Smolder (11 page)

“Good,”
Danni replied, grinning. Harlowe was wiggling around and I held my arms out for
her.

“Come
here you little punk,” I said to her and she squealed as Danni handed her to
me. “How’s my big birthday girl?” As Harlowe smiled and cooed at me, I really
looked at my niece and grinned. She was such a beautiful little girl with her
huge, chocolate brown eyes and honey blonde curls. She was the perfect mix of
both of her parents, inheriting their best features. This little girl was going
to be a heartbreaker one day. I gave her a few more kisses before I walked her
over to her high chair and we got the party underway.

“So,
Miss Harlowe, did you have fun opening presents?” I asked her as I held her in
my arms. She smiled and babbled at me in her adorable baby talk. “You look so
pretty today.”

“Of
course she does. She looks just like her gorgeous mama,” Beau said, walking
toward me. As soon as Harlowe saw him her brown eyes went wide and she reached
her arms out for him. As I handed her to Beau, he said, “Thanks for coming
today, kid. Harlowe loves her Aunt Sadie. Why, I have no idea.”

I
nudged him and said, “Shut up. She loves me because I’m awesome.”

He
laughed and smiled.

“That
you are. So, how’ve you been lately kid?”

“I’ve
been great,” answering honestly. I’d finished Eternal Down’s record and that
would be a huge boost for me professionally, and I’d never been happier with
Jude. Life was dangerously close to perfect.

“Yeah,
I can tell. You’ve been almost, dare I say it, happy and cheerful,” he joked.
“Seriously, what’s going on with you? Are you seeing someone?”

I
looked at Harlowe and made a silly face to try and distract him from whatever
emotions that I’m sure my eyes would give away. I was seeing someone but I
couldn’t exactly tell him who, not yet anyway. As much as Beau loved Jude as a
brother, it was going to be bad no matter what when he found out that we’d been
sleeping together for the past four months. The fact that Jessie, Danni, and
Everleigh all knew made it a little easier but I knew it was becoming hard for
them to hide it from their husbands, especially now that apparently people were
starting to notice a change in my demeanor. I almost had to laugh that it was
taking them this long to figure it out…typical male behavior. Can’t see what’s
right in front of them.

As
I made faces and tickled Harlowe’s belly, I answered, “Negative, big brother.
I’m just in a good place in my life. Is that bad?”

“Of
course not, kid. I like seeing you happy, no matter what that means. If you are
dating someone then that’s cool, just as long as he’s treating you right.”

I
smiled at him but I wanted to roll my eyes and scoff.
Sure, you think that
now, but when you find out your best friend has been giving it to your sister
repeatedly for months and keeping it a secret despite your warnings not to
touch her…

“Again,
I’m still single, but thanks for that. You can make sure that whoever I end up
with will treat me like a mother fucking princess,” I answered, stealing a
quick glance at Jude.

Beau’s
eyes followed mine and he sighed.

“So,
I take it that’s not over for you, huh?”

“What
are you talking about?”

“Jude,
Sadie. I’m talking about your huge crush on Jude.”

“Beau,
don’t start…”

“I’m
just trying to protect you, kid. Jude’s not the kind of guy that will ever
settle on one girl and I don’t want you to get hurt. Besides, he doesn’t even
know you’ve had a thing for him for years which makes him stupid. As much as I
love the guy, it’s the truth. Everyone in the free world can see you are in
love with him but
him
.”

Believe me, he’s definitely caught on,
I thought to myself.

“Beau,
look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? I told you I am single and
leave it at that. Let’s not spoil Harlowe’s birthday with anymore talk of my
love life because it’s pissing me off and I’m about to go from zero to bitch in
the next two seconds if we don’t change the subject.”

Beau
chuckled and smiled at me.

“You’re
right, kid, let’s talk about something else. If you say you’re single and don’t
have a thing for Jude then I believe you.”

“Good,”
I stated, feeling a bit guilty for lying to him. After I kissed Harlowe’s
forehead, I said, “I think I’m going to step outside for a second and get some
air. Maybe enjoy the snow.”

“You
and snow,” he laughed. “I think Harlowe might be getting that from you. She is
fascinated by it.”

“That’s
because it’s pretty, right cutie?” I asked her and she giggled. “I’ll be back
in a second,” I said, tapping him on the arm and grabbing my coat before
walking upstairs. The second floor of Beau’s house had a balcony that had a
beautiful view of the city lit up at night. As soon as I found the door to the
balcony I slipped outside and took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh, clean
scent of the falling snow. It was coming down in huge, fluffy flakes and I
smiled as they were hitting my cheeks.

