Chapter 16
Reagan
A little less than a year after Ronan told Charlie he was going to propose, he did it while on vacation with Mallory. Two and a half years after that, it was finally his big day. In that time, he had also hung up his football cleats and taken teaching classes, so he could become a physical education teacher. A few months after the wedding, he would be starting as a teacher and coach at the middle school in their hometown.
That wasn’t what we were celebrating today though. Today we were celebrating the love he and his soon-to-be wife shared. I couldn’t help but beam with pride as Charlie and I walked our amazing son down the aisle. We each gave him a hug then sat in the front row. I turned to watch Carter and Olivia walk down the aisle, both wearing light blue bridesmaid’s dresses. Carter’s long hair was pulled up in a simple updo and Olivia’s hair was falling by her shoulders, styled in a way that showed off the blonde pieces underneath.
When the music changed, we all stood. Mallory looked absolutely breathtaking. She was wearing a princess style ivory gown with very intricate beading. Her hair was half up and her smile was wider than I had ever seen it before. I quickly turned my attention from Mallory to Ronan so I could catch his reaction to seeing his bride for the first time. He chuckled through his tears as he stared at Mallory, his eyes wide as if he was worried he would miss a pivotal moment if he blinked.
The officiant was someone they had gone to college with who became ordained just so she could do their wedding. Having the ceremony performed by someone who knew them both so well made it extra personal. It was perfect, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. At least, I had to assume there wasn’t. I couldn’t exactly see through my own tears.
After the ceremony, it was time for pictures. I held Charlie’s hand as we waited patiently for the new couple to finish their pictures with Mallory’s family. Once it was our turn, I stood by Ronan with Carter on my other side and Charlie stood between Mallory and Olivia.
After taking a few pictures, the photographer excitedly showed us her favorite one. As I stared at the picture, all of our memories from the past twenty-five years came flooding back. It honestly felt like just yesterday that we brought our three kids home from the hospital with no clue what we were doing. Somehow we had helped to shape them into upstanding individuals. Sure, Olivia had yet to stick with a job for more than six months, but in the little bit of time she was with each company she put all of her heart into her work. She also knew how to still have fun on top of working hard, which was something I was hopeful Carter would figure out. Carter had a great job and was ridiculously successful, but as far as I knew, she hadn’t dated anyone since Marcie broke up with her after college. According to Olivia, she hadn’t even done anything casual.
“That one is definitely getting blown up and hung above the fireplace,” Charlie said from over my shoulder, bringing me back to the present moment.
“No doubt. We all look so happy.”
Charlie gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and rested her chin on my shoulder. “That’s because we are.”
“We sure are.”
The reception was a blur of toasts, dancing, and drinks. Charlie and I laughed together as we stumbled back to our hotel room at the end of the night. “I’m way too old to be drinking like this,” Charlie said as she struggled to unlock the door.
I took the key from her and somehow was able to get the door opened even though I was just as drunk as her. “Nonsense. Are you even old enough to drink?”
“Ha. Good one,” Charlie said as she pushed me backward.
When the backs of my knees hit the bed, she pushed me onto it and crawled on top of me. I lifted my eyebrows at her. “If I knew this was where the night was heading, I would have left the reception earlier.”
“No you wouldn’t have.” Charlie loosened my bow tie then leaned down to pepper kisses along my neck that already had my body buzzing.
“I would’ve thought about it at least.”
“Do you think about this often?” Charlie slid her hand down my body, then unbuttoned my pants and slipped her hand inside, immediately running her fingers over my already-wet center. I bit my lip as the spot she was touching pulsed against her fingers.
“Only every single day,” I said once I remembered Charlie’s question.
She continued to move her fingers over me as she leaned in and took my ear between her teeth. The whispered words that followed caused goosebumps to pop up all over my body. “What do you think about?”
“I think about how sexy you look all the time, even when you’re not trying. I think about how your body just keeps getting better with time. I think about the way your touch still drives me wild and how I hope there never comes a day when you stop touching me.”
Charlie massaged my clit with her thumb, causing my body to feel as if it was on fire. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on ever stopping. I love touching you.” As if her words were a lie, she removed her thumb from my clit at that very moment. “Although, there is one thing you didn’t mention thinking about.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I asked as I tried to maneuver my body in a way to get her fingers back on me.
Charlie sat up and pulled off her underwear, then hiked up her dress. She grabbed my hand and brought it to her own center. “Touching me,” she whispered seductively.
Once I began to run my fingers over her, she finally touched me again as well. I mimicked her motions, running my fingers through her folds as she did the same to me then giving attention to her clit as she massaged mine.
I moaned as Charlie pushed a finger inside of me, then once again when she pulled it out. “More,” I gasped while I struggled to catch my breath.
Charlie lifted an eyebrow at me. “If you want more you’re going to have to earn it.” She looked down at where my fingers were resting on her clit.
