by J. G. Sumner
The words aren’t planned, but they come straight from the heart. Despite everything that’s happened between us, I love Tony more than I could’ve ever imagined. We were tested, and when it looked like we would fail, Tony found the strength to bring us up on top. Now, here we are finally starting our life as husband and wife.
The minister continues with the ceremony. The words are a blur as I stare at Tony anxiously awaiting the part where he can kiss the bride. I see his lips say I love you, but don’t hear the words as he lifts my veil and pulls me close. His lips connect to mine, igniting the fire that I thought had burned out. All my senses and nerves roar to life as he parts my lips with his tongue and entices me into a dance that consumes my entire body. I dive in deeper wanting to be swept away and giving myself to him completely. I hear or smell nothing. I can only feel his touch, his heat, and love. Tony gently releases me leaving me breathless and wanting more. If this is what it’ll be like the rest of our lives, I can certainly live with that.
“I now give you Mr. and Mrs. Tony Bertalucci,” the minister announces.
The room comes to life as our friends and loved ones rush forward to congratulate us. Hugs and well wishes are aplenty except for Jasper who informs us it’s about darn time. That man is worth his weight in gold and has become such an important part of my life.
The celebration is short-lived as the team of nurses and staff inform us they need to get AJ back to the hospital. He’s not in any distress, but they’d like him to be where they have everything in case of an emergency.
As they pack up their equipment, the NICU nurse greets us. “I have a present for you.” She places Abby in my arms. “She’s free to go home with you. We just need you to come in and sign the release papers.”
Tony and I look at each other shocked to finally be bringing one of our kids home for good. We couldn’t have asked for a better present. I take my baby and hold her close, kissing the top of her head.
“AJ will need a couple more days, but after that, he should be good to go too.” She smiles before following AJ and the staff out of the study and back to the hospital.
“Well, it looks like we got a happy ending after all.” My mom leans in to admire her granddaughter.
“I guess we did.” My heart is full of love and happiness right now. There’s nothing that can bring me down from the cloud.
“Why don’t you get going and take care of that paperwork. Your brother and I will take care of things here.” My mom motions for us to skedaddle.
I glance over at my dad and admire the man he was.
“Yeah, the funeral home should be here shortly. We’ll be fine,” David reassures us.
I hand Abby over to Tony and approach my father’s side. “I love you, daddy. Hopefully you can finally get that vacation where you’re at.” I kiss his cheek before giving my last goodbyes.
Epilogue
I awake to the touch of soft, velvety kisses. When I finally open my eyes, I find Tony staring down at me with a big goofy grin. Instantly I reciprocate with a smile of my own.
“You’re so beautiful when you sleep.” Tony brushes back the bed head surrounding my face.
I cup my hand over my mouth before speaking to prevent Tony from getting a giant whiff of morning breath. “Your idea of beauty and mine must be two different things.”
“Nonsense. I’m the luckiest man in the world. I get to wake up to a beautiful wife, and two healthy babies screaming for food. Life doesn’t get better than this.” Tony plants another kiss on my forehead before rolling over and planting his body next to me in bed.
There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that Tony doesn’t make me feel like the most worshipped woman in the world. He continuously dotes on me despite my objections. He’s made sure I haven’t regretted marrying him for a single moment.
“What are the kids doing?”
“They’re in their room watching the mobile circle overhead. We only have another few seconds before it shuts off and they start screaming. How about you get yourself ready and we can take them on the morning stroll they’ve become so accustomed to.
Before I can answer, I get a whiff of something fragrant. I glance over at the nightstand to find a fresh cup of hot herbal tea that Tony has made.
“It’s Tazo orange. I thought it would help get you moving.” The lopsided grin Tony wears so well is shining brightly on his face.
I take a sip of the tea before rolling over to face Tony. “Have they eaten yet?”
“But of course. What kind of father would I be if I let them stay awake for hours on end without breakfast? And to answer your next question, Abby consumed six ounces and AJ had eight. He’s already preparing to be quite the bruiser.”
AJ has definitely been making up for the few days he didn’t get to eat when he was in the hands of Emilia. The boy has gained several pounds and has even surpassed Abby in weight.
I scoot myself closer to Tony until I can roll over on top of him. “Good, then maybe we have a little bit of time for this.”
I plant soft kisses on his chest. He smells like fresh soap. I inhale deeper, intoxicating my senses with his scent, and igniting a fire in my body. I gently bite on his nipple, eliciting a welcoming moan from Tony’s chest before making my way down his abdomen with a trail of kisses. When I arrive at his happy trail, I’m greeted by his one-eyed soldier standing at attention and beckoning for my touch.
I take one last peek at Tony’s face, and note that the look of ecstasy has consumed him. I study the Adonis before me, and am still captivated by this chiseled piece of perfection. This man’s body is perfect, and makes me constantly want him.
I take his soldier into my hand and wrap my mouth around its head, causing Tony to moan a little louder this time. As I begin to take Tony all the way, two screams come from the other room breaking the concentration and connection that seemed impenetrable just seconds before. Tony throws his head back and laughs while I lay back in despair. Crying children can kill the mood faster than anything else.
