A Forever Love

  I moved my mouth closer to her ear as I sang the last verse of the song, and Emma began crying harder.

  Once the song ended, I lifted her chin and gently kissed her. “I love you, Emma Rose Mathews.”

  She swallowed and closed her eyes before opening them again and whispering, “I love you more, Garrett Thomas Mathews.”

  Elvis’s “Too Much” started playing, and we both laughed. I grabbed her hands, and we took off dancing. I knew how much my girl loved to dance, and no one could pass up an Elvis song.

  By the time we were driving down our driveway, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I leaned my head back and dreamed of getting out of this wedding dress. I couldn’t breathe with how tight the corset was. Garrett would like it, that was for sure. And the fact that I had been naughty and slipped off my knickers had me going crazy all night. I had tried to tell Garrett at least five times that I wasn’t wearing knickers, but every time I’d tried, someone had come up and started talking to me.

  I slowly lifted my head and turned to look at my handsome husband. “I have a surprise for you,” I said.

  Garrett smiled. “I have a surprise for you, too.” He drove right on by the house and started making his way to the west pasture.

  I giggled and put my hand up to my mouth. I was nervous for what I was about to admit. “Garrett?”

  “Yeah, Buttercup?” He looked at me sweetly.

  I slowly licked my lips. “I haven’t had any knickers on this whole time.”

  He brought the truck to a stop and put it in park. He slowly turned his body and looked at me. When the smile spread across his face, I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “I’m so glad you didn’t tell me that back at the church because I would have taken you right then and there. I’m pretty sure the Lord wouldn’t have appreciated me causing my wife to yell out in pleasure in his house.”

  My face blushed instantly.

  Garrett turned and jumped out of the truck. “Wait here, and keep your eyes shut.”

  I smiled and nodded my head as I closed my eyes. When I felt the truck move, I knew he was in the bed of it. The next thing I knew, my door had opened, and his hand was up and under my dress so fast that I let out a gasp.

  “Spread your legs, Em,” he whispered against my neck.

  “Garrett…” I let out a gasp when his fingers moved up my thigh.

  He snapped my garter belt against my leg, causing me to open my eyes and cry out as I hit him. Then, his fingers moved across my lips, and he moaned as he slipped his fingers inside me. I closed my eyes and dropped my head back as his lips moved along my neck.

  “I can’t wait to taste you, Emma,” he said in such a deep voice.

  I could feel my insides clenching down in anticipation. My eyes snapped open, and I looked into his eyes. “Garrett,” I whispered.

  He quickly pulled his fingers out of me, and when he put them up to his lips, my mouth dropped open. Before I knew what was happening, he had me out of the truck. He carried me to the back and set me down on the tailgate of the truck. He placed both hands on my face and gently kissed me on the lips. He reached for my hands and helped me down to the ground. I stepped onto a small blanket that he must have placed there.

  “Turn around, Em,” he whispered.

  My heart practically pounded out of my chest. I slowly turned around, and when he touched my neck, I jumped.

  As he began unbuttoning my dress, he said, “You looked like a princess today. There wasn’t a man in the room who couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You are so incredibly beautiful that I have to pinch myself every day just to make sure this isn’t all a dream.”

  I closed my eyes and let his words wrap around my heart. “Garrett…” I whispered as I placed my hands on the tailgate to keep myself standing.

  “Em, can I let the dress fall to the ground?”

  I nodded my head. The last thing I cared about was the dress. I turned and watched as he picked it up and gently folded it over. He walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and laid the dress on the seat. I’d never in my entire life met anyone like Garrett. The way he paid attention to the little things was what made me love him so much.

  I turned to face him as he walked back to me, and his eyes moved up and down my body.

  “Take off the petticoat,” he said with that deep voice that rattled my insides.

  I quickly took it off and kicked it to the side. I stood before my husband in a light blue corset with a matching garter belt.

