Until Lilly (26 page)

“I can see why you like it out here.” His hand reaches around his back
, grabbing mine and bringing it between us. “I like this.” He smiles.

“I love it.”

“No, I like knowing that people will see this and know that you’re taken.”

“You’re an idiot.” I laugh. “Will you wear a ring?” I ask
. I know a lot of men don’t; my dad doesn’t, and he is more in love with my mom than the day they met.

“Yes
,” he says in a way that I know he really likes the idea.

“I wonder what the kids will say
.”

“They’ll be happy. I thought about involving them in asking you
, but I knew that the minute I told them, they wouldn’t be able to keep the secret.

“This has been the best day ever.”

“Even with the moose attack?” I laugh, shaking my head.

“Well
, that was scary, but what happened afterwards made it well worth it.”

“True.” He smiles
and kisses my forehead. “What do you say we go back to your parents and share the good news?”

“Yeah
,” I agree, and we walk back to the truck. The whole way home, we talk about our future, and when we get to my parents’ house, we are greeted with two very excited kids, and my parents are beyond happy for us. It really is the best day ever. I am sad to be going back to Tennessee, but also excited to be starting a new chapter with Cash when we get there.

*~*~*

“It’s a sign,” Cash says, and I almost laugh, but I can tell he is being completely serious.

“It
’s not a sign; it’s bad weather and a lack of available hotels,” I reply, looking out the window of our hotel room in Las Vegas. We were supposed to have a short layover in Vegas, but the weather changed, and tornados have been touching down all over the south. So they canceled all flights, leaving us to spend the day and night in Vegas.

“No
,
that
is a sign,” he says, pointing down at The Little Chapel of Love that is across the street from where were we’re staying for the night.

“We
’re not getting married here.” I laugh.

“Oh
yes, we are. It’s meant to be.”

“You just asked me to marry you the day before yesterday
. I haven’t even gotten used to the idea that I’m your fiancée.”

“Good
, then it won’t be difficult for you to get used to the idea of being my wife.”

“You
’re crazy.”

“No
, I’m a genius.”

“Cash.”

“Lil, I love you. You love me. Our kids are here. It’s perfect.”

“I don’t even have anything to wear
,” I tell him. I have no idea why I’m even considering this; I must be just as crazy as he is.

“You and Ashlyn go dress shopping while Jax
and I go get our tuxes, and we will meet you across the street at five,” he says, and the hive of honeybees that is always in my stomach when he’s around starts to move even more rapidly.

“This is crazy
,” I whisper, looking at the small white chapel.

“This is perfect.” His arms around my waist give me a squeeze. “What does it matter if we do it now or in a few months?”

“Um…my parents. Your parents,” I remind him.

“They will be fine
, and we can plan a party.”

“You
’re really serious about this aren’t you?”

“One
-hundred percent serious.”

“Okay
, well then, let’s do this.” I smile, my belly flipping over.

“I thought I was going to have to try harder to convince you.” I feel his body relax behind me
, but his arms squeeze me a little more tightly.

“You’re going to be the one to break the news to my parents
,” I tell him, not looking forward to that conversation.

“Works for me. Your dad loves me
; he’ll be cool,” he says, sounding so sure that I can’t help but to laugh.

“
How did you win him over?” I ask. My dad really does love Cash. I know that if my dad had his way, we would be moving to Alaska, and Cash would be working with my dad on his boat and guiding people when they weren’t out fishing. I was even surprised that Austin gave Cash his seal of approval. They had gotten close after Dad had taken Cash and Austin out on a hunting trip. I guess they all bonded while killing poor defenseless creatures.

“I didn’t have to win him over.” He runs his no
se along my ear before kissing me underneath it. “I love his daughter; that’s all he needed,” he says, his warm breath causing goose bumps to break out over my skin.

“That may have helped
, but you did win him over,” I tell him softly. I don’t know how someone who is so strong can have doubt himself so often. “You’re a good man and an amazing father. A great friend, a goo—”

“Shut up.”

“What?” I turn my head to look at him.

