Because this? This is not what I expect.
She's here. She, with her dark hair and bright eyes and smile so damn wide it sets my heart on fire.
She's here, her eyes are on me, and I swear, it's like I've known this sweet thing all my life. She's holding in front of her a sign that reads ‘WELCOME HOME, DADDY’.
I move toward her through the throng of people, needing her in my arms more than I've ever needed anything before.
"Sampson?" she calls out as if just trying out the words on her lips.
I nod, tears in my goddamn eyes, choking down my emotions as I reread the words on her banner.
"It's me, Sweetie."
"That's your real name?"
She nods. "Yeah." I see tears are falling down her face and I am close enough to pull her into my arms, but I hold back, ever so slightly, pausing in this moment because I know once I kiss her lips, my life will never be the same. I need to memorize this. The sun shining down on us, the blue skies, the salty sea air, and the hope in her eyes.
In both our eyes.
"You came here for me?" I ask, clenching my jaw. Daddy.
She nods. "We're having a baby, Sampson."
Then she drops the poster and I see her in all her glory. She's in a red dress, with a blue scarf dotted with tiny white stars. She is my goddamn American dream.
"Oh, girl," I say, stepping closer so there is no space dividing us anymore. Her perfectly round belly is the only thing between us. I drop to my knees, and I wrap my arms around her waist, kissing our baby.
My own father was a sack of shit and I left home to start over. I don't know what it means to be a dad, but I know what it means to be a man.
And together, we can figure out how to be a family.
"You get my letters?" I ask, looking up to meet my girl’s eye.
She nods, her sweet face streaked with tears. "Just yesterday."
"And you read them?"
She nods. "Why else do you think I'm here, telling you that I love you?"
"You love me?" I ask.
"With all my heart."
I nod, already kneeling before her. The last place the boat stopped, I left the ship with one goal in mind. A diamond ring. I pull it from my pocket now. "Sweetie, I want you to be my anchor and I want to be your hero."
"You mean it?" she asks, covering her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief. Around us, the crowd has turned to watch.
"Marry me, Sweetie."
She nods, letting me place the ring on her finger and everyone around us claps and cheers hooting and hollering. It's then I see her brothers a few yards away, watching us. I tense as I get to my feet.
"Don't worry," Sweetie says. "They'll play nice now that you've made an honest woman out of me."
I pull my bride-to-be into my arms and kiss her sweet cherry lips.
"I love you," I tell her.
"Even if we'll spend so much time apart, with you at sea?"
I kiss her again, knowing I will be kissing these lips for the rest of my life if I'm lucky. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder."
She lifts her brows, a twinkle in her eyes. "You sure about that? Because I think it just makes the heart more horny."EpilogueSweetieNine months later..."Oh Samp," I moan as he pushes my knees apart. His tongue runs up and down my slit and I feel my desire growing. "I'm gonna miss this, baby," I moan, my fingers threading through his hair as he moves his mouth against me. When he rolls his tongue over my swollen clit I know we’re in trouble.
"Oh, God, I'm so, so...." I'm squirting hard, the way he likes; the way my body loves, and he presses a finger inside me, getting me off in the most delicious way. "Don't stop," I cry, my orgasm rushing over me and I press a pillow to my face, not wanting to wake the baby.
He leans over me, my still dripping pussy throbbing for more. For his cock. "God, you taste so fucking good."
"You're such a dirty sailor," I tease my husband.
"Your dirty sailor."
My laughter turns to moans as he presses his hard cock inside me, my body opening for him in a way that sends a thrill through my veins. Sampson is my husband, my lover, my man.
And I am his wife, his best friend, the mother of his baby girl.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss this cunt," he groans. His thickness fills me, and I wrap my arms around my hero as he rolls me over to straddle him.
He runs his hands gently over my swollen breasts, not seeming to care that my body has changed since giving birth six months ago. It's early and Cordelia is still asleep, but my breasts are saying it's almost time for her to wake up and nurse.