Getting off the boat was the least of our worries. All we had to do was give some money to the guys at the docks. They weren’t going to say a word. We walk into town with nothing but her suitcase and the clothes on my back. We find a cheap motel and we begin our life together. This is the kind of life I used to stand against. Now, it’s my perfect reality.

There’s just one small thing I want to do before we find our stake over here.

“Priest,” I say to a man near a church, late at night. “El sacerdote?”

The man smiles, understanding what I’m looking for. “Sí, sí!” he exclaims. He brings us inside the small church and I give him some pesos for his help. The man shakes our hands and shows us where the priest sleeps inside the church.

We knock gently on the door. “Maybe we should come back in the morning,” she says. But I want to do this now. This is more important than anything else.

“And get caught by the federales? Hell no,” I say. “This is our chance.”

“But we have nowhere to go,” she laughs, uncertain of the whole situation. “I know a few people. A couple of gringos that run a few farms down here. We’ll work for them and open our own thing. We’ll live well down here. I promise you. I’m going to be the best damn husband in the world.”

I knock on the door again and a man finally opens it slowly, looking out of the crack of the door. “El sacerdote?” I ask him. “Priest?”

He nods. “Yes, I am a priest,” he says in slow English.

I laugh and hug Virginia. “Can you marry us?” I ask him. “Por favor. Ceremonia de boda. Tú?” My Spanish is shit and he knows it because he’s smiling.

“Sí. I can help you,” he says, glancing at the wallet in my hand. I give him a few bills and he nods, unlocking his door further. “Un momento,” he says. He turns around and grabs his priestly garb. I’m not a religious man myself, but it’s important to get the ceremony right. I want to remember this forever, even if it is under such extreme circumstances.

Back home, they’re searching for us. They know we’ve crossed the border, but chances are, Virginia and I aren’t on the government’s top priority list. I can picture Freddie Miles asking to send a team over here. Millions of tax payers’ dollars down the drain. They won’t allow it. Not for some half-assed robbery, in which the money was returned. No way.

We follow the priest out to the center of the church. He lights the candles around the altar and says a prayer. I never imagined I would get married, but since I am, this is the setting I want to do it in. Virginia seems to be in the same boat as me.

“It’s beautiful,” she says. The silence in the church is as deafening as it is humbling.

“I love you so much,” I whisper, my voice echoing throughout the long passageway.

The priest reads the ceremony by heart. His smile is big the whole time. “Because you come to me,” he says. “Your love will flourish forever.”

I do.

I do.

We kiss and it’s as if all the candles in the room grow for the minute our lips meet. “You are married!” he exclaims. “Be free!”

I pick her up in my arms. She’s got the same pair of jean shorts on as she did on the cargo boat. “Some wedding dress, huh?” she laughs.

“You don’t need a wedding dress. You’re beautiful in any outfit, darling,” I say. “But once things settle down, we’re going to have a huge ceremony. We’ll invite all our new friends. Everyone that we meet in this country. It’ll be incredible.”

That night, we stay close to one another. We cuddle up in our small room. The bed is practically made of one wooden plank, with a hardened army-style mattress plopped on top. It’s not comfy whatsoever, but we have each other. We laugh and turn on the television. We have no clue what’s being said, but it feels strangely liberating being without a language.

As we fall asleep, I can’t help but bask in the warmth of my happiness. “My wife,” I smile and kiss the back of her head. She smells so damn good, even without showering for the past day and a half. She’ll always be a breath of fresh air to me. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m here with you.”

“Marshall?” she asks me, suddenly.

“Yes, baby?” I kiss her again.

“Let’s have a baby,” she says.

I don’t even need time to react. “I was hoping you’d say that.” I used to frown a lot. I used to get angry. Now, it’s like a smile has been glued to my face forever. “A baby now?” one might ask me. I’d respond to them with, “What better time?”

We make love. Her legs intertwine with mine as we kiss. The flickering lights of this cheap motel keep bouncing on and off. The television is blaring. Outside, someone can be heard laughing and telling stories. There’s life all around us.

Her sweet pussy lifts up in front of me, as she rests her arms and knees on the bed. “Take me,” she says.

I place my hands on the small of her back. I run my fingers down her spine. I’m forced to kiss every curve of her body before kissing those lips. I drop my body underneath her. My hands grope her huge tits. I suck on each nipple lightly and I come back down to her sweetness. She’s wet, of course, and I’m aching for her. My cock is practically bursting out of my boxers.

