by Jenny Wood
“It’s amazing that you got your giant head through those front doors. Did you need to deflate some of that hot air first?” I ask him - after I stopped laughing at him of course.
“Hey, Boss!” Nash jogs up and gives Jase and Kingsley both slaps to the back in hello, “Have you heard from Shade? He was supposed to be here at five,"
“Not since this morning, you want me to give him a call?” I ask, pulling my phone from my pocket to see if I have any messages from him. It’s only ten after, so he isn’t terribly late. He probably got working on something and isn’t paying attention to the time. He’s good at that.
“Nah, I’ll give him some time, he’s just not usually late, is all,” Nash shrugs, “He’ll be here.”
“How’re things going now that his brother is back home?” Kingsley asks, “I mean, is everyone getting along okay? I know he was worried about it when he brought it up last weekend.”
“Yeah, things are better than expected actually,” I say, telling him a bit about Second Chances and what it entails. I don’t go into too much detail, just give him the gist.
“That’s actually really cool. I hope it works out for him," Kingsley says on a rare serious moment. It’s one of the things I admire most about Kingsley, his ability to be silly and sarcastic and then selfless and compassionate. He doesn’t judge, knowing everyone has their own journey, and when he says he’s rooting for you, he actually is. He’s just an all-around good guy, really.
“Speak of the devil,” Jase says, pointing to the front set of double doors where Shade comes in looking harried. When his eyes lock on mine, his smile is enough to drown every other person out of this place and all I see is him. Had I always been this fucking cheesy?
“Uhm, what’s happening here?” I faintly hear Kingsley comment, but Shade is jogging to us with his bag in his hand and he doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of us.
“Hey,” he greets, leaning over, it would seem without thought to touch his lips to mine. “I’m late because I stayed open a few minutes so Gareth Lawrence could pick up his mom’s Lincoln. He didn’t get off until five.”
“Whoa! What?” Kingsley yells, startling Shade with his outburst. We look over at his wide eyes and mouth and Jase is cackling at his side.
“It’s about fucking time!” he says, Kingsley still gaping at the two of us. I put my arm around Shade’s waist and pull him to me, ignoring the way he blushes at the attention.
“I think we broke a Kennedy,” I whisper in his ear and he nods.
“I think we did too," Shade agrees. Turning his head to look at me, he worries his lip between his teeth before asking, “I probably shouldn’t have kissed you like that, you’re working," I scoff, not liking at all that he thinks there’s any place he can’t or shouldn’t kiss me any damn time he wants to. To convey this, I throw my arm around his neck and plant a sloppy, wet, loud, lip-smacking kiss on his lips.
“Is this a prank? Are y’all pranking us right now? What is going on?” Kingsley finds his tongue.
“I asked him to marry me this morning, he said yes," I shrug as if it’s no big deal and I swear Kingsley looks as though he’s swallowed his tongue. Shade drops his chin to his chest in exasperation, but I hear his chuckle.
“You were serious about that, huh?” he asks, his eyes shining with mirth as he looks over his shoulder at me.
“Fuck yeah, I was. Weren’t you? Do I need a ring? We can go pick some out after you get done here. I’ll buy you a big shiny diamond," I challenge, loving the way Shade rolls his eyes and smiles at me. I kiss him again just because I can.
“What is actually happening?” Kingsley blurts, rather loudly. “You guys are engaged? Like, for real? You’re kissing?”
“Who’s kissing?” Nash asks when he joins us. He must’ve spotted Shade, or maybe he only just did because, he too suddenly blurts, “You two are kissing? You’re standing really close together.”
“You guys are ridiculous,” I laugh at all of their expressions. I don’t realize that Jase is holding his phone up to take a picture until the flash goes off in our faces.
“What are you doing?” Shade asks him, watching him skeptically.
“Group chat. Morgan and Conner are not going to believe this," he murmurs, his little tattooed fingers flying over the screen of his phone.
“For fuck sake,” I whisper, leaning back against the boxing ring and pulling his back against my front with my hand on his hips.