I
walked over to the railing and wiped some snow off and rested my arms against
it. As I gazed down at the beautiful, snow-covered view, I heard the door slide
open behind me. I would’ve turned but I didn’t need to…I could smell his
delicious cologne from where I was standing. I smiled as I felt two strong,
thick, corded arms wrap around me.

“What
are you doing up here all alone, princess?” Jude asked me before kissing the
top of my head and resting his cheek against my hair.

“Just
watching the snow fall. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” I asked, sighing contentedly as
I leaned back into him.

“It
is,” he answered. “But I think it pales in comparison to your beauty, Sadie.”

“That’s
so sweet, Jude,” I replied. “How’d you know I was up here?”

“Danni
told me that she saw you coming this way and she figured we might want a moment
alone. I should’ve known you’d be out here watching the snow.”

“You
know me well.”

“I
do,” he whispered into my ear.

“You
know why I love snow so much?” I asked, shivering at the feel of his lips so
close to my skin.

“Why?”
he asked, kissing my cheek. “I remember you loved playing in it when you were
little but I never really knew the reason.”

“I
know this is going to sound stupid, but I hate fall. Don’t get me wrong, the
changing leaves are always pretty but when they fall off the trees, they cover
the ground and end up being stepped on, ran over, dried up…just ugly. The trees
are bare and the skies are always gray. But, when it snows, it’s like all of
the ugly dried up parts of the world are just blanketed in pure white, like
everything bad from the past year is just wiped clean. Then, when the spring
comes, the snow melts and everything dead and ugly is made new again.”

I
felt him smiling against the tender skin of my neck just before he kissed me
and I sighed.

“That
was beautiful, Sadie.
You’re
so beautiful,” he said and I turned my face
to his. He kissed my lips and I whimpered into his mouth as he slid his tongue
inside to tangle with mine. Just as I started to feel tingles shooting through
me and wanted to deepen the kiss, he broke away suddenly and his steel gray
eyes captured mine. I was about to ask him if something was wrong when he
looked right into my eyes and said, “I love you.”

My
eyes went wide and I turned my whole body toward him.

“W-w-what
did you say?”

Smiling
like the happiest man in the world, he repeated, “I love you Sadie. You are the
best friend that I’ve ever had and I know that I can tell you anything. You are
always there for me, you’ve defended me, you’ve made me laugh when I didn’t
want to, and you’ve made me feel things I didn’t know I could ever feel. I love
your smile that can light up the night, your mind that can pick apart anything,
and I love your beautiful heart because when you love someone you love them
fiercely and unconditionally and the fact that you love me still amazes me.”

“Jude,”
I muttered, tears stinging my eyes. I had never been a crier in my life and
since we’d been together, this man has managed to break down all of my walls
and get to the deepest part of me, a part of my heart that’s only ever belonged
to him. “W-when did you realize this?”

Still
grinning, he said, “On my birthday. We were lying in my bed and I’d told you
what I’d been holding back you just…you didn’t turn away. You didn’t look at me
any differently than you always have and it was in that moment that I
completely fell head over heels for you. I know it might not seem like this
given my past, but I’ve always wanted someone who could handle me at my best
and love me at my worst and that’s you, baby. You loved me long before I knew
or even deserved it and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell you how
grateful I am for that. You are amazing, Sadie Cavanaugh, and I love you more
than I can ever say.”

“I
love you so much,” I replied, and he leaned in and began kissing away my tears.
As soon as he reached my mouth he immediately kissed me with a passion that
he’d been holding back. I could feel a change in him and it made me more
excited than I’d ever been before.

“Jude,”
I whispered as his lips had trailed down to my neck, “can we get out of here?”
I needed to be at home, in our bed, making love with him like my life depended
on it.

He
leaned up and looked at me again, this time his eyes looked excited and
adventurous. I loved that we were always on the same page and that he wanted me
as much as I wanted him. I was expecting him to agree and say we should come up
with some lame excuse to get away, but instead he said something that literally
shocked me more than anything ever had, that made his confession of love pale
in comparison.

“Marry
me, Sadie.”

I
rolled my eyes and smiled at him.

“Come
on, Jude, get serious,” I tried to laugh.

