I went inside, my heart pounding. Jack knew that I was pregnant now—there was no denying it. And I knew what type of man he was; there was no way he was just going to let this go, not without taking responsibility for his own child.

I saw Ivy from across the room and she ran to me, flinging herself into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, hugging her small body against mine. She was dressed like a daisy and covered in glitter, and I didn’t care that she’d gotten it on me. I felt as light as a cloud when I was hugging her, like I was finally reunited with my own daughter.

I looked up to see Jack hurrying through the gym, crossing the room and stepping onstage. I stared at him as the room went quiet and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I won’t be up here long,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “I just had something that I need everyone to hear. This is Lauren.”

He gestured to me and the room looked. I blushed, looking around in embarrassment.

“This is the woman I want to marry. The woman I have to marry,” he said, and I felt my eyes welling up with tears as he spoke. “I love you, Lauren. I have always loved you.”

I looked at him, unable to speak. The room was in complete silence as they looked between the two of us. I couldn’t take my eyes off of his, couldn’t look away from him.

“Everybody give a round of applause if you think I should ask Lauren to marry me,” he said. The room erupted into cheers and applause, making me blush even deeper. I was frozen on the spot as he climbed down from the stage and crossed the room to me, taking me by the hand and leading me through the gym and into the hallway. He pulled me down the hall and into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind us.

“Jack—” I began, not really knowing what to say.

“Lauren, just listen to me. Please,” he said, a look of desperation on his face. I closed my lips, studying his face while he spoke. I felt myself softening to him with every second, my heart letting go of my anger. All I wanted was to touch him, but I was reluctant, scared to make the move.

“I do love you,” he said, putting his hand to my cheek. “I have never loved anybody more than you or Ivy. I feel—I feel like you belong with us. And I know you’re pregnant. We should be a family.”

“But all those other women—”

“Baby,” he said, leaning in to kiss me softly. “There are no other women. You are the only woman who exists to me. You will be the only one forever. I promise you that.”

“There’s no way I can believe that,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You’re so—you’re so perfect. And you’re rich. And you probably have women throwing themselves at you. And then there’s me—I’ve been left before. I’m disposable. I know you’ll leave me too.”

“You are anything but disposable,” he said, his features filled with disbelief. “Is that really what you think? Lauren, those men were idiots. You know that. You’re the perfect one. There’s no way I would ever leave you.”

I bit my lip, staring at him. He looked completely sincere. I knew that look, one of love. But I was still nervous and I didn’t know how to get past it.

“What can I do to convince you that I love you?” Jack asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll go scream it to everyone. I’ll tell Ivy to scream it at everyone.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “She would love that.”

“She would,” he said. “And I’ll do it. Lauren, I’ve never given you any reason to doubt that you’re the only one I’m interested in, the only one I’ll ever be interested in.”

I thought about the girl at the restaurant, realizing that it was true. He had looked flirty to me, but it could have been just my imagination. In truth, he had just been smiling at her, but I had let my insecurity run wild and let it affect how I felt about Jack.

“The day after your ex came by, I ran into her at the store,” I told him. “She told me that you cheated all the time. Especially with younger women. Especially—especially with your nannies.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s a lie. I never cheated on her. Not once. I’ve never touched one of my employees, not before you.”

“Are you telling me the truth?” I asked him, studying his face. “Really?”

“Yes,” he said adamantly, taking my hands, pulling me against him for another kiss. I allowed him to taste my mouth, closing my eyes and relishing in the feel of his lips.

“Do you believe me?” he asked. “I need you to believe me, baby. I need you to know that I’m all in.”

I kissed him again, tasting his mouth, wrapping my arms around his neck and accepting the way his body molded to mine. I realized then that none of the notions I’d had about him mattered, that what his wife had said didn’t mean anything. I knew who Jack was—he was a kind man, sensual and loving.

“I’m sorry,” I said to him against his lips. “I got scared. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” he promised, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere. Not as long as you’re my wife. Say you will be.”

“I will,” I said without hesitation. “Yes.”

He pressed his lips to mine, speaking against them. “Thank you, Lauren.”

I kissed him, and we held each other for a long moment before we left the classroom. Ivy and Corina were waiting in the hall. I took Jack’s hand when I saw them, kissing the back of it and beaming at the other two people I considered a part of my new family. Ivy ran to us, jumping into my arms.

