Sky

“I can’t believe you’re doing it for real this time.”

I smiled at Cassie. It had been one hell of a year since me and Linc had gotten married. A lot had happened, and when he broached the subject of renewing our vows—six months to the day after he’d won joint custody of his daughter—I’d agreed to it without even a second’s thought. The first time around had been so fast and under such different circumstances than existed now. Back then, it was a fake marriage; now Linc was giving me the ‘real’ wedding that I deserved.

That meant that I finally had to tell my parents that I was married. They were not happy to find out about it in a phone call, but I had more surprises for them when they came to see me. It was always strained between us, but knowing that I had my own family—my own entire life, and I was thousands of miles away at that—I didn’t feel anywhere near as nervous about it as I would have a year before. I was going to introduce them to their granddaughter, and I hoped that they would love her so much that they would overlook the rest.

“Yeah, I know. I don’t know why I’m more worried about everything this time around, even more than I was the last time.” I laughed, shaking my head at how ridiculous it was.

“It’s because your parents are coming and you think they’re going to hate Linc.”

She was right. That was my worry in a nutshell. I did worry what they would think of him. He was older—much older—and beyond that, Linc was a divorced single father. He wasn’t at all the type of man they’d pushed me towards when I was younger. Now they didn’t have a choice. They had to accept it; it was already done.

“Yeah, it is. You know how they are. You met them a couple of times when they came up to visit me in the dorm.”

Cassie nodded. “That’s why we get along so well. We’re both used to crazy parents. Mine are super strict too.”

“What do they think of Chris?”

Cassie shrugged.

“You haven’t told them?” I turned to look at her. Cassie didn’t tell her parents much, but I would have thought she’d at least have mentioned Chris.

“Are you kidding me?” Cassie shook her head at the thought. “Do you know what they would do if they knew I was ‘living in sin’ with him? My dad would do his best attempt at a shotgun wedding. No, thank you. I’m not going to tell them anything until it’s more official.”

I had to laugh at that; I knew that feeling only too well.

“When is this ever going to end?” I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life—or at least, the second happiest, if my first wedding counted.

“What?” Cassie looked worried when I opened my eyes to look at her again.

“The constant caring what they think,” I replied. After Ruby was born, I’d chopped my hair into a pixie cut because it was just too much to take care of. And Linc had loved it. I was worried that he would hate it because I knew he loved my hair, and because my mother had always insisted I didn’t have the right face for short hair, but because it made me happy, it made Linc happy. That sort of acceptance and love was one in a million, and I was thankful that I’d found it.

“Probably never, Sky. I know that I still care.” She gave me a quick hug and then pulled back. “Your parents will like Linc. He’s a lot older and a lot more experienced, but after a year you still look at each other like you’re falling in love for the first time. It’s a bit gross to see, but I can’t think of any mother who wouldn’t want their daughter to find that sort of love.”

She was right, of course. Cassie always was. Linc loved me in a way that I’d never known before. I wouldn’t say that he worshipped the ground I walked on, but he definitely did his best to make sure that it was the nicest ground my feet could come into contact with.

“I never thought I would find this kind of love either. I really didn’t think it existed. I thought that it was just in books. But I love him and want him more than I ever have. I don’t know how he hasn’t gotten sick of me yet.”

Cassie laughed and helped me with the veil. It was so long that it made me feel like I had my hair back. I looked at myself in the mirror and remembered my first wedding day, with Cassie there, with my long hair serving the role of a veil. I definitely liked the veil better, at least when it came to knowing what I would do with my hair later on. There wouldn’t be any of the usual annoying frustration of dealing with it—just take the veil off, and I would be light and breezy once more.

“How could he get sick of you? You’re adorable, especially now that your boobs are so huge. It looks like you might topple over.”

I gave her a look, but I had to laugh, knowing she was right. Hell, half the time I felt like I was going to topple over. It was something I’d known would happen after Ruby, but I’d never guessed the effect would be this pronounced; I hadn’t even been able to fit into any of the nursing bras I’d bought. Linc couldn’t keep his eyes off them.

