Epilogue
DANE
It’s a warm May afternoon on Cherry Mountain, and light streams through the windows of my workshop as I whittle a small piece of ebony. My knife chips carefully at the wood, shaping it into a pendant. I never expected anybody to be interested in my woodwork, but with Celeste’s encouragement, I’ve started selling my creations. She helped me set up an online store, and now I get orders from all around the world for custom wooden pieces. It’s a neat little business. But my favorite thing I’ve ever made is my wife’s bookmark. She still cherishes it.
Once the pendant is finished, I package it up, ready for delivery tomorrow. My watch says it’s nearly five, and my chest tightens with anticipation.
Celeste will be home any minute.
I head out of the workshop and around the cabin to the front door, watching out for my wife’s truck. I bought her a pickup when she moved here—her little tin can from the city wasn’t safe around these parts—and my heart lifts when I hear the nearby rumble of her engine. She pulls up in front of the cabin, smiling at me through the windscreen. I hurry to open the door for her, helping her down to the ground.
“Hey there, beautiful.” I lean in to kiss her. “Fuck, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” She grins at me. My wife is always happy after a day at the library—she landed a job there soon after she moved in with me, and I can’t imagine her working anywhere else. Every week, she brings home a new stack of borrowed books for us to read, and even though she’ll be taking maternity leave soon, that sure as hell won’t stop her from turning our cabin into her own personal library.
“How was your day?” I ask as we head toward the cabin.
“Good. Sawyer seemed happy, too. I’m pretty sure he was having a dance party.” She smiles, resting a hand on her belly. Talking about our son always makes her smile. Her due date is only a couple of months away, and the excitement builds every day as we get ready to meet him. We decided to name him Sawyer after The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , a book that will always have a special place in our hearts.
Inside the cabin, Celeste eases herself onto the couch while I bring her a glass of pink lemonade. This place has changed a bit since she moved in. Instead of one giant bookcase, we now have two, each taking up their own wall—mine on one side, hers on the other. My wife has an eye for décor, and everything seems brighter now, more homely.
“Brody called while I was at work,” Celeste says as I join her on the couch. “He invited us over for dinner.”
We often go to Brody’s cabin for dinner. Things were kind of awkward between us at first, especially when Celeste moved in with me. He was happy for us, but I know he thought we were moving too fast, and it took a while for me to fully gain his trust. But Celeste and I get happier every day, and I’ve finally proven to Brody that his sister means everything to me. He became way more understanding of our relationship when he met Emma. Just like me and Celeste, they fell in love pretty much instantly, and now they’re both happier than ever. These days, I get along well with my brother-in-law. Hell, I’ve even come to think of him as a friend.
“Dinner sounds good,” I say, wrapping an arm around my wife. “What time?”
“Seven.”
“Hm.” I hook a thumb beneath her chin, tilting her face up to mine. “That gives us nearly two hours.”
“Yes, it does…” She smiles at me knowingly, her blue eyes glinting.
Fuck, she’s so pretty.
“I can think of a few things we could do in that time,” I tell her, my cock stirring with anticipation.
She raises her eyebrows, her gaze fixed on mine. “What kind of things?”
“Let me show you, princess.”
I cup her soft cheek and lean in, crushing my mouth to hers. It’s a desperate kiss, boiling over with the need that has been growing inside me all day. I run my hands down her body, grabbing at her floral dress and pulling it off until she’s wearing nothing but her bra and panties. My cock throbs as I stare at her, eyes roaming her body. She’s curvier than ever now she’s carrying our baby, and it drives me fucking crazy. I can’t keep my hands off her.
“You’re so beautiful,” I growl. “Fuck, Celeste, I need you.”
She bites her lip eagerly. “I need you, too. I’ve been waiting all day…”
Her words make me groan, and I yank down my jeans and boxers, my cock springing free. I don’t unbutton my shirt. I’m too damn impatient. Instead, I take my wife’s hand and guide her into the bedroom, lying back on the bed and pulling her on top of me. She rests her hands on my shoulders, her knees on either side of my hips, and I watch hungrily as she sinks down onto my cock with a deep shudder. Her tight pussy clenches around me, and it takes everything in me not to come straight away as I eye her plump tits, her nipples dark and swollen.
“Fuck,” I grunt, gripping her hips tight. “Be a good girl and ride me, princess.”
She moans, throwing her head back as she starts to bounce on my cock. I buck my hips in time with her, thrusting up as she pushes down, pounding her sweet core until she’s sobbing. I stare greedily at the place our bodies meet, watching her tight hole engulf my fat cock again and again, coating my shaft in her cream.
“Fuck, that’s it.” I move faster, relishing the way her body shudders. “You look so fucking pretty with my cock inside you.”
“Oh…oh, Dane!”
She cries my name like she’s begging for mercy, but I won’t give it to her. Our bodies slap together in a primal rhythm, raw and needy, sweat pricking our bare skin. The bed creaks beneath us, the headboard slamming against the wall as we fuck. I feel my wife’s pussy tighten around me as her orgasm blooms, the sensations driving me wild.
“Good girl,” I breathe raggedly. “Use my cock, princess. Make yourself come.”
Celeste does as she’s told. Her movements turn frantic, her eyes rolling back as I jerk my hips up again, again…
“DANE!”
A spasm runs through her body, and her hands claw at my shoulders as she comes for me. Her walls contract, squeezing me tight, and a rush of pleasure surges through me as my cock explodes. A hoarse shout rips from my throat as her pussy milks me dry, drawing out every drop of cum until I’m spent.
“Fuck, sugar…” I pull my wife onto the bed beside me, mindful of her bump as I spoon her back to my chest. “That was incredible.”
“It really was.” She hums contentedly, and I breathe in the scent of her hair, like cherries and cream. Absent-mindedly, I run my hand over her pregnant belly, feeling a slight kick against my palm.
“He’s still dancing,” Celeste says, chuckling softly.
I smile. It’s still hard to believe I’m going to be a dad. My life has changed so much since I met my wife, and thanks to her, things are better than I could have ever imagined. I shut myself off for so many years, but this beautiful angel woke me up, lighting up my life like sunshine.
“I love you so much,” I tell her, holding my wife close. “So, so much.”
She sighs happily, leaning back against me. “I love you too, Dane.”
Sometimes, I think about all the little things that had to happen for us to meet. Brody moving out here. The tree blocking the road to his cabin. Celeste’s decision to walk instead of finding another way. Hell, if I hadn’t gone back to my cabin for a shower, she might have realized her mistake and left before I ever met her. All these tiny, seemingly unimportant decisions have changed our lives forever.
Call it fate.
Call it luck.
Whatever it is, I owe it a hell of a lot.