“Stop talking
, Lil,” he says, and I can see so many emotions on his face that it makes it hard to breath.

“It’s all true
, Cash,” I say lightly. His mouth goes into a flat line, and his eyes close.

“It is
, and all of those are the reasons why I’m going to take Ashlyn, go and pick out dresses for us, meet you across the street in a few hours, and tie myself to you in a way that makes it hard for you to get rid of me.” I run my fingers down his cheek.

“I want that
.” He shakes his head. “No, I need that.” His eyes open, and all I can see is love. I can see so much love that I can feel it all the way to my soul. “I need you tied to me.”

“Good
, I need and want the same thing,” I tell him. We stand for a few more minutes, his arms around me while we look out the window at the little chapel across the street.

“Al
l right, babe, go get Ashlyn and go find a dress. Meet me across the street so I can make you mine.”

“Okay.” I smile and go get Ashlyn
, who is sitting in the small sitting room watching cartoons. “Hey, love bug, I need your help,” I tell her, then explain exactly what we’re going to do, and all the while her smile gets bigger and bigger. My daughter is a girly-girl, and anything that involves dressing up and looking pretty she is always down for. The boys come in and tell us goodbye, and we leave shortly after them to head out in search of a dress boutique. I find a small shop in a huge casino and happen across the perfect ivory strapless gown. It hugs all my curves and fits me perfectly, and for Ashlyn, I let her pick out a very poufy pink dress and matching shoes. We head to a salon next, spending over an hour getting our hair done, along with manicures and pedicures before heading to the chapel. When we arrive, I don’t know what to expect, but I never would have thought the place would be so beautiful inside. There are no crazy impersonators, or gaudy decorations; it was just a simple room with a large alter, and six pews along the sides with beautiful cream and white flowers running between them.

“It
’s so pretty,” Ashlyn says. Her eyes are lit up, and then she sees her dad at the same exact moment as I do. She takes off in a run while I’m stuck in place. He looks so hot in his tux that it’s going to take everything in me not to jump him. His eyes leave my face and travel down my body, then back up again. By the time his eyes meet mine, they are so dark and so hungry that I squeeze my thighs together, trying to release some of the ache which has settled there. “Daddy, me and Mommy had the best time eber! Look, I got a new dress,” Ashlyn says excitedly, twirling around. His eyes leave me and he smiles, looking down at our daughter.

“You look like a princess
,” he tells her.

“I know
!” she squeals, jumping up and down. I look to Cash’s side to see Jax standing there, looking very handsome in his tux that matches his dad’s. His hand is at his throat, trying to loosen his tie. His eyes are on his sister when he rolls them in annoyance. I smile because as much as she gets on his nerves, he really does love her. I take a step forward and squat in front of Jax. I want to make sure he is okay with us going through with this.

“You want my help?” I ask
, moving my hands to his tie, where I loosen it up and undo his top button. “Are you okay with me and your dad getting married?” I ask him quietly. I know he and Ashlyn were both excited when we told them that we were engaged, but this is something different, and I need to know that he is okay with it.

“Will you be my mom?”
he asks, and my eyes fly up to meet his. I take a breath; I don’t even know how to answer that.

“Well I
—”

“Ashlyn is my sister already.”

“She is,” I agree.

“So if you marry my dad
, that will make you my mom, right?”

“Um...I will be your stepmom
,” I tell him gently. I don’t want him to think I’m trying to take his mom’s place. He seems to consider this for a few seconds before replying, “So, can I call you Mom?”

J
eez, what the hell do I say to that? I would love for him to call me Mom, but I’m not sure how everyone else will feel about it. I watch his shoulders slump, and I make up my mind right then and there
, screw everyone
. Okay, not everyone, but I love this kid.

“I would be honored if you called me
Mom, but I think it’s something you should talk to your dad about.”

“Dad
, can I call Lilly, Mom?” Jax yells, making Cash swing his head towards us.
Oh no, he doesn’t look happy. Crap, crap, crap.
I go to stand when Cash squats beside me.

