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  “Daddy!” she shouts and then reaches for a piece of cut up apple. She turns her head to me, smiling while chomping down on the apple, juice pouring from her mouth down her chin. I can’t help but smile as I push myself up to a sitting position and push my back against the headboard. Rosie follows me and scoots back too until she’s sitting next to me. I move the pillow and push it behind her, and she looks up at me and smiles, cramming the piece of apple in her mouth.

  Harley chuckles as he sets the tray down on the nightstand. “Sorry, but we wanted to surprise you.” He grabs a small plate, filling it with some scrambled eggs and pieces of fruit. He sets it on the bed in front of Rosie, who proceeds to pick up another piece of fruit and now is holding one in each hand.

  “Well, you certainly surprised me. Nothing like having a breakfast picnic on our bed, is there, pumpkin?” I kiss Rosie’s little nose, and she giggles. I look up in time to take a plate full of food from Harley, and then he sits down on the bed with his own. “This is perfect, darling. Thank you.” He leans over Rosie’s plate and kisses my lips.

  He takes a bite of his eggs and smiles at me. “What are you two going to do today while I’m working?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I thought maybe us girls should do some shopping. Might as well get her started early,” I laugh.

  His eyes widen as he gives me his sexy grin. “Yeah, because she doesn’t have enough things already in her three years and it’s only been two days since she’s come home.” I give him a smirk, pout and then a big smile.

  “Home. What a great word.”

  His face softens, and his eyes melt me. “Pearl, I….”

  “Daddy!” Rosie squeals and his eyes move to her, his smile huge. He leans down to her outstretched arm and bites into the apple piece she’s holding out to him. All conversations are lost as we eat and Rosie takes turns giving us bites.

  “I love you so much it hurts,” I whisper against his lips as he starts to leave. Rosie kicks me with her barefoot as I hold her, and he kisses my mouth.

  “I love you so much it hurts,” he says back, and I smile.

  I watch as he walks down the hall, his head turning towards us and smiles as he mouths ‘I love you’. My heart melts as I reluctantly close and lock the door. “Well, pumpkin, let’s get our plan in action.” I set her down on the floor, and she immediately stands up and walks over to the toy box, and I smile as she starts pulling out toys. I grab my phone from the end table and find the person I can’t wait to talk to and hit call. “Mom? How about some shopping today? I have a plan.” We talk for a few moments, and then I call Stormy asking her the same thing. My ear is still ringing from her screaming as I take Rosie upstairs, change her diaper and get her dressed for the day. She played with the toy she brought up with her on the floor in her room as I took a fast shower, keeping the baby monitor on high volume on the counter, and then I got dressed. By the time we’re done and downstairs in the parking lot, Mom and Stormy are waiting in Mom’s SUV. I wave and then open the back door, put Rosie in the car seat Mom got for her and I get in next to her. “We ready to make this happen?” Mom smiles in the rearview mirror and Stormy turns in her seat.

  “This is the best idea, ever! I can’t wait until we get it all set up! Pearl, you’re a genius!” I laugh as Mom pulls out of the parking lot and we’re on our way.

  The next few hours we have a blast and Rosie had fun, but thank God I brought her diaper bag with treats in it. Bo, Dad, Emerson and Ralph are all over in the alley getting things ready then Emerson and Bo are meeting us at the pickup dock to help bring everything over. Harley will be so surprised! At the end of the alley there’s a grass area with a high broken down privacy fence all around it, just the perfect size for a little play area for Rosie. I don’t even think Harley knows it’s there. The guys are replacing and repainting the fence while us girls are picking out the plastic fort, small swing set, a couple of little riding toys and a sandbox. Rosie loved her little sandbox over at my parents’ house so much, and I want to carry on the tradition in my family of having a sandbox since that’s how Mom and Dad met as well as Bo and Stormy. Perfect!

  By the time we finish shopping and follow Bo and Emerson’s trucks back to our parking lot, Rosie is fast asleep in her car seat. She’d been sleeping in my arms for the better part of the last hour, so I’m hoping she’ll wake up soon. After getting her in bed, Mom stayed to keep an eye on her so I can go down and help. My phone alerts me for the fifth time that I have a text. I juggle the bottled waters I have and when I get down to the play area, I laugh at Harley’s text.

