Champagne & Forever

by Andrea Johnston

  “What are you doing? How do you have your phone? You’ve had it the entire time? Ben!”

  “Relax, baby. Come on, it’s shower time. Yes, I’ve had it. But be grateful. Ashton will be here in a bit, and she’s bringing you a burrito with extra enchilada sauce. Plus, she’s excellent at finding my mom’s hiding places. I bet she finds your phone with no problem.”

  “You really are the best,” she says as she walks into our bathroom and quickly begins brushing her teeth before turning toward me and pulling off her shirt. Damn, she’s perfect.

  “What are you doing?” My voice is instantly gravelly and my shorts are straining as I look at her standing in only a pair of shorts and a lacy pink bra.

  “Taking a shower. What are you doing?” I don’t have an opportunity to respond before Piper has her shorts off and her hand on my zipper.

  “Apparently, taking a shower too.”

  “Damn straight. I feel a lot better but still a little tense. Know any way we can work out my tension?”

  I snort as Piper yanks my shorts down before turning and walking into our shower. I’m a lucky bastard to be marrying this woman. I pause before pulling my boxers off and run to lock the door. It’d be just like my sister to walk in our bedroom. I don’t need that much bonding in my life—ever. I shed my shoes, socks, and boxers on my walk back to the bathroom and step into the shower behind her. Piper is facing me when I step in, her eyes closed, and her head in the stream of water. The room begins to fill with steam and my skin tingles from the heat radiating off the water.

  While Piper continues to soak her hair, I reach over and pump shampoo in my hand. Once I have enough in my hand, I clear my throat to get Piper’s attention. A slow smile takes over her face as she lowers her chin and looks me in the eye. I raise a brow and her smile widens as she takes a small step forward so her hair is no longer under the water.

  I slowly begin massaging her head, causing the shampoo to lather and Piper to sigh. Her head falls forward a little as my fingers begin working out the knots in her neck. Even without the flu she’s been fighting, Piper has been tense. A wedding will do that to you. After a few minutes of massaging, I tug her head back so her hair is barely under the stream of water. Piper closes her eyes and allows me to move her back a little so I can rinse her hair. I mimic the same process with the conditioner. But, as I do, she squeezes shower gel in her hands and begins washing my chest and eventually makes her way down my abs to my very happy and excited dick.

  “Piper,” my words are part warning and all sexual tension. It’s been almost a week since Piper and I have had sex, and I’m worked the fuck up.

  “Mmm . . .”

  I don’t respond to her purr as I finish rinsing her hair and begin washing her body. My hands stop at her nipples, tugging and pulling them. This grants me another longer and more sexual moan from Piper. I continue my work with one hand as the other makes its descent down her hollowed stomach, she has lost a few pounds with all this wedding stress and the flu, but her curves are still there. The soap rinses from her skin and mine as I quickly find the small patch of hair below her navel. I insert one and then two fingers with ease. Piper’s breath hitches at the same time I feel my balls lift, my orgasm imminent.

  “Babe,” I say, but instead of stopping her, I thrust my hips into her hand. I’m going to come in her hand if she doesn’t stop. I pull my fingers from her and release her breast as I turn her toward the wall. Piper squeals and takes a step out so her legs are farther apart. Her face is to the side, and I begin kissing her as I bend my knees slightly to line up with her entrance. In one thrust I enter Piper, and she gasps into my mouth as I continue to kiss her.

  The feeling is too good and I’m not sure how long I can last, so I reach around and find her little nub. Two quick flicks and Piper’s forehead is on the shower wall, her orgasm building. She begins thrusting her hips toward me and that’s my undoing. Like a goddamn pubescent teen, I come first and Piper quickly follows. Her breaths are labored, and her head is still resting on the shower wall.

  “That was exactly what I needed.”

  “Me too,” I agree while pulling out from her.

  “And a burrito. I could totally go for that burrito now.”

  I laugh and turn Piper toward the water so she can rinse off the evidence of our love making before I do the same. Once we’re both clean, we exit the shower and I grab her towel before taking mine from the rack. Once we’ve toweled off, I walk to our room and pull a pair of jeans from the laundry pile on the chair in the corner.

