“Are you thinking two by six? Or something larger?”
“What?”
“For the azaleas. I’ve got to get started on that planter.”
I laughed, sighing into him, officially bearing the title of the luckiest woman in the world.
Epilogue: Dom
Six Months Later
“That smells amazing.” Gigi’s arms wound around me from behind as I stood by the smoker.
“I am very good at what I do.” I wasn’t just thinking about the ribs I was smoking. That afternoon I’d made her come so hard I could still taste her on my lips. We hadn’t had much time. Our friends and family had been due over any minute. I’d had to do quick work on her and at first she’d protested. We didn’t have time! We had to get ready!
I’d reminded her who she was dealing with. When I wanted to eat my woman, that’s exactly what I did. I’d hoisted her up on the bathroom counter, pulling off her shirt and feasting on her with abandon. She’d come hard, reaching out and accidently turning on the water faucet as she flailed.
“You need some water to put out your fire?” I’d teased, flicking some on her, droplets falling on her bare breasts.
“I do,” she’d laughed. “You know anyone who’d make a good firefighter?”
I smiled. “Give me a couple years.”
It took a while to become a firefighter. The waiting list in Asheville was long, but I was only a couple months away from becoming an EMT, and that would get me higher priority. Plus, one of the guys at the local station was ex-military like me, so I knew he’d put in a good word when the opportunity arose.
“We have a situation!” Gigi’s sister-in-law Caroline called out from the kitchen window.
“Be right there!” Gigi called, giving me a kiss. Out the back door I saw a little boy come running out, carrying a bowl with what looked like chocolate batter in it.
“Get back here!” His mom, Kara, came out, chasing after him. We were hosting not one but two branches of the extended Kavanaugh clan for the weekend, with Colt and Caroline plus Gigi’s half-brother Declan, his wife Kara and their three hell-raising boys. I had to laugh as I watched the boy run for his life. He couldn’t be more than five, chocolate smeared all over his face, legs pumping as he made his getaway.
“Go, little man, go!” I laughed, watching him round the corner.
“I’d better see what’s happening.” Gigi smiled as she headed over. Caroline looked out the door, holding a spoon with nothing to stir. I knew she’d been trained as a pastry chef in Paris, but they’d probably never prepared her for the wily ways of a young boy intent on chocolate.
I’d married into a big family. I’d worried I’d be taking Gigi away from them all. It turned out I had nothing to worry about. I’d stolen her away all right, but they’d followed soon after, visiting with frequency and gusto.
We had the space for them to visit. We’d taken a page right out of my buddy Mike’s book, buying ourselves a big old house in the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Asheville. Like he and his wife Susie, we’d bought a house with a bunch of bedrooms we intended on filling with kids. Until we did, though, it seemed we were the Kavanaugh Hotel.
I didn’t mind. Seeing Gigi so happy made anything worthwhile. And all the Kavanaughs were surprisingly accepting of me and Gigi together as a couple. When we’d first told them we were engaged, no one had even batted an eye before offering congratulations. I hadn’t heard a single, “But he used to be your stepbrother!” gasp. Not even a “He didn’t go to Harvard” murmur.
Colt had been the first to shower us with well wishes, telling me he couldn’t imagine Gigi in better hands. I didn’t know if the rest of her brothers and sisters-in-law simply followed Colt’s lead. Or maybe they’d each already faced enough of their own share of scandal that they didn’t make a habit of passing judgment. Whatever it was, the Kavanaughs welcomed us with open arms.
Even Gigi’s British grandmother seemed happy, even though I swear to God she looked and acted like the Queen of England. She wore gowns and gloves and hats and her Upper East Side apartment was like a museum. But she’d urged me sit down next to her when we’d come up to visit, then taken both my hands in her frail grasp.
“So you’re Gigi’s adventure!” she’d declared, her eyes flashing with excitement.
We’d kept the wedding small, as we’d both wanted, up in New York so Gigi’s Gram could be a part of it. In her home with Colt and Caroline plus Gigi’s longtime friend Penny, we’d tied the knot.
The only ones who’d huffed a bit were our mothers. My mom always wanted in on a party and she was pissed I’d eloped instead of throwing a big one. When she found out I’d married Richard’s daughter, she got real quiet. But then she admitted she wasn’t one to throw stones. Gigi was great. Stranger things had happened.
When we’d visited Gigi’s mother at her Connecticut estate, she’d sat there, stiff and formal, not saying much. It made me feel bad for Gigi. No wonder she’d gotten obsessed with creating homey environments after having grown up in that place. Her mother was about as warm as an igloo. And apparently it wasn’t me causing the chill. Gigi told me that nothing much made her mother smile, and I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break on through. Maybe after we had kids, though. That might warm her up.
The thing was, you couldn’t sit around focusing on what you didn’t have. You had to focus on what you did have. And man did I have a lot.
