WATER RIGHTS, CHAPTER 28, FOREVER AFTER

 

          On the way back from the waterfall, Luke and Hannah had talked about an engagement ring. Hannah told Luke she didn’t particularly want one, that a simple gold band on her finger when they married would be perfect. They also talked about a date and neither one wanted to wait too very long. It was decided they’d see if the church was available the Saturday before Halloween. WFR Treks would be done for the season and the preparatory work for the next year wouldn’t have begun.

None of the staff were terribly surprised at the news and all were pleased to be invited to the wedding at the church or the reception they’d have back at WFR. For the next couple of weeks, Luke and Hannah talked about what kind of wedding they wanted to have. Once they’d established what was important to them both, Hannah talked to the minister and made arrangements for a late morning wedding service.

They’d decided that Stevie would walk his mom down the aisle to Luke and Luke would be waiting with Calli in his arms. Stevie would then sit with Miz. Lionel and Luke would hand Calli to his best man, Joe. They both felt it was important to include both children, to show each other and their family and friends they were definitely a family.

Hannah asked Celia to be her matron of honor and the two of them went to the larger town an hour away for lunch and to find a dress. Hannah didn’t want white and finally found a soft, new-leaf green dress. It was a very smooth tightly-woven wool with long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. It cinched her waist and the full skirt flowed down to her knees. She felt gorgeous just standing there in the dress and her boot socks. If she braided just some of her hair away from her face and let the rest flow down her back and over her shoulders, it would be perfect and even better than a veil.

Dale and Miz. Lionel took over the reception plans. It would be held in the dining hall and between the two of them and Miz. Lionel’s cadre of church women, they’d have more than enough food to celebrate. Anita and Emily asked to set up and decorate the dining hall. All in all, it seemed as though WFR’s entire staff and many of the town folk were going to help with Hannah’s and Luke’s wedding.

Now they were officially engaged, they were spending more and more time together, especially once all the guests had departed. It was extremely hard to keep their hands off each other, but sitting together, hugging, kissing and carrying on the way two new lovebirds would made both of them so happy. It was torture having to wait, but both knew from their experiences in the beginning that it would be worth it after they were married.

The days seemed to both fly by and move with the speed of a snail, but, the day finally arrived. Celia helped Hannah dress at the church and she had never felt more beautiful or feminine. Stevie wore his new little suit and looked adorable. Hannah had found a little dress and shoes for Calli that were a dark green that would match Stevie’s and the men’s ties. Hannah could hear the organ playing and was more than ready to follow Celia down the aisle.

Luke stood to the left of the minister, holding Calli who kept trying to pull on his tie. When he saw Hannah start down the aisle with Stevie, it was all he could do to keep tears from forming in his eyes. She looked so beautiful as did his daughter and Stevie was so handsome. Luke felt his heart swell with joy, love and pride.

When Hannah reached Luke, she knelt and hugged and kissed Stevie. As practiced, Stevie held Hannah’s hand out to Luke and took his place by Miz. Lionel. Luke waited until Hannah stood and kissed Calli before he too kissed the little girl and handed her off to Joe. They turned and faced the minister, huge smiles on both their faces.

The minister began the wedding ceremony, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the relationship of Hannah and Luke and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they will hereby make. We are the most important people in their lives and they invited us hereto publicly recognize that we, each of us, have played and will play some part in their lives.

“Hannah and Luke asked me to thank each of you for being here and to recognize how important each and every one of you are to their lives as well as how grateful they are for your love, friendship and support. Now, Hannah and Luke will recite their vows.”

The minister stepped back and Hannah and Luke turned to face each other. They clasped hands, looked into each other’s eyes and began to speak simultaneously.

“I Hannah/Luke take thee Luke/Hannah to be my lawfully wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better which we have had and now share with each other, for worse which we have already endured and forgiven,”

Suddenly, Calli decided it was time to practice the new word she’d just discovered, “Dada, dada, dada” carried throughout the church. She bounced in Joe’s arms and reached out for Luke. “Da, da, da.” Calli was getting impatient because Luke was ignoring her. Their guests were either smiling or laughing a bit at the interruption.

