You won't believe how fast three and a half months of wedding planning can make time fly.
Nine-thirty chimed on Halloween night. Trick or Treaters were few on the edge of town where my mother lived, but my cousin Lyddy pulled candy duty. And by duty, I mean collecting a Skittles or Hershey tax for every time she answered the door.
Now here I was in Willow's bedroom wrapped in a fluffy pink bathrobe, getting primped for my big evening. Perched on a stool so Jet could do my hair, I awaited with a million butterflies fluttering deep inside me. The pale green walls, while tranquil, did little to calm my nervousness. Dmitri readied himself at our home, with his family and friends.
Jet wielded hot rollers then a curling iron to set the ends of my tresses into ringlets which would flow down my back. All the while, plying me with champagne and strawberries accompanied by powdered sugar in a delicate bowl. The berries dipped in champagne then rolled in the sweetness just happened to be awesome, by the way.
My Stylist of Honor did a twisty thing along my hairline, so it looked kinda like a French braid headband. Stage two involved pulling my hair half-up in a fancy twist, securing it with a pearl and flower comb. Stage three, arranging ringlets. Once my tresses were tamed with a can of hairspray, Jet sculpted my face. Red lipstick, black eyeliner. Coppery-pink eyeshadow and a magic formula of mascara that gave my lashes an extra half-inch of length without the tarantula effect. Totally Old Hollywood glamor-puss.
Nita entered the room holding my gown with Willow following behind, carrying my shoes-- decadent crystal encrusted strappy heels that caught whatever light and glittered. I slipped off the bathrobe to reveal my saucy underpinnings which would also serve as a wedding-night surprise for Dmitri. A black skirted thong with garter straps held up my embroidered thigh-highs-- ordered them from England just for tonight. Black ivy on nude silk wandered up my gams. I wore a black lace on nude satin strapless push up bra. It created a nice shelf which my necklace --a gift from Dmitri-- could be displayed.
The necklace consisted of pear-shaped golden pearls dangling from a white gold chain. A square-cut sapphire hung as the pendant right above the cleft of my breasts. It matched my engagement ring. I loved it especially because Dmitri had it delivered via Cleo, Wiley's black lab. Will say it looks better around my neck, though. Earrings, Pearls identical to those of the necklace, dangled from small sapphires, cut like that in my engagement ring, arrived via velvet pouch delicately tied to the necklace by silken cording. Never have I owned such exquisite jewelry, and it touched me that Dmitri would carry out the theme from the ring so thoroughly.
"You did not learn to dress like that from me, Kaylis Prudence." Willow sounded almost shocked at my knickers.
"That's totally my influence." Jet approved.
"Definitely not a white wedding for you, huh Cuz?" Nita found my mother's discomfort amusing.
"Definitely," I agreed.
I stepped into my shoes and then donned the midnight blue chiffon dress so Jet could zip it up. A deep breath and I slid my hand down the fabric and looked at the closet door; basically a huge sliding mirror reflecting my mother's green and pink room.
"We're not done yet...." Jet pulled a veil from her mammoth duffel bag resting on Willow's four poster bed. "Here, your crowning touch."
Had she said it with an Irish accent, I'd claim déjà vu.
Jet floated the veil over my head to cascade down my back. Single layer, almost same color as my gown. Mantilla style, edged in a black lace applique. From the center point hung a golden baroque pearl. The gem sat right above and between my eyebrows. I could see the glitter of tiny Swarovski crystals dot the veil. Got the night sky as my head gear, complete with moon-pearl. Love it.
The dress, exactly as advertised online. Made to my measurements and fit like a glove.
After staring at my reflection and taking in my grand appearance, I admired Jet and Nita's gowns, in royal purple and peacock blue respectively. Both wore black shoes. Nita's were cute little T-strap pumps and Jet's were black platforms with a matching satin bow hanging from the back. But the thing that made the outfits complete were the fascinators-- little wisps of black Russian tulle fastened to tiny pillbox hats with peacock feathers as headpieces perched atop their heads at a jaunty angle. Both had their hair in French twists contained by tortoiseshell combs. Vintage cool.
