89. Chapter 89
Chapter 89
After Valerie had driven off with Jacob, David took Paige’s hand and they headed to Three Amigos to continue the reception, this time with some alcohol and dancing. As they were walking into the bar, with Jules leading the way, she nudged Paige and pointed to the small stage set up in the corner, who immediately recognized the band and the bass player who’d bought her a drink six months ago.
“What is it?” David asked, glancing over at the band who was in the middle of playing “Sweet Home Alabama”.
“It’s the local band we’ve seen before,” Paige answered, as they took seats at the bar.
“They’re pretty good,” he said, actually rather pleased. When he’d been told a live band would be playing their regular two-hour set that Wednesday night, a plan had formed in his head, one he hoped would work.
“Yeah, they are,” Jules said, with a wry smile, before leaning toward Paige and saying in her ear, “The drummer was lousy in bed, by the way.”
“He was?” Paige returned, in Jules’s ear. “You didn’t tell me you slept with him.”
“There wasn’t anything worth telling.”
“What about all that rhythm he was supposed to have?”
“He saves it for the stage, apparently.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. He wasn’t worth checking a drummer off my bucket list.”
David, who had heard most of the conversation, despite the attempt at keeping it private, frowned. “Is that the drummer who bought Jules a drink that one night?” he asked Paige.
“Uh, yes.”
“So, that’s the bass player who boughtyoua drink?”
“Uh, yes.”
David checked out the bass player with a more critical eye. “He looks like he’s on the douchebag spectrum.”
“He does not,” she scolded him.
“Yes, he does. On the far end of it.”
With the arrival of Nate, Andrea, and Kim, talk of the band came to an end. Evan, who was now working the bar with Lars, broke out a bottle of champagne and they all toasted to the newlyweds.
“To David and Paige, the sequel!” Evan said.
After the bottle was demolished, Evan served everyone a Fireball shot, in honor of the bride, which made Paige grin. After that he switched to cocktails, like the Big O, the G-Spot, and the Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall, which he served with a smirk.
While he could still speak coherently, David excused himself and headed over to the stage as the band finished up a song.
“What’s he doing?” Jules asked.
“I don’t know,” Paige answered.
After what seemed like forever, David returned to Paige’s side. Before she could ask what he’d been up to, he said, “For a cover band, they suck.”
“You said they were pretty good, earlier.”
“They sound pretty good, but their catalog of songs sucks. The first six songs I requested they didn’t know. At first I thought the bass player was fucking with me, but they just didn’t know the songs.”
She ignored the ridiculous dig at the bass player. “What songs were they?”
““I Am Yours”by Andy Grammer, “Mine Would Be You”, by Blake Shelton—”
“Well, in their defense, I don’t know those, either.”
“They didn’t know “Better Together” by Jack Johnson or “Sweet Creature”by Harry Styles—”
“Harry Styles? Really?”
“It’s a good song,” he quickly defended it. “Then there was “Sweetest Thing”by Allman Brown and “Yours” by Russell Dickerson.”
Paige tilted her head, feeling buzzed by all the alcohol she’d consumed. “Why were you requesting a song, anyway?” she wanted to know.
Just then, the lead singer of the band could be heard addressing everyone in the bar. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve had a request from a brand-new groom, to play a song for the first dance with his brand-new bride.”
“That’s why,” David said, taking her hand and pulling her off the bar stool. As he led her onto the dance floor, the band began to play a song that she immediately recognized.
“This was lucky number seven?” she asked, when he took her in his arms and began to move with her to Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way”.
“It was,” he answered.
“Well, I’m glad since I didn’t know any of those other songs. How didyouknow all of them, by the way? You’re a classic rock guy, last time I checked.”
“I, uh, googled the best, most romantic first dance songs for newlyweds, as soon as I heard there’d be a band here tonight.”
“You did?” She tried to picture him doing such a thing, and decided it was an incredibly sweet thing to do.
“I did. Anything for you.”
“That was very sweet.” She kissed him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He kissed her back, before tilting his head in the direction of the band. “Your bass player sends his regards, by the way.”
“He’s notmybass player. And what do you mean, hisregards?”
“He wished you ‘All the best’.”
Even though Paige thought that was nice, she didn’t say so, because David obviously thought it wasn’t, so instead she said, “Honestly, I’m surprised he even remembers me.”
“I’m not. But maybe now he’ll forget about you—although, after seeing you in this dress, that might be impossible.” He gave her an appreciative, heat-filled look. “Speaking of this dress, I don’t think I mentioned how beautiful you look in it today,” he told her, his voice husky. “You took my breath away when I saw you walking down the aisle.”
“You took my breath away, too.”
As the song came to a close and the final notes drifted away, he pulled her against him and gently nipped at the skin just beneath her earlobe, drawing a little groan from her. “I think it’s time to get the hell out of here and go consummate this marriage.”
“What a good idea. My husband issosmart.”
After hurried goodbyes to everyone, a bone-crushing hug from Jules, and a “Make it good!” from Evan, David practically dragged her out of the bar. Paige didn’t mind, though, because the urgency was coursing through her, too.