“At least they fit in this dress. You should have seen it before she made the alterations.”

Cassie giggled and tried to help me push them down. Even with the alterations, I was a little afraid of flashing everybody at the ceremony. Wouldn’t that just thrill my parents? I snickered at the scandalized way they’d react to their daughter toppling out of her dress on her wedding day.

“So are you ready?”

I looked at myself in the mirror to make sure. It was so different this time. Instead of getting ready in Linc’s guest bedroom, I was in a beautiful ready room in a church. Some of my friends from Michigan had come, and Linc had some of his family there. Ruby was here, Jazmin was here, everything was picture perfect, and I started to get teary-eyed. How could I ask for anything more?

Not able to speak without blubbering, I just nodded my head. I was as ready as I was ever going to be, but there was still a silly side of me that thought Linc was going to wake up all of a sudden and realize that he didn’t want to be with me. I just couldn’t believe that everything had gone so well, and that it showed no signs of stopping.

“Come on, Sky!” Cassie grabbed some tissues and started carefully dabbing at my face. “You can’t cry now. The music is playing, and you’re going to ruin your makeup.” I tried to stop—I really did—but everything about the day was so magical, and so wonderful, that the tears just kept coming. I took a deep breath and tried one of the exercises that the OB-GYN had taught me when I’d complained about not being able to get control of my emotions.

“I’m fine,” I said finally. “I don’t know what’s going on with me lately.”

“Are you pregnant again?”

The idea hadn’t occurred to me. I stopped for a minute. It hadn’t been that long since I’d had Ruby. I couldn’t be, could I? “I don’t think so.”

“The way you two are, I bet you are knocked up again.” Cassie shook her head, and I could tell that it would amaze her if I wasn’t. I rolled my eyes at her, but in the back of my mind I was trying to count the number of days since my last period. Of course, those had gone more than a little screwy since Ruby had been born, so that wasn’t any kind of indication.

“God, I hope not. I want more kids, but not yet. One in diapers at a time.” Cassie just smiled, and I wondered if she somehow managed to have a better handle on my hormones than I did; what else would explain her knowing? She’d known almost as soon as I had that I was pregnant with Ruby, and I hadn’t even told her.

“Now you got me thinking about that, I’m going to start crying again,” I said irritably.

“You’ll be fine. It’s not going to pop out today. It’s a lot, that’s why you get nine months to prepare.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” I said, and took another deep breath. “One thing at a time, right? Plenty of time to worry if I’m in the family way again after we get through this.”

“Don’t let it stop you enjoying some of that champagne today,” Cassie said. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“I am not actually that worried about champagne. I’m marrying the man I love—again.” I beamed at myself in the mirror.

I was irritating her with my mushy talk, but it pushed the other thing out of my mind. It was going to nag at me, though. Cassie had a way of doing that. Maybe I could talk her into buying me a pregnancy test on her way from the wedding to the reception.

Cassie had to go for her walk down the aisle, and I waited for my own cue, trying not to get irritated by the processional. Finally, after a few minutes that felt like double that, it was time. Straightening up my veil, and then a pin that I wore for Ruby and Jazmin, I made my way out of the door that led to the aisle. It was the longest walk of my life, but the man at the end, my husband, was worth it.

My nerves settled as I made my way closer to Linc. The look on his face was almost exactly the same one he’d had when I’d stepped into his living room on the day of our first wedding, in my non-bridal gown, and I knew that this was right. The first time I hadn’t felt much of anything, but now it was different. Now I had butterflies. But it wasn’t Linc I worried about; it was my parents.

“You look amazing, Sky.” I felt amazing; I felt like the most beautiful woman in the entire world, all from the way that Linc was looking down at me. In his eyes, I was as close to perfect as anyone could ever hope to be. There was nothing that he wanted changed, and that made me content in all that I was.

“Thank you, Linc. You look handsome yourself.” I smiled at him, beginning to feel the little tingle in me, something that wasn’t just excitement but something deeper.