“Don’t move, that’s a better picture,” Jase says, snapping another one while I pretend to shove my tongue in Shade’s ear.
“I’m so happy for you guys," Kingsley surprises me by coming out of his momentary shock. “Sincerely, I’m happy as fuck for you two," and with man hugs and back slaps and about a hundred and four texts from the group chat, Shade finally goes to do his session with Nash and I excuse myself to jump in the shower. Kingsley has another barbecue planned on our behalf by the time I’m finished.
----------------------------------------
After piling our plates with lemon pepper wings and steamed broccoli for Shade and honey barbecue for me, we sit side by side on the couch with one of the latest superhero movies that Shade found on pay-per-view.
“I fucking loooooove Wing Street,” he says during the opening credits, popping the boneless wing in his mouth and groans.
“I second that, but your taste in wing selection sucks,"
“You suck,” he quips back, unperturbed. Taking a second to think over how I want this to come across, I really want to get this out of the way so I can stop stressing about whether or not it’s real or not.
“You know, since I told everybody that we’re engaged, we have to do it now," Not how I wanted to start, but, it’s out there. Shade takes his time chewing, swallowing, wiping his mouth and then takes the longest drink of his water, he might as well be part camel.
“How do you feel about that?” he says, helping me, not one little bit.
“I kind of want to know how you feel about it. It was kind of an ‘in the moment’ big moment this morning. I can understand if you’ve had some time to think about it or want some time to think about it," I tell him honestly. I did just kind of spring this on him.
“Do you think it’s too soon?” he asks, nervously. I don’t mask the tiny jerk my head does without warning, but, his question surprises me.
“Twenty-five years, is too soon?”
Shade snorts, rolling his eyes at me like I’m used to. Everything feels so normal with him here, like it’s always been, only… bigger.
“Have you ever met anyone who got engaged after one kiss?” he asks, sarcastically.
“Uh, yeah. We did,” I inform him, unnecessarily.
“You’re impossible,” he gives up, biting into his broccoli. We eat in companionable silence as we finish off our wings and get invested in this movie. Shade is the one who’s all about these hero movies, but, I can appreciate the shirtless action scenes and hetero love interests.
Lounging lazily on the couch together, the only difference from before is how we’re laying. No longer afraid to touch him, I situate us to where we’re cuddled up and spooning, with me acting as little spoon because I wouldn’t have been able to see over his body had I been behind him. I have to admit, I kind of love it. Feeling Shade’s arm draped over my middle and his fingers softly caressing the skin of my stomach, I feel my eyes starting to droop and the movie starting to sound far away.
“You aren’t going to sleep are you?” Shade murmurs sexily into my ear. My eyes pop open when his big, calloused hand flattens on my lower stomach and pulls me back against him. His lips open against my neck and I feel his tongue dart out to taste the skin there.
“I was thinking that maybe you might like to sample the goods before you put a ring on it," he offers, sucking on the skin of my collarbone. I can feel the blood being pulled to the surface and as immature and unprofessional I think hickeys are, I really hope he’s marking me with one. Still, I
want to tell him the truth, because even though sex is an important part of any relationship, I don’t need to have him to know I want him forever. Turning my head and dislodging his lips from my neck, I look him dead in the eyes and hope he hears me.
“Do you know why I’m so confident in asking you to marry me?” I ask, watching his shake his head before continuing. “Because you’re the only person in the world I know better than myself. You’re not some guy I’m crushing on, Shade, or a boyfriend I’ve gotten to know and figured, why not? You’re my best friend. My soulmate. I’m convinced that’s true. I don’t only know that I love you, I’m convinced that I was made to. I’m here, on this Earth, for you. I believe that.”
“You’re that sure?”
“I’m that sure,” I say without a moment's hesitation. Shade takes a deep breath and holds it for a second before letting it go and smiling like a lunatic. “I really hate that you’re so good at this boyfriend shit.”
“Fiancé shit, but don’t get used to it. It’ll be husband shit soon," my eyes widen in surprise at how much I like the thought of that. “Holy shit, I’m going to be your husband.”
