Wedding Chapter Continued #2
We’re still laughing as we step out of the bathroom, leaving the weight of the conversation behind us.
* * *
The rest of the reception is fun and lively, no more tears shed. It’s perfect. Wesley and I dance with friends and family for about an hour and half before we’re both ready to get out of there.
We do the sparkler send-off. It’s a little scary, not gonna lie. All those people… my brothers, with fire only a few feet from my hair.
Wesley holds my hand the entire three minutes it takes to get home. The quiet of the cab is like a hug. I’m so excited to be out of the spotlight and able to relax. Just the two of us.
When we get to my cabin—our cabin now—it’s quiet in a different way than before.
Wesley drops his keys on the counter, the sound loud in the silence. His eyes lock on mine. There’s something hungry there, something that makes my stomach knot and my heart stumble.
He nods toward the stairs. “I’d carry you, but your dress is too long and tripping doesn’t seem romantic.”
I laugh, tugging the skirt up. “Yeah, it’s not.”
I start up the stairs, aware of him following me—not just his footsteps, but the weight of his gaze. Each step makes the reality of what’s waiting heavier, hotter.
Inside the bedroom, everything feels deliberate and prepared– the made bed, the neat carpet lines, the blanket draped in the corner. And then there’s him—filling the doorway, his tie loose, his shirt untucked, eyes burning into me like he’s memorizing me.
I grin, nervous and playful. “I don’t know what to do now.”
He doesn’t smile back this time. He crosses the room, slow and steady, like he’s giving me a chance to stop him.
His voice is low and rough when he finally speaks.
“I do.”His fingers slide through my hair, pushing it off my shoulder.
His knuckles graze my skin and goosebumps follow.
His other hand finds my waist, pulling me close, and suddenly we’re chest to chest, breath to breath.
My laugh dies on my lips, swallowed by his kiss, soft at first, then deeper, hungrier, until I’m clinging to him like I’ve forgotten how to stand on my own.
“Wes,” I whisper against his mouth, but he doesn’t let me finish. His lips trace my jaw, my neck, my knees go weak under his touch. The nerves are still there, but so is something else–this aching pull between us, the years of waiting, of wanting.
“Yes?” he whispers.
“Never mind,” I breathe and let him continue.
His lips are warm against my neck. His hands slip to my back, finding the buttons of my dress. He pulls back, his breath uneven.
“Can I?” he murmurs, voice rough.
I nod, my throat too tight for words. I turn around and hereaches for the first one, but then stops.
“Wait. Are these all buttons?”
I laugh, “Sorry.”
He groans, but it’s lighthearted, “Addison…”
I can’t help but laugh harder. “Gonna make you work for it.”
“You’re killing me,” hemutters with a low chuckle.
Slowly, carefully, he starts unbuttoning them—one by one. The room goes quiet except for his uneven breathing and the occasional groan when one sticks. It’s funny and sweet all at once, the kind of silence that feels full instead of empty.
When he finally reaches the last one, his fingertips trace lightly down my spine, leaving goosebumps. Then he leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder as the dress loosens around me.
I turn around slowly. I want to watch his eyes as I slip out of it.
He’s seen parts of me, but not often and certainly never this much all at once. I feel very vulnerable, but so safe at the same time.
“God, you’re beautiful, Addie,” he breathes, the word breaking me open.
I smile, nerves tumbling out in a shaky laugh. I reach for his tie, tugging him a little closer. “Your turn.” I watch him smile.
My fingers fumble with his tie at first—I don’t know how to undo a tie. But he doesn’t rush me. He just watches, his chest rising and falling.
Finally I get it off and work my way down the buttons of his shirt. His hand rests on my waist lightly. He skims his fingers against my bare skin while he waits.
I reach the last one and push the shirt back over his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. His belt comes next. The second my fingers touch the metal, his chest puffs up, like he can’t stand it much longer.
I glance up at him while I pull the leather out through all the belt loops.
He doesn’t hesitate for even a second before his mouth claims mine, slow at first, then deeper, hungrier, until we’re stumbling back toward the bed.
He guides me down gently, our lips never parting, his weight braced above me, the heat between us radiating like fire.
We shift until we’re stretched across the pillows, kisses softening, slowing, turning into something unhurried. My body melts into the mattress, so comfortable, so relaxed, as if every ounce of tension I carried all day has finally let go.
Wesley pulls back just enough, his calloused hand brushing along my cheek before threading into my hair. His palm cups the side of my face. My eyes flutter, and he looks at me like I’m the only thing that matters.
“You’re tired,” he whispers, voice low.
