"When you put it that way, " I quickly signed my name, then threw my arms around his neck, "I can't wait."
It was time to let go of the past. To learn how to be a better mother. I could do it all as long as I got to fall asleep every night lying next to this man.
EPILOGUE
Carina
Leo Dan began playing over the outdoor speakers. I set the plates down on the table and looked around.
"Uh-oh, Ritchie has taken over the music," I said to Carmen as she came up beside me. Ritchie picked up my little sister, Luna, and spun her around in time with the music. She squealed and giggled, loving every second of it. I couldn't get over how much had happened in three short years. Ritchie and Carmen had married before moving to the island. In the fall, Little Luna would start pre-school just down the street. Then they would all go back to Santicero for the summer. It was a fair compromise.
"That man." She shook her head and tsked. "Bash, go tell Abu not so loud."
"Okay," Bash replied, then ran a few feet before turning back around. "Then can I get back into the pool, Mama?"
"No, not until after we eat," I said for what had seemed like the tenth time in ten minutes.
"And you need time to digest," Carmen added as she arranged the platters of food on the large outdoor table.
"Noooo," Bash whined. "I'm not hungry anymore."
Exasperated, I looked down at Brando.
"A little help here, please?" I gestured to Bash. Brando's eyes went wide, and he shook his head.
"I have no clue what any of you just said. I don't speak Spanish, remember?" Carmen and I exchanged glances then laughed.
"Sorry, baby." I leaned down and kissed him. "Sometimes I forget."
He looked up and smiled, then returned his attention to Scarlett, who was fast asleep in his arms.
"I'm going to lay her down," Brando said before slowly standing with our daughter cradled in the crook of his arm. "I'll be back." He pecked me on the lips then headed inside the house.
"Stay away from those playoffs, Brandon. Dinner is almost ready." I pursed my lips and put a hand on my hip, not at all fooled by his excuse to put Scarlett in her crib. He could hold her all day and never grow tired. He had perfected the art of doing most things one-handed.
"Baby, I'm just going to check the score. Real quick," he said over his shoulder, and I shook my head.
I turned and looked around the huge backyard. I fell in love with the house as soon as we'd seen it. While Todd was in rehab, Brando and I had started staying at the condo. As soon as we found out that Bash could come to the States, Brando insisted on looking for a house. I thought the condo was fine, but he wouldn't hear of it. We spent days looking at enormous houses with way more room than we needed. I wanted to go smaller, but Brando wanted to go bigger. Eventually, I realized he wanted to show my father that he could provide a lifestyle befitting a Risto. I loved him for that, but it wasn't what I wanted. I went from living in a big hollow mansion to a hacienda in Mexico to a tiny studio apartment. I learned it was not the size of the space that made me happy. It was the people who shared the space with me.
After the lawyers got the paperwork settled, Ritchie and Carmen brought Bash to Charleston by plane, then Brando and I brought them to our little four-bedroom house with a quarter acre of land and an eight-foot deep pool. It was a far cry from Silverwood, but I was proud of it. Bash took to Brando right away. He had been intrigued by all the tattoos, so Brando started drawing colorful pictures on Bash's arms. They spend time together at the tattoo shop, while I took accounting classes in Key City so I could help with the business. We had become a tiny family in such a short time, that it all seemed too good to be true. Then I woke up every morning to find that handsome man lying next to me and Bash down the hall. It was more than I had dreamed possible for myself. More than I thought I'd deserved.
The back gate opened, and familiar faces entered with smiles and waves. Kids ran around the yard, spraying each other with water guns.
"Hmph, it looks like the cooks have left their posts." Jonna nodded to the guys who were gathered inside to watch the game.
"It's probably for the best," Harley said, using a spatula to flip over the burgers. "We're much better cooks anyway. Hey, what song is this? I like it." She swayed from side to side with the music.
"Well, of course we're better cooks," Ms. Annette chimed in, "but it's Carina's birthday, and she shouldn't be workin'. I'll go set them straight." Then she stormed to the sliding glass door.
"Mama, wait," Jonna called after her with a giggle, then a child started to cry, and Jonna hurried off. "You're okay, sweetie."
Inside the house, Jamie jumped up and cheered, then everyone immediately shushed him. Jamie was clearly the only non-dad in the room.
I laughed and looked around, enjoying the chaos. I wasn't the rich weirdo anymore. My life had been filled with real friends, a family, and lots of love.
****
Brando
"Happy Birthday, baby," I said and handed Carina a box. The party was over, the kids were in bed, and soft music still played through the outdoor speakers.
"What? What is this?" Her eyes went wide as she took the little box from my hand. "Are you proposing to me?" She put a hand to her chest, feigning excitement.
"I don't think I can top the first proposal." I grinned, and she nodded. When I decided to ask Carina to marry me, I wanted to keep it simple, but I needed the perfect ring. So I drove up to Silverwood and asked Madelyn for help. At first, she was surprised, but I figured it would mean something to her. Her only condition was that I didn't tell anyone she'd helped, though she still referred to me as a fool. My wife wore the beautiful ring her mother picked out and she didn't even know it. Maybe one day they could fix whatever they had broken in their relationship.
The night I decided to propose I brought Bash in the living room with us and explained to him how much I loved his mother, then I asked him if I could marry her. When I looked over Carina was in tears. They both said yes, of course.
