The pasta Sal snuck into the hospital the day my son was born still lingers on the tip of my tongue. I was almost finished with it when Peter decided to come into this world. Each time I eat the puttanesca, my heart swells with pride at the thought of my son being brought into the world.
Terra was born premature, and at first, we weren’t sure she would make it. At just over two pounds, the doctor expressed concerns that if she did live, she might be brain damaged.
Or worse.
The cheesesteak I ate the afternoon of her early arrival sat in the pit of my stomach like a stone. As they rushed her away to neonatal intensive care, it was all I could do to keep it down.
I haven’t eaten a Philly cheesesteak since.
Simply smelling them brings me back to the fear we had for our baby’s health.
Then on the sixth of June, everything changed. The fourth most prideful moment in my life appeared.
It was the day Terra married Michael.
The father of any daughter dreads the day that he turns the care of her over to another man. Fearful that no man will have the ability or the never-ending desire to care for her as effortlessly as her father, we live wishing that our daughters never grow up.
A father wants his daughter to stay young forever.
To protect her from harm.
The scent of roses filled my nostrils as I walked down the aisle with her beside me.
She looked the way she always looked.
Magnificent.
The church was at capacity, and several people were standing along the aisles beside those seated. It was testament to how the world around us viewed Terra.
She was innocent and beautiful.
Michael stood in front of us, fifty feet away. Upon seeing us, he turned slightly toward us. With my shoulders back and my head held high, I took well-timed steps toward him, knowing she was only going to be mine for a few more minutes.
There was no doubt in my mind that Michael would care for Terra no differently than I had, but I wanted to cherish the last few moments of me being the man in her life as long as I could.
When we finally came to a stop, Michael looked me in the eyes. He didn’t have to speak. His eyes said everything that needed to be said.
He was a good man, and a man I would proudly call my son.
Clutching the bible, the priest looked at us.
“On this most glorious of days, who gives this woman to be wed to this man?”
“I do.” I met Michael’s gaze, lowered my chin slightly, and continued. “Her father.”
And, with those four words, I gave my daughter to the one man who I knew would cherish her for a lifetime.
As I turned away, a tear rolled down my cheek. It came not from disappointment, from fear, or from sorrow.
It was a tear of pride.
While I walked away, I eagerly drew a slow, deliberate breath. As the sweet smell of the roses engulfed me, I gave thanks.
For my three children.
Chapter Thirty-One
Terra
Although I’d spent my lifetime mentally and physically preparing for marriage, nothing could have prepared me for the real thing.
As a little girl, the Disney movies I watched gave me hope of one day meeting my prince. I would be his princess, and together, we would live in a castle of our choosing.
When I was in high school, the rom-com movies I saw while on dates made me wonder if the man accompanying me could possibly be my prince. He never was, but it didn’t keep me from continuing to expect that the day would eventually come when a man would be so charismatic, so handsome, and so irresistible, that I wouldn’t be able to refuse his advances.
The day Michael and I met, I knew he was different than any other man I could—or would—ever meet. It wasn’t long after that I hoped the day would come that we would one day marry.
That day had finally arrived.
Michael looked at me with wet eyes, and smiled. Then, he mouthed the words Beautiful dress, babe.
My knees wobbled, and I fought not to grin.
I love you, he mouthed.
He truly was my prince, and I would be fortunate to have him as my husband.
The priest looked at Michael, and then at me. “Michael and Terra, have you come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?”
Standing on shaking legs, I responded.
“Yes, I have,” we said in unison.
“Are you prepared, as you follow the path of marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?”
“Yes, I am,” we responded.
Although I had been nervous for the entire day, the feeling had vanished, and I was left feeling special, important, loved, and more beautiful than I had ever dreamed of feeling.
He alternated glances between us. “Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church?”
My one remaining dream was to bring children into the earth with Michael.
“I am.”
“Since it is your intention to enter into the covenant of holy matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and His Church.”
I took Michael’s hand, looked at him, and smiled.
He smiled in return, and recited what we had memorized without provocation. “I, Michael, take you, Terra, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
I inhaled a shallow breath, and then exhaled. “I, Terra, take you, Michael, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.”
The priest looked out at the sea of people. “What God has joined, let no one put asunder.”
With those spoken words, I became Michael Tripp’s wife.
And, the happiest woman on earth.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Michael
I’d never given much thought to being married, but I’d always assumed when the day came, if it came, we’d marry in a church in front of a handful of people, and then attend a small ceremony.
