Page 10 of Thankful For November

“About a week.” My feet spin fast enough for me to see the sheepish look on her face.

“Are you kidding me? You let me choke you and spank the shit out of you, and the whole time you knew?” She comes and walks towards me, smiling from ear to ear.

“How far along are you?”

“Nine weeks.” Almost three months. She kisses my lips and wraps her arms around my neck, biting her bottom lip. Little sneak.

“Oh no, you little brat. You won’t be getting any of that tonight, you deceitful hussy.”

“Lincoln,” she whines, rubbing her body up and down my chest.

“No. Don’t. I could have hurt you both, baby.” When she starts laughing, I am stunned into silence. Is she laughing atme? “I’m serious, November. I could have cut off oxygen to the baby or anything.” Oh, great. Now, she is practically on the floor, holding her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. I want to be indignant, but hearing her laugh is like a balm to my soul. I love that sound.

Thinking about all of our troubles over the last month or so gives me the push to turn this situation into a serious conversation. “Lincoln, you’re a riot,” she says, calming down.

Lifting her in my arms, I walk us into the living room and sit her on my lap. Moving her hair from her face, I ask her the one question that could fix everything and remove the stress from her and my child.

“Baby, let me ask you something. If you have anything to make this wedding planning easier, what would it be?” She looks down at her hands, which she does when she is thinking. Finally, after a few minutes, she looks at me and smiles.

“A wedding planner, one we choose who will stick to the budget we set, but a budget I don’t have to worry about but that will give us the wedding of our dreams. I want it to stay small and…us.” That is a piece of cake.

“Oh baby, you don’t have to worry about that. My family will no longer be in attendance. This wedding is ours and we will make it what we want.”

“Now what do I do about my dad’s money?” I stop to think about that for a moment, and then an idea hits me.

“Did he say it specifically had to go on any one thing?”

“Mmm. No. Just for the wedding.”

“Great. Then his money can pay for the honeymoon. You want to go to Europe and that will be more than enough.”

“I like that idea.” Good.

“A baby, huh?”

“Yeah,” she says, touching my face. “A baby. We’re having a baby,” she whispers.

“We’re having a baby,” I whisper back before kissing her lips. Our family is starting now, and I will protect them with my life.

CHAPTER 11

NOVEMBER

SIX WEEKS LATER

Our wedding waseverything I wanted—finally. After weeks of planning with the help of the incomparable Hailey Jorgensen, we were able to have the intimate ceremony and reception I had always dreamed of. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over us as we stood under the simple wooden arch adorned with wildflowers and the bonfire nearby. Once I gave up the pretense of school and told my mom how I was feeling, I started thriving again. I’m even working at the dry cleaners, even though Lincoln has made it abundantly clear that I don’t have to work if I don’t want to. I love working at Luxe.

My dress, a flowing ivory creation, was a testament to my love for simplicity and nature. Migan captured me perfectly. And my groom, with his rugged good looks and easy smile, looked perfect in his classic black tux. Our families and closest friends surrounded us, their love and support palpable in the air.

As we exchanged vows and promised to love and cherish each other forever, I couldn't help but feel like this was exactly where I was meant to be. Everything was perfect because we chose everything down to the napkin rings ourselves.

After the ceremony, and despite the cold, we danced under the stars—our first dance as husband and wife. I knew that this was just the beginning of our beautiful journey together. As we said goodbye to our loved ones and retreated to our honeymoon suite, I couldn't help but feel grateful for this moment, this love, this life. It was everything I had ever wanted and so much more.

And the best thing? Even though he disinvited his parents, I invited them back. I didn’t want to start the next chapter of my life with that woman hating me any more than she already does. Everyone said I was crazy, but even Clarice appreciated it. I couldn’t let her miss her only child’s wedding. I can be the bigger person. It’s also pretty amazing how quick her tune changed when she found out my biological father is the President of the United States. How she found it? I have no idea. I’m not really telling anyone, of course I told Lincoln and my parents, but as far as I’m concerned, Henry Fowler is and always will be my dad, but I guess I’ve got enough love for another dad too.

Once in the honeymoon suite, he kisses me, ravaging my mouth. The room is dimly lit, the glow of the fireplace casting shadows across the plush carpet. There are rose petals strewn about the room, and the air is filled with the Tahitian vanilla scent from the lit candles. My senses are on overload right now. I can do nothing but moan as he strips off my dress with such force that it tears at the seams. I don’t mind. Migan will fix it. I want him to destroy me, take me without restraint. He is like a wild animal; his eyes are dark and primal. The sound of the sheets rustling as he pushes me onto the bed fills the room. I’m feeling a bit feral, too, right now. The sheets are plush and cool against my bare skin, starkly contrasting the fiery heat coursing through my body.

He doesn’t bother carefully removing his own clothes either; he simply tears them off with the same ferocity he used on my dress. And then he is on top of me; his hard body presses againstmine, his tongue laves against my neck. I moan as his hard cock enters me; the pleasure almost unbearable. He doesn’t hold back, thrusting into me with a primal rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart.

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