I lick her like it’s the first time. I enjoy her. She’s a taste of heaven, an angel fallen to this earth for me. The Morningstar of my dreams. We’ve had a hard time together, but that’s what makes us so fucking close. That’s what has kept us glued together. When I’m away from her, I dream of her body, her voice, and her mind.

My tongue slides across every crevice, slowing dipping into her hole. I suck her like a ripe fruit, making sure to savor every last drop. I worship her pussy like it’s God’s gift to the abysmal world. I’m on my knees, praying it’ll always be there for me, like this. She’s open and waiting for me.

Her legs move apart more as my tongue and lips close around her clit. I’m sucking, sucking, sucking on her and she’s getting closer to releasing for me. I can see her face in the motel mirror, staring at our reflection. Her cheeks have turned a rosy hue. Her back has arched considerably. Her knees are trembling from a sudden rising pressure.

I insert two fingers inside her and curl them against her spot. I groan loudly as my tongue starts sliding back and forth against her clit. I move faster. And faster. Faster than ever. She begins to moan with me. “Marshall!” she screams. She’s about to cum. I keep my mouth on her, intent on giving her the best damn orgasm she’s ever had. This is our wedding night. She deserves something special from me.

Finally, the front of her body falls against the hard bed. She starts shaking uncontrollably. Her face contorts with absolute pleasure. I insert a third finger inside her and start moving quickly, mouth still fixated on her clit. When it’s over, she’s pulsating slowly. Her breathing has released and, like a fever, she’s broke on through with a light sweat.

I waste no time when she says, “Give me a baby.” There’s nothing hotter to me now than keeping her by my side and giving her something so pure. I want to be the husband she dreamed about when she was a little girl. I want to be the father she and I never had. I want to protect them both, this being that I’m about to create.

I slide myself in slowly as she lay on her back, gazing wondrously into my eyes. She’s perfect, like apple pie on a hot, summer day. I dig in, pounding her relentlessly. When she reaches down and starts rubbing my balls, I can’t fucking contain myself. She smiles, knowing she’s driving me crazy. She whispers, “Cum, baby.”

Her smooth voice hits a spot inside my brain that lets out a beastly emotion. I moan loudly, looking at every part of her body. My left hand cups around her tit, feeling the heavy, smooth skin. My right hand moves over her soft stomach. I feel her skin and soak up every bit of her.

I’m going to cum. I can’t hold out any longer. I gaze into those hazel eyes and feel the pressure inside me burst. It starts between my legs, but moves up my spine. My mind opens up and I can see it all in front of me. The first night we met, the person I used to be, and everything else in between that led up to this moment. My cum comes bursting from me, shooting inside her like a loaded gun.

“Give it to me,” she whispers as if there’s even an option now.

I shudder lightly and kiss her stomach once more. I press my body down and kiss her sweet pussy. I rise back up and kiss her lips. Our tongues meet one more time before we’re too tired to stay awake. I give her a taste of herself and she gives a last moan of pleasure.

“A baby,” I smile. “I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby.”

“Marybell,” she says.

“What?” I ask.

“Her name should be Marybell,” she says. She already knows it’s a girl and I trust that she’s right.

I wipe the sweat off my forehead and run my hands through her hair. “Marybell,” I smile. “That’s the prettiest name I’ve ever heard.”

“She’s going to be so loved,” she says.

I hold her close. Our naked bodies are warm amongst the cold walls of the motel. “She’s going to a fucking princess,” I laugh. “I’m going to give her everything in the world. I want to be the best daddy known to man.”

“You will be,” she says. “And I know everything will work out for us. We’re too damn smart for it not to.”

That’s debatable on my end. But I let her have her say. Because right now, I’m on top of the fucking world.

Epilogue: Marshall

Years pass, but you always feel just about the same age. Sometimes, when you look back on things, they feel as if they just happened. Other times, it feels like a lifetime ago. I can’t believe I was a cop. In Texas, no less. I still have all the admiration in the world for the force. But now, things are different for me. It’s not like I followed any of their rules, anyway. I was bound to get out sooner or later.

Now, I’m the owner of my own produce company. We do business all the way into Arizona. I had to jump through a few hoops to get those jobs, but it can be done. Anything can be done with a little finesse and a little money. Luckily, we’ve managed to hit the gold mine out here, with a little help from our friends.

