Page 101 of Whatever It Takes

Emery’s lips pressed against my cheek. There was no holding back the tears that fell from my eyes. Being her father has been the biggest honor of my life.

I walked over and took a seat beside my wife. She placed her hand over my beating heart. Charlotte sobbed silently next to me as rings were exchanged and promises before God were made.

Once the ceremony was finished, I helped my wife out of the pew. She looked up at me with soft eyes. “We did good.”

I took a deep breath and bent to kiss her on the tip of her nose. “We make a great team.” I rubbed my thumb over the top of her hand and led her out of the church. Now that the hard part was over, I needed a damn drink.

The reception was buzzing with noise as I looked across the room, taking in all of our family and friends that were here to help us celebrate. Hearing the ballroom filled with laughter and the sight of people having a good time made me feel luckier than shit.

I was standing at the bar, sipping my glass of whiskey, when my son Tyler clapped me on my shoulder. “Are you doing okay, pops?”

I tipped my glass toward him. “I’m doing good. I heard you and your uncle Brody talking about the drills your coach had you run last week.”

Tyler was a sophomore and a star running back at Penn State. He loved the spotlight and all the perks that went along with it. He may have been a mama’s boy, and Charlotte may have been oblivious to his wild boy ways, but I knew better. The kid was making his way through all the females on campus. Don’t ask me how I knew, because I would never tell.

“Yeah, the coach made us watch the film from our last game,” he said with an amused smile. “We kicked ass, but coach said there is always room for improvement.”

Charlotte came up and slid her arms around my waist. “Would you mind if I steal my husband away for a dance?”

Tyler eyed some poor unsuspecting beauty across the room. He licked his lips, ready to unleash his charm. The poor girl didn’t stand a chance. “Not at all. You two kids have fun.”

Watching him walk away made me feel older than dirt. He was my spitting image, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Charlotte pulled on my hand as we zigzagged around the tables. The place was packed, and I was going to be crying come tomorrow morning when I looked at the balance in my savings account. It was a good thing my security business was doing so well. Between my business thriving and my pension from the police department, Charlotte and I were doing pretty well financially. Which was a godsend because there was no way I could deny my oldest daughter the wedding of her dreams. She had me wrapped around her finger. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her or any of my kids.

We crossed the dance floor as the lyrics to “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton came to life. Charlotte closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against my chest as we danced.

“I can’t believe Emery is a married woman. I feel so old.”

“Who are you calling old?” I joked and spun her around, bringing her down for a dramatic dip to prove my point.

Charlotte and I could write our own love songs based on all we’ve been through. We’ve had our share of good times as well as bad. Our life together hasn’t been easy, but when I looked down at her and thought about the life we’ve built, I wouldn’t trade a single second.

I pulled her back up and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her against me.

She leaned up and brushed a kiss to my lips. “You better be careful. You’re not as strong as you used to be.”

My eyebrow rose, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Is that so? I don’t remember you complaining last night in the backyard when we had sex in Harlow’s old treehouse.”

Her laughter rang out, drawing attention from the other guests. “Oh, stop. We had to get creative because all the kids were home.”

I pressed a kiss to the spot on her neck; even after all this time, her body still responded to me. “If that’s what you want to tell yourself, then sure. But, sweetheart, don’t think for one second that our kids didn’t hear us, or the neighbors, for that matter. You weren’t exactly quiet.”

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on my shoulder. “I swear it’s like you’ve got something to prove. Your sex drive is the same as it was when we were twenty years old.”

I slid my hands up her back and over her arms, so I could sweep her hair off to the side. “Are you complaining?”

She snorted out a laugh and it was adorable. “Never.”

“Good.” I squeezed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor.

“Where are we going?” she asked, and I turned around and stopped.

I leaned in and kissed the underside of her jaw. “There is an empty storage closet calling our name.”

She shook her head. “Oh my God. You can’t be serious? What is with you and wedding receptions?”

I pressed into her so she could feel how serious I was. Her eyes grew wide, but I didn’t miss the hitch in her breath.

After all this time, she still turned me on, and I was a lucky son of a bitch, because she never told me no. She never hesitated, she gave as good as she got. She was still feisty and defiant, and I was more than happy with letting her call the shots most of the time. Letting her make most of the decisions. But when it came to matters of the bedroom, there was no question who was in charge.

The only thing I cared about was her happiness. Holding her in my arms, seeing her smile, and feeling her love.

We’ve been to hell and back, but it was worth every goddamned second.

The End

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