Afterward, we’d go on a honeymoon to somewhere special, return a week later, and then begin our life together.
There were hundreds of people at the wedding, separated into two equal groups, half on one side of the church, and half on the other.
I didn’t know more than a handful of the people in attendance, but was humbled by their interest in our marriage.
As we walked up the aisle, I felt different.
For once, my mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of money, weapons, the family or vengeance.
Seeing her walk down the aisle was breathtaking. It solidified just how much I loved her. She could have worn a burlap bag and looked remarkable, but in the dress she had chosen...
She took my breath away.
I had to struggle to keep from crying.
Now, my only thoughts were of how much I loved Terra, and how desperately I wanted to create a family with her.
A family with a mother, a father, and grandparents. A family with a foundation so solid, that nothing could tear them apart.
With her at my side, we walked arm in arm up the aisle and toward the door.
Two men who I didn’t immediately recognize opened the doors for us.
As we walked past them, and stepped out of the church and into the evening air, I realized I was exiting one Chapter of my life, and entering another.
One I had yearned for a lifetime to write.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Terra
M
y father had arranged for a limousine to take us to the reception, and as soon as we arrived, we were to have pictures taken. Although I had no idea who the driver was, and seriously doubted I would ever see him again, complying with Michael’s wishes wasn’t an easy thing for me.
“In my wedding dress?”
He nodded. “Yep. Right here, right now. You are finally mine, and I’m going to demand it if I have to.”
I motioned toward the glass partition. “But he’s right up there.”
“He can’t see us.”
“I think he can.”
He removed his jacket and tossed it onto the leather loveseat positioned directly below the tinted glass. “I think I don’t care.”
“You’re serious? You want to fuck in here? On the way to our reception?”
The thought excited me, but the fear of getting caught, at least so far, was preventing me from complying.
He began to pull against his tie. “Yep.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy in love.”
I leaned forward and tapped my knuckles against the glass.
The partition lowered.
“Can you see us?”
The driver looked at my reflection in the rear-view mirror. “I can now. Yes, ma’am.”
“Can you see us when the glass is up?”
“No, ma’am. It’s privacy glass.”
“If you could see us, would you be truthful? Would you tell me?”
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I would.”
“Can you, um. Can you roll up the glass and keep it up until I knock on it again?”
“I sure can.”
“Okay. Will you do that for me, please?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And, can you take the scenic route?”
“The scenic route. Yes, ma’am.”
The glass rose.
Michael unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. “I’m glad that’s settled. Now, lift up your dress and climb on my cock.”
He pulled his dick out, gripped it, and wagged it back and forth. It was as rigid as a piece of steel.
Jesus.
My obsession with the wedding, at least for the last few weeks, had brought our sex life to a screeching halt. Simply seeing his rock-hard cock got my juices flowing.
Instantly.
My dress fit me like a second skin, and getting it pushed up my thighs proved almost impossible. Sitting on the loveseat directly across from Michael, I struggled to rid myself of it as he stroked his cock.
Michael grinned at my frantic attempt to get undressed, his cock gripped firmly in his fist the entire time.
Feeling that I was losing the battle, I eventually unzipped it, carefully removed it, and placed it beside Michael’s jacket. Getting cum on it wasn’t something I wanted to happen.
Now sitting across from Michael, nervous and naked, I looked at his rigid dick, and then into his eyes.
“What do you want me to do?”
While he stroked himself with one hand, he pushed his slacks down to his calves with the other.
“Face the partition,” he said. “Watch your reflection in the glass.”
As the limo glided down the highway toward the vineyard, I got up, turned around and lowered myself into Michael’s lap.
The pressure of the tip of his dick against my wet pussy was a welcome feeling. My wedding night hopes didn’t include getting fucked in the limousine, but then again, Michael was the more adventurous of the two of us.
With my hands on his knees, and my ass hovering above his hips, I accepted the entire length of his thick shaft into me, slowly. One cautious inch at a time, he filled me with his cock. As my ass came to rest against his hips, I exhaled.
“Oh my God. That feels good.”
He cupped my breasts, and rolled my nipples between his thumb and forefingers.
As a tingling ran the length of my body, I arched my back, lifted my butt from his lap, and then slowly lowered myself back down. I caught a glimpse of my naked reflection in the tinted glass partition, but watching Michael’s possessive gaze as I rode him had me aching.
God, this is hot.
My eyes fell closed.
With his chest against my back, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my ear.
