My heart's racing and he's only in the driveway. I tug at the sleeves on my dress in angst. I've never been so nervous in my life. He's definitely kept me waiting. We had decided five yesterday but now it's close to seven. Thatcher instructs me to take a deep breath.
"Cash and I will meet you guys there." He says, giving me a quick hug. "You got this honey. You've wanted this for a long time."
I nod at him and he disappears upstairs. Next thing I know Marshall's knocking on my front door. I take yet another deep breath and make my way over, pulling open the door. He stands before me in a white t shirt beneath a leather jacket. At least he kept the traditional color scheme of a tux.
His eyes widen when he sees me. We take a few moments to look at each other. It feels different now for some reason, today is so important. He sizes me up and his eyes lock on my abdomen. I glance down, I had forgotten that this dress shows off the baby. With that he walks forward with his hands extended, placing them over it.
"When did this happen?" He asks me. "I would've noticed."
"Last week." I tell him, putting one of my hands over his. "It's new, I wanted to surprise you."
He looks me in the eyes and offers a side smile. His hands slide around to the small of my back and he leans down to kiss me. I turn my head and he catches my cheek then looks at me confused.
"I want to wait." I tell him. "I want our next one to be the one."
"Oh Rach..." He says, looking at my stomach again and smiling. "I love you both so much."
It's all I can do not to drag him upstairs to my bedroom. We better get going, or else I'll never be able to hold out on kissing him. I suggest that we should leave and he couldn't agree more.
***
The drive there seems to go be remarkably fast. Thatcher and Cash aren't far behind us, and we all meet in the parking lot. Marshall holds my hand nightly and we walk into the building. The inside looks a lot like a law firm. We follow some directories to the 3rd floor where they issue marriage licenses and actually perform the ceremonies. Thatcher and Cash hang back as Marshall and I walk up to the window.
"Can I help you?" The young girl behind the counter asks us.
"We need some marriage licenses." Marshall says.
The girl nods and turns to a filing cabinet behind her. She turns back with two pens and two blank marriage licenses.
"It's going to be $50 for the licenses and I'm going to need to see a valid ID." She says.
Marshall hands her his credit card and we both pull out our driver's licenses. She takes them and double checks everything. Making sure we're of age, legal citizens, etc. She hands them back to us after filling out our names.
"Did you bring a witness?" She asks.
"Yes." I answer.
I turn around and signal for Thatcher and Cash to come over to us. They come up to the window and she asks Thatcher for a valid ID just as she did us. After he's legally identified she asks him to sign our licenses. Without skipping a beat Thatch signs them and takes a step back.
"Alright so you're going to bring these with you through that door over there." She points to a large oak door on the other side of the room. "Your ceremony will be performed and we will keep these copies after you sign and send you them after they're processed. Congratulations."
We thank her and I take both of the papers. Marshall takes my hand and leads me toward the large oak door. Thatcher and Cash follow us through and we see another couple at the desk with the notary, signing away their lives to each other. We watch them set their pens down and say inaudible things to each other before the man bends down and kisses his new wife. The two of them make their way towards the door together, without rings or anything else.
"Congratulations." I say to them as they go by.
"Thank you." The woman says. "Congratulations to the two of you as well."
My heart flutters at that comment. And before I know it Marshall and I are being called over to the notary's desk. I hand him our licenses and he looks them over, making sure everything is in place.
"Which one of you is Thatcher Evans?" He asks, and Thatch comes over to the table.
"I am." He nods.
"Alright well it looks like everything seems to be in order." The notary states. "Are you ready?"
I look at Marshall one last time and he looks down at me. His eyes shine and the color seems to move and swirl like clouds in the sky. I nod once and he nods too, kissing me quickly on the cheek.
"Okay then, let's not waste any time." He says, preparing two pens for us. "Please both of you sign on the dotted line."
It's hard to stop my hand from shaking but I somehow manage to get my signature down. We set our pens down like the couple before us and the notary signs too.
"Is that it?" Marshall asks, sounding shocked that it could be so simple.
"I believe so." He smiles. "By the state of Michigan I now legally pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Mathers. Congratulations, many years to you."
My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest. I turn to Marshall and he turns to me, smiling wildly. I've only seen him this genuinely happy a few other times.
"Can I kiss the bride?" He asks me quietly.
I laugh and nod. He places his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face to his. I've kissed Marshall thousands of times, but this time has to be the best. The lip on lip contact feels the same as it always has, but the feeling inside is much deeper than that. He pulls away and it seems much too soon but as soon as Thatcher comes over to hug me, I'm reminded that we are not the only ones here.
"I'm proud of you." Thatch says, giving me a squeeze and then turning to shake Marshall's hand. "You take care of her."
They nod at each other and then Cash comes in for a round of hugs. It's not until now that I see another couple has entered the room. I feel Marshall's arm wrap around my waist, and then his deep strong voice whispering in my ear.
"Wanna get out of here?" He asks.
I nod and without another word about it, he propels us both toward the door.
***
We get back after a nice dinner with Thatcher and Cash. Shockingly, I managed to maintain the pure white shade of my dress. I set my bag down in its usual place. I hear the door click shut behind me and all of a sudden get hit with a shot of nerves. Then I hear the lock click and goosebumps litter my body. My back is to him, and after a couple seconds I feel him behind me. He's close, close enough for me to feel his breath on my neck.
