by Kennedy Fox
My mother nods, and I hate to disappoint her when she wants our family back together more than ever.
“Okay,” I agree.
Lennon comes back over and tells them it was nice meeting them before thankfully leading me away from them.
“What the hell? That was surprising,” she says, searching my eyes, but even I’m shocked.
“I don’t know. Hayden asked if I invited our parents, and I told him no. He said he would, if I wanted, and I told him I didn’t care. Honestly, I didn’t expect them to show up, considering I’ve always been a disappointment to my dad.”
“They’re trying, Hunter. Maybe you should give them a chance.” Her lips gently touch mine, and I melt into her, allowing her calmness to wash over me. Somehow, she magically has that effect on me when I’m upset. When I’m with Lennon, nothing else even really matters.
“I know. But some people don’t deserve second chances,” I finally say after we break apart.
“And if you truly believed that, then we wouldn’t be engaged right now. It’s a start at least.”
I pull her into my arms, missing her closeness and how sweet she smells. “Why are you so logical?”
“Because one of us has to be.” She snickers.
“You look so beautiful,” I whisper, my mouth grazing the shell of her ear. Lennon leans into me and hums. The curve of her body rests against mine, and all I want to do right now is get the hell out of here so we can be alone, just us.
The sun is barely setting over the horizon, and Lennon searches around for Alison. Mrs. Locke is holding her while Mr. Locke chats with the Corrigans. We walk over, and Lennon gives love and kisses to Allie, and we say our goodbyes to everyone. She wants to get out of here just as quickly as I do since Mrs. Locke is keeping the baby, and we’ll have all night together.
“Leaving so soon?” Maddie asks.
“Yeah, we want to go celebrate.” Lennon waggles her brows, which makes Maddie gag in response. Before we go, Lennon pulls her into a hug. “Take care of Sophie, okay?”
Maddie nods, and as we walk away, I look over at her. “What was that about?”
“Nothing. Just sister stuff.” She shakes her head.
I wrap my arm around her, not wanting to push it, so I change the subject. “So were you surprised?”
Though she tries to pretend she wasn’t, I know better. “Of course I was shocked. I think I still am, actually. I didn’t expect any of this, at all. It’s not a dream, right? Like I’m not going to wake up with your rock hard cock in my back wishing this was real life?”
I wrap my arm around her as we walk past the Hickory Dickory Clock, and my laughter bounces through the park. “Waking up with my cock in your back sounds like a plan, but no, it’s not a dream. It’s real life. And we’re going to spend the rest of our days together. I can’t fucking wait.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, and for a second, she chokes up.
“No, baby. Thank you. You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet.”
I hold her tight, never wanting to let her go as we continue through the park. I think about where we started and where we’re at right now. I think about everything we’ve been through, and how we made it together. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about Lennon being in my life.
I take her hand as we walk over the bridge past the pirate ship and eventually pass King Arthur’s castle. I look around and smile, thinking how perfect this place really is. “We’ll have to take Allie here when she’s a little older. I think she’d love it.”
Lennon lights up. “Absolutely. Now, it’ll always hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to tell her about how I met my Prince Charming when she’s older.”
“Just leave out the part where I was a major asshole, okay?” I chuckle, and Lennon laughs with me, agreeing. We walk to the truck, and while we make our way back to the apartment, she asks me tons of questions about planning all of this, which surprises her even more.
My heart is so goddamn full I can barely contain the way I feel. Lennon will have my last name, and we’ll finally get our happily ever after.
Once we’re inside, we both let out a sigh at the same time.
“People-ing is exhausting,” she admits. “But I’m so happy they were all there. My parents. The Lockes. Hayden and Savannah. Your parents. Liam and Mason. My sisters. So blessed to have them all in our lives.”
“We are. And I’m so blessed to have you,” I admit, and she takes two steps forward and removes the space between us. As our mouths touch, we become more ravenous for one another as the seconds tick by.
