Kya
After explaining the role of a flower girl and spending the rest of the evening making plans and lists over dinner, we tucked Addie into bed together and then retired to our room.
We both readied for bed, undressing to our undies and crawling beneath the covers.
It was nice to spend time in my own bed, especially with Leonard, who wasted no time pulling me against him to snuggle. “I’ve missed my beautiful soon-to-be wife,” he whispered in my ear.
“I’ve missed you too. More than you know.”
He lifted my chin and turned my face to meet his. “Are you happy?”
“Yes, I’m very happy. I know it’s a bit of a rush, but I love my surprise, and I’m glad we’re jumping in headfirst to make it happen. And Addie was excited.” I’d never seen her smile so much. She had grown a foot while I was away and carried a little less baby fat, her round cheeks slimming as her features sharpened.
Leo chuckled. “I think she was happier when she thought she was going to dress in a flower costume, but I like the compromise you gave her.”
“A few white daisies in her basket and my bouquet will be pretty, and they’re her favorite flower. I want it to be special for her too. How has she been?” I hadn’t been too sure about leaving him at home alone with her, but here we were at the other end of things, and they were both alive, and the house was nearly the same as I’d left it.
“Good. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. She’s a good kid. Her mama raised her right.”
“Her daddy is doing a hell of a job too. Did she do okay at school?”
“She was good. She got in trouble for talking in class, but that sort of thing is bound to happen. It was nothing I couldn’t handle. I signed the slip and returned it to her teacher.”
“That’s not too bad. Was she behaving at home? Didn’t give you too much trouble?” I had been afraid she’d con him into eating a lot of junk food, and I had found two empty ice cream tubs in the garbage.
He shrugged. “Nah, it’s easy when I let her have her way and anything else she wants.”
“Oh no, you didn’t,” I said, laughter filling my voice. “Please tell me you didn’t spoil that child and completely ruin her.”
“Not completely, but we did take out stock in McDonald's and made such an impact at Dunkin’ that the cops are still pissed about the doughnut shortage.”
“No wonder she grew so much. I thought the two of you were going to try and cook at home while I was gone.”
“No, two nights of that, and she told me the cold, hard truth. My spaghetti, the one thing I thought I was good at, turns out, it stinks. Her exact words were, ‘Daddy, I love you, but this stinks.’ ”
I could almost hear Addie telling him that. “She can be brutal for a five-year-old.”
“You’re not kidding. And she wouldn’t even let me try to make it again. She said I should call my father and ask him how to make it. Apparently, he makes the best.”
“How is Richard?” His father had really come around since Addie had come into his life.
“He’s Dad. You know, grumpy until he sees Addison. He cleared out the spare room for her. Turned it into a toy room that is complete with a frilly white daybed and even put in cable TV, a computer, and bought copies of all of her favorite movies.”
“He’s going to spoil her.” It was hard to believe sometimes how his father had actually been against me at the trial. He’d tried to force Leo against me, but Leo had quit, leaving his best friend Jon to take over. In the end, it had all worked out for the best, and they’d decided not to go that route but only because of Addie.
As soon as the old man had learned he’d had a granddaughter and seen her eyes were the same as his late wife’s, he had called off the dogs and had a change of heart. We’d been okay since, and he’d apologized, telling me he wanted to make things right.
He’d even met my family over the holidays, and he and my friend Blitz, who had taken me under his wing, had surprisingly hit it off.
Leo looked at me like I should know better. “Too late. He already has her rotten.”
“Those two are quite the pair.” I giggled thinking of them and the way they acted when they were together, more like having two children instead of one.
“Yeah, he was angry I hadn’t brought her over sooner.”
“We’ll have to make sure we go. I guess we have a big announcement to make. I hope he’s not upset we’re rushing.”
“He’s always asking me when I’m going to marry you, so the next time he asks, I’ll know what to tell him.”
“Yeah, I just don’t want him upset that we’re not having a bigger occasion or Sadie for having to walk down the aisle looking like she’d smuggled a beach ball under her dress. Are you sure we shouldn’t wait?” Waiting would mean I couldn’t have my venue, but at least everything else would be right, and if it kept everyone in the family happy, I was all for it. I didn’t need to be greedy with the whole standard “my big day” bride ego. No, I had to consider Leo and Addie, and they were much more important to me.