He pulled at the suit. “This old thing.” He had decided to wear it, instead of his Navy uniform, since I had actually finally agreed with Cassie that my proper wedding needed a proper wedding gown. Linc had said that if the proper bride was going to wear a proper gown, the proper groom was sure as hell going to wear a proper tux.

“Yeah, well I like it.” Linc smiled at me with warmth behind his eyes that made me think that if I wasn’t already pregnant again, I probably would be soon.

“Then that’s all that matters.” He took my hand and helped me up the steps. We almost kissed, but I fought the urge and didn’t pursue him like I usually would. I finally got to turn around and see who was here. The church was full.

Cassie stood off to the side of the altar, my maid of honor just like she’d been at the first wedding. She had Ruby in her arms instead of a bouquet. Jazmin was in the front with her, as she’d come down the aisle before me as a flower girl. She looked adorable, and she gave me a little wave that I happily returned. I’d never known my heart could be so full.

I found my parents in the crowd. They didn’t look nearly as happy as the people around them. I knew that there was going to be a lot for me to explain, but at least I didn’t have to right now. I turned back to Linc. He was my rock, and I felt immediately better.

The preacher started the opening lines of the ceremony and everyone in the church settled down. I made myself take deep breaths, but I found that although my heart was beating faster, it wasn’t racing the way I’d expected it to be. My parents clearly weren’t happy, or at least not fully happy, with what I was doing, but I realized that I didn’t actually need them to be.

We said our vows again, and while they were just like I remembered from the first time, the words that I heard were clearer now, and I knew what they meant. He was mine and I was his, forever. There was no pretending that it was all because of a court date. We were renewing our vows because we wanted to, and that was what made it so special to me.

The kiss was not the same. There was no chaste kiss. We were way past that part of our lives, and if Cassie was right, we were on our way to growing our family again. I was just glad no one had snickered at the sight of me in my white dress, since everyone in the room knew that Ruby was my daughter.

“I’ll always love you, Sky, more than you’ll ever know.” No one heard the words but me, and that was perfect—I didn’t want to share Linc’s love with anyone outside of our little family.

I kissed him again, not caring who was watching. I heard a few snickers from the congregation, but I just ignored it all. I had my man and my little family. That was all that I needed.

“Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” I smiled up at him in a mixture of confusion and sheer joy.

“Are you ready for the rest of our lives?”

I nodded. I was more ready than I could even explain. “Yes, Linc. As long as we’re together, I don’t care about anything else.”

“Well, I have a surprise for you. A few surprises, actually.” I didn’t know what to think of that statement. So far, in our married life together, all of Linc’s surprises had been good ones—but when I still had to face the prospect of dealing with my parents, a surprise was the last thing that I would have asked for.

“Do we have to do this now? Mom and Dad haven’t met Ruby yet. My parents need to meet your parents. I don’t think it’s time for a surprise, do you?”

Linc started to say something, but then he just smiled. “We’ll see how you feel,” he said. “If you’re not up to it, we can wait. But I think you’re really going to like it.”

He had a look on his face that made me smile. Whatever it was, I was going to love it, and he seemed to enjoy savoring it. I knew my husband well, and I couldn’t wait to see what it was going to be.

“It’s not really fair how you know exactly what to say to change my mind,” I told him. “We need to work on that.”

“Why? You always come out of the deal happy, don’t you?” I had to admit that that was true—and he’d done it yet again. But if that was the worst problem I had to deal with in my relationship, I knew I was getting off easy.

Linc

I waited for Sky to change out of her dress to go to the reception. Everyone else was already going that way. We couldn’t go right from the church because of Ruby. She was ready to eat, and Sky still wasn’t okay with leaving her for more than a couple of hours at a time, even with Cassie. I stood outside of the changing area they’d set up for her, and I heard her muttering to herself.

“It’s not going to be so bad,” I called over the little divider separating her from me. I didn’t know why she’d bothered; no one else was in the room, and it wasn’t as though I hadn’t seen every inch of her naked.

“You don’t know my parents, Linc,” she countered.

“No, and that’s because you never told them about us,” I pointed out. “How am I supposed to know anything about them? It can’t be as bad as you’re making it out, though. They raised you, and look how you turned out.”

