To Have and to Hold

I blush. He’s being so soft with me now. A stark difference from our brutal fucking just a bit ago.

“I would like that. To be spoiled with your time and love. Like we are now.” Reaching behind me, I find his semi-erect cock and start to stroke it back to life. It takes only a few seconds to have him fully hard.

“Can we make love tonight? Maybe practice for that baby?” I ask with a giggle.

“Yeah, baby. That’s what I want.” Scooting back, he lets me do the work, and I love it. I watch him look me over in praise, and then he does it—the one thing he has always done when I’m on top. He runs his thumb up and down my hipbone as I slowly descend on him.

“Oh,” we moan in unison. And for the rest of the night, we make love. We apologize to one another, share our forgiveness, and in that moment, we are just us, no outside world trying to break us apart, and my mind isn’t playing tricks on me from years of abuse.

I trust my husband and feel more beautiful in my skin than I ever have before, and the content, peaceful emotions that wash over me set me free. I’ll always be jealous, and I will always need validation from him, because he is my other half. My soul. My peace. My life. But Gideon Pierce showed me what real beauty is, and that’s within me, our marriage, and within our children.

Chapter 8

Gideon

I make sure my suit is perfect. I went with a deep blue, all-velvet suit, a crisp white shirt, and a blue bowtie. I paired it all with some new dress shoes, and my hair is slicked back and styled the way my woman likes it. Turning around, I check out Gideon Jr. He is wearing the same thing as me, and my heart melts. I don’t know what I will do when I see my little Lilac next to my wife.

“You have the rings?” I ask my son.

He nods eagerly. “Yup! Right here in my pocket.” He pats his chest where the inside pocket sits.

“Good, you excited to see Mommy in a wedding dress?”

“Yeah! I bet she’s going to look beautiful!” I’m raising my son to be a gentleman who isn’t a typical, grossed out, “roll your eyes at anything that indicates maturity and respect” kind of guy.

“Good. And what are we going to tell Lilac when we see her?” I prompt, straightening his bowtie.

“That she looks beautiful too.”

Smiling proudly, I stick out my fist. “All right, that’s my little man. You ready to head out there?”

“Yup!” Jumping off the chair, he takes my hand, and we walk out of the gentlemen’s changing area.

We make our way up the aisle, smiling at my sweet mother as we go, passing the six rows of seating, and ending at the small stage at the front. My boy and I share a grin as we take our places, and the music starts to play.

Suddenly, I feel… nervous, as if this is the first time I’m seeing my bride. And when those doors open and Scarlett and our daughter appear, hand in hand, my heart stops, and my nerves prove to be right. It’s like seeing her for the first time, an angel in a long white dress.

Scarlett picked out the sexiest yet most elegant dress I’ve ever seen. It’s tight from the strapless bodice that hugs her breasts perfectly in a sweetheart neckline all the way down to below her knees, where it flows out in a long train. Tears come to my eyes. Yeah, she’s that fucking breathtaking—an ethereal beauty I can’t believe I get to call mine. Then I look to Lilac, and she is in an adorable all-silk dress with a bow wrapped around her tiny waist and tied at the front.

A vision of her one day walking down the aisle with her on my arm adds to my emotions. This is my forever. All I need and have ever wanted is in this room. My son, my daughter, and my best friend. I can’t control the sentiments, no matter how much I try, and my wife breaks with me. Tears well in her eyes, glistening from the overhead chandelier. Scarlett mouths, “I love you,” as she approaches, and I return it. Wiping away the tears with my hands and standing up straight, I try to gain some semblance of composure.

But in all reality, Scarlett is so beautiful I don’t feel like I’m good enough to stand in her presence, let alone beside her as we proclaim our love for one another once again. We join hands as a family. Lilac stands on the left of Scar, holding her hand, and I take my wife’s other one, while on the opposite side of me, Gideon Jr. claims my right.