186 Miles (25 page)

I
stood across from Vince, smiling like a jackass.  I was sure that everyone was
laughing at me, but I couldn’t help it.  He looked so beautiful and I was
beyond excited.

He
was wearing a super slim fit dark gray single-button suit with a white, crisp
shirt.  He had the piece of material I had given him from my dress tucked in
the upper pocket.  His tie was a matching gray with thin stripes running
through it in a paler shade.  His hair was particularly disheveled, but looked
so unbelievably cute.  On his feet, he wore his timeworn black Chuck Taylors.

Can
I kiss him now?

We
held hands.  I couldn’t concentrate on anything the officiant was saying.  I
just heard “Blah blah… love… this man…” and put all of my focus on Vince.

When
it came time to say our vows, I felt flustered.  Nervous.  He was up first.

“Ray,”
he started.  “I love everything about you.  I’m
lucky
now.  I never felt
like that before.  My whole life, I was happy, I guess, but I never knew that
it could be like this.  When I met you, it’s like someone flipped on a light.” 
He reached his hand to my face and wiped a tear from my eye.  He choked on his
next sentence.  “I can’t imagine my life for one minute without you,” he said. 
“Today, you become my family.  I can’t wait to start our life together.”

I
put my hands to my eyes, covering them.  When I opened them back up, he was
smiling, his eyes glossy.  We both laughed anxiously for a second.

I
was up.  Oh, God… had I forgotten everything I wanted to say?

“Vince,”
I said, looking down at his shoes.  I moved up to his face, concentrating on
his smile.  “I was lost.  My world got a little black there for a while.”  I
paused.  “It got a little brighter when I met you.  I put up this great, big wall…
but you waited.  I’m glad you did.”  I squeezed his hands in mine.  “Now,” I said,
squeezing harder, “we have everything.  It’s
so
bright now.  I have a
new family that I love like crazy and we get to be together every day… it’s so
hard for me to believe that I get to have you.”  I repeated his last words to
me, “I can’t wait to start our life together.”

We
exchanged rings.  His eyes were heavy. 
Elated.

We
both leaned in and he pressed his lips to mine.  “Mm, strawberry,” he said, running
his tongue across his top lip.  There was a quiet laughter from our guests.  We
hadn’t even gotten to the You-May-Now-Kiss-Your-Bride part.

The
officiant took that as his clue.  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. 
Please, continue,” he said, a small laugh on his lips.

Vince
grabbed me by the back of my neck and pulled me into him.  I wrapped my arms
around his waist, placing my hands under his jacket.  He kissed me hard,
pulling away with a laugh.  “Awesome, right?” he asked.

I
nodded.  “Yes,” I laughed.  “Awesome.”

We
kissed again, this time softer, wetter, getting whistles from the peanut
gallery.  He broke the kiss and turned to them.  “She’s my
wife
now.”

I
rolled my eyes.

*

The
party was fantastic.  We picked great music, the food was delicious and the
drinks were plentiful.

Well,
for everyone except me.

Vince
never left my side.  He introduced me to all of his friends that I hadn’t met. 
“Hey guys, have you met my wife?”

Those
words rose from his lips a dozen times.

A
few times when I looked over, Jack had Elsa in a serious lip lock.  She was
not
being ladylike.  Belle was watching them.

I
walked over to her, watching her eyes follow Jack.  “Hi, Mamma.”  I knew she
would soften if I broke out the big guns.

She
wrapped her arm around my waist.  “Hello, my beautiful daughter... the most
gorgeous bride in the world.”

“Oh,
thank you.”  My eyes darted between hers and Anthony’s.  “Don’t worry about
them,” I said.  “They’re good.  She really 
loves
him.”

“We
know… we love her too.  I always worry about Jackie,” she continued.  “He’s
different than Vincent.  He just seems to have rushed into this marriage with your
sister.  She’s so young and… he just got divorced.  I just wish he would take
some time to himself.”  She rubbed her hands together.  “And look at him.  He
already wants to make a baby when they have been married only one month.”