The Uber ride to the loft took less than ten minutes, but it was alongten minutes because they had to just sit there and make small talk with the unusually chatty driver, who surmised they’d just gotten married and asked dozens of questions. Upon reaching the loft, they raced up the stairs to the door, where David picked her up in preparation of carrying her over the threshold, only to realize his keys were in his pants pockets.
“Shit.”
“What?”
“I need to set you down.”
Thinking it was because she was heavy, Paige laughed as she realized it was only so he could get the keys from his pocket. After opening the door and throwing the keys on the entryway table, he picked her up again and crossed the threshold, kissing her as he closed the door behind them with a foot. Then, instead of setting her down there, he continued down to the master bedroom.
When she was on her feet again, he lit several candles that were placed around the room, and in the soft glow, began undressing her.
When her dress was unzipped, he wasn’t surprised to see she hadn’t been wearing a bra, given the amount of shoulder that had been exposed, and he trailed a hand down her back before having her step out of the dress. He draped it on a chair, taking a long moment to admire the vision of her in a pair of white lace panties, nude thigh-highs, and the strappy shoes before sliding the panties down.
When he deliberately left the thigh-highs and her shoes on, she gave him a quizzical look. “It’s part of a fantasy that came to me during the wedding ceremony,” he explained. Then, after making quick work of his own clothes, he laid her on the bed and covered her body with his.
“I remembered my vows,” she said.
He grinned at the reminder that she’d forgotten them. “You did? Well, let’s hear them.”
“Right now?”
“Sure, why not?”
She suddenly felt shy at saying the words, which was ridiculous because they were alone and she would’ve recited them in a room with a bunch of people in it—some of them total strangers—if she’d remembered them. But for some reason, being alone and mostly naked made the moment very intimate and raw.
“David,” she began slowly, “I vow to love you above all others and be faithful in both thoughts and deeds. I promise, every day, to give you my best, no matter what that might be. I will also strive to be the person you can count on in times of trouble and laugh with when times are good. I promise to share myself completely with you, to be open and honest, and not hide from anything. There might be obstacles we have to face, but I know that whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together and kick its fucking ass and be stronger for it. I’m grateful to have a second chance with you, because you’ve always been the one for me, and I vow to make this marriage my highest priority, and do everything I can to keep it strong and loving, and make sure it flourishes.”
When she was done, she bit her lip, waiting for him to speak. “Well?” she finally prompted.
“That was … long,” he murmured. “No wonder you couldn’t remember any of it.”
Her mouth fell open in shock at being told her heartfelt vows were … long. “What?”
David continued to just look at her for several seconds, before letting go and cracking up. “I was totally kidding.”
“Ugh.” She slapped his shoulder.
“Oh, my God, that was so funny,” he said, still laughing. “Admit it.”
“I admit nothing,” she grumbled, only to have her annoyance drain away, either because she’d had a lot to drink that night, or because it reallyhadbeen funny, and she couldn’t help but join him in his laughter. “You’resucha dick.”
After regaining his composure, he asked, “Were you really going to say ‘kick its fucking ass’ in church?”
“Yes, but I was going to whisper it to you, so no one else would hear.”
His expression turned tender and he took her face in his hands. Bending his head, he kissed her like he had at the church, softly at first, then with more passion. “I’m actually glad you didn’t say those in front of everyone, because now they’re just for me.”
“Your turn,” she told him.
David’s mouth quirked for a minute, and then he said, in his most solemn voice, “Paige, I vow to be devoted to you until my last breath and make sure you know how much you’re loved, every minute of every day. In you, I’ve found a true partner in life, one to share the good things we’ll be blessed with, and to get through any bad times that will test us. I promise to belong to you, and you alone, to cherish you with my heart and my body, because there is no one else for me in this life.”
Because he’d roasted her, Paige felt obligated to do the same. “That’s … it? That’s all there is?”
“Yep. Short and sweet … and easy to remember.”
This time, their shared laughter was soft. As it died down, David nudged her legs apart so he could settle in between them, and then with eyes locked on hers, eased into her. “Everything feels so much different,” he whispered, as he bottomed out and held himself still. “Can you feel it?”
“I can feel it,” she whispered back.
At first, they moved slowly, like they had endless time in the world. However, it wasn’t long before need took over and she felt the shift as David started to drive into her harder and faster, and she knew he was approaching his orgasm. Wrapping her legs around his waist and hooking her ankles together (smiling a little at the sight of her shoes), Paige urged him on, drawing loud groans from deep within his chest that vibrated against her. Seconds later, as he came hard, his fingers gripped handfuls of her hair while his mouth crashed down on hers, bruising their lips.
Long after David’s orgasm had faded away, she continued to hold him deep inside her, wanting to keep their bodies intimately joined and savor the welcome press of his weight. For long, near-silent moments—save for their tandem breaths in the room—they lay there, spent, and as the candles flickered around them, a sense of profound peace overtook Paige, making her smile.
She was married.