a mess (like I was one to judge there), but it had been the single best moment of my entire life.
Our status truly didn’t matter. The status that the world held us to didn’t matter. The heartache, the joy, the tears, and even the arguments that led us here were moments frozen in time, and they all brought me to this point.
All that mattered was how much we loved each other.
Maybe most people didn’t feel different after they get married. I can certainly see why. After we left the courthouse last night, Romeo drove to some place where all that surrounded the road were trees and fields. We climbed into the backseat of the Hellcat and went at each other like it was our first time.
I guess in a lot of ways, it was.
Our first time making love as husband and wife.
Romeo was so big we barely fit. There were no candles, flowers, or silky sheets. It was stripped down, raw, and totally hot.
When we finally untangled ourselves from each other and the Hellcat, we drove home in the middle of the night and snuck into the house, crept through the dark, and fell into bed, where we made love all over again.
We barely got any sleep, and when morning came, it looked like every other day.
But everything inside me was totally changed.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt completely settled. I knew I was exactly where I belonged. The bond between Romeo and me would never break, and that knowledge gave me this all-encompassing confidence, like there was nothing in this entire world I couldn’t handle.
It took us a while to peel ourselves from the sheets. We were too busy making out like teenagers to pay attention to the clock. When I finally did, I gasped and jumped up because usually by now, I would have been up for over an hour.
“If I don’t get up, I’m going to be late for classes,” I said, stumbling out of bed and falling onto the floor.
I lay there sprawled out on the hardwood floor, wearing literally nothing but the T-shirt Romeo wore last night when we got married.
It was my new favorite shirt.
Snotty and all.
Romeo’s blond head appeared over the side of the mattress, the strands of his eternally rumpled hair falling over his forehead and his blue eyes dancing with amusement.
“What’s ya doin’ down there, Smalls?”
“We need a rug,” I groaned and rubbed my hip. The action caused the shirt to ride up and display everything beneath it (no panties).
“Nice view,” he growled and reached his arm over the side to caressed my inner thigh.
“I could be down here with a serious injury and all you see is my lady bits!” I demanded, trying not to laugh.
Romeo catapulted out of bed (it really wasn’t fair he was so agile and I was so disastrous) and picked me up to cradle me against his chest.
“That better, wife?” he drawled.
“Better,” I whispered and rubbed my hand over his stubbled jaw.
“Whenever I look at you today, all I’m gonna see is last night. Is it wrong it thrills the shit out of me that no one’s going to know I already made you mine?”
“If it’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right.”
“Damn, baby. You’re starting to pick up some of my smooth lines.”
I rolled my eyes. “Take me to the closet. I need clothes!”
Technically, I should have showered. But I didn’t want to for two reasons:
1) I was short on time
and…
2) I couldn’t bear the idea of washing off our wedding night just yet. I wanted him all over my skin today. I wanted to tingle everywhere he touched.
Usually, I would have grabbed the first thing my hand closed around and prayed it matched, but today I found myself looking through my clothes to find something nicer than what I normally threw on.
Romeo was going to be looking at me today and remembering last night. My husband was going to be looking at his wife for the first time today.
I wanted to look nice.
I wanted to look as beautiful as he made me feel.
I chose a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, layered a black ribbed tank top over a plain white tank, and added a slouchy cream-colored sweater in a waffle knit texture. I added the gold cameo necklace that had been my mother’s (seemed appropriate to make her part of this day) and then hollered for Romeo to come back into the closet.
“You’re bossy when you’re married,” he appeared,
toothbrush in hand and white foam from the toothpaste all around his mouth.
I laughed.
“You could have finished.” I gestured to his mouth.
“The way you were yelling, I thought maybe you fell over again.”
I smacked him in the bare stomach and pointed to the very top shelf to a plain brown shoebox. “I need my shoes.”
“Poor Smalls, can’t reach her shoes,” he said around his toothbrush as he jammed it back into his mouth and then reached for the box.
It was a big box, and he set it at my feet.
“Thank you!” I chirped.
