Page 40

MATT

One Year Later

Fuck, I’m anxious. I’ve debated about when the best time was to do this for months. Was it at an early morning coaching session because that’s where Zoey and I started spending more time together? Or at one of my games? Did she want her family there, or mine? I don’t think I’ve antagonized over a decision this much ever, but I have to get this right.

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents’ place last night, and we’re heading to Henry and Maggie’s in about an hour. It seems like this is going to be our tradition now. I didn’t sleep well last night at all. I think I got maybe an hour of actual sleep. The rest of the night, I was tossing and turning, and I can’t blame Zoey’s snoring. It actually calmed me a bit.

I can’t stand trying to sleep anymore. I throw the blankets off, and as I throw my legs over the edge of the bed, Zoey asks, “What’s wrong?”

I plaster on a smile and look at her. “Nothing, baby. Just go back to sleep.”

She shakes her head, worry filling her expression. “No, something’s wrong.”

I love that she knows me so well, but I hate it in this instance, because I can’t keep any secrets from her. I let out a breath and drop my head between my shoulders. I feel her shuffle onto her knees and move closer to me. Her hand comes to my back, slowly rubbing it before she runs her fingers through my hair and kisses my shoulder.

“You know you can tell me anything,” she says, and I can’t fight my smile. Zoey is the one person I want to tell everything. The good, the bad, the mundane. She’s who I want to tell.

“I know, Bug.”

“You’re worrying me,” she whispers, and that’s the last fucking thing I want.

“Give me one minute?” I ask, and she nods.

I rush downstairs and grab the present I hid at the very back of the tree under the tree skirt so she wouldn’t see it and take the stairs two at a time on my way back up.

She’s sitting up in bed when I enter the bedroom again. When she spots the box in my hand, her jaw drops and tears start to gather in the corner of her eyes. My girl is smart, and I knew as soon as she saw the box, she’d know exactly what it was. I’ve held onto this for so long, waiting for her to tell me she was ready, and when she told me a few months ago, it took everything in me to not just grab the box and ask her then. I wanted to make this perfect for her. I promised we’d make happy and positive Christmas memories, and I wanted to make this one of them.

“Is that...” Her voice fades as her tears start to fall, and I nod.

She scrambles onto her knees again and rushes to the end of the bed to meet me. “Yes, yes, yes,” she says as her arms wrap around my neck.

“Baby, you didn’t even let me ask.”

She pulls back and wipes at her tears. “You don’t need to. I know my answer will be yes. I love you so much, Matthew. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

I cup her face, my thumb swiping under her eyes. “I had a whole speech planned and everything.”

She sniffles, and it’s the cutest fucking thing. Humour and heat fill her eyes as she smiles at me. “Do you want to say your speech, or do you want to fuck your fiancée?”

I kiss her softly and whisper against her lips, “You’re not my fiancée until you’re wearing my ring.”

She holds eye contact with me as she grabs the box and rips into the wrapping paper. Her eyes widen when she finally looks down at the ring in the box.

“Do you like it?” I ask hesitantly.

“It’s perfect. This is exactly what I would have picked.”

It’s a simple princess-cut stone set on a band lined with diamonds. The size of the main stone isn’t showy, but the light hits all the stones and it shines, just like Zoey. I take the ring out of the box and slowly slide it onto her finger, the small possessive part of me coming out as I get to claim her as mine. She’s going to wear something that tells the world that Zoey Williams is mine.

I lean down and kiss her, my hands coming to her hair as I grab fistfuls of it and devour her. I’m panting when I finally break the kiss, and I press my forehead to hers.

“Do you want me to be your good boy or do you want to be claimed?”

“Claim me, Matthew.”

Fuck me, this woman is everything. I quickly push down my boxer briefs, and she tosses her nightgown to the side, letting me take in every perfect inch of her. She leans back on the bed and pushes herself closer to the headboard.

“Spread your legs for me, baby, I want to see how wet you are for me.”

She grins as she does as she’s told, and I hold back my groan as I see she’s glistening.

“You’re perfect,” I say before my tongue tastes her. I didn’t think simply being able to call her my fiancée could make her taste better, but I swear it does. I don’t take my time, I want to watch her writhe and come on my tongue.

She bucks her hips, chasing her high, and I love that she’ll take what she needs from me. When she calls my name as her orgasm tears through her, my ego and pride swell. Zoey Williams builds me up in a way where she is the sole person who could destroy me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

She reaches down and pulls me up, kissing me, licking herself off my lips and tongue. I groan into her mouth and reach into the nightstand, pulling out a condom. I need to be inside her right now. She grabs the condom from me, breaking the kiss to rip it open and roll it down my length.

“Fuck me,” she moans as she runs the tip through her wetness.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say and watch as her pupils dilate.

