It was so boring.
So…
I looked up, and met the eyes of Easton.
His brother stood at his side, not staring at me, but at the goofy, gob-smacked look on Easton’s face the moment he saw me.
I’d decided to go non-traditional with my dress.
White was so boring.
What wasn’t was black.
My dress was a mess of midnight black tulle, lace, and fabric.
It was long, ball-gown-esque, and fit my growing breasts like they were a second skin.
I knew the moment his eyes traveled down the length of my body that he liked the dress.
When I finally reached him, his eyes were so heated that I knew I wouldn’t be making it to the reception without consummating our marriage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered today…”
Easton didn’t even wait for the officiant to finish his sentence before he was kissing me.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” he whispered when he was done making me breathless.
I tilted my head back just enough that I could see his face clearly. “You should probably watch your mouth while we’re in a church. As your almost-wife, I’m in charge of your soul now.”
He ran his knuckles down the length of my cheek and said, “Let’s get married.”
• • •
Four Years Later
“Row, row, row your boat, gently down…” I heard our toddler, Easton Jr, better known as EJ, sing. “Merrily, merrily, life is down the drain.”
I looked over at Easton and could feel the tears of laughter forming in my eyes.
“EJ.” Salem laughed. “Who taught you that song?”
“You did, Aunt Salem,” EJ replied. “On FaceTime. Remember?”
Salem was snickering as she said, “I’m pretty sure I never said, ‘Life is down the drain,’ though.”
“No,” EJ agreed. “I added that. It’s better that way. Makes more sense.”
Our son, EJ, was a literal genius, just like his father was.
He had an IQ score of infinity and did things that no normal three-year-old should be doing.
Like using a fucking 3D pen to make his own Army men. Which was what he was doing right now.
He was building a ‘fortress’ for them, too, according to my son who saw us walk in a few minutes later.
“Mommy!” he jumped up.
Salem graciously had offered to watch EJ so Easton and I could go out on a date.
We didn’t get many days like today, because EJ was a handful and would only go to a few people without causing too much of a fuss.
“Hey, buddy. Did you have fun with Aunt Salem?” I asked.
Over the years, Salem had been a permanent part of our life.
No one knew how or why, but I couldn’t say that the news hadn’t made me feel vindicated upon hearing it.
Sareen had copped a deal.
A life in prison, after confessing everything, for not spending another day in the torture chamber that she’d willingly walked right into.
It’d been a long road to get her there, having not been able to control her words had been a definite pain in the ass, but in the end, it’d worked out okay.
Especially upon hearing that she’d had a stroke and could possibly be a vegetable for the rest of her life.