"It was a pretty good proposal." She agreed, then pulled back the jewelry box lid. "A key?" She cocked her head to the side, then blinked several times. When understanding dawned on her, she jumped up from her seat and straddled my legs. "Is this the key to the new shop? The one right in town? It was approved?"
I nodded, and she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me into a hung.
"Baby, that is amazing news!"
It had been hard to convince the city to allow me to move my shop to Main Street on the boardwalk. It took almost a year to get it approved. There are lots of misconceptions about people with tattoos, especially on Sea Whisper Island. Ironic for a place founded by a pirate, the original island outlaw. I had to change their hearts and minds, but I got it done. A prime location opened new possibilities for the life I wanted to give my family.
My cock twitched as Carina pressed kisses along my neck.
"What are you doing?" I asked, and she gave me that look. The one that meant she was hot for me, and I was already way ahead of her. She rocked her hips against the crotch of my jeans, her skirt already bunched around her thighs. I reached between her legs and lightly brushed the thin damp material of her panties. After pushing the barrier to the side, I slipped in two fingers, rubbing at her wetness then circling her clit. Then I stood so she could sit in the chair and I got to my knees in front of her. Our backyard fence was high, and there were no neighboring houses close enough to see us, so that meant I could enjoy my wife in complete privacy.
I pulled down her panties and put one leg on either arm of the chair. Carina sighed in anticipation as I kissed her inner thighs while pushing her skirt up, exposing her pussy. I ran a finger along her folds and pressed lightly on her clit. She gasped and moaned softly, so I leaned forward and slid my tongue along the same path as my finger. I loved tasting her wetness, inhaling her sweetness. She whimpered softly as I licked and teased her with my fingers.
"Brandon." Her moans w
ere breathy as she ran her fingers through my hair. She rocked herself against my face as she built her arousal.
"My baby is so wet," I whispered against her soft flesh before lightly pinching her sweet spot between my teeth, and when her legs began to shake with need, I sucked the tiny bud. Carina threw her head back in a soundless display of ecstasy. Her breathing increased as she opened her mouth.
"Oh. I'm going to come." She tightened her thighs around me as I licked and sucked until she cried out her release. I didn't even give her a chance to recover before I switched our positions, with me seated in the chair and her on top. I pushed down my jeans, and my cock sprang free. I spread her legs until they rested on either side of the chair again then entered her. Her pussy was still warm and swollen, her inner walls contracting and wringing out her orgasm. She threw her arms around my neck and began to ride me.
"Fuck," I groaned, thrusting up as she went down. Then I placed a hand on either side of her hips so I could control the rhythm. I wanted her to come again, so I gave it time to build. I knew her body well. Each gasp and every moan told the story of her pleasure. I reached up and pushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were cloudy with passion as she met my gaze. Sometimes I had a hard time believing she was mine. The sexy redhead with legs for days and a permanent scowl, but if I was doing my job, that scowl didn't come around as often as it used to. I lifted her wrist and kissed my name that had been placed there forever. She lifted my wrist and kissed her name, too.
"I love you," Carina whispered, her gaze locked on mine.
"I love you, too," I replied, keeping my eyes on hers as my thrusts grew faster. So close to coming. I could tell by the way her muscles spasmed around me that she was right there with me. "Come with me, baby. Come now." As if on command, she rolled her hips one last time then came undone, gasping and moaning as her body shuddered. I pumped twice more then exploded inside her, coming in long spurts that seemed to last forever. My first thought was that I hoped we'd just made another baby. Maybe it would make it here in time for the playoffs.
Carina wrapped a blanket around us, then we reclined under the stars, holding each other close, and we stayed that way until midnight.
The countdown is on!
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Interested in other books by Gwendolyn Grace?
Check out...
The Drive Me Wild Series
Fox (FREE DOWNLOAD on all major retailers)
King
Blaze
Heat (a Drive Me Wild novella)
Happily Ever Alpha World
Until Midnight (A Drive Me Wild and Until Series Crossover Novella)
The Story of Us series
True (The Story of Us #1)
Forever True (The Story of Us #1.5, a novella)
Standalones
Kentucky on the Rocks (FREE DOWNLOAD on all major retailers)
ALL AVAILABLE NOW
Until Midnight © is one of many stories available in
Aurora Rose Reynold's Happily Alpha World
Until Midnight Playlist
Te He Prometido by Leo Dan
Girl by Maren Morris
These Dreams by Heart
Drive by The Cars
King of the Road by Roger Miller
Cuidad Perdida by La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata
A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos
You & I by Young the Giant
Available now on Spotify
Author's Note
I really hope you enjoyed Brando and Carina’s story. I thought the Drive Me Wild series ended with Blaze, but I’d left two characters kind of hanging. It was on purpose. I will never say never when it comes to the crew. If you notice, I left a few doors open just in case I want to travel back to the island.
**A quick note for those who have followed the entire series**
I know my timeline in Until Midnight is a little off, but the only way I could tell Carina and Brando’s story was to jump a year ahead. I hope you’ll forgive me.
A special thanks to all my readers! You are the reason I love what I do.
xo- G
Can you solve the mystery?
I left a tiny clue in Until Midnight that hinted to the true origins of one of the characters. If you caught it, email me at [email protected] and I’ll send you a swag pack.
Happily Ever Alpha: Until Midnight Page 12