FUTURE

2 years later...

"Asher." I moan. "We shouldn't be doing this."

I look down at the beautiful man kneeling between my legs, my eyes connecting with his, and feel my lips quirk.

Just like glass. I'll never get tired of them.

"I beg to differ, baby." His tongue slides out of me and I let out a noise of protest. He chuckles under his breath as he gets to his feet, pressing his body into mine. "I should always be fucking you."

And he does. With one simple lift of my leg to spread me open, he thrusts into me and completely fills me up. My back arches in pleasure, my hips seeking more of him as he starts pumping in and out of me.

"Oh my God." My head falls back against the mirror, the force of his thrusts making me rattle the glass. "We are so going to get caught."

"We probably already have." His hands go to my ass and drag my pelvis closer to his until I'm almost falling off the bathroom counter. "Might as well make the most of it."

I hum in agreement, barely able to keep my eyes open as I watch him fuck me. I link my arms around his neck to hold on as he picks up his pace and he dips his head, pressing our mouths together. I sigh into his mouth and then his thrusts become slower, longer, and I feel him everywhere. He takes his time sliding in and out of me, drugging me with his deep kisses and the way he holds on to me. That was the thing about Asher—one second he's fucking me like an animal and the next, we're making love.

There isn't a single place in our home that we haven't christened since moving in a year ago. I'm pretty sure this guest bathroom was the only place left and we clearly just covered it. Luckily our friends and family should be leaving soon and no one's staying the night so I feel less bad about the mess we're making in here. Besides, we deserve to maul each other without giving a shit about the repercussions. We did just get married an hour ago.

As usual, Asher made good on his word. He promised me two years ago that he would make me his wife and today, he fulfilled that promise. We would have gotten married a lot sooner but our lives became incredibly busy.

Asher is now a full-time professional boxer and he's one of the highest fighters in demand. He's living his dream by travelling around the world and taking on anyone that challenges him in the ring, almost always winning. At first it was hard to cope with the long-distance but our relationship was strong enough. Even so, I didn't want to spend any more time away from him, having wasted enough of it in the past, and I had ambitions for my own career so I came up with a solution.

I ended up opening my own firm dedicated to domestic abuse against women and have some of the most kick-ass and talented lawyers working for me. Everyday we make a difference and that alone makes it the single greatest thing I've done in my life. Being my own boss also has its perks. I'm able to travel with Asher wherever he goes for his matches and run my firm from behind a computer, which means no more long distance for us. He gets to live his dream and I get to live mine and most importantly, we get to do it alongside each other.

I no longer take on cases now that all my time is spent running my firm. Besides, after Robbie's death something in me changed. I think for the longest time I became a domestic abuse lawyer because I was living my redemption through other women, making up for all that he did to me. It also made me feel stronger, knowing he was out there somewhere. When he died it was like a weight had been lifted off of me. I didn't have anything to prove anymore, not to him or myself. It felt like I had won. Taking on cases after that became too overwhelming because it reminded me of the chapter in my life I was hoping to close for good. It took me back to the darker places in my life and made it harder to move on. After years of taking personal cases that hit too close to home, my heart had reached its limit. I didn't have the strength to continue but I also wanted to keep making a difference so I chose to run a firm instead, handling all the logistics while leaving the cases up to my lawyers.

Between my job and Ash's boxing career, we did good for ourselves financially and moved into a large house of our own. The best part about it? Our bedroom has a balcony. Asher chose it and when I saw the house for the first time and the little piece of our past that came with it, I'd burst into tears. Sometimes we camp out on our balcony at night and stare up at the stars, talking and holding hands like we did when we were kids. Sometimes he makes love to me on our balcony to remind me how much we've grown. And almost every night, he uses the balcony to enter our bedroom instead of the door. He may act stone cold but he's a total sucker for the sweet stuff. I love it and I love him.

Now we're married and being Aria Pryce has made Asher more primal than ever. After the wedding ceremony, when we all drove down to our house for the reception, Asher lasted all of ten minutes making idle talk with the guests before grabbing me and dragging me into the nearest room. I'm definitely not complaining.

"Almost there." I pant now, digging my nails into his shoulders.