  “When we’re married, do you think you’ll actually put the clothes away after you fold them?” Piper asks as she puts her bra on.

  “Unlikely. I don’t see why. Ya know, if it ain’t broke . . .”

  “Good point. I mean, we’ve lived in sin this entire time. Why change it now?” she teases.

  “Hey,” I say, walking toward her now that I’m dressed, “I may not put clothes away after I fold them, but at least I remember to hang my wet towel up. I’m only one man, baby, I can’t do it all.”

  I walk out of the room to Piper laughing and shouting my name.

  “Bentley James Sullivan, the towel is still on the floor!”

  I laugh all the way into the kitchen where I find my sister unpacking food and mumbling something about afternoon quickies. Like she’s one to talk. I’ve walked in too many times to her and Jameson’s discarded clothes across the living room and sounds from the bedroom a brother should never hear coming from his sister.

  I may be getting married in three days, but the day my sister and Jameson finally settle down will be one of the happiest days of my life. My best friend and my sister. I never saw it coming. Apparently, I was the only one. Damn small-town life.

  I have no idea why the girls are giving me a hard time for wanting to go to bed. At eight o’clock at night. On a Friday. Sure, it’s early. Yeah, we’re just having dinner. Okay, we’ve had a little wine and are being sappy while we tell stories about our first loves. Lucky for me, my first love is the man I’m marrying tomorrow. Which, is why I want to go to sleep. The earlier I go to sleep, the earlier I wake up. On my wedding day!

  Sure, internally there’s a marching band celebration taking place. In twenty hours, I will be Mrs. Bentley James Sullivan. All the notebooks and diaries I doodled that name on as a kid will finally become my reality.

  “There she is again, in the bride haze.”

  I toss a carrot at Ashton in response and then bite into another with gusto before responding. “Yes, I’m in a bride haze. I’m also exhausted after waking up every day this week nauseous. Being sick has worn me out.”

  “You’re not kidding. I didn’t realize how much anxiety I’ve had until last night after the rehearsal dinner. J had to carry me in the house from the truck. At least I haven’t had a panic attack but I’ve been exhausted. It’s like my brain just shut down. And I’m really glad my dress isn’t clingy. I’m so bloated.”

  Minnie and I exchange a look before laughing. Of course, she’s bloated, Ashton has been dipping her cheesy chips in sour cream all night. Stress eating is no joke. I should know. I think if I hadn’t caught that bug or gotten food poisoning, whatever the culprit was, my dress would barely fit.

  “What about you, Min?” Ashton asks while dipping another chip in her sour cream.

  “What about me? I didn’t catch whatever Piper did and don’t have much anxiety. I am tired from moving and my body feels like I was run over by a Mack truck. And I don’t care what you guys say, my boobs are bigger.”

  We all laugh and decide we should put the food away and begin our nighttime routine. Earlier today, we were all perfectly tweezed, waxed, and bronzed in preparation for the wedding tomorrow. So, tonight we’re applying a teeth-whitening serum and some hair wrap process Ashton wants for her hair. I have no clue what it is or what it does, but she saw it on Pinterest and insisted it was a must for her maid-of-honor hair. By the time we’re done it should be a respectable
hour for me to go to bed.

  I’m standing at the sink, applying the last of the foul-tasting product that promises to give me pearly white teeth when Minnie comes in the bathroom holding my ringing phone in her hand. I look at her horrified because I know it’s Ben attempting to video chat. My eyes go wide as Minnie smiles and slides the accept button. Brat.

  “Hey, groom to be!” I will kill her.

  “Oh, hey,” I hear Ben say while standing with my mouth wide open because I need this crap to dry and can’t touch my tongue to my teeth. In the background, I hear the guys razzing Ben for calling me, but it only makes me smile. If I could smile, but I can’t.

  “Your blushing bride is just finishing in the bathroom, but I didn’t want her to miss your call. Hold on and I’ll get her. Tell Owen if he wants to talk to me to call my phone,” Minnie says while handing me my phone and turning to walk out.

