Page 155 of Pink and Country

“It’s happening.”

In one swift movement, I yanked April’s pants and panties down her legs and buried my face in my girl’s sweet wetness.

My tongue teased her. One stroke at the time. Her body shivered.

My lips devoured her. I sucked on her clit until she cried my name, panting.

My fingers found her center. They dived in and out at a fast pace. April arched her back and whimpered.

“Oh, Carter, don’t you ever stop.” Her hands fisted my hair, and she settled into the rhythm. I grinned as my mouth worshipped every inch of her.

April came on my tongue and convulsed in my arms. She rode her orgasm, writhing in bliss on my bed. Our bed.

Her eyes cracked open, and I seared into her, her core clenching over my swollen erection the moment I plunged in. My mouth and hands attacked her perky breasts, my tongue playing with her puckered pink nipples. My lips trailed between the valley of her breasts, from her neck to her navel, tasting her, kissing my way up. My cock throbbed with anticipation, ready to release its cream inside her.

Our mouths danced together as I thrust into her with fieriness and love as if April were made of feathers, not giving her time to catch her breath.

Fairy pushed my chest with both hands, and I knew what she wanted. In one swift movement, I flipped her over me. “Ride me, April.” I watched her. All of her. My hands gripped her hipbones, holding her close to me, while her hips rolled over my groin, toying with my self-control. I pulled her toward my chest and drilled into her with everything I had. “Come for me, woman.”

I flipped April on her back and hiked her legs over my shoulders. My cock twitched in the deep end of her core. She lifted her hips to deepen our connection and hooked her hand around my neck, keeping her eyes locked on mine. I sank into her. Faster. Stronger. My fingers curled behind her neck, and my mouth claimed hers again. Hungrier. My dick pulsated inside her. April’s fingernails grazed the skin of my chest, my biceps, then my stomach. The sensation sent a bolt of electricity to my cock. I rammed into my fiancée , pressing my forehead against her. Gravity left me. I was floating. I was drowning. I was being consumed by April. My body turned into a blazing inferno. My heart constricted. And it burst open. April came undone, and I followed suit, the both of us breathless and grinning like little kids.

“Let’s get married next month. I don’t want to wait. This,” I motioned the space between the two of us, “is forever.” I claimed her mouth, and we entangled our bodies together until we drifted off to sleep.

Epilogue

Five years later

“G eorgia, don’t pull your brother’s hair.” My little girl had spunk. She was the perfect mix of her mother and me. Nobody pushed her around. In fact, she did most of the pushing—a habit we’d been working super hard to break. And she had enough energy to light up a small town. Georgia came as a blessing in our lives. She had April’s blonde hair and my melted-steel irises.

Tennessee, our boy, who had April’s baby-blue eyes, had inherited his height from me. At two, he was already taller than most toddlers his age. My friends had nicknamed him Li’l Carter.

Tennessee was more laid-back than his sister. He preferred music to running around. I often kept him in a baby carrier while recording new music. It soothed him. The same way it had always soothed me, too.

April and I never moved from Green Mountain.

And we never rented the two other cabins next to ours again, keeping them for our guests instead.

We still owned an apartment in Nashville, but not the penthouse. After we got married, we bought a smaller place, something cozier—with old brick walls and wood beams across the ceilings. It had cachet and was more kid friendly than my bachelor pad—where we’d spend the night every time we were in town.

We named our children after the states where our lives changed for the best. The one where we fell in love and the one where April agreed to spend the rest of her life with me.

I lifted my daughter into my arms. “Come on, honey, it’s Mama’s birthday. Let’s go get her. Grams and gramps will be here soon.” I nuzzled her neck and kissed her rosy cheeks.

“Daddy, I love you.” Those four words were my pride and joy.

Saunders, Reed, and Hunter, their three-year-old son, joined us on the deck, Stud, Belinda, and their children in tow. Before we could make it inside, Georgia asked to play with Hunter—they were inseparable. As soon as she landed on her feet, my daughter grabbed her friend’s hand, and they disappeared with Kimmie toward the playhouse Stud built for the kids the last time he visited. From his highchair, Tennessee raised his arms, and I picked him up, holding him close to my heart. His dark-brown baby hair tickled my chin, and I dropped a kiss on his chubby cheek.

My wife exited the house, her three-month baby belly visible through the fabric of her soft-gray maxi dress, looking as beautiful as the day I met her in these woods, bantering with me about how cocky I was.

My hand found her waist, and I pulled her in for a kiss. April picked up the baby and greeted everyone.

Dahlia, Nick, Jack, and Violet turned the corner of the deck and sauntered in our direction. Violet ran into my arms, her red hair bouncing on her back. “Uncle Carter.” She dropped a wet kiss on my cheek, and her eyes glistened as I twirled her around. I put her down, and she joined the rest of the children.

After I told Dahlia, five years ago, that I’d looked at the paternity test results, she asked me not to tell her anything if I decided to not challenge her for Jack’s legal guardianship. I respected her wish. Deep in my heart, I knew she suspected she was right all along about who Jack’s father was, but we never talked about it again. My children considered Jack their big brother. It was all good.

Anyway, I’d forever consider him my son, no matter what the paternity test said.

I wrapped my arms around Jack’s shoulders the moment he inched closer. “Hey, buddy, I missed you.” I ruffled his hair the same way I’d always done. Growing up, Jack looked so much like Jeff, it was troubling but also comforting in a way. Dahlia and I exchanged one of our glances that bore more weight than our words could, and I air-blew a kiss her way.