Both Hannah and Luke smiled and stopped their recitation so Luke could turn to Calli and say, “Shhhhh, Dada’s busy.” When he turned back to Hannah, he said, “Now, where were we?”

Together, they began to speak again, “For richer although we don’t believe life could bring us more riches beyond what we already have in our children, family and friends; for poorer and again with the love and support of our children, family and friends, it’s unlikely we’ll experience poorer; in sickness which will find us at each other’s side or in health, which we will endeavor to maintain for and with each other; and forsaking all others, we hereby promise to love and to cherish each other and our family for as long as we both shall live.”

The minister stepped forward and Hannah and Luke turned to him. He asked for the rings and said, “These rings which you will now exchange are made of precious gold metal that was formed into a circle. This circle has no beginning or end and is therefore a symbol of infinity. It is endless and eternal just as the love you share should be.”

He turned to Luke and handed him one of the rings. Luke took Hannah’s left hand and slid the ring on her finger as he said, “This ring is a symbol of my undying love and in giving it to you, Hannah, I promise to always love you, support you and share my life with you.”

The minister handed Hannah a ring. She took Luke’s left hand in hers and slipped the band onto his finger as she said, “This ring is a symbol of my undying love and in giving it to you, Luke, I promise to always love you, support you and share my life with you.”

“As you have both vowed to take each other as wife and husband, as you have pledged your love, faith and commitment for all time with the exchange of rings, I now pronounce you wife and husband. You may kiss each other.”

Luke and Hannah turned toward each other and took one step each. Hannah’s right hand came up to Luke’s cheek as his right hand sought her waist. Their kiss was simple and very sweet, a perfect finish to the wedding they had designed.

Together they turned toward their family and friends. Luke said, “You all know we’re having a party to celebrate this wonderful occasion back at the ranch. We hope each of you will join us and look forward to seeing you there.”

Luke turned to Joe and retrieved Calli while Hannah held her hand out to Stevie. Arms around each other’s waists, they walked back down the aisle as a united family to the church doors and out.

There hadn’t been such a gathering at the ranch since Thomas had passed away. This time, it was a real party and not a wake. Hannah and Luke stood at the door to the dining hall and welcomed and thanked each guest for coming. In their invitations, they had requested no gifts be given because they already had pretty much everything a newly married couple would need. Some people didn’t pay any attention and brought colorfully wrapped gifts that Luke and Hannah would later find held some special meaning and would always bring at least one of them, and usually both a smile or happy memory over the years.

A few hours later, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. The buffet had been replenished several times, the wine and beer flowed freely and the music had been turned up at some point. Hannah and Luke cut the cake, had their first dance and listened to the toasts offered by not just Celia and Joe, but some of the other friends in attendance.

Finally, they had a moment to themselves and leaned against the dining hall wall. Luke snugged Hannah close to his side and whispered in her ear, “Have you had enough party? Wouldn’t you like to sneak out of here with me and go some place private? How about where it all began, how about the waterfall?”

Every cell in Hannah’s body had come alive with Luke’s breath in her ear. “The waterfall. Isn’t it a bit cold for the waterfall? But yes, I’d love to be alone with you, just the two of us.”

“Then, let’s go. We can slip out, dash for the house, put on some warm clothes and disappear like a new bride and groom are supposed to.” Luke responded, pulling Hannah toward the side door.

Somehow, they managed to get away. Luke had planned ahead and asked Joe to saddle their horses. Hannah didn’t know how they were going to manage at the waterfall. It was October and while some days were fairly warm, the nights were too cold for skinny dipping and anything else that involved taking your clothes off. True, they were hot for each other, but she didn’t think they could generate that much heat.

She shouldn’t have held any doubts about how her wedding night would be and she actually hadn’t, she’d just thought it would happen in the house in what was now their bed. When they arrived at the waterfall, she was surprised to find Luke had somehow managed to get up there without her knowing. There was a tent waiting for them, a fire ready to be lit on the rocks by the pool. She couldn’t believe how romantic it all was. When she looked inside the tent, there were big sleeping bags zipped together, with small firefly lights around the perimeter. Luke had also shared his plan with Celia and the saddlebags on his horse contained wedding food and drink, including champagne and actual glass glasses.

