“Would it be crazy to think about doing this again, but this time, having it be us in there?” he whispers quietly so as to not disturb my parents, who are slipping in and out of consciousness.
I shrug one shoulder. “I haven’t given it much thought yet,” I lie. Here lately, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Every time Jazz would complain about having some weird pregnancy symptom, whenever we’d go shopping for more baby clothes, every time a baby passes by me, I’m thinking about it. And while I think it would be great to have a child someday, I’m still not sure that I want to give all of my time to another human being.
“Would I sound selfish if I say that I just want to spend a little more time, just you and me?”
He rests his forehead against mine. “It can be just us until the day we die, Maddie.” Gently, he presses his lips to mine.
“Oh, I know. I think we’re getting caught up in this whole baby business. Instead of saying things we could do with a baby, let’s say things that we can do without one. Like, instead of having a baby, we could jet-set across the world at the drop of a hat.”
He smiles. “We could climb Mt. Everest.”
“We could skinny dip in the ocean while getting drunk.”
He laughs. “We could spend the rest of our lives holding one another while we sleep instead of arguing over who’s going to feed the baby.”
“We could kiss instead of changing diapers,” I add on.
“We could…” he starts, but Damon walks back into the room.
“Are you guys ready to meet him?”
We all jump up like we’ve been lit on fire.
Damon still hasn’t lost the smile. “This way,” he says, leading us down the hall.
We all walk into Jazz’s room, and she’s laying in bed, holding what looks like a balled-up blanket. As we draw closer, I see just the touch of pink skin.
I go to the side of the bed and lean over. Somehow, I forget to breathe. My eyes fill with tears. “Oh, my goodness. Can I hold him?” I ask.
She smiles. “Of course.”
Damon takes him from Jazz and places him in my arms.
“Don’t forget to support his head,” Jazz says quickly. I look at her and can see the nerves rolling off of her.
“Don’t worry.” I sit down and turn him so I can look at him directly.
He has pitch-black hair, just like Damon. And his eyes are baby blue, just like Jazz. He has a tiny little nose, the softest, smoothest skin that has just a touch of baby pink, and chubby little cheeks. I lift him against my chest and press the softest of kisses to the top of his head. I inhale his scent deeply. He smells so sweet. I feel my heart grow wings and fly away.
“What’s his name?” I ask.
Jazz and Damon look at one another then turn back to the family.
“His name is Gavin Scott Strickland,” Damon announces, and the whole room practically cheers—quietly as to not disturb the baby.
“Hi, Gavin. I’m your aunt Maddie,” I introduce myself. “One of these days, we’re going to be like this.” I lift up one hand and show him my crossed fingers. “I’ll keep all your secrets and won’t tell your mean mommy and daddy.” I laugh.
“Okay, time’s up. Give me my grandson,” Mom says, sitting down beside me and reaching for the baby.
I give him one last kiss and pass him over. I stand to give Dad room to sit down, and I stand with Bennet. He wraps his arm around me. “So, what are you thinking now?”
I shrug one shoulder while I watch everyone fall over baby Gavin. Finally, I look up at him. “I think I’ll make a really good aunt.”
He smiles. “You will,” he agrees.
“But I don’t think I want to be a mom, if that’s okay with you.” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Then it’s you and me against the world, Maddie. All I need in this life is you.” Slowly, he leans down and kisses me softly.
Months pass, and it feels like no time at all. But the next thing I know, our house is built, and we’re leaving the mansion to stay in our country home. The wedding is just around the corner, and now that the house is finished, I can focus solely on that. Everything has already been done and picked out. Now it’s just time to choose how to set up.
When I pull into the driveway, Benet pulls in next to me. We both exit our vehicles and meet in the front.
“Come on. I have to carry you over the threshold.” He scoops me up against him.
I laugh. “But we’re not married yet.”
“This is our home. It’s mandatory.” He walks us across the yard, onto the covered front porch, and opens the screen door. I love everything about this house. It really is picture-perfect, from the bushes and flowers to the raw wood porch, down to the white screen door.
He slides the key into the lock, and the door opens easily. He takes a step in, and before I can even glance around the house, his mouth is on mine.
“I love you so much, Maddie,” he whispers against my lips.
“I love you too, Bennet,” I reply, pulling his lips back to mine.
I can’t wait to start our new lives together. I’m looking forward to the wedding, the honeymoon, and everything else we may do in the next fifty years. But I know one thing without a doubt: our love, it happened fast and hard. It’s all-consuming. We couldn’t be without the other because it wasn’t something that we chose to begin with. It chose us. And with a love as crazy, strong, and passionate as ours, there’s no room for anyone else. We’re selfish with one another because we can be, because we choose to be. I don’t know where life will take us, but I know that I won’t ever regret not taking the typical route of raising children. Because in fifty or sixty years, I’ll have a lifetime of memories to look back on.
“Promise me something?” I ask.
“Anything,” he breathes out.
“Promise me that we won’t ever grow up. We come first every time.”
He smiles wide. “I promise,” he agrees, pulling me back in.