  Harley: Miss u. Fuck, this is hard.

  Me: Is that the only thing hard?

  Harley: Fuck, no!

  Me: Take a break in about half an hour. Meet me in the alley ;)

  Harley: I’m there!

  Well, this will certainly not be what he’s expecting. The guys have the fence done. They have their shirts off and are sweating in the heat. I hand them each a bottle of water and walk over to help get the things for the sandbox unwrapped. Rosie’s gonna love all this stuff and once Stormy and Bo’s twins are old enough, they can play here too.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  “Taking a break, Pete!” I yell across the room. He nods at me as he talks to a customer. I throw the rag down and walk out of the side of the bar then head straight into the kitchen and to the back door. My cocks so hard just thinking about being inside Pearl that I can barely stand it. I push open the door and turn, and there she is, standing at the back end, smiling and looking all kinds of sexy in a tank top and short shorts. I take off in a jog, but before I can reach her, she smiles, winks and pushes open a wooden gate. Where the fuck is she going? She walks through the gate right before I get to her, and I follow through and stop short. My eyes scan the area. My heart is pounding, my breathing heavy, and as soon as I look down at the ground, I see Rosie sitting in a sandbox playing and my still hardened cock deflates immediately. Totally worth it, almost.

  I walk over to Pearl, who is standing by Rosie, and put my arm around her, kissing the side of her face. “Wow, you did all this?” She looks up at me, smiles, and I capture her lips. “I had no idea this was even here but this is great!” I kiss her lips again and then whisper against them, “You so owe me another break tonight.” She laughs, and we both turn our heads and watch Rosie play. She is having a blast playing in the sandbox, and the significance of it isn’t lost on me. I’ve heard the stories of Jade and Knox and even Bo and Stormy’s meeting at a sandbox when they were little. Perfect. My eyes look around at the privacy fence, the green luscious grass, the fort, swing and other playthings. I pull her in closer to me and look at her smiling and proud face. “How’d you get so smart?”

  “I just know what I want, like how much I want you.” The glimmer in her eyes, the smooth skin of her face and her full lips make me want to be inside her right here, right now….

  “Daddy!” My eyes blink and I remove my arm from Pearl and squat down next to Rosie.

  “Hey, pumpkin. Do you like your new playground and toys? Isn’t Mommy smart?” She giggles and holds out a little shovel full of sand and a little bucket and pours some of the sand in the bucket while the majority of it goes back into the sandbox. I laugh and rub the top of her head and stand back up again. “This is perfect, baby.” I put both my arms around her waist, and her hands feel great on my skin as they move up my arms until they rest on my shoulders. “You’re perfect.” Her eyes search mine and then she leans in and smashes her mouth against mine. I don’t know how long we stand there, making out like teenagers, but my phone alerts me of a text, and I slowly move my mouth from hers. I take my phone from my pocket and see it’s Pete telling me a larger crowd is at the bar, and I sigh. “I have to go back. Later?” She nods and smiles and I kiss her again, once more, and as I step away I lean back and kiss her again. “Soon, baby.” I kiss her once more, and I hear her laughter as I open the gate and close it behind me, jogging back to the back door.

 
; It’s a long night, but the crowd starts to thin as the band stops for the night. I’m busy cleaning up around the bar when Pete walks up to me. “You’re relieved for the night. Go. Go home to your girls.” He smiles and my eyes widen, but I don’t stop to ask why. I run out, through the kitchen and when I open the back door, Pearl is standing there.