He sucks on the sensitive neck of my skin, using one hand to knead my breast and causing me to arch into him. I lock my legs around his waist even tighter when I feel my abdomen clench, my orgasm seconds away.

"Whose pussy is this?" Asher demands quietly, rubbing my clit in small circles with his thumb.

"Yours." I moan, lifting my hips up in a silent plea for more.

He slaps it lightly and I gasp, eyes snapping open and meeting his. He grips the back of my neck, staring so deep into me I know he sees everything. "And who are you, baby?"

My lips tug up at the corners, knowing what he's asking. "Your wife."

"Fuck yeah, you are." He growls in approval, losing the last of his restraint and pounding into me to finish us off.

"Asher. Oh, Ash, I'm coming." I bury my face into his neck when I lose all control.

My walls clench around him tightly, gripping his thick cock that's buried deep inside of me, and he groans as he empties himself inside of me. We hold on to each other, shaking and slightly sweating messes, and ride out the wave together. I wonder if I'll ever get tired of being fucked by him, my husband, and I know the answer is a hard no.

"That was perfect." He murmurs when our bodies go limp with satisfaction.

I press my lips against his and he moans softly into my mouth. Our tongues slide against each other, teasing and tasting, and somehow kissing him still gives me butterflies. Waking up next to him, being loved by him, I know I'm so incredibly lucky to be spending my life with my best friend. It never gets old.

"I love you." I whisper when we pull away, our foreheads pressed together.

"Always you." He whispers back. He tells me every night and that never gets old either.

There's a sudden shift in my stomach and Asher laughs, hands going to my swollen midsection. He crouches again and kisses my belly, beaming. "Saying hi to Daddy?"

I smile down at him, my hands sifting through his hair as he continues to pepper kisses all over me and coddles his boys. Turns out I got my mother's hereditary genes, now pregnant with twins.

Having two sons is going to be major work but I know we're ready for it. Asher is already taking so naturally to his fatherly role. He constantly smothers the boys with love and they're not even here yet. I think being a present parent is really important to him after the life he lived and he's scared to do wrong by his own children. But I know that'll never happen. He's going to be the greatest father, without a doubt. He still lives with the fear that one day he'll turn into his own birth parents but I'm there to remind him how he couldn't be more different. It's going to be a tough road ahead of us but we've been through worse. Just look at where we are now.

"Hello!" Banging on the door is followed by Lenny's irritated voice. "Could you assholes really not have waited until we left? We're already starting to head out."

"Let me fuck my wife in peace, Parks." Asher calls back.

I smack him on the arm, glaring. I swear my two best friends fought like cat and dog.

"Coming!" I tell her, already tugging my wedding dress back up from the floor.

"Actually, we already did." Asher smirks.

"You're disgusting, Pryce." Despite her words, I hear the laughter in her tone. Lenny loves the hell out of Ash but she'd never admit it.

Asher and I make quick work of cleaning ourselves up. He insists on running a wet cloth through my legs even though I can do it myself but I know he loves to pamper me. According to him, I shouldn't even be lifting my own finger so long as I'm pregnant. I'm surprised he lets me wash my own hands next. He's a tad bit overprotective.

"Zip me up?" I give my back to him, swooping my hair over one shoulder.

A moment later I feel his warm lips press against the exposed skin and my eyes fall shut, my body sinking into him again. I could never get enough of this man.

"Let's go." Lenny sing-songs, clearly not leaving until we come out.

Asher mutters a few choice words under his breath and I have to press my lips together to hold back a laugh that'll only piss him off. He zips me up and gives my ass a hard smack—ever the gentleman—before grabbing the door knob.

"After you, Mrs. Pryce." He winks.

I shake my head at him, smiling wide. "Thank you, Mr. Pryce."

He swings the door open and Lenny makes a face at us as soon as she sees us. "You guys are so fucking cheesy."

I raise my brows at her, knowing she's full of bullshit. "Like you're any better?"

"Whatever." She mutters, cheeks flushing. She knows I've got her there. My best friend is fucking smitten, her walls finally bulldozed away by the man she loves. "Your guests are looking for you. Let's move it."

"How can she boss us around in our house?" Asher mumbles in disbelief from behind me. I roll my eyes.

