16. Foster
FOSTER
“Are you positive?” I check with a grin as I hold an umbrella above our heads outside the doctor’s office after her twenty-week appointment.
Sutton doesn’t let her smile falter even the slightest. “Nope. We’ll wait to find out until after the nuptials later today.
” She holds up the closed envelope that will tell us if we’re having a boy or a girl.
She slips it into her bag, satisfied with our decision to include the news in our wedding-day festivities.
I sling my free arm around her waist to pull her close, and her fingers begin to play with my tie. “Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
I had a meeting in the office at nine, then slipped out without a word, with no intention of returning today. Still in my suit, I met Sutton at the doctor’s office, and although they could have told us on the spot what we were having, Sutton thought we would find out after we said ‘I do.’
We’re keeping our promise. The marriage license is in her bag, and the prenup is already with my lawyer.
Our friends have known this was coming for weeks but not when; Sutton and I don’t want any fuss.
We’re not people who want a room full of attention, and lucky for us, Illinois doesn’t require witnesses.
But right now, none of those details matter.
All I’m thinking about is Sutton in front of me, beautiful with her hair down, wearing a simple cream dress that traces our growing baby.
“Come on then, the judge is going to be at home in half an hour,” I remind her, stepping to the side as my driver pulls up. I open the door for Sutton and let her slide in before I retract the umbrella.
When we arrive home and walk into the kitchen and living room, Sutton immediately notices the counter with a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne and flowers. “Ooh, someone in this room had their assistant go the extra mile.”
I laugh because she isn’t wrong. “The perks of having an assistant who signed an NDA.”
Sutton gives me a skeptical glare. “Really? Because I’m confident that all Julian would have to do is remind her he is CEO in order to get intel.”
“Nah, Vicky has been with me for years. Discretion is her strength.”
“Okay, so where are we doing this?” she asks, glancing around as my phone rings.
I answer the call from the front desk while Sutton waits and listens.
After I confirm with the front desk that the judge is here, I hang up.
Sutton rolls in her lips, an almost shy smile lifting her cheekbones. "Time to start the show?"
I nod. “I guess… the living room overlooking the city?”
She ponders for a second. “A better idea… the still-empty nursery. Your little kingdom up here means every bedroom still has a view of the city. Then, when the baby is here, we can remind him or her every day that this is where we got married. An extra detail for their room. A special place that hopefully encourages dreamy sleep for a baby.”
Stepping to her, I plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “Sentimental. Look at you,” I tease her in passing to go let the judge in. But actually, it is sentimental. Everything we’re doing is for the baby; everything in our future revolves around our child.
But as I glance back over my shoulder, I know with growing certainty that even without the baby, Sutton would still be the center of my world—she’s always on my mind, in and out of the office. She’s my perfect match. It is blatantly clear.
When I let the judge in, I have zero nerves. Pete is my father’s age, a friend of my lawyer, and also a retired judge. Apparently, he owns a diner in Lake Spark near Everhope. He’ll make this quick and legal.
After quick introductions and giving him the file with our marriage license, he smiles at both of us.
“Shall we begin?”
Sutton outstretches her arm to lead him back into the hall. “Yeah. This way. We decided we want to get married in the baby’s bedroom. It’s still empty.”
“That doesn’t matter. It’s about the space,” he reassures us as we walk.
“Besides, I have had some odd locations for weddings. Once, there was a couple insistent on marrying on the corner of the street. Although it was where they met, construction on the sewer was underway at the same time. I tried to hurry that wedding along.”
My face squinches from that story. Sewers and weddings are perhaps too far, but romance is romance, I guess.
“Luckily, we’re opting for a warm and noise-free location,” I say.
We walk into the empty spare bedroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in cloudy light, and the pale floor brightens the room even more. I cleared everything out last week so we can start setting things up.
“I guess by the window,” Sutton suggests while she scans the room.
“It’s your special occasion,” Pete reminds her.
She looks at me to check that she’s on the right track. “It’s perfect,” I approve.
“Okay, if you both can stand here.” Pete motions for our spots, and we stand facing each other. “This won’t take long.”
