Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
IDEAL
RHODES
Now
Well, our season is done. It's sad to think that we didn’t make it to the Super Bowl after we had that winning streak for so long, but honestly, I'm so happy to be spending my days with Elle and Levi that I'm not too broken up about it.
While Elle is writing each day, I teach Bogey tricks. He’s so damn cute and he’s freaking smart too. When Levi’s home, he helps with Bogey and loves giving him treats. So far Bogey can sit, stay, roll over, shake, fetch…and there’s a new trick that I’m working on in secret.
Bogey’s reward is these beef chews that he would do anything for, and my reward is the way Elle laughs in delight when we’ve shown her the latest trick he can do. It’s the greatest motivation.
When she pops out of the office, her hair on top of her head and dragging toward me like she’s almost sleepwalking, I put my arms around her and lead her to the kitchen where I’ve made her a healthy dinner.
The more bites she takes, the more energy returns and midway through dinner, she bounces back and gets chattier.
“What’s your ideal wedding scenario?” she asks.
“You, standing in front of me, saying ‘I do.’”
Her eyes turn melty. “Well, yes, but…I’m a given. What else?”
“Our family and friends there? Although I’d marry you if it were just the two of us in the middle of nowhere. What about you? What do you want?”
“I know what I don’t want…I don't want a long, drawn-out engagement or a big wedding. I don't care where we are. I’d like Levi and our parents and close friends to be there. Nothing else matters. I mean, except you.”
“Well, yeah,” I say. “I’m a given.”
We grin the same sappy grins at each other.
“Do you want to get married in your dad’s church?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I would love for my dad to marry us. I’d rather get married by the water or on a pretty mountain…or surrounded by both. Your yard is gorgeous…out by the little waterfall.”
“Your yard too,” I remind her.
She’s put her condo on the market and I love that she’s never going back there. And not just because of Brock. I love that she’s officially moved in with me for keeps.
“But it’s cold out there right now,” I remind her.
“True…which pushes us back a few months at least,” she says.
“I loved it when you said no long, drawn-out engagements.”
She giggles. “You did, huh?”
“I thought it was a brilliant statement and I wholeheartedly agreed with it.”
“Okay, well, we’ll either have to get lots of heaters and dress warm or look for a destination spot where everyone wouldn’t mind traveling.”
I snap and point at her. “I love the way you think.”
She laughs as she takes her plate to the sink. “Okay, cornball. Thanks for dinner. Thanks for feeding me.” She kisses me and my hands land on her amazing ass. I thank God for it daily.
“It’s the least I could do after keeping you up all night. Were you able to get the words you needed?”
“I need to finish this chapter and then I’ll be done for the night.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.”
She goes back to her office and I search for beautiful locations for weddings. When I start looking at pictures online, it hits me and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.
I wait until she comes back out of the office and have a plate of fruit cut up for her. When she’s in the zone, my girl forgets to eat.
“Shut me down if you don’t love it, but I’ve got an idea for our wedding.”
“What?” she asks, popping a grape in her mouth.
“My parents’ place in California…”
Her eyes widen. “Rhodes! It’s perfect. I’ve always loved that house. The view. The beach is right there. Do you think they would be okay with it?”
“Are you kidding? I don’t even need to mention it unless we think we want to do it, because they’ll both jump all over it.”
“Let’s do it. I love this idea.”
When we FaceTime to talk to them about it, they’re ecstatic, as I knew they would be, but when I say we want to do it as soon as possible, two things happen.
“Are we having a baby?” My mom claps her hands.
“No, Mom, just excited to start our life together as husband and wife.” I laugh. I glance at Elle and lift an eyebrow. “You don’t have anything you want to tell me, do you?”
“Not yet,” she says, laughing. “But you’ll be the first to know.”
My mom immediately goes into super planner mode with all these amazing ideas that sound daunting, until I stop her and say, “We don’t want a production.
Right?” I look at Elle and she nods. “I think we’d both be happy eloping if it meant all of you would be there…
but being home on the beach sounds even better. ”
“Exactly,” Elle said. “We’re thinking simple and elegant. Out on the beach for the ceremony, and then for the reception, we could add another long table by the one already out there and everyone would fit.”
“You don’t want something a little…fancier?” Mom asks.
“Flowers, good food, and the scenery…with all of you. That’s all I need,” Elle says.
