Lance

 

“She’s gonna love it!” Erica and Traci were in awe. Erica held the box, tilting it from side to side, watching the way the diamonds caught the light.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Am I sure?” Erica glanced at me. “I’d cut a bitch for a ring like this. She’s lucky we all love her.”

 

I chuckled, and she handed the box back with a sigh. “She’s gonna be so surprised, too. She has no idea this is coming.”

 

“You’re sure? I mean, you talked to her yesterday, and she didn’t give you a clue she knew?”

 

“Nada,” Traci said, patting me on the back. “You’ll get the surprise you want.”

 

“Yeah, but will I get the answer I want?”

 

They looked at me like I had three heads. “You can’t be serious,” Erica muttered, glaring at me with her arms crossed.

 

“Hell yeah! I’m serious. You don’t know what it’s like for a guy, trying to ask a woman to marry him. I’m sick to my stomach over it.” I put the box in the pocket of my kutte. It felt a lot heavier than it really was.

 

“She loves you. She loves Gigi. Of course she’s gonna marry you. Shoot, she might marry you just so she can adopt Gigi.” Traci winked.

 

I groaned. “Don’t fuck with me right now, okay?”

 

“Okay, okay. I’m only teasing. Jeez.” She held up her hands and walked out of the office.

 

“Really, though,” Erica said, winking. “She’ll say yes. It’s a sure thing.” She left, too, closing the door.

 

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. I crossed my ankles on top of the desk and thought about what I was going to do in a few hours. I had wanted to ask her to marry me for a year, but I wanted the timing to be right. I wanted to be sure she wanted my kid and me, that she wouldn’t change her mind when she figured out it wasn’t all gonna be fun and games.

 

I should’ve known better, knowing her. She wasn’t the type who would cut ties and run just because something was hard. She doubled down and worked even harder to get through it. She was the best mother any kid could ask for, and the best girlfriend I could imagine. I still didn’t think I deserved her, and used to ask myself sometimes what the hell she saw in a guy like me. She could’ve had anybody she wanted, anybody in the world. The sort of guy who lived in her neighborhood, the rich guys with their nice clothes and nice cars. I would never be one of them—she never asked me to be, either.

 

I remembered how uncomfortable I used to feel when I first moved in. I used to feel the stares from the neighbors when I rode my bike down the street. I was used to people staring—I never cared before then whether people liked me or not. I’d never cared about fitting in. Hell, I didn’t want to fit in. I loved making people uncomfortable when I was younger. Before I met Jamie.

 

I didn’t want her to be ashamed of me, but I wasn’t going to change who I was. I still took Gigi to the park and walked around with her. We even got a dog when she begged us to—she had always wanted one, but Rae would never let her get one. Probably a good thing for the dog. Neighbors used to watch us walk by. Sometimes I would hear them muttering to each other. It was then I figured out I might make Gigi ashamed of me one day, too.

 

After a while, everybody accepted me, and I found out they weren’t so bad either. I helped the lady across the street when she had problems with her kitchen sink, and she baked us a cake. I helped the neighbor two doors down to put in his deck, and he had us over for a cookout when it was finished. It was a good feeling, knowing they liked me. I could tell it made Jamie happy, too.

 

The box was still in my pocket, burning a hole. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What would she look like when I took it out? What would she say? Yes, I hoped. What else, though? Would she cry? Would she tell me she never thought about us getting married? Was she happier the way things were? Did she still wanna be able to escape one day if she felt like it?

 

No. She wasn’t the type. Just like she wasn’t the type to leave when she figured out being a mom wasn’t just baking cookies and braiding hair.

 

It didn’t keep me from worrying, though.

 

***

 

A few hours later, everything was perfect. Traci and Erica set up candles all over the bar, which I lit when the time came for Jamie and Gigi to show up. There were flowers everywhere, and a bottle of champagne waited behind the bar. I made everybody clear out. The girls hugged me before they left.

 

“Have her call us when it’s over!” Erica said, waving from her car. I waved back, then hoped she would have something good to say when she called.

 

Just as Erica pulled out, Jamie pulled in. I went inside to wait for them. This was it.

 

The door opened. Gigi came in first, giggling. She ran to me. I shushed her, and we waited for Jamie.

 

“I thought you said you would help me carry this bag inside,” Jamie called out. Then she looked up and saw the room.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Another surprise for you!” Gigi laughed, clapping. “We got you again!”

 

I didn’t laugh. My palms were sweaty, my heart raced. I didn’t know what to say.

 

“Another surprise? I don’t think my heart can take much more of this today.” She smiled at Gigi, but when she looked at me, something in her eyes changed. Her smile changed, too. Softer, warmer.

 

“You did this?”

 

“I can’t take credit. Erica and Traci.”

 

“I have to thank them, then.” She kissed me. “What a nice anniversary surprise!”

 

“This isn’t everything.” I glanced down at Gigi, and she nodded. Just like we planned, she moved off to the side so I could have a little space. I took a deep breath and hoped everybody was right when they said she’d say yes.

 

Then I went on one knee. Jamie gasped, hands over her mouth.