“I turned out this good to spite them. I’m sorry I’m being so harsh. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Sky sighed. “I just think that I should have never called them.”

“You had to. It’s about time. If you weren’t going to do it soon, Sky, I was going to call them for you.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She poked her head out from behind the screen and gave me a half-serious, half-joking scowl.

“You can bet that sexy ass of yours that I absolutely would date,” I said. I just wanted her happy, and I couldn’t imagine a woman who was happy not speaking to her family. I wanted our daughter to have all her grandparents, and they deserved a chance to get to know her. But it was obvious that something was bothering her, and I wanted her to relax. I hated when she was like this, because I knew that she was miserable in her own mind.

“Don’t you want them to meet Ruby and Jazmin?”

“Of course I do, Linc, it’s just... I don’t know.” She sighed again and I shifted my weight on my feet, torn between impatience to get to the next part of the celebrations—and impatience for something else entirely.

“You’re worried about the wrong thing. It’s all going to work out. I’ve got faith, and that’s gotten us this far. I don’t think we should give up on it now,” I told her.

“Yeah, but...” She didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew it was because she was trying to think of a way to say something without making it sound bad.

“What’s so wrong that you’re afraid they’re going to judge you?”

“Your age and... experience.”

I had to pause and think about that. I was about twenty years older than Sky, and that was something that obviously no one could ignore. There was the fact that I had a child already, but that couldn’t be too bad—could it? And I didn’t think Sky was about to tell her parents about the thing with Rico and my on-hold motel room.

“Do you really think they’ll care about it that much?”

“Did you see the looks on their faces when we were getting married?”

“No, I was a bit busy imagining what it would be like to get that gorgeous dress off of my gorgeous wife.”

She laughed and ducked back behind the screen, leaving me alone again—at least partially. I really hadn’t seen anyone else, though. As soon as she’d come out in her white dress, all I could look at was her and how beautiful she was. Which made me think: now that she was all mine again—as officially as she could possibly be—and we were alone, I wanted to take some liberties with her.

I slipped around the screen and wrapped my arms around her from behind.

“What’s wrong with you, Linc? I’m going to meet my parents!”

“All the more reason to give you a little stress relief, Sky. I hate when you get like this. How are you going to enjoy yourself when you’re so stressed out?”

She knew that I had a point, and I thought that she was going to give me what I wanted, but at the last minute she just shook her head and pushed me away. “No, we can’t do this, Linc. Not now. Not here.”

I growled at her, but she just told me that I had to be patient. I was being about as patient as I could be, and I wished she knew that. The only thing I could think of was how good it would be to pull up her skirt, pin her up against the wall, and have her right then and there. I’d certainly paid enough for the wedding gear we’d both had to wear that I thought I had earned the right to be the one to mess it up.

Leaning down, I kissed her softly and felt her start to relax, pressing up against me. For all that I’d never wanted to get involved with a virgin, I’d certainly picked a good one. Ever since we’d started having sex, all it took was a little affection and she was ready to go. She was never satisfied and always wanted more. Well, a husband could have worse problems than that, and I had no problem using it to my advantage.

Her hands went to my chest as she tried to push me away, tried to stop what I was doing—but not with any kind of conviction.

“I don’t think we should, Linc. What if someone comes in?”

There weren’t many people left in the church, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn’t care who walked in on us. I didn’t care either. She was my wife, and it was my duty to fulfill all her needs. It was this need in particular that I really liked to fulfill, and I think she knew it.

Her dress came off almost as quickly as she’d gotten it on moments before. For a second, all I could do was look at her, taking in every curve of her body and the bits of lace of her underthings.

“You’re beautiful, Sky. God, you’re so beautiful.”

“If we’re going to do this, we’d better make it fast,” she said, grinning in the way that told me I’d completely won the argument. She yanked her panties down and then bent over the small desk in the changing room, and I almost groaned at the sight of her labia peeking through, already slick; she’d gotten a Brazilian—apparently that was one of my wedding presents—and it was hard to say which part of her beckoned me more: that, the lush roundness of her ass, or the inviting little smile she gave me over her shoulder.