His
eyes were clear and his smile was confident as he answered, “I’m absolutely
serious. Marry me Sadie. Marry me tonight.”

I
gasped and backed away from him, placing my hand on his chest to steady myself.

“Now
I know you’re joking. You just said you loved me and that took you four months
to admit. Pace yourself, big guy.”

He
placed his hands gently on my upper arms and said, “Look at me.” I blinked a
few times and stared into his gorgeous eyes as he asked me to. “I would never,
ever ask anyone to marry me if I didn’t mean it. I love you so fucking much and
I won’t go to bed tonight unless you’re in my arms and I’m making love to you as
my wife. This is us, Sadie, you and me. Don’t worry about the rest of the
world, we’re all that matters. Right here and now, how do you feel?”

“Jude,”
I replied, unsure of what to say.

“Do
you love me, Sadie?”

I
placed my hand on his cheek. “You know I do.”

“So
marry me. Be my wife,” he asked again. I studied his expression and tried to
find any doubt or uncertainty and I came up empty. He really did want to marry
me. “Let me make you happy.”

“You
already do,” I answered, smiling.

My
heart was bursting. The man of my dreams really just asked me to marry him and
I hadn’t imagined it. I didn’t realize I was smiling excitedly until I heard
him confidently ask, “You’re saying yes, aren’t you?”

I
nodded and whispered, “Yes,” before he kissed my lips again quickly and wrapped
me into his sculpted muscled arms. As more happy tears fell down my cheeks
along with the still-falling snow, I felt excitement and love like I’d never
felt. Jude was right; this decision was about us and no one else. There would
definitely be a fall out from this, but tonight it didn’t matter to me. I was
marrying the man of my dreams, the man I’d loved my whole life, and nothing or
no one was going to ruin our happiness.

Jude

She
said yes. Sadie was going to be my wife.

God
I was a lucky bastard.

As
I held her in my arms with the cottony snow falling all around us I banished
all my thoughts of the shit storm that we were brewing. All I wanted was her.

“So,
where do you want to do this?” she asked me. “This is your show, big guy.”

“I
don’t care where we go as long as we’re married by the end of the night,” I
replied. “Where would you like to go?”

She
bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment before answering, “How about New
York?”

“New
York?” I asked her, slightly taken aback. “Why would you want to go back there
after what happened to Everleigh?”

“Because
everything that happened to her happened
to her
, not me. Don’t get me
wrong, I love Everleigh like a sister and there are bad memories there, but
I’ve always loved the city and I think it would be perfect. It just feels
right.”

I
grinned and answered, “Plus Jake lives in Manhattan and I bet he’d be our
witness. He’d be cool and wouldn’t say anything to anyone, and I think it’ll be
nice to have a friend there.”

“I
agree. So…we’re really doing this?” she asked excitedly.

“We’re
really doing this. I love you,” I answered.

Her
brown eyes twinkled and she replied, “I love you too.” I kissed her but didn’t
let linger…we had a plane to catch.

After
I broke the kiss, she quickly wiped her tears away and I led her back inside so
we could quickly say our goodbyes to everyone. I made sure to give the little
birthday girl a kiss (and another couple of hundred dollar bills for her piggy
bank) before we left Danni and Beau’s house. We quickly got into my Viper and
Sadie was already making flight arrangements as I headed to our house so we
could pack our bags.

As
soon as we were home, I grabbed our travel bags from the hallway closet and we
hurried to pack everything we needed for our trip. I tossed a few outfits into
my bag along with some toiletries and headed into the living room to wait for
her. Suddenly, something dawned on me that I hadn’t thought of.

“Hey
Sadie?” I called out.

“I’m
ready, I’m coming,” she answered as she came flying down the hallway toward the
front door.

“I
was just thinking…” I started to say and her eyes widened to the size of
quarters.

“What’s
wrong? Are you changing your mind?” she asked me nervously.

I
smiled at her and put my hands on her shoulders, rubbing them comfortingly. “Oh
baby, I am definitely not changing my mind. I can’t wait to wife you up,” I
said and she giggled before she relaxed.

“Thank
God,” she answered before she leaned up and kissed me.

“I
was wondering what we should tell everyone when we just up and leave for no
reason,” I said.

“Hmm,”
she mumbled, furrowing her eyebrows and thinking for a moment. “Hold on,” she
said and took out her cell phone. She quickly dialed a number and after
pressing it to her ear she waited for a moment and smiled. “Hey Jake, it’s
Sadie. I have a huge favor to ask you. Are you still dating that Olivia chick?”

