37. Candice #2
They opted for a small, private, garden wedding. It’s nothing fancy, but beautiful nevertheless. They picked the perfect day to exchange their vows: the sun’s shining, and all the colourful flowers are in full bloom.
Jax, Maddie and I are here, and Brendan’s parents, siblings and their partners are in attendance as well.
Mum and Brendan asked me and Brendan’s older brother to be their witnesses.
Maddie and Snoopy were in charge of looking after the rings.
Snoopy goes everywhere with Maddie—except to school, of course.
“Congratulations,” I say, wrapping Mum in my arms and squeezing her tight. “I’m so happy for you. You sacrificed everything to raise me and I’ll always be grateful for that, but it’s your time now. It’s your time to be you , and to do what makes you happy.”
“I’ve always been happy,” she says. Tears fill her eyes as she runs her hand tenderly down the side of my face.
“From the moment I held you in my arms when you were born. You changed my life for the better. I loved you then, and that will never change. Even though you’re all grown up and a mother now too, you’ll always be my baby girl. ”
“I love you too, Mum.”
She’s finally come to terms with being called ‘Mum’, and ‘Nanny’ by Maddie.
She’s even let go of her obsession with aging.
I think she realises that Brendan will love her no matter what.
It’s funny how the love of a good man can change you.
Things that once seemed so important suddenly aren’t anymore.
She kisses my cheek before releasing me, and I go over to my new stepfather. The thought makes me smile. It also appears that I now have step-aunts, step-uncles and step-grandparents as well. They’re all as lovely as he is. I’m thrilled that our little family is growing.
“Congratulations, Brendan,” I say when he hugs me. We’ve become really close. “I couldn’t ask for a better man for my mum.”
“I was hoping, once your mother and I finally got married, that you’d start calling me ‘Dad’.”
“What?” I say, drawing back so I can see his face. I can tell by the look he’s giving me that he’s serious.
“Only if you want to, of course. No pressure. I know I’m not your real father, but I love you like you were my daughter.”
“You love me?”
“Of course I love you. I love you and Maddie both.”
I tighten my hold on him, resting my head against his chest. Closing my eyes, I fight to hold in the tears. He has no idea how much this moment means to me. He’s just given me something I’ve always been missing, something I’ve wished for since I was a little girl.
“I love you too, Dad,” I whisper. Those words are something I never thought I’d say in this lifetime. “If I could choose any man on this earth to be my father, I’d choose you.”
“You haven’t stopped smiling since we came home,” Jax says as he strips off and climbs into bed beside me.
“I know. My cheeks hurt.”
“Are you going to tell me why?”
When I roll onto my side to face him, he slides his arm around my waist and drags me closer.
“I’m just happy for my mum. She deserves someone like Brendan.
” His lips trail a path along my jaw and down my neck, as I speak.
I feel him hardening against my stomach and I’m pretty sure he’s tuned me out, but I continue anyway.
“Their wedding may not have been elaborate, but it was still beautiful. I think that’s the type of wedding I’d like. ”
His head snaps back. “You want to get married?” Okay, he was listening. “I didn’t think that kind of thing was important to you.”
“I think every little girl dreams about finding her Prince Charming and getting married one day, Jax.”
“Oh.” He manoeuvres his body on top of mine and settles between my legs. “I didn’t pick you for that kind of girl is all. You may not get the husband, but would you settle for your Prince Charming?” I laugh when he wiggles his eyebrows.
“Are you saying we’re just going to live in sin forever?”
He lifts my right leg and drapes it around his waist. I bite down on my bottom lip to suppress my moan as he slowly slides inside me.
“There’s nothing sinful about the love I have for you,” he says as his lips brush against mine. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted too.”
“My sinful thoughts though … that’s a whole other story.”
I laugh. I know all about his sinful thoughts. I love them almost as much as I love him.
“My thoughts about you are pretty sinful too, Mr Albright,” I say, burying my hands in his thick brown hair.
“Oh, yeah? Enlighten me.” He thrusts his hips forward and slides all the way in, filling me completely. The pure ecstasy that only he can bring takes over, making me incapable of answering. He withdraws to the tip and drives back in. My eyes flutter shut as a long drawn-out moan falls from my lips.
When I finally reopen my eyes, I find Jax giving me that look he reserves only for me. It makes my stomach flip-flop. Sliding my hands into his hair, I pull his face towards mine.
“Let me show you,” I whisper against his mouth.
“If you want to get married, we will,” he says as I lay in his arms, still coming down from our post-coital bliss. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, you know that.”
“It has to be something we both want, Jax.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to marry you, it’s just that I don’t need a piece of paper to prove how much I love you.”
“I don’t either,” I say, snuggling closer into his side and placing a soft kiss on his chest. “As long as we’re together I’m happy. We’ve never been conventional types anyway.”
He chuckles. “That’s right, we haven’t. We had a child when we weren’t even together.” He kisses my hair. “If it’s meant to be, babe, it will happen at the right time, and for the right reasons. Not because society says it’s what we should do.”
“In my heart, I know our best is yet to come. In the meantime, just keep loving me, and I’ll keep loving you. The rest will fall into place.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, Candice,” he says, brushing my hair from my face. “ Never .”