Until Her Smile: Happily Ever Alpha World Read online

  “Well, I’m home now, so no more empty bed. Is dinner going to be done soon? I’m starving. I only had a few snacks with me on the flight.”

  “Yep, it’s done, just keeping warm in the oven.” I turn and pull it out, then take it to the table I already have set for us. “What would you like to drink?” I ask, walking back into the kitchen to grab the side dishes.

  “I’ll just take some water. I’m just going to go wash up quick,” Stacey calls as she walks down the hall to our room.

  A couple minutes later, she returns, hair pulled up in a messy knot on the top of her head. She’s changed into some tight-ass leggings and one of my shirts she’s basically confiscated as her own. Her face is washed of the little bit of makeup she had on from this morning, and she still looks just as beautiful as she does when she’s fully made up for an event.

  “This all looks so fancy.” She drops into the seat I have pulled out for her next to my own. “What’s the special occasion?” she asks before taking a sip of her water.

  “Just wanted to spoil you. I missed you this week,” I tell her again.

  “And I missed you,” she says, punctuating each word with a kiss to my lips.

  “Let’s eat! We don’t want it to get cold.”

  We each dish up and dig into the chicken dish I prepared. One thing we’ve really enjoyed doing together this past year is cooking. We took a few classes at a local restaurant and have enjoyed challenging each other with new recipes. It’s become our Saturday ritual. We go out and buy any special ingredients we might need for that night’s dish, then give it a go and see if it’s something we like. We’ve had some big hits, but also some pretty nasty dishes that went straight into the trash while we went out for takeout.

  “Oh my god, this is so good.” Stacey moans around another bite of her chicken and my dick hardens in my jeans. I want her lips wrapped around my cock the same way they’re wrapped around her fork.

  I do my best to not focus on her moans and lips and eat my food. I need to get past dinner and onto dessert and popping the question before I can even think of getting her naked tonight.

  We finish our dinners and drinks and, after clearing the table, Stacey helps me with the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

  “Let’s go sit out on the patio,” I suggest, linking our fingers together.

  “Sounds like a plan, let me just refill my water first.”

  I wait while she tops off her glass.

  “I can’t even express to you how glad I am to be home and done working such crazy hours for a while.”

  “You’re a badass, you know that?” I ask her.

  “Only because you like to tell me that often.” She laughs, then gasps. “Peyton! It looks amazing out here!” she says, taking in the décor I worked on all week. We’d been talking about sprucing up the patio and to surprise her, I did most of it while she was gone.

  “I’m glad you like it.” My nerves are starting to get the best of me. My palms feel clammy. I don’t know how she hasn’t figured out what’s up tonight, but thankfully, it doesn’t appear she’s on to me yet.

  “How did you do all of this?”

  “It wasn’t all that bad, actually. I set up the furniture, strung the lights, and called it good. “

  “Well, I love it,” she says, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

  She drops onto the loveseat and looks around our patio and yard. This little house has been perfect for the two of us. We’ve been talking about getting a puppy, we just haven’t found the right one for us yet.

  I take a swig of my beer, then set it down on the coffee table that’s in front of us.

  “Come here, I want to show you something,” I tell her, holding my hand out for her to take. I pull her up to standing and then walk her over next to the stairs that open up down into the yard.

  I position us so we’re facing each other, then suck in a calming breath before I launch into my rehearsed speech.

  “Stacey, one year ago, you waltzed into my life and flipped it upside down. These past months have been the best of my life and I can’t thank you enough for that. It took just one chance meeting, one kiss, one flash of your smile to have me weak in the knees for you.” I drop to one knee as I pull the ring box from my pocket. “Stacey Evans, will you do me the honor and marry me?”

  “Yes!” Her tear-filled reply fills my ears as she pulls me up, and I slam our lips together.

  I break our kiss and slide the ring onto her finger. She takes a few moments to take a look at it. “Oh my god, it’s beautiful, Peyton.”

  “I’m glad you love it. Does it fit okay? The jeweler said they have free sizing, if needed.”

  She moves it around her finger some. “I think it’s perfect. Not too tight, not too loose. Thank you! Eek, I can’t believe we’re engaged!” She grows quiet then, looking up at me shyly through her lashes. “I guess now would be a good time to tell you that I’m pregnant.”

  “What! We’re pregnant?” I ask, a little shocked.

  “Yep, I finally took a test this morning. After waking up each morning this past week feeling nauseous, on top of my period being a week late, I decided to take a test and lo and behold, it was positive.”

  I pick her up off her feet and spin us around in a circle. “I love you so fucking much. I can’t believe I get to marry you and become a dad.”

  My heart just about beats out of my chest at all the love I have for this woman. She’s given me everything, and continues to do that. She’s my boom, my forever.

  “I’m glad you’re excited. I was a little nervous you wouldn’t be okay with it since it isn’t really something we’d planned. Just kinda happened on accident.”

  “I’d never be mad at you about giving me a child. How far along do you think you are?”

