Thrown Down (Made in Jersey #2)(53)

“Yes.”

Vaughn transferred his grip on her wrists to his right hand, using the left to remove her panties with painstaking care, testing her wetness the same way, until River was a writhing, begging mess on the bed. She strained in her fiancé’s hold as he covered his column of flesh with latex. Eager. So eager.

“Oh, please…” His first pump into her body was far from gentle. No, he filled her with a vengeance, in one swift drive, grunting loudly into her neck. After that, though…it was all slow, grinding movements, rolling River’s eyes to the back of her head.

“My wife. My River.” His mouth worked hers over with desperate glides of his tongue. His eyes were pinched so tightly shut that River felt moisture gather behind her own. And all the while he entered her with powerful but unhurried thrusts. “You feel my love?”

“I feel it,” she gasped.

“You’ll never be without it another day.” His breath bathed her lips. “You never have been. I’ve loved you up one side of forever. Now I’m going to love you back down the other.”

“I’ll love you forever, too.”

“River.” The rolls of his hips grew jerky, frantic. “Don’t let go of me.”

“Never. Never again.”





Epilogue


Someone once said it takes a village to raise a child. Or maybe just a house full of divorcées…and their extremely patient brother, who honestly just wanted to watch SportsCenter.

River’s father hadn’t thrown them out of the house after all, but River, Vaughn, and Marcy had moved out one week ago, despite the older man’s concession. Without Vaughn having to say a word, River had understood his reluctance to depend on her father’s act of kindness—and while River and Vaughn had accepted an apology from the man who’d raised her, she shared Vaughn’s urgency to be an independent unit.

They had a while to go before they could afford a house of their own, however, so they were paying weekly rent to Duke and living in the two-bedroom guest house across his backyard. Just for now.

At first they’d been hesitant about imposing, but they’d been given no choice, coming downstairs one morning to find Duke and his sisters packing up the living room of River’s house. It had taken some shuffling of the sisters—two of them were now sharing a bedroom—but Marcy had already thrived in the boisterous, family-oriented environment. Even Duke had volunteered for babysitting duty, which had led to a quiet bond between Marcy and the giant mechanic. Just the other night, River and Vaughn had come home from a rare date night to find Marcy passed out beside Duke on the couch, a football highlight reel playing on the television.

Today was Vaughn’s first official day working at the factory. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, Marcy sitting on the vanity with her teddy bear, River fixing the deep blue tie she’d bought him. He would be addressing the factory floor today and going over the new safety procedures he and his partner Milo had put into place. Oddly enough, Vaughn wasn’t the least bit nervous. What did he have to be apprehensive about when he had the unwavering support of a family he’d never dared envision? God, they were…his everything. And when he looked into River’s eyes, he knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Four years apart might have been utter hell, but they were strong in the wake of his absence. They weren’t losing each other again.

River still worked her assembly line job, but after confiding in Vaughn she missed challenging her mind, she’d enrolled in night classes twice a week. Her goal was to earn her bachelor’s degree—no matter how long it took—and an eventual promotion to floor manager at the factory. And while Vaughn still held on to the staunch belief River had the potential for more, he felt her happiness, right in the center of his chest. When River said she wouldn’t be happy anywhere but with him and Marcy, he believed her, the way he should have done years earlier. They weren’t living in the past now, though. Only the present, while looking forward to the bright future they planned to give their daughter.

“We got pancakes on over here!” One of Duke’s sisters yelled from down in the backyard. “Chocolate chips. You know anyone who likes those?”

Marcy’s entire body began to wiggle on the sink. “Daddy, can I go?”

A beat passed while Vaughn figured out how to speak around the golf ball lodged in his throat. “Yeah, kiddo.” He lifted his daughter off the sink, following her to the door to make sure she got across the yard all right. Before she went down the steps, Marcy turned and hugged his right leg, then took off running.

River’s arms banded around his middle right on time, keeping him from bursting wide open with all of the contentment and pride and love. So many emotions he’d never expected to feel after leaving Hook. Leaving River.

He picked up River’s left hand and examined the simple gold wedding band he’d slid onto her finger at a civil ceremony in city hall. Neither one of them had been interested in waiting—not after they’d waited four long years to be together—so they’d recited their vows on a rainy afternoon while Marcy colored in the front row of the judge’s chamber, Duke serving as their witness. When Vaughn thought back to the ceremony, which had taken place mere days after they’d reunited in the motel, all he could remember was the blue of River’s eyes, how tears had swam in them, and gravity tugged him closer until they were forehead to forehead, sharing the same oxygen. Exactly where he wanted to remain for the rest of his life.