Jackson and Darryl will come in with the bridal party. Olivia and I chose two people each to be up here with us and we figured we’d choose the people that have been with us since the beginning—Selena, Darryl and Jackson. I know that leaves us uneven, so I did something secretive to level it out. The color Olivia chose for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to wear is a very nice pearly grey broken up by a dark navy blue. So, I had a tailor make a tuxedo out of the same material as Selena’s bridesmaid dress. And then I contacted Olivia’s brother, Chase. Surprisingly, he was more than happy to be one of Olivia’s bridesmaids. She doesn’t know I did that for her and as far as she’s concerned, her brother is too busy to make it back home for our wedding. I can’t wait to see her face and I hope Selena catches it all on camera like I asked.

A second later, the piano begins to play, cutting into my thoughts. The wedding is beginning…my wedding is beginning. My palms becomes slick with sweat and I rub my fingers against them, my eyes never leaving the open doors at the back of the room. Selena steps up to the door in her beautiful gown and waits as both Darryl and Jackson take her elbows.

I smile, knowing very well that my plan has worked. Chase is here and he’s going to walk his sister down the aisle because Rick isn’t here to do it. And here she was thinking she was going to have to walk alone. If Chase couldn’t make it, I was going to walk her my damn self and hand her over to me on my own. I smile again at my own ridiculousness. I just want to make her happy.

Two little girls in poufy white dresses step out of the door as Selena, Jackson and Darryl reach the altar and join me on the top of the stairs. The adorable little girls (Olivia’s cousin’s kids) coat the aisle in beautiful white, grey, and blue flowers. I watch them only for a few seconds before my eyes flit back to the double doors. She’s next. She’s coming.

I don’t know how this happened. I don’t know how I got to be the one at the altar, waiting for the girl of my dreams…all I know is, she wants me. She will want me forever. Olivia makes me happy to be alive—like I can do anything. Emotions well up in my throat and I swallow hard and roll my shoulders to rid myself of it.

“Easy, big boy.” Jackson chuckles under his breath. “She’s coming.”

Then, I see white fabric flick over the edge of the door and a second later, there she is. My bride.

I cease to breathe as air flees from my lungs at the vision of her in her beautiful tight, white wedding dress. It clings to the curves of her body, before flaring out at the bottom, leaving a long trail of fabric behind her. My stare drags up the rest of her body and onto her face, that’s hidden by a thin white veil. On her arm, her proud brother stands with his stern face and green eyes locked on the altar in front of him. I hear sniffles and gasps and low murmurs come from our relatives, but I don’t dare let my eyes waver from the perfection strolling toward me. Now all I want is to see her face. I want to see her emotions—to see if she’s as excited as I am.

In a few small eternities, she’s in front of me with her brother, a protective dog at her side.

“She’s yours now,” Chase tells me. “But I’ll always be looking over her shoulder. Treat her well—like a princess.”

I shake my head. Not like a princess. “Like a queen.”

Chase’s lips pull into a wide smile and he places her hand in mine. He gives Olivia one kiss on the cheek and then steps down to stand behind Selena, evening out the bridal party. O clutches my hand tightly, eagerly, lacing her warm, sweaty fingers through my own. The priest begins to speak and I feel Olivia become a little restless next to me. When I peer at her, I hear her whisper ‘fuck it’ under her breath and she flicks the veil over her head and throws herself at me, crushing her mouth to mine. The guests cheer and clap, hooting and hollering and laughing at Olivia’s sudden urgency to kiss me. Behind me, I hear Darryl and Jackson groan and utter ‘Jesus Christ’ under their breaths. I don’t have much time to register the kiss, I’m still stuck on the sudden glimpse of her beautiful face. When my body begins to react to her mouth, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her tighter to me.

When she pulls away, she whispers,. “Thank you so much, you’ve made my day.”

Her eyes are damp with tears and her voice seems shaky. I smile down at her and pull the veil back over her face. “You’re welcome. Now let’s get married already.”

She laughs up at me, stands back in her place and apologizes to the reverend.

The reverend clears his throat. “Let’s try that again. As Olivia and Seth take their vows today, we are privileged to witness the joyous love of a new family—a family that will be nourished and nurtured through the devotion of two separate individuals growing together through the common bonds of love. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God’s children.”

I zone out and glance at Olivia. Through the thin material, I can make out her lips as she smiles widely at the reverend. Her happiness is pouring from her in waves, exceeded only by my own.

“To truly love another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect.”

The ceremony in itself is a traditional one, and not lengthy at all. We recited after the reverend where prompted and exchanged rings. I’ve never worn a ring before, but the gold band that now decorates my finger doesn’t feel out of place or alien at all. It feels right, like it’s a part of my skin.

“Seth, do you take Olivia to be your wedded wife, your partner in life, and your one true love? Do you cherish her friendship and promise to love her today, tomorrow and forever? Do you promise to comfort her, honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

I don’t have to think. He just asked me the easiest question I’ve ever heard in my life. “I do.”

“Olivia, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

“Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

I reach out and lift the veil from Olivia’s face, exposing the single curl of dark hair that rests against her chest. I pull her to me and kiss her with everything that I have. I pour all of my love, my excitement, and nervousness into the kiss, and I feel the air leave her lungs. Everything in my life has led to this moment…the moment where I’d claim my one true love as my wife in front of all of our friends and family.

