BOOK NINE: THEIR WICKED FOREVER- LILY -"What's the occasion?" Calder asks.God, he looks delicious tonight. I might be a little biased, but I'm pretty sure I'm married to the sexiest man in existence. I'm not sure what I like most - those broad shoulders, those dark and devilish eyes, that perfect hint of stubble on his cheeks - but I could eat him up. And that finely cut suit he's wearing definitely completes the picture. I told him he needed to dress up for dinner, but all I can think about is how I want to rip all those clothes right off him. Maybe we should skip dinner. I think I'd much rather push him down on the table and devour him instead.Wow, horny much? Calder has always had a very strong effect on me, but it's particularly distracting tonight. I fight back my more primal urges and slide my hands down the dress I picked out for tonight. It's a gorgeous gown - midnight blue with delicate beading along the low neckline - and this is the first time I've had the chance to
- LILY – Seven Months LaterI'm going to kill Calder for doing this to me.Sure, I knew pregnancy wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park. I always knew there'd be aches and pains and a number of physical surprises - but I wasn't prepared. Not at all.It's like I'm a helpless child - I'm exhausted all the time and sometimes need help doing even the simplest tasks. God, I never thought I'd be looking forward to the day when I could tie my own shoes again. Did Lou have this much trouble when she was pregnant? Or am I just especially bad at this whole baby-growing thing?My hand slides across the wide surface of my belly. It'll be worth it, I know. But I really wish I could speed up the whole pregnancy part and get to the having-a-baby-in-my-arms part. Or, you know, just be able to go two hours without having to pee.The baby shifts inside of me. I've taken to calling him Bubble - it felt weird referring to him as only "the baby," and Calder and I have been in hot debate over what we'
- WARD -I thought I was ready for this - but fuck me, I was wrong.I want to punch something. Just to release some of this energy. Just to do something. Because standing here waiting around for the ceremony to start isn't working. It's almost funny - I mean, I've wanted this forever. I tried to convince Lou to marry me from the moment I found out she was pregnant. I'm not supposed to be nervous now. And I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to find myself aching for a fight right before I marry the woman I love.Is Lou this anxious? Is she fidgety and distracted? Is she wondering why she ever agreed to marry a crazy oaf like me?I've never wanted anything more than this in my entire life - so why am I so damn jumpy?I jerk a hand through my hair. I want to fix something. Grab my toolkit and get hammering on one of my projects. Or grab a sledgehammer and tear through some old drywall. Smash something. But I'm already dressed. Already here. And anyway I'm pretty sure Lou wouldn't apprec
- LOUISA -We're married. I can't believe it.I spread my fingers and look down at the ring on my hand. Dinner went by in a blur, and now that we're back in our room, the whole thing feels a little like a dream."Beautiful," Ward whispers behind me."It is, isn't it?" I say, letting the simple gold band catch the light.He grabs me so quickly that I don't have time to do anything but squeak as he scoops me up in his arms."You know I wasn't talking about the ring," he says into my hair, and I can hear the grin in his voice.I tilt my face up and kiss his neck. "Yes, I do."He carries me over to the bed. We've just put Ramona down for the night, and that means we've got some business to continue. Ward lays me gently on the comforter and lowers himself beside me. There's a devilish look in his eyes and one side of his mouth is raised in that lopsided smile of his. Some of his auburn hair has flopped across his face, and he pushes it back with one hand. Despite his urgency back in
- CALDER -I haven't been able to take my eyes off Lily all evening.It's not just the way she looks in that dress - but I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the equation. Over the past several months, I've watched her body change and grow, watched her curves become curvier and her whole body evolve into something so beautiful I can hardly believe it. It takes my breath away, watching her glow a little more each day. Watching her get heavier and heavier with our child. With my child. I don't think I've ever been hungrier for her, and that means my present craving is all but unbearable.She looks ravishing tonight. My sister let her choose the dress she'd wear at the wedding, and Lily decided on a gown in a dark red hue that draws my eye to every one of her irresistible new curves. I spent most of the ceremony with my hands curled into fists, fighting the urge to grab her and pull that dress off of her right then and there, my sister's wedding be damned. And now that dinner is
- LILY -For the first time in over twenty years, I'm having breakfast with my mom.It's still so weird - seeing her here, sitting across from me at the table, eating cereal and toast like this is completely normal. It's not normal at all.But I guess, if I'm being completely honest, there's a part of me that finds it all frighteningly familiar. I thought I'd buried most of my memories of my mom, but they've all come rushing back, one after the other, and some are so vivid it's almost as if no time has passed at all. It might have been yesterday, the pictures are so clear - I see her making breakfast for me and my dad with her curlers still in her hair, her floral pajamas covered by a polka-dotted bathrobe I got her as a Christmas present. She somehow always managed to burn the eggs, but she made up for it by making little sandwiches out of the toast.I study her across the table, and my chest tightens when I realize she still eats her toast in the exact same way - she's just layer
- LILY -In spite of everything, I find myself enjoying the tour with my mom. It's been a long time since I've shown someone around this place, and I like watching her face light up with pleasure and surprise at the house's secrets. I remember how I felt the first time Calder gave me a tour. I wanted to hate him - after all, the only reason I came out to the estate in the first place was to demand the money the Cunningham family owed the Frazer Center - but even then, I was already falling under his spell.Sometimes I still wonder what would have happened if that storm hadn't stranded me here. Fate works in funny ways.I take my mom by some of the fancier bedrooms, the movie theater, the rooftop pool, the gallery - and in each room, I find myself recalling my history with Calder in those places. I don't share any of those stories with my mom, though - she's still practically a stranger, and my intimate memories with Calder are ours to keep - but she must notice the blood that has ru
- LOUISA -I've never seen my brother this agitated.For as long as I can remember, he's been so serious. So intense. He always wants to be in control, and it kills him when he can't - especially when something he cares for is on the line - but it's not normally this bad. All morning he's been pacing around the house, clearly on edge. I'm on my way outside with Ramona when I catch him in front of a window, staring out into the rose garden with his hands clasped behind his back."Spying?" I call to him from the doorway.He's so intent on the scene outside the window that I startle him - he jumps nearly a foot at the sound of my voice. He runs a hand through his hair as he turns around."I'm not spying," he says. "I just don't like that woman.""I don't think you're ever supposed to like your in-laws," I say, repositioning Ramona on my hip and coming to stand beside my brother at the window."I like Lily's father just fine. But then again, David never abandoned his daughter." Ther