The O'Conners: A Made for Love Novella (5 page)

I
’
m standing in front of the full length mirror, applying a bit of mascara, when Sonny comes out of the bathroom. He smells delectable and it takes every bit of concentration I have to keep myself from impaling my eye with the mascara brush before I finish and look over at him. He
’
s in a pair of tan shorts and a green polo that makes his eyes pop even more than usual. His beautiful auburn hair is styled perfectly
—
of course
. It
’
s his smile, though, that makes me want to fall into his arms. Those barely-there-dimples are my weakness.

“My wife is
so
hot,
”
he states, his eyes traveling from my head down to my toes and back up again.

A grin spreads across my face as a giggle bubbles out of me.
“
Well, you should see my husband. Sexy doesn
’
t even begin to describe him.
”
He laughs as he makes his way towards me. He kisses my temple and swats my butt before he goes to grab his wallet and our room key.

“You about ready? If we don
’
t get out of here soon, your husband might be tempted to remove whatever
’
s under that dress and then you
’
ll never make it out of this room.
”

“My goodness, the man is
insatiable
,
”
I tease.

“Takes one to know one, sweetheart.
”

I fight a grin as heat floods my cheeks.
“
I just need my shoes,
”
I manage to say before sliding into my wedge sandals. I grab my clutch as he reaches for my hand and, with our fingers laced together, we make our exit.

As happy as I am to be spending the morning with my family, I can
’
t deny that I
’
m a little disappointed to be leaving our little bubble. Later tonight, Grayson and I will be on a late flight home and our Colorado stay will have come to an end. Not that I don
’
t love Chicago and the life we
’
re starting to build there; but it
’
s been nice having family and old friends around for the past few days. Even though the both of us opted to take a break from classes over the summer, fortunately and unfortunately, my man has a job to get back to.

In January, he managed to land himself a paid internship working in the accounting department at a law firm. I can
’
t say I
’
m surprised
—
Grayson is such a hard worker, with determination that I
’
m sure will get him farther than he can even imagine. Nevertheless, I
’
m still very impressed with him for his efforts and achievements. He shoulders a great deal with this job and school, but he always assures me that it
’
s not too much; he says he
’
d do even more if it would help secure the future he wants to provide for us.

When he proposed, he promised that he would strive to be the man that he thought I deserved. He
’
s
so much
more than that. I
’
m spoiled beyond words. I
’
m incredibly proud to call this man at my side
my husband.

He
’
s not the only one who has to get back to reality. It
’
s definitely
wedding season
and the Willis wedding won
’
t be my last this summer. The small ensemble I play with has my calendar full of weddings and parties around the Chicago area for the next several weeks. There are five of us
—
two guys, three girls, all strings
—
and we
’
ve been playing together since December. Three of us are grad students and the other two members are just
amazing
players that were recruited to join us. I enjoy performing with them immensely. We get along really well and we
’
ve become pretty good friends.

When the elevator doors chime open, I
’
m pulled from my thoughts at the sight before me. Beckham has Addie backed into the corner.
Well
—
I
’
m guessing it
’
s my sister he
’
s sucking face with, as I can
’
t actually see her petite body hidden behind his tall one.
Grayson and I share a look and I know he
’
s wondering the same thing that I am
—
do we interrupt them? Or do we wait for the next elevator?

When Addie giggles I can
’
t contain my laugh. I
’
m tickled by their obliviousness. At the sound of my voice, Hammy turns and spots Sonny and me.
“
Oh. Hey.
”

The doors start to close but he
’
s quick to push the button, commanding them to stay open. Addie peeks her head out from behind him and grins at me.
“
Oh
—
hi. Sorry, we
—”

“No explanation needed,
”
Grayson says with a chuckle, leading me onto the elevator.

When Beckham switches places with Addie, positioning her right in front of him, it
’
s like an announcement. He
’
s hiding something he
’
s only got four floors to get under control. The truth has me blushing.  I want
so badly
to ask Addie how she
’
s feeling. We tell each other almost everything. Now that I
’
m
—
now that
we
’
re
married, our intimate secrets belong to our husbands; but that doesn
’
t mean we don
’
t confide in one another. She knows how my wedding night was indescribably enjoyable and undeniably painful but that I wouldn
’
t have changed a thing about it.

As if she can read my mind, she gives me a look. In an instant, her smile becomes tender and her eyes gloss over with tears. I know, without her having to say a word, that last night was worth their excruciatingly long wait. I reach for her hand and she gives my fingers a squeeze just as we reach the lobby.

“You good over there?
”
Sonny asks Hammy with a smirk.
“
I would say we
’
d give you a minute, but that might just make it worse.
”

“Shut up,
”
Hammy laughs. Despite his joking demeanor, he and Addie lag behind us as we make our exit.

“What about you?
”
Grayson asks softly, leaning down a little so that only I might hear him.
“
Do you still feel me between those legs of yours?
”

My head snaps up as my eyes seek out his. The expression on his face makes it hard for me to remember how to breathe. The truth is, I
do
still feel him between my legs. Now, with that look he
’
s giving me, my tired lady parts are rethinking just how
tired
I am as a new ache begins to stir.

“Stop looking at me like that.
”
My voice comes out airy and more desperate than I had intended.
My goodness, how is it possible that I still want him so badly? I swear, I can never have enough. This is all-consuming love
—
this
need
to share with him everything that I am.

“How am I looking at you?
”
By the dark tone of his voice, I know he knows
exactly
how he
’
s looking at me.

I huff out a sigh and pull my gaze away from his. I
’
ll get lost in his green stare if I
’
m not careful. This wedding and all the excitement has left too much romance in the air. I look back over my shoulder in search of the newlyweds. They
’
re not too far behind us but it looks as if they
’
re a world away. For a moment, I forget about my teasing husband as I admire my sister
—
my other half
. I
’
ve never seen her look so happy. Not ever. This is her moment; this weekend is her dream come true
—
this
is who she was made to be.

I choke out a half-hearted laugh as my eyes fill with tears and I remember that
they
are the couple that taught me what young love was supposed to look like. Beckham and Addison and their love has always been something I
’
ve clung to
—
a hope that I needed. They
’
ve taught me so much. I never imagined that I would find my happily every after before them, but I wouldn
’
t have found mine without them. Now, my heart is so full of joy, knowing that everything they
’
ve been through has brought them here. Now. Their happily ever after.

As they slowly follow along behind us, completely wrapped up in each other, I feel an overwhelming sense of
wholeness.
I
’
m not
me
without my sister. I never have been. Now I
’
m not me without Grayson, either. I know my sister feels the same way about her man. They
’
re
one
now; and with the full heart that she now carries as
Mrs. Beckham Willis
, I know that this is us
—
bigger and better and happier than we
’
ve ever been.

God is
so
good. I can
’
t even begin to describe how grateful I am for these great blessings.

I draw in a deep breath as I look away from them. I try to blink away my unexpected tears, but one escapes.

“Hey, what
’
s wrong?
”
Grayson asks as I quickly swipe my hand across my cheek.

“Nothing,
”
I reply, smiling up at him.
“
I
’
m just really happy. I
’
m
really, really
happy.
”

He studies me for a moment. I can tell that he
’
s trying to decide whether or not I
’
m telling him the whole truth. When he decides that he
’
s satisfied with my answer, he leans down and presses a kiss against my lips.
“
Good. I
’
ll do my best to help keep you that way,
”
he says with a wink.

And just like that, I want him with an ache I can
’
t ignore. I
’
m sure I won
’
t taste a bite of my breakfast.