I inhale shakily, my hands trembling slightly.
“When you and I got married, there’s a lot we missed out on. There’s a lot you didn’t get to experience, so let’s start over, my love. I want you to have everything you deserve, everything we would’ve had. So here, in the place where we shared our first kiss, I’d like to ask you again… Raven, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
I look up at her, a strange sense of fear holding me captive.
Raven smiles, her eyes filled with tears, and then she nods. “Yes, Ares. I’ll marry you. If I could do it all over again, I’d still choose you. I will always choose you.”
I grin as relief rushes through me and push the engagement ring I bought her onto her finger, right against her wedding ring. It’s a perfect fit.
I rise to my feet and wrap my arms around my wife. “I love you, Raven. Let’s do it all over again. Let’s start at the beginning. I want you in a wedding dress of your own choosing, in a venue we both love, surrounded by people we actually care about. I want a wedding that’s all about us, and not about our obligations or our families. I want you.”
She looks at me with tears in her eyes and nods. “You really are my every dream come true, you know that?”
She glances down at her ring in wonder before looking back up at me. “How did you know?” she asks. “This is exactly what I wanted.”
I hesitate and brush her hair out of her face. “Do you remember that day I asked you to come shopping with me, and I took you to a jewelry store? You were glancing at rings for a moment or two, your eyes lingering on a ring similar to this one.” She nods, no doubt recalling that it’s Hannah we were buying a present for that day. “I called Laurier a day later and requested that he make this ring. I wanted something reminiscent of the ring you loved in that store, but I wanted something no one else in this world would have. It was stupid, because back then there was no way I could give it to you, but I had to have it. I don’t know… maybe a small part of me knew that someday, we’d be together.”
“That day,” she whispers. “When I saw that ring, I remember thinking to myself that I couldn’t imagine marrying anyone but you.”
I drop my forehead to hers, my heart aching. “We lost so much time,” I murmur. I’d do anything to go back in time and have a second chance. If I could do it all over, I’d never let anyone or anything get between us.
“Maybe we did,” she says, “but maybe this is for the best. We both had time to grow, to become better versions of ourselves than we would have been when we were young. Our lives shaped us, Ares, and while I’d do anything to have had those moments with you, to erase some of the memories I have of you… part of me is also grateful that we’re standing here together as the people we are today. I’m grateful for every lesson, every twist and turn our lives took, because in the end, it all led me back to you.”
I cup her cheek gently and nod. “It did,” I whisper, leaning in, my lips brushing over hers. “And I will never let you go again.”
Epilogue
Ares
I slip into my wife’s dressing room and lean back against the wall, taking a moment to just watch her. Her makeup artist is putting the final touches on her, and she looks fucking magnificent. Tonight, her long hair is loose and wild, spread all over her body, accentuating the cream-colored gown she’s wearing.
It’s the same gown I watched her draw on Hannah’s birthday. Seeing it on her tonight is surreal. Her creativity knows no bounds, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Her eyes light up when she sees me, and I push off the wall. I grin when she dismisses everyone in her room, no doubt reading the look in my eyes.
“Ares,” she says, smiling. I’ll never tire of the way she says my name. On her lips, it’s simultaneously a prayer and a sin.
“Baby,” I whisper. “You look far too fucking beautiful in this. I can’t take this. I can already imagine what all your pervs will have to say about the photos of this show.”
She chuckles. “It’s the last one, my love,” she promises. “This will be the last show I walk as a professional model. Going forward, I’ll only model for my own brand whenever I feel like it.”
“It’s only fitting that the last show you walk is also your own first fashion show. One door is closing, but another is opening for you.”
She nods. “I thought it would be nice symbolism, don’t you think?” She grabs my tie and twirls it around her fingers. “Though, I will say… I’ll miss Iwanttolickravensknee’s comments on my photos. I wonder what he’ll have to say about this final show.”
I chuckle and shake my head. “I have it on good authority that he’s obsessed with you and will continue to DM you perverted shit.”
“Is that so?” She laughs. “Maybe I should start giving him private shows.”
I nod. “I really think he’d like that.” I wrap my hand around her waist and pull her closer. “Moment of honesty… I’ve always hated the way everyone looks at you on stage.” I lower my lips to hers, smearing her lipstick with a kiss. “I never interfered because I have the utmost respect for you, my love, but I always wanted everyone to know that you’re mine.”
She lifts her hand to my face and cups my cheek. “I’m relatively certain that my wedding ring is visible even to those sitting in the back rows.”
I smirk as I pull her dress up until I’ve got it bunched around her hips. “It’s not enough, Cupcake.” I lift her on top of her dressing table and spread her legs. “As every man stares at you, I want to make sure that your thoughts are only on me.”
She grins at me when I trail a finger up her thigh. “No fucking panties again,” I growl.
Raven giggles and buries a hand through my hair. “Ares,” she says, her voice husky. “When you’re in the room, other men just fade away. You’ve always been the only one for me.”
I smirk when I realize that she’s rapidly getting wet for me. Just one touch, and she’s desperate for my cock. I slip two fingers into her, loving the way she moans for me. “I fucking love you,” I groan as I unbuckle my belt.
I free my cock, and she gasps. “Ares,” she warns. “I need to be on stage in twenty minutes.”
“I know,” I tell her as I align my cock. “I’m going to fuck you so hard that you’ll still be feeling my cock when you walk down that catwalk. The whole world is going to want you, but with every step, you’ll be reminded of who you belong to.”
I push into her, and her eyes fall closed in delight. “Look at you, baby. You’re such a fucking slut, my love. You’re smiling so happily as you take my cock in your dressing room. Anyone could walk in at any moment, but you don’t care, do you?”
She shakes her head, her eyes glazing over as I thrust into her deeply. “Don’t stop,” she pleads.
I chuckle as I lift her hips up slightly to make sure I’m hitting her g-spot, fucking her the way she loves. “Ares,” she moans. “Fuck, Ares.”