“I’ll go get them. You get ready for that walk. Some fresh air might do us some good.” Tony pulls his boxer briefs up, grabs some gym shorts, and heads into the kids’ room.
I take another sip of tea before finally climbing out of bed. I peer around the room at the new beachy décor, and I still can’t believe I’m living in California. Never in a million years did I expect to find myself here. What’s even better, is that we’re blissfully happy, and I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder.
I hurry to throw on some yoga pants and a shirt, and then meet Tony in the living room. He’s sitting on our leather sofa with a baby in each arm. I grab my phone off the counter and snap a picture. Needless to say, I have hundreds of the same pictures, but the scene never gets old.
“When you’re done with the photo shoot, how about you give us a hand. Their carriers are on the kitchen table.”
I snap a couple more pictures of my family before finally grabbing the Bjorn’s and helping Tony to get the kids in them. In no time at all, we walk out our back steps and onto the beach. Let’s just say the view from our backyard is amazing. The Pacific Ocean doesn’t disappoint.
Tony and I walk hand-in-hand down the white sands of Coronado State Beach, each of us strapped with a baby on our chest. It’s still early in the morning and the beach is relatively empty except for some occasional joggers and fishermen. The sun beats down on us, providing the warmth that heats the white sand and the waves crash along the shore next to us.
We’ve lived in San Diego for about a month now, and couldn’t be happier. The babies are about three months old and thriving. Little AJ weighs two pounds more than Abby, and is already racing her to be the first to sit up.
We decided it was time to get away from New York and all the memories of Matteo associated with it. We needed a fresh start and Tony assured me I’d love this place. We purchased a cozy cottage on the quiet and remote Coronado Island. While it’s still technically part of San Diego,
there’s only two entrances in and out of the island. One across the famous bridge and the other through what is called the Silver Strand, a tiny strip of land providing access from the south. It may not be the secluded island I’ve often wished for, but it’ll do.
As soon as we announced we were moving, Jasper and Kendall purchased the house next door. She fought tooth and nail against coming out West. In the end, Kendall decided she needed to be here for her best friend. We all know she wasn’t ready to let go of Jasper, but we’ll keep that our little secret.
Jasper continues to handle our security detail. My father left him a nice chunk of money in his will to protect Tony, me, and the kids for the rest of our lives. In addition, Jasper has the capital to continue with inventing new security gadgets. Needless to say, Daddy made my safety a priority.
Before he died, Daddy made arrangements for my mom to take a cruise around the world. She’s been gone for about three weeks, but before she left, she sold the family house. She claimed that she’d spent far too many years there and wanted to spend the rest of her days traveling around the world and spending time with her grandkids. I think she just didn’t want to always have the memory of Daddy dying in that house.
My brother has firmly taken over as the CEO of Anderson Enterprises. Against my father’s wishes, David has decided not to take the company internationally. Instead, he’s expanded to the west coast and the second restaurant is opening in downtown San Diego next week. My brother has rented an apartment downtown and now splits his time between New York and San Diego.
“Babe, look.” Tony points off in the distance where several dolphins are jumping in and out of the waves. It’s a majestic scene that I’ve seen many times now. It still takes my breath away and I love coming out here and being one with Mother Nature.
Needless to say, life is good and Tony and I finally have our happy ending. Who knew when I surrendered my heart to Tony, and he shattered it, that he’d be the one to save me.
The End
***Sneak Peek***
Wrecked
By JG Sumner
Prologue
I lean back in the taupe pleather seat, and close my heavy sleep deprived eyes. The soft hum of the train rolling along the metal tracks lulls me into a calm I haven’t felt in a long time. I’ve been on the road for eighteen months, and there hasn’t been a moment without chaos. I had to get away from all of it. I had to find some peace and quiet away from screaming fans tugging, trying to grab any piece of me they can get. I don’t know where I’m going or how I got here. Who the fuck takes a train anywhere these days anyway?
I take a moment to reflect on the band's last show. It was epic, and by far the most packed venue we’ve had yet. Our band manager, Steve, said we’re going to have to start scheduling our concerts in stadiums. Needless to say, we’ve hit the big time.
I formed the band when I was twenty-two after several other bands I was in broke up. I’m the lead singer and the bassist. I know what you’re thinking, bassists don’t do lead and vice versa. Well guess what, I’m not a guy who fits in any mold and I don’t give a shit what people think. What most people don’t know is that I can play lead and rhythm, but I prefer the bass, and I can sure as shit rock that fucking microphone.
I’m just about pulled into a tranquil sleep when the train hits a boulder or something. My eyes pop open, and my heart pounds so hard, it decides to take a giant leap out of my chest searching for some sort of Zen body where it doesn’t have to work so goddamn hard. Lord knows I’ve put my heart in overdrive lately with all the meth I’ve been shooting up.