We file out of the guest room hand-in-hand and everyone cheers when we come into view. I flush despite myself and choose to ignore the knowing looks tossed our way. Asher's wearing a smug look of his own, hardly giving a shit about what anyone thinks as per usual.

"How nice of you to join us." Cameron grins, eyes twinkling with their usual mischief. He raises his glass of wine toward us. "I can respect a head start on your wedding night. Avery and I started our wedding night three days earlier."

"Hell, yeah." Avery waggles her brows and the two high-five.

"Still disgusting." Nate deadpans at me and Ash.

I toss him an incredulous look and gesture at my huge belly. "Dude. Your best friend knocked me up and just married me. Get on board, already."

"He is on board." Delilah insists, leaning her head on his shoulder. Nate wraps an arm around her and smiles down at her softly. "My husband just thinks he's admitting defeat if he stops being protective of you."

"That's because he is defeated." Asher winds his arms around me from behind, hands splaying over my stomach. "Twice. One baby for each loss. Suck it, Hunter."

"You guys are so immature." Emily laughs. "Let the happy couple have their moment."

"The happy couple should enjoy the fact that they can have sex whenever they want." Jaxon snorts. "The second your twins come along, say goodbye to fucking."

Emily makes a face. "Are you seriously blaming your children for our lack of a sex life? Because our sex life is the reason we have children."

"It's a horrific circle of life." He agrees solemnly, snickering when she smacks him. "I'm kidding, gorgeous. Of course I love our kids more than fucking. Most of the time."

She rolls her eyes, looking down at one month old Landon and speaking in a baby voice. "Hear that? Daddy is a bad man. Yes, he is."

"Don't teach him that." Jaxon looks horrified and takes Landon from her arms. He hugs the little bundle against his body, face melting instantly as his son stares at him. "Daddy was just joking. You know you're my favourite child."

"Hey!" Lucas stomps into the room, scowling. It's amazing how much he looks like Jax when he's pissed off. "I heard that!"

Jaxon shrugs. "That's what you get for throwing Landon's bottle and getting milk everywhere."

"I didn't do it on purpose." He mumbles.

Jaxon looks at Emily. "How is he already lying to us when he's only five years old? He's like a little devil."

"Don't be rude." Emily chides and holds her arms open. "Come here, baby. You can be Mommy's favourite today."

"You're so soft, dude." Cameron shakes his head at Jax. "What happened to the days we were tough as hell men? Such a shame."

Just then, Olivia struts inside the living room and joins the crowd. She's only two but she's just as sassy and spunky as her parents. She hugs Cameron's leg, grinning up at him. "Hi, Daddy."

Cameron actually squeaks and picks her up, nuzzling his nose into her cheek. She's adorably chubby and small, even more so compared to her father's large arms that seem to swallow her up when he hugs her. "Hi, sweet pea. Daddy missed you so much. You were gone for five whole minutes."

"Yup." Avery retorts drily, watching them with amusement. "You're such a tough man, Hermoso."

"Yes, I am." He pouts.

"Yes, I am." Olivia pouts too. She's at that stage where she parrots what everyone says and does and it's fucking hilarious.

Avery throws her head back in laughter, pecking the both of them. Olivia has been a daddy's girl from the very beginning but I think Avery loves that even more than Cam.

"This place is like a baby factory." Lenny pipes up. "You guys are legit scaring me."

"Liar." Asher grins knowingly and Lenny glares back. "By the way, where's our Wolfie?"

"He's outside with Greg. And don't let him hear you call him that or he'll beat you up."

"Yeah, yeah. Go call them inside, will you? Ria and I have an announcement."

"What announcement?" Nate asks.

"Wait until everyone is here." I tell him.

Asher and I exchange a look, smiling. We were up all night talking about it and figured the best time to tell the guys would be at our wedding. It's nothing too big but it is important and we want our family to be here for it.

"Lizzie!" Jaxon cranes his head to the ceiling, calling for his daughter who's upstairs. "Come downstairs, baby. And bring Zack with you."

"Okay, Dad!" We hear her call back.

Jaxon scowls. "Damn it. She's still calling me Dad. She hasn't called me Daddy in weeks."

"She's a preteen, honey." Emily reminds him. "She can only be our little girl for so long."