“Daddy, are you going to get married to Lauren?”

“Yes,” he said, grinning at her. He kissed her on the cheek. “What do you think about that?”

Ivy looked at me, her beautiful eyes wide and sweet.

“Does that mean you’ll be my mommy?” she asked, her little voice so hopeful that it pierced my heart, making my eyes well up with tears again.

“I’d love to be your mommy, Ivy,” I said to her. I hugged her tight against my body, looking over her shoulder to see that Jack was looking at us warmly, my feelings reflected in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around both of us, holding us close for a long moment before we joined back up with Corina and headed off together as a family. 

Epilogue: Jack

I stood at the altar, my heart pounding as the music started to indicate that Lauren was about to emerge from inside. I felt frozen on the spot when she appeared, and when I saw her in the white lace dress she was wearing, I felt like my chest would explode with love. I held her eye as she walked down the aisle with a smile on her face, her body slim and smooth in the dress, though she had just had our daughter a few months earlier. She looked gorgeous either way, absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she joined me at the altar.

“Hi,” I breathed when she stepped close to me. She grinned at me and the guests laughed. I couldn’t help myself—I leaned in to give her a soft kiss despite the fact that it wasn’t the right time. She kissed me back, our lips lingering together before the officiant cleared his throat and forced us to pull back. I gave him a bashful grin but I hadn’t been able to stop it.

“Hi,” she said back. I took her hand, holding it between us as the officiant started to deliver the sermon. I listened to each word carefully, and when it was time to recite my vows, I meant them with all my heart. I could see the overwhelming love in Lauren’s eyes as she gazed at me, speaking the words in return. I couldn’t wait for the moment he told me I could kiss her, and when he finally did I did so eagerly, wrapping my arms around her to taste her mouth. She kissed me sweetly over and over, until the people around us started to applaud. Ivy skipped up to us at the altar and I picked her up, holding her on my hip as Corina carried Rosie to the altar. The little girl was six months old now, with eyes the same color as her mother’s and a smile that matched that of her big sister.

Lauren took Rosie, kissing her face as she cradled the baby in her arms. I watched them with my heart filled with love, my eyes locked on Lauren, who met mine with a look that told me she was feeling the same. People came over to congratulate us, and Lauren passed the baby over to the eager hands of her mother. Ivy ran off and I was alone for a moment with Lauren, who looked at me with desire on her face.

“So now we’re married,” she said. “What’s next?”

“I think we need some time alone,” I said to her, glancing up at the big house we’d had prepared for the outdoor wedding. “What do you think?”

“We’ve definitely earned it,” she said, a playful look in her eye. I took her hand then, leading her through the crowd, not stopping as I thanked everyone for their congratulations. I only had one thing on my mind, and it was something that we needed to be in private to do. I pulled her into the dressing room and we locked it behind us. I turned to her then, taking her hips in my hands and pulling her against me, taking her mouth in a fierce kiss. I lifted her onto the counter, pushing the makeup and hair dryers out of the way to make room for her to sit on the edge. She grinned at me, leaning in to kiss my mouth as I started to gently pull her dress down to reveal her breasts. They were slightly larger now, still beautiful, and I couldn’t get enough of the way they felt in my hands. I teased her nipples with my thumbs, touching them gently, knowing how sensitive they had become since she’d gotten pregnant. She whimpered softly, her legs wrapping around my body to indicate exactly what she wanted.

“How does it feel to be a married woman?” I asked her as I lifted the fluffy skirt above her hips to see that she was wearing a white lace garter around her thigh. I nearly groaned when I saw it, so sweet and sexy with a cute, soft pink bow at the top. She was wearing white panties, too, which were soaking wet and clinging to her swollen pussy.

“It depends on how this goes,” she said softly. “I’ve never—I’ve never done this before. I always wanted to wait for my wedding night.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. There was a playful, teasing look in her eyes, one that told me to play along.

“Yeah?” I asked, crouching down, my face level with her thighs. I pulled them apart to see her pussy more clearly. I wanted to taste it, but first I needed to take care of the garter. I breathed over her thighs at first, barely brushing my lips against them until she was squirming with need.