I
grinned and picked up our bags as she asked Jake to cover for us by making
everyone think that he and his girlfriend Olivia were getting married in case
anyone caught wind of something. I had to hand it to my girl, she thought of
everything.

As
soon as she hung up with Jake, she smiled brightly at me and took my hand.

“You
ready?”

“Hell
yeah baby,” I answered and kissed her once more before we left our house for
the last time as a couple that was secretly dating. The next time we’d walk
through these doors it would be as husband and wife and I couldn’t wait to
carry her through our front door across that threshold.

“I
still can’t believe I’m really here about to watch you get married. You
nervous, bro?” Jake asked me as I waited at the front of the all-night chapel
for Sadie to enter.

I
turned to him and replied, “Not at all, man. In fact, I’m about to go find her
and drag her ass out here so we start the ceremony.”

Jake
chuckled and said, “Jesus, bro, she’ll be here. Relax. Liv is probably helping
her get ready.”

“You’re
probably right. Sadie always likes to look her best.”

“So,
how did this happen with you two? I just thought you guys were really tight,
like ‘besties’ or some shit like that. I had no idea you were tapping her,”
Jake said and I shoved him playfully.

“Well
it started out that way, I guess. Apparently she’s been in love with me since
she was a kid and I had no clue at all.”

“Well
you’re a lucky fucker to have a girl as bad ass as Sadie Cavanaugh riding your
dick every night. I bet my cousin Jagger would agree. That idiot has been
trying to get into her panties for over a year now.”

I
gritted my teeth in anger but decided to let it go for now…I was about to marry
the girl of my dreams. Nothing was going to hinder my mood.

“I
know I’m a lucky bastard but so are you. I don’t know your girl well but she’s
got to be great to put up with your dumb ass. It’s awesome of her to go along
with this wedding thing to help keep the secret for a bit.”

Jake
ran a hand through his messy hair and smiled. “Yeah, Liv’s great. She’d do
anything to help a friend.”

“So
things are good with you two?” I asked as I nervously tugged at the arms of my
dress shirt. In our rush to pack I’d grabbed some black dress pants and a white
button down shirt. I know it was a dumb thing to worry about at a time like
this but I really hope Sadie wasn’t too upset that I wasn’t dressed kind of
down.

“Yeah,
they’re getting there. Liv’s a bit of a mystery and it’s taken me a while to
figure her out. She’s fucking gorgeous but doesn’t see it,” Jake said, shaking
his head.

“What
is it with women not knowing how hot they are? Jess and Everleigh were the same
way for different reasons and they are two of the hottest women on the planet.
After my girl, of course,” I smiled.

“It’s
got to do with her sister Rachel. She was the one in her family that always got
the attention for pretty much everything, including her looks, and Liv was
always kind of the little sister in the shadows. I don’t get it though because
even though Rachel is definitely a fox, Liv is a million times hotter than her.
When they came in to my shop for the first time for Rachel’s tattoo, I had a
hard time doing her tat because I could barely keep my eyes off Liv.”

“Sounds
like love for sure, bro,” I said. “So why don’t you wife her up already?”

Jake
flashed a crooked smile and replied, “One day I will, my friend. I’m not
letting that girl go anywhere. I’ve been trying to break down those walls for
over a year and I won’t stop until every one of them are bulldozed to the
ground. She’s worth it, man.”

I
chuckled and answered, “Dude, you are like the male version of Sadie.”

“Not
a bad thing to be,” Jake replied, laughing. I couldn’t agree more.

I
started fidgeting with my shirt again and looked at the clock on the wall. I
started to get nervous when I realized our wedding should have started five
minutes ago. As soon as I started to worry that she’d changed her mind, I heard
music start playing and the officiating minister came in from a side door. Jake
nudged me and grinned as the double doors opened from the front of the all
night chapel. I felt my heart skip a beat when I looked up and saw Olivia
coming into the chapel smiling, followed by an angel.

Sadie
looked
beautiful
, more beautiful than I’d ever seen her. Since we hadn’t
had time to really pack much or shop for any fancy clothes, she had to pack
what she could grab quickly and man oh man did she choose right. She had on a
pale pink shimmery dress that stopped mid-calf and flowed around her in waves. I’m
sure she’d worn it before at some point but my mind was drawing a total blank
at that moment as she glided toward me with an elated smile on her face.