I look out the window. Fields lined with hundred-year-old sycamore trees whiz by. I don’t know why it felt like we hit a wall a minute ago, but now we seem to be coasting along just fine. I’m about to close my eyes again when a screech of metal against metal screams through the air. I glance back out the window to find the tail end of the train curving around and jack-knifing. I rub my eyes not sure if this is real. When I focus back on the chilling sight before me, I realize this really happening.
My heart starts to race even faster as I grab the arm rails on the chair. A combination of burning metal and rubber fills the air, along with a cloud of smoke. I begin to cough like so many others in the cabin, and I immediately cover my nose and mouth with my arm. I unlatch the seat belt and search for an escape route.
The train is still racing out of control with no end in sight. The smoke is getting thicker, and I can now see flames coming from the tail end of the train that is suddenly way too close to my window. If I don’t do something quick, I may not get out of this alive.
Impulsively, I jump out of my seat. I inadvertently gasp for air causing my lungs to burn as though they were being stung by stinging nettle. I put my nose back into my sleep hoping to filter out some of the toxins in the air threatening to take my life with each inhalation.
I stand in the aisle and while there aren’t very many people in my car, the ones that are there have eyes as wide as saucers. They’re probing, and searching for answers that I don’t have. There’s a combination of confusion and of shock amongst the people. I’m a little surprised no one has started screaming. It’s definitely warranted, since this is undeniably the scariest moment of my life.
I look to the back of the car and note the flames threatening to push through the sliding doors serving as one of only two escape routes. Knowing that exit is not an option, I crank my head to the front where there’s a thick cloud of smoke, but no visible flames. I glance out the window to see the train still moving, although at a much slower rate.
I know what I have to do, but can’t seem to propel my body into motion. Instead I stand there watching as my escape route becomes less visible, and my legs give way to the cement blocks that have encapsulated them. I glance down at my feet and use a Jedi mind trick to get my left foot to move forward. It’s only a couple of inches, but the right foot follows behind it. Soon, my feet have developed a mind of their own and before I know it, I’m standing at the doors, using both hands to pry them open.
I push my head through the doors and look back and forth in hopes of finding an adequate escape route. There’s minimal visibility, certainly not enough to figure out the safest way to go. The visual of the train forming a “U” outside my window suggests I shouldn’t go to the right. If I jump to the left, I might avoid the motion of train and not get run over by thousands of pounds of a fiery metal inferno determined to destroy anything that comes in its path.
I can’t die like this. I’m a fucking rock star for Christ’s sakes. I’m Cameron Taylor the mastermind behind Paper Thin. I’ve only lived twenty-seven years, and while that may be the magical number for many other rock stars to make their way to the pearly gates, it sure as hell isn’t going to be mine. Sixty-nine is a good number to die, and I’ve got a lot of livin’ to do in order to get there.
I glance back at the nimrods behind me who are now looking at me like I’m Jesus going to show them the way to salvation. Stupid fuckers. I’ll be lucky if I get my own self out of this let alone a group of people who either left their brains in the luggage rack or are flogged by some sort of paralytic.
“Do you want to just sit there and die, or are you going to take a chance to get out of here alive?” I motion with my arm for them to follow me. I’m not sure why. I could either be leading these people to their deaths, or perhaps by some small miracle, I may actually save all of us.
I push my body through the glass doors and head left where I’m met with five steps, and the ground moving rapidly below. I move down to the bottom step, and hold on to the warm steel bars. I’m not sure why. Isn’t the goal to get of the big heap of metal? What difference does it make if I fall off or jump?
I’m not a religious man, but I decide to perform a Hail Mary. Hopefully, it’ll do me some good. I hold onto both rails and swing my body back and forth in an attempt to garner the nerves to do this.
“You can’t jump, you’ll get hurt.” A woman screams
from behind me.
I don’t bother to look back at her, but instead stare forward at the scenery rushing by. The train jolts forward, and more metal screeches along with what sounds like an explosion, deafens me.
“If we don’t jump, we’ll be dead.” With that, I swing my body forward once more and propel it off the side of the train. As by instinct, my body curves up into a little ball as I hit the ground hard and begin to roll down an embankment. My eyes are closed, but it feels as though I’m riding Space Mountain at Disneyland. I’m being jerked from side to side and a bit of dizziness sets in.
When I finally come to a stop, I lay there for a moment before opening my eyes contemplating whether or not I’m dead or alive, and performing inventory to determine if all my body parts are intact.
When I do open my eyes, I’m greeted with blue sky and fresh air. I’m surprised, and roll over to get a look at the scene behind me. The train has passed and has come to a complete stop about a thousand feet away. An explosion forces my hands to my ears and to duck for cover. When I look up again, the train is engulfed in flames. I wonder if anyone else made it out after me.
I force myself to my feet, and run toward the wreckage. I’m no fucking hero, but if there’s a chance someone can be saved, I should at least try. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do as human beings?
I don’t get far before I come across one of the people who were in the same car as I was lying in a bush with blood on her forehead and her leg pointing in the wrong direction. Yowzers, that’s fucking gross. I bend down to help her, but she’s unconscious and doesn’t respond to my attempts of offering assistance. She still breathing, and clearly needs more help than I can provide.