 

“You know what I’m gonna say,” I mumbled. I cleared my throat, feeling like the world’s biggest jackass. “And you know why I’m gonna say it. I love you. I don’t want anything but you for the rest of my life. I want us to be a family for real, officially. I talked it over with Gigi, and she feels the same way.” I pulled out the box, opening it. “Will you marry me?”

 

It wasn’t poetry. Not even close. Even so, she cried, and when she gave me her hand, she was smiling wide.

 

“Of course I’ll marry you.” I slid the ring on her finger, and she gasped when she got a look at it. There was only one other time when I felt so much relief—when I knew she and Gigi were safe that night at the motel.

 

Gigi cheered and clapped. When I finished kissing Jamie, we held out our arms to include our daughter.

 

“In my heart, we’ve been married all this time,” Jamie murmured to me. “But it’s nice, knowing you want it to be official.”

 

“I do. I want you to know I’m your man, always.”

 

“Champagne time!” Gigi went behind the bar. When she found the bottle, she held it up.

 

“Okay, okay. Chill. You can’t have any, anyway.” I went around to take the bottle from her.

 

“Actually, she’s not the only one who can’t.”

 

“What?” I was too busy pouring, I didn’t hear what she said.

 

“I said I can’t have any champagne.”

 

I stopped pouring. Her words started to make sense. She couldn’t…I looked up.

 

“You’re serious?”

 

“Yes.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I hope you’re glad.”

 

“Glad?” I went back over to her and held her as tight as I thought I could get away with. “Glad? I’m fucking thrilled!” I laughed.

 

“Dad! Language.” Gigi stood next to us. “What’s happening?”

 

Jamie crouched down. “I’m going to have a baby.”

 

I never thought I would hear my daughter scream like that. She threw her arms around Jamie’s neck and even cried a little.

 

“I’m so happy!” We both hugged her. I was happy, too. I couldn’t believe my family grew so fast.

 

“That was my surprise for you two. You’re not the only ones who know how to surprise people.” Jamie laughed, wiping her eyes, then wiping Gigi’s.

 

“Hey,” Gigi whispered. She giggled, pulling Jamie’s ear to her mouth. Jamie listened, then laughed.

 

“I forgot all about that! You were right!”

 

“What’s so funny?” I looked at the two of them.

 

Jamie smiled up at me. “A year ago, your daughter asked me a question. At the time, I said no.”

 

“What was the question?”

 

“She asked if I would be her step-mommy. I guess you could say she proposed before you did.”

 

***

 

After dinner, once Gigi was in bed and the house was locked up, I pulled Jamie by the hand into our room. My fiancée. Mother of my children. I couldn’t wait to be with her.

 

“My wife. I’ll have to get used to that,” I whispered, nibbling her neck. She giggled, then sighed as I licked a slow trail up to her earlobe, biting just a little.

 

“You don’t have to get used to it yet,” she teased. “We could have a long engagement.”

 

“I don’t care.” I took her ass in my hands, gripping it, pulling her to me. She gasped, moaning, tilting her head back. “As long as I’m with you.” I started from her neck again, this time going from the bottom to her chin, to her mouth.

 

We had been together for a year, and it still felt just as hot when we kissed as it did the first time. There was more to it than just that. There was love, and history. On that night, there was a lot of hope for the future, too.

 

“Are you sure it’s okay to do this?” I asked, even while I pulled the sweater over her head and took her tits in my hands. She sighed, closing her eyes while I played with them. I pulled the cups down just enough to flick my thumbs over her nipples, making them stand up before my tongue found them.

 

“Yes. I’m sure. And I need you.”

 

I growled, pulling her to me for another kiss. She bit my lip, and I hissed through my teeth. All she did was make me harder. I pressed myself against her, grinding my growing erection against her hip. She moaned into my mouth, then slid her hand between us to rub it against my bulge. That wasn’t good enough, so she unzipped me and slid her hand inside. I gasped when she made contact with my aching cock, already hard and desperate to be inside her. She stroked slowly, teasing me. Building me up.

 

“Keep that up and I’ll come before I’m inside,” I muttered, eyes closed.

 

She giggled. “You’re a young man. I think you can handle it twice in one night.”

 

She was right, but I pulled her hand away anyway. I wanted it to be with her, inside her. It was never the same any other way.

 

We fell onto the bed. I ran my hands over her body—it would change soon. I could tell she was thinking the same thing as she unhooked her bra, and she sighed deeply when I buried my face between her tits.

 

“They’ll get bigger,” she whispered.

 

My cock jumped—they were already so full and firm. I couldn’t wait, and I licked my way over them before I moved further down her body. The flat stomach, but not for much longer. The hips, the thighs. I worked her pants down, caressing her soft curves. The lean, smooth legs. I parted them, licking further and further up the inside of one thigh until I was at her center.

 

I didn’t waste any time, pulling the panties to the side and tasting her. She groaned, holding my head in place. I watched her move on the bed, hips rocking, head rolling from side to side. Her back arched when I sucked her tight little button, and it didn’t take much longer before she came with a shuddering gasp. I knew just how to get her off fast, or to take my time with it. One of the nice things about being together for so long.