“Is that what you want
, little dude?”

“I know she’s not my real mom
,” he says, looking at Cash, then me, “but can’t I have two moms?” His little head drops, and I want to hold him so badly that I feel my skin prickle.

“Of course you can
,” I tell him, not caring for one second if it’s the right thing or not. I love Jax as much as I love Ashlyn, and think of him as my son, so I’m happy he feels the same about me. Today really is the perfect day; not only am I marrying the man I love, but I’m also gaining a son.

Chapter 12

Cash

I look down at my little man
, my chest feeling tight. I knew he loved Lilly, but after today, I know how deeply that love runs. The lady who runs the chapel has Lilly standing at the end of the aisle. The music begins, and Ashlyn starts down the aisle, dropping flower petals as she goes. My baby girl looks beautiful in her princess dress. When she makes it to me, her head turns to look over her shoulder, looking back at what she’s done. When her eyes came back to me, her head tilts back in pride, and a smile lights up her face, letting me know she is happy with the results. “Stand where they told you, baby.” I pointed to the spot. Once she is standing there, Lilly starts making her way towards me. The cut of her dress shows off her breasts, waist, and hips; I can’t wait to get it off her. Lucky for me, a good friend of mine lives in Vegas with his wife and kids. He agreed to watch the kids for the night. Lilly doesn’t know about my plan yet, but there is no way that I’m not going to spend our wedding night without being inside her. The music continues to play as Lilly comes down the aisle. Her hands are in front of her, holding a bouquet of pink flowers that match Ashlyn’s dress. Once she makes it to me, she smiles, then laughs. “This is serious business, baby. Why are you laughing?” I reach out, grabbing her hand and dragging her to me.

“I don’t know. I was just thinking this is nothing like what I pictured when I thought of a Vegas wedding.” I chuckle and pull her even closer so I can whisper to her.

“Should we leave here and find Elvis so he can marry us?”

“No
, this is perfect,” she whispers back, her eyes soft as they search mine, the smile on her face telling me everything that I need to know. I thought that I may have been rushing her, and a part of me felt guilty about it, while the other part couldn’t care less, so it’s a relief to see her excitement and happiness.

“You ready to do this?”
I ask quietly.

“Yes.”

I lean forward to kiss her, but she leans back, away from me. “You can’t kiss me yet.”

“I can
’t?”

“Not until after we
’re married.” She shakes her head.

“Well then
, let’s do this so I can kiss you.” She steps back until she is standing next to Ashlyn, who grabs her hand. The man who is going to marry us takes it as his cue to begin the ceremony. I listened as he speaks, and repeat when necessary, but for the most part, I’m in awe looking at Lilly, wondering how the fuck I got so lucky. I had fucked up huge in the past with her, and now having her standing across from me, agreeing to be my wife, is something I would never have even considered as a possibility.

“Cash
, would you please repeat after me.”

“I have my own vows
,” I tell him. Lilly’s eyes widen, then she giggles and shakes her head.

“Sure
,” the officiator says.

I clear my throat
, feeling nervous all of the sudden. “I vow to love you unconditionally, without hesitation. I will encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to be your biggest fan, your partner in crime, and the person you can always depend on. From the moment we met, you have owned me, and I will love you until I take my last breath. I will work every day to make now into always. With these words, and all the love in my heart, I marry you and bind your life to mine.” I slide an infinity diamond ring up against her wedding ring, bring it to my mouth, and place a kiss on it.

“You
’re really good at this,” she whispers. I can’t help but laugh and kiss her forehead.

“Lilly
, do you have vows?” the officiator asks.

“
Um, no, but can I just make it up?”

“If that’s what you would like.” He smile
s.

“Yes
, please,” she says, taking hold of my hands. “Today, standing here with our children watching, I choose you, Cash, to be my partner. I am proud to be your wife, and to join my life with yours. I promise to support you, push you, inspire you, and above all, love you, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live.” She is crying harder now, and I can feel tears fill my eyes as she speaks. She shocks me when she pulls her hand away, reaching down the front of her dress where she pulls out a ring. We both start laughing when she mouths the word ‘storage’ to me. Her hand comes back to mine, lifts them, and slides the ring on my finger, her finger running over it before looking back up at me. Then she reaches her hands forward, one going to either side of my face, pulling my head towards hers.

