by Bliss Carter
Without warning, Walker lifted Grace up underneath her back and hips, his body still joined to hers. He sat back on his heels, kneeling on the bed and wrapped Grace’s legs around his hips and waist, her arms around his shoulders. Walker began to surge inside of her body, her wet heat surrounding him. Faster and faster he moved into her, all the while kissing her mouth, shoving his tongue inside and mimicking what he was doing below. He could feel her body tightening around him and he could feel his penis beginning to swell and throb. He knew they were both going to come soon. He heard Grace cry out his name and then she tightened around him like a vice. Walker lost control and pounded into her, releasing himself inside of her, over and over, feeling the orgasm overtake him. He held Grace tight and let her feel all of him. What seemed like minutes later, both of their breaths calming down, Walker gently laid her back on the bed, covering her with his sweaty body. Grace gently moved a lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead, her eyes glistening with love and contentment.
“Well now, that sure as hell was worth the seven-year wait,” Grace stated dryly, grinning up at her husband. He laughed with her, then groaned as he pulled out and lay beside her. Grace turned and cuddled to him, her head on his chest, arm wrapped around him. Her hands stroked him mindlessly. “That was beautiful baby. I honestly couldn’t have imagined it any more perfect than that. I love you Walker Collins.”
“I love you Grace Collins. I don’t think I will ever tire of hearing that name on my lips.” Walker kissed her on her forehead and nuzzled her cheek. He held her there against him for a while, then talked her into getting in the giant walk-in shower. They played with each other, stroking and lathering each other with soap. Playfulness soon turned to a wild and rough sex session with Walker holding Grace against the shower wall, taking her deeply. Grace couldn’t help the piercing scream that left her mouth when she came.
They both collapsed into bed after drying off and fell asleep in each other’s arms, content in knowing that they both had finally found home in each other, sharing last names, sharing Jaxson and sharing in each other’s bodies. Just before drifting to sleep, Grace felt Walker kiss her shoulder from behind, as they spooned like they did most every night. His sweet, softly whispered, I love you Gracie, was all she needed before she fell asleep.
∞∞∞
The next day Grace looked on with excitement and admittedly was a lot turned on watching Walker get his Superman tattoo with a heart on the bottom edge, their wedding date inserted inside the heart. A wedding present for her Superman. She flirted with Walker as he sat in the chair, keeping him entertained. And when it was finished, Grace waited until they left the tattoo shop and gave Walker the hottest kiss, right there in the bustle of an Atlanta street, people moving around them. The rest of the day, she and Walker walked around, holding hands, window shopping and buy some small trinkets for Jaxson. They went to the Georgia Aquarium and enjoyed all of the marine life. They made plans to bring Jaxson back during the winter break from school.
Grace noticed that Walker kept looking at his watch as they sat at one of the eating venues. She finally asked him what was wrong. Walker just shook his head and grinned, saying, “Nothing baby. No worries. I have a surprise for you that should be here in just another minute or two. It’s your wedding present.”
She was so confused by this, trying to think of what kind of present he could give her in the middle of the Georgia Aquarium. She laughed and said to him, “Walker, surely you aren’t gifting me with a dolphin, are you?” When he just laughed and looked beyond her shoulder, Grace was even more confused.
“No smartass. But Jaxson would be thrilled. Baby, don’t turn around just yet. I wanted to tell you that I thought really hard about what would be the best wedding present to give you and I actually had something else I was going to give you instead of this, but I got the text I needed this morning and I decided that THIS should be your gift. I’ll give you the other later. I wanted to give you something that you’ve been wanting for years, but you just didn’t know how to get it. I only want your life to be filled with love and laughter, joyful and sweet. And I think this present will do just that. Turn around and look at your present.”
Grace stood up and turned around and gasped. She was speechless, staring and disbelieving what she was seeing. In front of her, tears running down their cheeks, were her foster parents, Hazel and Glenn Patrick. The only set of parents that she really ever felt close to, that she knew loved her unconditionally. “Mama? Poppa G? Oh my gosh, is it you?” Grace reached out with her hand, almost afraid to see if they were real or not. When Hazel’s hand touched her fingers, Grace completely lost it. Sobbing uncontrollably, she threw herself into Hazel’s arms, crying, clutching at her. Glenn wrapped his arms around them both.
