“I don’t think I can wait forever, Jared.”
“Not forever, baby, just till I have you checked out and my ring is on your finger,” I answer, relishing the anticipation of it all.
Lucky for me, my pop knows a judge who’s willing to do house calls, and I have a mother who’s now used to buying wedding dresses.
Today is the day, and I fully intend to own Paulie as much as she owns me already.
I could take her right now and not regret a minute of it, but I want her to know that I love her and respect her and want more from her than just sex.
I want her to know that forever is ours to grab hold of.
With that in mind, I pull my great-grandmother’s ring from my pocket, thanking Pop for it silently, and hold it out to Paulie with my heart in my throat.
“Paulette, Cupcake, the only woman I have ever loved enough to cry for, will you please, please make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
Her squeal is drowned out by Ma’s own shout and we’re both wrapped up in a hug as Case stands laughing in the doorway.
“Oh my god! I’m so excited!”
“Ma, my eardrums.”
Paulie just laughs and I groan when Ma drags her up and out of the door before I can even get a kiss in.
“That woman is one of a kind,” Case muses, coming over to shake my hand and congratulate me.
“Thank God or I’d fear for the free world.”
Chapter Eight
Paulette
I can’t believe I’m getting married. I remember last night and the declarations that were made, and I even recall this morning when my husband-to-be rubbed himself all over me as if trying to take on my scent.
I almost died when he stopped, and believe me, it was hard not to screech like a banshee when he answered his phone and left me hanging that way, but I’m so glad he stopped now. It’s always been a secret dream of mine to be married before I lose my virginity.
I’ve been trying wedding dresses on for a straight hour and modelling for the girls and little Al, a baby so adorable that I want to just squeeze him to death with love. Josh as usual is in the kitchen with the cook and his first love the cookie jar, so it’s just girls and Al today.
“Ohh, that is definitely the one,” Trace pipes up, getting teary eyed and all mushy when I walk out wearing an off-the-shoulder white sheath with a lace overlay and a long train at the back.
The dress is designer, I can smell that a mile away, not that I’d expect anything less from Mama, and it fits perfectly.
“Yeah?”
I turn to look into the full-length mirror and gasp at the vision staring back at me. I’ll need some makeup to cover up the few lingering bruises and my hair looks like a raccoon attacked me, but I actually look really nice, something I never thought possible.
“Definitely,” Ellie says firmly, giving me the thumbs-up as Clari starts bawling and grabs at a box of tissues.
My eyes round and Ma just waves me off.
“Don’t mind her. She just found out her shot failed and my son knocked her up. She’ll settle once her hormones level off.”
Clari throws Ma a glare and just cries harder.
“We didn’t want babies!”
“Oh pooh! Who doesn’t want babies? Honestly, Clara dear. Miah looked like cock of the walk this morning and I saw that smile you got when Ellie whipped out Al’s old baby clothes.”
My lips are twitching when Clari rises with a huff and practically falls on the snacks like a ravenous beast.
“It’s all his fault!”
Ellie starts laughing and I choke on my champagne when Tracy makes a crude hand gesture to mimic a hand job and grins her ass off.
“Really? I heard you and the way you go at the poor guy. You think maybe you aren’t a little to blame here, sister?”
Clari scowls before sighing and flopping down with a pout.
“It is his fault. He’s just so damned sexy, I can’t control myself.”
Ma laughs and I gird myself when she starts fanning her face with a book.
“Why I remember when my George and I—”
“La-la-la-la-la-la,” Ellie starts humming, covering Al’s ear with a grimace.
Mama gets a twinkle in her eye and zips her lips, looking plenty smug.
“Your men didn’t just fall out of air, ladies. They were made.”
I, for one, am completely grateful and give Mama a resounding high five for that stroke of pure genius while Clari turns green and bolts for the bathroom with a groan.
“Good job, Mama. I am totally grateful that you and George copulated successfully and gave me Jared.”
“Oh ew. But good job, Jude,” Ellie seconds, throwing in her own high five while the baby coos at Mama as if congratulating her, too.
Trace just shrugs and starts eating whatever Clari didn’t get to, her eyes twinkling back at us with glee.