Hayden's Firecracker Read online

  With a laugh, Hayden turns to face me, his hand sliding against my cheek as he looks into my eyes. "Girlfriend now. Someday, my wife and the mother of my children. You can call yourself whatever you like just as long as you're always mine," he says, taking my lips in his and kissing me like we're the only two people in the world, just like it was when we were young—us against everyone else. I’m so happy to have him back.

  It doesn't take long before I'm straddling his lap, ready for a repeat performance of last night. Still, I pause, my hands resting on his chest as those same questions I’ve had running through my head resurface. "What happens when we go to college, Hayden? How does this work?"

  He reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear. "Why don't you ask me where I'm going before you get worried?" he suggests, his teeth pressing into his lip to fight a smile.

  I narrow my eyes. “Where are you going to college, Hayden?”

  “Notre Dame.” He lets his grin take over.

  “I’m going to Notre Dame,” I gasp, my heart dancing in my chest.

  “I know. It’s the entire reason I chose it.”

  “Oh, Hayden,” I cry, slamming my mouth against his and kissing him so hard I think I might die from the love I’m feeling. I spent a huge chunk of my life hating him for going away, but now that he’s back, I can’t imagine a life without him. Knowing we’ll be together, that he’s arranged his life to be with me, makes me feel like there’s nothing we can’t do as long as we’re together, as long as I get to be with my perfect other half.

  Hayden

  I move inside her, my fingers entwined with hers and I watch the look of ecstasy on her face. This is it. The moment I feel positive that we’re going to find a way to be together forever. Not only is she the only girl I’ve ever loved, but she’s feisty, and she stands up for what she believes in—she stands up for me.

  Sure, I’m big enough and ugly enough to fight my own battles, but just knowing that you have someone in your corner, willing to risk themselves for you makes you feel so much stronger. With Zoey, I feel like I could take on the world.

  “I’m so in love with you,” I whisper, kissing her softly as she gasps and clings to me.

  “Me too,” she says, her fingernails running up and down my back. “I love you so much. I was born loving you.”

  Her words cause a surge of emotion to flood my chest, my hips driving in a little harder, a little deeper. She moans, and her pussy tightens as I spill myself inside her and we finish together—just as the fireworks start.

  She laughs against my smiling lips. “Wow. We’re really good at that,” she says, turning her head so we can watch the Fourth of July display from the balcony that adjoins Zoey’s room. We came back to the lake house after making love in the boathouse, and we’ve been pretty much making love ever since, taking advantage of the fact our parents and Davey have been occupied elsewhere. This has been the best Fourth of July of my life.

  “Marry me,” I ask, watching the colors of the fireworks flashing against her skin and in her eyes.

  Her gaze locks on mine immediately, the smile on her face even broader than before. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I want to marry you, Zoey. And I don’t want to wait until we’ve finished college or started our careers. I know what I want right now. I want you.”

  She lifts a hand and brushes her fingers through my hair, trailing them over my shoulder then down my bicep, sending wonderful shivers rippling under my skin. “Aren’t you supposed to get on one knee when you propose?”

  A laugh bounces out of my chest. “I’m on both of my knees, and I’m inside you. I think this counts.”

  “I suppose it does.” With a giggle, she places her hands on either side of my face, her eyes dancing as they study mine. “Yes, Hayden. I want to marry you.”

  My heart about explodes as I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her so deep and long that the fireworks are over by the time we come up for air.

  “I love you, Zoey Storm.”

  “I love you too, Hayden Corby. And I never want to live without you again. Not even for a minute.”

  Epilogue 1

  Bethany

  Seven years later…

  “Happy Fourth of July, beautiful.” Hayden presents me with breakfast in bed; a tray laden with homemade waffles, freshly cut fruit, orange juice, and delicious-smelling coffee. It’s become a tradition for us since it was the breakfast we shared during our first morning as a couple.

  The Fourth of July has been special to us ever since, signifying the day we grabbed hold of each other and refused to let go. It was something our parents had to get used to. Even my parents who were quite open-minded and always encouraged me to follow my heart and reach for the stars, struggled with the fact their eighteen-year-old daughter had decided to marry ‘the kid who used to live next door.’ They weren’t surprised we were together, my mom said that she always had a feeling we were always meant to be, but they all said that ‘eighteen is so young,’ and ‘don’t you want to finish college first? A lot changes in four years.’ And as far as Hayden’s mom and stepdad felt about the subject—they were dead against it (although Davey thought it was really exciting when he realized it’d mean he’d have a sister.)

  But Hayden and I were adamant—we planned to get married with or without them. So after much discussion, a quiet ceremony was organized for late in the summer, and we started at Notre Dame together in the fall as a married couple—a married, pregnant couple.

  Now that was a bit of a scandal. Bart wanted Hayden out of college immediately so he could start learning a trade to pay the cost of raising a child. But after much negotiation—my dad the calm and logical go-between—Bart and Mary agreed to continue paying Hayden’s tuition fees as long as he could keep his grades up and pay his own living expenses. Which, of course, he did. My man is smart, and he’s tenacious, and now he’s the best up and coming architect at my dad’s company. I’m so incredibly proud of him. We all are—even Bart and Mary.

  “Happy Fourth,” I say, leaning in close to give him a searing kiss. Hayden is my moon and my stars, and I honestly can’t imagine not spending my life with him. He quite literally completes me. During the years when we were apart, I wasn’t the complete version of myself. Not without him. And it took finding him again to realize that.

