“But yes, we absolutely need to cheers to that,” Mom says, smiling broadly. “All my girls doing what they love most. I’m so proud of you all for chasing your dreams. It’s all your dad and I ever wanted for you girls.”
Mom raises her glass, smiling at me. “To Lou and her big new adventure.”
My sisters and Grandma Jude follow suit, and then I raise my glass, too. “To new adventures.”
Forty-Eight
Zach
When I hear Louise’s car pull into the driveway, I’m up and across the room before she’s even put her car into park. The headlights cut out, and then I hear her door shut.
Watching out the window as she makes her way toward my steps, I roll my lips together when she trips on the long skirt of her dress. Something big and white and poofy is balled up under her arm, and I realize it’s the underskirt of the dress, and the little gold crown she had on all night is missing from the top of her head. Hiking the heavy skirt up with one hand, she climbs the steps to the porch. I’d left the porch light on for her.
Waiting for her to come home to me.
Fuck, I really like the sound of that.
Pulling the door open, I waste no time pulling my girl into my body, dropping my mouth to hers.
She giggles, stumbling into me, her feet tangling in the hem of her dress again. She shrieks when I scoop her up into my arms, the hold she has on the bundle of underskirts failing as she encircles my neck with both arms.
“Put me down!” she laughs, but I just grin and shake my head. “I’m going to hurt you— I’m too heavy—”
With just one arm cradling her against my chest, I let my other arm drop. She shrieks again, tightening her hold around my neck, and I laugh when she realizes I’m more than capable of supporting her weight with a single arm.
“Try that one again, Princess.”
“Zach—”
“I’ve got you, Louise,” I chuckle, pushing the door closed and locking it behind us. Carrying her down the hallway and into the bedroom, I use my free hand to cup the back of her head and pull her mouth to mine. “That skirt is too long, I can’t have you injuring yourself walking through the house.”
“It’s just because I took the crinoline out. It dropped the hem several inches,” she whispers against my mouth, like I’m supposed to know what any of that means.
“Regardless, I have plans for you tonight and I don’t intend to get interrupted because we have to spend the night in the ER for a broken leg,” I mutter, setting her on her feet next to the bed. “Did you eat?”
She bobbles her head in a half yes, half no kind of answer, and I glare at her. She laughs. “I ate a donut. Does that count?”
“I suppose. Only because they’re some of the biggest donuts I’ve ever seen in my life,” I agree grudgingly. I’m trailing my hands over every curvy inch of her I can reach, trying my best to find any skin, but she’s buttoned and cinched and sewn intothe damn thing. “Alright, how the fuck do I get you out of this? I need you naked.”
She tugs her lower lip between her teeth and grins, then steps back out of my reach. “Ah-ah. Not yet. I have something to show you, first.”
“And I have an ass to punish,” I growl, reaching for her, but she takes another step backward, tripping on the dress again. I reach out to steady her, but she holds up her index finger as if telling me to wait. Shoving the heavy skirt away from her feet, she grins impishly up at me.
“Get on the bed, naked,” she tells me, those green eyes dancing. “Please.”
“You trying to top from the bottom, Princess?” I ask, my voice dropping low, practically vibrating out of my chest.
Goddamn, that’s hot. I like it when she takes charge. She nods, waiting for me to do as I’m told.
I strip, slowly. First, tugging my shirt up and over my head, letting the material drop to the floor at my feet, and then torturously slowly undoing my belt, button, and lowering the zipper.
“You don’t get to see what I have for you until you’re on the bed,” she tells me, arching one blond brow. Fuckk. I like spicy Louise.
I just likeLouise. Every little thing about her.
Shoving my jeans and my underwear down my legs, I straighten. Her green eyes trail over every inch of me, her lips parting and it does things to my male ego. Her features are so expressive, I never have to guess what she’s thinking. Like now.
“It really isn’t fair how hot you are,” she breathes, dragging her gaze from my cock to my own eyes. “For an old man.”