Our wedding day approaches, and even though I’m ready and want to marry him, I’m still nervous. Jazz helps me get into my dress, and as she zips it up, I look myself over in the mirror.
“This all seems so crazy,” I tell her.
Her eyes look up and lock on mine in the mirror. “Why? It’s a long time coming if you ask me.”
I laugh. “In a way, I guess. But I was never one of those girls that planned their perfect wedding day. Hell, until Bennet asked me, I didn’t even want to get married.”
“So, why’d you say yes?”
“Because it was him and I can’t deny him.” I laugh.
She giggles and shakes her head. “When are the babies coming?” She arches an eyebrow.
“What babies?” I ask, and she thinks I’m joking.
“The babies! When are you going to start trying to have kids?” Her eyes are now stretched wide.
I laugh. “Oh, no. I’m not having kids. Are you crazy?”
“Seriously? Who’s Gavin supposed to grow up with if you don’t have kids?” She’s standing up right now, hands on her hips behind me.
I turn around to face her instead of looking through the mirror. “Jazz, you know me. You know I’ve never in my life wanted children. And Bennet didn’t either, even though he’s completely happy doing so if I change my mind. But,” I shake my head as I sit down to slide on my shoes, “we want a lifetime of each other. We’re selfish and don’t want to share our lives with anyone else. We want to be able to take a trip at the drop of the hat. I don’t want to spend the next fifteen years doing homework or ushering kids to soccer practice. I just want to live my life with my husband.”
Jazz smiles. “I think that was the most beautiful selfish thing I’ve ever heard.”
I laugh and stand up. “Come on, let’s get me hitched.”
We both leave the room and head down the stairs and into the kitchen where I look out the French doors onto the property. Everyone is in their place. The chairs are filled with friends and
family on both sides, and Bennet is standing ahead of them all. He looks up, and our eyes lock. I see the corners of his lips turn up.
“Ready to go?” Dad asks, holding out his arm.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I tell him.
The doors open and the music filters in. First Jazz walks out holding her bouquet of white and pink roses. Then Valerie follows after her. Finally, it’s my turn. The hold Dad has on me tightens just before he pulls me forward.
On my walk down the aisle, I can’t look around at the guests, the flowers, or how beautiful everything looks. All I see is Bennet. To many, he probably looks nervous, but I know that isn’t the case. He’s not nervous; he’s excited—he’s itching to have me up there where we can start the first day of the rest of our lives. He’s practically bouncing from foot to foot, his hands are clasped together, and I can see the muscles in his hands twitching. But his eyes, they’re not dancing around. They’re stuck on me.
When Dad and I make it to the altar, the preacher asks, “Who gives this woman away?”
“Her mother and I do,” Dad says, pressing a kiss to my cheek before walking away and taking his seat next to my mom.
Bennet finally looks calm and collected as he reaches out and pulls me closer to him, mouthing the words: I love you.
Neither of us were big on the idea of having to write our own vows, so we stick to the normal ones. We both recite the vows the preacher reads off to us, and then we slide on each other's rings.
Finally, the preacher says those magic words: “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
No sooner have the words escaped his lips than I find myself against Bennet’s hard chest, his mouth pressed to mine while his hand cups my cheek, holding me to him. The crowd around us cheers loudly. So loud, it almost seems like it’s a prerecorded round of applause playing in the background. I tune it out, focusing on my heart that's pounding with excitement, the way his hands are touching me softly, but also holding me to him firmly, and how his soft lips mold to mine.
When he pulls away, we both have smiles on our faces, and instead of us walking down the aisle, he picks me up and carries me down it, back into the house, kicking the door closed behind us. My back hits the wall, and his body is against mine. His hands are a mess, trying to touch all of me at the same time. My fluffy dress is a pile of material as he works it up to my waist. His hand reaches out and touches me. The moment he finds me bare beneath my dress, just like I know he likes me, he’s racing to free himself.
“I can’t wait another second to be inside my wife.” He places himself at my entrance and thrusts into me.
I gasp. “What about our guests?”
“It’s just you and me, Maddie. We live our way,” he says against my lips as he rolls his hips.
Epilogue
BENNET
* * *
“This was a great idea,” Maddie says as I take my seat next to her on the deck of the yacht we rented.
I laugh and hand over her drink. She sits up and her bikini top that she untied stays on the chair. My eyes zero in on her amazing chest.
She giggles and rolls her eyes as she takes a sip. “Seriously, Mr. Windsor? How many times have we had sex now?”
“It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve been together. I’m always going to enjoy looking at your body.” I reach for her, but she pulls away to tease me.
“Oh, no you don’t, Mister. You owe me one, remember?” She points her index finger at me.
I think back on last night when we docked to get a little time off the boat. Even though we did a ton of things with our time, all I can think about is how she pulled me into the dark alley, dropped to her knees, and sucked me until I had spilled every last drop.
I smile just from thinking about it. “Alright. You’re right.” I stand up and sit on her lounge chair. She slouches back, placing one leg on either side of me. Slowly, she unties the strings on her white bikini but leaves the material draped over her center.
