by Jamie Knight
“We sure are. Let's go tell James,” I said, interlocking my fingers with hers.
“Okay,” she agreed, giving me a quick peck on the cheek and walking with me in the direction of the living room so that we could give her father the good news.
We were going to be together for good. And not have any more separations to worry about. Our story was ending as happily as I could have imagined it, after so long of thinking our chance at happiness and love was over for good.
Epilogue
Natalia
I felt like I was floating on a cloud as I looked out the window of the plane. We were on our way to Las Vegas.
Everything had happened so fast, but all of it felt right. I had asked Bradley if he wanted to push the wedding out, maybe until after we have the babies. I believed that he loved me and that he was marrying me because he loved me, but I didn’t want him to feel like I was rushing him to the altar by any means.
“We can do the whole big wedding thing if you want,” I told him.
But, it wasn’t what I really wanted. What I wanted was for us to have gotten married a long time ago. Since the first time that we made love, I haven’t wanted to be away from him. It was only because of him and his silly code of morality that we had been kept us apart for as long as we had been. Well, that, and I guessed my dad could be pretty scary, too.
“No, I want to get married now,” he told me shortly. He looked at me with such a look of endearment, a look of hunger that was wrapped in the tenderest of feelings.
When we got to Vegas, we barely had time to land before we had to rush to the hotel and start getting ready. We had arranged to get married in the wedding chapel located in the hotel that we were staying in, so we didn’t have to worry about going all over the place.
When we saw the wedding chapel, Bradley and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. We knew it was corny and tacky, but it was so us.
Here we had spent so much time apart when all we had to do was face that fact that, despite the rules of what was right or wrong, we had grown attached to each other. The chapel was staffed by Gary, a drag queen who was also a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, smiling at us with a cheesy ten-thousand watt smile.
“You guys ready to do this thing?” he asked, gyrating his hips in the same way that Marilyn Monroe did.
I blushed, laughing.
“Not quite yet, we still have to get ready and then we’ll have the ceremony.”
Bradley grabbed my hand and smiled at me.
“And then we can get on to our wedding night.”
He winked and me and growled softly, running his fingers up my spine. I screamed and batted at him playfully. Bradley knew how to make every moment interesting. And, being completely honest, I was excited to get to our wedding night, too.
We went to our separate rooms and prepared ourselves. I put on my gown, a short skirt with a train that went to the floor. I had a short white veil that barely covered my face attached to a headband. Even my dress looked cheesy. I laughed at myself in the mirror, pulling out a tube of red lipstick and applied it across my lips. I leaned over and kissed the mirror.
There was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” I asked sweetly. “Bradley, that’d better not be you. You know that it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”
“It’s Dad,” came the gruff voice on the other side of the door. I opened the door slowly and peeked my head out.
“I’ve come to escort you to the chapel,” said my dad, extending his elbow in my direction.
As fun-filled as everything might have seemed about my wedding, having my dad there to walk me down the aisle was something that meant the world to me. I wished that my mother could have been there to see it.
She would have been standing there, crying the entire time. I saw a hint of sadness in my dad’s eyes when he looked over at me on our way down to the chapel. I walked with my father, arm-in-arm, not uttering a word.
When we got to the doorway of the chapel, my dad let out a loud sigh. He stepped gingerly over the threshold, grabbing my hand tightly as I clung to his elbow.
He looked over at me, his eyebrows furrowed in a way that told me that he was worried.
“Is this really what you want?” he asked quietly, leaning closer to me.
I kept my step in pace with his.
“Yes, it is, Dad,” I said.
“Are you sure that you’re not just doing this because of the babies? Because if it is, you don’t have to do it. I’ll be here to help you in any way that I can.”
I almost stopped walking at his suggestion.
“This isn’t a mission that’s gone wrong and needs an out, Dad. We’re all good here,” I jibbed.
My dad laughed, scoffing at the silly wedding chapel that we had stepped in. He jerked his head toward a disco ball hanging from the ceiling.
“This is what you want? Some joke of a wedding? I feel like this is something that you’ve been talked into or something. And, as your dad…”
I cut him off before he could even finish that sentence.
“—Dad, all of this,” I said, waving around at the cheesy wedding chapel, “this is something that we picked together. Because we don’t care about the silly wedding chapel, the cliché Las Vegas wedding, or the Marilyn Monroe impersonator. Sorry, nothing personal, Gary.”
“None taken,” chirped Gary, the Marilyn Monroe impersonator.
“All that we really care about is being together,” I told him, hoping that he could understand. “By the way, Gary, you have better legs than I do.”
“Thanks,” beamed Gary, prancing a step and kicking up his legs, his dress raising with each kick. ”Yours aren’t too bad, either.”
I laughed. “Well, you would have to be the one to tell me that one, Gary,” I said, still chuckling. “I haven’t been able to see my legs in weeks.”
I look over and see Bradley striding up to me, his Black tuxedo almost shimmering under the sparkling lights of the altar. His hair was slicked down and his eyes were clear and bright. He stared at me and smiled softly.