Luke lit the fire and then took care of the horses, bringing their saddle blankets back to lay upon the rock beside the fire. Hannah sat down and held her hands out to the fire. Luke sat beside her, turned her to face him and gently kissed her mouth. Immediately, they both lost control, kissing and touching and pulling on the layers of clothes that covered the skin they so badly wanted to touch. They’d barely begun when Luke’s and Hannah’s pants were open and sliding down their individual thighs.

So great was their need, their want for each other after such a long time, that Luke was on Hannah and in her and she welcomed him eagerly, hot and wet and beginning to orgasm almost as soon as he finished his first thrust. Luke could feel the pulsations of her orgasm and it was barely another thrust or two before he plunged into her as hard as he could and emptied himself. They lay there together gasping and breathing hard while the last ripples of their orgasms slowly dissipated.

Then, they both burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that was so good. I’d forgotten just how good a mutual orgasm could feel.” Hannah managed to say between giggles.

“I know exactly what you mean. I really wanted to make this night special, to love you slowly and completely; but once I kissed you, knowing we didn’t have to stop, I just couldn’t keep from getting inside you as soon as possible. But I promise to make it perfect before the night is over.”

“Luke, it was perfect. You don’t need to prove anything to me or do anything to make it extra special. I’ve waited and wanted you for so long. In case you didn’t notice, I wasn’t exactly holding back when it came to getting you naked and inside me.”

“There was a part of me that was afraid it wouldn’t be as good as it was back when we were first together; but you know what Hannah, my lovely wife, it’s even better than I remembered.”

They kissed and touched a bit more before Luke withdrew and they set their clothes to rights. Luke built the fire back up and they shared the wedding feast and champagne Celia had packed for them. Replete, they lay on the saddle blankets and watched the fire die down. Hannah was almost asleep when Luke shook her and suggested they get inside the tent.

Inside the tent, the double sleeping bag opened to reveal rose petals scattered over the bottom and the pillows. Kneeling and facing each other, they kissed and touched and licked and hummed and murmured as they removed each other’s clothing slowly piece by piece until they were both completely nude.

Luke kissed Hannah slowly and gently, determined this time would be last longer than the few minutes of the first time. In turn, Hannah kissed and touched and stroked Luke until they both lay down upon the sleeping bag, the rose scent coming up to surround them as their warm bodies crushed the pale petals. Luke kissed and licked his way up and down Hannah’s body, but avoided the hot wet confluence of her thighs. Hannah raised up when he returned to her mouth and did the same for him, avoiding his huge member pulsing against his belly.

Finally, Hannah lay back and Luke covered her body with his. Her thighs parted and allowed his cock to touch her wet entrance. She reached down and opened herself while guiding Luke’s penis inside. He moved slowly, so slowly and Hannah wanted to grasp his ass with her legs and ram him inside. Luke resisted and soon he filled Hannah completely. He rested, barely moving while they kissed and told each other how much love they shared, how being together like this made them happier than they’d ever been in their lives. 

Slowly Luke withdrew and slowly he slipped back inside. They set a leisurely rhythm that gradually caused their arousal and need to deepen and grow. Eventually, the pace began to quicken and Hannah’s legs came up around Luke’s ass, pulling him tightly to her each time he thrust. Their breathing began to quicken and Hannah began to moan as the feeling intensified. Luke panted and grunted with effort as he tried to control himself and Hannah, tried to prolong the agony and ecstacy of their union for as long as possible.

Finally, Hannah could hold back no longer and when her legs drove Luke as far into her as possible, she raised a bit and rubbed against the base of his penis. She could feel the orgasm she’d been holding back rise up and demand release. She let herself go. Luke lost control at the same time, pumping himself into her, letting his own climax sweep him away.

It was a bit of time before their breathing and heart rates slowed, and once again, they hugged each other and laughed. They agreed it had been even better than they had imagined and tangled together, began to fall asleep.

Luke was almost gone when Hannah giggled one last time and whispered, “Just think Luke, we’re going to be able to do this as often as we like for the rest of our lives.”

Luke smiled sleepily, pulled Hannah closer, and murmured. “Yes, for the rest of our lives.”