Epilogue
FIVE YEARS LATER - ADRIAN
I can’t take my eyes off Ella.
She stands at the podium, the stage lights catching the gold in her hair, making it glow like a halo. Her hands move animatedly as she speaks about the importance of arts education, creativity, about how one teacher can change the trajectory of a child’s life. The audience hangs on her every word.
And So do I. Five years together, and she still takes my breath away. Still captivates me. Still...
I shift in my chair, rearranging my erection. But can you blame a man? I can’t control myself when I’m around Ella. We fooled around in the back of the car on the way here, but it wasn’t enough. It’s never enough. When it comes to Ella, I’m insatiable. And watching her in her element is doing things to me that… Well, I’ll be showing her exactly what it does to me later.
I swallow hard, shifting again in my seat as I try to focus on Ella’s speech.
The newly renovated theater is packed to capacity. Teachers, students, community members, even local politicians have turned out for this dedication ceremony. It’s Ella’s triumph, the culmination of three years of tireless work, fundraising, and advocacy. Her foundation has finally brought arts education back to her hometown with plans to expand to other areas with need.
I thought she’d attack this project at a slower pace, but once she got her first paycheck, she became a woman on a mission. Unstoppable. It was a little scary how tenacious she became, if I’m honest. I’ve seen some ruthless businessmen and women in my day, but Ella could put all of them to shame.
And all I can think is how lucky I am to be married to her.
“When I was a student in this very theater, Mrs. Kelley taught me that my voice mattered. Today, we ensure that every child who walks through these doors will know that their voice matters too.”
Next to me, my mother dabs at her eyes with a tissue. On my other side, Max leans in and whispers, “Your wife is something else.”
“Don’t I know it.”
And at this point, everything seems to fade away. Ella’s voice. My brother. My mother. Everyone in the auditorium. All I see is Ella. All I hear is my heart beating and beating. Beating for her and only her. No one in this world comes close to her in comparison. Although if Snickerdoodle could hear my thoughts, she’d disagree. Fortunately, she’s come around to Ella.
I turn my attention to the stage just as Ella gestures to the wings. “And now, the woman who made all of this possible. The teacher who inspired not just me, but generations of students to find their voices. Please welcome Mrs. Eleanor Kelley.”
The applause is thunderous as the small, white-haired woman makes her way onto the stage. She walks with a cane, but her eyes are bright and her smile is radiant as she takes in the renovated theater that will bear her name. They embrace each other on stage, and I can see my wife blinking back tears.
“I’ve been retired for almost a decade,” Mrs. Kelley says into the microphone, her voice surprisingly strong, “I always thought my legacy would be the memories my students carried with them. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this.”
She gestures to the state-of-the-art lighting system, the new sound booth, and the comfortable seating that replaced the worn-out chairs from Ella’s high school days.
“But that’s what happens when Ella Bridges— excuse me— Thorne gets an idea in her head.” Mrs. Kelley turns to my wife.
Ella’s eyes are glistening with unshed tears. That’s my girl. Brilliant and determined. Passionate and tenacious. She refused to take a dime of my money for this project.
“We’re a team,” she’d told me. “But this foundation is my baby.”
Baby.
The word reverberates in my head. It won’t be long now. A few more months. Even now, I can still hardly believe it. But then I see that bump and my heart swells with joy. And then something else because I love my girl even more now that she’s pregnant.
I glance back at her on stage. She and Mrs. Kelley are cutting a large red ribbon stretched across the theater’s new proscenium arch. Cameras flash. The crowd cheers. But all I can think about is getting her out of here. Getting her home. Forcing her to have a little bed rest…
“She’s extraordinary,” my mother says softly.
“She is,” I agree, chest swelling with pride.
When the crowd finally starts to disperse for the reception in the school gymnasium, Ella makes her way to us, radiant despite the exhaustion evident in her slow gait.
“You were perfect,” I tell her, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Did I ramble too much about the sound system? I feel like I lost the thread in the middle.”
“You were eloquent and passionate,” my mother assures her. “Everyone was captivated.”
“Especially Adrian,” Max adds, grabbing my shoulder. “Pretty sure he didn’t blink the entire time you were on stage.”
Ella’s laugh vibrates against my chest. “He’s contractually obligated to look at me that way. It was in our marriage vows.”
“Must have missed that one,” Sariah murmurs. “Oh, right, I missed the entire ceremony because I was driving my belligerently drunk sister back to her hotel after she crashed it in a wedding dress. I’m so sorry about that,” she adds, shaking her head.
Ella laughs. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Did that happen?” I mutter as I lean in, my lips brushing Ella’s ear. “I was too focused on my gorgeous wife.”