“Honey, you have gorgeous legs,” he said. “I can definitely attest to that.”
Bradley and I stared at each other, grinning like lunatics for a few minutes until my dad cleared his throat.
“I know that this is your wedding and I’m here to support,” he said. “But, give a guy a break, will ya, and knock it off?”
He pretended to shudder and took a step back, leaving Bradley and I standing next to each other.
“Are we ready to begin the ceremony?” asked Gary in a high-pitched, airy tone, flipping the bangs of his blonde wig over his eye.
“Yes, we are,” said Bradley, standing up tall and looking forward. His stature was impressive, one that spoke volumes about the kind of man that he was. He was a man of honor and, more importantly, he was a man of love. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by his love standing there, having the courage to give me the wedding that I wanted for the sake of love.
The ceremony began and was very poignant. We exchanged our vows and rings, promising to love, honor, and respect each other as long as we both shall live. My dad made a joke that that life span might be significantly shorter for Bradley because of his age.
Bradley laughed but I acted like I hadn’t even heard it. I pretty much knew that my dad would always have age-related jokes. And that was fine. As long as he had let go of the anger of how our relationship had begun, we can finally work on building a family together.
After the ceremony, we went to a private dining room in the swankiest restaurant inside of the hotel. There was also a bar and a stage for live acts. Today it was set up for karaoke.
We had a custom chef-prepared dinner. It was delicious and we ate a lot of it. My dad said that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to let his hair down and have so much fun. It made my heart glad to be able to celebrate the beginning of a new life for me with the two men that I loved most: my
new husband and my father.
My dad made a beeline to the bar and loaded up the table with a pitcher of beer and glasses. I knew that he hadn’t gotten that for me, but that he planned on drinking with Bradley the way that he had done many times at our house. They talked like old friends over dinner, joking and laughing.
I made a joke that I was starting to feel left out and that maybe I should excuse myself from the table. That comment made my dad get a serious look on his face, like he was deep in thought.
“I’m glad that you guys decided to get married,” said my dad, nodding. “At first, it was kind of hard for me to accept, given that Natalia, you’re my baby girl and Bradley, you’re my best friend. But, when I see you two together and happy, it makes me just so happy. I hope that you guys can keep making each other happy like that. Especially once the boys get here. Just always remember to stick together and be a team, no matter what.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, patting his hand. We shared a moment where it was almost understood that I was no longer the little girl that he had always known. I had turned into this mother and wife almost overnight. I could tell that my father had an air of respect for me because of it. I beamed happily at the thought.
After we had eaten to our heart’s content, my dad made a huge gesture of looking at his watch and pretending to yawn.
“Would you look at the time?” he asked loudly. ”I think it might be time for me to head off to bed. You guys enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He walked off toward his suite, one that he insisted be on the opposite side of the hotel from ours, leaving Bradley and I sitting there.
He smiled at me and I smiled back.
“We did it. We’re married.”
“Yes, we are,” I said. ”I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Bradley said. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly on the lips. Our kiss lingered for a little bit, making heat rise into my cheeks. I panted, trying to catch my breath, once we separated.
“I think it might be time for us to retire for the night,” said Bradley, grinning at me devilishly.
I licked my lips at him and nodded. We walked the short distance to the honeymoon suite. When we got to the door, Bradley swept me off of my feet and walked me across the threshold of the door. The heart shaped bed had pink and red flower petals sprinkled across it. Bradley laid me on the bed gently, easing himself on top of me easily.
“I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” said Bradley. “I want everything to be just right. Hang on.”
He hopped off of the bed and ran over and dimmed the lights. I had to catch my breath at seeing what looked like a thousand candles seem to come to life all at once. Soft jazz music lifted over speakers that I couldn’t see. I didn’t see Bradley anywhere, though.
“Bradley,” I called out, craning my neck to see where he had gone. After a few minutes, he emerged, wearing nothing at all. I got a good look at his gorgeous, muscular physique. I could see the outline of his scars and almost wanted to reach out and run my hand along them. His long, hard dick stood straight out. I could tell that he was really happy to see me.
“You look amazing,” I told him, beckoning for him to join me on the bed.
He crawled over to where I lay and started to undress me, carefully placing each piece to the side like he was savoring every minute of it. He opened my legs wide, leaning down to kiss the hairs of my pussy. I kind of felt awkward laying there with a big, round belly and being intimate with him.
“You’re the one that looks amazing,” he said reassuringly, kissing me along my neck, traveling down my chest, and kissing the top of each breast tenderly.
I leaned my head back as each hot kiss landed on me, inching closer and closer to my firm nipples. I grinded my hips toward him, moaning as I felt my pussy start to drip as I craved him. His wet mouth on my nipples made me moan. I grabbed the back of his head, his hair between my fingers. He circled his tongue fast around my nipples, lightly sucking them, pulling them so that my back arched in response to his lips.
“You make me feel so wanted,” I whispered. ”You make me proud to be your wife.”