And I wouldn’t change a thing.

***

The reception was a wild blur of flashing cameras, music, dancing and food. My face muscles hurt more than my entire body does after a fight, just from smiling.

I could write a five hundred page novel about tonight. I could write about the vows we exchanged, the conversation we had, or the dances we shared in extreme detail, but to me, those things didn’t matter as much to me as being joined in matrimony forever did.

I drive away from the reception at Emerald Cliff Restaurant and Marina, and head toward the resort I booked for us at The Captain Lord Mansion. I’m relieved the whole thing is over—before we left, our relatives were all starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and the uncomfortable childhood stories that were slowly starting to roll out. Chase, Maddi, Jackson, Selena and Darryl were huddled around a table, sharing stories and laughing like they’ve always hung out—and my Mom, she was happily sitting with Olivia’s mother, neither of them touching the free booze. Today and tonight was perfect to say the least, but now we’re finally alone again. I’ve wanted to be alone with Olivia since I saw her at Saint Paul’s Church and the only thing I can think about is making this night memorable for her. I don’t know how…I don’t know what else I can do for her. I’ve taken her in a shower and tied her to cages. I’ve licked between her thighs while she slept and I’ve lost my fingers inside her until she melted around me a million and one times. What else can I bring to the table? What else can I do to make tonight memorable?

We pull up outside the Captain Lord Mansion and Olivia slips from the car with a yawn.

“Leave the bags,” I tell her as I exit the car and she reaches for the back handle. “I’ll get them in the morning.”

Our fingers lace together as she meets me around my side of the car. I lead her up the stairs and through the mansion’s double doors. She marvels at the layout and all of the decorations, but her eyes don’t linger on them. I’m way too tired to really care if I was somewhere nice or somewhere dodgy. She practically bounces next to me as I escort her to our room. Inside, I eye the bed, eager to lie down and rest my eyes.

“Can you run a bath?” Olivia smiles. “I think we need to wind down a little before bed.”

“Anything for you, wifey.” My chest squeezes at the word and Olivia beams at me.

I pull my jacket off and undo my waist coat and tie, throwing it onto the bed, uncaring if they wrinkle. I stroll through the large bedroom and into the open, elegant bathroom. I barely marvel at the stonework as I run the bath, hot and bubbly to Olivia’s liking. At the thought of her name, she strolls in with a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hand. She turns and glances at me over her shoulder. I rise up and clasp her zipper, drawing it down her spine and over the rise of her ass.

“You want to drink now?” I ask, lowering my mouth to her neck and planting a soft kiss. Under my lips, light goosebumps erupt over her skin. I pull away and she smiles wickedly at me.

“Sure.”

“You know how I get…” The last thing I want to do is fuck her too roughly her on our wedding night. Isn’t it meant to be passionate and loving?

I unhook her bra and toss it away.

“I’ve heard how you get, but I haven’t seen it yet.”

Her words stir my dick in my pants and I watch her plump, red lips as the next two words fall from her mouth. Show me.

“You don’t want me to be kind and loving?” I ask, curling my fingers around her white lace underwear and pushing them down her thighs. When they reach a certain point, they fall without my assistance and she steps out of them. She’s fully naked now and I watch—no—I admire her as she puts one foot after the other into the bath and lowers herself down. I watch the milky skin of her thighs turn a light shade of pink, immersed in the hot water. The water is barely deep enough to cover her thighs and I love the vision before me as rogue bubbles cover one half of her nipple.

“Well…” She smiles, pouring wine into a glass. “You can still love me with a fistful of my hair.”

Holy. Shit. She wants it rough, hard, and fast. She wants me to completely dominate her, taking her on every surface in this room. Baby wants, baby gets.

She places the full glass on the edge of the bath and looks up at me. “Are you going to join me, or are you going to continue to eye-fuck me instead of actually fucking me?”

I unhook my belt almost aggressively, not believing the words that are coming out of her mouth. I shed my clothes and lower myself into the bath. She hands me a glass of wine and I slam it back in three big gulps. I fucking hate wine. I drop the glass over the edge and onto the bath mat before I surge forward, grabbing Olivia’s legs and yanking her toward me. I don’t need alcohol to give her what she wants. Olivia pulls from my grasp and ‘tsks’ at me.

“We have all night to do that.” She smiles devilishly. She flips her body around and crawls toward me. “There’s something I want to do for you, first.”

She runs her tongue over her bottom lips before leaning right in and kissing my neck—and then my chest. The palm of her hand flattens against my chest and my heart beats rapidly into her hand as she pushes me back a little. I watch her, amazed how my body does what she tells it to without hesitation and it’s in this moment I realize, Olivia isn’t mine…I’m hers.

I quickly moisten my lip and a gasp of air leaves me as her eyes stay locked on mine and she lowers her mouth to my cock.

Her moist lips wrap around the head, coating it in saliva and a guttural groan tears from me as my head falls back against the tiles. Pleasure radiates from my core, pulsing in consuming waves each time her tongue flicks over the very tip, and as she takes me all the way to the back of her throat, I shudder and smile, realizing I’m completely, irreversibly and happily lost to my wife.