“Are you going to fuck me, or are you just going to stand there staring?” I pretended to gasp in surprise, but Sky had stopped being the coy little virgin within maybe a week of my overseeing her sexual education.

“When did you get such a dirty mouth? And in a church!”

“You’re obviously a bad influence on me, Linc. Now either give me what you promised or let me put the dress back on.”

I leaned over her a little bit as I lined myself up with her body, brushing my lips against hers in a kiss. This wasn’t Sky’s favorite position—but it was in the top three, and I was fairly certain it was the one we’d conceived Ruby in.

Sliding into her deliciously tight, wet pussy, I had the feeling of perfection, like I did every time I took her, in any position. Every time I was inside of her, I was reminded how good it felt to be there. It was as if she was made for me, and I never wanted to give that up for the rest of my life.

*****

“Better?” Sky blushed and looked out the window. “You don’t have to tell me I was right, I just want to know if you feel better.” She turned her head to face me long enough to stick out her tongue.

“You know I do, Linc. I always feel better when you make love to me like that.”

“What happened to me fucking you?” Sky scowled at me and her cheeks lit up with pink.

“You know I don’t like that word,” she said tartly.

“You sure seem to like it when you’re horny.” I was tempted to reach up between her legs, to remind her how much she liked it when she was horny—but I held back.

Another flash of crimson blazed across her face and she looked away so I couldn’t see her reaction. “Right, and I’m not anymore, so get me to the reception. I bet Cassie has her hands full with Ruby and Jazmin.” She smoothed her hair self-consciously and I bit back a laugh.

“Yeah, but she’ll okay. She’ll have her own one day, so she might as well get some practice.”

“You tell her that when we get there, then. Bet you she won’t go for it.”

I shook my head at that. Cassie still wasn’t certain that I was a good choice for her friend, and while she’d started to warm up to me—she’d even forgiven me for putting Sky’s job at risk by punching her former boss—I was pretty sure she would take a while longer to get used to the idea that even though I was a big guy, and trained to be capable of violence, I wasn’t about to hurt anyone I didn’t have to.

“Do you want to see your surprise first?” I grinned to myself remembering that special detail.

“What did you do, Linc?” Sky didn’t look happy to see my grin, and I could hear the anxiety coming back into her voice. We didn’t have time for me to relax her again, either. But I thought I could enjoy stringing her along for a little bit, at least.

“Nothing,” I said, trying one of her too-innocent expressions on her.

We were finally in the car, and I started us off in the direction we needed to go. At first Sky didn’t notice anything, but then after a few turns she frowned.

“Where are we going?”

“To the reception,” I said, keeping my voice level.

“I thought we were having that at the Landry House on 3rd?”

“I tried, but there was a problem with the booking and I had to pick somewhere else.” It was one of only a few things that I’d been able to convince Sky to let me be in charge of for the wedding. She’d fought me on it until I’d insisted that if she didn’t, I was going to cut her budget in half.

She stared at me from the passenger seat, and I could tell how badly she wished she could read my mind. She wanted answers. It was a big thing to change in her wedding, especially when she’d fought so hard to keep me from having control of it. All I had to do was keep it together until we got there, and then she would see what was going on—and hopefully forgive me. Her surprise was coming whether she liked it or not. I pulled onto a residential street and slowed down as we got close.

“This is the place?” Sky looked around in complete confusion, and I had to work hard not to give anything away. It was definitely the place, though.

“Yep, see: there’s your mom’s car,” I said, pointing out a Civic with Michigan plates. Sky had described it for me, so it was easy to pick out amongst the others.

“What are we doing here, Linc? Tell me that you didn’t pick this as our reception place?”

That was not the reaction I was hoping for—not promising. But I was in too deep to pull out at this point. “What, you don’t like it?”

She looked out the window and made a face, raising one hand to tilt it side to side. “It’s a pretty house, but I just don’t get why you would pick this place instead of a banquet hall or something. This is not at all what I had in mind.”

