The Sanctuary (30 page)

I was a teary-eyed mess by the time I finished. Val leaned over and gently wiped my cheek.

“And the rings.” The judge extended his hand to Eero, who handed them over. The judge handed me Val’s ring. “Will you be repeating after me?” he asked sarcastically.

“No.” Val was right. We could wing it. Screw tradition. We were anything but traditional anyway.

I held his left hand in mine. “As this ring is a circle without end, my love for you is eternal. Let this ring be a symbol of my promises to you and a reminder of my devotion. I am honored to call you my husband.” I slipped the ring on his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Val took the ring from the judge and took my left hand. I began to shake. Within a few moments, we would be officially married.

Val looked at me. “Eve, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and I will always be a faithful partner to you.” He slipped the wedding band on my finger and continued, “With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon you all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands.”

The judge continued, “And by the power vested in me…”

Val didn’t wait for him to continue. He swooped in and kissed me, sealing our vows for eternity.

We quickly rushed out of the office to the car awaiting us, ready to whisk us off to the restaurant for our reception.

Val dove into me as soon as the car door closed, kissing me passionately. He pulled away. “Do we have to go the restaurant?” His eyes were full of mischief.

“Yes. Our family will be disappointed if we don’t.”

“They’ll understand.” His hand slipped under my dress and up my leg.

“Stop.” I hit his hand. “None of that right now.”

“But we’re not officially married until we consummate it.” He laughed and kissed me again, drawing his hand farther up my dress.

“Aren’t you the romantic type?” I peeked out the window. “Besides, we’re here already.” I pushed his hand out from under my gown.

The driver opened the door, extending his hand for me to take. “Mrs. Ruska.”

And then it hit me. It was real. I was officially Mrs. Valo Ruska.

As we were leaving the reception, Sofia approached us. “I have something for you.” She handed me an envelope.

“Thank you.” I kissed her, assuming it was a wedding present.

“Well, open it.” Her eyes were sparkling.

I opened the envelope. It contained paperwork entirely in Finnish. I handed it to Val to interpret.

Sofia continued, “Consider it a wedding gift from your father.”

Val scanned the documents. “It’s a deed to a house.”

I looked at Sofia. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“The house was your grandparents’ summer home. They left it to Henri, and when he passed, we took custody of it. It’s yours now, so when you have children, you will have a home for the summer.”

I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“You should visit when the weather gets warmer. It’s a charming little cottage on the lake.” She hugged us both. “We won’t keep you. You have our number. I expect you to keep in touch.”

Val looked at his watch. “We haven’t much time, I’m afraid. I have to leave by seven.”

“Why? I thought you played at midnight.”

“We do, but I have to meet with reporters. You have Sebastian’s number?”

“Yes.” I was a bit disappointed we would have only a few hours before he was whisked away again.

“When you get there, call him. He’ll meet you and bring you in. I won’t have my phone with me.”

I didn’t know what to say. I imagined this would be the norm for the rest of our life or until he decided to stop touring.

He continued his instructions. “I put your maiden name on the list.”

“I didn’t hyphenate it.” I yawned. The stress of the day had finally caught up with me.

“You kept Lauren?” He sounded surprised.

“No, I took your name.” I turned to him. “Since I have a buyer, there will be nothing to hold me to my business. Besides I’m a traditionalist. I hate hyphenated names.”

We arrived home, and Val hopped out to open the door for me. And with a swift swoop, I was in his arms. “Did I ever tell you, Mrs. Ruska, that I’m not a traditionalist?”

I laughed. “You’re anything but traditional, Mr. Ruska.”

He kissed me. “Well then, this will be no surprise.” He threw me over his shoulder and carried me to the front door.

I slapped his back playfully. “I demand you put me down, Mr. Ruska!”

“If you insist.” He lowered me into his arms. “I love you, darling,” he whispered as he carried me over the threshold. “I don’t believe we had our first dance yet.” He pressed a button on a remote control conveniently located near the entrance. “Will you have this dance with me?” He put me down and extended his hand.

“I would love to.” I embraced him.

