by Bliss Carter
“Yep. I may have mentioned pancakes and a surprise for him. Sometimes you’ve just got to make it enticing enough to get their attention. It worked on you in getting you to notice me, didn’t it?” Grace looked at Walker for a second, saw his smirk and wink, then died laughing, agreeing that he was right. They were still laughing when Jaxson came into the kitchen, ready for his day.
“Okay, I’m showered and teeth are brushed. Now, what’s my surprise, mama?”
“Well, Aunt Francie, Aunt KK, Uncle Cade and the rest want to take you to the water park today. How does that sound?” Grace smiled at her son as he sat down on a bar stool, waiting on pancakes.
Jaxson’s eyes lit up. “Really? All day? Cool! But what about you and daddy? Aren’t y’all coming, too?” He asked with a little worry in his tone.
“Your mama and I are going to stay here and start planning our wedding. By the time you get home tonight we’ll know the date and where it will happen. Then you can talk to us about what you want to do in the wedding, if you want to do anything. Does that sound good?” Walker smiled as he watched Jaxson just nod at all of that, his mouth full of pancakes and syrup.
All three of them ate breakfast, happy to be together. As Walker was finishing putting dishes in the dishwasher, the doorbell rang. He told them he’d answer and walked to the front door. He was in his shorts, but bare feet and a bare chest were going to have to do, company or not. When he pulled the door open, he was met with all the Anderson girls with Cade in the background.
“Happy engagement!” the crowd at the door yelled as Boomer stood there. He saw that Gertie was holding a gift basket loaded down with goodies. At that moment, Ash and Killian walked up behind them to join in.
“Holy shit,” Francie muttered.
“Is there an epidemic of massive muscles and hot male bodies in this town? I mean, seriously Boomer, THIS is what you’ve got hidden under your uniform every day? If so, I’ll be finding ways to break the law and get frisked tomorrow,” Birdie bluntly stated in a way only Birdie could get away with. She grinned and winked at Boomer to let him know she was teasing.
“Birdie! My gosh. Stop acting horny around Grace’s fiancé!” Kresley admonished, laughing at the same time.
“For real Bird-pie, shut up about other men. You have other muscled specimens to look at around you.” Killian grumbled as he pushed his way forward through Grace’s front door. He turned and with arms crossed over his massive chest, scowled down at Birdie.
“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Birdie stated with a challenged lift of her eyebrow.
“Why don’t y’all come inside and we can talk about this. Jaxson is excited to leave.” Boomer stated with a chuckle. “His mama and daddy are as well,” he stated more quietly, under his breath. Cade heard him and laughed.
They all shuffled inside and Grace had wandered from the bedroom, having changed out of her PJs into leggings and a tank top. Her hair was wound up into a top knot. Small curls had escaped already and were falling around her face a little. She took the basket from Gertie, happiness lighting up her beautiful blue eyes. Walker told himself to make sure that Grace had that type of joy every day.
“Oh wow, this is beautiful. Thank you, guys! I didn’t get to talk to you all last night. Ash, thank you for playing for Walker. The song was beautiful. I hope someone recorded all of it.”
Ash smiled and ducked his head at the attention. “I was glad to do it.”
“I’m thinking of the next N’Sync song to request for karaoke night.” Walker stated with a mischievous smile. He noticed that Francie’s face had turned so red it looked like it was sunburned already.
“Yeah, I’m volunteering all of you guys to learn another boy band dance number.” Gertie stated with a grin.
“Yeah, well, I’ve learned that I’m too old to be doing that stuff anymore. I still haven’t recovered.” Cade groaned as he clutched his back, as if he were sore.
“Oh please, grandpa, like you aren’t in top physical condition. None of you are hurting in the physical fitness area,” Gertie stated. “Every last one of you and Braxton were so sexy hot up there last night.”
“Well, Cade was for sure. I can’t speak for the rest.” Kresley stated, rubbing her belly. Cade gave his wife a knowing wink.
“I’d have to argue that Walker is the sexiest, Kres. No offense to Big Sexy.” Grace stated with her hands on her hips. Walker leaned down and kissed Grace’s neck with a wet, slurping sound. She tucked her head into her neck and giggled. “Walker!”