I moved one finger inside of her then quickly added a second which prompted Charlie to do the same thing. I was about to add a third when Charlie’s soaking wet fingers touched my lips. “Taste yourself,” she commanded.
I moaned once again when the taste of my own pleasure hit my tongue. I licked her fingers clean, but that only made my hunger worse. I brought my own fingers to my mouth and tasted Charlie now. The mix of tastes from the two of us made my stomach growl. I was like an addict. I wanted more.
“Why are you the only one who gets a taste?” Charlie pushed out her bottom lip and I took it between my teeth, then kissed her hard so she could taste what I was.
Charlie moved her fingers back inside of me as we continued to kiss, so I did the same. This time, when she took them out, she brought them to her mouth. After licking them clean, she gave me a sly smile. “The kiss was great, but it doesn’t compare to tasting it directly.”
“In that case…” I moved two fingers in and out of Charlie, then brought those fingers to her mouth so she could taste herself.
After removing my fingers from her mouth, Charlie brought her own fingers to her mouth and tasted me. Then Charlie leaned in and kissed me once again. I groaned from the taste of our mixed pleasures passing from her tongue to mine.
We continued this pattern of fingering and tasting each other until we were both gasping for breath. I knew I wasn’t going to make it much longer, so I wanted to make sure Charlie came just as hard as I was about to. I fucked her hard with three fingers, moving them farther inside of her with each push. After a particularly deep thrust, I curled my fingers and brought my thumb over her hard clit at the same time.
Charlie must have liked this idea, because she did the same thing, and soon I was seeing stars. My body went rigid at the same time Charlie crashed down into me. For a few minutes, the only noise in the room was the sound of our heavy breathing.
When I opened my eyes, Charlie’s beautiful blue eyes were already looking back at me. I pushed a piece of hair behind her ear as I stared up at her. Even after all this time, it still didn’t feel real that this woman was mine. Mine. My heart fluttered at the thought. I was the luckiest woman in the whole world.
“You’re so gorgeous,” I said softly.
A small smile parted Charlie’s lips, and I could feel that smile as she kissed mine. A warmth spread throughout my body as we continued to kiss slowly.
When Charlie pulled back from the kiss, she looked down at me with so much love that it was as if I was the person who put the sparkle in her eyes. “I love you.”
My toes curled at the sound of those words rolling from her lips. How does she still do this to me?
“Marry me.” The words were out of my mouth before I even had the chance to think about what I was saying.
Charlie giggled and kissed me once again. “I think we already did that about twenty-seven years ago. Did you forget?”
I shook my head and put my hands on her hips. The idea might have come out of nowhere, but now that it was out there, I couldn’t shake it from my mind. “I want to marry you again. We should renew our vows.”
Charlie laughed once again. “Do I need to remind you that we just spent the last year and a half helping to plan our son’s wedding? You really want to jump right into our own wedding?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be anything big. We can mostly have family and maybe a few close friends if they feel like coming.” I felt my face light up when another idea popped into my head. “Let’s do it for our thirtieth anniversary. That way we still have three years, and it’s also not completely random.”
Charlie nodded. “That’ll work as long as we don’t have another wedding to plan at that time.”
“It’s fine. If Carter or Olivia are engaged, we can make it a double wedding.” I laughed at the thought of that.
Charlie laughed along with me. “Can you imagine the adult tantrum Olivia would throw if we told her we were going to share her wedding day with her?”
“I don’t want to imagine it.” I shuddered. “I would seriously fear for my life. That girl is fierce.”
Charlie poked me in the chest. “She’s your daughter. It’s no question who she gets that attitude from.”
I grabbed her finger and lightly bit it. “I’m not so sure about that. I think she got it from her namesake. We should’ve known she’d be a handful as soon as we gave her that name.”
Charlie laughed again, but it quickly died off. “I still really miss Nana. Even after all these years, I think about her all the time. It’ll be weird to get remarried without her there.”
I took the hand I was still holding and intertwined my fingers with hers. “She’ll be there. I don’t think we have to worry about that.” I chuckled to try to clear the heaviness of the moment. “I also really don’t think we have to worry about there being another wedding in three years. Olivia doesn’t seem interested in settling down any time soon, and unfortunately, I’m worried Carter might not ever date again.”
“I don’t know. Olivia was hitting on the bartender tonight. Maybe wedding bells are in their future.” Charlie squeezed my hand. “When the time is right Carter will find someone.” She lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “Jax is still single.”
I let out a boisterous laugh, because even though Charlie and I had never discussed it before this, I was also holding out hope for that pairing ever since things ended between Carter and Marcie. “Okay! So I’m not the only one who is Team Jax. Good to know.”
Charlie laughed and gave me another kiss. “The answer is yes by the way. There’s nothing I want more than to marry you over and over again.”