I have tears in my eyes as he finishes his speech. Everyone in the audience aww’s at his words and I realize that I’ve got a very tough act to follow. I take a deep breath and look into his eyes. He smiles at me and his dark eyes seem softer than usual.
“Jaxson...we weren’t expected to work out. I think everyone thought we’d fall at the first hurdle. But we kept running side by side and we haven’t stopped running since. Life has come at us fast and sometimes I feel like there’s no time to come up for air. But standing here with you today...it feels like I’m at the end of the race. Not because our journey is over, but because I’m winning gold. And now that we’ve got each other, to have and to hold...I want to slow down and appreciate what we have together. I want time to focus on us and our family and the marriage we’re going to have...because although I love our life, you and Sapphire are so much more important to me than anything else. You may think you're unworthy of me but that has never been the case. So my vow to you is that from this day forward, you will be my main focus for the rest of my life. Anything else can wait because love comes first.”
“I love you, baby,” Jaxson says and leans in to kiss me. We’re probably not meant to kiss before the end of the ceremony, but screw it. Jaxson and I are used to breaking all the rules. Everyone applauds for us and we stay locked together. This is how I always want to feel. And I know with Jaxson, I won’t ever feel bad again.
The wedding ceremony ends in a flash. Our friends and family toss flower petals at us as we walk down the sandy aisle as man and wife. We return to the hotel and party for hours, lost in the thrill of it all. We barely have a moment to breathe, but we don’t leave each other’s side all night long.
And then all too soon, the party is winding down and the guests are heading to bed. We give Sapphire a final cuddle and then head to our suite, we’ve got an early start for our honeymoon. I’m tipsy on expensive champagne, but Jaxson doesn’t seem like he’s ready for bed yet. As we’re finally alone in our room, he grabs me by my waist and kisses me. I laugh.
“We have to be up early tomorrow,” I say, though I’m not really protesting the kiss one bit. He kisses my neck with a low growl.
“You think I’m not going to fuck my beautiful wife on my wedding night?” he growls in my ear, sending a shiver up my spine. “I’m going to keep you up all night long, baby. We can sleep tomorrow...tonight, I want to be deep inside you.”
“I like the sound of that,” I whisper. “Jaxson?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s make another baby.”
He growls at me in delight. “I like your thinking. It’s about time Sapphy got a sibling.”
He hitches my wedding dress up without another word. And finds me soaking wet and ready for his big cock. I’ll never ever get bored of the way it feels when he’s inside me. And now, as we make love on our wedding night, it feels even better than usual.
This is the marriage I signed up for. Loving each other more and more every day, still wanting each other’s bodies as much as we did when we met, and making a path to follow together.
Jaxson has given me all of that and more.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
TEN YEARS LATER…
Jaxson
“Alright kids, are we ready to go see your Mom?”
“No!” all of the kids shout in unison from upstairs. I sigh affectionately, shaking my head.
“Let me guess Sapphire, you haven’t picked an outfit. Maeve, you’re running behind on a project that’s due tomorrow...and Jack, you still haven’t taken a shower.”
“I showered!” Jack insists. “I had one this morning.”
“That was before you played soccer and got mud all over you! Come on, kids, this is your mom’s big night. Maeve, I’ll help you with your project when we get home. Sapphire, don’t wear something too fancy and upstage your Mom. I want you all by the door in ten minutes! Jack, I’m picking out an outfit for you while you take a shower, now.”
The house is in chaos. Tonight is the opening of Stella’s new exhibition in an upscale New York gallery and I promised I’d get the kids there by seven. Part of the fun of parenting our precious babies is knowing they’re absolute nightmares. Maeve is the creative one, she takes after her Mom, but she’s always behind on school work leaving us to stay up until midnight doing homework some nights. Jack, her twin brother, is a sports star already at the age of nine, but he’s also messy and scruffy and never does as he’s told. Our eldest daughter, Sapphire, is a fashionista, already pursuing a dream of being an Instagram star, but she always wants to be the centre of attention.
And yet we love our kids with all our hearts, flaws and all. Even if they make us late wherever we go, they’re still little angels in our eyes. To be honest, it’s usually easier to get them to fall in line when Stella is around. She’s such a good Mom and they listen to her more than me...but on her big night tonight, it’s my turn to pick up the slack.