“Hey
, no kissing until we’re married,” I tell her, laughing. I look over at the man and he grins, nodding his head.

“By the power invested in me and the great state of Nevada
, I now pronounce you Husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” he says. My hand goes into the back of Lilly’s hair; I tilt her face back, and my mouth covers hers, my tongue sweeping in. The sound she makes urges me on. I can’t wait to be inside her. There is nothing better than her thighs wrapped around my hips, her arms around my neck, and her wet heat strangling my cock. I reluctantly pull away from her, kissing her lips one more time. Both kids start yelling and running around in circles.

“We’re married
,” she says with a smile.

“We are
,” I agree. After our short ceremony, we have a few pictures taken of us and the kids. We’re almost done when Jax yells, “Flex!” at the top of his lungs and takes off running. “Yo, my man!” I yell when I see my buddy Flex walking in holding his wife’s hand, their kids walking near them until they see Jax, then they take off, ready to play.

“Who is that?” Lilly ask
s. I’m not surprised that she looks nervous. Flex is a scary looking dude. He’s not very tall at 5’8 but he is built like a bulldog, with tattoos and chocolate-colored skin—the total opposite of his very blonde, beach-bunny-looking wife.

“Flex, he is one of my best friends. We went to school together.” I grab her hand and start heading towards the front of the chapel when Lilly
trips and I have a nanosecond to catch her before her head hits the pew. “Even on our wedding day,” I joke, helping to get her feet underneath her. Making sure she’s steady, I give her another kiss. 

“I can
’t help it; I have two left feet,” she replies, trying to catch her breath.

“You are the clumsiest person I have ever met.”

“So you’ve said,” she mumbles.

“It’s the truth
, and it’s even documented.”

“My mom and her big fat mouth
,” she grumbles, looking adorable. Lilly’s mom told me that Lilly would get hurt so much when she was little that CPS were called in to review her case. They didn’t believe that it was the case of a clumsy child until she fell down, splitting her forehead open in the office of the caseworker. She still has a tiny scar to prove it.

“You have to admit it’s pretty funny
,” I tell her.

“
Maybe a little.” She smiles. I stop when Ashlyn grabs my hand, and I pick her up and walk the few steps separating Flex and me.

“You really did it?”
he asks, pulling me in for a hug. I pat his shoulder and lean back.

“Flex, Christy
, this is my daughter, Ashlyn, and my beautiful wife Lilly. You both already know my little hellion, Jax.”

“Jax
, my man,” he says, giving Jax a fist bump before he runs off to the other kids.  Then Flex reaches over, touching Ashlyn’s hair. “You look like your old man, pretty girl.”

“No
, I’m a girl; I look like my mommy.” She scrunches up her face, looking all kinds of cute.

“Is that so?” Flex laughs
.

“Yes.” Ashlyn smiles
, then looks over at Jax talking to the other kids. “Can I go play with them?” she whispers to me. I nod, setting her down, and she runs right over to Jax’s side. Flex and Christy’s kids are beautiful, all caramel skin, curly golden hair, and big hazel eyes.

“Nice to meet you both
,” Lilly says, putting her hand out in Flex’s direction, then she squeaks when he pulls her in for a hug, rocking her back-and-forth.

“Don’t mind him
, girl. He may look scary, but as you can see, he’s a big teddy bear,” Christy says, giving Lilly a hug. “Congratulations. You’ve got a good man,” she tells Lilly, making her nod.

“Yeah
, I kinda lucked out.”

“Man
, you should have told us to come earlier so we could watch,” Flex says.

“Na
h, I just wanted it to be us and the kids. But you guys should fly out for our reception in a few months,” Cash tells him, slapping his shoulder.

“That would be good. I haven’t seen your brothers in a
while.”

