icy feeling within began to thaw.
But the burning sensation in my throat tightened, leaving me speechless as her hateful speech continued, drowning out the blue calmness that fought to cover me.
“I’ve told you before, I’ll never let you rest. You’ll never know true peace and happiness. It doesn’t exist for you.” A shrill laugh echoed around me. I squeezed my eyes shut and hovered my hands over my ears, attempting to block out the hate. My skin felt numb and my body trembled violently. Her cold, contorted face moved closer, and her searing eyes forced my eyes open. I had no power here. Wherever here was.
Thundering steps, followed by a rumbling tone pulled me out of the darkness and into his arms. Abel. “Wake up, goddammit!”
With words unable to be spoken, I just clung to him. His strong arms wrapped around me, and I was lifted into his lap. His scent was warm and spicy, leaving me with a familiar feeling growing inside.
His words were commanding as he said, “Wake up now.”
My body wanted to respond. I tried to tether myself to him, keeping me safe, but I couldn’t hang on. I was fading quickly to the faint sounds of a baby’s cry. And then world went silent once again.
The dreams came in intervals. I blew it off saying everyone has bad dreams. However, I would catch him watching me with those incredible emerald eyes. His expression always contemplative. He suspected I struggled with something, and maybe I was. However, it wasn’t anything on the surface. I never remembered what the dreams were. Otherwise, I could try to figure it out. But it was always there, lingering just out of reach.
A week later, Abel’s mother turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She spent the days with Bella and me, teaching me the things a mother would teach her daughter when caring for a newborn. She taught me so many things I had no clue about. Yeah, I had the information from the hospital and the nurses, but there were things only a mother could teach, and luckily, I had Abel’s mom to help guide me. My confidence grew day by day.
Only thing left was the wedding…
Since I had no experience planning a wedding, her expertise came in handy there, too. She loved it, as she and Chance were having so much fun. And I was so thankful that the awkwardness faded between them and between us, a beautiful relationship was born. I pretty much agreed to whatever they had planned. They included me, of course, when it came down to some minor details. But it didn’t matter because in the end, Abel and I had the final say before finalizing anything. However, he’d been staying busy at the studio. He’d get there first thing in the morning so he could cut out as early as possible to spend the rest of the day and night with Bella and me.
It was overwhelming the amount of planning that went on for our wedding. And since we decided to use our home as the venue, a big chunk of time was taken out of planning. The three of us grew close, and a real bond formed. Chance and I already had a great relationship, but I hadn’t had any to speak of with her. I was pleasantly surprised how effortless it was. My past experience with my own mother left me jaded and tarnished.
She helped me plan everything. She suggested the right napkins, table decorations, and linens. We selected the design for the invitations, and when I panicked about arrangements, she calmed me. Abel and I chose not to have a wedding party. Instead, we had just a best-man and matron of honor. I chose Cindy, of course. Abel chose his father. It really was the only logical options. He couldn’t choose to single out just one of the guys when they were as close as brothers.
Things evolved between Abel and me. Our relationship outside of the bedroom was tender and full of mutual respect. We were equal parts of one whole. But behind the closed doors of our bedroom, his dominance is what kept me grounded. Pain became central to my pleasure. It heightened my senses and adrenaline. There was something incredible about not being able to sit down because your ass was bruised after a good spanking. My body began to crave it. Giving up control felt liberating. In recent days, he’d decided to keep closer tabs on me.