Willow took the cake, however. Never seen my mother in a form-fitting gown. She choose burgundy for the color, although at certain angles, material seemed to glow pigeon blood red. Strapless column gown was tamed with a bolero jacket. Her hair, side-swept and elegantly confined in a chignon.
"You look amazing." I complimented my mother.
"Yes I do. Now wait until you see what Jet did with the backyard!" It was harder for Willow to bounce in heels than in Birkenstocks.
Jet selected my mother's jungle for our midnight shindig. All I knew was that I was banned from seeing any of the preparations.
'Tricks and treats," Jet told me.
'Trust me,' she said.
So I did. Pins and needles, I tell you. Couldn't wait to see the magic she wrought.
By eleven-twenty, the wedding party were ready to rock the casbah. Little Rosie whirled around in a dress made of layers upon layers of tulle-- purple and pink. Plus purple and green fairy wings. Her bright blonde hair plaited with sheer rainbow ribbons. My littlest cousin would serve as my flower fairy, hyped up on Mountain Dew. Her big brother, the ring bearer. He put his foot down at the knee-breeches Jet tried to coax him into wearing. Rowan suggested a tux, and that's what he got.
"Where's Grampa?" I expressed to Jet my desire for him to walk me down the aisle. The clock showed thirty minutes to midnight. I could hear guests talking. Couldn't see who they were... but people awaited.
The ring master to this circus chimed in. "He's otherwise occupied with the groom. I'm giving you a choice of escort. Your Uncle Rowan or Cleo Woofenstien." Jet gave Wiley's dog a last name.
I laughed. "That's quite the selection. I'll take Uncle Row for five hundred, Alex."
"Done. Wait here. Willow, smack her on the back of her hand if she tries to peek out the windows." Drapes and shades blocked the view from my arrival late this afternoon.
"Will do." Willow gleamed at me. "Better behave yourself, daughter of mine."
"I am behaving." I'm nervous, too. This felt like a play and I'm in the wings waiting for my cue. Except I have no idea what my lines are and a general concept of movement to be accomplished. Don't know the stage, but I know the fellow actors. Seconds ticked into minutes and then Jet arrived back in Willow's bedroom, carrying a white box, my uncle in tow.
Never seen him sport formal wear. "You look dashing, Uncle Row!"
"Dashing is for pirates and Fabio. I look Rico f'n Suave." Tuxes have that James Bond effect with men. A white rose and fern boutonniere graced his lapel. Looks like he bought himself a new black Stetson to go with his threads.
Jet clapped her hands. "Flower time!" She tore open the box and lifted out a basket trailing ribbons, filled to the brim with white rose petals. She handed it off to Rosie with a reminder of how to sprinkle them. Then she pulled out two bouquets of roses, orchids and lilies. The flower stems were bound with black ribbon edged in tiny seed pearls. She handed those off to Nita to hold. Once again, she reached into the bowels of the cardboard cube and removed a larger bouquet. Had the flowers like Nita's and Jet's bouquets, but in addition, freesia and jasmine entwined with ivy. The stems bound in a navy blue satin ribbon secured with pearl-tipped pins.
After the foliage went to each respective owner, Uncle Pat popped his head in and called out little Row. Something about the ring bearer's pillow.
General Jet marshaled her troops to formation. "Okay, make for the kitchen. We're heading out the front door, straight to the garden gate. From there, onto the red carpet. Kaylis, keep with the beat of the music. I'll tell you when to start walking down the aisle."
Jet then put us in order before we walked out the front door. First Rosie and Rowan. Then Nita. Jet, then Uncle Row and I. Saw Jet snatch her phone from her bra and send a text message. "Okay, line up time!"
The group of us walked out from the house and followed the paving stone pathway to Willow's wrought iron garden gate. A hedge of hazelnuts shielded most of my view of the backyard. All I could see were tiny white lights aglow in the fruit trees at the far end of the garden. The Indian Summer we had helped keep the trees in their leafed glory. Wiley and Bryant joined us in the lineup. Best man stood next to Jet and usher next to Nita, each offering their aisle partner an elbow to use.
As soon as we were lined up at the gate, Jet sent another text message. A mere moment after she tucked the phone away, lights dimmed in the house. Strains of medieval and/or Celtic sounding music began to play. A haunting tune, think it's preformed on a harp. Or lute. Mandolin?
