Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (67 page)

Aven, of course, was my Maid of Honor and that was a big incentive for her not to food-binge her sorrows away while she recovered from Dominic, and it worked. Another incentive for her to stay ‘on the wagon’ was Jonathan Church.

I couldn’t help thinking that Gabe had a lot to do with Jonathan and Aven rekindling their relationship. After Jonathan’s bratty brother, Justin, was busted for vandalizing Sea Lab, Jonathan made the mistake of mentioning to his father that he knew Gabe. Charles then dispatched Jonathan on a mission to persuade Gabe not to press charges, and told him he had a blank check—whatever it would take—to help Gabe come to the right decision.

That was awkward for Jonathan, to say the least, and certainly uncomfortable for Gabe. I mean, there was no love lost between the two, especially after Jonathan ran Gabe off the road the first night they’d met—not that Gabe held a major grudge, or wanted to punish Justin just because his brother had been such an asshole.

Jonathan had told me that Gabe listened to him and that he’d apologized for the car accident. When he’d finished, Gabe had apparently said about the vandalism,
“It’s about more than the damages. In addition to being the administrator and marine biologist here, one of my main duties is education. What would Justin learn from this if there were no punishment? How long would it be before he’d be back at it, acting out whatever problems he has on our property or someone else’s? I can’t agree to that.”

When Jonathan told me about their meeting, it was obvious he was remorseful about his role in Justin’s behavior. “Maybe if I’d set a better example all these years, he wouldn’t be such a little punk,” he’d said. “Here we are, Pepper. Both our families have more money than they know what to do with, and look at how we’ve turned out. Well,
you’ve
changed. You found your own way and matured. Maybe I need to take stock, too.”

Gabe had ninety days to file charges, and he wrestled with what to do about Justin. He didn’t really want him to have a record or worse then, just before Thanksgiving, he came up with an idea. If Justin would volunteer at Sea Lab and toe the line for six months—sort of like community service without the court order—Gabe wouldn’t press charges.

Gabe and Jonathan shook on it and they buried the hatchet between them forever. Jonathan assured Gabe that he would personally ensure Justin would fulfill his obligation, even if Jonathan had to kick his ass all the way to way to Sea Lab and back every day.

And so Justin became a regular fixture around Sea Lab, and the change in his attitude was major. Some of the credit was down to Martin, as well. It turned out that Martin grew up in a Miami suburb and had been part of a gang in his teens, and Justin respected that. Not that Martin had a criminal record or anything—he had enough sense and self-respect not to get in too deep with the gang culture—but he had enough ‘street cred’ to win Justin over.

When it came time to pick his groomsmen, Gabe even offered Jonathan a slot, and he accepted. How’s that for forgiveness?

As Mills and I walked down the aisle, each of us holding Daddy’s forearms, I couldn’t have been happier. My life could not have been any more perfect. Dad’s face beamed with pride as we walked, but I could tell he was struggling with his emotions, too. Poor guy—he was on the receiving end of a double-whammy of emotion, but he also said it was the happiest day of his life.

We walked past Mom and Charlotte, who were both in tears—happy tears I hoped. Evangeline was bouncing the baby in her arms, and I knew I was the luckiest girl in the world—it was like Mills and I had two mothers. I was so proud of the way they’d banded together to make this work—avoiding any pettiness or rivalry in the process. They’d put aside their own egos to make Mills’ and my big day perfect, and they’d succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.

And when I stood next to Gabe, and Mills stood beside Fallon, it felt like we were standing in a magical circle. I’m not a super-spiritual kind of person, really, but I felt this energy—call it love—connecting the four of us with something beyond ourselves. It was other-worldly.

I looked up at Gabe and he squeezed my hand. He was so handsome and calm. I looked over at Mills, who stood next to me, and knew she felt the same way about Fallon. She turned to look at me and we smiled excitedly. This really had been a brilliant idea on her part. Could a sister be any cooler?

As we exchanged vows, the Bishop had Gabe and Fallon respond simultaneously to the question, ‘Do you take this woman to be your wife?’ I swore that I heard Fallon say, ‘We do.’ He and Fallon denied that he did, but I know what I heard! I thought it was funny.

And, of course, Mills and I vowed to love, honor and cherish our men, and each of us sealed it with a kiss. Our dreams had at last become a reality.

If I’d had any lingering doubts about my commitment to my relationship with Pepper, they were banished when we took our marriage vows. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful bride, or wife, and by beauty, I meant both inside and out. Her character and inner strength had grown since we’d first met, and that inner beauty added depth and dimension to her exterior attributes.

The only downside about the ceremony was my parents couldn’t make it back in time for the wedding. I tried to be understanding about their absence—after all, the Syrian refugee situation was one of the major humanitarian crises of the century—and the European governments were doing the best they could to keep up with the demand for entry into Europe. It wasn’t a nine-to-five job, by any means.

