We’re currently in a little thrift shop here in town and I’m in love with the antique clothing they have. I’ve found a couple of sweaters for the moms and an old tobacco pipe I’m getting my dad. He loves these types of things. Talon has found an old pocket watch he’s getting for his dad, and it’s perfect for him! It still keeps time and looks like a piece of history that needs to be cherished and taken care of, and if anyone will do those things, it would be Hatch.

“Baby?” I call out. When he turns, I continue, “Not seeing anything that catches my eye for Steel.”

“Me either. We know cars of any kind would do the trick, but I was thinking of a train set. Maybe set it up on a track along his bedroom wall or something.”

“Oh! It could ‘carry him into dreamland’!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to intrude on your conversation,” the store’s sales lady says to us, “but, my parents have an antique toy store down the block. All you do is walk out the door, turn right, go down a block and turn left. They have a lot of fun things that any child would love to have and the items will be worth some money someday if they’re taken care of,” she brightly smiles at us.

“Let’s check out, Claree, and head that way,” he says, taking hold of my hand. He has no clue, but even that small touch has me thinking about later. I’ve got another lingerie outfit for tonight that I think is gonna blow his socks off.

“What’s got you grinning like that?” he asks as we place our purchases on the counter.

“It’s a surprise,” I reply, before handing the clerk our debit card. I’m still blown away by our bank balance. When they fixed things pay-wise for Talon, they made life so much easier. I sat there and cried while writing checks for stupid bills that had piled up until they were all paid off. And still, the balances are healthy as hell. I can’t believe that we no longer are scraping by and planning meals around money that’s left over after paying those outstanding bills. It was embarrassing the one time I got a shut off notice on the electric bill, I ended up taking out a small student loan from my school just to make sure we had lights. I did what I had to do as a mother, but I’m thankful with the back pay I was able to pay that off as well. I never told Talon I had to do that, he carries everything on his shoulders, and I wanted to help him carry the burden some. If I was to tell him now, he’d feel like a failure, as a boyfriend and father, and that’s nothing I’ll ever allow him to feel. We may have had our ups and downs, but my love for him never left.

“C’mon, babe, I’m excited to see what we can find in this shop she was telling us about.” He grabs my hand and all but pulls me out of the shop and down the street.

“Shouldn’t we put these things in the truck?” I ask him, because I for one don’t want to tote these things around.

“Um, okay,” he turns us back around and we head towards the truck. I know he’s a little frustrated, because his inner child has come out at the mention of antique toys. “Let’s go, babe!” I giggle under my breath because he’s really going to be a kid in a toy store, no pun intended. I have to jog to keep up with his long strides, I’m getting a work out while we’re away, that’s for sure!

As I look around, I immediately decide that the new house is going to have a room dedicated to this kind of shit. Hell, I’ll do my man-cave in antique toy items if necessary. Yep, my woman is awesome! She’s allowing me and Steel to have a room of our own. We’ll have a game station down there with a sixty-inch television for when the game is on. I’m getting a sitting area so the guys can come over and watch them with us. She’s getting a state-of-the-art kitchen, so I get my space too. I have a wall in mind to put shelving up so I can start collecting these badass collector items. I also plan on getting a wet bar so I don’t have to go up and down the stairs every time I want a beer. When I sit down to relax for a period of time, I don’t want to get up and down every twenty minutes or so.

“Talon, look!” she calls out. “This would be perfect for him!” I look at where she’s pointing and see a train set, complete with tracks. “We could...I don’t know, maybe set it up along the wall or something.”

“But it’s an antique, a collector’s item, maybe we should put some shelves up in his room for the more expensive things that are to be looked at and not touched. We can get him a second set that he can play with as well.” I don’t want my boy to break anything that would make him cry. I can’t stand it when my woman and kid leak. It breaks my heart, and that’s something I’d prefer not to have to emotionally deal with.

“Yeah, I agree with that, but we will have to make sure he has ones to play with also so he doesn’t decide to go monkey and crawl up the shelves to play. I can picture it now, he’d pull the shelving down on himself and would be stuck.”

“He’s definitely your son,” I tell her. “I’ll just secure the shelves to the wall...problem solved,” I say, shrugging my shoulders, as if it should’ve been the obvious solution.

“Ha! No, that’s one of your traits,” she replies, sticking her tongue out at me.

“Got somewhere else you can stick that,” I state, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

“Talon! You can’t say shit like that when we’re out in public!” she looks around to make sure no one is around.

“Uh, yeah I can. You’re mine, I’m yours, no one needs to be putting their busy body noses into our shit. I don’t see anything wrong with others knowing I want my woman,” I state.

“Neanderthal,” she mutters. I know she’s not mad because I see the grin on her face, so I smack her lightly on the ass to make my point, then chuckle when the blush runs up her face. We end up getting our son some fun stuff for his shelf. An old motorcycle, train set and car set. We also go to the local toy store and grab him things he can play with now. I can’t wait to see the look on my boy’s face when he sees his new treasures.