I
looked over at them.  Elsa was smiling and had her hand on his hip.  Her finger
was hooked into one of his belt loops.  He brushed a soft kiss to her lips and pushed
her hair behind her ear.  “Well, they’re nuts about each other.  And she’s not
that
young.  She’s 28.”

“She’s
such a bright spirit… like I was, I guess.  You’re right… they’re head over
heels.  When they are together, it’s like no one else is in the room.”

“Yeah,”
I replied, looking over at my sister and her new husband.

She
put her hand to my face, changing the subject.  “Your vows were beautiful, my
Rachel.  I know you meant every word.”

“I
did,” I said, “and I meant it when I said that I loved you all.  I do.”

“I
know you do, baby.  And Vincent is so happy.  He gushes over you.  He’s lucky.”

He
did
gush over me. 
I
was the lucky one.

She
nudged me.  “So, where are you off to now?”

“Well,
we’re going to fly to Florida for a week.  We’re staying on Captiva in some
hotel on the beach.”

“That
sounds wonderful.  You deserve to sit on a beach somewhere.”

I
looked at Vince.  He was talking to Bob.  Once he met my eyes, he crooked his
finger at me and mouthed
Come here
.

“He
wants me,” I told them.

Anthony
nodded.  “Mm hmm.  Go.”

When
I reached him, he took me in his arms.  “Let’s dance.”  Beck’s “Ramona” played
in the background.  He kissed me slow, his lips humming to the melody.

He
pressed his mouth to my ear, whispering, “Happy Wedding Day, Mrs. Conti.”

I
was
definitely
the lucky one.

Vince
sat on the edge of the bed, removing his shoes.  “Ugh.  I’m beat.”

All
of our guests had gone.  Our house was a wreck, but I told everyone to go
home.  I could clean tomorrow.  We didn’t fly out until Monday.

“Me
too.” 

Vince
got up and pressed his mouth to my back, kissing gently.  “You were so
beautiful today.  The absolute most beautiful I’ve ever seen you.”

I
turned and faced him.  “Thank you.  You were so adorable, I could barely make
it through the ceremony,” I joked.

He
leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, parting them, his breath heavy with
need.  I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him tighter.  I wanted to
tell him about the baby, but I was nervous. 
It could wait.

“This
dress needs to come off,” he breathed.  He took his time unzipping it, pulling
slowly at the long silk string in the front.  He slid it off of my shoulders,
dropping it at the floor.

“Hey,
pick that up,” I teased.  “That’s not a
regular
dress.”

He
laughed and grabbed it from the floor, putting it on a velvet hanger in my
closet.  “Better?”

“Yes,”
I said, pulling him back to me.

“Keep
those shoes on, Mrs. Conti,” he said, kissing down my neck.  He kneeled down
and pressed light kisses into my hip, running his tongue across the front of my
light pink Coquette ruffled boy shorts.  “I like these,” he said, snapping the
side of the elastic.  They had more coverage than I normally wore, but it was
my wedding day and my dress was short.  I didn’t want to have any accidental
paparazzi moments.

“They’re
kind of PG, but the dress wasn’t heavily lined.  I guess I was afraid that I
would be showing ass in my wedding photos.  Couldn’t have that.”  I ran my
fingers through his wild hair.

“Well,”
he said, laughing, “I like this PG underwear.  It’s hot.”  He tugged harder,
sliding the material down my legs, lifting one of my heeled feet at a time and
tossing them in the hamper.

He
was still fully dressed.

His
left hand moved to my backside, while his right stayed focused between my
legs.  I couldn’t believe that I was embarrassed.  He was my
husband
now.  Vince always made it feel like it was our first time.  I was vulnerable,
naked, exposed.  He focused on
me
, always.  It was never about him.

“Hey,”
I whispered, looking down at his face.  “Sit on the edge of the bed.”

He
scooted back on his knees for a few feet and propped himself up so that he was
perched on the side.  I paraded over to him slowly, practicing my vixen trot in
my tall shoes.  I bent forward, not bending my knees, placing my hands on his
thighs. 

It
was a maneuver I had seen in many films; it always looked great.  I’m sure, with
my short frame, it wasn’t nearly as hot as when I’d practiced it in my head.