“I’m the lucky one,” she says between pants and moans.
No matter how many times I have her, it’s not enough, and it never will be. I’ve imagined being engaged to her since the moment we pretended to be married. Then I never thought it would happen. Being friend-zoned was a bitch.
She teases me with her mouth as she nibbles on my bottom lip. I need her but can’t rush this, not tonight. We have forever, and I want to take my time and live in the moment with her, appreciating every curve of her body.
Gently, I brush my fingers across the soft skin of her neck, reaching behind her and unzipping the dress that fit her like a glove. It falls to the ground, and my eyes light up when I notice the lacy lingerie she wore just for me. It’s a nice surprise, and I’m ready to rip every thread from her body, but instead, I appreciate and study her as she stands confidently waiting for me.
“I love it when you look at me like that,” she says just over a whisper, her breasts rising and falling.
“Like what?” I tease.
“Like I’m the Mona Lisa, and you know why I’m smiling.”
I snicker. “Because I do.”
Hooking my fingers in her panties, I move them to the side. She’s wet as fuck and lets out a small moan when I brush across her clit.
“I can’t wait any longer,” she desperately pleads. “I need you now.”
When she looks at me with so much want in her eyes as she is right now, it makes me weak in the goddamn knees. I lead her to the bedroom where she carefully undresses me, taking her time undoing each button, then lightly brushes her fingertips across my stomach. Her touch drives me absolutely in-fucking-sane. Soon, I’m standing naked, teasing her as I remove her bra and panties, touching the softness of her breasts and skin. After I lay her down, I kiss up her stomach, sucking and flicking my tongue against the taut peak of her nipple, then not allowing the other to go untouched.
Lennon runs her fingers through my hair, tugging and writhing underneath me, waiting for me to enter as I tease her opening.
“Please,” she begs, and I can’t hold out any longer. Parting her legs and pressing her heels against my ass, she forces me inside her, and the emotions that swarm through me are so intense, I nearly see stars. We take it slow, making love, enjoying each other, completely encapsulated in the moment, in the breathlessness, in the kisses.
We’re one, moving together in rhythm, and I never want this to end as she moans out my name and scratches her nails down my back. Pain mixed with pleasure, the exact definition of our relationship, the foundation of what our love was built on. But somehow, we made it together, not the same people we were when we met, different and now stronger. We’re two beautifully broken people who use the other as glue to hold it all together. There is no me without her and vice versa. What we have will last a lifetime.
I remind her how much I love her, and thank her for agreeing to be my wife as we lose ourselves in the moment to never be found. The orgasms shake through us, and as we come down from our high, all we can do is smile.
After we clean up, I hold her in my arms and promise never to let her go. I kiss her forehead, then gently brush my fingers against her arm as she lies across my chest, listening to my heart beat. It’s only ever felt like this with Lennon, as if my body and soul were created for this woman. From the moment I laid eyes on her, she unlocked something deep inside
me, and I knew she was the one. I always knew as much as I tried to fight it.
All is quiet, and eventually, she speaks. “That night at the bar, when we first met, what were you really thinking?”
“That I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I met you,” I say.
She looks up at me and grins. “I love you,” she tells me, sleep evading her.
“I love you too, sweetheart. Now and forever. I’m so happy you’re mine.” I hold her tight, and I’m pretty sure the smile on my face is permanent.
She lifts her head and kisses me. “Baby, I’m yours.”
Epilogue
Lennon
“Lennon, quick! Hurry!” Hunter shouts from the living room. I stumble in my high heel, one on my foot and the other in my hand. “Lennon!”
His urgent screaming has me scrambling, which makes me stub my toe on the dresser and mutter a slew of curse words.
Oh my God. This man. His face better be on fire.
“Are you coming?”
“Hold on!” I kick off my shoe, drop the other one, then run down the hallway to where he and Alison are waiting for me.
