Epilogue
Chloe couldn’t help the overwhelming sense of Déjà vu that washed over her, and nearly smiled. It certainly wasn’t the first time she’d done this and probably wouldn’t be the last, but every time, she’d had to fight the urge to grin at the irony, no matter which group of her boys she spoke to. She had to keep her composure. “Please have a seat gentlemen.” All of them were soon seated on the expensive hotel suite sofa in front of her. Only Oliver stood behind her, arms folded across his chest, devastatingly handsome in a black tuxedo. He watched, letting her do her thing, ready to be there for her as back up.
“You know this is a very important day, right?”
Three blonde heads bobbed, nodding. When mom talked you listened, even dad knew that.
“And you know you have a very special job to do. So you all must very good today, on your best behavior.” She looked at each of them in turn, pinning her nine year old with a stern mommy look first. “So, that means, no skateboarding down the hotel hallways, Connor.” Oliver had always admired the way that her voice could sound both commanding and caring at the same time. She then turned her gaze on her seven year old. “No jumping up and down on the beds and messing up your tuxedo, Gabriel,” and finally she bent over her four year old, taking his sticky hands in hers. “Robert, come with mommy,” she said quietly. “Let’s go wash your face and hands. You’ve been in the candy dish again?”
He nodded in earnest, smiling. “Candy’s good, momma!”
“I know it is, sweetie, but we have to go now.” She turned to her husband, who was straightening Gabriel’s tie, and tucking in his son’s shirt. “Is the car ready? Lois will be very angry if we’re late.”
“Waiting for us now. We’ll get the matron of honor and all the ushers there on time. No worries, Sidekick. Mrs. Martin should be back up in a few minutes, I’ll have her take the boys down.”
Oliver took a moment to gaze at his wife, visible though the bathroom doorway. She was beautiful as always, dressed in an indigo chiffon A-line gown, with a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her breasts, wide straps over her shoulders, the gathered bodice hiding most, but not all of her figure below her waist. Chloe had perched Robert up on the countertop next to the sink, and was washing his hands with a soapy cloth. She was talking to her son quietly, making him smile. “You look so handsome. Just like daddy.” She dried his hands with a small towel. Then adjusted his shirt and bow tie. “Ready?” The little one threw his arms around her neck, squeezing her. “Oh my goodness, such a nice hug!” She picked him up, then set him down on his feet, watching him run to his eldest brother. She then placed a hand to the small of her back, stretching.
Just then, the nanny stepped into the room. “All’s ready Mr. Queen. I’ll take them down to the car now.”
He tore his gaze from Chloe. “Thanks,” he smiled at her. “Mrs. Queen and I will be down shortly.” He turned to the boys. “Let’s go guys. Go with Mrs. Martin.” He watched fondly as the entire brood in penguin suits scampered noisily out the door with the older woman.
Chloe was making some last minute touch ups to her hair with her fingers. “You shouldn’t be picking him up so much, angel,” he murmured, stepping close to her, pressing a kiss to her temple, one arm wrapping around the small of her back to massage it gently before, grasping her hip, as he placed his other hand over her swollen belly, rubbing in a circular motion over the deep blue chiffon of her bridesmaid’s gown.
Chloe turned in his arms, slipping her warm hands inside his opened tuxedo jacket, splaying her fingers over the hard muscles beneath his crisp shirt. Small familiar hands that over the years had healed him more than once of cuts, scrapes, gashes, and yet another minor gunshot wound to the shoulder. He never liked when she did it. The pain of seeing her take on his pain never lessened with time. “In less than two months, our daughter will be here, and I’ll have my hands full with her and won’t be able to pick him up as often.” She stepped up on tiptoe, kissing the dimple in his chin that she loved so much, then quickly wiping away the lipstick mark with her thumb.
His chuckle was deep. “As if we don’t have our hands full now?”
“It’s your fault Mr. Queen, for being so damned irresistible. It’s quite annoying actually,” she whispered with a saucy grin.
His head descended, touching his lips to the pulse point at her throat. “I think you can blame this one on the Green Arrow for having his way with you on the roof of the Star City Gazette…”
Chloe tipped her head back, exposing her throat, allowing his lips better access, his whispered words against her skin causing her to shiver. “Which time? There were several as I recall, and many more before that.”
“Or maybe it was that time on penthouse balcony…” he continued to press tantalizing kisses over her jaw line and neck. “Or that charity dinner we went to… or those times in my office...”
“Ollie?”
“Yes?”
Her beautiful smile never failed to enchant him. “If we don’t stop, we’ll be soon be recounting the time on the hotel bathroom floor, and how it made us late for my cousin’s wedding.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “We’ll continue this later, after the boys are asleep. Ready?” he asked, offering her his elbow.
His devastating smile never failed to cause her heart to turn over in her chest. She slipped her arm in his, grinning up at him. “Yes. It’s taken this long for them to finally tie the knot, and I wouldn’t miss seeing the nervous expression on Clark’s face for the world.”
The End!
No comments:
Post a Comment