Chapter 32

Two days after Jonathan had proposed to me, I met my mom and Samantha for lunch at Samantha’s favorite restaurant, Cheddar’s. Jonathan had dropped me off before going on to run some errands for the both of us. After the three of us had ordered and my mother asked how things were going with Jonathan, I knew it was the perfect time to tell her the news.

Lifting my hand up so that they could see it, I showed them the ring as I announced, “Jonathan and I are getting married!”

My mother’s eyes went wide in amazement as Samantha smiled and leaned over to get a closer look.

“Oh, Alex! Honey that is so wonderful!” exclaimed my mother.

Samantha nodded, “Yeah, I knew you guys would get married!” She stopped and gave me a puzzled look, “So, that will make him my brother right?”

My mother chuckled, “In a way, yes. He’ll actually be called your brother-in-law, but he’ll be a part of the family now. Like Alishia is.”

Samantha nodded, “Right, I get it!” She grinned at me, “Way to go Alex!”

I laughed, “Thanks, sis.”

My mother took my hand in hers and brought it closer to her to see the ring. “Wow, it’s beautiful!”

I nodded, “Yeah, it’s his mother’s.”

She looked up at me as she asked, “His mother’s engagement ring?”

I chuckled, “Yes. He explained that it had been his grandmother’s engagement ring. David’s mom. So, when David asked Elise to marry him, it was passed on to her. Now, it’s mine. And someday, if we have a son, we’ll pass it on to the woman he chooses to marry.”

My mother nodded, “That is very romantic.”

My smile widened, “So was the way he proposed.”

Just as the waiter got there with our food, my mother grinned and said, “Oh, do tell!”

While we ate, I told them how Jonathan had proposed. Telling them that he’d asked me how much I loved him and then he’d gotten down on one knee and asked if I loved him enough to marry him. I told them the story he’d told me about how he’d talked to his dad and then his dad had told his mom, then she’d given him the ring so he could ask me.

As lunch was winding down, mom asked if we’d started discussing the actual wedding or if we were going to hold off on it for a while.

“We are going to try for an end of July wedding.”

“End of July! Alex, that’s two months away!”

I nodded, “I know, but we want to get married before I start college at the end of August.”

“Oh, well that makes sense,” said my mother.

I smiled, “Well, we discussed our future plans and decided this is the way we want to do things, so we’ll see if it all works out.”

“Really? What plans are you talking about?”

“Well, we’re hoping this gives us enough time to find a house before we get married. Then we hope to have a week long honeymoon and when we get back, Jonathan is going to go back and work with his dad again. Hopefully, I will have a week or two before school starts to finish moving into our new home.”

“You’re looking for a house?”

“Yep.”

“At the same time you are planning a wedding!”

I gave her a sheepish grin, “Well, Elise has volunteered to help with the wedding planning and since David is the owner of Parker Estates, he knows several real estate agents, so our house hunting will be a little easier.”

My mother gave me a hurt look, “Oh, so Elise is helping with the wedding then?”

I took my mother’s hand in mine and said, “She volunteered mom, but I did tell her I wanted you to help too.” As she looked at me hopefully I asked, “Would you help me plan my wedding mom?”

“Oh honey! Of course I would! I’d love to help!”

I laughed as we both stood up and leaned over the table to hug each other. When we sat back down I continued, “Elise wanted me to give you her number so you could call her if you wanted her to help you with anything. Jonathan’s parents are looking forward to meeting my family.”

“Okay, I’ll give her a call then. I can’t wait to meet them either. It’ll be wonderful to meet the people who raised a decent man like Jonathan.”

“Thanks, mom.”

As she nodded, I turned to look at Samantha. “Sam, would you be one of my bridesmaids?”

She gave me a stunned look and stuttered, “A bridesmaid? Really?”

“Yes. I want you and Alishia to be my bridesmaids since you two are my sisters.”

