The Creek Series: Complete Set: Parts I, II, & III Read online

  Karina and I were sitting out on the patio, talking about the new pony out in the pasture in front of us, when a girl walked up with a great big bouquet of pink roses and balloons attached that read “Congratulations”. I thought they were for Karina, until I saw my name on the card.

  You passed.

  Dane and Aaron were standing in the doorway with a couple of bottles of bubbly in ice buckets and four glasses. Of course, I had to see the results for myself after all the damn hype and raced passed him to the computer with my walker. They were laughing and shaking their heads as I squealed while viewing my results for myself.

  We celebrated with the guys grilling out for us and me with my non-alcoholic champagne.

  Later that evening, the four of us took a moonlit drive on four-wheelers to a special place on the property. Dane had hired some guys to recreate a small replica of the creek from Hatman. There was a spring-fed pond on the property that had a small run from it. He’d opened that up, had trees as large as he could planted, with a bridge that covered the creek, and there was my bench from home.

  There was a new sign that made it ours and unique to us.

  Redemption Creek

  It was something he’d come up with himself, and it warmed my heart every time I saw it. The area happened to be quite a ways from the house, but I had the four-wheeler just for me, ready in the garage, any time I wanted to come down.

  Dane and I stayed at the creek, while Karina and Aaron rode away. By the time we got back to the house, Karina was sitting out by the fire pit in Aaron’s lap, crying.

  “Karina?” I got off the four-wheeler and hobbled to her.

  “I’m fine. Aaron proposed and I said yes.”

  “Dude, that is awesome,” Dane said from behind me.

  I was grateful to be in front of him because I was sure the green monster was more evident on my expression than I wanted it to be. I mean, I was really happy for them, and it was expected, since they’d been together for over two years, but Dane had never mentioned marriage, and I was okay with that. We didn’t need to prove anything to the world that we were together.

  Who was I kidding? I needed his commitment, and that realization left me less than grounded.

  Later that night in bed, I noticed he was quieter than usual. In fact, he seemed distant. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nope, I was just doing some planning.”

  Okay, that answer had me wondering if the proposal had sparked something inside him as well. “Planning? Care to share?” I asked with a teasing voice, as I ran my hands up the inside of his thighs.

  “Next week, we see your OB here on Monday and your birthday is Thursday. I was thinking perhaps you would like to go on a vacation. There’s nothing holding us here. Your boards are over, and once you start your third trimester, we won’t be traveling.”

  I liked his idea. “Have a blank passport, will travel.”

  “That’s my girl.” His mood changed, and perhaps it had something to do with where my hand had landed or possibly he was thinking of what to do for my birthday. Either way, when he had me up on all fours with his hardness pressing at my entrance, I wasn’t thinking about proposals and birthdays. I was anticipating my next orgasm, one only he could bring.

  Chapter 37

  There are birthdays and then there are special days that someone goes to great lengths to prepare.

  When I woke up on my birthday, there was a fresh breakfast on the table beside the bed, along with a note.

  Happy Birthday, my beautiful princess. Eat until your heart’s content and then join me in something comfortable outside on the patio.

  Yours,

  D

  Oh, my God, the man did not forget the bacon. There was a pile of it, along with fresh avocado, an omelet, and two glasses of juice. He’d been hiding the coffee ever since we’d returned from Arkansas.

  Okay, all of my favorites, minus the coffee, meant that he did really well, and for that, he would definitely get treats.

  I ate until I couldn’t hold down anything else, and then I threw on yoga pants and one of his T-shirts and walked to the patio door in the den. From where I was standing, I could only see flowers…everywhere.

  When I stepped outside, he was sitting in a chair with the paper. He put it down when he saw me.

  “Happy birthday, baby.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his lap. With his left hand behind my neck, he pulled my face down to his and kissed me sweetly.

  “The amazing breakfast in bed and now all of this. Thank you, honey.”

  “There’s more.” He pulled a small box from the table beside him. The familiar blue box from Tiffany.

  When I opened it and removed the black velvet box, I found a gorgeous bracelet of Tahitian Pearls. They were beautiful, and, I knew, very expensive.

  “It’s lovely, will you help me put it on?” I stuck out my left wrist and watched it tremble. The scars were still fading from the damage the reins had caused.

  He clicked the clasp of the bracelet and then held my hand, taking a closer look at my wrist. “Oh baby, I’m sorry.”

  I swallowed hard. “It’s okay. I know one day they will fade, and the redness disappear. I hope they go away, but the doctor wasn’t optimistic. He did say that once the baby is born, we could try laser therapy to remove them. The right one is the worst.”

  Dane pulled both my wrists in front of him and observed them. “Today is about new things. First time experiences. I hope today you forget all about that, at least for a little while, and you enjoy everything I want to show you.”

  “Why? What are we doing?”

  “Surprises. First, I thought you might want to ride down to the creek, so the four-wheeler is fueled and ready. After that, we have somewhere to be.”

  “Yes, I want to ride down by myself, and I won’t be long.”

  He looked at his watch. “Okay, hurry back. We are leaving here in exactly four hours and ten minutes.”

  “Dude, you have me on a stopwatch?”