  He reached his hands up and began taking down my hair. Piece by piece, my blonde hair fell loosely around my shoulders.

  “So. Damn. Beautiful.” He dropped to his knees, and then he unclipped my stockings and slowly began rolling them down my leg.

  “Garrett…everywhere you touch is on fire,” I whispered.

  He peeked up at me and smiled. His eyes were on fire, and his smile had a touch of wickedness in it.

  He removed my garter belt and placed his hand on my stomach. “That corset is beautiful.”

  I licked my lips and then bit down on my lower lip. I wanted to tell him that it was cutting off my breathing, but he seemed to be turned on by it. When he lifted my leg and placed it over his shoulder, I smiled. Then, he buried his face between my legs. He ran his tongue between my lips and then began tormenting my clit.

  I grabbed on to the tailgate, and I couldn’t control myself as I pushed my hips into his face.

  “Garrett!” I called out as I began to feel the familiar buildup.

  He quickly pulled away, and I practically shouted, “No! Don’t stop!”

  He stood up, and the smile on his face caused me to smile.

  “I love to taste you, Em.”

  My chest was heaving up and down. “Why did you stop?”

  “Get up on the quilt, Emma.”

  I turned around to see our quilt had been laid out in the back of the bed. I’d never moved so fast in my life.

  “Garrett…please do that again. Please,” I begged.

  He crawled over me and pressed his lips to mine.

  I ran my hands through his hair and gave it a hard tug as I pulled him away. “Don’t make me beg.”

  He began kissing my neck and moved his way down to my nipple. The way he sucked and pulled on it was driving me insane. Then, he began kissing down my stomach, and I could feel my body starting to tremble with anticipation.

  “Emma…you’re so wet,” he barely said.

  I grabbed his head and began pushing him down between my legs. I heard him chuckle.

  He asked me, “What do you want me to do, Em?”

  I lifted my head and looked at him. “What?” I said in an exasperated voice.

  “Tell me what you want me to do.”

  I dropped my head and thrashed it back and forth. “Kiss me, Garrett. God, just kiss me again.”

  He quickly licked my clit before he looked back up at me. “Kiss you where, Emma?”

  I looked into his eyes, and they were on fire with desire.

  Does he want me to talk dirty to him? Can I talk dirty to him? Shit, I just want to feel his lips on me again.

  “Garrett…kiss me. Please just put your lips on me.”

  “I love your innocence, Em. It drives me insane with desire.”

  I was just about to talk when he buried his face and began sucking on my clit. The moment he slipped his fingers in, I started screaming out his name. I’d never had an orgasm hit me so fast and so hard. It lasted for so long.

  I was just beginning to see the light of day again when I felt Garrett moving on top of me.

  He brushed his lips along my neck and up to my ear where he gently bit down on my earlobe. “I’ve always wanted to make love to you in the back of my truck, Buttercup.”

  I pulled his body closer to mine and whispered, “I need to feel you closer.”

  Garrett slowly and gently entered my body, and he made love to me like never before. He whispered how much he loved me over and over. Rig
ht before he came, he placed his hands on my face and looked into my eyes.

  He whispered, “You’re mine—forever.”

  “Yes,” I whispered back.

  He softly called out my name. He stayed inside me for the longest time as I gently ran my fingertips up and down his back.

  “You own my heart, Emma. I’m nothing without your love.”

  I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could while I softly cried. My heart was so full of love that I was sure it was going to burst.

  Garrett finally pulled out of me and rolled over onto his back. The sun had begun to set, and the stars were starting to dot the night sky.

  “Every wish has a star,” I whispered.

  Garrett turned and looked at me. “I want to make all your wishes come true.”

  I turned and smiled. “You already have.”

  He slowly shook his head. “No, there’s still another wish.”

  I rolled onto my side and began running my fingers down his chest. Garrett would go running every day before he began work on the ranch, and his amazing body showed it. Just looking at his perfect body about drove me crazy with lust.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s the other wish?” I asked with a giggle.