“Let’s
get you out of these,” I purred, pulling on his bottom lip with my teeth.  I
lowered to my knees and fumbled with the button on his wool pants.  He put his
hand on the back of my neck.

“Stand
up for a second,” I urged.

He
rose to his feet.  I pulled at his belt loops, trailing my fingers down his
legs as I gathered the material at his feet.  “Sit.” 
I was being bossy.

He
sat back, his hands splayed at his sides.  He found this
amusing
.  His
expression was significant.

I
wedged his legs further apart with my waist, taking my time with the buttons on
his shirt.  With each button, I placed a kiss on his chest, moving south one
inch at a time.  I unbuttoned the cuffs and slid the shirt off of his back.

Moving
down, I took him into my mouth slowly.  He exhaled in surprise, leaning back
further, balancing on his elbows.  He was watching me closely, letting out
short sighs as I continued, accelerating my movements.

“Ray,”
he murmured, “you’ve gotta stop.”

I
moved my hand, kneading the tops of his thigh, lowering myself further.

“I
mean it,” he breathed, sitting up.  “I’ve got plans for you and I don’t want to
ruin this.”

“You
don’t like it?” I asked, looking up at his face.

“I
hate it,” he said, laughing.  “Seriously?  Get up here.  Your turn.”

I
moved from the floor and stood, stepping out of one of my shoes. 

“I
told you to keep those on,” he said, grinning.

I
crawled into bed and sat up, my back against the headboard, looking down at my heels. 
He pulled at my ankles, sending me halfway down the mattress.  He placed his
hands behind the backs of my knees and lowered his head to my upper thigh,
licking a trail around my new scar.  “You are so amazing,” he uttered.  His
breath was thick.  “And you
married
me.”

He
moved his hand between my legs, slowing slipping one finger inside.  His tongue
was soft and wet, brushing me, washing any anxiety aside.  I inhaled, letting
out a deep sigh.  After a few minutes, my legs started to tremble; my knees close
to knocking.

“Oh,
God… Vince,” I screamed.  “I’m… I’m…”

His
hand moved swiftly now, the twist in my midsection rushing to the surface. 
“Aaah!” I shouted, jackknifing into a sitting post.

Could
I ever have a normal orgasm?  Like ever?

He
sat up and pulled me into his lap, rearranging me, his back against the
headboard.  My legs widened, spreading over his.  He brushed his hand between them,
causing a shiver before he gripped my backside, slowing filling me.

I
arched my back, one hand clutching the headboard, the other dug into his neck.

“You
feel so fucking good.”  He pushed harder; his fingertips bore into my back.

It
was almost painful.  He was so abundant… my legs began to cramp.  “Oh!” I
bellowed.  He flipped us over, him on top, sliding in effortlessly.

“It’s
never been better,” he whispered, clutching my hips.   He went faster, pushed
in harder.

I
was peaking again, embarrassed so soon after my last climax.

“Oh
my God!” I called out.  It was rough, chafing… my body ignited.

Would
it be like this with him always? 

“Let
go, Rachel.”

I
came apart, staring at him.  He dipped his head into the curve of my neck,
moaning softly, settling inside of me.  It was quiet, motionless.

He
breathed in and out, dully.  “And they say that marriage kills your sex life.” 
He laughed, gasping lightly.

I
caught my breath, my eyes fixed on his.  “I have something to tell you.”

He
sat up abruptly.  “What’s going on?”

I
slid out of bed and headed towards the bathroom.  I dug through the bin under
the sink, pulling out the plastic strip.  I took a deep breath and walked back
into the bedroom. 

I
crawled in beside him and handed him the test.

“We’re
pregnant.”

He
sat quiet for a moment, staring at me.  He held my hands in his and squeezed
tight, his eyes brimming.

“I’m
going to be a father?” he asked, choking on a laugh.

“Yep,”
I whispered.

He
cupped my face and placed a long, soft kiss to my lips.  “Best day
ever
.”

*

Ramona June Belle Conti

Born 07.13.14

At 2:45 pm

7 lbs. 3 oz.

20.5 inches

With love and joy,

Rachel and Vince