  “Not sure yet, the online calculator I found says around five weeks. I called my doctor this morning while I was at the airport and they got me in for an appointment in a couple of weeks. They said they usually see women around the ten-week mark for the first appointment, unless I start to have complications before then.”

  “Can I come with you to that appointment?”

  “Sure. When we go back inside, I can look up the appointment date and time. I don’t remember the details off the top of my head.”

  “You should FaceTime with your parents, they’re waiting for you to call them tonight,” I remember to tell her.

  “They know about this?” she asks, motioning to where I just popped the question a few minutes ago.

  “Absolutely. I asked your dad for permission when they were out here last month, but I called the both of them earlier to talk details.”

  “You’re an amazing man, you know that, Peyton? I love you.”

  “Love you, too, gorgeous.”

  We head inside and Stacey grabs her phone, first sending me a calendar invite to her OB visit.

  “I’m not going to tell them about the baby just yet. Think I’ll keep that under wraps until after we see the doctor.”

  “Whatever you want, babe,” I tell her as we settle on the couch together. She pulls up the FaceTime app and calls her mom.

  “Hey! How was your evening?” Lynn asks, the excitement noticeable even through the camera.

  “It was so amazing! We’re engaged!” Stacey shouts, holding up her hand with the ring on it.

  “Congratulations, guys! We love you both so much,” her mom tells us. “Did the proposal go off like you’d hoped it would, Peyton?”

  “Yes! It was perfect. She loved the patio and did everything I hoped she would. Best off, I think she was completely shocked.”

  “I was, I didn’t even see this coming, but I’m so excited! Now, to start the wedding planning!” she excitedly tells her parents and then kisses my cheek.

  “Congratulations, honey. We’re happy for you both,” her dad, Steve, says.

  “Pick a time and I’ll fly up so we can go dress shopping. What are you thinking, a spring wedding?” her mom asks.


  “I haven’t even thought that far ahead. He literally popped the question less than thirty minutes ago. We’ll talk about dates this weekend and let you know.”

  “Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Steve says.

  We continue chatting with them for a few more minutes before ending the call.

  With the call to her parents out of the way, I have nothing more on my mind than to get her under me, so I can make love to my future wife.

  “Come here, gorgeous,” I tell her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask, concerned about the morning sickness she told me about earlier. I’m not sure if that will affect her want for sex right now.

  “I’m good, promise. So far, the queasiness feeling has only hit me in the mornings, and I’ve only puked once.”

  “Can I make love to you?”

  “I’d expect nothing less, my future husband,” she tells me, kissing my chin.

  Stacey

  I’m lying in Peyton’s arms, having just made love to him for the first time as my fiancé. We’re getting married, having a baby, and starting our own little family. Life couldn’t get much better than it is right now. As I lay here, I cradle my nonexistent baby bump. I know I’m only a few weeks pregnant, but I already love this baby with my entire heart. Peyton is going to be such an amazing father.

  Peyton slides a hand around and covers my hand with his. “I love both of you,” he whispers next to my ear.

  “We love you, too.”

  “Do you have any feelings on if we’re having a girl or boy?”

  “None yet. Will you want to find out when we can?”

  “Will you?” He turns the question back on me.

  “I think so. That way, we can focus on names and buying cute things for him or her.”

  “Then we’ll find out,” he states. “I was thinking, what would you say about having a small wedding in a few weeks? Maybe before the end of the year? I know that’s quick, but that way, you don’t have to worry about fitting into a wedding dress with a baby belly, and as soon as we get married, you’ll get all my military benefits, including medical.”

  “That’s a thought. I don’t really want a huge wedding anyways, just our closest family and friends. If we can find a place to have it that quickly, I’m sure I can make everything else come together.”

  “There’s a chapel on base that I can check into, if you’d like.”

  “That would work. I’ll also check a few other places and we can compare notes and decide together where we want it.”

  “Should we pick a date to inquire about?”

  “That might help,” I say, laughing. I reach over to the nightstand and grab my cell and pull up the calendar app. “If we pick the last Saturday of December, that would give us eight weeks from tomorrow.”

  “That sounds good to me. What do you say, babe? Want to get married in eight weeks?”

  “Yes!” I agree, and add an entry to my calendar on that day that says WEDDING DAY in all caps. “I guess tomorrow we’ll start wedding planning on speed.”

  “Just tell me what you need me to do and consider it done. Same goes for cravings or anything pregnancy-related. I can’t even explain how excited I am to watch you grow with our child. I love you,” Peyton tells me as he drops a sweet kiss to the top of my head.

  “Love you,” I tell him on a yawn. I’ve been extremely tired this past week, with the time difference between Tennessee and L.A., then the pregnancy making me exhausted. My eyes flutter closed, and I drift off to sleep, feeling more love than I ever have.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stacey

  Eight weeks later

  “How are you this morning?” Peyton asks when I answer his call.

  “Great!”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, Peyton. I’m fine. No puking, no queasiness. I’m fine and today is going to be amazing.”