  “Keep kissing me like that, and it’s gonna get real hot in here,” he teases, breathing me in as he smiles against my mouth.

  “Maybe I want it to get hot in here. Where’s Jordan?”

  “With your mom,” he whispers, and now I’m the one smiling, knowing he set this up.

  As our wedding gift, my parents had a small cabin built near their lake house so we’d always have our own space whenever we came out here together. It ensured the family tradition of spending summers and long weekends out here continued, and it meant they got plenty of time with their granddaughter too.

  Jordan Corby was born part way through the second semester of our first year at college. She came out with a shock of dark curly hair and bright blue eyes that matched her dad’s completely. She’s been the sunshine in our lives from day one, and even though college with a kid was difficult, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyone in the family adores her, and her birth was a big part of the reason Hayden’s mom and stepdad softened toward us both. Bart, in particular, thinks she’s just the most amazing little human on the planet. Davey thinks she’s a doll. I love watching them play together.

  “Then I guess we’d better make the most of our grown up time,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and drawing him in close.

  He smiles before kissing me. “I guess we should.”

  Epilogue 2

  Hayden

  She moves above me, riding my shaft as my hands cup her full breasts. She never ceases to amaze me. No matter how hard life gets, she always has a smile and two welcoming arms—not to mention her welcoming body.

  For two kids who didn’t know a lot about sex in the beginning, w
e figured it out quick smart, and we haven’t stopped exploring or discovering since. There have been a couple of our friends from college who married and complained of the monotony after only a couple of years. But Zoey and I have never felt that. Every time we’re together it’s a chance to discover something new, try something we hadn’t thought of before. But it doesn’t always have to be exploring, slow and missionary, hard and rough, we can do the same things over and over because we love the feeling of each other's bodies. I guess that’s the difference when you’re married to your soulmate. It makes every moment together feel special because when our bodies are joined, it’s when we feel complete.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” I say, hissing through my teeth as my hands move to her waist and I lift my hips to meet hers, deepening each thrust.

  She gasps and whimpers, her skin flushing as her body tightens around me, gripping me harder as her movement quickens.

  “I’m coming!”

  “Fuck, baby. Me too.”

  She calls out and shudders as I release inside her, pressing my fingers into her soft flesh as I revel in this perfect moment where we are alone, together—two kids who fought the odds and won.

  We did everything we said we were going to do—we married, we had a kid, we finished college and got great jobs. I’m an architect because I was always so inspired by Peter, and Zoey is a trial lawyer because she just loves fighting for justice.

  As far as happy endings go, ours is pretty darn near picture perfect. And when we sit as a family tonight, watching those fireworks light up the sky above the lake, I say a little prayer of thanks because Independence Day is not only about our country to me, it’s also about my own independence in finding the courage to follow my heart and my path that led to the woman in my arms—my one. Today will forever be my favorite day of the year, and I’ll never stop wanting more.

  Next up: Whoa! I Married a Rock Star!

  Want more Megan Wade?

  Sign up for Megan’s newsletter to get new release alerts: https://www.subscribepage.com/meganwade

  or click ‘follow’ on Amazon when the rating window pops up on your device so the kindle app will notify you of new releases.

  Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganwadeauthor/

  Join her Sweeties group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/959211654464973

  Follow her in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganwadewrites/

  Coming soon…

  Whoa! I Married a Rock Star! (Wedded Curves, book 4)

  >>>GET IT HERE<<<

  He made me the girl in his song

  In the beginning, I was nothing more than an employee, a gift to his wealthy friends, the nanny who’d take care of their baby.

  Then we got to know each other.

  I always imagined a rock star would be arrogant and crude, but Tristan Alto was none of those things.

  Away from the limelight, he was charming, intelligent, and oh so worldly. He swept me off my feet, told me secrets I don’t think anyone knew.

  I was his the moment he picked up his guitar and described me in song, using sweet words a curvy girl like me would never expect from a man who could have any woman he wanted.

  He wanted me, I was sure.

  I was overwhelmingly his.

  And then...he left.

  Maybe I was wrong

  When our paths cross again, he’s written an entire album about me. Now I’m his muse and he’s vowing to never let me go again.

  There may even be a ring involved...

  Note: fill your heart with song when this over-the-top rock star finds the curvy love of his life and steals her away to serve as his muse for the rest of their happy lives.

  This book can be read as a standalone, but it’s best read within the series so you can enjoy return characters. As always, this Megan Wade book comes with her ‘Sugar Promise’. High heat, low drama, guaranteed.

  Also by Megan Wade

  Sweet Curves Series

  Marshmallow

  Pumpkin

  Pop

  Sugarplum

  Cookie

  Sucker

  Taffy

  Toffee Apple

  Peaches & Cream

  Royal Curves Series

  Rowdy Prince

  Naughty Prince

  Cheeky Prince

  Wedded Curves Series

  Whoa! I married a Mountain Man!

  Whoa! I married a Billionaire!

  Whoa! I married the Pitcher!

  Whoa! I Married a Rock Star!

  Whoa! I married a Biker!

  Collaborations

  Boss Daddy (DILF for Father’s Day)

  Hayden’s Firecracker (Holiday Firecrackers)

  Chiseled Chest (Makes My Heart Race)

  Her Cowboy Hero (American Heroes)