“Uhmmm, I’m pretty sure Ash has them both beat. Fire fighters are notoriously sexy.” Francie stated with a shy look at Ash, who just grinned at her.
“Well, don’t leave Killian out of this, people. He may be mostly silent, but his body is probably 007.” Birdie stated without looking up at Killian.
“007?” Killian leaned down near her ear and asked.
“Yeah, you know, licensed to kill? Or in your case licensed to melt.”
Cade threw back his head and laughed at that. “Lord, Birdie. Do you ever use a filter before speaking?”
“Why should I? I just say what others want to and are too chicken to say out loud.”
“Okay, executive decision. I say all of you men stand side by side and take off your...” Kresley began, but was interrupted by her husband.
“Kresley Grantham! You better not be telling us to strip because no woman sees me without clothes but you. And you will not lay eyes on another man besides your husband.” Cade growled at her as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.
She pulled her head back and said incredulously, “What? No! I was going to say shirts, jackass. Shirts.”
“You heard her men. Let’s take off the shirts to compare. The women have spoken.” Walker looked around the room. “I’m already ahead of y’all. So, who can be an unbiased judge? Not Kres or Gracie.” He looked around as the men did as requested and removed their tshirts. Gertie’s eyes glazed over.
Francie and Birdie both looked at each other. Ash snorted.
“What? You think I can’t be fair, Ash?” Francie asked, looking hurt, pouting her bottom lip.
Ash pulled at it playfully. “Nope. And before you ask why, I’ll tell you. Because just last night we had our tongues down each other’s throats in the back hallway of the karaoke bar. So no, not an unbiased bone in your body right now.” Ash crossed his arms and raised a sexy eyebrow at Francie.
“Well, I know Birdie can’t be unbiased because of the whole ‘bodily harm to Killian’ thing.” Killian said this with acid dripping from his tone, staring at Birdie. Surprisingly to the room, Birdie said nothing, just stared down at the floor.
All of the guys agreed the judge would be Gertie. “Okay, so what do we need to do? Just stand here? Do a pose?” Cade asked, looking perplexed.
“Pose? What pose?” Ash asked.
All five women stated at one time without second thought, “Superman pose.”
Jaxson ran into the living room at this moment with the flip flops on his feet making slapping sounds against the hard wood floor. He skidded to a stop at the four half naked men standing in his house. “What’s going on mama?”
“Daddy and the guys wanted to pretend to be Superman for a minute and see which one Auntie Gert thought did the best job.”
“I wanna do it, too! Can I?”
Grace grinned down at her son and said, “Sure, baby. Go stand in front of daddy. Let me hold your shirt.”
Walker held out his hand for Jaxson, who was now shirtless, and after finding a stool, helped him stand on it in front of the guys. Jaxson made the same superman pose and Birdie was taking pictures with her phone as fast as she could.
After a few moments of debate, Gertie stated that she had a clear winner and winking at the others, she said that Jaxson was the best one at looking like a bona fide super hero. Jaxson clapped and yelled, leaping off the stool at Walker to catch him. Walker held him as if Jax were flying like superman and walked around the room fo
r a few moments.
“Birdie I’ll need those pics later today,” Kresley snickered.
“Man candy Monday?” Birdie asked.
“Man Candy indeed.”
“Wait! Is that what y’all mean when you say man candy Monday or MCM?” Ash asked, eyeing Francie, who looked at him with a not-so-innocent look on her face.
“Yep. We share pics on Monday of hot guys we deem acceptable. Preferably shirtless pics. Or sweaty. Or gym work out,” Birdie said to the men with a huge grin. “It makes our Monday’s a lot more tolerable. Each of you have been an MCM in our texts before. You’re welcome. Other Mondays the pics can range from Jason Mamoa, that hot guy on TV who plays a firefighter, to that time I saw Randy at the tire store with his shirt off. I never knew sweat and grease could be so sexy. Glad I had my phone to take a pic that day. Epic.”
The men’s faces ranged from shock, amusement to disgruntlement at being unaware of their hotness being shared or that other men’s hotness was being observed. Francie spoke up and said, “What’s the big deal? It doesn’t get shared further than us five women. We don’t post stuff on social media or anything. Be glad you have females who think you hung the moon and your sex appeal is through the roof. The alternative could be boring.” She pointed her finger at each of them and then turned away to look in the gift basket sitting on the end table. She squawked as she felt Ash’s hand slap her ass with a loud pop.