Walker’s eyes had glazed over with tears as he heard his wife sobbing with joy. He had done what he thought would be impossible. He had found her parents. Not her biological parents, but the parents that had made a difference in her life. To him, this was her true parents. He had searched for weeks, even hiring a private investigator to help him out. And to his shock, he found them right here in Atlanta. They had moved here six months ago for a new job opportunity for Glenn. They had been searching for Grace as well, and just didn’t know how to look. Walker couldn’t be happier to bring these three together. Grace needed parents to talk with, share joys with, let Jaxson have grandparent memories with.
Glenn Patrick looked up and noticed Walker. He straightened and held out his hand to shake Walker’s. “You must be Walker. It’s so good to meet you, son. You have no idea the joy you’ve brought us by giving us back our Gracie. This is truly one of the best days of our life.” The men shook hands, even sharing a half-man hug and pats on the back.
Grace pulled away, wiping tears form her face. She stared at the Patricks, the only parents that had been true parents to her growing up, and still couldn’t believe they were here. “How? When? Wha…” Grace couldn’t finish a sentence it seemed. She looked up at Walker, who stood beside her now. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and smiled sweetly at her. “Did you do this Walker? How? What magic do you possess baby?”
Walker laughed, and heard Hazel chuckle. He greeted her the same as he did Glenn, but Hazel pushed aside his hand and went in for the full mom hug, kissing him on the cheek. A whispered thank you son coated his heart with warmth and joy. “No thanks necessary Hazel. I was determined to give my Grace the best gift ever. Her parents.”
“Baby, I hired a private investigator to find the Patricks. They just moved to Atlanta six months ago and are living here now. What better way to celebrate our marriage than reuniting y’all with each other?” He had barely gotten the last two words out before Grace launched herself at him. She kissed him rapidly all over his face, ending with a sweet kiss on the lips.
“Thank you, truly. This means so much to me, more than I can put into words. I love you Walker,” she whispered to him, looking up into his eyes.
“You’re welcome, baby. Now why don’t we all sit down and catch up on what’s been going on. I’m sure y’all want to make plans to visit soon so y’all can meet Jaxson.”
The rest of the day was spent with Hazel and Glenn Patrick. They wound up going out to dinner and said goodbyes at their car in the parking lot of the aquarium later that night. Grace had all the contact info, address and phone numbers that she needed and promised Hazel that she would call her when they got back from the honeymoon. “Mama, you better get ready for daily phone calls and at least bi-weekly visits! We have a lot of catching up to do. I can’t wait for Jaxson to meet y’all. You’ve got a grandson to spoil.” Grace grinned as Hazel clutched her heart, exclaiming that she couldn’t wait.
∞∞∞
Grace’s head was still in the clouds when they entered their hotel room later, but as soon as the door closed, she leaped for Walker, landing in his arms. He tossed her up high against him and carried her to their bedroom. Grace asked him to sit on the
sofa for a minute and when he did, she climbed into his lap, straddling him. She loved this position because it put her body against his and they could be face to face, touching and feeling each other. It was intimate.
“Walker, words still don’t come to my mind…the right words to tell you what your present means to me. I thought I would never see Mama and Poppa G again. And you gave them back to me. My parents, the ones who counted, who were there for me the most…their back in my life. It’s indescribable honestly. I know you’ll say I don’t have a reason to, but I honestly have no clue how I could ever repay you or top this gift. You win title of best present for life.” Grace leaned in then and kissed Walker with all of the love she felt for him at that moment. Shivers ran up her spine and tears glistened as she felt her husband hold her to him in the most loving embrace. His mouth on hers was loving and sensual, all at the same time. Walker pulled his mouth away and smiled down at her, stroking her hair around her face.