  I quickly finish my serum process before accepting my phone from Minnie. “Thanks, Min,” I say sarcastically. Instead of responding, she waves her hand in the air and walks away. Really, we’re all blessed to have Minnie in our lives and she knows my sarcasm is in jest. Minnie is the kindest person I know plus, she puts up with Owen’s bull. Basically, she’s a saint.

  “Hey, handsome. Whatcha up to?” I ask, sitting on the toilet.

  “Did you just sit on the toilet?”

  “Uh, yeah?” Ben looks at me quizzically, and I sigh. “I have some crap on my teeth and need to rinse my mouth but want it to kind of work so I need to stay put,” I confess.

  “Got it. Well, I only have a few minutes to talk myself. The guys and I are going to check all the lights in the tent and along the pathways before we hit the sack. How’re you holding up?”

  “Me? I’m fine. I’m more worried about your sister. She ate an entire bag of chips.”

  “So? She always does shit like that.” Ben laughs as I watch him move around our kitchen. He’s holding the phone in one hand while opening the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water with the other.

  “No, this was different. It was like she couldn’t get enough. And, I’ll be honest. I played it off, but it was making me nauseous.” I watch as a concern blankets his face. I hate that he’s been so worried about me all week. I think planning my own wedding and binging on a buffet of homemade sushi and nachos was not my best idea. Stress is no joke. I attempt to lighten the mood. “Then there was the crying. It about did me in.”

  “You’re still not feeling well? Babe, you should’ve gone to the doctor. Do you want me to come take you in to the clinic?”

  “Oh stop. If you’d seen her eating you’d gag too. It’s fine. I feel fine. It’s in waves, which means it’s probably me getting my period. Sorry about that. No comment about Ashton crying?”

  “My sister is a nut, I gave up trying to figure her out. But, if you’re sure you’re okay, I won’t drive over and take you in.” I hear the guys yelling for him in the background and know I should let him go.

  “I promise, it’s only stress. Go do what you need with the lights. If I haven’t said it yet, I love you, Bentley Sullivan.” The boyish grin I love so much appears and the little butterflies he gives me take over any nausea I may have had. “You are making all of my childhood dreams come true. I can never thank you for making our day so absolutely perfect.”

  “I love you too, Piper. The day hasn’t happened. I could still blow a circuit and the lights not work.” He’s teasing, but I know the reality is, it’s a real possibility. We both laugh and agree maybe his dad should have the backup generator ready just in case.

  “I’m going to go and help Minnie and Ash. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I stand from my perch on the very uncomfortable toilet seat as I prepare to say goodbye, but Ben stops me.

  “Hey, Pipe?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world. You are my dream come true, and I’m grateful you choose me to share your life with.”

  “Oh, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” Minnie sighs from the doorway.

  “And the corniest. Say goodbye brother, dear.”

  I’m no longer alone in my conversation when both Minnie and Ashton appear.

  “I guess that’s goodnight, Piper. Sleep well ladies, tomorrow we party!” Ben shouts and winks at the screen before it goes black.

  I look at my blank screen and wish we’d said no to tradition, and I was at home with Ben. Still looking at the screen, I ask, “Why do we have to sleep apart anyway? That makes no sense. We’ve been sleeping side by side for months, why should one night matter?”

  “Because, sister-to-be, it’s how it’s done,” Ashton responds, pulling my attention from my phone to her, but I don’t reply. I can’t.

  Ashton is standing before me looking like a modern and sassy version of Medusa. Pieces of fabric are tied all through her hair, which make them look like little serpents. My face must give away the amusement because Ashton places one hand on her hip as she pops it out and her other hand is flipping me the middle finger.

  “Do not make fun of me, Piper. You may be the bride and my best friend but I will kick your ass. Just you wait, my hair is going to be awesome tomorrow and everyone will be jealous.”

  “Uh, Ashton, you know we’re wearing our hair in low loose fitted buns, right?” Minnie seems equally baffled by this hair situation.

  “Yeah, I don’t think we discussed you going off the rails with hair. What kind of bridezilla would I be if I didn’t demand uniformity?” I laugh but Ashton doesn’t. Minnie looks at me quizzically, and I shrug in response.