Samantha launched out of her chair and hugged me tight, nearly causing me to tumble out of my chair. I laughed as she shrieked, “Yes! Yes!” She pulled away and grinned at my mother, “I get to be in the wedding too!”

My mother chuckled, “Yes you do, darling! And I know you’ll make a very pretty bridesmaid!”

As Samantha giggled and returned to her chair my mother asked, “Have you already asked Alishia?”

I shook my head, “No. I wanted to tell you the news first before I started telling everyone else. Jonathan and I plan on stopping by their house later today to ask Alishia that. Plus, I want to ask Danny if he’ll be the one to give me away.”

“Oh Alex! Danny will definitely say yes!”

“I hope so,” I whispered.

My mother gave my hand a gentle squeeze, “He will, honey. I have no doubt.” We sat in silence for a few moments before she said, “I take it you will be asking Sarah to be the maid of honor.”

I nodded, “Yeah, and Jonathan is going to ask Darryl to be the best man.”

My mother chuckled, “That’s perfect!”

The three of us were making our way out of the restaurant as my mother asked, “So, which college did you end up choosing after all?”

“The state university.”

My mother smiled, “That’s the one in the city right? The one that has one of the best business schools in the state?”

I nodded, “Yes, that’s the one. I got accepted into the program so I’ll be going there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get that much money since dad makes too much and there was tough competition for scholarships. But Jonathan said he would help me pay for school since he’s got a lot from his investments.”

My mother appeared to be lost in thought for a moment before she exclaimed, “Wait a minute! I think your father set up a bond for you! I think he did that for each one of you when each of you were born. But I think the rule was that you can’t touch it until you are twenty-one. I’ll have to ask Danny about that, maybe he can even find a way to change that so you can get it earlier.”

My eyes went wide. “Danny is twenty-two! Shouldn’t he have his already?” I asked.

“Yes, but I don’t think your father has even mentioned it to him!” Her eyes narrowed as she hissed, “And I think I have an idea why. Oh, that man! If this is at all like I suspect, I’m definitely going to talk to Danny about this!”

Samantha and I gave each other puzzled looks, but before I had a chance to ask what she was talking about, I heard my name called out.

Jonathan walked up to us at a brisk pace before wrapping an arm around my waist and giving me a kiss. “Sorry I took so long,” he said, “but I just came from talking to my dad to see what else we could do to help pay for your school.”

“It’s okay, we just walked out anyway.”

My mother laid her hand on Jonathan’s arm as she said, “Jonathan, thank you for trying to help my daughter go to college.”

He gave her a smile, “It’s not a problem Laura. I promised her I’d help her with whatever she needed.” He turned his smile to me as he added, “And since she’s going to be my wife, it’s my duty to make her happy and give her the support she needs.”

I giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before my mother said, “Jonathan, I think Alex may have more money coming to her soon. I have to talk to Danny first to find out if that’s true. But in the meantime, congratulations and welcome to the family!”

Jonathan blushed as my mother engulfed him in a hug. “Thanks Laura,” he said.

When my mother pulled away, Samantha went up to him and hugged him too. “Welcome to the family, Jonathan! I’m glad you’re going to be my brother!” As she pulled away she asked, “Did you know Alex was going to ask me to be in the wedding?”

Jonathan nodded and gave her a huge grin, “Yep. We both wanted you to be in it. You are her sister after all and we wanted our families to be a big part of it.”

My mother shook her head, “You know, in all the years I’ve known Mark, he never really spoke about his family the way you always do, Jonathan.” She turned to look at me as she said, “He’s definitely a keeper honey.”

Turning back to Jonathan, she finished, “I’m sorry Jonathan. For taking so long to realize what you and Alex have.”

Jonathan gave her a gentle smile, “It’s okay, Laura. It’s in the past now and we’re all looking forward to a better future as one big, happy family.”