“Look! She rolled over!” Hunter’s on the floor next to her lying on a blanket. “She did back to belly, then belly to back! All by herself!” The way he’s gushing about her makes me beam.
“You nearly made me pee myself!” I scold, but I’m smiling because I can’t be mad at him for being so excited about Alison’s milestone. At only six months old, she’s changing so fast.
“Sorry, babe! I didn’t want you to miss it.” Hunter watches her with so much love it’s hard to even be mad about my throbbing toe. “Allie Kat, you’re a genius!”
I snort at the nickname Maddie gave her, the one I tell her to stop saying, but it caught on anyway. Hunter loves her as his own, and as soon as we’re married, we’re going to make it official so he’ll legally be her father. She’ll keep Brandon’s last name and hyphenate it with Hunter’s. Alison Kay Locke-Manning. We talk about him any chance we can, making sure she grows up knowing that she has a daddy in heaven who watches over her every day and that Hunter is her daddy here on Earth who loves her more than anything.
At times, the sadness hits me harder than others, but then I look at Alison and think of the amazing gift Brandon gave me. I know he’d be so damn happy to know he has a little girl. I can only hope he’d be just as happy to know Hunter is the one who stepped up to be here for us.
Hunter looks too damn happy as he encourages and cheers her on that I don’t have the heart to tell him she did this yesterday. She’s been able to roll from her belly to her back for a while now but not back to belly. I was so tired by the time he got home from a late meeting that I completely forgot to mention it. He already feels like he misses too much with his crazy work schedule, so I let him believe this is the first time.
“Are you almost ready, sweetheart?” Hunter stands and presses a sweet kiss to my forehead. “You look incredible, by the way.” His eyes sweep down my body, stares at my chest longer than necessary, then back at my face. “You can’t look this damn good when I can’t do something about it…” He wraps his arms around me, and I blush.
“Don’t you even dare,” I warn him. “We can’t be late. Plus, I have to show you something first.”
Hunter releases an animalistic groan, throwing his head back. He’s being so dramatic, considering he was all over me last night, which causes me to laugh.
I have butterflies in my stomach as I pick up Alison and tell him it’s a surprise from both of us. Quickly, I go to the nursery and set her in the crib, then put the bib on her I picked up at the store yesterday. I wanted to plan something special for this moment, but considering it’s already going to be a busy weekend, I can’t wait any longer.
“Babe?” Hunter calls.
“Coming! Just grabbing Alison’s diaper bag.”
“Ready?” I whisper as I put her on my hip and tickle her chunky little belly.
“Let’s go show Daddy.”
My entire body shakes as I walk to the living room and grab her car seat. I give her a wink as I set her in but don’t buckle her just yet. “Hey, what do you think of Alison’s new bib?” I casually ask over my shoulder, hoping it’s enough to lure him to come over and look.
Hunter grabs his keys and wallet from the coffee table, then steps over and stands behind me. “Butterflies, cute.”
I sigh, shaking my head. He glanced at it without reading the damn thing. “Yeah, I thought it was appropriate.”
“For what?”
“Read. It.” I adjust it, making sure it’s straight and legible. Holding it between my hands, I clear my throat.
“Being promoted to big sister…” He blinks, then mutters the words again. “Wait, what? Are we getting a pet?”
Oh my God. I swallow, releasing a breath. “You’re lucky you’re handsome,” I tease, but as soon as the words come out, his eyes widen as if a light bulb went off.
“Are you pregnant?” he asks, kneeling beside me. When I suck in my lower lip and nod, he grabs me and pulls me to him. “Really? Like you’re really pregnant?” he frantically asks, pushing us apart and nearly giving me whiplash in the process.
“Yes! I’m one hundred percent positive! Trust me, I was in shock, too!”