“So nobody’s ever eaten your pussy before, baby?” I asked her. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Nope,” she said, spreading her legs further for me. I took the garter between my teeth and pulled it down slowly over her thigh, down her leg, and tossing it aside. Then I brushed my mouth over her pussy, sliding the flat of my tongue from the bottom to the top of her slit through her panties. Her pussy tasted as sweet as always, and I eagerly sucked on her clit through the fabric. She moaned softly, trying to squirm out of her panties, but I wouldn’t let her.

“We should take this slow, don’t you think?” I asked her.

“Everyone’s waiting for us,” she said, laughing softly. “We can’t—”

“This is our wedding,” I said to her, licking her pussy again until she moaned. “And I want to spend some of it licking your sweet little pussy.”

“Oh,” she said, her face flushed. I licked her again and she stopped talking, opening herself to me. I pulled her panties off then, baring her pussy to me, and I nuzzled the soft curls above her clit before wrapping my lips around it, flicking it with my tongue.

“How’s that?” I asked her. “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Yes,” she said. I smiled, beginning to truly eat her pussy, licking up and down her slit, burying my tongue inside of her. She clenched around it, and I knew that she wanted more—I slipped my fingers inside her and started curling them upward in just the way she liked it, touching her sweet spot as she ground against my face. I licked her clit, focusing on it for a few seconds to bring her close to coming. I stopped before she could, barely lapping at her pussy lips, giving her clit a brief rest before licking it again.

“Jack,” she breathed. “Fuck me.”

“Such a dirty mouth for an innocent virgin girl,” I said. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”

“No, boss,” she said, using the nickname she used for me when she was ready for my cock, hungry for it. “I’ve just read a lot of dirty magazines.”

“Bad girl,” I said to her, standing up and taking her mouth in a kiss. “You’re a filthy girl.”

“I am,” she admitted, kissing me back again and again in a way that was just as dirty as her words. Her hands worked to unfasten my belt and pull it off, and I finished pulling my pants down, releasing my cock, which was rock hard and throbbing. I wanted to fuck her so badly and yet for a moment I simply rubbed her pussy with my length, rubbing against her, reveling in how slick she felt along the bottom of my cock. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she guided me inside of her. I pushed in about an inch, pausing, then thrusting gently inside her only a few inches before pulling out. I didn’t fill her, but pushed inside of her in shallow strokes, making her tremble against me.

“Jack Stephens,” she said, frustration filling her voice. “You cut this out.”

“Only if you ask me nicely, Mrs. Stephens,” I said to her.

“Please,” she said, the magic word. I slid all the way into her, grinding against the back of her pussy, keeping her filled up while I thrust slowly deep inside of her. I held her hips still to prevent her from thrusting against me, something that I knew frustrated her to no end. It felt good to take my cock, but in order to come I knew that she needed to be able to move against me, to take me in just the perfect spot. I looked down to watch my cock move in and out of her, claiming her as my own, as my wife.

“I love you,” I said to her, breathing against her lips, releasing her body so that she could finally move and fuck me in just the way she wanted to.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, then tossed her head back as I thrust up hard inside her, pounding against the back of her pussy.

“Do you think you can handle this, baby?” I asked her, starting to ride her hard.

“I want more,” she said, spreading her legs as far as they could go, arching her hips to take me as deep as possible. I sped up even further, fucking her as hard as I could, as hard as she could take it. I made her come once like that, rubbing her clit, pounding her through it as she moaned. I had no doubt that she was loud enough for people to hear but I didn’t care at all—the only thing that was important was making her come, making this moment special for her.

I slowed down after a few minutes, moving more gently against her, relaxing and savoring the feel of her pussy wrapped around me. She rode against me just as slowly, our mouths meeting often.

“We can’t do this for much longer,” she breathed, smiling at me as I guided her hips in a rhythm with my own, languid and lazy, enjoying each other’s bodies.

“We can do this for the rest of our lives, baby,” I said to her, nuzzling her neck, reaching between her legs to touch her as she came again. I came inside her then, filling her up, kissing her long and slow as we finished together. Our bodies slowed down and I pulled away from her reluctantly, only wanting to continue, to touch her forever. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, an angel, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as she got dressed.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“My wife,” I said. “My angel.”

She leaned in to kiss me. “Are you ready to face the mob?”

I took her hand, kissing the backs of her knuckles. “I’m ready for anything with you, Lauren.”

THE END