Page 32 of #Beautiful

“And? None of us are tired, Declan, and we don’t have a college class to worry about for another five weeks. Getting married doesn’t mean you have to be in bed by eight, weirdo.” Darcy hops off the floor and punches me in the chest as she goes by, heading for the bathroom.

“I was going to offer to make pizza, weirdo!”

“Oh, yeah, pizza sounds good,” she yells through the door.

Lena gets up and slides her hand in mine. “I’ll help. Maybe we can pick a movie when we come back down, too. I don’t want these two burning me out on wedding stuff in the first twenty four hours.”

Candice holds her hands up in mock surrender. “I promise, I will keep my excitement in check.”

Lena and I head upstairs, and I’m glad it’s quiet. We haven’t had a moment alone since I slid that ring on her finger earlier. I tried to sneak us away for a moment at the party, but the partygoers weren’t having it. The kitchen is dim with only the Christmas lights around the ceiling glowing softly. As soon as we step inside, I grab Lena by the waist and lift her, setting her butt right on the kitchen island. Stepping forward, I push her knees open and step between her legs, reaching up to grab the side of her neck and bring her lips to mine.

Lena puts her hands in my sides, fisting my shirt tightly as she meets my need with her own. I swear, with every passing moment with her, it gets harder for me to stick to the agreement we made to wait until we were married. I know I won’t break it because it means something for both of us— but I can’t lie either and act like I don’t want to.

“Declan,” she whispers as I move my lips down her neck, my hands grabbing her ass and sliding her to the edge of the counter. As soon as the bulge in my pants presses into her core, she gasps and squirms in my arms, whispering my name again. My hands slide up her sides to cup her breasts, and I rub my thumbs against her nipples as they harden under my touch through her shirt. Lena gasps and shivers as I bring my mouth back to hers.

“Good thing we are eating downstairs.”

Lena and I both jump at Darcy’s voice but don’t move apart. I’m not about to turn around and face my sister with a raging hard-on in flannel pants. Not today.

Lena buries her face in my chest with a quiet chuckle. “For the love of God . . .”

“Darcy,” I say as calmly as possible, “this is the part where you walk away.”

“Walking away,” she says, “but don’t you dare set my pizza on that counter until you wash the damn thing.”

Shaking my head, I wait until the click of the basement door closing reaches my ears before I let out a huff and run my fingers through my hair, taking another deep breath.

Lena sits up and kisses me on the cheek. “I love you.”

Meeting her gaze, I cup the side of her face. “I love you, too. More than anything.”

Chapter 27 - Lena

Waking up this morning, last night’s heated moment in the kitchen with Declan is still the only thing I can think about.

When we met, we both agreed that waiting until marriage was important to us, and while I still feel that way— almost having an orgasm just from him touching me like he was only makes me kinda wish we could get married today so that I can have those moments without restriction for the rest of our lives. I know waiting is still the right thing to do, though. Stretching, I reach over for him only to find the bed empty.

The sheets on his side are cold, so he’s been out of bed for a while. Sitting up, I rub the sleep from my eyes and try to tame my hair a bit. Maybe I’m crazy or maybe this is how relationships evolve. I can’t deny how much Declan and I have been through in the three years we’ve been together, or the fact I feel so undeserving of him at times. Holding my left hand out, I stare at the new ring that shines up at me. It’s so perfect. It’s amazing how he can buy something, and it be such a profound fit for me as a person.

Laughter travels through the bedroom door despite it being closed, and I smile, heaving myself out of bed. In the bathroom, I change into sweats and a T-shirt, brushing my hair and teeth before heading to join everyone. The pants are tighter than they were a month or so ago, and I try my best not to let that bother me. The hard truth is— it does. I’m still trying to get past the little voice in my head, the snide comments made last semester from everyone.

Declan loves me, I remind myself, and that’s all that matters.

Now, I just need to learn to love myself again without my weight being the only factor in that self-love. Before heading downstairs, I slip the envelope out of my bag that has Declan’s Christmas present in it. I got him something I think he’ll love, but it isn’t something that really requires wrapping. As I hit the bottom of the steps, Darcy comes out of the family room where the party was last night. As soon as she sees me, her eyes light up.

“About time you got up!” She runs over and grabs my hand, dragging me behind her as we laugh back to the family room.

Declan’s parents and my dad are sitting in their pajamas on the large couch. Candice and Jackson are on the loveseat, and Declan is sitting in the oversize chair. His face lights up as soon as he sees me, and I head over, stopping only to kiss my dad on the cheek. Stepping in front of him, Declan grabs my hips and pulls me into his lap, cupping the side of my face and bringing his lips to mine.

“Merry Christmas,” he says, flexing his fingers in my hair.

Pulling back some, I hold the envelope out toward him with a smile. “Merry Christmas.”

“What’s this?” He glances to the envelope and back to my face.

“Your Christmas present, duh.”

Taking it, I adjust myself on his lap so he can open it easily. Ripping the side of the envelope, he fishes out a black metallic certificate and holds it to read. “Lena, this is a tattoo certificate.”

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