Tonight we had three families over for dinner. Mike, Susie and their little one had come, making the easy fifteen-minute drive. Colt and Caroline, plus Declan, Kara and their three boys had flown to North Carolina to stay with us for a long weekend.
After some more chasing, laughing and cooking, we all sat down to eat at our long dining table set for twelve. I didn’t know how Gigi had made everything feel so welcoming when we’d only been in the house for three months, but damn she was good at what she did. Little lights, photos, I didn’t know how, all I knew was she made the whole place feel like home.
Funny, it had never struck me before, but I realized she specialized in making what I’d never had. A home. I guessed now we were going to be able to create one together.
We all stayed up late talking and telling stories. Mike and Susie were the first to leave, their toddler having passed out long ago. Declan and Kara were next to head off to bed, then finally Colt, Caroline, Gigi and I followed suit.
We’d had a good night, a late night, but I wasn’t tired yet. I bet I could wake Gigi up, too, under the right set of circumstances. With all those people in the house, we had to get creative. But I’d always enjoyed a challenge. Making Gigi stay quiet while I had my way with her? That could be fun, too.
What a life I had. For a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, I’d sure found my way to paradise.
Epilogue: Gigi
I loved having so many people bustling around the house, the kids making a racket, delicious aromas rising up from the kitchen and the smoker in the yard. I’d always dreamed of that kind of happy chaos. While my mother preferred manicured lawns and perfectly posed family photos, I wanted messy, just like my Gram had advised. My Gram knew what she was talking about.
My sister-in-law Kara brought my nephew with chocolate smeared all over his face into the kitchen to apologize to his aunt for running off with the cake batter. I had to smile. He knew what he was doing. You had to grab the good stuff in life and accept the consequences. Thankfully, Caroline wasn’t too upset about his theft. She invited him up on a stool to take part in the work. He lit up. A pastry chef was born.
I was glad both Colt and Caroline, and Declan and Kara had agreed to stay with us in our home. They all had plenty of money, more than enough to rent the nicest home in Asheville, or stay in suites at the fanciest hotel. But it was so much more fun for all of us to be under one roof, making memories as a family.
I was still getting to know Declan and Kara. Declan kept to himself, big and rangy like the Montana rancher he’d grown
up as, on his phone a lot managing the real estate portfolio he’d developed as an adult. He’d never met our father, but I could see the resemblance, both in how he looked and acted. Kara was warm as sunshine, though, and she and Caroline were teaching me how to bake. I knew nothing about anything, so there was a lot of ground to cover.
Who ever would have guessed that Dom was a natural with kids? Watching him chase them around, hold them on his lap, tickling and laughing, I almost didn’t recognize him. He looked so happy. I couldn’t wait to see his big, tattooed arms holding our baby. I was a few days late with my period. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, but it was time to take that pregnancy test in the drawer upstairs. What if it showed positive?
Dom and I would revel in the news, of course, and then the very next person I’d call would be Gram. She’d looked so happy last month at our annual family holiday party, beaming from ear to ear as she watched us all paired up. At the informal, smaller family gathering the next day, she’d asked for our attention for a minute.
“Well done.” She’d smiled at all of us, approvingly. Only a few years ago she’d told my brothers to settle down. Then she’d told me to shake things up. Somehow we’d all managed to pull off her assignments in style. Looking around the room, I marveled over how much we’d all been through, and, even better, how good things were turning out for each of us. It really felt for the first time as if we were all coming together as a family—an expanding one. Colt and Caroline had taken the opportunity to announce they were expecting. Caroline was due in May. I could not wait to help decorate their nursery.
Dishes done, fire in the fireplace out, Dom and I headed upstairs to our bedroom. We had a full house, but not that full. Our guests were staying downstairs. We had the second level to ourselves. It had been a long day, but I still had some energy left.
In our bedroom, I started to undress. Taking my time, I slowly unbuttoned my top, letting it drop down my shoulders, flicking my hair behind my back. I eased out of my jeans, turning around to give Dom a nice view as I bent over. Not the most subtle move, but I hoped it would do the trick.
“Come over here,” he said, low and husky. I smiled, happy his thoughts seemed to be heading in the same direction. He sat on the bed, his shirt off as well, and I brought my hands to his shoulders, admiring his power. He’d finished active duty six months ago, but he hadn’t lost his brawn. After all, he had to keep in shape if he was going to become a firefighter. His biceps and forearms corded with muscle.
He wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me between his parted thighs. His head was level with my breasts and he took advantage of the opportunity, licking, kissing, tracing the outline of the lace along my soft mounds.
“Were you about to take this off?” He brought his finger to the strap of my bra and slipped underneath it.
“Yes,” I murmured, already feeling breathless. He liked to keep me guessing about what would come next. I didn’t know what he had in mind, but I did know I’d love it. He cupped my breasts, pushing them together, licking the crease between them, then down to tease my nipples through the lace.