“You’re gonna be my husband," Shade agrees.
“You sure? Cuz I don’t want you doubting this anymore. We’re about to shake on it, and once we shake on it, you know there’s no backing out. It’s just like that time you dared me to jump off that train trestle down by Gorgon Lake. I was scared shitless but I shook on it, so you wouldn’t let me back down. I sprained both ankles that day and you had to carry me home on your back, remember?”
“You’re making me shake on it?”
“Bet your ass I am." When Shade spits in his hand and holds it out to me, I wasted no time spitting in mine and gave it back. A nine-year-old’s binding spit handshake is law. We’re getting married.
Shade
“Don’t stop!” I gasp, as three of Gannon’s thick fingers are pumping into me while his tongue licks me all over. He’s spent the last half an hour feasting on me, tongue fucking me until I begged for his fingers. It would seem that my soon-to-be husband likes it a whole lot when I beg.
“Don’t stop, what?” he asks, biting the inside of my thigh that’s wrapped around his head. Gannon had thrown my meaty legs over his shoulders and was not shy in his ministrations in eating my ass. I’d never had anyone do this to me before and Gannon went rabid when I told him as much.
“Don’t stop, please!” I give him what he wants. Something about hearing the word ‘please’ made Gannon feral. He licks, sucks, nibbles and strokes until I’m a quivering mess beneath him. I’m pretty sure I’m not even saying real words at one point, I could only whimper. It would’ve been embarrassing if I could feel any other emotion other than complete euphoria. A bliss that I couldn’t begin to describe, but I know it is taking every ounce of breath from my lungs and my skin feels supercharged and ready to explode.
“You think you can take me, Shade? Because if I don’t get inside you in the next twelve seconds, you’re gonna miss your shot this go ‘round," Gannon scoots himself up on his knees and walks forward between my legs with his fingers still working me.
“Yes,” I moan, wrapping my leg around his hip and pulling him towards me. He never takes his eyes off of me as he grabs the small bottle of lube from the table beside the bed and dribbles a good amount on himself before lining up with my hole. Sliding his fingers out of me and wiping them on the sheet, he lays his body on top of mine and cradles my head in his hands. He never takes his eyes from me.
“Tell me this is forever,” he whispers against my lips. I do.
“Tell me you love me,” I don’t hesitate to say the words and mean them, either.
“Now, baby, tell me to love you,” the baby thing was new, but I swear I went solid rock hard every time he said it.
“Please love me,” I no sooner than got the last word out of my mouth before he was sliding to the hilt inside me. It was a lot, no matter how prepared I’d been, but the burn and the stretch of him inside felt so good.
“You’re gonna kill me,” Gannon groans, dropping his head to my chest before kissing the soft skin there. He keeps his pace slow and languid, making me feel connected to him in a way that is so beyond anything I’ve ever felt before and so much bigger because it’s with him. When I use my legs to squeeze him tighter to me and my hands are digging into the muscles of his back, he pushes himself up to his knees and looks down at me, smiling that charming Gannon smile that drives me insane. Putting a hand flat on my stomach, Gannon grinds himself in me, stealing every ounce of air in the room and any coherent thought I might’ve had.
“Ungh, fuck, Shade," Gannon groans, hips moving sexily as he continues to grind into me while grabbing my cock and stroking me in time with each glide. “You feel me, so deep baby?” He leans over, putting his hand beside my head to hold himself up as his quickens his pace, still not sliding out of me, only grinding inside me, massaging my prostate with his dick.
“I’m so close, Gannon, I’m gonna come,” I warn him, loving and hating as he starts sliding out of me and angling himself up to peg my gland with every thrust back in. The louder I get, the harder Gannon starts to snap his hips and the quicker his hand works my cock.
“Harder,” I demand, grabbing his wrist so I can feel him work me. “Fuck me, harder, Gannon. I wanna come. Please, don’t stop. Gannon, baby, I’m, oh, fuck, Gannon.”