Though I admired their determination to play a part in helping others in need, I was disappointed, and Pepper was too. I couldn’t help taking it personally either. When they finally called to confirm that they couldn’t attend, however, they did offer a consolation—they’d pay for our honeymoon.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Adrian,” Pepper sighed. She was glad that she’d finally gotten an opportunity and a clear reception signal to bond with Mom over the wedding. Her response to my parents’ offer was gracious, but I knew Mom wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I know we don’t
have
to, sweetheart,” Mom said. “That’s why it makes us both so happy to do it. Now, that’s the end of the discussion. You just decide where you want to go and then enjoy yourself. You do that, and we’d feel much better about being no-shows for your big day.”

Among a myriad of potential locations, Pepper had been scouting resorts in the Maldives and elsewhere which offered underwater hotel rooms. The photos looked fantastic, luxurious rooms with glass walls revealing the sea and fauna and fish providing organic ornamentation, but upon further investigation, they turned out to be just that—fantasies. Most of the sites, including the Conrad in the Maldives, and other sites in Fiji and Dubai, were only in the planning stages and most were long past their proposed completion dates.

There were, however, two undersea restaurants in the Maldives, as well as a charming resort with seaside villas. Again, the photos looked spectacular and other-worldly, and I was a little geeked at the prospect of exploring the aquatic life in the region during the day. After all, Pepper and I couldn’t expect to have nonstop Newly-wed Sex the entire week, could we?

It was going to set my folks back a pretty penny. I knew that I’d never hear the end of it once they got the bill, but the devilish part of me relished taking Mom at her word and seeing their reaction.

The reception was a blast, and we had fun partying with Fallon and Mills. Even Jonathan was okay, confining himself to a single congratulatory kiss with Pepper—not that I was monitoring what he was up to. Okay, maybe I was. Pepper and I got plenty buzzed up at the reception as we danced the night away with our friends and family, but we made sure we didn’t lose it completely in readiness for the activities that lay ahead.

I carried her across the threshold at my place, and went straight to the bedroom for champagne and wedding sex. As I filled our glasses, Pepper turned the lights down to a soft, sensual glow and we held hands and looked into each other’s eyes as we sipped.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said. “How many times have I told you that today?”

“Not enough. Never enough,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

“Beautiful and sexy,” I growled as I ran my hand over her backside. “I wish there was a way to make love to you in your wedding dress, but that probably wouldn’t be practical, would it?”

“Not really. Most girls like to save their dresses, or pass them down to their daughters. Having a big fat cum stain on it might sabotage that plan,” she giggled. “Besides, if I left it on, you wouldn’t be able to see what I’m wearing underneath.”

That was an invitation if I’d ever heard one. She pushed me back until I was sitting on the bed. “You look pretty sexy yourself in that suit. Armani? You can take your coat off, but leave the rest on,” then she slowly pulled up her dress, revealing one white stocking-clad leg and she removed a garter and tossed it to me.

“I thought I’d tossed that into the crowd at the reception,” I said.

“This is my back-up garter,” she replied. “Wasn’t it funny how Jonathan caught my garter and Aven caught the bridal bouquet?”

“It was... and I think I hear your wheels turning.”

“If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. Just like it did for us. Will you unzip me, please, Mr. Gregory?”

“Gladly, Mrs. Gregory.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that!” she gushed. I unzipped the gown midway down her back and then she walked away. “No peeking,” she teased. Then Pepper stood back and slowly eased the dress down her body and carefully placed it on a chair.

She looked magnificent! Her deeply tanned flesh contrasted beautifully with her blonde hair and her white corset sculpted her cleavage into a tantalizing topping of fleshy fruit.

“Wow. It’s a good thing I didn’t know what you had on beneath your gown. The Bishop probably would’ve frowned on the groom having a boner during the ceremony.”

Pepper reached down and her hand stroked upward from my knee. “Really? Do you have a boner now?” she said playfully, as she gazed at me. She soon learned the answer.

She smiled and knelt between my legs. As she unzipped my pants and pulled them down to mid-thigh, a part of me felt like grabbing a video camera and recording this for posterity and I made a mental note to suggest a re-enactment at a future date.

Pepper closed her eyes as her gloved hand guided my cock toward her lips. She licked and kissed the head, slowly, reverently. Pepper may not have been a virgin—but to me she looked absolutely angelic as she sucked me. I leaned back on my elbows and divided my attention between my senses of vision and touch as each of them were equally stimulated.

Pre-come trickled onto her lips and tongue—a sure sign that I’d received enough pleasure for now—and it was time to give some back. I took her hands in mine and helped her up onto the bed. Our tongues explored each other’s mouths as she rubbed my dick along the wet seam of her panties. I slipped down and pulled them down with my teeth and fingers, then buried my face between her legs—she tasted so sweet, so warm.

She coaxed me up and guided me inside her and we began moving together. It began urgently, with me peeling the corset back to feast on her breasts, my hands squeezing her ass cheeks and pulling her tightly against me. But then we slowed our pace—perhaps we both realized we had all the time in the world—the rest of our lives—to enjoy making love together.