A chill ran along my spine.
“Make me come, Terra,” he breathed.
I opened my eyes and looked at our reflection in the mirrored glass.
It was almost as if I was witnessing us perform in our own version of a porn video. I quickly got lost in watching his hands massage the soft skin of my breasts.
I’d always felt that we were a sexy couple. Seeing our naked bodies in the mirror solidified my belief. I smiled, gripped his knees and lifted myself from his lap.
With the tip of his dick tickling my swollen clit, I glanced over my shoulder. “Ready?”
He dragged his teeth along my neck until his mouth came to rest at my shoulder. “Fuck me, Terra.”
It was all the invitation I needed.
I fixed my eyes on the glass, and began to buck my hips wildly. With every ounce of energy I could gather, I fucked Michael’s cock like it was the last chance I would ever have.
He gnawed along my neck and squeezed my boobs as I continued to work my hips up and down, taking every inch of him inside of me each time I thrust my hips downward.
Like animals, we continued. In a matter of minutes, my updo became a downdo. I shook my head, tossed my hair over my shoulders, and arched my back.
“Come in me...”
“Come...”
I felt him swell inside of me, and realized the end was near. I chewed against my lower lip, glanced at the partition, and found complete satisfaction in my messy hair and the sultry look I wore.
I felt his breath against my ear.
“I’m going to come in you,” he said through his teeth.
Please...
The sound of my ass slapping against his hips filled the air, and hearing it fueled me to fuck him even harder.
I leaned forward, placed my hands against the edge of the loveseat across from us, and found the angle to be uncomfortable as hell. Instantaneously, I raised my shoulders and slapped my hands against the glass partition, anchoring myself against something for the last leg of our limousine fuck-fest.
The glass began to move.
Apparently, my hands hitting the glass made the driver think I wanted something. Slowly, and steadily, the glass continued to lower.
No.
No.
Nooo.
It was too late. The partition came a stop.
With the glass no longer obscuring his view, the driver’s eyes met mine in the reflection of the rearview mirror.
Fuck it.
There was little I could do to hide what we were doing, so I simply sat up straight, grinned, and continued.
A few seconds later, Michael erupted inside of me at the same time I reached climax.
As the sound of my breathing became the only thing I could hear, the car came to a stop.
“We’re here,” the driver announced.
Shit!
“Shit!” Michael said.
“Shit!” I squealed.
The driver put the car into park, and when he did, the door locks automatically unlocked.
Then, the back door flew open.
Shit!
There was nothing I could do but grab my dress, attempt to cover my boobs, and hope for the best.
I met my father’s gaze. “Hi, Papa.”
He looked at Michael. His mouth twisted into a smirk. “I better get a grandson out of this.”
Then, he shut the door
.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Michael
After roughly an hour of having photos taken, the wedding party was directed to an area in the center of the room. As we walked through the reception area, I was shocked by what I saw. The gathering of people was unlike anything I’d ever seen, or imagined, for that matter.
To describe the event as overwhelming would be an understatement.
Seated at a special table reserved for the wedding party, I glanced around the massive room. The elegantly dressed crowd, all eager to share our special moment with us, looked back at me.
For that moment, I wasn’t a gunrunner, a criminal, or a member of the Mafia.
I was a part of something unexplainable.
“You alright, brother?” Cap asked.
I took a sip of wine and nodded. “I’m good.”
“You look overwhelmed.”
I was. “No. I’m good.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “Quite a shindig.”
I nodded, but didn’t offer a response. After taking a moment to absorb the crowd, I looked at Terra. “Is this typical for a wedding? This many people?”
She shrugged and then leaned toward me. “I don’t know. There’s a lot, huh?”
I chuckled. “There is.”
Anthony stepped to the end of our table, raised his wineglass, and tapped a fork against it a few times. With everyone’s attention on him, he cleared his throat.
“I’ll keep this brief.” He looked at Terra, smiled, and then looked at me. A quick nod of his head, and he shifted his eyes to the crowd. “A father wants a man to marry his daughter who shares his beliefs, his wisdom, and his ability to provide unconditional love. So many fathers settle for less, and live a life to regret it.”
He glanced at me, and then raised his eyes to the crowd. “I was fortunate. The man who married my daughter is not a man who resembles me, he’s better than me. Yeah, you heard correctly. He’s better than me. Tonight, he committed to God, and to the Church, to cherish her for a lifetime. I know he’ll fulfill that promise, because he’s man of integrity, honor, and moral value.