My mother nodded, “Yes, you are right about that. Well, I won’t keep you any longer, I know you have to spread the good news to the others. I’ll give Elise a call later to discuss getting together soon. Alex, I’ll talk to Danny after you talk to him and see if I can find out about the bonds I believe your father has for all of you. Hopefully that will help with your schooling.”

I nodded, “Okay, thanks mom.” I gave her a hug before giving one to Samantha. “Bye mom! Bye Sam!”

The four of us waved our goodbyes as Jonathan and I walked hand in hand to his car.

The rest of the day, Jonathan and I spent going from place to place making the announcement to everyone else. After we’d left mom and Samantha, we went to Sarah’s house which was where Darryl was spending more and more of his time at when he wasn’t busy with being a chef.

The four of us were in Sarah’s den when Jonathan and I told them about the engagement. Sarah’s reaction had all of us jumping in our seats as she screeched then launched herself at me. She was squeezing the life out of me at the same time she was chattering a mile a minute.

Darryl finally took pity on me and told Sarah that I needed to keep breathing in order to make it to the wedding day. As he guided Sarah back to her seat, Jonathan pulled me closer to him and literally looked me over to see if any damage had been done.

Once Sarah had calmed down, I asked her if she would be my maid of honor. She screeched once more, but before she had a chance to launch herself at me again, Darryl pulled her back to his side. It was a good thing too because Jonathan was ready to throw himself in front of me to keep her from getting too close to me.

When they’d settled down again and it was clear that Sarah had agreed to be my maid of honor, it was Jonathan’s turn to ask Darryl to be the best man. Darryl’s reaction was completely different than Sarah’s. He sat there stunned that Jonathan wanted him to do that. When he’d finally spoken, his voice had cracked with all of the emotion he had as he said he’d be honored to do it.

We sat there for a while just talking to them, telling them our plans for the wedding and for our future together. Eventually, we just started talking about nothing in particular and it felt good to just relax among friends. We finally left Sarah’s house as the evening began since we knew Danny would be home from work by then.

Danny was the one who answered the door with a grin when he realized it was us. He gave me a hug and shook Jonathan’s hand as he ushered us in and said Alishia was just finishing up dinner. Jonathan and I told him we weren’t staying long since we just stopped by to tell him and Alishia something.

When the four of us were sitting in the living room, Jonathan and I told them that we were engaged. Alishia cried out and launched herself at Jonathan, hugging him tightly and saying “I knew it! I knew you’d finally found the one!”

As Danny dragged her back to the couch, he gave us both a huge smile and congratulated us. Alishia added her own congratulations too. Then, it was my turn to talk to the both of them.

First, I asked Alishia if she’d be a bridesmaid since Samantha was one and I wanted my sisters to be bridesmaids.  Her eyes had teared up as she readily agreed, feeling honored that I considered her as a sister.

Then, I asked Danny if he would give me away at the wedding. Like Darryl, he was speechless and like Alishia, he had unshed tears in his eyes. After a few moments of composing himself, he said he would be honored to give me to Jonathan.

I hugged Danny with tears in my own eyes and Jonathan shook his hand again, thanking him for doing this for the both of us. When we’d settled down again, Jonathan and I quickly filled them in about our plans before leaving so that they could have their dinner. They had invited us to stay, but we politely declined and made our way home to have our own quiet dinner together.

Jonathan and I were cleaning up the remains of the dinner we’d cooked together which we’d eaten out on the balcony when he asked, “You sure this is what you want beautiful?”

I knew what he was asking. “Yes. I want my family there. The ones who’ve been supportive of both you and I. You know my father would never approve. There’s no way I want him there to spoil our special day.”

He nodded as we walked into the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

“Besides, Danny has always been supportive of us,” I continued, “and he genuinely likes you. I want him to be the one to give me away to you.”

“Okay.” He began put the dishes into the dishwasher before coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I stopped putting the leftovers away and leaned back against him as he asked, “And Kevin?”