Grace died laughing as Walker growled and picked her up and tickled her sides with his big hands. “You better not be showing me to anyone other than the girls.” She kissed him warmly on the mouth, which was all the answer he needed.
The group soon said goodbyes and Grace hugged Jaxson, saying to him to be careful and listen to everything that Uncle Cade and the rest told him to. He nodded his head, kissed Grace, high fived Walker and closed the living room door behind him.
Grace sagged against the closed door and looked at Walker, her eyes traveling up and down his body. “Well, look at us. A free day with no child to watch after. What shall we do, Mr. Collins?” She batted her eye lashes at him.
Walker merely grinned at her and started walking towards her. He picked Grace up and hoisted her over his shoulder. In between her fits of giggles, Walker smacked her delectable butt and carried her to the couch, where he gently deposited her on the cushions. Instead of sitting beside her, Walker eased down, laying on top of Grace’s body, feeling her warmth embed itself inside of him. Her large breasts pillowed under his massive chest, her legs twined around his calves and thighs. Her bare toes rubbed up and down on the hair of his legs.
“Okay baby, now let’s talk. I want to get the wedding plans out of the way so we can enjoy the rest of our day together with no other distractions. I can’t think of a better position for us than this to talk about our wedding.” Walker kissed Grace on the lips, gently opening her mouth for his tongue. He tilted his head back and forth, finding the perfect fit for their mouths. His kiss wasn’t harsh. It was gentle, showing her how much he cherished her. His fingers caressed her face and hair over and over as they kissed.
Grace broke the kiss and looked up at Walker. She smiled, saying to him, “I have an idea. Hear me out before you veto it.” Walker arched his eyebrow, but the twinkle in his eyes told Grace he was all ears to listen.
“This next Saturday is Jaxson’s 7th birthday. We both want him to be as involved in our wedding as we are, right?” At Walker’s nod, Grace continued. “He wants a superhero birthday. Everyone will be here for the party any way. Why don’t we have a superhero wedding? Jaxson’s inviting his class for the party, and it will end at 4 PM. Why don’t we plan to have the wedding start at 5 o’clock, after they all leave and just our close friends and family are here? Everyone can wear superhero costumes if they want, except you and I of course. We’ll change into a suit and dress for the ‘I Dos’. Then we can end with grilling out for dinner and have a traditional wedding cake.” Grace held her breath, looking at Walker for any signs that he thought she was insane.
“Baby, I think you are...a genius!” Walker stated, grinning as Grace began laughing. “It’s fun, it’s easy and it involves Jaxson and what he loves. Plus, I can begin planning my seduction of you because in less than one week, I’m going to absolutely turn your world upside down with how good I’m going to make love to you.”
“Oh, that was one of the first things I thought of honey when trying to figure things out. I’m just about at the end of my celibacy rope here, Walker. I can’t wait much longer for you to make me yours and for you to be mine.” Grace searched deep into Walker’s eyes, seeing everything she was feeling reflected back at her. Longing, desire, love and adoration. “How did I get so blessed to find you, baby?” Grace began crying quietly, small tears running down her cheeks, overwhelmed by how she could have missed out on this wonderful man.
“Angel, don’t cry. Baby, it’s okay. We’re here, together. That’s all that matters. We aren’t going to think about the past and the what ifs of what would have happened if we had sped up our friendship before now. The only thing that ultimately matters is that we have the rest of our lives together with Jaxson and any future children we decide to have.” Walker rolled to his side on the couch, bringing Grace with him until they were laying on their sides, cuddled into each other. Walker held Grace’s head against his chest, stroking her back and kissing her forehead.
“After our marriage is official, should we begin the process of looking into how I can adopt Jaxson?” Walker asked Grace in the quiet of the room.
Grace raised her head and looked at him. “Yes, definitely. I’m not sure how everything works in Georgia with adoption, but I didn’t even put Hank on Jaxson’s birth certificate and he has never tried to legitimate him or take me to court for legitimation or joint custody. We’ll consult with an attorney on what to do. Then we’ll start the process. I’m just not sure how long it will take, Walker.”