  “Okay, just making sure. I know the past few weeks have been rough for you, and I just worry about you.”

  “I know you do, babe, but I’m good. I’ll see you in a few hours. I’ll be the girl in the white dress,” I tease him.

  “Damn straight, you will. I can’t believe that you will be my wife today. I love you so damn much, Stacey.”

  “And I love you.”

  “Are you ready to tell everyone about our little one?”

  “So ready! I can’t believe we’ve been successful in keeping it under wraps all this time, but I know our family is going to be so excited.”

  “Well, just a few more hours and we can shout the news from the rooftops, if you want.”

  “I don’t think we need to go to that extent, but I’m excited to tell people.”

  “All right, gorgeous, I’ll let you go get ready. I can’t wait to see you in a few hours. Call me if you need me.”

  “Love you, see you soon.”

  I slide out of bed and walk over to the window. I stayed at the hotel last night to keep with tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding today. My parents, brother and sister-in-law, along with my niece and Reese, are all staying here at the hotel, as well. We’re using two of their ballrooms, one for the ceremony and the other for the reception.

  “Knock knock,” Reese says as she opens the bedroom door to my room. We split a two-bedroom suite last night. I asked her to be my maid of honor, being that she’s become my best friend over the past couple of years.

  “Come in. I’m finally just getting out of bed. Figured I needed to get moving if I want to be ready in time for our hair and makeup appointments.”

  “Are you excited?” she asks, taking a seat on the end of the bed.

  “Yes! I’m getting married today!”

  “Are you nervous at all?”

  “Not at all. I know that Peyton loves me, and I love him. Absolutely no reservations about marrying him. Even with the short engagement, I don’t have any ‘cold feet’ or last-minute jitters. I just want to be married and start our life as husband and wife.”

  “I’m so excited for the two of you. I almost feel responsible for you meeting.”

  “Well, I appreciate it,” I tell her with a grin, then walk into the bathroom.

  I take a shower and slip on some comfortable clothes for when the “Glam Squad,” as Reese calls them, shows up. She’s got all the connections and insisted on bringing them in for us today. They’ll be setting up in the living room area of our suite to do everyone’s hair and makeup.

  I walk out to the living room to find my mom and sister-in-law, Julie, lounging on the couches, munching on some breakfast items.

  “Morning,” I greet the two of them as I round the couch to give my mom a hug. “Where’s the food? I’m starving!”

  “Over by the bar. We brought up some muffins and pastries, along with some juice and coffee. If you want anything else, we can call room service,” Mom tells me.

  “The pastries and juice will suffice.” I make my way over to the tray she brought up and pick a few small items, then pour myself a glass of the orange juice. With food in hand, I join my mom and Julie on the couch and visit with them while we wait for the Glam Squad to arrive.

  Peyton

  I stand here at the altar and watch as the doors open, and Stacey and her dad come into view. The small group of people—our closest family and friends—all stand as Steve starts to escort Stacey down the aisle.

  I’m usually pretty good at holding in my emotions, but seeing her for the first time in her white dress as she walks to me takes my breath away. I can feel my eyes watering as tears start to form. I quickly swipe at my eyes, wiping away the few tears that threaten to spill over so that I don’t miss a moment of her walking toward me.

  I take a few steps forward as they near the end of the aisle, meeting them a few feet in front of where the minister stands.

  “I love you,” I whisper to her, biting my bottom lip. “God, you’re a vision. I’m so lucky,” I add, then shake Steve�
��s hand before he gives her a hug and kiss.

  “Who gives this woman?” the minister asks.

  “Her mother and I,” Steve answers, then steps back and takes a seat next to Lynn.

  We move closer to the minister as he walks us through the traditional vows. I knew there wasn’t any way I’d be able to get through writing my own vows, especially when my wife writes lyrics for a living. She’d blow me out of the water with what she’d be able to come up with, so she took pity on me and agreed to just use the traditional ones.

  “You may now kiss your bride!” the minister tells me, a few moments later. I swoop in, bend her back, and bring my lips to hers. The hoots from the crowd tells me they’re enjoying our show.

  We finally break apart and I drop my forehead to hers, just taking in this moment. “Love you. Both of you,” I whisper to her.

  Stacey is now my wife.

  I’ve found my forever, and all it took was just her smile to win me over and change my life completely.

  Epilogue

  Stacey

  One year later

  “Happy anniversary, husband,” I say, kissing Peyton’s chest as I slide back into bed. I was up with our little girl, Olivia, for her early morning nursing session. Being her mom has been the most incredible thing in the world. Seeing Peyton with her just melts my heart. He is such an amazing father. He was so nervous when she was first born a few months ago, but he got over that within the first few days and he’s now a pro at diaper changes and making her smile. At three months old, Olivia’s starting to smile more and stays awake for longer stretches. Whenever Peyton comes home, she lights up as soon as she sees him and he is wrapped around her itty-bitty pinky finger. That man is a goner when it comes to his daughter.