I rolled my eyes, “Right. As if I want to give him and Mark an excuse to ruin our wedding!”

Jonathan chuckled softly and said, “Just checking.” I smiled as he leaned down and kissed my shoulder.

I sighed and closed my eyes as Jonathan kissed a trail up my shoulder to my neck before he slowly turned me around to face him.

Taking my face in his hands, he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I can’t believe that in two months you are going to be my wife.”

I returned his smile and slid my arms around his waist. “And I can’t believe that in two months you are going to be my husband.”

As soon as I finished saying that, Jonathan covered my lips with his and proceeded to do what he did best. He made me breathless and turned my legs to jelly.

As I clung to him, he walked me backwards until I was against the counter. Lifting me up, he settled me on the edge of it after pushing away the food containers.

I wrapped my legs around his and slid my hands up his chest, pulling his shirt up as I went.

Jonathan stopped kissing me long enough to let me pull his shirt off of him before going back to my lips.

I moaned as his hands gripped my ass and pulled him closer to him, grinding his groin against mine. I slid my hands down his sides and slid them between our bodies to undo his pants. Just as I took him into my hands, his lips had moved to my neck to lick and nibble there.

I felt him moan against my throat as I slowly stroked the length of him. He gripped me closer and lifted his head to look into my eyes.

“God, I want you so much beautiful.”

I nodded and said in between pants, “I want you too, Jonathan.”

He captured my lips once more before lifting me up and carrying me out of the kitchen.

I had my legs and arms wrapped tightly around him as he carried me into the bedroom. He lowered me to my feet next to the bed and we hastily removed our clothes in between kissing each other.

Tumbling onto the bed, I maneuvered us until I was above him. As I straddled his waist, I pulled my lips from him and looked down at him with a smile. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I moved back until I had lined up my groin with his.

I took his cock in my hand and guided him to my opening as I slowly sank down onto him. I could feel his fingers curling around my hips as I watched his eyes go to half mast. Still, we didn’t look away from each other.

I sat there for a few moments trailing my hands over his chest, staring into his eyes, and enjoying the way he felt inside of me. Then slowly I began to move my hips.

Jonathan let me take the lead only using his hands on my hips to help me ride him.

Soon, I closed my eyes in pleasure and tilted my head back slightly. I could feel Jonathan’s hands begin to wander up my body.

He cupped my breasts and teased my nipples with his thumb and forefinger. I moaned and leaned back, curling my fingers into his thighs for added leverage as his hands wandered back down my body.

As my walls tightened around his cock, I heard Jonathan gasp. “Alex! Yes!”

His fingers gripped my hips once more as he lifted his hips, sending himself deeper into me.

I sat up and curled my fingers around his wrists as our pace quickened. “Jonathan! That feels so good! I’m so close, baby!”

He grunted beneath me as he continued to thrust himself up into my body. “Yes, it feels good. Come for me beautiful!”

As he thrust into me once more, I let myself go with a scream. “Oh Jooonathan!”

He tossed his head back as he felt me come and cried out, “Alex! Fuck, yes!”

I continued to grip him in my body as he spilled his seed into me. My hips continued to grind against his until our climax began to pass by and our bodies slowed down.

Finally, I stopped moving and collapsed on top of him, completely sated and exhausted.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around me as we lay there letting our breathing and the beating of our hearts return to normal.

After a few minutes I mumbled against his neck, “We didn’t finish cleaning up.”

He chuckled beneath me. “It’s okay. It’ll still be there later. At least it’s all in the kitchen and in containers.”

“Mm hm,” I agreed.

He sighed, “I’m feeling too lazy to want to get up from here.”

I smiled sleepily against his neck, “Mm hm.”

I rolled off of him and turned around, pulling Jonathan against my back. He covered us with the sheets before spooning me against his chest. As his arms settled around me, he kissed my neck.

“I love you, Jonathan,” I whispered.

“Love you too, beautiful.”