I leaned forward and asked Jet, "What song is this?"
She whispered back, "Your wedding march. Almost show time." Huge cheeky grin. "No BS 'hesitation step.' This is your wedding, own it."
My heart quickened with the knowledge that her trick and treat would soon be revealed. "What's the song called?"
"Brian Boru's March."
Will remember that.
Silently she led us to the edge of the hazelnuts. It separated the gate area from garden proper. About two minutes into the song, Jet told the kids to start marching. They began their walk, disappearing around the edge of Nutland. Counting to ten softly, she told Nita and Bryant to go. Then she whipped around and asked me, "Ready for the catwalk?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Don't be nervous. It's a party, remember?" Then Jet turned to Wiley and said, "Come on, Legs. Better keep time to me." Then arm in arm, made her grand march toward the alter with Wiley half smiling at her.
"Ready, Punky?" Uncle Rowan asked, using my childhood nickname.
"Yep. Kick ass and take names time." Deep breath. Squared my shoulders and strutted my stuff. The pace of the song became deeper and intense. This is my cue. My moment. No tripping in heels. No tripping in heels...my mantra of not making an ass of myself.
My arm looped through my uncle's extended elbow, I held the bouquet at the ready. Around the corner, I could see a nighttime fairyland. Gasped aloud, my uncle chuckled at my amazement.
From the corner of the hazelnut hedge, a red carpet ran all the way to the far end of the mini orchard. The trees were hung with more than tiny lights, they hung with round lanterns, orbs aglow in the trees, leading the way to Jet's definition of a wedding alter. Chairs weren't aligned in tidy rows, but in graceful concentric half circles surrounding the alter with a wide aisle running the center.
As Uncle Row and I emerged to address the red carpet, I could see Rosie skipping ahead, the wings on her back fluttering with every bounce. She and her brother now reached the back circle of seats, and as they walked past the guests, whispers silenced. Rosie held a handful of rose petals in her hand and tossed them into the air like confetti. Whenever one landed on the pillow Rowan carried, he'd raise the cushion blow the petal off.
By the time Jet made it to the seating area and meandered toward the alter, my heart beat wildly. About fifty people were here. But beneath a flower-decked arch strung discreetly with lights, I could see Dmitri standing next to my Grandpa. Why was Grampa up there? Wiley, too, stood off to the side of Dmitri.
My groom looked handsome. A tuxedo, never seen him in a tux. Even had spats on his shoes. Totally reincarnated Cary Grant at an Old Hollywood event. Melded well with my glamour-puss façade tonight.
Finally reached the back row. Topiaries marked the aisle, balls of black roses with pearl centers. Everybody stood up and turned to look my way. One of Jet's treats; everybody present at this nuptial fiesta, with the exception of the wedding party, that is, wore gold and silver Venetian carnival masques. A sea of birds and cats, dogs and sun, moons and stars faced my uncle and I. Super surreal. It was awesome. The best kind of costume party. All wore black, the only colors were the wedding party, Willow in her deep red, and Dmitri's mom, Živa, in emerald green and a half-masque of gold and ostrich plumes.
I looked past the ocean of people to the very floral shores where Dmitri stood. Focused on him, and almost everything else disappeared. The music seemed to soften, people faded as my tunnel vision took over.
Dmitri's mouth opened a little, then smiled in his soft way. The last time I saw him look at me in such a manner was when he flew to Sacramento those many years ago so I could abduct him for merriment, when he confessed wanting to be a fixture in my life. Thinking about that night made my cheeks burn, but I never lowered my gaze from Dmitri's until I reached his side.
My Grandfather lifted a leather-bound book and began to read what I recognized as the wedding ceremony. My grandfather is marrying us. No better way could he express his blessings over my choice in mate. Didn't know Grampa could marry people, but it deeply touched me to have him be an integral part of my ceremony. Jet is fucking awesome beyond belief.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the commitment to each other Dmitri and Kaylis wish to make in the presence of those closest to their hearts.
"True Marriage is a house two people build with determination, love, humor and appreciation. It is a house kept warm by affection and furnished with companionship. It can weather the harshest storm-- for storms are only temporary. Built on a solid foundation, such a house constructed by two people entering the bonds of matrimony can last a lifetime. This is the kind of bond Dmitri and Kaylis wish to make tonight.