  Garrett looked back up at the sky and whispered, “A baby.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and the butterflies began fluttering.

  Garrett rolled over and looked into my eyes. “I’m washed away by the feelings I have for you. My love grows stronger and stronger every day, Em. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when you’re carrying my child. I’m going to go insane from worrying about you both. I’ll spoil the hell out of you, and I’ll do everything I can to be the best husband and father.”

  I moved my eyes down to his lips and ran my tongue along the bottom of my lip. Garrett’s eyes lit up, and the moon was beginning to reflect in them. I sat up and placed my hands on his chest as I pushed him onto his back.

  When I crawled on top of him, he let out a laugh. “I don’t think he’s ready to play yet.”

  I gave him a wicked smile as I moved myself against his body. The friction between the two of us felt like heaven. I leaned down and began kissing him. When I pulled back, I sucked his lower lip into my mouth and gently bit down on it. He let out a moan as his eyes closed, and I let go of his lip.

  He whispered, “Jesus, Emma…you’re my Aphrodite.”

  I smiled when I felt him getting harder. I began rocking back and forth until I lifted and slowly sank down on him. I threw my head back and let out a moan. Nothing felt better than being one with Garrett.

  I looked down at him as he sat up and pulled me closer to him. He began kissing me, and I was lost in our lovemaking, taken to a high with his kiss.

  He barely pulled his lips away from mine. “When do you want to try for a baby, Em?”

  My heart was beating so hard at just the idea of having a child with Garrett. “Would it be selfish of me if I said I wanted to spend a few years with just you and me? Maybe two or three more years?”

  The smile that spread across his face made me giggle.

  “I take it you’re okay with that idea,” I said.

  “I want nothing more than to have kids, but right now, I want to be able to take you up against a barn wall or make love to you in the back of my truck…anytime I want to. I want to make you call out my name in the middle of the night…often.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I like this plan.”

  I began moving again, and I quickly felt the buildup of my orgasm. “Garrett…I’m going to come,” I whispered.

  Garrett looked into my eyes as he let his own release go. I could feel his warmth entering my body.

  He said, “Emma…baby, I’m coming.”

  He fell back, bringing me with him, and we lay next to each other. Garrett wrapped us up in the quilt, and he slowly began humming to me before he fell asleep. I moved my head to his chest, and before I knew it, I was dreaming. Garrett was running around, chasing a little boy, as I sat under our tree with my hand on my swollen belly.

  The Venice afternoon sun was shining down, warming my face, as I sat on the private balcony of our suite at the Hotel Cipriani. I smiled as I thought back to when Garrett had told me he was taking me to Venice and how excited I had been to go to Italy. I lifted my head and opened my eyes. I stared out at the Venetian Lagoon. I’d never seen such a beautiful place in my entire life.

  I felt a shock run through my whole body as Garrett placed his hands on my shoulders.

  He brushed his lips across my neck. “Good morning, Buttercup.”

  I laughed. “It’s afternoon, Mr. Mathews. You have given new meaning to the words sleeping in.”

  Garrett sat down and smiled at me, and then he looked out over the water. “Well, when your wife keeps you up all night, demanding you make mad, passionate love to her, it tends to wear you out.”

  I raised my eyebrow. “Are you complaining? Shall we have less sex on our honeymoon? Perhaps we should shop more?”

  Garrett threw his hands up and said, “No! God, no more shopping.”

  I giggled and took a sip of water. “Garrett, we went shopping only one time, and it was for less than an hour because you wanted to come back to the hotel for more…playtime.”

  Garrett’s eyes lit up as he reached down and adjusted himself. I knew what he was thinking about. We had been in a local shop when something came over me, and I’d told Garrett I wanted to please him with my mouth. He had us back to the boat and in our hotel room in record time.

  “I like your version of playtime, Em—a lot.”