He tried to kiss me with his foamy mouth, and I screeched and jumped away. “Only married five minutes and already she’s tired of my kisses. What’s next, Smalls? You gonna start telling me you have a headache to get out of sex?”
“Not bloody likely!” I yelled after him as he strolled back to the sink.
I yanked off the lid to the box and smiled. Inside was a pair of boots Ivy had given me for Christmas. Did I mention she was the best gift giver ever? Yeah, that girl could shop.
They were a pair of Uggs in traditional leopard print. They were tall and cozy-looking and lined with fluffy soft fur.
I’d never had a genuine pair of Uggs before. I only ever bought myself the less expensive knockoffs, but she swore she found them at some outlet store in her hometown and they hadn’t cost much at all.
They were so beautiful I hadn’t even worn them yet. I’d been saving them. I didn’t realize what for until now.
I pulled them out, stroking the full-on shoe gorgeousness, and pulled them on. They were the perfect accessory to my outfit and they were nice and toasty warm.
When I walked out of the closet into the bathroom, Romeo gave me an appreciative once-over. “You look hot.”
As soon as we finished getting ready and he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue long-sleeved polo, we left the little world that was our bedroom.
Everyone was already downstairs, and when we walked into the room, an obvious sort of silence filled the space. I turned around from getting a mug and noted everyone was staring at us. I glanced at Romeo, and he winked.
“Recovering from last night?” B asked.
“Last night?” I squeaked. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
Romeo didn’t seem concerned at all. He moved forward, took the mug out of my hands, and poured me some coffee.
“Your meeting with the mother of the groom.” Braeden clarified like he was talking to someone who had no brain.
Right. We went to Romeo’s parents’ last night.
“When you weren’t the first one down here this morning, I figured you were still trying to sleep off the wedding plans Moms made.” He snickered into his coffee, and Ivy rolled her eyes but then gave me a sympathetic look.
I laughed and took the coffee Romeo held out. “She had an entire folder full of plans.”
“She didn’t!” Ivy gasped.
I nodded. “How she had time for all that and the engagement party, I’ll never figure out.”
Romeo settled against the counter and pulled me in front of him, anchoring my back against his front. “We’re going to our own engagement party and we aren’t even engaged anymore, he whispered into my ear.”
I smiled and sipped at the coffee.
Drew groaned from beside Ivy. “Not you guys, too. What’s a guy gotta do around here to have breakfast without walking in on make-out sessions or witnessing the whispering of sweet nothings in each other’s ears?”
“Who said they were sweet nothings?” I arched a brow wickedly. “Maybe they were naughty somethings.”
Braeden choked on his coffee, and the mug made a sharp sound when it hit the counter. “If I wasn’t so disturbed by that thought, sis, I would tell you that was a damn good comeback.
“You better get your girl, Rome. She’s turning into some kind of dirty talker.” He looked at me proudly and sighed. “Baby sis is growing up. I’ve taught you so much.”
I rolled my eyes, and Ivy told him he was an idiot.
Drew just grinned and shoveled more cereal into his mouth.
Romeo helped himself to my coffee with a low chuckle.
“You look super cute,” Ivy said. “I was wondering if you were ever gonna wear those boots.”
“They’re almost too beautiful to wear,” I mused.
“No way,” she said, picking up the orange juice in front of her and taking a sip. “They’re too pretty not to wear.”
I tried to remember the last time I’d seen her drink a cup of coffee. It had been a while.
“Did my dress for the party come in?” I asked her. “And please tell me it’s white.”
Ivy scoffed. “Of course it’s white. You’re the bride.”
Well, thank heavens she seemed to understand the rules Romeo’s mother seemed to live by, because I sure as hell didn’t.
“And yep, it’s there. It came in late last night. I saw it when I stopped at the boutique. Meet me there later after classes, and we’ll do a fitting and make some plans.”
I turned to Romeo. “You left your suit at your mother’s. You’re going to have to go get it today, and please, for the love of God, don’t wrinkle it.”