"Do you, Dmitri Aleksandor Nikolai Branimir take Kaylis to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, in times of plenty and times of less, from this day until the end of days?
"I do."
"Her ring?"
"Here." Rowan stepped forward, pillow with little ribbons sewn in the center to hold the rings in place, lifted high for Dmitri to untie my ring while Grampa spoke again.
"Take this ring, a physical reminder of how love can encompass and surround one, giving form and strength never ending. Dmitri. if your intentions are true, place the ring on her finger and repeat after me; With this ring I wed thee, my life, my love, my soul.'
My beloved spoke the words while holding my hands.
I looked down to the band that now lived where my engagement ring once resided. It was a plain platinum band with a round diamond in the center, flanked by square sapphires.
"Do you, Kaylis Prudence Woods take Dmitri to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, in times of plenty and times of less, from this day until the end of days?"
I did. "I do." I will.
"Kaylis, if your intentions are true, place the ring on his finger and repeat after me; With this ring I wed thee, my life, my love, my soul.'
I slid the ring onto his finger, noting it was a larger version of my own, while speaking my vow.
"By the power vested in me by the Church of Unity and State of California, to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now give your wench some sugar, Mr. Branimir."
Our guests tittered while Dmitri smiled down at me before sweeping in for a lip lock. I was dumbfounded that my grandfather would refer to me as a wench at my wedding. During my wedding!
Didn't take much to get back into the moment, though. I kissed Dmitri back and bubbles began to float over us in abundance while the theme to Game of Thrones played. I couldn't resist laughing up into my husband's face. "Why did we wait so long?"
"You didn't have any socks warm enough for your feet." Dmitri teased. "You feeling okay?" Wondered if he thought I was going to get sickhouse on him again.
"I feel awesome." Beyond awesome. Giggly, bouncy and infectiously happy. "Ready to be Hand of the Queen?"
"No. I'm ready to be your hubby, though." With that, he swept me up in his arms to walk me back down the aisle to my mother's deck. Where once a glass and wrought iron table set lurked, a silk pavilion draped with yards and yards of flimsy material and furnished with pillows galore and low tables. "Welcome to Morocco, Mrs. Branimir!" Dmitri whispered in my ear.
Dmitri's family awaited us in the pavilion, seated amidst the army of round and square pillows. They arrived late to San Francisco since ash from an Icelandic volcano quelled all air travel from Europe for nearly two weeks. They made it, two days ago. One day spent in recuperation from the flight, the next day in preparation for Dmitri's wedding. I met them at dinner last night and got a measure of those responsible for Dmitri's upbringing. But now it was unadulterated quality time with the Branimir clan.
Drago stood shorter than Dmitri, who in turn was shorter than his blonde little brother, Ifan. Živa possessed golden brown hair and eyes the color of whiskey. Dmitri got his father's blue eyes and dark hair while Ifan inherited his mother's lion gaze. Ifan's wife, Aishana, possessed curly black hair and dark brown eyes. With her pointy chin and wide eyes, she reminded me of a pixie missing her wings.
The Branimir patriarch lacked his wife's eager smile and easy manner, but was friendly in a reticent and dignified manner.
"A lovely ceremony, my new daughter!" Živa removed her golden mask. "When Dmitri told me of a Hallowe'en ceremony, I was so hoping you would play with the idea. Better than I could have imagined, Kahleez. The masks are so much fun!"
Dmitri put me on my feet while I replied, "I chose the day, but my Maid of Honor arranged everything. Her organizational skills are better than mine when it comes to festivities."
"So, when will I get my first grandbaby? Ifan and Aishana do not seem interested in parenthood yet. Now you two can get busy so I can see my grandchildren. They can come during the summer to stay with us, learn our language and history. And I wish to spoil them rotten!"
"Majka!" Dmitri sounded scandalized. "Babies happen when they happen, if they happen at all. Can't rush something one wants to do right the first time."
Hello, future adopted child of mine.
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Oh, little man, do you not know first comes marriage then the baby carriage? Your bride has childbearing hips, just look. She will carry your children well. Besides, what rush have you two to get married after such a short engagement?"