  I felt the heat move into my cheeks, and I quickly looked away. Garrett stood up and walked over to me. He held out his hand for me to stand up. I placed my hand in his, and instantly, I felt the butterflies in my stomach.

  Garrett gave me the sweetest smile and brushed a piece of my hair back and behind my ear. “Don’t ever be ashamed of what we share together, Emma. I’m not. I could taste you every day, ten times a day. You’re my wife, and I’m your husband. What we share together is amazing, magical, and sexy as hell.”

  I bit down on my lip. I wasn’t sure why, but when Garrett spoke like that to me, it did things deep in the pit of my stomach.

  I looked into his eyes and whispered, “I’m not ashamed, Garrett. I…I enjoyed making you come like that.”

  The moment that familiar smile of his spread across his face, I couldn’t help but want to drop to my knees and take him in my mouth again.

  “I enjoyed it, too, more than you know. I see the look in your eyes, Buttercup, but we can’t. We have to get ready to head into the city. I have a surprise for you.”

  My smile faded, and I couldn’t believe how disappointed I felt. I smiled weakly and said, “A surprise, huh?”

  He nodded with excitement. “Get dressed, Em. We don’t have much time.”

  I watched as he walked away from me, his sleeping pants barely hanging on by his hips. The way his toned body moved when he walked gave me shivers. I thought about last night in the bathtub where he’d made love to me and whispered to me all the places he was going to make love to me. The bathroom alone was incredibly romantic with a massive oval tub and marble everywhere. I closed my eyes and let out a moan. I could almost feel his lips on my body.

  I never, ever want to leave Italy.

  As we walked up to the gondola, I couldn’t help but notice Emma’s smile. The gondolier allowed me in first, so I could help Emma in after me. She was still grinning from ear to ear, and it caused me to smile.

  “I’ve been wanting to take a gondola ride,” she said with excitement.

  We took our seats, and I pulled Emma closer to me as the gondolier began singing a barcarole while he moved us along the Venetian Lagoon. His voice was smooth as silk, and he held both Emma and I captive with the beautiful song.

  “Garrett, I never want to leave,” Emma whispered.

  I kissed her forehead. “Neither do I, Em. Neither do I.”


  The gondolier smiled. “Tale bella sposa. Così felice in amore.”

  I laughed. “I got beautiful bride and love out of that.”

  We all laughed.

  The gondolier said, “Such a beautiful bride. So happy in love.”

  Emma looked up, and when my eyes caught hers, my heart melted. Her eyes were filled with so much love and happiness.

  “Yes, I am very happy in love,” she said.

  I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “And you’re the most beautiful bride ever.”

  After the gondola ride, we slowly made our way to a small restaurant that Charles had told me to take his daughter to. One of his doctor friends, John, had moved to Venice after meeting a girl from here and falling in love. They had opened up the restaurant a few years back, and Charles and Maria had been the first ones to eat there. I’d taken advantage of the friendship when I made arrangements for dinner this evening. John had told me I was not only going to score points with Emma, but with her father as well.

  As we walked in, Emma and I both let out a gasp. The restaurant wasn’t very big, but it was completely empty. I had offered to pay John handsomely to have the restaurant somewhat private, but once he’d found out that Charles was my father-in-law, he’d said he would do it for an old friend.

  “Garrett!” Emma placed her hand up to her mouth.

  I really wanted to have the same reaction, but I had to play it cool. Holy shit. He did exactly what I said I had envisioned, even down to the flowers I mentioned.

  She spun around and looked at me. “Did you arrange all of this?”

  I smiled. “I had connections with the owner.”

  I glanced up and saw John and his wife, Mary, standing there. I nodded my head and walked up to them. I shook John’s hand, and he brought me in for a hug.

  “Is this what you had in mind?” he asked.

  I pulled back and smiled. “It’s perfect, beyond perfect.” I turned slightly and kissed Mary on the cheek. “How in the world did y’all do this in one day?”

  She laughed. “It’s amazing what can happen with true love as the driving force behind it.”