I thrust inside of her, loving the way she immediately contracts around me. I start slow, letting her adjust before I pick up her right leg and press it to her chest, letting me hit a part of her I wasn’t before. She looks down her body, watching as I stretch her and licks her lips.

“Do you like what you see? Do you like the way my cock is stretching your tight little pussy?”

She clenches and nods. My free hand finds her clit, my thumb circling it. Her head drops back as though the pleasure running through her is too much for her to be able to hold it up.

“You’re perfect,” I say, and her eyes find mine, filled with warmth and love. I kiss her. “So perfect,” I whisper against her lips between kisses.

She cups my face and forces me back as she stares into my eyes as I continue to fuck her. “You’re perfect, too,” she says as her eyes start to roll back in her head. “I love you so much.”

I need to kiss her again. Words aren’t enough for me right now. My lips crash against hers, and she fights me for control as she scratches at my back. I make her fight for control, but when she’s obviously won, I hand it over. She pushes at my shoulder, and I roll us, just like she wants.

She grins as she pushes herself up and starts riding me as her hands come to her tits and start rolling her nipples. The light catches on her engagement ring, and it’s got me ready to blow.

“Fuuuucccckkkk,” I groan. “You look so good in nothing but my ring while riding me, baby.”

“I know,” she purrs and rolls her hips before leaning forward. “And I can’t wait to see you wearing my ring while I fuck you.”

“I’m yours,” I say, and she lights up.

“And I’m yours.”

I’m not going to last much longer; her words alone almost send me over the edge. I find her clit, and two swipes is all it takes before she’s falling over the edge, taking me with her. She collapses on my chest, and I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. Zoey’s agreed to marry me. Just the thought has me grinning.

She rolls off me, and I follow her, hovering over her and peppering kisses across her cheeks, neck, and chest. I whisper, “thank you,” and she shakes her head as she grabs mine and forces me to look at her.

“You don’t need to thank me for loving you, Matthew.”

“Yes, I do. My life wouldn’t be what it is without you.”

She rolls her teeth over her bottom lip. “Then, Thank you.” I open my mouth to say something, and she stops me. “If you’re thanking me, then I’m thanking you. Matt, you and Jayden make me feel complete in every way. You make me feel safe and loved, and I’ll never take that for granted.”

I stare at her, not sure how she’s real or what to say. I settle on rolling off the bed and picking her up as I carry her to the bathroom and turn on the shower. I wash her hair and body, and when I’m done, she does the same for me. As the water washes away the soapsuds on my back, I wrap my arms around Zoey and hold her to my chest. I love how perfectly she fits against me.

She shuts off the water, and we dry off as Jayden wakes up and I can hear him through the baby monitor. He’s grown up so quickly, and he’s so attached to Zoey. His first word was mama, and while I had wished it was dada, I’ll never regret getting to see Zoey’s reaction to it and getting to hold her that first night as she cried tears of joy. She tried to tell me she could tell him to call her Zoey or Zo, and I told her over and over that she’d earned the right to be called mama. She’s been there for him and defended him since he came into my life. She loves it so much, and I know at first she felt bad that he’s a mama’s boy, but now she lets herself enjoy it.

She grabs her robe and moves into his room, smiling as she picks him up out of his crib and kisses his cheek. “Does someone want some nummas?” she asks, and he grins as he flaps his arms and says, “nummas,” over and over.

I kiss my son’s cheek and head downstairs to get him something small to eat before we head to Henry and Maggie’s. They’re making a big breakfast before we do presents. Zoey’s whole family has really embraced Jayden and even me as part of their family. I know it wasn’t easy for them to accept Zoey joining a ready-made family, but she made it clear she wasn’t leaving, and I’ve been told several times that it’s just too hard to say no to Jayden’s cute face.

When Zoey joins me in the kitchen with Jayden, I ask, “Do you want to call Liv now or after we tell your brother’s?”

I watch as she bites her lip to hold back her smile, but she can’t fight it any longer. “Now.”

I nod and take Jayden while she grabs her phone and video call my sister who is already up with Cate.

Liv smiles and says, “Merry Christmas,” as she answers the phone. It takes her a second to realize Zoey is holding her hand in front of the camera, showing off her ring, but when she does, I’m glad I’m not in the same room as her, because she’s freaking out.

“Oh my God! He did it? You’re officially getting married!”

Zoey nods, and Liv asks to hear the whole story. I kiss my fiancée’s cheek and smile as she moves to settle on the couch and tell my sister all about it. I look at our Christmas tree in the corner of the room that has a baby’s first Christmas, and a baby’s second Christmas, ornament front and centre and I can’t wait to add more of those to the tree and more kids to this house.

Life with Zoey is everything I could ever dream of.

The End