I plunged my tongue into his mouth, kissing him wildly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling his hard dick push against the outside of my pussy. He wiggled his hips as he pushed his way inside of me, opening my pussy lips with his firm member.
“Make love to me,” I begged him, opening my legs up wide to give him easy access. ”Make love to your wife.”
Without hesitation, he guided his dick into my wet, slippery pussy. He was so big that he stretched the walls of my pussy open wide. I bit my lip to hold back the screams that were threatening to break loose.
Bradley looked down on me, starting to breath faster. He slowly pushed his dick into my pussy, staring into my eyes to watch my reaction while he did it. My eyes widened as my pussy did, clinging to every inch of his rock hard member as it sank deeper and deeper into my juicy center.
“You feel amazing,” he said, panting. “You’re just so wet. Oh God...”
He started to pump harder and harder, my legs spread out wide on either side of him, and him hanging onto them for dear life. He pounded my pussy so hard.
He stopped mid-pump and flipped me over with such force that I thought that I was going to flip right off of the bed. Bradley caught my leg before I went completely over, pulled my waist back to him, and entered me from behind.
I yelped with delight as he pushed his dick all the way inside of me, pulled it out and pushed it back, his thighs slapping hard against me as he fucked me with all of his might. He turned bright red and was dripping with sweat as he fucked me.
Slowly my orgasm made itself known. Like many times before, Bradley’s cock knew just where to pound me. I gasped and warned him that I needed him to come with me, too.
“I’m cumming!” he roared in response, shooting a hot load of cum into my pussy, pounding me mercilessly, before then pulling his dick out and letting the rest of it seep out onto my ass. He rubbed it in like lotion, caressing my butt cheeks sensually.
My heart was beating so fast. Having the life fucked out of me, I could only slump over to my side, trying to catch my breath.
After we had both steadied our breathing and heart rates, we held each other and stared off into the candle light while the soft music played. When my legs had lost their rubbery consistency, I got up and grabbed a couple of flutes of wine and brought it back over to the bed for Bradley and I to share. I lifted a glass and proposed a toast.
“To us, our marriage, and the beginning of our wonderful life,” I said.
“I’ll toast to that,” said Bradley, raising his glass. Before I had a chance to put the glass to my lips, Bradley swiped it away from me, and drank it down.
“It won’t be long until I’ll be joining you for a good, stiff drink,” I said, patting my belly. “The babies should be coming along pretty soon.”
Bradley rubbed my belly affectionately, leaning on his elbow next to me and sighing.
“Our little surprises,” he said, smiling at me.
“Yes, but surprises can be amazing, especially when they come at the right time,” I said.
“And when they are surrounded by love.”
I thanked my lucky stars that I had been able to meet a man like Bradley, someone that I truly loved and could build a future with the way that I had always wanted. I was glad that everything had worked itself out perfectly and couldn’t wait to see how our lives would be once the babies were born.
I yelled out in surprise as I felt a kick on the side of my belly.
“I guess the babies are just as excited about tonight as we are,” I said, putting Bradley’s hand on the spot where I had felt the kick.
We sat for a few moments until we felt another kick. It was Bradley’s turn to jump with surprise. Then, he leaned his face close to my belly.
“Hey there, little guys,” he said. “It’s me, your dad. I can’t wait to show you everything th
at I know. And I can’t wait for you guys to see your amazing mama. She’s going to be the best mom ever.”
He smiled at me and my heart swelled with pride.
Love had found me unexpectedly and I couldn’t have been any happier.
I had decided that I was going to put off school for a while, at least until the boys were older. I could finally do what I had wanted to do before I had even considered what to take in school: be a stay-at-home mom and wife to a wonderful husband.
Grace laughed about how I had gotten my dream life without even trying. And she was right.
It was truly a dream come true and I was grateful for every second of it.
Extended Epilogue
Two years later
Natalia
“Finally, we have the whole afternoon,” Bradley hummed at me seductively.
To be honest, it was indeed a miracle of timing. My dad was away with work for the next three weeks. Bradley’s cousin Adelle had been planning a long trip to see us and the twins ever since they were born over a year ago. At the last minute, Adelle’s cat came down with some kind of kitty cold, and she refused to leave him. But not before insisting on taking the twins back with her, all the way to Tennessee.
Bradley was not having it, however. With his job as a mechanical higher-up in the brand spanking new wind turbine factory, he had “plenty of cash to throw” at his problems, as he told me. He paid for the cat to be flown here, rented an Air B&B for Adelle and the beast to sleep in and sent over the twins for extended visits that never went overnight. My dad would FaceTime with them every night, no matter which house they slept in.
Everyone was happy. I loved that part of our new family life—figuring out to juggle all of life’s little pieces into some kind of whole that each one of us could draw happiness from. I saw that skill in my mother before me, and I am still learning it from her mother.
One year ago, right after the boys were born, I got one of the biggest surprises from my grandmother, the one responsible for raising my own mom into the amazing woman I remembered. With zero notice, she up and moved to the next town over from ours. Now only a 30 minute drive away, Grandmama was our rock, with recipes, baby advice, and of course with keeping the boys.