  “Yep, so you better scat.”

  I took some of the flowers he’d given me and rode down to the creek. While I stood on the bridge, I talked to my mom for a while, and when a big gust of wind blew, from what seemed like out of nowhere on a still day, I knew it was her sending a message to me—she was there, and she heard my words, felt my heart.

  I missed her so much.

  Turning toward the four-wheeler, I noticed a cute little bird bath had been planted right next to the creek’s edge, and there was a tube supplying it with a continual flow of water. When I got closer, there was a little bird made out of copper on the handle. It was a wren.

  He had thought of everything. My friend, my lover—my life.

  “Honey, I’m back. Where are you?” I called from the den.

  “Bedroom,” he yelled.

  I walked slowly to the bedroom, since I still didn’t get around great on my booted foot, and when I entered, there were two racks of clothing between the door and the bed. “What on earth is this?”

  Dane came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but boxers. “Your new wardrobe. Pick anything and everything you like. We have to get packed and get out of here.”

  “But…”

  “It’s a secret. One surprise at a time. You will need dressy, sexy, just for me of course, casual, and oh, bring your birthday suit.” He wiggled his brows for effect.

  “You are so bad, but so wonderful. This is so much fun.”

  “Well, the stylist shopped from several stores, and she put shoes on the bed for you to try. She hoped she found some that were comfortable, but that may be hit or miss.”

  I covered my face with my hands in delight. “You’re spoiling me.”

  “That’s the plan for fifty years or so.” He kissed me and dropped the boxers. Damn tease.

  I didn’t let him get away with that. I robbed him of some shower time.

  When our suitcases were packed, a limo arrived to take us to our next stop. Someth
ing told me it was to the airport, but Dane didn’t tell me to get my passport, so I was guessing I didn’t need it.

  When we pulled into the charter air service area, I was beginning to get really nervous and giddy at the same time. I was glad our fingers were laced together, a sign of support and—unison.

  As we checked in, saying I felt like a princess was an understatement. Dane had gone to great lengths to make my day special in every way.

  I was waited on hand and foot; the only thing I was allowed to carry was my handbag. Everything was being taken care of.

  “Miss Cunningham, do you have your passport?” the attendant asked.

  “No, everything’s been a surprise, and I didn’t—”

  “I have it.” Dane winked with a smile then handed her both our passports. “Karina helped me.”

  “Aw, of course, she did. Secretive little devil.”

  “The plane’s crew is all ready for you to board. Right this way.” The attendant led us down a modern hallway through glass doors. Once we went through security, we boarded a private Learjet via red carpet.

  A male flight attendant greeted us and seemed to know Dane quite well, or at least they greeted each other like old friends.

  “I have non-alcoholic mimosas and a tray of fresh fruit and cheeses ready for you, ma’am. Please make yourself comfortable.”

  “Please tell me where we are going,” I begged.

  “France, Ireland, and Great Britain.”

  I was completely speechless. If anything, I thought we might be headed to Beijing, but Europe had never entered my mind.

  I watched as Dane sipped a mimosa in the seat across from me. He was smiling and very relaxed, but not me. In fact, once the plane started down the runway, I was sure I was going to throw up and was grateful I hadn’t eaten in a while. But as we climbed through the air, I actually loved it and moved to the seat by the window.

  “Come here, baby,” I heard him say.

  When I turned to look in Dane’s direction, he was standing in the aisle with his hand extended. I wanted to take it all in, the lights of the sunset off in the distance, the feeling of soaring, everything. I took his hand, and he led us to the back of the plane where there was a bedroom. Seriously. I’d read about such things, but I had no clue they actually existed.

  Scattered amongst the room were rose petals, long stemmed roses of various colors, and the champagne and tray of goodies had been brought back for us. Through the windows, I viewed the most amazing sunset.

  Dane locked the door and kissed me with passion.

  “This is a birthday I’ll never forget. You’ve made me feel beautiful, special…wanted.”

  When he dropped to one knee, my breath caught, and I suddenly found it difficult to breath.

  “I’ve been waiting until the right time to do this. I thought about so many different things to make it special for you. I love you with all of my heart. You’ve had me since the day your battery died. You’ve gotten into my bloodstream. Your love gives me oxygen. Will you promise you will be by my side for the next seventy-plus years and marry me?”

  “Yes, I love you so much.”

  He removed a box from his jeans pocket, and with confident hands, he placed the ring on my finger. It was beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever seen, but my gaze kept leaving the ring, seeing the tear on Dane’s cheek.

  “I love you, Wrenn Cunningham, and I will wait until you’re ready to become my bride, as long as you’re with me every day of my life.”

  I pulled him to his feet and took his face in my hands. “I’ll marry you right this minute or tomorrow or next year. You make me feel pure love, and the web you’ve woven around us is all I’ll ever need.”

  “Want to get married in Paris?” He teased. Or was he?

  “Really?” I covered my mouth in excitement.

  “Absolutely.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. “Yes.” I kissed him again and again, and well, the rest of the night.