“Fuck!” Gannon bellows, fucking me so hard now that the bed is hitting the wall and rattling the picture right above me. “Do it, come for me. Now, Shade. Lemme feel it, baby," And I do, my vision getting blurry and my veins in my neck feeling ready to explode. I hear Gannon groaning my name and I feel his fingers gripping my hips as he pounds into me. I feel as if I blackout because when I open my eyes, Gannon is draped over me, kissing my lips, my eyes, my nose, and my chin, over and over again.
“You good?” he asks, with his hand around my neck, gently massaging.
“Did I pass out?”
“You did,” he beams.
“You look very proud of yourself,” I admonish, having never passed out from an orgasm before, it had me a little freaked out.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, just a little bit," he chuckles, still inside me. My body jerks from the overstimulation and Gannon moans as he slowly slips from me. “Are you okay? That was intense,"
I take a deep breath and make sure everything is in working order, moving my fingers, toes and arms and legs. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I promise. “That was crazy.”
“Good crazy or bad crazy?” he wants to know, starting to look worried.
“Amazing crazy,” I smile, assuring him that I’m okay. I’m better than okay because I’d just made love to Gannon Butler.
“You’re crazy,” he says, sliding to the bed beside me.
“I think we’re both crazy, but I kinda like it," I smile at him, loving the way he’s looking at me and wondering why I never noticed the way he does that, before. I can see everything reflected all over his gorgeous face.
“Tell me what kind of wedding you want,” he asks, but I tell him that the only person that I care about being there, is him. I tell him we can go to the courthouse tomorrow and I’d be just as happy. Then, we can let the Kennedy’s throw a big bash and then that’ll be that. We’ll be married.
“You’ll be my husband,” I tell him, “I’ll be married to Gannon Butler. Gannon Butler will be my husband. That is so fucking surreal to say,” I laugh when I notice him looking at me like I’m crazy. “You say it,"
“I’m marrying Shade Mayson. Shade Mayson will be my husband,” his eyes go wide and he laughs, hearing it for the first time out loud as well. It’s crazy to think about.
“Shade Butler, Gannon Mayson,” I try out both of our names with the others. Gannon yawns and then repeats them.
“I like them both,” he says.
‘Gannon and Shade Mayson-Butler?”
&nbs
p; “Sounds good to me,” he shrugs, taking my hand in his and kissing my palm before laying it flat on his chest. “Scoot over here and lay your big head on me. I want you close to me tonight,"
“You say the most romantic things, I can’t wait to have a lifetime of this," I laugh when he picks up my hand and playfully bites my finger.
“You should probably call your dad in the morning before he hears it through the grapevine. I know Eric Chumley was at the gym tonight and his nephew lives next door in that green looking house at the end of the street.”
“He’ll say, ‘”It’s about damn time,’” I tell him, knowing my dad. He and mom always thought Gannon and I would either be bachelors for life or we’d end up together because we’d be bachelors for life. I know my mom would be thrilled. She loved Gannon, always told him that he may not have come from her body, but he lived in her heart.
“I’ll agree with that,” Gannon says. “what about kids? You still want kids?”
“Absolutely,” I answer, starting a question and answer session that goes well into the night. Kids, goals, houses, cars, five-year-plans, ten-year-plans, retirement. If there was anything we didn’t know about before, we asked and answered it until we both fell asleep, wrapped around each other. I decide right then and there that I never want to fall asleep without him again, and because we’re getting married, I would never have to.
----------------------------------------------------
“Shaaaaade!” Gannon whines, his sleepy voice much deeper than it usually sounds. “We need to talk about your early as fuck alarm. It has to go.”
“S’not mine,” I mumble, burying my face into my pillow. “Make it stop.”
“Phone. It’s a phone. Break it," Gannon growls, curling into my back and then nudging me toward the edge of the bed where it sounds like the offending noise is coming from. I don’t want to open my eyes to look. We both sigh in relief when the ringing stops, but a second later it starts again, so, Gannon leans up on his elbow and looks over me, wincing at the light his phone is throwing off. It’s his phone.