He leaned toward my ear. “This will never be shared with the rest of the world. I recorded it only for you.”

“Really?” I gazed at him in admiration.

“One of the first conversations we shared, we said we wanted to live with no regrets. At that moment I knew you were the one. You inspired me, and I know you always will.” He began to sing the chorus softly in my ear as we swayed in sync.

“Why don’t we go upstairs?” He placed my hand in his and led me to our bedroom for the first time as husband and wife.

I entered our room, and although nothing had changed, my stomach fluttered with unease. Val proceeded to remove his jacket and shirt, tossing them on the floor. He caught me watching him.

“What’s the matter? You look timid.”

I laughed nervously. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

He smiled as if he could read my mind. “Turn around. Let me unzip you.”

I shifted my hair to one side. His fingers grazed my back, sending chills down my spine. He slowly unzipped the zipper, leaned in, and kissed the nape of my neck as his fingers slid the straps of my dress down my shoulders. The dress slipped off without restriction, unveiling my lace bra and matching garter set.

“Oh, you come with too many attachments tonight.” He picked me up, placed me down on the bed, and slipped off my shoes, tossing them to the floor.

“Then I’ll wear nothing under my clothes tonight to make up for it,” I teased.

His hands flew up my legs, quickly undoing the straps that bound me. “You better because, once the show is over, I plan on having you until the sun rises.”

“Oh really?” I lifted my back to allow him to remove my garter and panties.

He laughed. “You have no idea how much sexual energy I have after a show. I absorb the energy from the crowd.” His eyes were dancing. “But for now, let me enjoy you as my wife.” His hand wrapped around my back and unhooked my bra.

I lay there before him completely naked. He rested between my legs and gently ran a finger over my flesh. He eyed every inch of me as if he was seeing me for the first time. “You are beautiful. I can’t believe you chose me. I am the luckiest man alive.” His body inched forward, and I raised my legs to make room for him.

“Your heart is beating fast. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I whispered. “Just nervous.”

He chuckled. “You’re precious.” His hand slid down my arm until it reached my hand. He interlaced his fingers into mine.

His cock pressed into my wetness, slowly entering me. I gasped in pleasure and gazed into his eyes. It felt completely different than our prior encounters.

He moved slowly, savoring each motion. His eyes never left mine. I could feel each flick of his flesh against me, each poke of his hipbones opening me, each stroke of his penis inside.

Although it felt wonderful to be so connected with him, I doubted my ability to have an orgasm this way. Instinctively, Val read my body. He lifted my lower back upward, arching it so the base of his penis rubbed the underside of my clit with each stroke, rubbing me just the right way.

My breath grew shallow and fast. He knew I was about to peak.

“You are the one, Eve,” he whispered in my ear as my body began to quiver in his arms. Seconds later, he exploded with a gentle groan and final forceful thrust inside of me.

Rather than rolling over, he lay on top of me and kissed my lips, keeping himself inside. I felt the vibrations of my orgasm squeezing him. As my body calmed, he withdrew himself slowly, waiting for me to finish enjoying the ride.

“I love you, Eve,” he whispered, holding me tightly to his chest.

“I love you too, Val.”

He shifted to the side and ran his hand over my stomach. “Did you take your pill today?”

“No, I usually take them before bed.” I shifted my head and looked at him. “Why?”

“Stop taking them. We have no use for them now.”

“And be pregnant in New York while you’re in L.A.? No way.”

“Better in New York than on a tour bus traveling from state to state.”

“I’d rather wait until you’re done touring and the company is sold.” I rolled away from him. “Why are we having this conversation now?”

“Because we’re married, and we both want children.”

“We should enjoy each other before we start talking kids.” This wasn’t the right time to start a family. I didn’t want this now.

“We have nine months for that,” he replied.

“Oh, you have an answer for everything, don’t you?” I couldn’t believe we were having an argument on our wedding night. “And when you want ‘one of those nights’? You can’t collar me with a screaming infant in the next room. Talk about a mood killer.” I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

“We’ll set up a nursery in my parents’ house. We can convert my old room.”