I could feel the blood rushing to my upper chest and face. Thank you, my new mother in law, thank you so much for noticing the width of my ass.
"I can assure you, I am not pregnant right now although it would please me to be otherwise." Truth and diplomacy, always a good combination.
Ifan spoke up, "Now Majka, you said you would not hound for children. Let them enjoy each other a while before devoting the rest of their lives to making you happy with little ones running around."
"Then you better get busy. You've kept me waiting four years too long while you enjoy yourself with Aishana."
Ifan slipped into his native language to say something to his mother, and she replied back in a manner reminiscent of an irate wet hen. Dmitri looked on with a smile on his face.
"Do not let Živa upset you, my dear. She means well." Drago patted my hand.
"She hasn't upset me in the least. I didn't mean to give the wrong impression with a short engagement. Dmitri and I decided we didn't want to put off the inevitable much longer."
"You will have beautiful children, my new daughter. Intelligent and lovely sons and daughters when the time is right. I have no doubt of it."
I smiled at Drago and his sweet words while my heart broke. The possibility of bearing children does not exist and no matter how hard I wish, it will never be otherwise. "Time will tell."
Jet meandered my way and excused me from the presence of Dmitri's parents. She hauled me off to Willow's room on the pretense of retouching my makeup for photos. I sat upon the stool again, the bathrobe draped over my dress to protect the blue from random cosmetic particles.
My eyes were closed as she brushed more color in the socket's crease . "I have a huge favor to ask you, Kaylis."
A plaintive tone lurked in her voice. I leaned away from her hand and opened my eyes. "What's up? If I can help, you know I will. It's the least for all you've done tonight. The moon is yours, if it were mine to give away."
She heaved a deep breath. "I'm going to Bali for a while. Going to celebrate Nypei and visit with family."
I'm thinking she wants me to take care of her cat. I can do that. The feline has yet to scent mark me.
Jet continued, "When I get back, I want to know if you will take over my responsibility."
Okay, perhaps not house cat related.
"I realized something about Wiley, Kaylis. When he explained to me his BS with his ex and stuff, I realized he's the kind of guy who would marry a chick he knocked up because it was his duty to correct a mistake he made. I'm no man's goddamn mistake. I don't want him to feel like he's obligated to marry me. Fuck that shit. I'm not the marrying type. I'm not the mommy type, either."
My mind wrapped around what she just said. "Wiley knocked you up? You're going to have a baby?"
Jet's green eyes were huge. Never have I seen her this vulnerable. She could barely speak. "Yes. I don't know what else to do." She heaved a deep sigh. "I don't date, I don't take birth control. Allergic to latex, and again, don't date... so no condom... shit happens."
"So me taking over your responsibility...?"
"Will you and Dmitri adopt the baby? I can't go through with an abortion. I'd make a horrible mother, you know it. I know it. But you and Dmitri, you guys are normal. Sane, even. Please, Kaylis. I can't picture giving it up to strangers... Please think about it. Please."
I wanted to say yes right then and there. Didn't like seeing my friend upset and hurting or seeing her look lost. But a baby is something I needed to discuss with Dmitri. This isn't a cat... can't expect him to just roll over and be all peachy keen about it. But I would love to have a baby. To start a family. To explore uncharted parental territory.
I mean, this is huge. A lifetime commitment.
"Wiley doesn't know?"
"No. I don't want him wanting to marrying me because he got me pregnant. Fuck that. His emotional investment at the time was lust and nothing more. Lust is not an ideal ingredient for a stable family life a kid needs. I don't want him to know because I don't want him to use it against me. And that's the mentality of the 'moral' people in this area. Don't deny it."
She's right. Can't count how many people I went to school with who ended up married because an accidental pregnancy.
"So you're going to Bali to have the baby then be back after it's born?"
"Yes. For all intents and purposes, I'm going on vacation. I've got enough vacation time and sick leave saved up to cover it. I'm due at the tail end of March."
"I want to help you, Jet. But I need to talk to Dmitri... because this involves him too. He and I spoke briefly about adoption a ways back, but we didn't explore it much."