“Marybell, come on!” I yell. “I want to show you something.”

Today is Easter and it marks the 3rd year we’ve been a three-person family together. Like I said, I’m not a religious man, but I do think things hold a certain significance if you want them to. For us, this holiday is a good way of celebrating the birth of our family, for Marybell was born on April 2^nd.

“Daddy!” She runs toward me. I pick her up in my arms and smile, even if she’s heavier than ever now. I’m just an old dad now, but I feel younger than ever. A kid can do that to you. “Look at that.” She points at a dried-up saguaro cactus on the side of the trail.

We’re always exploring the area together. Soon enough, we’ll be exploring the world, as a family. Once we get our passports approved, we’re taking a boat over to Europe. We’ve already saved enough money to do it.

“What is that?” I set her down near the cactus and examine it. All the sharp pricks have fallen off and now it looks like a hollow shell.

“An elephant trunk,” she says, proudly identifying it in her own way.

“An elephant trunk!” I laugh. “Well, I’ll be.”

Slowly, Vi walks up and kneels down with us. “Where are the other elephants?” she asks Marybell.

“Well, they must be close by,” I say.

“They’re at home, silly!” Marybell says, touching a part of the yellowing cactus. The world is so strange out here and she loves exploring. Soon, however, we’re moving to the city. We found a private school there that’s hailed as one of the best in the country. Parent shit. PTA meetings. Homework. Truth is, I’m actually excited.

Virginia

It’s not the life a lot of people envision for themselves. We’ve had to jump through a million hoops just to find normality. However, when I think back on my childhood, I would have killed to be in Marybell’s shoes. Truthfully, she has it made compared to both of us.

Our life is dedicated to our love and she is the perfect gift out of the shit storm we ran from. But it’s not like we have it perfect. We have the white-picket fence, the pool, the nicest house we could ask for, and a flourishing business, sure. But we’re still on the fringe of everything.

So when the lights seem dim and the cold worry from the world seems to burst in our doors, we bask in our warmth and huddle together. We tell stories and try to give Marybell as much as we can. We go out to restaurants, we take plenty of beach vacations in the west, and we start to build memories together.

When Marybell finally goes to sleep, we invest in ourselves. I can’t help but dive into the past, to think of all that we’ve escaped and done, all the wrongs I committed. My memory always drops into the fateful night we bumped into each other at the bar back home. I was so scared. So nervous about what he’d do to me. I didn’t know he’d become the center of my life. I didn’t understand how deep this would all get.

We’re getting older, but we grow closer every day. We build an empire with our love. We hold it down and cement it for future generations to wonder back on. This is the Marshall family, we say. Here’s our story. Look at all we’ve accomplished.

“Remember the candles?” he asks me, before bed. We’re close tonight, lost in the same dream together. His strong arms wrap around my cold body. He heats me up by sliding his hands over my ribs to my stomach.

“The candles?” I ask him.

“At our wedding,” he says. He kisses my cheek. I feel his cock rising against my pussy as he says the words. Some things never change.

“How could I forget?” I smile. I reach around and feel his shaft grow in my palm.

“Let’s do it again,” he says. “Let’s replay it all over.”

“I wish,” I say. “It’s been so…”

“Crazy,” he finishes my sentence. “So fucking wonderful. So fucking crazy.”

“It’s only going to get crazier. Once Marybell is all grown up, she’s going to start teaching us,” I laugh.

“I think we should have another one,” he says. “Let’s just keep going with this. Why the hell not?”

His hand is around my ass now. His fingers are moving toward my lips. He spreads me open and I moan quietly. “Come on,” he says. “You want this dick?”

Pompous bastard. And yes, I want that fucking dick, dammit. Another kid? Oh jeeze. I hate to say it, but it does actually sound kind of perfect. Just… not yet.

“Give me a year, you horn dog,” I say.

“You don’t want this?” he holds his cock proudly. He looks better than ever. As my tits drop lower, his body gets more chiseled. And yet, he loves me more than he did back when we first met.

“Give me that thing,” I say. He keeps his fingers against my lips, spreading me open. When he enters me, my mouth drops and my toes curl.

We still got it, that’s for sure. And the world is at our fingertips. Sure, we’re fugitives. But that’s just one small piece of the story.

We’re the fucking Marshalls. Get used to it.