“That’s easy,” Dad says, beaming. “Let’s do this!”
We would’ve never been able to pull this off during football season, but since it’s not, two weeks later, we’re all heading to L.A.
in a private plane for the wedding. Bogey is a hit with the flight crew.
When the flight attendants go on over how cute he is, I open his carrier and have him shake their hands.
The little dude is a showstopper.
The whole crew is on this plane—my guys and their girls and kids, Elle's parents—all of us.
I wasn't sure how Weston and Sadie would feel about doing this so close to their wedding since it’s only a month off.
They’re going for more of a traditional wedding than we are, so I thought it could be a stressful time to try to leave.
Elle and I went to them first and asked them to tell us honestly if the thought of going to California for the weekend stressed them out too much.
Sadie’s pretty chill about the wedding stuff and Weston just wants to make her happy, and they both said they were so ready to get away and put all the wedding planning on hold for a few days.
They also said they were so excited for us to finally be together that even if it did stress them out, they wouldn’t miss this for the world.
Elle and I promised to work our asses off doing whatever they needed for their wedding and it was all settled.
With our wedding at the end of January and Weston and Sadie’s the end of February, we’ll have time to go on our honeymoons and still be back to enjoy plenty of home life before next season begins.
There’s very little to do when we arrive.
My parents have worked hard and have hired people to help, so we have the time of our lives relaxing and hanging out together.
The night before the wedding, I follow Elle up the stairs to our bedroom.
I have a hard time keeping my hands off her ass anytime I’m behind her, so I get grabby and she laughs, jogging up the stairs faster.
But when she reaches the door, she turns and puts her hand against my chest.
“Huh-uh,” she says, shaking her head. “You’ve gotta sleep somewhere else tonight.”
I look at her incredulously. “There is no vacancy in this house tonight. We are filled to capacity.” I put my hands on her waist. “And I’m dying to fill you to capacity.”
She smirks but doesn’t budge.
“You’re really saying you can sleep a night without me?” I pout.
She makes a face. “Well, I’m not saying it sounds ideal, but we both need our rest and it’s a tradition…”
“Of all times for you to get traditional...”
“I know.” She grins, her hands winding around my neck. “Just put up with me, and tomorrow and the rest of our lives, we will sleep in the same bed as much as we're able to. Think of this as a night before the big game where you have to go get your rest so you're all prepared to win.”
“I just want to touch down with you right now. I want to bring in our wedding day the right way.”
She laughs. “You are so ridiculous.”
“And you love me for it.”
“Yeah, I do.” She squirms when I nuzzle into her neck.
“Okay, how about I just make it real quick?”
“How quick are we talking?”
“Long enough to make you come twice instead of five times.”
“I guess that would be okay,” she says, pulling me inside the door.
I start by closing it behind her and getting on my knees. When she's yanking my hair and biting her fist to keep from crying out, I let her ride her orgasm out before picking her up and tossing her onto the bed.
“Is this fast enough for you?” I tease.
“Well, you haven't made me come twice yet, so we'll see.”
“Oh, you…” I tickle her stomach and she cackles and then covers her face with the pillow.
She peeks out at me. “Get after it, mister.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
I bury myself inside her with one long stroke and she trembles around me.
“Rhodes,” she whispers. “How does it always feel so unbelievably good?”
“I don't know, Elle. I think you and I were made to do this.”
“Think of all that time we wasted,” she says.
“We're not wasting time anymore,” I tell her.
And then I make her come again.
I wake up next to Penn on my wedding day. It was either crash Penn’s bed or Bowie’s, and Bowie was too sprawled out to make that work. Penn glances up groggily when I get out of bed.
“Was it good for you?” he croaks.
I laugh. Dude’s got jokes even half asleep.
“I’ve had better,” I say. “Much better.”
“Ouch.”
I actually slept and feel pretty damn great.
Today's my wedding day, and I'm gonna marry my best friend, the woman I love.
After getting my shower, I have breakfast with my dad and the guys, and eventually, we go upstairs to Henley's room. He's in the biggest room besides my parents’ and Elle’s, and we all get ready in there. Elle and the girls are getting ready in our room.
“Are we ready for this?” Henley asks.
“I’m so ready,” I tell him.
He hands me The Single Dad Playbook and I smile when I see it.