"I think you'd make a good mother, Kaylis. I trust you, which is why I ask... I know it's something huge to ask of someone. On your wedding night. But I'm going to be showing soon. Don't have much time. I need a plan, and if it's a No from you, then I'll have to think of something else. Just don't know if I can say goodbye like that to a baby. Just the thought of it gets me weepy. Or it's the fucking hormonal rush nowadays." She heaved a deep sigh and muttered, "Thank the Gods for waterproof cosmetics."
"Personally, I'd love to have a baby. You're giving me the opportunity to do so, and I want to say yes without Dmitri's approval. But I can't do that. I'll ask him tonight though."
With a spark of her former self, Jet smiled. "You do that. I have preparations to make, too. I'm leaving next week on the 5th. That's why I'm asking now. Don't know how else to deal with this... Wiley won't make himself scarce and leave me alone. I don't want to swell up in front of him. Don't want to be his ball and chain or saddle him with child support for busting a nut we both wanted. This is the best solution I can think of, Kaylis... and I've thought of everything." She picked up a makeup palette of blush and began dusting my forehead, down my nose and the bottom of my jawline with one shade, then my cheekbones with another. "I promise never to call you a Mary Sue, either."
"I have Pollyanna tendencies, not Mary Sue issues." Jet knows how to cut down to the quick. Mary Sue. Hmph. I am far from perfect, and I know it. Damn Star Trek references.
"Says she who cannot bear kids but is being offered an infant for her very own, very little strings attached. I want to be Auntie Jet. I'll make a good aunt. You'd be a better mamacita though." Another application of red lipstick then a coating of translucent loose powder.
I want a baby. Being more barren than salt water upset me. Although I know the life Dmitri and I will carve out will be rewarding, the lack of kidlets and wee'ens has already been felt, at least by me. Pregnancy may be horrible to some women, but at least they get to experience it. Birth, too. In essence, what I was biologically programmed to do, denied. I want those experiences, but because of circumstances I can carry tapeworms, but no baby.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door before it eased open and Dmitri walked inside. "Ready for your close up, Mrs. Branimir?"
Jet looked at me with a sly glance. "I'm going to talk to the photographer. Dmitri, make sure she doesn't have any face powder on her dress, will you?"
My husband walked towards me while I faced the mirror and removed the bathrobe. The mantilla followed suit and I tossed it on Jet's duffel bag, still on the bed. I loved looking at our reflection. We make a handsome couple in our finery.
"I like your hair done that way." Dmitri lifted one of my ringlets and wrapped it around his finger.
"I like you. Period."
Dmitri smiled. "Jet didn't linger long, did she? We're going to have to get something special for her as a thank you for all she's done. Magnificent so far."
My heart beat heavily in my breast as my thoughts swarmed into coherency. "I have news for you, Dmitri. You might need to sit down. This news could double as Jet's payment."
"You sold your novel already?"
"No, still waiting to hear back from the publishing house." Sent the query three weeks ago. It was a part of Jet's master scheme to get me published; get to the point where a publishing house offers a deal then snag a literary agent by having a publishing proposal on the table already. The flurry of wedding excitement forced my writing ambitions to the back burner until he brought it up.
"What would require me to sit down for monumental news?" He sat on Willow's bed and looked up to me as I stood before him.
Deep breath. I didn't know how to phrase it, because every time I'd line up my train of thought, it always started with how Jet didn't want Wiley to marry her for not using birth control.
So I did it in the most natural way I knew how.
"Dmitri, can we have a baby?"
A long pause rife filled the room while confusion sat upon his face. After that pause evaporated and the hamster on its wheel in Dmitri's head began running again.
"Excuse me?"
"We have the opportunity to be the parents of a baby who will need a home. Can we have a baby, Dmitri?"
His thick brows knit together as my words sank into his mind. "Need more details than what you're giving me, Kay. Explain."
I sighed and sat next to Dmitri before speaking. I wanted to keep Jet protected. "Jet is pregnant and doesn't want to have an abortion. She doesn't want to put it up for adoption with strangers and asked me if you and I would raise her baby as our own, that way she can still be a participant in its life. Told her I'd ask you tonight because she's taking off to Indonesia until she gives birth. She wants to be around her family. Then when she gets back, we adopt."