I kiss her neck. Her cheek. And then her lips as she bats at me. I don’t care who’s watching. I love my girl, and I’ve been waiting half an hour to kiss her again.
“We’ll catch you guys at the reception,” my brother says as I swallow Ella’s whimpering complaint in my mouth.
By the time I let her go, most of the auditorium is empty.
“Adrian,” Ella gusts out, her chest heaving. “What was that?”
“A kiss.” I brush her flushed cheeks with the back of my fingers. “A long-awaited kiss.”
She wants to be mad. She wants to chastise me for kissing her so publicly. But she’s too flustered to care.
“Why don’t we go backstage?” I rasp, nodding over her shoulder. “There’s a dark alcove over there. We could…” I slide my hands down her sides, slipping one behind her and grabbing a handful of her perfect ass as she yelps.
“No! You need to— oh …” I kiss her neck again, cupping her ass with one hand as I massage her breast with the other. “Oh…”
“No one will even know we’re gone.”
“I’m supposed to speak . Everyone will know…”
I slide my hand lower, cupping her between her thighs and feeling warmth. Wetness. Throbbing. “I need this as much as you do, sweet girl.”
“Adrian,” Ella moans as she begins to relent, her breathing becoming shallow. “Five more minutes. Then we really do have to rejoin everyone.”
“All I need is one.”
Ella laughs. “No. I’m taking the full five minutes and— Adrian!”
I scoop her off the ground, bounding down the row and toward the stairs that lead to the stage.
“Not wasting any more time.”
I slip behind the curtains, waving around backstage until I find the alcove I made a mental note of during the tour earlier today.
“Been thinking about this hot little pussy all day,” I rasp, kneeling as I pull up her dress, Ella’s back against the wall. “Do you want me to kiss you here?”
I brush her wet slit, stroking it, soaking my finger in her arousal.
“Yes,” she begs. “Please. Kiss me there. Lick me. Fuck me with your?—”
I waste no time, burying my face between my girl’s thighs. Spreading her slick folds with my tongue, savoring her honey. This is where my mouth belongs. This is where my mouth thrives. Fucking lives. In and out. Up and down. My tongue’s sliding all over her as she moans, fingers thrusting into my hair, urging me on. Begging for more.
No need to beg.
I could do this all night.
For the rest of my fucking life.
And there’s no doubt I will. I’ll never get enough of my girl. Never get enough of our life together. And with a baby on the way, we’re writing a new chapter.
“Adrian,” Ella screams as her body convulses, nails digging into my skull. But I don’t stop. I won’t stop until she begs.
“Fuck me,” she moans.
Or that.
That’ll do it.
“You need this cock, baby?” I rise to my feet, gripping my erection.
“Yes,” she moans, stroking me through my pants. I need to feel you inside me.”
“Turn around. Hands on the wall.”
Ella smiles wickedly at me as even more wicked thoughts fly through my head.
“Going to put another baby in you, sweet girl.”
Ella laughs as I unbuckle my pants, letting them fall to the ground as I pull down my underwear and let my cock breathe.
“I don’t think that’s how it works— ohmygaaaahd…”
My girl’s so wet, I slip inside her with ease. “Your pussy feels like home. Feels so fucking tight around my cock.”
Ella moans as I thrust inside her. Harder. Faster. She feels like heaven. And it’s not long before I feel her clench against me, milking me.
I flip her hair aside, kissing her neck. “That’s it, baby. Come for me. Fuuuucking… fuuuuuck!”
Both of us orgasm, but I can’t stop pumping. I’m not in control anymore. I’m guided by instinct, all rational thought leaving my head.
“Adrian,” Ella moans when I finally stop. “Holy shit.”
I slip out of her as she gasps.
“Fucking perfect, Ella. I love you.” I kiss her between her shoulder blades, damp with sweat. The air around us is thick with arousal.
She turns around slowly, her flushed skin only a few shades lighter than her lips.
“You’re bad.”
“And you love it.”
She smiles. “I do. More than you know.”
I collect her hands in mine, bringing them to my lips. “I think I do.”
And then I lower myself, letting her hands fall as I touch her bump. “You’ve given me the greatest gift. I know how much you love me. And I’ll be spending the rest of my life proving my love to you.”
She grabs my hands, and I glance up at her.
“No,” she says. “You prove it to me every day. And I’m the luckiest woman in the world for it.”
I rise to my feet, kissing my girl again.
I don’t care who wins this one. I love Ella, and Ella loves me. That’s all that matters.
My wife. My baby.
My family.
* * *
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