 

“Roll over,” I grunted. I didn’t care how it sounded. I needed her then and there. I wasn’t in the mood for a leisurely fuck. I wanted to be inside her, to make her whole body scream before she came all over me.

 

“Mmm…I think we’ll make good use of this position in the coming months.” She winked at me, and I twitched when I thought about taking her from behind. It was my favorite position, and hers, too.

 

She got ready like she always did, on all fours. Her pussy waited for me, glistening, and my cock throbbed when I got closer to her. I guided the head up and down her cleft. She moaned, moving her hips around, wanting me to touch more of her. “Greedy,” I muttered, and she laughed. Then I slid inside and the laugh turned into a moan. We both moaned, trying to keep it quiet for the kid’s sake but not able to be totally quiet. It was impossible.

 

I slid back, then forward. Again. Again. The way she moaned, rolling her head in a circle, arching her back, was worth taking my time for. I watched and listened, thrusting slowly. Loving the way she loved it when I took her. She was totally in the moment, totally aware of her body and what she liked—and sex was never boring because of that.

 

I couldn’t stay at that slow, sensual pace for long. My body took over. It wanted more, fast, hard. I sped up, going deeper. Hitting her at just the right angle. I reached for her tits, playing with them as I fucked her. She moaned even louder, the combination of pleasure taking her higher. I loved the way she got into it when we had sex. She forgot the “nice girl” she was to everybody else and turned into a wild animal, wanting to get off. She didn’t have a problem telling me what she liked and how she liked it, and when she covered my hand with hers and squeezed, I knew she wanted me to be a little rougher. I pinched her nipple, and she let out a high-pitched squeal.

 

I held her hips, holding on as I pumped faster. Harder. Deeper. I needed to take her and remind myself she was mine. She was all mine, body and soul. Forever. I felt like a king, the way I always did when I was inside her. Like I could do anything.

 

She grunted, whispering how much she loved it. I slapped her ass, hard, with the flat of my hand. She gasped, going stiff for a second with her back arched. Then she groaned, and I knew she loved it the way she always did. We had learned a lot about each other in a year, and she wasn’t the girl I first met. She found out she liked being spanked, having her hair pulled, having her wrists tied to the bed.

 

She pushed back against me, more excited. I spanked again and again, and she shook each time my hand made contact. “Yeah…I love it…” she gasped. I pulled her hair back and she shuddered, pushing even harder. Riding me like I rode her.

 

She went faster, and I matched her. Her grunts were louder, higher pitched, and I knew she was getting ready to come. I was ready, too, holding on for her. Just another few seconds. Everything in me screamed, wanting to be let go. My cock throbbed with each thrust as she got tighter…tighter.

 

Finally, she shrieked, her body tensing. “Yes! Lance! Oh, yes!” She shuddered, gasping.

 

Her muscles clenched around me, bearing down on me, and I lost it. I exploded inside her, groaning, my body going rigid while I came. I couldn’t think of anything for the first few seconds, just like always. It was enough to feel.

 

When it was over, I immediately thought of her. Was she okay? I left her, and she fell on her side with a sigh.

 

“Holy cow,” she whispered.

 

“Are you sure that was all right?” I stretched out next to her, looking at her closely. Wondering if there was any way to tell if I had hurt the baby.

 

She stroked my hair. “Relax. I already asked the doctor about it. He said we’ll be fine. As long as we don’t get too crazy, like weird Kama Sutra stuff. And even then, it should be okay.”

 

“Good.” What a relief. I rolled onto my back, still trying to catch my breath. “Wow. If I had known how good it would be while you were pregnant, I would’ve knocked you up sooner.”

 

“Hush.” She smacked my shoulder. “Your pillow talk hasn’t improved in the last year, you know.”

 

“Come on. That wasn’t romantic? I was complimenting your performance.” She shot me a warning look, and I stopped.

 

“What do you think—wedding before or after the baby comes?”

 

“I don’t need anything big. We can do it before, so the baby’s parents are married and all that. I don’t feel like trying to nurse a baby and stand at the altar all at the same time.”

 

“You’re sure? You don’t want the big wedding with the dress and the flowers and all that?”

 

“Eh, we’ll work something out. You know the girls will go crazy.”

 

“Erica’s dying for you to call her.”

 

“I bet. She doesn’t know about the baby yet. She might have a stroke.”

 

I chuckled. Life was too perfect. I had a family, my club, friends. How did everything change so fast in just a year?

 

No. Quicker than that. The minute Gigi showed up at my door. I guessed I had Rae to thank for that. I hadn’t seen or spoken to her since the day she signed the custody papers, but I thought of her sometimes. She was still her daughter’s mother, and Gigi had all her good qualities.

 

Jamie snuggled against me, and we talked about the wedding and the baby and getting a room ready for him or her. We even talked about moving to a bigger house. The sky was the limit.

 

I held her in my arms long into the night, sure I would never want anything else for the rest of my life. I had it all.

 

THE END

 

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