I flip myself onto my stomach, lowering my face to her lap. Using my teeth, I pull the material away and glide my tongue between her folds. Her head rolls back, and a hum escapes her lips. Tasting her, it turns me on, and already my dick is begging me to slide into her. But I owe her one. I force myself to give her what she needs before demanding more.
I flick my tongue against her clit, back and forth until her knees are shaking and her muscles are tightened with anticipation. When I slide two fingers into her, her release breaks. Her hands latch onto the edges of the chair as her hips rise off the seat. She has gasps and moans escaping her beautiful lips. She calls my name over and over. When her release ends, her legs are still shaking. But I steady them as I pull my shorts down and slide between her parted knees. As I kiss her deeply, I position myself at her opening and rock my hips forward, thrusting into her with as much force as I can. Her back arches as she moans into my mouth. My hands find her hips, holding firm as I rock into her, pushing us both to our limits. After she’s come down from her high, I let mine go.
Being with her, it’s something like I’ve never felt before. Not only on the love aspect of it, but physically. I’ve never been turned on like this with anyone else. My body has never physically caved the touch of a certain person before. But now, I’m a goner. I’ve been a goner since the first time I was allowed to touch her. And I’m never going back. She owns every part of me: body, heart, and soul.
As my hips slow, I rest my head on her chest and listen to the way her heart pounds for me. It’s like a song that's just for me, a song that it takes the two of us to make. If I die tomorrow, I’ll die a happy man because she loved me. Before we met, I didn’t know the point of life. It all seemed so meaningless to me. But then I found her, and she gave everything meaning.
“When is our flight home?” she asks from beneath me.
“In a couple hours.” I lift my head to look into her eyes. “Are you happy to be going back home?”
She shrugs. “Not really, but I do miss my family. We’ve been sailing across the world for three months now.”
I nod as I lift myself off of her. “It’s a good thing I gave Damon that promotion. I’m not sure the company would’ve gone this long without me.” When we planned this little adventure, it was set for two weeks, tops. Here we are three months into it, and neither of us are ready to go home yet. We’ve seen things some people can only dream of. We’ve drunk homemade wine with locals, we slept under the stars, had sex beneath a waterfall, danced in a rainstorm in the middle of town with people crowding around to watch. My life and heart are full, and all because I met her when I least expected it.
“Happy birthday, Gavin,” Maddie says, rushing into the house she grew up in. He comes crawling toward her, and she bends down, picking him up and hugging him close.
“How’s it feel to be one year old today?” she asks, even though she knows she’s not getting an answer.
“Hey!” Jazz says, walking around the corner. “Welcome back.” She gives us both a quick hug. “That trip must have been pretty good to stay for three whole months.”
We both laugh. “We just weren’t ready to leave our little paradise,” she says, looking at Gavin.
“I don’t blame you one bit. If I had the chance to drop life and travel the world, I damn sure would.”
“Why don’t you?” she asks, bouncing Gavin up and down gently.
Jazz places her hand on her hip. “I have too much responsibility. I have this little guy, we both have work, a house, bills to pay. Not to mention, this little bundle of joy on the way.” She points at her stomach.
Maddie’s eyes grow wide. “You’re pregnant?”
Jazz smiles and nods. “Fingers crossed for a little girl!”
Maddie and Jazz both squeal and hug, nearly smashing Gavin between them.
I reach over and take the poor kid. “Come on, little man. Let’s go find Daddy and get away from these crazy women.”
I walk through the hou
se, bouncing Gavin and looking for Damon. I catch sight of him outside on the back patio. He’s standing over the grill with an apron on and a beer in his hand. His dad is sitting at the table, looking like he’s talking a mile a minute.
I laugh and shake my head. “Looks like grandpa is getting a little buzzed, Gavin,” I mumble, opening the door and stepping out.
“There’s my brother-in-law I haven’t seen in months,” Damon says, spinning around. “Can you believe he just handed over his company and took off, jet-setting around the world?” he says to his dad.
I laugh. “I didn’t hand over shit. That company is still mine, and I’m taking it back.” I hand him over his son. “I heard the good news, Daddy,” I say, shaking his hand.
He smiles wide and nods his head. “Yeah, Gavin is going to have a baby brother or sister.”
“That’s awesome, man. Congrats.”
“There’s beer in that cooler,” Damon says, placing Gavin in his outdoor play pin and pointing toward the house where a red cooler sets.
I walk over, grab a beer, and come back to sit at the table. “So, what’s been going on?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing new. What about you? Do anything fun on that vacation?”
“Besides your sister?” I say, giving him hell.
“Hey now,” he says, pointing his spatula at me. “You’re not on vacation anymore, Juicy.”
I hold up my hands, palms facing him to let him know I’m throwing in the towel.
Jazz and Maddie come walking out. Maddie grabs a beer and comes to sit on my lap while Jazz picks up the baby and sits down beside us.
“Tell me about the vacation. Where’d you go? What’d you do?” she says, bouncing Gavin up and down on her legs.
“We went everywhere. We rented a yacht and just sailed around the ocean. We’d dock from time to time to go sight-seeing and gather more supplies. We stayed up late, slept all day, had sex anytime we wanted,” Maddie says.
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