I was torn between wanting to relieve her mind so she wouldn’t pout—and I could tell she was on the verge of throwing a fit to rival anything Jazmin had ever put me through in her toddler years—and maintaining the suspense for the payoff it would bring when she realized what it was, beyond the place we were going to have our reception.

“Where is everyone? I see all the cars, but I don’t see any people. And no food. Linc, I’m starving, and what about the guests?”

I laughed. “It’s going to be fine—don’t worry. I didn’t change the caterer. Everyone is just inside.”

“Inside? There were a lot of people at that wedding, Linc. How are we going to have any kind of decent reception for them inside of a house?”

“So are you ready for your surprise yet?” Sky sighed, and I thought to myself that while my wife was very bright, she was not always the best at picking up on hints.

“I think I’ve had enough surprises for the day, Linc. I think that I’ve seen enough.”

I decided that I agreed; it was time for the big reveal.

“This is your surprise, baby. Come on.”

Sky gave me a doubtful look, but let me lead her up towards the front door. The guests had left us a spot on the driveway, just like I’d asked.

“Whose house is this, anyway? I don’t think I know this neighborhood.”

“It’s a good neighborhood. Come on.” I was dying inside; the suspense was killing me, and I couldn’t wait to see Sky’s reaction when she realized what was happening.

“You can’t just barge into someone’s house, Linc.”

“I think it’s okay. They know we’re coming. This is our reception, remember?”

Sky blushed and nodded. “Of course.”

I opened the door and let her through, taking her arm in mine. “Welcome home, baby.”

“Home?” She looked so confused—torn between tears, shock, anger, and joy.

“You didn’t really think that I meant it when I said we’d have to wait another year to get a house, did you?”

Her eyes widened and I saw the realization dawn in them at last. I couldn’t help it—I laughed out loud.

“How many bedrooms is it?”

“Four,” I said, laughing still. “Why?

“Because I have a surprise of my own, Linc.”

“What is it?”

She leaned in. “I think I might be pregnant again,” she whispered. I turned my head and stared at her, probably as stunned as she’d been a few moments before.

“Seriously?”

Sky nodded and looked a little coy, like she didn’t know what had caused it. “Are you mad?”

“No, are you kidding? I couldn’t be happier, Sky. Can I tell everyone?”

“I guess—I mean, I don’t know for sure yet, but...” I didn’t even hear the second part of the sentence. I turned to the guests at our party, the people who had just watched us get married.

“We’re having another baby!”

There were cheers and good wishes as we made our way into the house, and now that the surprise was done, people started heading outside, where there was more space. Sky was looking around at everything, and I could tell that she liked it. Although she’d never seen it before, I’d chosen it based on the floor plan and style she’d mentioned she liked. I couldn’t believe that I’d been able to keep it a secret from her all this time. It wasn’t easy to keep anything from Sky, and buying a house had been a big thing to conceal.

“Oh, Linc, I love it! I can’t believe you got us a house.”

“I just want you to be happy, Sky. I promised you that, remember? And that I’d make this a real marriage?”

“I am, Linc. I didn’t think that I could ever be this happy. Sometimes I worry that it’s not real, because I should have burst by now.”

I pulled her to me and kissed her. “It’s real, Sky. I know it is. I’ve known it since the first time I laid eyes on you. I knew that you were going to be something special to me. I just didn’t know what that could mean.”

Sky kissed me, and I lifted her up off her feet. There were lots of people around us, but every time we were in a room together, all I could see was her. It was a problem that I hadn’t found a solution for, and I had given up trying; I enjoyed it too damned much.

I caught sight of her parents coming towards us, and I pulled away from Sky. I didn’t want to have my tongue down their daughter’s throat the first time I met them, even though they had to see that she was not their innocent little girl anymore. She was my wife, my real wife.

“Your parents, Sky.” I heard her sigh and saw her plaster a smile on her face. I rubbed her arm and tried to calm her down. It wasn’t going to be that bad. Nothing was as long as we were together.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll get through it, right?” I smiled at her, and she began to calm down a little more.

“After everything else we’ve managed to get through, we can get through anything.”

 

~The End~