  I was so excited I didn’t sleep much, but I watched my future husband sleep with a peace I hadn’t seen in him since we’d been together. Curled next to him, our baby moved between us, and it felt as though he was trying to reach out and touch his daddy.

  I now knew why I’d heard some men say they were jealous of a woman’s pregnancy because it truly was an amazing experience. Dane rolled over and pulled me into a tight spooning position. I could no longer see his face, but I felt his heart beating against my back, and I knew his love.

  When we arrived in Paris, the sun was coming up, and it was a glorious day. I kept looking at my ring, trying to come to grips with the fact it wasn’t a dream.

  Dane informed the concierge of our hotel of our plans to marry, and they started arranging everything. Chelsie, a wedding coordinator, came up to our suite and showed me some photos of gowns on her phone. Within a couple of hours, gorgeous dresses started arriving, as well as shoes and a tux for Dane. He had disappeared, saying he needed to take care of our paperwork.

  Dane returned just as the staff finished my hair and make-up. He didn’t look happy. “We can get married here, but it won’t be legal until we get married again in the States. Otherwise, we would have to wait until we lived here for forty days, and there’s also an issue of celibacy. Since you’re pregnant, we’re breaking Parisian law.”

  “You dirty little law breaker.” I tried to lighten his mood.

  “I didn’t hear you complaining last night,” he said coyly.

  “Marry me in pretend or in real, I don’t care. I love you any way.”

  We were married in a small chapel built in the 1700s. An architectural buff’s perfect study, made out of stone and completely anchored with stunning stone arches.

  A photographer took us all around the Paris sites, taking special images for our memory book. Then he took us to his studio, where we did special shots just for ourselves. I was surprised at how comfortable I was posing for some of them, but with Dane watching or posing with me, it was heaven on earth and definitely something every couple should do. Dane said it was the one time he would allow another man to view my body.

  We had a wedding night dinner with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. A little surprise from the hotel met us when we opened the door. They’d sent up a wedding cake and strawberries to dip in chocolate.

  The next few days we spent touring Paris and the countryside, where I took pictures of everything with my phone, until I got sick of Dane making fun of me, and we bought a camera together. Then we traveled to Murviel, France, where Dane had rented the Château de Murviel for us. After that, we moved via another plane ride to Ireland, where we stayed at the Coolatore House, located in Rosemount, Westmeath, Ireland.

  We thought we had hills in Arkansas, but they were a small cry to the beautiful hills of Ireland. I took photos and made jottings in my journal of the times we shared. Sure I’d never get relive these moments.

  We had picnics in the park, where Dane read to me while I laid in his lap. He was quite the poetry buff, and I laughed to myself that looking at him, one would never guess that. His presence was so manly, but he possessed a heart as soft as cookie dough.

  Thoughts about cookie dough instantly brought my momma to mind. I was curious what she would think of Dane and how she would react to our life, baby first, marriage second. She’d had such strong values that while she’d accepted my relationship with Stephan, she hadn’t actually ever approve of it. She’d never called me names like my father, and even when she found my birth control pills, she’d only reminded me to be careful and protect myself.

  For the last few days of our two-week journey in the land of the bliss, we traveled to England, and this time, we stayed in a castle called the Bindon Country House of Somerset. It was incredible, and all of their gardens were something way beyond my imagination. I drew the flowers in my journal and described the gardens in detail.

  “You’ve been my pretend bride for two weeks. Are you ready to make it offici
al?” Dane held my hand on the flight back.

  “No pretending here.” I kissed his palm. “But yes, I’m ready to make it official. Going to the courthouse would be easiest, but something tells me we won’t get that lucky with your grandfather.”

  “No, he’s already emailed me and said he wants to host a big reception at his house. There’s no way to tell him no. How about a compromise, a private wedding like we had in Paris and then a reception like he wants.”

  “Sure, but we have to hurry or that dress won’t fit.” I giggled.

  In the privacy of the bedroom, he knelt before me and slid his hands down my legs, unbuckling and removing each one of my sandals. Then he slid his hands back up my legs as he rose. With his lips crushing mine, he unzipped my dress and allowed it to puddle at my feet. I pulled at his shirt, popping some of the buttons. I started on his belt buckle, but he stopped me.

  With my bra on the floor, he palmed my breasts and licked one peaking nipple before moving to the other one. I sat on the bed, and he pushed me backward as he lowered himself between my legs. He pleasured me with his fingers, applying suction with his lips. I cried out in pleasure. As I laid in a fit of heated lust, he stood and dropped his pants and briefs before joining me again on the bed.

  With his hardened length between us, he put my right ankle on his shoulder, angling my hips to meet his. He held my leg with one hand as his other gripped my hip. His thrust in and out of me lifted me higher and higher on the peak of satisfaction. With his thumb, he made circles on my most sensitive area, sending a ripple of pleasure through my body.

  Once I let go of my grip on the sheet, he turned me over to my side, moved my thigh forward and slid back into me. When he buried his face in my hair and began to shake, I knew he was close. Then I felt his pulsing inside me.

  Dane provided me with many firsts on our getaway, including the mile-high club, but the first that made the top of my list was becoming his bride, pretend or not.

  “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. Did you have a great trip?” the driver asked.