  She doesn’t say a word, just smiles, takes my hand and walks me to the side gate and out to the parking lot. She opens the passenger door of her sports car, and I get in without hesitation. Once we’re in, she takes off and familiar sights roll past us. After parking in the circle drive of her parents’ house, she gets out and when I start to open my door, she’s there opening it for me. I give her my cocky grin but put my hand in hers and close the door behind me. She leads me into the house, through the kitchen and out to the deck, but we don’t stop there. She continues walking down the steps, through the backyard, and we head down a path. I’ve never been past their backyard before, so I’m becoming very intrigued. When we start to come around a corner, the view of the ocean water, darkened by the night, comes into my sight. As we walk out onto the beach a fire pit lights in my eyes, blankets, a picnic basket and wine glasses are beside it. I look over as she continues to walk and see her eyes shift to mine. Her smile broadens but still she doesn’t speak.

  I follow her until we get to the blanket, then she releases my hand, places both her hands on my shoulders and smiles wide as she lightly pushes me until I’m sitting down. She immediately straddles me, her arms moving around me, and I close my eyes as her fingers thread into my hair. “What….?” Her hand moves swiftly, two fingers pressing against my lips, and then they leave as her mouth covers mine. My arms are around her. My hands moving up her back as our tongues tangle with each other’s. I don’t know how long we sit there, but when I start to move her, so I can get her gorgeous body under me, she moves off my lap but sits on her knees. I watch as she pours us some wine, hands me a glass, and then takes out a bowl with chocolate covered strawberries and sets it on the blanket. She hops back onto my lap and clinks her glass with mine, and my eyes never leave hers as we both take a drink. She smiles, then reaches for a strawberry and holds it against my mouth. When I take a huge bite and start chewing, her mouth is over mine and for once, I don’t mind sharing.

  I can’t wait anymore and turn her over, and I’m on top of her in an instant, our mouths kissing, my hand moving under her silky shirt then her bra and finally covering her breast. “Just how private is this private beach?” I whisper against her lips, and she giggles.

  “Very private.” My eyes widen, but I don’t trust much when it comes to my girl. I grab a blanket I see by the basket and throw it over us. The sound of Pearl’s heavy breathing as she helps me pull it over us, and the rushing waves make my cock even harder.

  I help her sit up a little, so I can help her get her shirt and bra off. I move down between her legs and practically rip her yoga pants and panties off her. I take no time to get myself undressed, flip the cover over us, attach my mouth to her nipple and lunge my cock inside of her. She moans and wiggles underneath me as I move in and out of her, my teeth nipping her peaked nipple, my other hand holding myself up enough that my weight doesn’t crush her beautiful body. “God, I can’t get enough of you, can’t get close enough to you. I fucking love you so much, baby.” My thumb finds her swollen clit, but she comes before I barely have a chance to rub it as my movements inside her spark her climax and she’s screaming out my name into the vast space around us.

  “Oh, my God! Harley!”

  Just the sound of her screams set me off, and my balls tighten. My heart is beating so rapidly that I can feel it in my chest as I call out her name and almost fall on top of her. My hips move a few more quick strokes releasing all that I can inside her. She finally opens her eyes, sparkling in the moonlight, and I cup the sides of her face with my hands and whisper, “Marry me soon. I know it’s just paper but I’ve already signed one that took my daughter away, then one that gave her back to me, now…. I need to have one that says you are mine.” She nods, her chin quivering. I quickly crush my mouth to hers, my own tears falling on her skin.

  We lay there together on our sides, still naked but covered with the blanket, drinking our wine and feeding each other the chocolate covered strawberries when she rises up a little, leaning on her arm. “This weekend!” My brows raise, and my head tilts in my confusion. “We can get married here, on the beach, this weekend!” My face relaxes and my smile huge.

  “Perfect! You are a genius.” She smiles back, finds her purse and pulls out her phone. Now, what is she doing? Kind of a weird time to be calling someone.

  “Beach. This Saturday afternoon. Call everyone.” She takes her phone and throws it behind her then her mouth is on mine. My arm moves around her, my hand on the back of her neck, and suddenly, I don’t care who she calls.

  We make love again. This time it’s not rushed, just slow and passionate. We cleaned up, walked hand in hand back to the house, and I drove us home. I hated leaving her to go back to work, but it is my night, so I begrudgingly went downstairs. As I walked into the bar, Pete slaps me on my back.

  “Congrats, man!”

  I smile and walk into the side of the counter and then I hear it again, from a customer.

