ChapterThirteen

Cash

We landed without incident, checked into our hotel and changed, and went straight to Faith’s graduation ceremony. Sera looked so tired that I thought about letting her and the kids stay back but then why the hell had we come to Louisiana? The kids seemed fine because they had childhood energy and they had all napped on the plane.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked her, as I drove the rental SUV. All three kids had headphones on in the back seat.

“I kind of feel like death warmed over, but I’ll be fine.”

“What is going on over there?” I asked when she tugged on the neck of her dress for about the ninth time in ten minutes.

It was clear that the silk fabric was no match for what pregnancy had done to her tits.

“My dress doesn’t fit. I should have tried it on. I didn’t realize the pregnancy shifted my assets around so much. My butt and hips are MIA, but my boobs need their own zip code. I feel like separates would have been a better option right now.”

The correct answer was not to say how much I was enjoying her bigger chest. Instead, I said, “Do you want to stop somewhere and get a new outfit?”

“We don’t have time for that.”

“We have thirty minutes before it even starts and we’ll be there in ten minutes.” I had assured her the ceremony was not long because we’d already missed the whole university commencement part of the event, which had been earlier in the day. We were just there to see Faith receive her diploma from her particular College of Humanities and Social Sciences. I had promised Sera ninety minutes at the most.

“I definitely would prefer an outfit change, but if we’re late, we potentially miss the whole point of being there.”

“I just want you to feel comfortable. With the last name of Young, we’ve got time,” he said. “I about fell asleep at my own graduation waiting for my turn.”

“What’s your degree in?” I asked.

“Playing football and being handheld through actual academic classes. I was never that good of a student. Not like Miles. He’s a damn genius.”

“That seems very unfair. To be smart and athletic.”

“I agree. And he was good with the girls, too. So that’s really bullshit.”

“Oh, come on, I’m sure you were a hit with all those cute co-eds wanting to touch your muscles.”

“I had a girlfriend most of college.” Who hadn’t been touching any of my muscles, unfortunately.

“Do tell,” Sera said with a grin. “Tell me about her.”

I pulled into the parking lot of Maravich Assembly Center. “Her name was Becca and she was a nice, sweet girl. Quiet. She wanted to wait until marriage to have sex and I respected that.”

“She sounds like a good fit for you. So what happened?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. As a couple of years went by, we lost interest in each other. We became more like friends, and then we became nothing. It wasn’t dramatic.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Not really.” I glanced back to make sure none of the kids were listening. “I wasn’t in love with her anymore and she wasn’t in love with me and when we split I felt completely free. Which included making up for the lost time in a big way, if you know what I mean.” That had been my era of hookups and friends with benefits and a few attempted relationships.

“I see. Now you’ve sowed all those wild oats?”

“I plan to sow them every night with you.”

Sera laughed. “That is not a sexy statement.”

She was probably right. “Words aren’t the best use of my tongue.” I undid my seatbelt and leaned over and kissed her.

“Gross,” Ava said from the backseat. Her voice was extra loud because she was still wearing her headphones. “There are children present.”

Sera pushed on my chest.

I sighed. The suite at the hotel was not going to be big enough. Moving day couldn’t come fast enough.

Two hourslater I was introducing Sera and the kids to my family and giving Faith a hug. We’d found my parents and siblings at the ceremony but there hadn't been time to do more than wave and take a seat next to them. Now we’d all met up with Faith and her roommate.

“Alanna, you know my brother, obviously,” Faith said to her roommate.

“How have you been?” Alanna threw herself into my arms, startling me. “It’s so great to see you again.”

“Congratulations,” I said, immediately attempting to extract myself from her embrace.

“Stop being so thirsty, Alanna,” Faith said, rolling her eyes. “This is his girlfriend, Sera, and her many children. Plus, they’re having a baby together in November.”

I appreciated Faith’s handling of the situation.

I didn’t want to have to shove Alanna off of me, but at the same time, I would, because Sera looked like she could throw hands if even slightly provoked. It had been a long day.

“Oh, wow, a baby. How fun.” Alanna looked like she thought it would be anything but fun.

“Thank you. We’re very excited.” I put my arm around Sera. Only I didn’t realize she was mid-tug on her dress cleavage, so I ended up pinning her elbow between us.

“You guys were super loud and super embarrassing,” Faith said, gesturing to our family as a whole. “But I love all of you.”

Conway had led a round of catcalls and whistles when Faith had gotten her diploma. I hadn’t been able to resist and had joined in. All of my siblings save Patsy were present and it had become something of a competition between us to see who could be the loudest.

Not to mention it was fun for me personally to be back on campus. I’d run into the athletic director and we’d shared a handshake and a few quick words that had made me think about how many years were now between me and my college experience and my present life.

I’d thought I was a man that day I’d graduated, but now I was truly a man. A man with a career, a house, a family.

Just needed the wife officially.

Sera

Cash’s family was a lot.They were big, they were loud, they were full of hugs and arm rubs and loving gestures, along with a decent amount of ribbing. We were seated at a long table in the private room of a restaurant.

“This is the fancy food night,” his mother, Jenny, said. “Then tomorrow is the good food at the house.”

Five of Cash’s siblings were there, plus his brother George’s wife, Alison. That meant thirteen of us around the table. Enough that you weren’t trapped in any one conversation, but not so many that you never got to interact with the people at the other end of the table.

Tags: Erin McCarthy Romance
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