“So you
’re only in town for the night, and the whole time you’re here, you’re gonna be locked up in your room at the hotel? You don’t even want to come to the house and watch a game with me?”

“Did you not hear the part where I just got married to this beautiful woman?” I ask him. He looks at Lilly and smiles.

“Gotcha.” He pulls Christy into his side, kissing her temple. “So you still want to meet up in the morning for us to drop off the kids and have brunch?” I feel Lilly tense at my side, so I soothed my hand over the smooth skin of her arm.

“Jax has known Flex, Christy
, and their kids his whole life, and they are going to watch the kids overnight for us.”

“Ashlyn?”

“She will be fine,” Christy tells her. Lilly looks over to where Ashlyn is playing with the other kids. “If she isn’t okay, we will call and bring her back to you,” Christy says, and I realize I never even thought about the fact that Lilly has only been away from Ashlyn once, when my mom kept the kids for us. After we talk a few more minutes, we head over to the hotel to get some clothes for the kids. Ashlyn has taken right to Christy and the kids, making Lilly feel better about leaving her with them. Twenty minutes after we get to the hotel, I finally kick everyone out of the room, ready to start our honeymoon. I know one day we will have a real one, but I’m not sure when that will be, so I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of this night while we’re here, and I’m going to make damn sure Lilly never forgets her wedding night. 

I close the distance between us
, loving the way she looks in her dress. She is so effortlessly beautiful. “Want to play a game?” I ask her, smiling when her eyes flare.

“What kind of game?” She bites her lip
, and her breathing has sped up.

“Naked
Hotel.”

“H
mm…I don’t know. Last time we played Naked House Day, you almost killed me.”

“Death by cock.” I chuckle
, but my smile dies when I notice how hard her nipples are through the thin silky material of her dress. My hands slide up the curve of her waist, then up, cupping her breasts. Her head falls back and she moans. I pull my hands away and take a seat, spreading my legs wide. I rub my jaw. Part of me wants to rip the dress from her body, but the other part of me wants to watch her as she undresses slowly.

“What’s wrong?”
Her eyes dart around the room before coming back to me.

“I want you to undress for me
,” I tell her, palming my cock through the too-thick material of my tux. I want inside of her so badly I can feel my balls drawing up tight.

“Undress for you?”
she repeats, looking around the room again.

“Look at me
, baby.” Her eyes meet mine, and this time, they are dark with lust. “Pull down the top of the dress and let me see your tits.” She looks unsure, but her hands go to her top at the same time I start unbuttoning my dress shirt. Once I have my shirt unbuttoned, I sit back. “Pull down the top of your dress.” She looks down at my lap, then back up, her hands running up her sides, over her breasts, before pulling down the top. Her breasts are firm and high, and her nipples dark pink and pebbled tight. I unbuckle my pants and pull down my zipper before pulling my cock free. Lilly’s eyes flash and she licks her lips. “Tug them, baby. Touch yourself how you like me to touch you.” She does, her back arching, eyes closing, and I palm myself, running my hand up and down the length in steady strokes. “Pull that dress the rest of the way off.” My voice is rougher.

I watch as she shimmies the dress down
, showing off inch after beautiful inch of skin. Once free of the dress and standing in only a sheer thong and heels, her hands cup her breasts. “Don’t hide from me; give me what I want. Pull on those pretty little nipples for me.” Her fingers pull at her nipples as her eyes watch what my hand is doing. She crosses her legs. I know she’s wet; I can see her arousal. “Come here.” I spread my legs wider so she has room to stand between them. She starts to kneel, but I stop her with a hand on her hip. “No, I want you to turn around and bend over.” Her breath begins coming out in short pants. She searches my face before turning around. Her beautiful ass is toned and round, giving her body an hourglass shape. Her body curves over, the fullness of her pussy peeking out from between her legs, showing through the sheerness of the thin material covering her. Running my hands up the outside of her thighs, I feel her shiver under my palms. Once I have her hips in my hands, I pull her back to me, covering her with my mouth.