  “What’s next, Ashton? A different dress? Are you planning on showing up in white to show up the bride?” I tease because she’d never do anything remotely close to that. But then I see the tears and realize we may have taken our jabs a little too far.

  “Oh, Ash, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Minnie looks absolutely horrified at the idea of making Ashton cry.

  Reaching over to the toilet paper, I unroll a handful and thrust it toward Ashton. Once she’s blown her nose and let out a few huge sobs, she composes herself and looks at me.

  “Sorry. I think I’m more stressed about this weekend than I thought. I know the hair is dumb, but I wanted to look pretty on your special day. I love you guys so much. Oh my God! Why am I crying again? It won’t stop. This is the worst period ever. If it would just start. Poor J, he’s been on pins and needles for weeks.”

  “Oh hush, you wear your hair however you want, both of you. I don’t want this being a thing. I want you comfortable and happy. And, lucky me, I’m going to start too,” I sigh. “Poor Ben. This honeymoon is going to be less sexy and more about cramps and chocolate. How about you, Min? Are we synced up?”

  “Probably, that would explain these big things,” she says pointing to her chest and we nod in agreement. We’re all a mess.

  By midnight, we’re exhausted and I have no doubt I’ll fall asleep quickly. Minnie bid us goodnight and headed into the spare room. A few months ago, that was Ashton’s room, but it has now been returned to a guest room and Jameson’s niece’s home away from home. Hope is also our flower girl tomorrow. She’s feisty and, essentially, a small version of Ashton. We all love her.

  I’m going to sleep with Ashton in her bed. This reminds me of when we were growing up and I spent most weekends at her house. We’d lie in our sleeping bags and tell stories about boys we liked and all the cool clothes we’d eventually buy when we were making our money. As models, obviously. I never told Ashton the boy I crushed on the most was her brother. She says she never knew, but I know that too is a lie. She knew. How could she not? I mean, I practiced signing my name as “Mrs. Bentley Sullivan” daily until high school. Then, I watched from afar as he became the most popular boy in school, dating the most popular girl.

  The night he blew back into town and turned my world upside down with a single kiss, I knew my life would never be the same again.

  My brothe
r is a jerk.

  My best friend is a pain in the ass.

  Okay, neither of those statements are true. Both Ben and Piper are superb human beings, and we are blessed to have them in our lives. Yes, that’s much better for my maid of honor speech. A speech. In front of people. Fine, the majority of people who will be at the wedding are family and close friends.

  And, I don’t have to give a speech, I want to give a speech. This is, of course, after I sing at their wedding. Again, in front of people. This is a new thing for me, and because I’m the jerk and pain in the ass, I decided to go balls out and sing and give a speech all on the same day.

  Go me!

  “Babe, do you know where my clippers are?”

  Jameson Strauss. Damn he’s a fine-looking man. If I don’t answer him, he’ll come find me. Not only will he find me, but he’ll be shirtless and sweaty from his workout. I went from being a jerk to a lucky bitch in one thought. I’m also a horny bitch. I haven’t been able to get enough. I swear, it reminds me of the weeks we were living together and sleeping together in secret; I’m ready to pounce at the drop of a hat. Not that he’s complaining. Hell, no. My guy loves some sexy times and when I’m the one to initiate? He’s even more turned on.

  “Hey, did you hear me?” Jameson is standing in the door to the dining room where I’m sitting. Papers are strewn across the table in my efforts to write the stupid speech. Plus, the music sheets for the song I’m singing are mixed in with all of this. I really should be a little more organized. The thought of the song has me doing the other thing I’ve been doing a lot lately—crying.

  “Whoa, Ash, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” The concern in his voice makes my tears fall even faster.

  “I . . . I . . . don’t know!” Yep, I’ve lost my damn mind.

  “Shh, it’s okay.” Jameson drops to his knees and pulls me toward him. The moment my cheek hits his chest—his warm and sweaty chest—I relax, but the tears don’t stop. Seriously, they are like a freaking faucet. Oh, he’s so cuddly.