Sutton straightens her shoulders and clears her throat before she meets my eyes. She comes across more as awkward than nervous, unsure of the protocol in such a simple ceremony. But her eyes flick up to meet mine, and an angelic smile accompanies it.
I reach out to take her hands in mine, unable to hide my smile.
“We can do this as quickly as possible. Illinois doesn’t require much; I only need to hear that you both agree to this. Or we can add a little more. Up to you.”
I study Sutton, trying to find out what she’s thinking. But it’s simple. She deserves more than a few words.
“Sutton, this is the start of a connection that has nothing to do with the baby. It’s us.”
Her smile changes. Still present, but she shows how she is soaking in my words.
“Foster, I believe that we can make this work,” she admits.
Our eyes are still set, my chest pounding. This is happening right now. “It’s already working,” I point out.
She pauses for a good few seconds, the corner of her lips twitching. “You’re right.”
I almost forgot that our rings are in my pocket. Pulling them out, I pass her mine. She holds her hand out, and I slide hers on as though this is a daily occurrence for us.
“Phew, I thought my finger might be too swollen.”
She slowly slides my ring onto my finger, and at first, it feels odd to have a ring. I’ve never had one, and the silver band is an instant visual reminder of the commitment we are walking into.
“Anything else you two care to share?” Pete asks as he observes us. We remain quiet. He nods in understanding and proceeds.
“Wait,” Sutton cuts in. Our eyes dart to her. Her deep breath is used to gear up her words, apparently. “This is overwhelming, but I think that I really want this. You get that?” She seems to doubt whether she is making sense.
But she is. More than.
There’s a spot below my heart, growing and sending excitement through my chest. We’ve been obvious. She and I simmer around each other, comfortable and optimistic about the future.
In plain terms, “We’re a hell of a lot more than what we ever intended. And I’m not complaining either.” My lopsided grin is full of natural joy.
Her smile is ear-to-ear, clearly relieved that I feel the same way.
“It seems we’ve never been so sure of something in our lives,” I highlight.
She squeezes my hands tight. “True.”
We both look to Pete, and I give a curt nod to proceed.
“Do you take one another to be married for as long as you both shall live?”
“We do,” Sutton and I say in unison.
He chuckles. “At the same time, it’s a good sign. And it’s all I need to hear to officially announce you as husband and wife.”
I close the distance to Sutton, and my hands cup her face, tipping her mouth up. Our eyes are locked in a promise. “I believe I get to kiss my bride now,” I whisper.
“She would like that very much,” she whispers back.
Meeting her lips with mine, I kiss her slowly and intentionally. Every ounce of change of pressure fills me with more belief that I made the best decision of my life.
And when I pull away and she rests her forehead against my chin, inhaling my scent, I quickly realize that she is breathing in our new life.
After letting Pete out, I return to the baby’s room to see Sutton staring dreamily out the window, her forehead against the glass with the envelope from the ultrasound now in her hand. She must have grabbed it when I was out of the room.
But fuck, she is a view.
And she’s mine.
I slowly stride towards her. “Still raining?”
“Yes. But I like that.”
I wrap my arms tightly around her from behind. “Are you curious?”
She laughs softly and holds the envelope out in front of us. “Yes, Husband.”
“Well, Wife, you should open it then.”
She fans herself with the card. “Okay, I’m happy either way, but this is kind of more nerve-wracking than the vows we said.”
I laugh at her, so cute and flustered. “I get it.”
Her fingers break the seal, and slowly she pulls out the paper with an ultrasound photo.
“Ready?” I can hear the excitement in her voice.
“Go.”
She flips the ultrasound paper with a clear circle on it.
I grin so big my cheeks hurt. I’m satisfied with my suspicion and simply happy. Girl or boy, I’ve been excited either way.
But I can’t help but gloat right now. “A boy,” I reiterate the words on the card.
She gasps, and her mouth stays open, her smile apparent. “A son. I’m going to be a boy mom.” She turns around and playfully swats my arm. “Congratulations. You’re always right, aren’t you?”
“Babe, trust me.”
Sutton walks straight into my arms. “I do.”
