Page 89 of Keeping You

I collapse back on the couch. “Can we please move on?” I huff.

Everyone shakes their head, and I cross my arms over my chest like a toddler.

Olivia laughs. “Oh, babe, you’re just proving Bailey’s point.”

“I know falling in love can be scary,” Bailey says. “But it’s so worth it. Don’t deprive yourself of it.”

Bailey knows what she’s talking about. She left an abusive marriage and thought she wouldn’t find love again until she met Caleb. I’ve seen how he dotes on both her and her daughter, Charlie. I know I love Grayson, but we’re like a puzzle with one missing piece right in the centre and you can’t say it’s finished until you find it. It’s as though he’s holding something back from me and my soul can sense it. I need us to both be inthis relationship one hundred percent. I need him to trust me enough to share whatever it is that he’s holding back.

“I’m missing something,” I admit, and they look at me quizzically. “I don’t know what it is. I can’t put a finger on it. I just know that even though we enjoy each other’s company, he makes my day’s better, and the sex is out of this world, there’s something missing.” I straighten. “But enough about me and my marriage. We’re here to celebrate Bailey and Caleb getting married. So let’s pour the champagne and head out and get pampered.”

The girls, knowing I’m done with this conversation, agree, and we pop the first bottle of the day.

Saturday morning is a rush of excitement as we get ready for the wedding. Caleb stayed at Josh and Liv’s last night so we could have the entire house for the girls. They decided to have the wedding at a local park with a gorgeous view and floral area. They wanted to get married somewhere that meant something to them.

Caleb’s mom comes over with Charlie after breakfast. With Bailey not having her mom anymore, Lorraine is taking over some of those rolls.

I gasp when Bailey comes out of the bedroom in her wedding dress. It’s simple and elegant, very her. It’s a white satin dress with a square neckline, and it hugs her body. The way it clings to her is different than anything she would have worn when I first met her, but I’ve seen her embrace herself since her and Caleb started dating, and I love it for her.

The front of her dress just brushes the floor, and a train flows behind her. Braids pull back the front pieces of her hair intoan elegant chignon. Baby’s breath is delicately placed into the braids, and her smile makes her glow. She’s a vision.

We take a few photos before piling into the cars and making our way to the venue.

The girls all head inside with Bailey, while I take Charlie’s hand and lead her to the back of the building. I’ve taken charge of taking her to her first look with Caleb.

When we turn the corner and she spots him, she calls, “Daddy!”

He spins around, and I hear him gasp as he takes in her pastel-pink dress with a white satin ribbon around her waist. She lets go of my hand and runs towards him as he crouches to catch her. He wipes away a tear as he holds her.

After a few minutes, he puts her down and kisses her cheek before she comes back to me and I lead her inside so we can start the ceremony.

The ceremony is beautiful. Caleb starts crying the second he sees Bailey standing at the end of the aisle. He’s usually such a strong and stoic man, so it’s not often people see that side of him. Grayson is Caleb’s best man. His eyes never leave me as we stand opposite each other. To think we did this eighty-nine days ago.

Everyone filters into the reception hall after, and Caleb and Bailey have their first dance. I couldn’t be happier for them as I sit and watch. When the song ends and the MC invites others to join them, Grayson stands and offers a hand to me.

“Would my wife do me the honour of a dance?”

I smile and take his hand, and he leads us to the dance floor. My arms wrap around his neck as his wrap around my waist, his hands resting above my ass, and we sway together.

“You’re stunning,” he whispers with such reverence.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I whisper back.

As the song ends and transitions into another, we don’t separate. We sway back and forth as we stare into each other’s eyes. The thought of all this ending tomorrow has my heart breaking. A single tear rolls down my cheek; I can’t help it. Grayson reaches up and cups my face as his thumb brushes it away and his forehead leans against mine.

“I’ll never say that I regret this,” he whispers.

I look up at him through my lashes, trying to hold back my tears as I grip his wrist. “Same,” I barely choke out.

At those words, something in his eyes changes. He leans down and, for the first time in eighty-nine days, kisses me. The world fades away as I take in this moment. The kiss is soft at first. His lips gently brush against mine. When I kiss him back, he takes it to another level. His tongue explores my mouth, and mine meets his. When we finally break apart short of breath, it’s like I’ve found that missing puzzle piece. I was waiting for Grayson to give me the last thing he had been holding back.

The song changes to one more upbeat, and I take his hand and lead him off the dance floor and down a hallway until I find the door to a storage room. They seem like our thing. When we’re inside, I close the door and I’m on him again. I take control of this kiss, exploring his mouth the way he explored mine. I’m staking my claim, letting him know he belongs to me in all the same ways I belong to him. I’m showing him I’m not done with us. I never will be.

Grayson fights for control. He pulls the fabric of my dress up my legs until it’s hitched at my hips and lifts me by the back of my thighs, and my legs wrap around his waist. He nips at my neck, and I moan his name. I’m feral right now, and I’m not ashamed that I need my husband. I reach a hand between us and start working on his belt.

I release my legs from around his waist and work on his belt as he continues nibbling on my neck. When it’s finally undone, I grip him through his boxer briefs.

“Condom,” I say, and he pulls his wallet out and hands me one. I open it as he pushes his boxer briefs down. The second he pops free, I’m rolling the condom down his length. I hike up my dress again, and he lifts me. Reaching down, I push my panties to the side and position him at my entrance before sinking down. He kisses me, absorbing my moans of ecstasy.

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