"She's probably at the guest house right now checking on me." I lift her onto the bathroom countertop and pull her to the edge. "She's gonna know the rooster's in the henhouse when she doesn't find me there, so we'd better hurry."
I push inside her and she gasps before she slaps me across my back. "What the f**k is that for?" I ask.
"You know my new birth control hasn't had time to start working and you keep doing this."
I forgot. "We both know you're the gambling kind. You like to roll the dice for your fate. I saw that when we were in Vegas."
I don't stop and she doesn't make me. "I think you're the one who likes to gamble when it comes to this."
"Maybe."
I grasp her hips and pound into her with as much force as she can stand. She brings her legs up and wraps them around my waist as she leans back against the mirror. I watch my reflection give it to her and I wish she could see it because it's so damn hot.
I pull out of her and step back. "Get down and turn around. I want you to watch this with me."
She slides off the countertop and spins around before leaning forward, just the way I want her. I place my c**k at her wet entrance and I watch her eyes in the mirror as I slide inside her. I never get to see her face when I'm giving it to her from behind, so this is new.
She's holding onto the granite edge and watching my face. "You like this, don't you?"
I pump her harder and she keeps perfect rhythm with me—but I would expect no less from a musician. "I'm not gonna lie. I love the f**k out of it."
I lean forward and kiss her back as I deliver those last few thrusts and then remember that her birth control isn't working yet. Dammit! I gotta pull out.
I don't want to do it, but I grab the hand towel and come into it. It's not nearly as satisfying as coming inside L., but I don't want her to be upset with me because she wants to avoid a pregnancy for the time being.
She's giving me the stare. "I thought we agreed to wait a while before we tried to get pregnant."
I'm standing there holding the evidence–a towel full of se**n–which is the opposite of me trying. "I pulled out. That doesn't qualify as me trying to get you pregnant. I would've reamed you good when I blew my load if that's what I was shooting for. Believe me—it would be jam-packed with little swimmers since it's been a few days."
"It can still happen even when you pull out, says the girl with the swollen belly." Funny one.
"I know and if it does, it just does. By the way, you should know now that I'm not using rubbers on our honeymoon. Forget it. It's not happening." There. She has her warning.
"I know. I have some other stuff, but it's useless if you don't give me a chance to put it in."
"Next time, babe. We won't be in a rush." We're trying to beat the Margaret alarm.
"Next time, I'll be your wife." Wow. I hadn't thought of that.
There's a pounding at the bedroom door, followed by my mum's voice. "I know you're in there, you little shit, and I'm giving you two minutes to shut it down, get dressed, and get out of there."
We look at each other in the mirror and laugh as we simultaneously say, "Busted."
Chapter Thirty-Five
I open my eyes and look at the clock. It's 6:37 on a Saturday morning, and Jack Henry's spot is already vacant. He's up earlier than usual on this weekend morning. The thought piques my curiosity, and then the reason for his absence strikes me.
It's our wedding day.
I put the pillow over my face so no one can hear me and I squeal at the top of my lungs. I can't believe this day is here. Jack Henry will be my husband later today.
I quickly change into something more presentable than Jack Henry's T-shirt and go into the kitchen. I hear someone there and peek around the corner to make sure it isn't my groom, although I'm certain he knows better than to be in this house with me today. Margaret sees me and laughs.
"He's not in here. He knows I'd beat him within an inch of his life if he set foot in this house today." I sit in my usual spot at the bar and can smell Margaret's freshly brewed cup of coffee. She holds it up. "Care for a cuppa?"
I don't know when it happened, but I acquired a taste for coffee somewhere along the way. It was probably while on the road with the band since that was the only thing available for a pick-me-up. "I'll take one, although it might not be a good idea to have caffeine on top of my nerves."
"It's okay to be nervous."
"Maybe nerves isn't the right word." Margaret is my mother-in-law now and the closest thing I have to a mom, so I can be honest with her about what I'm feeling. "I'm hurt because my mom wouldn't come. She's still mad because I left her and my career. When she told me she would never visit, I thought she was using it as leverage to make me stay, but I see now that she was serious. If she won't come for my wedding, then I don't ever see her visiting, either."
"I'm sorry, Laurelyn. I had hoped she would come, but don't ever think you don't have people who love you. Your parents will always be your parents, but we're your family too—not just Jack Henry. We'll always be here to take care of you because you're ours now, and we love you."
I feel the tears coming. "I know how important family is because I've never had one. I'm so happy I'm becoming a member of the McLachlans. I love each and every one of you."
Margaret blots her eyes with a napkin. "That's enough tears on your wedding day. You don't want your eyes to be red and swollen."
This is the happiest day of my life, and I won't let my mother's selfishness spoil it for me. It stops here. "You're right. I can't change the things I have no control over, so no more tears." I've shed too many of those and I have this wonderful life ahead of me now. From here on out, everything will be different with Jack Henry by my side.
"Your groom has a surprise for you. He arranged for all of us to have a morning at the spa. Our appointment is at nine."
That's my Jack Henry—always pampering me like a princess. It's what he promised me from the night of our first date and he hasn't disappointed me yet. "He loves to pamper me. I'm sure I have you to thank for that."
"I tried to teach him and Evan. I hoped they would mature into kind, thoughtful men who treated women with respect, so you can imagine my horror when Jack Henry told me about the arrangement he had with you."
Oh, shit! I hoped I'd never have this conversation with her. "Don't be upset with him. He didn't do it by himself. I agreed to everything."
"I'm glad it happened the way it did. That time apart showed each of you what you were missing by not being together. It's probably the best thing that could've happened to the two of you. I seriously doubt you'll ever want to spend a day apart again."