His brow lowers, and determination glows in his eyes. “I’m more sure of this than I’ve been of anything in a long, long time.” His words are heat and warmth, and lightning in my veins. “But if it makes you happy, we can be engaged for a little while.” His thumb is on my chin and his eyes focus hot on my lips. “As long as I get to kiss you.”
“Definitely.” Leaning forward, I peck his soft mouth. “Lots of kissing.”
He presses my back to the wall as he cups my face in his hands. “I intend to kiss you everywhere, any time I want.”
His mouth covers mine, moving my lips apart, and when our tongues meet, I ignite. My hands go around his neck, pulling him closer. His hands go to my waist, sliding beneath my crop top, over the bare skin of my back, pulling me even closer.
Everything is forgotten as I’m lost in the heaven of his arms, the love on his lips, the strength of his words, the satisfaction of his love. Lifting my head, our eyes meet in a moment so heavy with promise.
“I love you, Remington Key.” He grins, and I know he’s the love of my life.
I almost jump out of my skin when the hall erupts into cheers of teachers, children, and Lillie running to hug our legs, Buddy snug under her arm. Not even Serena North’s sour-grapes face can rain on this parade.
I’m in the arms of my family, and even in a messy bun and sweat pants, it doesn’t get any better than this.
The End.
Epilogue
Remi
Ruby didn’t actually make me wait a whole year to get married.
I have my daughter and her best friend to thank for speeding up the timeline. After three months, she started looking at dresses. At four months, when she completed her art therapy licensure and returned to working at the clinic with Drew, I convinced her to let her small rental house go and move back into the McMansion with Lillie and me.
By six months, we were talking locations. I wanted a destination wedding, something like renting all of Cuixmala for a weekend and taking our family and closest friends.
Ruby decided that would be a better honeymoon destination, just the two of us. I couldn’t even begin to argue.
Eleanor was a situation Ruby insisted she had to resolve.
After we were engaged, the two of them went to lunch. They returned to the house afterwards and continued an on-again, off-again heated conversation. Until, by the end of the day, they had become allies.
I was skeptical, but their friendship remains strong. Ruby said it took all her training as a therapist, but basically it amounted to Eleanor’s fear that once Ruby became my wife, she would be out of Lillie’s life for good.
“I never wanted that,” Ruby says, wrapped in my arms in the large, whirlpool bathtub in my master suite. “She said once we were married, there would be no place for her. Ma would be your mother-in-law, and she would be nothing.”
The jets swirl foam from the bath salts around us, and a relaxing, lavender scent is in the air. It’s soothing, but my hands are on Ruby’s breasts, and the sensation of her in my arms, her hardening nipples, is giving me a semi.
“Eleanor will always be Lillie’s grandmother. Nothing will change that.” My lips press against the side of her neck, rising to behind her ear, and she shivers. “I would never dream of taking her family away.”
Ruby nods, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “I also told her if she stopped pushing Lillie so hard, she’d never have to worry about losing her. Maybe she’ll listen.”
“In my experience, Eleanor does what she wants, regardless of what anybody says.” Palming her breasts, I pinch her tight little nipples. “Now, the last thing I want to do in this moment is talk about my mothers-in-law.”
My beautiful bride-to-be starts to laugh, and I slide my hands lower, over her flat stomach, until I’m cupping the space between her thighs, massaging her clit. Her head rocks back against my shoulder and she moans. “Remi…”
“What, beautiful?” I kiss her ear, pulling the shell between my teeth. “Are you wet for me?”
“Yes…”
Her hips slowly rock as I massage her, firm and steady. I’m patient, watching my girl’s breath grow faster. I feel her muscles tense, and I slide her thighs apart with my knee.
I position her so I’m right at her entrance. A thrust of my hips sends my tip into her clenching pussy. “Oh, fuck,” I groan.
She’s so wet and hot. It’s delicious torture, but I do it again, just giving her the hypersensitive tip of my dick, teasing us both.
“Remi…” Her moves grow faster. She turns in my arms, slippery as a bar of soap, until she’s facing me.