She
had her snowy blonde hair swept up with some curls hanging down on her neck and
I could still see her hot pink and purple highlights peeking through and it
made me smile. She had a few flowers in her hair that matched her dress and I
noticed one tiny, pale blue flower in the middle of them. That must have been
her something blue.

I
felt my palms start to sweat as she walked down the aisle and finally stopped
in front of me. I extended my hand and guided her the rest of the way to the
altar. Her mesmerizing brown eyes locked with mine and I felt a shiver of
excitement shoot down my spine.

“Sorry
I’m late, big guy,” Sadie said softly as she squeezed my hand.

“You’re
so fucking beautiful baby,” I replied, feeling a lump in my throat. Fuck…I
thought only chicks got all weepy on their wedding day.

“You’re
not too bad yourself, handsome,” she answered, smiling that breathtaking smile.

“Shall
we begin?” the minister asked, weariness in his tone. I’m sure he was tired,
after all it was almost one in the morning and the chapel closed at midnight.
Sometimes it was nice to have a disposable income…it helped me get my way when
I wanted.

“Abso-fucking-lutely,”
I replied and Sadie giggled as he began the ceremony. I’m glad that Sadie and I
decided to recite our own vows instead of the traditional ones because our love
was anything but traditional. I told her she was my fiery, bad ass, sexy,
princess and she let me know that I’d forever be her big, bad, tatted up rocker
boy with a smart ass mouth and a heart of gold. We promised to love each other
even if we get fat or end up horribly disfigured in an accident, and promised
that we’d still be having amazing sex when we were in our nineties in our
assisted living facility. Jake and Olivia laughed along with us and the
minister looked horrified and I’m sure was wondering if we were both either
drunk or high. They meant something to us and that’s what was important.

When
he finally announced us husband and wife, he barely uttered the words “You may
now kiss your bride” before I grabbed Sadie and kissed her like I was born to
do it, like her lips were made just for me to kiss forever.

Our
tongues danced perfectly together as we hungrily tasted each other and I for
one couldn’t get enough of her. I didn’t want to stop but when I heard Jake
howling and Olivia giggling Sadie pulled away reluctantly.

“Well,
this is it. You’re stuck with me now, big guy,” Sadie stated, beaming at me.

“Hell
yeah I am,” I replied as I picked her up and spun her around.

Jake
clapped me on the back and said, “Congratulations, brother. I’m happy for you.
You too, Sadie.”

“Thanks
man,” I answered.

Olivia
moved from Sadie’s side to Jake and he tucked the raven haired beauty under his
arm. “I’m so happy for you both, thank you for letting me be a part of your big
day. Or night, rather,” she said, smiling sweetly.

Sadie
grinned back at her and replied, “Thank you, Olivia, and it was our pleasure.
We really appreciate you both covering for us like this. I know you’re risking
a lot.”

“Pretending
to be married to this gorgeous girl for a little while is definitely worth the
risk,” Jake answered, kissing her forehead. “Can’t wait for it to be the real
thing.”

“Jake,”
Olivia replied, blushing. “This is their night, not ours.”

“It
could be though, Liv. Just saying,” he teased, snuggling her close.

Olivia
sighed and replied, “Okay, back to you two. Are you going to do something to
celebrate tonight?”

I
smiled at my beautiful bride and stated, “I know how I want to celebrate,
baby.”

Sadie
grinned back at me and gently nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Mmm,
I like the way you think,
hubby
,” she answered, pressing her sexy body
into mine. I felt my dick twitch at her words and suddenly I knew I had to get
her back to our hotel and out of that dress. The only way I wanted to spend my
wedding night (or morning, rather) was being tangled in the sheets with a
gloriously naked Sadie, making love to her until we were both completely
exhausted.

Olivia
giggled and Jake barked out a laugh.

“Well,
that would be our cue to head out and let the newlyweds go back to their hotel
and fuck all night until they can’t move,” he stated and Sadie chuckled. He
broke away from Olivia and came to me with his arms stretched out. Giving me a
back pounding hug, he said, “Congratulations again, Jude. I’m so happy for
you.”

“Thanks,
man, I appreciate it. Thanks for being here,” I replied, releasing him.

“Nowhere
in the world I’d rather be tonight, brother,” he answered. He hugged Sadie and
said softly, “Congrats to you too, Sadie. I hope Jude knows and always remembers
what a lucky son of a bitch he is to be married to you.”