“And if you’re touring when I give birth?”

“We’ll hire a nanny to tour with us,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You have this all figured out, don’t you?”

“No time is ever perfect. We weren’t ready for it a few weeks ago, but we were going to keep it. All I’m saying is stop the pills, and whatever happens, happens. It could be a month; it could be a year from now. Conceiving isn’t always easy.”

“If you want a child so badly, then stop drinking and cut out the drugs. I’m sure it doesn’t help your sperm count.” I shifted away from him.

“Drugs? And what kind of drugs do I do other than pot with you?” he said, his eyes narrowed, vexed by my statement.

“Oh please, I’ve heard stories about how much coke you guys do when you tour.”

“I haven’t touched the stuff in a long time.” He paused. “If this bothered you, why didn’t you bring it up before? I did that shit when I was single, but it’s different now. I have you to come home to.”

His words stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t the answer I expected.

“Eve, are you worried about me touring?”

“A bit.”

“Please don’t worry. We’re married. I would never do anything to risk my life with you. That was years ago. I’m dull. I usually read on the bus after a gig. Come here, darling. Let me hold you.” He drew me close to him. “There is never a right time. If you keep telling yourself to wait, we’ll never have children. Besides, don’t you want a family?”

I paused. “I do. But what if I’m not a good mother?”

“You’ll be an excellent mom. Your focus has been finding a family to call your own. Let us create that. I want to give this to you.”

He always knew how to persuade me.

“The happiest times of my life have been here with you.”

“You’ll stop taking birth control then?” he asked gently, still pushing the subject.

“I don’t want to be pregnant without you by my side.” My eyes flooded with tears. “I don’t want to do it alone. I’ve been alone my entire life. You have to understand that, Val.”

“But I would never leave you alone. If it happens before the release, I’ll push back my responsibilities to be with you. If it happens after you sell, then you’ll come on tour with me. I’ll have a doctor on hand for the entire tour. I don’t want to wait for life to pass us by.”

“If you promise that, then I’ll stop the pill.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“I will never leave you. I am yours always. You have my promise.”

I agreed to his request. I knew he was a man of his word.

He pulled me next to him. “Let’s get some rest. We have a long night ahead of us.”

The car pulled up to the club. Although the doors weren’t opened yet and the temperature was well below freezing, there was a huge line at the door waiting. I put my head down and walked past the line, straight to the security door.

I knocked, and it opened slightly. “Hi, I’m Eve Lauren, Val’s wife. I’m waiting for Sebastian.” I peeped inside.

The brawny man eyed me and opened the door. “Who did you say you were?”

“Eve Lauren, Val’s wife. I’m on the list. Sebastian said he would meet me here.” I glanced at my phone to see how many minutes had passed since I’d hung up with him.

“He’s not here yet. I’m sorry, you’ll need to wait outside,” the bouncer instructed.

“Are you serious?” I asked. “I’m not staying out here with all these fans.”

I heard Sebastian’s voice. “It’s okay. She’s with us.” He took me by the arm. “Val is busy. Just stay out of the way.”

We walked down a long black-and-white-checkered hallway with doors on either side. “Here’s your pass. Make sure you have it, or you won’t get back in if you leave.”

I clipped it on my belt loop and followed him into a packed room. I stepped to the side so I wouldn’t block the door. I scanned the room. There was no one that I knew. None of the other wives were here.

I spotted Val in the far corner. His back was turned to me. He was dressed in leather pants and a tee, with several scarves wrapped around his neck. A woman approached him and touched him on the arm. I shifted my position to get a better view.

He placed his arm around her lower back, resting his hand on the top of her ass. He leaned down and started talking with her. She must have said something funny. He kicked his head back and laughed. A tinge of jealousy ripped through my body. He leaned in again and whispered something in her ear before sending her on her way with a playful slap on her ass.

He turned around, beer in hand. I looked at his fingers. He wasn’t wearing his wedding band. Instead, thick silver bands covered all fingers on each hand. I knew this was his typical uniform, but for some reason, it irritated me.