“Anything for you Grace. Anything. Do you want your plan B wedding gift?” Walker asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Grace laughed and clapped, bouncing on his lap. “Careful with the jewels, Grace!” He laughed, trying to prevent her from squashing his balls. “I’ll take that as a yes then. Hang on a sec babe. I’ll be right back.” Walker got up and went to his suitcase across the room. He carried back a small box wrapped in silver paper and tied with a simple white bow. “Here, baby. When I saw this, I knew it was yours.”
Grace took the gift, unwrapped it quickly, a smile on her face. When she opened the long, rectangular box and looked inside, her throat caught and she was soon blinded by tears. She didn’t need Walker to explain the meaning behind the gift, yet she looked up at him anyway, wanting his words. Cradled inside the satin lining, was a white gold necklace, a dainty, fragile chain laying in waves inside. At the end of the chain, was a white gold charm in the shape of a lantern. Inside what would be the glass portion of the lantern was a large yellow diamond, with smaller white diamonds surrounding it. It looked like the lantern had been lit on the inside. Next to the charm were two small round white gold ones with single initials on each. One had a “W” on it. The other had a “J”.
“Grace, for most of your life, you’ve felt like you’re still stuck in that dark closet in your biological parent’s home, trapped, afraid and anticipating more abuse when you got out. You’ve slept with lights and night lights for a long time. But now I’m here. I am here to protect you, to honor you, to keep you from harm. I’m here to save you when you need it. And you have Jaxson, have had him for seven years now. We are your lights to keep the darkness away. This necklace is a symbol of that. The lantern and the diamonds inside are your shining light so that you never feel alone in the dark again. As we have children, I’ll add their initials to the necklace. You are never alone again, baby. I’m here. I’ll always be here. Forever.”
Grace held out the box to him, asking him silently to take the necklace and put it on her. Walker did, adding a loving and heated kiss to the back of her neck and he hooked the two ends together at the clasp. The necklace fell gently against Grace’s chest, nestled a few inches below her throat. “Beautiful, baby. Just beautiful.”
Grace nestled against Walker, laying her head on his chest, feeling his hands stroke up and down her back. She whispered quietly, reverently, “I haven’t had darkness since the day you told me you were done being just my friend. You brought light back into the world so I could see again. And because of you and Jaxson, my life is complete. Everyone else around us are bonuses of love and support. But you two, you’re my reason for waking up each day. Thank you, Walker. Not just for the necklace or finding my foster parents. Or marrying me or loving me. Thank you for saving me. I love you.”
Walker scooped Grace up into his arms, carrying her to their bed. “Baby, you saved me, too.” He lay her down on the bed, coming down on top of her, fully clothed. “You saved me from a life of emptiness, of not knowing what it would be to love two people so much that I would die for them. You and Jaxson are my home. Now, can we move on from mushy feelings and get to some sexy displays of affection?” He wiggled his eyebrows at his wife, heat in his eyes.
Grace busted out laughing. “Bring it Boomer. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Oh, I’ll bring it, babe. Just watch.” And Grace, an hour later, was still catching her breath from how her husband brought it. Boomer had just earned every bit of his nickname. Because he made her world go boom. Grace grinned and snuggled into her husband’s massive chest, smelling his pine forest scent. Kissing his pec muscle over his heart, she closed her eyes, put her fingers over her lantern necklace and fell asleep. In the dark. No lights needed. She already had plenty.
Chapter Thirteen
Francie, I’m telling you right now, if you don’t get yourself out of this funk you’re in, I’m going to go put a glitter bomb in your home somewhere. You’ll have glitter showing up for years to come.” Birdie glowered at her oldest sister, who sat at her office desk, sullenly looking at her computer screen.
“Shut up Birdie. I’m fine. I’m just thinking.” Francie lied, sighing heavily.
Birdie knelt down next to her sister’s chair, reaching out to clasp her hand. “It’s been six weeks Francie Pants. Almost eight weeks since Ash left. I know it hurts. I know you have questions without answers, but it is killing me. It’s killing all of us to see you this way. Braxton said that Ash hasn’t called asking for additional time off. So, he should be back soon. And then you can talk and you’ll have answers hopefully.”