We got subs to go, went to the town’s park and ate lunch together then fed the ducks, and walked the trail. It was a good day, one I’ll remember for the rest of my damn life.

“Eyes closed, Claree,” I tell her as I carry her into the house. While out and about, I got a text from my mom letting me know everything was set, from the non-fire candles they set out to the sparkling juice. They even brought marinated steaks for me to grill. Once I’ve had my dessert, that is.

“What’s going on, Talon?” she asks, burying her face further in my shoulder.

“You’ll see, baby,” I whisper, walking toward the bedroom. My eyes widen when I see the sheer number of candles they put out. The whole room looks like a seduction scene and I gently set her on the bed. “Keep them closed,” I warn before I go to my jacket and reach in the pocket grabbing the ring box. Kneeling in front of her, I say, “Okay, baby, you can open them.”

Her eyes widen once she looks around. “Talon! What...how?” and then, when she glances down and sees me kneeling there with a ring, they fill with unshed tears. “Talon?” she whispers. The love shining in her eyes gives me the encouragement to keep going with my planned speech. It’s short and sweet, but she knows me better than anyone else, and will know this comes from my heart and soul.

“Claree, you captured my heart a long time ago, and while we’ve never had a conventional relationship by any means, you’ve been my old lady for years. I need you in my life like I need air to breathe. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Talon, yes, of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much, I can’t wait to wear your ring on my finger and show the world that we belong to only each other. Now, and forever,” she whispers the last part and I feel tingles in my chest. She said yes! My chest puffs out with pride, and I can’t wait to say my vows to the woman I love more than life itself. Mine, she’s officially mine, and not a damn person will ever get in the way of the love we have for one another.

Not even us.

We’ve always been meant to be, we will go down in the history books of love withstanding all the trials and tribulations we’ve experienced.

“We’ve always belonged together,” I reply, leaning up and pulling her close for a kiss once I’ve slipped the ring on her finger. “Now, do you want to celebrate or eat?”

“Um, well, I’m thirsty but definitely want to celebrate. You kinda drove me crazy today, y’know.” I grin because any chance I had, I was touching her. Teasing her and driving her body wild with want and desire. Nothing too out there, just subtle touches that I knew would drive her crazy.

“Okay, I’ll grab us something to drink while you get...comfortable,” I state, grinning, to let her know my idea of that is her naked in bed waiting for me to come and take care of her. I head off into the kitchen, whistling under my breath, as I grab the sparkling juice and two champagne glasses. I double check to make sure I’ve locked the doors before I head into the bedroom.

Where my jaw proceeds to hit the floor, once a motherfuckingain. She’s propped up against the pillows, wearing a nightgown that is basically see through and has my dick straining against my zipper. I don’t have the fancy words to explain how she looks, but innocently seductive is close enough. “Baby, you look gorgeous,” I say, moving closer to the bed. “What’s this called?”

“Seductive Enchantment, according to the saleslady,” she replies. “Is it working?”

I chuckle because in the glow of the candles, a lot is shadowed so she likely can’t see that my dick is trying to escape. “Yeah, it’s working,” I reply, setting the bottle and glasses on the nightstand next to her. I quickly strip out of my clothes and crawl up alongside her. Part of me wants to be the neanderthal she calls me and rip it wide open and feast like a ravenous beast. The other part wants to savor every second. Not sure which side is gonna win at this point. Guess I’ll just let nature take over and see where our bodies take us. “Gimme your lips, Claree.” I lean over and grab her lips with mine, it’s meant to be seductive, but turns heated pretty quickly. Now that we’re us again, we can’t seem to get enough of each other. When she moans I slip my tongue in and ravish her mouth the way I plan on doing to her body. Her skin prickles beneath my hand as I slide the straps off her shoulders and trap her arms to her sides with them.

“Oh God, yes!” she calls out, when I move my mouth down her skin and latch onto her nipple from her exposed breasts.

“Let’s see how many times I can make you come this first round,” I murmur around her nipple. I know she’ll get off on just the nipple play so I am already counting that one. I alternate between them, using my hand to continue to tease and pull on the other.

“Fuck, Talon, so close already,” she replies while her body quivers from pleasure.

“That’s one,” I state the obvious, “now it’s time to go for two.” I slide the straps further down her arms and pull her nighty off of her in one swoop. I see these lacy panties that make my mouth water. They barely hide her from my view, but that will be taken care of here shortly. I grab both sides with my thumbs and slowly move them down her hips, legs, then throw them behind me. I use my hands and spread her legs open, I notice she’s glistening and know it won’t take long for me to get her there again.

“So fucking pretty, Claree,” I say before I swipe my tongue through her folds, capturing her essence on my tongue. “Your pretty pink lips, and clit, are swollen and begging for my attention, what should we do about that?”