"Aren't you going to turn around and kiss your husband?" He whispers to me, putting his hands on my hips.
My heart jumps at the mention of it. I turn as I've been asked to and throw my arms around his shoulders. I lean my body against him and slowly push my lips against his. My hands twist in his hair and his fingertips sink into my lower back.
"I love that word." I say to him, nibbling his lower lip.
"Get used to it." He jokes.
All of a sudden he tightens his hold around my waist and picks up my legs with his other arm. I laugh as he does it, and he carries me down the hall towards his bedroom. I kiss his cheek which seems to distract him as he navigates the doorway. Then I'm being gently set down on my back on his pillows, sinking into them.
I kick my shoes to the floor and he stands at the edge of the bed. I watch him peel his jacket from his body, a glorious sight. I sit up and roll forward onto my knees at the edge of the bed. I run my hands up under his shirt and then I'm prompting him to take it off.
He complies, tossing it on the floor. I let my eyes wander across his perfect body. I love everything about him. The scars, the tattoos, the eyes. He seems so god like now, powerful. I lean forward and kiss his abdomen while my hands wrestle with his belt. I manage to rid him of his jeans leaving him in nothing else but his boxers. Before I can do anything else I feel his hand rest on my cheek and tilt my face up to look at him.
"I really do love you you know." He tells me, pulling me up to my knees so he can kiss me. "My beautiful wife."
"I will never get sick of that." I beam at him, kissing him over and over. "I just remembered I'll be Mrs. Mathers now."
"Rachel Mathers." He tries it out. "Sounds like it was meant to be yours."
His hands travel to the base of my thighs and he takes the hem of my dress between his fingers, pulling it up and off. I've never been one to wear white underwear but I couldn't wear the black ones Marshall likes beneath a white dress. His eyes widen at the sight of me and he looks, pleased.
"What?" I ask, sounding much more like an innocent than I meant.
His jaw then tightens and his eyes narrow on me. He leans forward and I'm being lifted further back to the pillows. He lays between my legs and places sweet kisses on my neck, nibbling occasionally at my ear.
"I still like the black." He says, rubbing the lace between his fingers. "But something about you in white right now..."
He presses his lips on mine and groans against them. I feel him on my thigh and touch him, which only makes his moans more agonized. His mouth travels down between my breasts while his free hand fiddles with the clip. I feel the tension turn to slack once it's undone, and then he frees me of the cover. Hands almost immediately replace it, forcing my eyes to flutter shut.
One of his hands feels down my stomach and grazes over the white lace of my underwear. My hands fly to his shoulders, gripping him with anticipation. His fingers dip beneath the lace and begin to rub me. My breath hitches and I have to focus on breathing. Marshall rests his forehead on mine and kisses me which adds to the difficulty of breathing. I feel the sensation starting and he smirks to himself, clearly able to sense it too.
"You love to tease me don't you?" I joke with him, struggling to get the words out.
He smiles at me and curls his fingers backward. I flinch and grip his wrist tightly. He laughs once and then kisses me again, enough of the teasing. I feel him shuffle out of his boxers and hear them make light contact with the floor. My heart is going crazy, beating fiercely against the inside of my chest. He bends down close to me and I realize all over again how much I love him.
"Ready?" He whispers to me, and I can't help but think he's talking about the rest of our lives instead of just this moment.
I nod and feel him inside of me. My back arches, my fingers curl. Our fronts connect and rub against each other with every move he makes. I ball up his hair and let out a loud girlish moan. He places his hand in the small of my back, securing my place against his body. His forehead is pressed against my temple and I can feel his breath on my neck. His free hand rests on my cheek and he offers me a light kiss as a contrast to our desperate contact.
"Marshall I'm gonna..." I whine, aching for him in every sense of the word.
"Wait for me." He jokes, using it as an excuse to adjust his thrusting pace to something slower and deeper.
Along with the change, comes more intense and short moans. He's struggling to keep it all inside and I don't want him to. Even though it doesn't seem real yet, this is our wedding night. I want him in every way possible. My eyes close again with in an involuntary response to him and my teeth gnaw on my bottom lip. He whines when he sees it drops his head into the crook of my neck.
"Baby..." He breathes hard, his hands clamping around my hips intensifying my sensation. "I'm gonna come."
I try to kiss him but am intercepted by my sudden moans. He begins his release, going fast and it doesn't push me over the edge, it fucking throws me. I grab hold of him whining and whimpering into his shoulder as he curses to himself. He locks eyes with me and thrusts hard again, watching me. My eyes shut and my mouth opens letting out girly noises. He gradually slows down, and we begin to catch our breaths. He pulls out almost immediately, pulling me against his body and breathing hard against my skin.
"Is it always gonna be like that?" I ask him, which makes him laugh.
"I hope so." He says, kissing me gently. "If it is like that every time, you're in for it."
I blush and don't even try to hide it. He laughs again and slides his hand over my stomach. I move back so that my body is fully against his.
"I love you Rach." He says, accepting my gesture and wrapping his arms around me. "Very much."
"I love you too." I tell him.
We take a few minutes to rest and then he lets his hand slide to my hips.
"Round two?" He offers, and it's incredibly difficult to say no to that smile.
I roll on my back and he starts to kiss me again, marking the beginning of what will be a very long night.