Francie, feeling Birdie reach up to stroke her hair, said with snark in her voice, “Don’t call me Francie Pants. I don’t want to hear that nickname right now. That’s Ash’s nickname for me. It hurts too much to hear it.”
Kresley walked into the office and at hearing this said, “Instead of sitting there and letting it hurt you, build on it for when you see him again. Because that first time of being together after he left like he did and being gone for two months or more, I can already predict that you’re gonna flip your lid on him. Ash hasn’t seen you in your fighting stance. Cade tried to argue with me that he would never believe that “his Francie” could be a loaded weapon. I just patted his cheek and told him he was being “cute and protective”. But he has no clue, does he sis?”
“No clue whatsoever. You know how we red heads are. Tempers fly first, then we can calm down to stop, think and listen. I just don’t get why there has been total silence from him. Not even an email, a text, a quick phone call? Honestly, I’m scared more than anything else. Scared for him one minute, scared of him the next. What if he’s off doing something evil? Illegal? Harming someone else? Huh?”, Francie looked up at her sisters, begging them to give her some type of hope. She heard a snort from the office doorway and turned.
“Seriously? We’ve known Ash for months and month, you’ve kissed him, cuddled with him, talked to him endlessly before he left. In all that time, have any of us had a thought that he could hurt someone else?” Grace cocked one eyebrow up sardonically, looking at Francie with censor in her eyes.
“What? Now you’re all ‘Team Ash’? What happened to you being ticked Gracie?” Birdie asked, confused and irritated.
“Maybe being married and all the hot sex I’m getting cleared out some of my inner witch, Birdie.” Grace said as she polished her left hand, knuckles and wedding ring on her shirt. The office burst out laughing.
“Hot sex, huh? Still? It’s been almost seven weeks. Hasn’t that died down a little by now?”
Grace snorted. “Not even a little bit. In fact, it’s even hotter. We just have to be much more inventive with Jaxson in the house. It’s almost a daily challenge to Walker. He’s a cop. He likes a good puzzle to figure out.” She grinned wide; eyes gleaming with happiness.
“Oh gah, I almost can’t stand being in the same room with you and Kresley. Y’all are so sickening when you’re around your husbands. This time last year, we were all single. “What the hell happened?�
�� Birdie asked, genuinely confused.
“Life happened. Love happened. And it will for you, too. Just wait Birdie. I love how our crew of misfits continues to grow. I love how all of you have taken in my foster parents and kind of made them your own. Mama and Poppa G love coming to visit.” Grace abruptly stopped talking when she saw a look of sheer panic on Kresley’s face. She noticed how her hand was clutching her baby bump.
“Kresley, what’s wrong? What is it? Do you hurt?”
A look of wonder had come across her face, and Kresley looked up at her sisters. Suddenly, she hollered out the door, “Gertie, get your ass in here. Now!”
Gertie, hearing her name screamed, ran into Francie’s office with wide, panicked eyes. “What? Who died? What caught on fire?”
“Nothing like that. Y’all put your hands on my belly.” At their looks of wariness, Kresley rolled her eyes and pushed her belly bump out further. “Just do it. Touch me.”
“Yeah, I bet that’s what Big Sexy says every night.” Birdie winked and snickered.
All four women put their hands on Kresley’s belly and each felt it. The movement inside could only be one thing. Their niece or nephew was making itself known to the world. “Oh my gosh, is that the baby moving around?” Birdie asked, awe in her voice.
“Yep. At first it just felt like flutters, like butterflies in my stomach. But the movement has gotten more pronounced and it just dawned on me that it’s the baby moving. Oh my gosh, y’all. I’m going to cry. I’ve got to sit down.” Kresley reached blindly for a chair and Francie immediately hopped out of hers and guided Kres to it.
“Someone call Cade for me? Tell him to come as soon as he can here. But make sure he knows nothing is bad wrong. My phone is in the other room.”
“On it. Texting him now.” Birdie whipped out her cell phone and began typing.
Birdie: Hey brother in law. Kres needs you to come to the office ASAP. Nothing bad. Promise. Maybe she’s horny? Pregnancy hormones are no joke. Lol