“Less talk, more lips and tongue,” she moans. I take my finger and swipe it from her clit to her opening. I shove one finger inside and feel how tight she is around my digit. Knowing that she needs more, I insert a second finger and start moving them in a come-hither motion. Her hips begin to move on their own accord and her breath becomes labored. I find her g-spot and her movements become almost frantic as she writhes, pushing her pussy into my face. When her pussy starts fluttering, I increase my pace, wanting to send her over the cliff.

“Talon!” she screams. Her juices flood my face and I continue moving in and out, slowing down once she starts pulling away. Giving her clit one last kiss, I move up her body and take her lips in mine.

“That’s two, baby,” I murmur. “Ready for more?” When she nods, I flip onto my back, bringing her with me. “Ride me, Claree.”

She quickly positions herself over me, sliding down until she’s engulfed my dick to the root. Fuck, that feels good. Determined to send her over again before I find my release, I grab her hips and start moving her up and down. I thrust my hips up each time I pull her down and the familiar feeling of tingles moving up my spine lets me know that I’m close to finding my own release. I remove one hand and zone in on her clit, determined that she’ll come with me this time. When her moves become erratic and she clamps down on my dick, I thrust up a few more times before pulling her down to my chest, and claiming her lips. As I capture her scream, my hands grip her hips once again and I come, hard.

Sated, I stroke my hands along her sweaty back, dropping kisses wherever my lips touch. “Fucking fantastic, baby,” I whisper.

“How is it we’ve been together as long as we have and it never gets old?” she asks. The lazy way she’s sighs and is talking, lets me know she’s worn out, and I grin in satisfaction that I was the one who made her that way.

“No clue, baby. Just know that there’s something about you I crave and can never seem to get enough of. Maybe because it’s only been us figuring it all out and we didn’t have previous experiences to cloud us. Don’t know and don’t give a fuck. You do it for me, every fucking time.” She giggles, and I glance down to see her eyes on me. “What’s so funny?” I ask.

“Just remembering how we tried some of those positions we watched that one time.” Fuck, that was a crazy weekend. We aren’t porn watchers as a rule, but figured we’d watch one and, fuck, there were positions that I’m still sure are physically impossible. But being young and dumb, we gave it our best shot.

“Yeah, having to have our folks take us to the emergency room is not something I want to remember.”

Her giggles turn into full-out laughter and I join in. We were trying something called the wheelbarrow, or some fucking shit, and I was going to town when she lost her balance, hit her head and twisted her shoulder, dislocating it. I then fell over and twisted at the last second to avoid landing on her, hit my head and split my forehead open and wrenched my back. The look on our parents’ faces when I finally crawled to the phone for help was priceless. From that point on, we decided to leave the crazy positions to the professionals, because that shit is not as easy as it appears to be. Could be when Trinity started all that ‘immaculate conception’ bullshit because when they got there, we only had the blanket I managed to grab covering us. I had blood all over the place, and even though she was crying, she was also doing that weird, laughing-crying thing women do sometimes. Dad managed to get a pair of sweats on me, and Trinity got Claree mostly dressed, then the dads carried us both out and took us to the hospital.

“I don’t think your dad has ever been able to look me in the eyes since that day. I swear he turned in another direction anytime I entered the same room he was in. Baby, you were five months pregnant! Let me tell you, I got a lecture and a half from my dad about being safe with my woman when she’s pregnant.”

By now, we’re both laughing so hard. I got ten stitches, and a fuckload of pain meds, while she had to endure the pain of having her shoulder put back into place and a splint on her wrist, without anything more than Tylenol since she was pregnant.

“We need to grab some shut-eye, Claree. We’re hitting the road early in the morning to head back home. I love you, baby,” I whisper, while kissing her temple, because if I touch my lips to hers, neither one of us will get any rest, and she needs all the rest she can while being pregnant.

“Um, Talon? I’m kinda hungry,” she whispers back. Fucking hell! I forgot to feed my woman and take care of her other needs. What kind of husband am I going to be anyway? Her needs should always come first, and she should be waited on like a motherfucking queen.

I jump up and say, “Give me a few. Got steaks. Don’t move, we’re eating in bed.”

Within thirty minutes, I’m back with our steaks, grateful that the moms made a few side dishes that I warmed up while grilling. “God, this tastes delicious,” she moans over a bite of steak. Fuck, she keeps that up and we’re gonna be having sex again before I let her sleep! Once she’s fed, I take our trays back into the kitchen. When I make it back to the bedroom, she’s fast asleep curled around her sleep pillow. I look at her for a minute and think about what a lucky son-of-a-bitch I am that she chose me. I can’t imagine my life without her by my side. I once again think about what I’m going to say to her on the day we get married, it needs to be epic! Soul consuming and earth shattering, the way I feel every day of my life.