  “Congrats to you and Pearl!” I smile again at one of our regular customers, and she smiles back and looks at another regular next to her.

  “How awesome. So happy for you both, congrats!”

  Okay, this is fucking weird. My phone beeps and I look at the text.

  Pearl: Mom works fast. Miss u already

  Me: I guess so. ;) Love u

  I look around and so many people are smiling and congratulating me, I just stand there with my mouth open. I went from no one on this earth who took the time of day to talk to me, to a family that loves me and so many others that care enough to wish me well. I’m just dumbfounded. I shake out of my thoughts when someone pats my arm. “Go home,” Pete laughs. “You’re no good here now. Go, take the rest of the night off. Consider it a pre-wedding gift.” He walks behind me and pushes me on the back, and I turn, smile and don’t stay to thank him. I’ll do it later, much later. I run out the back, up the stairs and into our front door, locking it behind me. Pearl looks up from the couch. Rosie’s little head peeks up and even though this all still seems so surreal to me, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m finally home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “All I want is for my family and friends to be there and Harley by my side, with Rosie close by, and I’m good. I don’t want anything fancy and I don’t think Harley wants that either. He had a hard enough time when people just congratulated him last night, I can’t imagine what he’d do with some big fancy wedding.”

  “Ah, you’re right. Well, we’ll still make it perfect and I’m so excited!” Stormy’s arm squeezes me as we walk through the mall.

  “Oh, look! This is a great place to find a dress!” Mom takes my hand, pulling me into yet another store, but I go willingly as I want the perfect dress for our wedding. After looking through several racks I turn around, getting a little worried that we haven’t found the one yet, and we’ve been shopping for hours. “Atchoo,” I sneeze and Mom peeks over a rack of dresses. “Just a little chill, Mom. It’s okay.” Her eyes squint at me, and I smile so her head leaves my view, and I walk down a small aisle. My eyes catch a glint of something pushed back on a rack behind the checkout counter. “May I look through there?”

  The woman turns her head and then looks back at me and smiles. “Certainly.” She walks over to the rack and pushes it out a little so it’s not behind the counter area. “These just came in today and I haven’t had time to get them out on the floor yet. Please, help yourself.”

  I smile at her and start looking through and stop, my eyes blinking, when I see ‘it’. “This is it,” I whisper. I hold it up, putting my arm underneath the length, and stare at it, then in my nervousness, I scan the top for t
he size. “Perfect.” I hear gasps and turn my head to see Mom, her hands covering her mouth and tears in her eyes, and Stormy, her mouth open, her eyes wide and wet.

  “Oh, that’s you, Pearl!” Mom whispers.

  I turn to the sales clerk and smile. “I’ll take it!”

  She gives me a weird look. “Don’t you want to try it on first?”

  I just shake my head. “Nope.”

  After finding the perfect shoes we leave the mall, all three of us arm in arm, and we head home. When we get there the babysitter, Jenny, is playing with Rosie on the floor, and I tell her I’m going to work but that Harley will be up soon and she tells me not to hurry, that she’s having so much fun with Rosie. I smile, kiss Rosie on the head, and go downstairs. I’m so happy! There’s nothing that could ruin this day.

  I walk down the outside stairs gleaming and excited to see Harley when I get to the last step, I grab my stomach, my other hand grasping the rail as pain sweeps through me. I wince as I inhale and hold my breath until the pain passes. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this, but it hasn’t happened in a long time. I’m not one to complain but this time it hit me pretty hard. I wait until it finally passes, stand up straight and take a few deep breaths. Shaking my head, I take the last step and go into the kitchen door. Nothing is going to take away my happy mood. Nothing.

  Harley and I managed to sneak back into the office, making out like we hadn’t seen each other in days, but I finally convinced him to go home and told him I’d see him later. I watch him leave. I tell Pete I’ll be right back, and I head into the ladies room. When I walk into a stall and shut the door dizziness overtakes me. Quickly, I sit on the floor, my head between my legs and close my eyes. Breathing heavy I sit back against the wall and pull my phone out.