Hunter blinks, looks at Alison, then back at me. “I can’t believe it.” He brings his hand to my stomach, then pulls me in for a deep, heart-stopping kiss. “I didn’t know if we’d really be able to…” When he rests his forehead on mine, I feel his tears against our cheeks. When we found out his test came back normal three months ago, we decided not to prevent pregnancy and live with the if it happens, it happens mentality. He’s been worried since we’ve been having unprotected sex for so long that we might not be able to have kids. I had to explain to him that it can take up to a year for healthy couples and, in worst-case scenarios, even longer. But as soon as I was late and my boobs felt sore, I knew. It was signs I missed the first time around, but it was impossible to ignore now. I took five tests to confirm it, and when the final test showed the pink lines, my tears were from pure joy.
I’m giving Hunter a baby, and we’re growing our family.
“Did you hear that, Allie Kat? You’re gonna be a big sister!” He takes her out of the car seat and squeezes her.
I watch them with pure admiration. Hunter even added to his ink collection a couple of months ago and got her name and birth date tattooed on his chest over his heart. I was stunned when he brought up the idea and then said he planned on adding our wedding date to it once we set one.
“You’re gonna have to share your toys,” he tells her with a pointed look.
I snort, laughing at how adorable he is with her. There’s a lot to figure out still—if we’ll get a bigger place, when we’ll get married, and if I’ll go back to work after my maternity leave. The realization that we’ll have two kids under two hits me.
“We’re going to have double diaper duty,” I tell him. “I hope you’re ready…”
He smiles so wide, blowing raspberries on Alison’s cheeks. “I’m so ready. For all of it.”
“I love you,” I tell him, leaning over to kiss him.
He puts Alison back, then buckles her in before cupping my face and crashing our mouths together in a deep, passionate kiss. “I love you so damn much, Lennon. I can’t wait to marry you, have a dozen babies, and live happy every single day with my family.”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
Ten minutes later, the three of us are packed up and on the way to the church. It’s Hayden and Savannah’s big day, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Ever since we got engaged a few months ago, Hunter’s dad has been making an effort to repair his relationship with his two sons. I know it’s been years in the making, and it won’t be fixed overnight, but I respect the man for trying.
“I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” Hunter says, brushing his lips against mine, then immediately focuses on Alison. “And you
too, baby girl.” He kisses her cheek, and she tries to lick him.
Hunter and I go our separate ways. He’s the best man, and I’m one of Savannah’s bridesmaids. We’ve grown closer since we met, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her. It was entirely unexpected when she asked me to be in her wedding party, but I appreciated being included and am honored.
Savannah introduces me to her best friend, Donny, who’s the Man of Honor, and his boyfriend, William. Donny’s telling us all the juicy gossip about New York and what it’s like to live in the Big Apple. Everyone except William and me are theater actors. William tells me how he first met Donny and ended up moving from California to New York to be with him, which I found super adorable.
The bridesmaids sing, dance, and drink while we wait in the bridal suite, and they have me laughing my ass off. Alison gets passed around and loved on, and I spill the beans about baby number two. I know Hunter has probably told Hayden by now, but I still have to tell my sisters.
Maddie is coming to the ceremony to watch Alison for me, and then I invited Sophie and her boyfriend, but she sent me a text shortly before it started saying she’d see me at the reception. I didn’t have time to ask her why.
In the past six months, I’ve only seen Weston a few times. They moved in together three months ago even though I begged her not to. She wanted out of her apartment that badly. Between her busy work schedule and me being in bed by nine, we barely spend time with each other now. After seeing those bruises on her arm, I don’t trust Weston as far as I can throw him, and she’s been distant and weird when I bring it up. I miss her so much, and I’m looking forward to seeing her tonight, so I can make sure she’s doing okay but also announce the baby news.
I know it’s soon, considering Alison is only six months old and we aren’t married yet, but this baby is a blessing and will be celebrated. Since my parents have come around and accepted that I’m going to live my life how I see fit, I’m not even nervous to tell them this time. I’m so excited for Alison to be a big sister and hopefully close to her sibling like I am with mine.