Fourteen
Erica
I’m so embarrassed, and my face hurts like a motherfucker. I should have said something to Colt before it came to this. I follow Gemma into the living room and sit next to her in front of the fireplace.
“Darlin’ put these on your face. It’ll help with the swelling.” I can’t stop the tears as Ma hands me the bag of peas and I put them on my cheek.
“Gemma, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were talking about Brandon tonight. I mean I knew your boyfriend’s name was Brandon, but I didn’t know he was my partner. I didn’t flirt with him or lead him on or anything. Please don’t think there was anything at all between us. I’m sorry about tonight. I know you wanted to try and make it work, but girl he really is an asshole. You deserve someone who will treat you like a queen, and that is not Brandon.” I start, babbling unable to stop the words that are spilling out of my mouth. I feel terrible about how this all went down. The last thing I want is to upset Gemma.
“Are you kidding? I’m sorry I brought him over here in the first place. I knew we weren’t going to last. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I should have known. He didn’t even talk to me about you, his partner I mean. I didn’t know either. I feel like it’s my fault you’ve got a bag of peas on your face.”
“Will you both stop!” Ma laughs. “You’re both so worried about each other’s feelings. This is all on him. He did this, to both of you.”
I put down my peas and smile at Gemma who’s sitting next to me in front of the warm fire. “Friends?”
She drapes her arm around me and pulls me close. “Of course! But I have a feeling we’ll be closer than that.”
∞∞∞
Harper and Evers just left with Brandon in cuffs, locked in the back of their cruiser. I wasn’t going to press charges at first. I wanted to be done with all of this and not worry about the headache of it all. I agreed to press charges after Colt reminded me that if Brandon treated me this way, there would be others after me. It was my duty as a woman to put a stop to this behavior. He had a point, and I didn’t want to be the reason another woman was assaulted.
The best part about all of this happening on Christmas Eve? He’ll be in lockup for days because the few judges we have in town won’t be back to work until after the holiday.
“I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. Who’s ready to eat?” Ma asks.
We all look at each other and laugh.
“What? You know you’re all thinking it. I just don’t mind saying it. I know my Jimmy has been hungry for hours.” I look over at Dad, and he’s looking anywhere but at Ma.
“Jimmy Montgomery! You didn’t!” She screeches, pointing at him.
With wide eyes, he shakes his head back and forth. “I didn’t babe.”
Gemma and Colt start laughing until Ma turns her head to them and they do their best to cover it up.
I bump Gemma on the shoulder. “What’s happening?” I whisper.
She leans in with a big smile on her face, watching her parents bicker, and whispers back. “Daddy had a snack and Ma hates when he does that. Daddy could eat all day if she let him, but he needs to watch what he eats. He has high blood pressure, and he loves his salty snacks.”
When I laugh too, and she turns her scary mom eyes on me. I stop laughing not wanting to be on her bad side.
I begin to follow the Montgomery family into the dining room, when Colt tugs on my arm, stopping me. I turn to face him, and he tosses me over his shoulder, carrying me through the house into a dark room, lit sparsely by the moonlight. He closes the door and locks it, but leaves the light off. He sets me down only to push me up against a wall. His feral look alarms me until I see the hunger bleed through as he stares at his finger tracing my cleavage down my breasts.
“Colt, what are you doing? We’re supposed to be eating with your -” He cuts me off by slamming his mouth on mine, taking every word, I was about to say with him. I don’t dare to breathe. His large hands grab my ass and hoist me up to wrap my legs around his waist.
“Baby, I have to take you. Show you that you’re mine.”
He sounds torn. Like he doesn’t want to hurt me, but he has to. I get it. I want it. Pressed against the wall, he takes his free hand and uses his fingertips to lightly trace the bruise on my cheek. “I fucking hate that he put his hands on you. Thinking that he could touch what’s mine.”
He’s making himself angry again, so I put my lips on his and stop him from talking. I grind my pussy against his abs. My dress has ridden up my thighs, and my tiny panties are already soaked.
“Daddy, I need you. You own me. Take it.” I have worked myself almost to orgasm on his abs. This isn’t happening fast enough for me. I reach between my legs and unbuckle his belt. He drops his pants, and he is going commando.
He is growling in my ear as he rips my panties from his body and drops me on his cock. The scream I let out cannot be mistaken for anything but what it is. I’m moaning nonsense as he thrusts his hard cock in and out of me. There is no greater feeling.
“Rub your clit baby. I am going to fill this pussy so full of my cum everyone one will know you are mine.” I do as he says without hesitation.
“They already know Daddy. I love you.” I scream as my orgasm washes over me. The oddest feeling comes over me as I flood his cock with my release. This triggers him, I can feel him flexing.
“Erica, Jesus Christ. I fucking love you. I need you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” He says as he pulls out of me and sets me down gently on the floor.
“Are you serious right now Colt?” I say adjusting my dress. He has already pulled his pants back up. He grabs my hands and kisses them,
“Very serious. I was going to wait until tomorrow. I had it all planned out. I was going to get down on one knee and tell you all the reasons why you should pick me. How I’ll be the best man for you. Baby girl, I had it all wrong.”
He drops to his knees before me and looks up into my eyes.
“You are the best, the only, the most perfect creation that has ever graced my world. I can’t go on living without you tied to me. I know I'm selfish, but goddamnit I need you, Erica. I need to wake up to you. I need you to have my last name, so I can breathe a little easier. I need my baby in your belly and another in my arms. Be my wife, Erica.”
I fall to my knees and grab his face in my hands. The moisture I see gathering in his eyes is my undoing.
“I’m going to give you my heart, and you’ll give me your last name. Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll wife the shit out of you Colten Montgomery!”
The blinding smile he graces me with is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. He kisses me soundly leaving me wanting more, even though I just had him. He pulls a black velvet box from his pocket, and I can’t help the giddiness that overcomes me. This is the moment every girl dreams of.
“I thought you were going to wait and do this tomorrow. Why do you have the ring?”
“I wanted to be ready. In case a perfect moment happened.”
He tries to slip the box back in his pocket. “I could wait. Give it to you later.”
“What! No.”
He laughs and pulls the box back out and snaps it open. It’s an antique rose gold band with a modest marquise shaped diamond. It’s like he knew I wouldn’t like or need a giant rock.
“This was my grandmother’s ring. My grandparents passed away very close together. My parents think my grandfather couldn’t live without her. In their will, they left me her ring. They told me to find a woman I would love for the rest of my days. I knew that person was you years ago Erica.”
He slides the beautiful ring on my finger, and it’s a perfect fit. I wonder how it fits so perfectly and when our eyes meet, and he winks, I know he must have gone snooping in more than just my panty drawer the first day he got my clothes.