"And she barely hugs me now." He adds glumly. "When did I stop being cool?"

"When you turned thirty-three." Cameron supplies cheerily.

Jax swings his glare on him. "You won't be laughing when it's your daughter, West."

"Watch it." He narrows his eyes. "Olivia will always be my baby. Right, sweet pea?"

We all look to Olivia who's too preoccupied playing with Lucas. She squishes his cheeks, giggling, and he grins back. When he tugs on her little pigtails, I suppress my laughter with a hand to my mouth and turn to face Ash. "Is it just me, or do those two remind you of us?"

Asher smirks. "Pulling on her pigtails is a classic move. I did it and ended up marrying you. I say the kid's got game."

We snap our heads back to them in alarm when Cameron all but screeches. He yanks Olivia away and stares at her in horror. "What are you doing, sweet pea? No boys! Daddy says no boys!"

"What's wrong with my boy?" Jaxon defends.

Cameron sneers. "He's putting the moves on my baby girl, the little devil."

"Don't call him a little devil, you dick."

"You're the one who said it first."

"And I'm the only one allowed to say it. Fuck you!"

"What the hell is happening?" Greg booms, watching the fight in front of him incredulously. Wolfe is close behind and he looks amused as hell as he takes his seat. "Both of you stand down or I'll beat your asses. Now."

"Yes, sir." They mumble reluctantly but still throw each other dirty looks across the room. Sometimes it's hard to believe they're best friends.

"We married idiots." Avery chirps and Emily points to her in agreement.

"We're friends with idiots." I mumble under my breath to Ash who snorts, nodding sombrely.

"Sorry about that." Lizzie apologizes as she descends the stairs, holding Zack's hand who looks drunken with sleep. "We got busy with some colouring."

"Thanks for watching him, honey." Delilah hugs her.

Nate picks up Zack, ruffling his hair before looking back at Lizzie. "I should start paying you. You're a Godsend, babe."

"Anytime, Uncle Nate." She kisses his cheek and joins hers parents.

"Okay." I call out loudly before there are anymore interruptions. Lenny's right—we are a baby factory. It's a miracle we get anything done with this many kids in our house. "Listen up."

"We've officially decided the names for our sons." Asher announces with a wide smile. It's so genuine that I can't help but lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him. Every time he laughs or smiles without holding back, it's a reminder of the happiness he spent his whole life fighting for and it makes me so proud of him. I pull away with a laugh when our kiss drags on too long and our friends start booing us.

"What are the names?" Lenny asks, putting us back on track.

Asher and I nod at each other and look back to our family. More importantly, to Greg.

"Ethan Gregory Pryce." I say softly.

"And Evan Mitchell Pryce." Asher adds.

The look on Greg's face is everything I hoped it would be and more. His crossed arms fall to his sides as he stares at us, unblinking, like he's trying to digest what we just said.

"What do you think?" I ask tentatively.

I look around us to find everyone grinning wide in approval, also watching Greg for his reaction.

"We owe it to you and Mitch." Asher lets go of me to make his way to Greg. I watch them with a tight throat, immediately taken back to the scariest moment in my life two years ago when I almost lost him. But I didn't and it's only because of those two. "Without you guys, I wouldn't be standing here. I wouldn't have gotten a second shot at life. I wouldn't have married the girl of my dreams or have my two boys on the way. All of it, I owe to you and Mitch. I...I don't know what I'd do without you, Coach."

"Jesus, Pryce." Greg curses under his breath before pulling Asher into a fierce hug. The two clap each other on the back hard, quietly speaking into each other's ears with gruff voices and suspiciously watery eyes. The room has gone considerably quiet and we're all choked up with emotion as we watch the two men. Maybe it's because they can understand each other's lives on a level we can't but they have the closest bond and it's times like these where that's evident. Greg finally lets Asher go to make his way to me, hugging me as carefully as my belly will allow him. "Thank you, darlin'. This is the greatest fucking honour of my life. I'll be sure to let Mitch know when he's back from New York."

"Thank you, Greg." I whisper into his chest. I may be a pregnant woman in my second trimester but I still feel like a dwarf compared to him. "Thank you for saving my love and giving us the life we always hoped for."