The answer to what we’ve been waiting for begins to wear off, and she looks around the room. “Now we can begin to nest, I guess.”
I can’t help sputtering a laugh. “I know that’s a thing people say, but fuck… we’re not birds.”
Her laugh is almost hysterical. “You are so right. Who came up with it? We need a different word.”
“Or we could just use prepare. A favorite word for a CFO and lawyer.”
“Agreed.” She holds out her hand, eager for me to accept it. “Come on, I have a surprise for you.”
My brows lift, curious and pleased. “Oh yeah?”
Sutton tugs me along behind her, returning us to the kitchen. She stops her hands and indicates for me to stay in place, and I listen as she goes straight to the fridge, opens the door, and I instantly hear her.
“Huh?” She ducks her head around the corner. “What’s this?”
Proud, cocky, and genius. I make good decisions sometimes. “I made sure my assistant picked up tiramisu from this place that apparently has the pregnancy-safe kind. You know, lacking alcohol or unapproved cream and cheese. The best, they say.”
She snickers a laugh before disappearing, only to reappear with a box. “Funny. Because while you were at work, I picked up a coconut cream pie from one of the best on the list.”
Laughing, we are perfect. “Ah, I wanted to surprise you with your favorite dessert, and you wanted to do the same.”
Setting the box back into the fridge, she closes the door. “Now we have an abundance of sugar in the fridge.”
Sauntering to her, I pull on her hand to reel her into me. “We might need it later.”
“Oh yeah?” she purrs.
“Yeah, wedding night and all.”
“It’s only lunch time.”
“Even better.”
But we do wait. A piece of pie and tiramisu called our name, and I realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Luckily, my assistant left sandwiches and salads in the fridge, too. Not exactly gourmet but also fitting. We’re enjoying the day the way we want to, and we don’t want to go outside.
Finally, we make it to bed, though, with the afternoon light still strong. We both take our clothes off and get under the blankets.
“Come here,” I encourage her, propping pillows behind her so she can lean back comfortably. Every day her body changes, and I’m cautious of the best way to take her. She settles with that tiny sultry smile of hers, her naked body on display. “Open your legs,” I instruct with my husky voice.
She listens and nibbles on her finger as she peers down to watch my every move. Lying on my stomach, I place wide, wet kisses on her inner thighs, and she rakes her nails through my hair as she hisses a breath.
Peppering kisses up her skin, I hook my arms under her thighs, keeping her firmly in place. My tongue finds the source to drive her wild.
Touching her swollen clit, I press then circle, tasting her slick heat, extra sweet today.
I draw the pattern repeatedly on her pussy, then run my tongue down and up.
Her breath catches, and her body lifts off the mattress, attempting to rub her pussy against my mouth.
My hands stamp her back down so she can’t move.
I’m relentless and continue my movement, letting my tongue dip inside of her.
Her moan is shamelessly loud, and her hands travel her body up to her breasts.
My cock strains from swollenness, and I watch her pinch her nipples while I continue to taste her pussy, dying for my cock. I suck her clit, intent on moving us to another position.
“So fucking good,” I murmur against her folds, feathering my lips up to her belly. “I can’t get enough of you like this.”
She smiles lustfully. “I’ve noticed. You worship my body.”
Unhooking my arms from her legs, I move, ensuring my eyes remain on her, determined. “Trust me. I’ll do it even when you’re not growing our baby inside of you.”
I run my hand along the side of her body, encouraging her to lie on her side. I move a pillow so she can rest her knee on it. From behind her, I rest on my side, entwining our limbs, skin to skin.
There is no wait, I need to be inside her. I guide my cock straight to her pussy, and I enter. Confident with my positioning, I bring my arm around her, my fingers playing with her clit as I begin to move slowly.
This isn’t going to be rough or fast.
Today, it can’t be.
We are already consumed by one another.
The difference today is that when she laces our fingers together as she joins me, stroking her at that little bud that can send her over the edge, then dragging my hand to draw up the curve of her belly and straight to her heavy, round breast, I visibly see something now distinct and forever.
We are both wearing rings.
Because she is now my wife.