A moment later, she’s convulsing, whimpering, flushed, and my cock is nearly strangled.
“Jesus,” I groan, my stomach tensing as I finally claim what’s mine, coming so deep inside of her that I think about the family we could be starting. I think about her pregnant with my baby, swollen and full.
I press in harder, deeper, and more desperately as I hold her in place, her tight little slit still choking me as the last of my come seeds inside of her.
“Damn, little lamb. That was,” I stay inside of her, pulsing slowly in rhythm with her breath, “incredible. You feel incredible.”
The flood of our pleasure pools when I finally pull out and I watch as it drips down her tight little hole.
This is mine. All fucking mine.
She leans up and turns, landing her head against my chest. Her breathing is hard and fast. “I don’t want to let you go.”
“You don’t have to,” I whisper, holding her tighter, kissing the top of her head, memorizing the way this moment feels. For the first time in my life, I’m letting the feelings in, and they don’t settle, they flood. They claim everything, and I realize all at once that love isn’t weakness. It’s power, and without it, without my little girl, I’d never be whole.
Epilogue
Penny
Two Years Later
They say a scent can bring you back to a place in time. That an aroma alone can unlock the centers of your brain that hold even the deepest memories. I’d never really put that theory to the test until I opened the fudge shop.
“It’s like Mom is here with us every single day,” Allie says, sliding a tray of peanut butter fudge into the glass case. “Every flavor reminds me of a different memory we had together.”
Allie was only ten when mom died, Alexa was even younger, but somehow the scents bring them back to the happiest parts of our childhood. Days when the kitchen sink was full, and Mom’s smile was wide. Days when Dad wasn’t so hell bent on hating life.
“I know,” I say, tying silver ribbons onto the farmer’s market order that’s going out the door with Alexa this morning. “I hope Beth and this little one,” I rub my hand over my expanded stomach, “have the same memories.”
“They will,” Wilder says as he tucks in behind me, causing Allie to smile ear to ear. “Look at you two. The girls will have a lifetime of everything good the world has to offer.” Wilder sets his hand on my chin and turns me toward him. “You just about ready, little lamb? I need to get you off your feet.”
For the better part of the last two years, I’ve been pregnant, but I haven’t let it slow me down. My sisters and I opened the shop a year ago, and the people of Rugged Mountain really seem to like us. We’ve featured in the Gazette multiple times for our cayenne fudge, and we’ve had town royalty in here at least once a week snatching up our newest flavor,Snuggle Fudge.It’s a marshmallow and caramel swirl that folks really seem to love.
“Wait, tomorrow’s your anniversary!” Alexa twists her long ponytail behind her as she shuffles the bags for the market into a box. “What are you guys doing? Two years, that’s a pretty big deal.”
Wilder lifts me up off my feet and cradles me into his arms. I’m always impressed that he can lift me so easily, especially six months pregnant. “Grandpa Reynolds is taking Beth to her first play in the Springs, and my girl and I are spending the night out at a little cabin on the lake. The same one we had the wedding at. I bought it out, so we’d have it whenever we want. You girls are free to use it too.”
I’m not sure the girls are at a point in their life yet where they’re amused by quiet little cabins in the woods. Sooner or later, they will be. But for now, they’re focused on high school and boys. It’s a far cry from the drama with my father, who still hasn’t found the nerve to reach out.
I don’t lose sleep over it, though. Wilder did send him a bit of money and offered to pay for therapy. Shocker… Dad took the money and refused the help.
I washed my hands of him shortly after that. Some days, it’s sad thinking about what used to be, but most days I’m looking forward to the family I’m building.
A customer steps through the door of the shop and sunshine spills in with them, lighting the floor and the glass case with a golden glow. I’m sure I should be focused on what theyorder but I’m too busy holding onto Wilder to notice anyone else around me. Thankfully, Allie handles everything like a pro. I’m so proud of how far the girls have come since they moved out of Dad’s place, and I’m so thankful to Wilder for letting them move in with us until it’s time for college.
I’m pretty sure this is what peace feels like. Sticky fingers, silver ribbons, a belly full of baby, and a heart full of everything I never thought I’d have.
Wilder leans in and kisses my temple in the same loving way he has for years. “You’re glowing, little lamb.”
“I love you,” I say, staring up at the man that bought my virginity.
“I love you,what?” He wrinkles his brows, playful demands in his voice. “I think you’re missing something.”
I grin wide and snuggle up against his chest as he carries me out onto Main Street in the bright afternoon sun. “I love you,daddy.”
“Good girl,” he groans in my ear before settling me onto the seat of his truck, his hand lingering just a moment longer on my belly, like he’s grounding us both in the life we’ve made.
The door clicks shut, and the scent of leather fills my nose. I watch him walk around the front, his stride easy and confident.
He climbs in, starts the engine, and reaches for my hand. Our fingers lace together like they’ve always belonged that way.
“Let’s go home,” he says, voice thick with promise.
I lean my head back, heart full, body heavy with love and new life. And as we roll down Main Street, past the fudge shop, past the people of this quiet mountain town we’ve made our home, I know this is only the beginning of something even sweeter. Something that looks an awful lot like forever.
