She kissed me then. “I’ll do everything and nothing with you, Dex. So, wifey me, please.” She held out her hand.
I slid the ring on her finger and tugged her to me, kissing her long and hard. As our family celebrated around us, the only person I could see, the only person I could hear, the only person I could feel, was Charlye. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She scanned the room and whispered, “Although, next time, can you make my surprise a little more low-key?” She lifted her hand and closed her thumb and forefinger, leaving a tiny space in between. “Just a little.” I laughed. “Because this is a bit much.”
Elise pulled Charlye away and I stared at my future wife as she embraced my family and hers. I’d once thought our timing was all wrong, but now I believed everything happened the way it was supposed to happen. Our journey, our experiences brought us to where we were now. And I wouldn’t change anything. Because I knew that I would always honor her, that I would always chase her, that I would always love her—for as long as we both shall live.
Epilogue
YOU BELONG TO ME
Dexter
November, This Year
Charlye moaned. “Dex, you can’t…”
I kissed my way down her body. “I’m not ready to let you go yet.” I dipped my tongue in her belly button, licked my way down to the apex of her thighs. “And you asked, so I have to deliver.”
She giggled. “That was two orgasms ago.” She purred, when I slipped one finger, then another, inside her pussy. “Everyone is waiting on us.”
“So?” I circled her clit with my tongue before I sucked it into my mouth.
I can do this forever. And I would. Forever with Charlye was a foregone conclusion. As we neared our wedding day, we’d settled into a routine, one that was new and familiar, comfortable and exciting. Our life together was exactly whatshewanted and whatIneeded. Waking up with her in the mornings and falling asleep with her in the evenings was everything. I couldn’t wait to make her Mrs. Young.
It didn’t take long for Charlye to come, with my name on her lips. Not done with her yet, we made slow love until we both fell over again.
“I love you,” she whispered against my mouth. “So much.”
I kissed her. “Love you too.”
“I can’t wait to be your wife.”
I traced the line of her nose. “Three more months.” I stared at her in awe. The woman that I’d always wanted, the woman I’d loved for so long was going to be mine. Officially. “So beautiful.”
“All yours too,” she said.
A smile tugged at my lips, because she always seemed to know what I was thinking. “That’s what I like to hear.”
A slow smile spread over her full lips. “I’m so sleepy.” She bit my neck, then traced the spot with her tongue. “This is your fault.”
I chuckled, pulling her against my side. “We could always stay in here.” I kissed her forehead. “We don’t have to leave our room.”
She cuddled against me. “And incur Dallas’ wrath? I’ll pass on that. Besides, I’ve never been to Denver. I want to get out and explore.”
For the past several years, my siblings and I had spent the weekend after Thanksgiving together. Usually, we rented an Airbnb in a random spot on the map and just chilled with one another. No agenda, just us. It had started when Duke moved out of the state. After his first holiday away, we’d decided to fly out and surprise him because Bliss managed to convince us that he looked and sounded lonely on FaceTime. Of course, the surprise was on us when we’d barged in on him and one of hisnon-girlfriends who’d flown out to spend Thanksgiving with him. And, of course, that simple fact hadn’t deterred Dallas from making this a tradition.
Once my siblings started coupling up, we decided to extend the weekend and include all the significant others. Even with my sister’s bossy ways,Young‘uns Weekendwas something I looked forward to every year. This was the first time we’d invited another group to join us. Charlye’s siblings had flown in too. And although Elise couldn’t come because she’d recently had her baby, Charlye agreed to FaceTime her for all the fun events and pick Secret Santa names for her and Jay.
“Have you heard from Tristan?” Charlye asked.
I thought about that for a moment. In all the years we’d been doing this, my oldest brother had yet to attend. Not that he hadn’t been invited, though. I was sure Dallas sent him the details every year. “No. I don’t expect to see him.”
She flashed a sad smile. “Does that upset you?”
I shrugged. “Not really.” My relationship with my oldest brother wasn’t the best. Dallas and Paityn were the only two siblings who spoke to him, sometimes. Wasn’t for the lack of trying on my part, though. Growing up, he’d been deemed thefun-killerof the family. Even so, I’d spent years trying to build something with him to no avail. But I’d always held out hope that we could re-connect one day. Unfortunately, my brother seemed to prefer being on his own. So, I’d learned not to question it. When he was ready to be around us, he would come.
“I just hate that he’s not even coming to the wedding.”