His smile faded a bit as he got a serious look on his face. “What’s that all about? We’re doing this.”
“Are you really sure you want to marry me? And the crazy ass family that comes with me?” I had a lifestyle that might be a little hard to keep up with at times and being out on the road got harder and harder each time I had to leave. There was a lot of trust involved on both sides, and so far, we’d managed to hold it together.
Leonard gave me a sideward glance. “Are you kidding? Addie is my daughter, and I’d like her to have parents who are married to each other. As for the rest of the crazies, I think they like me, and I like them, they did help me propose. Besides, I’ve wanted to marry you since I was a gawky teen with thick glasses and braces.”
I nudged him. “Well, what took you so long?”
We both laughed, and I couldn’t help thinking about the first time we’d been together at a party when we were just eighteen. It had ended badly, with me telling him I didn’t want to be with him because it would ruin our perfect friendship. Little did I know, that statement would lead to a series of events including us hooking up five years later to conceive our daughter, only for him to do me the same way.
But thankfully, that didn’t last, and when I’d taken my manager to court, our friendship had rekindled.
“Better late than never, right?” He shrugged and drew me closer.
I laced my fingers with his. “You know how you mentioned a long rest after the wedding?”
“Yeah?” His voice was so close to my ear it sent chills down my spine.
“Well, I was thinking, if we’re planning a small wedding, then maybe we could do a nice honeymoon. Maybe go to a nice secluded island somewhere for a couple of weeks and lie out in the sun and stare at the ocean.”
“That sure sounds romantic, but what about Addie? You just got back. You can’t expect her to stay behind.”
“I don’t. She could come along with us. We’ll go away another time for romance, but I want to be lazy with my family and enjoy some time where I don’t have to hem curtains and finish the monster pile of laundry in the washroom.”
“That’s all clean. I just haven’t finished folding it. In all fairness, you did come home earlier than expected.” He chuckled softly in my ear.
I turned and faced him, brushing his hair back and planting a kiss on his mouth. “I’m teasing, Leonard. I’m not worried about that. I just want to enjoy some downtime with my two favorite people in the world.”
“I agree, but let’s get the wedding plans behind us first, okay? I know the quick walk to the altar is saving us some money, but we’ll have time to book something special, and we’ll have to see about Addie’s schooling.”
“She can take it on the road. She’s used to that kind of life, but I agree, first things first. I’ve got to take the gown in to make the final adjustments. Then, there’s Addie’s dress, and we should buy Sadie’s. With the baby coming, I think it would be a nice gesture, and I’m letting her choose something she likes with that baby bump. Now is not the time for a bridesmaid dress from hell.”
“You’re so thoughtful.” He kissed my shoulder, and his hand cupped my ass. “What do you want me to wear?”
I smoothed my hands down his bare chest. “A tux. Also, I’d like to discuss the rings.”
He met my eyes. “Bought, and I can pick them up whenever.” He kissed my neck and slowly made his way up to my ear.
“Another surprise?” I wasn’t worried that he’d managed that task alone because the two of us had already picked out the ones we liked. We’d actually done a lot of talking about how we wanted the wedding to be, so I wasn’t surprised he’d felt confident enough to take the initiative.
“Well, you keep talking, and you’ll find I’m full of them.” He gave me a wink. “Or don’t and see what else I’m good at.” He rolled his hips, and I could feel his large erection pressing into my center.
The heat blossomed between my legs, and I was overtaken with need. Exhaustion aside, I ground my hips against him, and he moved over me, nudging himself between my legs.
“I thought about you every night, even after our calls.” I had called him every night whether I was on the bus on the road or in a hotel room across the country, and I had even called him late nights after my shows. We’d mostly said our good nights, but some nights, we’d had long, naughty talks to keep the passion between us burning.
“You did?” I couldn’t wait to hear about that. “Tell me.” I could already picture him in the shower, his hand between his legs as he worked himself.
He chuckled and gave me a sly smile. “I’m sure you already know how that story ends.”
“Then show me,” I said, as I bit his shoulder. “Show me all of the things you said you wanted to do to me during those long calls.”
He reached down between the covers and rubbed my mound, his fingers slipping the lace of my panties aside to gain entrance. “I thought you’d never ask.”