His hands come around to clutch my ass. Something brushes against my thigh. He’s waking up in more ways than one, and the evidence is hardening fast.
Patting his cheek, I grin at his eagerness. “Afraid not, champ. It’s almost ten, and we’re docking soon.”
He groans in disappointment. “I’m sure they’ll hold the ship for us.”
I roll back off, grab a pillow and whack him with it. “Wakey wakey!”
He leaps into action, throwing the pillow across the room before rolling over me and pinning me to the bed. “I need my beauty sleep,” he growls. His hard naked body over me makes me reconsider what needs to get docked where, and when.
Before I say anything, he climbs off. “Alright, dibs on the shower.”
I pout but he’s not watching. “Why not shower together?” The thought of seeing him under the water as it caresses the contours of his body and drips off him already has me wet.
“Because if we do, we’re not getting out any faster than if we stay here and fuck.” He grins and closes the door behind him. He even locks it, the bastard.
I hate it when he’s right.
I almost jump him anyway when he comes out, but I’m a good girl. For now. I take my shower alone under protest. Soon after, we’re dressed and riding the elevator downstairs to the lobby. We’re packed in like sardines with everyone else getting ready to disembark. When we reach the main deck, we’re of course in the back corner since we got on first and have to wait until everyone else is out. It’s going to be a while.
“Time,” he says.
“What?” I look around for a clock.
“The thing I want the most that I can’t buy.”
Oh, that. “Time?”
“Yeah. I used to think it was time with Dad.” He shrugs.
“Why? I thought you guys couldn’t stand each other.”
He chuckles. “It’s not that bad. He doesn’t approve of most of the things I do, but I think he feels guilty too. He’s running a multi-billion dollar corporation.” With a sigh, he picks up his suitcase as the elevator clears. “That means not a lot of time for other things. Like your soon-to-be ex-wives. Or your somewhat unexpected son. So that’s what I always wished for.”
“That sucks.” It feels lame, but I don’t know what else to say.
“Yup,” he agrees, then steps out of the elevator.
“Wait.”
He turns, looking at me curiously.
“You said you used to think it was time with Dad. What is it now, then?”
That confident smirk that I used to hate spreads on his face. “Time with you, babe.”
Epilogue: Angie
“Mr. Caldwell. Dr. Wilson.” Four years later, Captain Chuck might be a little bit more gray and have a couple more wrinkles, but other than that he looks just the same, immaculate in his white dress uniform. He’d laughed hard when we explained why we wanted to him to marry us. Again, as far as he knew.
I smile gently. “Not a doctor yet, Chuck.”
“I’m sure it’s just a matter of formality,” he laughs.
“Sure. And four more years of med school. And years of internship.” The path to being a doctor is long, but I’ve survived pre-med. What’s ten more years, right?
I take a moment to glance out over the ocean. It’s a gorgeous day on the deck of the Golden Emperor of the Seas. When Gavin and I decided where we wanted to get married, there really wasn’t any question. It was just too perfect.
This time our parents are here, and weird as our situation is to some people, they are happy for us. We’ve all had four years to adjust, I guess. We mostly find it funny to freak people out by talking about “our parents”. Mom and Herb don’t think it’s nearly as amusing, but whatever. These days we’re just a normal family, or as normal as billionaire mother/daughter father/son families get.
We even pulled a few strings and found Joyce and Mabel so we could invite them. If Chuck was amused, Joyce found the whole thing hilarious. Of course, she got the story when we were here the first time, but it only made her appreciate the irony more.
The music starts, and I have a flash of deja vu. Barring a few central people, the crowd’s different, but it looks the same. The long red runner from the door to the ivy-covered arch at the end looks the same. Captain Chuck waiting for us at the end is the same. We start the same walk.
But it’s also different. We’re older, and we know what we’re doing this time. And this time we know we’re in love.
Oh, and I’m wearing a dress.
I look up at Gavin, who’s taking in the setting. It’s amazing how he changed once he started talking to his dad. More specifically, when he quit working for him. Things were tense for a while, but they worked through it. Herb never said anything, but I think he figured Gavin would come back crawling.