“I know Grace. I’m a patient man. Notice how long I waited for you to finally see me?” Walker grinned at that, only slightly wincing at the slight punch she gave his bicep. He laughed and kissed her on the nose as an apology.
“So, what do we want to do today? We can sit down later and make a list of stuff to get done this week. I don’t want to make things complicated or over the top. Want to look up some nearby places to go on a honeymoon? Maybe we can rent a cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains in north Georgia?” Grace pushed her fingers through Walker’s hair as she asked.
“That sounds good. Quiet cabin, secluded, a jacuzzi and cooler temperatures. What’s not to like? How long do you want to be gone, baby? I’ll need to get with my captain and chief about leave.”
“Probably just 4 or 5 days. I don’t want to be gone that long away from Jaxson. Especially since school will be going on. I think I’ll ask Kresley if he can stay with her and Cade. They have the back yard for him to play and Cade won’t mind taking up some playtime with him outside after work.” Grace looked away, deep in thought.
“What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours Gracie? Lord, you are so gorgeous. I’m marrying the hottest, most gorgeous woman on the planet,” Walker exclaimed loudly, leaning down to kiss Grace senseless. She giggled, but soon quieted as their kiss turned heated. Walker’s kisses became deeper, hungrier, hotter. His hand roamed from her back down to her butt, where he squeezed her, caressing, pulling her more insistently against him. “Baby, I want you so much. Six days is going to be torture. You hear me? Torture!”
“I understand Walker. Honestly, I’m just about to the point of saying ‘screw it’ and strip naked right here, right now. Is that what you want? If you say so, I’ll do it and we can move on with finally making love to each other.” Grace sounded exasperated and moody, sexual frustration evident.
“No. We’ve waited this long. And we both know that our wedding night, when we’re in that cabin in the mountains, in the quiet and stillness, and it’s just us there…when we do see each other naked for the first time,
touch each other without barriers, feel each other’s skin, be able to kiss where we haven’t yet and then ultimately feel me slip inside of you and fill you up…it’s going to be the most special moment of our lives. I want that special feeling. It seems right to have that with you, to wait. Like a precious gift we’ve both been waiting to unwrap.”
Grace’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffed to hold them back. “That’s exactly how I’ve thought about me being celibate all of these years. I wanted to give me as a gift to the man that was sent to me to be mine forever. The first time wasn’t a gift at all. It was selfishness and a taking instead. The only great thing that happened from that was Jaxson. He was my gift then. And you’re my gift now, Walker.”
“Why don’t we see what’s in that gift basket and enjoy some snacks while we watch a movie?” Grace asked, already wiggling beneath Walker to try to get up. She stopped when he abruptly groaned.
“Angel, moving around like that, right now, isn’t the best thing to do for my sanity.” He put his forehead down to hers and let out a shaky breath. He felt her shaking and panicked, thinking that he had somehow hurt her feelings. Then he heard the melodious sound of her giggles. Then she snorted. Lord, her snort was so precious. Walker started laughing, too. Soon they were clinging to each other, laughing non-stop. Finally, Walker let Grace up to search the basket for their next meal.
Their day together, with no Jaxson distractions, was a fun little vacation from responsibilities and letting them be able to be free with each other without worries of little eyes seeing or little ears hearing. Walker cuddled Grace into his body every chance he got, allowing himself to fully relax and just enjoy the day. He let her pick whatever she wanted to watch. He didn’t care what it was, as long as she was there with him. Yeah, he was sure some would think he was a wimp, but he didn’t give a crap. He was all about his woman and what she wanted. He found joy when she found joy. Wasn’t that how a relationship was supposed to be? He looked down at her beautiful face as she lay within his arms on the couch, napping. She looked like a beautiful, ethereal angel, blonde curls around her head like a halo, spread out over his chest like liquid gold. He ran his fingers over her nose, her brows, her cheek. He loved to stroke her face, feel her soft skin. Oh, his Gracie could be wicked. Loud. Sarcastic. And a pain in his ass at times. She was perfect. Perfect for him. His sigh of contentment made her fidget a little, then she murmured something in her sleep, slapped a hand at his chest and buried herself deeper into Walker. Then she was quiet again.