"Can't take credit for that." He kisses my forehead tenderly. "What you two have is something real special and rare so hang on to it, okay?"

"I will. Thank you." I go up on my goes to peck his cheek and then I'm wiping at my eyes. "God, I'm probably such a mess right now."

"You're beautiful." Asher assures me, pulling me into his side and his hand settling on our kicking babies. They always get especially excited when he's around.

Zack yawns loudly and rubs his eyes, breaking the intense moment. He buries his face into Nate's neck and mumbles, "Can we go home, Daddy? I'm tired."

"You got it, little man." He agrees. Wordlessly, Delilah starts packing their things while Nate walks to us. "Alright guys. I guess I'll see you after the honeymoon."

"Thanks for being here, big bro." I return the side hug he gives me, careful not to jostle my nephew who I peck on the cheek, earning his sleepy smile.

"Take care of her." Nate tells Ash who nods back. The two exchange a hug of their own and Nate looks between us when they pull away. His grin is wistful. "I'm so fucking happy for you guys. I love you both."

"Pussy." Asher coughs into his fist.

"Ash." I warn.

He cracks a grin, clapping Nate on the back. "I'm joking. Love you, brother. Thank you for trusting me enough to be with your sister. I swear I'll always fucking love her."

"I know." Nate says in amusement. No one can deny how crazy Asher is for me and it makes my insides all fuzzy because I feel the exact same way.

We say our goodbyes to the rest of the gang as they hug and congratulate us. I find myself smiling at all of them and wondering how I ended up with such a spectacular family to call my own. It's crazy to me that for the longest time I avoided moving back to Boston for fear that I would be alone when in reality, I found a group of people who love me unconditionally and wholeheartedly accept me.

As soon as Lenny, the last of the group to leave, closes the door behind her, Asher is on me.

He scoops me up bridal style and I yelp in surprise, my arms winding around his neck to support myself.

"Finally!" His voice echoes around our empty house as he carries me to our room. "Alone at fucking last with my beautiful wife."

"We should play a game—take a shot every time you refer to me as your wife." I suggest. "We'd be drunk in five minutes."

He laughs under his breath as he gently sets me down on our bed, taking off my heels and crawling over my body. I grin up at him just as he bends his head to kiss me softly, heatedly, and adoringly.

"First of all," He starts when he pulls away. "Don't be a smart-ass."

"Not possible." I interrupt cheekily and he rolls his eyes.

"Second of all," He continues and gives me a warning look to keep my mouth shut. I press my lips together but my giggles still manage to escape me. "I can't help it. I mean, how the fuck was I supposed to know that the girl I spent my entire life loving would think it's a good idea to spend her life with me? You sure about this, baby?"

I laugh because he looks like he's genuinely asking and cup his face. "Yes, I'm sure. I've done a lot of stupid shit in my life but you, Asher Pryce, are the best decision I ever made."

His face goes tender and he runs his hand down along my face. "Yeah?"

I raise my brows. "What? You think I didn't know what I was talking about when I made you those bracelets and said we would be best friends forever?"

He buries his face in my neck, chuckling at the memory. "Can't deny that. You've always been the smarter one."

"Damn straight." I kiss his cheek and turn his face into mine. "I meant it, my love. You and I? It's forever."

"It was always us." He agrees quietly. His eyes roam all over my face like he's soaking me in and a ghost of a smile teases his lips. "I love you, Princess. So fucking much."

"I love you, Ashes." I whisper and my voice cracks with emotion. I am so very lucky to be here with the man who stole my heart when we were just ten years old.

He presses his forehead to mine and we simply breathe each other in, living in the moment. We both know all too well how precious life is. His hand softly rubs my belly and the twins kick when they realize it's their dad. He grins, showing me the dimple I love so much. "So, I married you and gave you my diabolical children just like I said, huh?"

"You did." I kiss the tip of his nose the way he loves. "What's next?"

He shrugs, staring at me with so much love I think I might burst. "Whatever you want."

"Promise?" I hold my pinky up.

He wraps his pinky around mine and brings it to his lips for a soft kiss. Then he whispers against my mouth, "I promise."

And I believe him, because Asher Pryce never breaks a promise. Especially not the ones he makes to me.

THE END

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