In silence Dmitri sat, me perched beside him in a state of anticipation. Outside, music and conversations seem to silence as the quiet in Willow's room took over.
"What about the father?"
"She is not involved with him and he doesn't know about her pregnancy." But should we adopt, there is a definite possibility that Wiley could discover his progeny. I don't like the idea of keeping it away from him. And if Dmitri knew, then Wiley would know. However, at least Wiley would still be a part of the baby's life, if on the fringe. Maybe a relationship could be fostered between the unborn and their "Uncle Wiley". Shit. One step at a time. No use jumping ahead of myself if Dmitri isn't game.
Dmitri sat quietly, weighing the pros and cons. Not many have the luxury to choose the exact moment to start their family. Not many are fiscally solvent enough for the duty of parenthood. While Dmitri thought about it, I hoped and wished he'd say yes. I could be a mother. And I was honored that Jet asked me.
"A baby..." It was a mantra he repeated, each time more excitedly. "I think we can have a baby. I wanted to start a family a bit down the line, but if our opportunity is now, then yes, if we can do it all legally, we will adopt Jet's infant."
I wrapped my arms tight around Dmitri. "This night is amazing." Tears of happiness formed in my eyes, threatening my makeup. "I need tissues before I look like a raccoon."
A smirk quirked those lips I loved to kiss. "Sexy goth eyes would be hot."
"Later then. I don't want people thinking you've made me cry already." I stuck out my tongue. "When we can go home alone and I can give you a present. I'll goth it up a bit." I gathered my skirts so I could maneuver to straddle his lap and nibble kisses on his cheek. "I want to give you a present right now, though." I want to go home and hide under the covers with him.
Dmitri hummed his approval. "I have an idea."
Ohh, I have an idea or three, myself. "Don't tell. Just show." Mischief to his Mayhem, I tell you.
He smiled at my challenge. Dmitri indicated I needed to stand up, so I did. He reached for my hand and held it as he walked to Willow's bathroom.
A flick of a light switch and locking the door later, Dmitri pushed me against the bathroom wall and kissed the hell out of me. His tongue glided over my lips and I returned the favor. My hands caressed his burgeoning hardness through his tux trousers.
Breathless, I dropped to my knees and began fumbling with the pants fly. Dmitri took over and freed his cock from fabric confines. My mouth wrapped around him and sucked hard until he overflowed from my lips. With a ferocity, my tongue pressed hard into the underside of his shaft to slide from tip to balls with every bob of my head. When he was hard as a rock, I stood up, turned around and bent over the sink's vanity while hitching my skirts above my hips. My eyes watched Dmitri in the mirror's reflection as he smiled. His calloused hand rubbed my ass, then moved my thong to the side as Dmitri positioned himself behind me. His mouth opened just a bit before he slid deep.
My husband felt amazing, and watching each other in the mirror as he pounded me from behind increased my passion. It didn't take long for me to lock Dmitri in a vice grip as I orgasmed around him. He moved a hand from my hip to my shoulder as he pounded me harder. Then he came, throwing his head back and moaning low.
We caught our breath and cleaned up. I needed to redo my lipstick before photos. Oh well. Worth it!
When Dmitri and I exited the bathroom, I pushed him against the wall and kissed him. "I love you." Red lipstick smeared on his lips. "Might need to touch up your makeup too. Would you rock sexy goth eyes for me? Go all Mr. Smith?"
Dmitri kissed my lips hard. "I love you too. And that was just a sample of what's in store for you once we can make our way home. I have plans for you, Mrs. Branimir. If you want to smear each others make up when we get home, sounds good to me. It's Halloween night, after all."
I smiled wide. Tonight is an auspicious start to our marriage. I knew it deep in my bones. Long life, health and happiness. That's what's in store for us and ours.
With Dmitri excited as I about the parental potential and our wedding reception to fully attend after photos, I felt happy and pleased. But maybe that's just the afterglow of a splendorous quickie. This night was better than I could have ever imagined. And that's before fully breaking out the lingerie or touching the wedding cake.
Now to celebrate the rest of the night to with my husband, family, and close friends. Onward! Time for me to embark on this new journey to the land of matrimony.