I nod, my eyes heavy, fighting to stay open when all I want is to close them and rest.
His thumb strokes gently over my temple, back and forth. “Let’s just go to sleep then.”
My eyes search his. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he murmurs, a soft smile on his face. “I don’t want to force anything when you’re tired. I’m tired too.” He lets out a quiet chuckle. “There’s always tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow morning,” I smile as I twirl the ends of his hair between my fingers.
“Tomorrow morning,” he echoes with a grin. “Count me there.”
I laugh, pressing a kiss to his lips. “You better be.”
He pulls me closer, my leg sliding up to drape over his waist as we settle against each other, still face-to-face. I rest my head on his chest, and he lowers his chin to the top of my head.
“I love you,Addison.”
“I love you.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
His hand sweeps slowly up and down my back, pausing now and then to knead gently at my shoulders, just firm enough to make me melt. My body relaxes completely, exhaustion finally winning. Wrapped in the warmth of his arms, I drift off to sleep knowing there’s no safer place I could be.
* * *
When I wake, the sun is already slipping through the curtains, painting the room in soft gold. It has to be at least seven. I slept like a rock, so still and deep that I don’t even remember shifting to my side of the bed, while Wesley’s tucked onto his.
For a moment, I just lie there and take it all in. Married bliss. This is what I dreamed of, not the flowers or the planning or the perfect details of the day, but this. Waking up beside him. Knowing he’s mine forever.
My best friend. My husband.
We’re tied together now for the rest of our lives—for every high, every low, and everything in between.
We’ll face it all together, side by side, whether we like it or not.
And I know there’ll be times we don’t, times we drive each other crazy, times we disagree.
But as long as we keep choosing each other, as long as we stay a team instead of turning against one another… I know we’ll be okay.
I inch over to Wesley. He’s facing me, eyes closed. I hate to wake him but we do have some unfinished business to take care of. I’m glad we didn’t push it last night. I was way too tired, and that’s the last thing I want to be for our first time.
I weave my arm through his and hike my leg over his waist. He stirs instantly, smirking before his eyes open slowly.
“Good morning… wife,” he mumbles, pulling me closer and kissing my cheek.
“Good morning… husband,” I smile and kiss him back.
“Is our date still on for this morning?” he asks, voice still a little groggy.
I bite back a grin, tucking my head against his chest. “Maybe after we brush our teeth.”
He chuckles. “I won’t argue with that.”
With a stretch, he lifts the blankets off of us and swings his legs over the side of the bed. I follow, padding across the room behind him, nerves sparking under my skin with a mix of excitement.
We move through the new rhythm of brushing our teeth, quiet and half-smiling in the mirror’s reflection at each other, the silence between us steady and warm.
I wait for him, nervously tucked under the blankets, fresh mint still sharp on my tongue, my nerves sit heavily in my stomach.
When he steps back into the room, he pauses in the doorway, his eyes roaming over me, a smirk tugging at his mouth.
“This doesn’t feel real,” he says with a quiet laugh.
“I know,” I breathe out, smiling through my nerves. “It’s like we’re doing something illegal.”
He laughs once, climbing into bed beside me. His hand finds my waist, warm and steady, resting there just like it’s meant to.
I shift closer until our legs brush, threading my fingers into his hair. Our mouths find each other at the same time, soft and tentative, like we’re both testing the weight of this moment. But it deepens quickly, all the heated moments of almosts crashing together at once.
Because finally, we don’t have to stop.
He slowly rolls me beneath him, his bare chest pressing warm against mine. My fingers graze along the skin at his waist, memorizing the feel of him. His kiss grows harder, more certain, before trailing down the line of my jaw.
At first, I bask in it–how amazing this is, how amazing he is–but then the weight of what’s about to happen hits me harder. My stomach tightens, anxiety flaring sharp and sudden.
“Wesley,” I breathe.
He stills instantly, lifting his head, his brown eyes locking onto mine like he’s bracing for me to push him away.
“What?” he asks, voice careful, already retreating.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.” The words tumble out in a nervous laugh.
His thumb brushes across my temple, sweeping my hair back. His voice is low and rough, but steady. “Baby… I don’t know what I’m doing either.” He lets out a soft laugh, easing the tension. “We’ll figure it out together though.”
Something in me loosens. The fear doesn’t vanish completely, but it quiets enough that I can breathe again.
I reach up to kiss him, and for a second, he pauses, his forehead resting against mine. “I’ve got you,” he whispers, like a promise.
And just like that, I’m gone.
Our lips crash again, harder this time, and every thought, every worry, falls away.