He gave me a salute, and I smiled. “Braeden and Drew, you two better have suits.”
They both seemed bewildered as to why they would need a suit. I rubbed at my forehead with my hand.
“I’ve got it covered.” Ivy assured me. “Trent, too.”
“Where is Trent?” I asked. I was used to him popping in most mornings to hang out.
“He texted and said he had frat house shit to deal with. He’ll be over tonight for dinner,” Drew answered.
“Dude, he texted you to tell you he wouldn’t be here for breakfast?” B scoffed.
Drew shoved another bite into his mouth. “So?”
“Are you dating or just friends?”
Drew’s spoon clattered against the bowl, and he burped loudly.
One gets used to hearing all kinds of nasty sounds when they live with three men.
“We’re super bros.” He clarified, but clearly, it wasn’t a very good clarification
“Super bros?” Romeo asked, amused.
“It’s man talk for BFFs.” Ivy came to her brother’s defense.
Drew dumped his dishes in the sink and turned around. “Much as I’d like to stay here and be entertained by y’all, my incredibly boring desk job is waiting.”
Even though Drew stayed here to pursue a driving career, he still had to get a job in computer programing until he could actually make money off of driving.
“Bye, Drew!” Ivy called.
He stopped beside her to kiss her head. “See ya later, Ives.”
When he was gone, I turned to Ivy. “Please tell me you have time to do something with this,” I pointed to my hair.
“Emergency braid?” she asked.
I nodded gratefully. Seemed like a shame to ruin such a nice outfit with such bad hair.
We left the guys in the kitchen and headed into Ivy and B’s bathroom, where I sat on the toilet seat so she could get to work.
“You seem really happy this morning.” She observed as she brushed.
“I’m happy every morning.”
“I know. I just mean a little extra happy. Like sparkly.”
I laughed. “I guess I feel a little extra sparkly this morning.”
“It’s the boots.”
“It’s totally the boots.” I agreed.
It wasn’t the boots. But that was my secret.
“So tell me. How bad was she last night?”
I laughed. “Pretty bad. She’s totally been side planning our wedding without anyone knowing.”
“How’d she take it when you told her to forget it all?”
I was silent a second too long, and Ivy gasped. “You did not tell her you’d use it all?”
“No.” I sighed. “I didn’t. But I’m tempted to.”
I’d already had my day. And it had been absolutely perfect. So now when I thought about Romeo’s mother taking over the plans, when I thought about the likely five hundred guests that would be there on “my” day, it didn’t bother me at all. If anything, I was kind of relieved she wanted to take over because then I wouldn’t have to.
I realized now that I didn’t really care what kind of wedding Romeo and I had just so long as we got to say I do.
And we did.
I shrugged. “It’s kind of her day, too. And yours and Romeo’s. It’s a day for all of us. And since I don’t really care what kind of wedding we have, why not let her plan it? We know whatever she does will be beautiful.”
Ivy reached out and touched my forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You feeling nauseous, too.”
I snorted. “I’m fine.”
“I can’t in good conscience allow this. As maid of honor, I’m putting my foot down. You are going to choose what you want for your wedding. I don’t care if I have to stand over you for every decision you need to make.”
I’d barely listened to her speech. “What do you me am I feeling nauseous, too.” I looked at her with a sharpened gaze. “Are you sick?”
Ivy made a sound and got up to finish my hair. “I’m fine. Just feel a little yucky this morning.”
“How did your doctor appointment go?”
“It was good,” she said, sounding like she was way too focused on my hair to converse.
But I knew better than that. Ivy could braid my hair in her sleep.
“Ivy,” I said.
She sighed. “I’m fine, Rim. I promise. I didn’t mean to worry you. I ate a grilled cheese last night that Braeden made. Is it any wonder my stomach hurts this morning?”
“Ew.” I wrinkled my nose. “You ate something he cooked?”
She giggled. “It was actually pretty good. But now I kinda regret it.”
She finished up my hair and showed me in the mirror. It looked amazing, as always. “Thank you,” I said and gave her a quick hug.
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