Epilogue - Part 1

With soft music playing in the background early in the afternoon the next day, the guests began to assemble in the living room, which had been decorated with beautiful bouquets of flowers and tapered candles lit throughout the room.

As bridesmaids dressed in burgundy, Dara, Skye, Emily and Julianna signaled they were ready.  After a few moments to make sure the guests were seated, Emily entered the living room from the foyer, followed by Skye, Dara, and then Julianna, as the maid of honor.  A.J. thought his daughter had never looked more beautiful, as did all the women Keesha had chosen to be in her wedding. 

Julianna thought her father had never looked more handsome than he did wearing his black tuxedo, with the cufflinks her mother had given him adorning the sleeves of his white shirt.  She smiled to herself when she saw how proud her grandfather looked standing next to his first-born son as his best man.

Sitting in the audience, Michael couldn’t take his eyes off of Julianna.  She looked like a vision in the full-length dark-colored gown that fit her perfectly.

A few moments later, the “Wedding March” began to play.  The guests rose and all eyes turned to the staircase where Keesha stood at the top landing, looking absolutely stunning in a floor-length champagne-colored wedding gown, with tiny pearls lining the bodice and the long sleeves.  Her matching color veil framed her curly jet black locks perfectly.  She held a bouquet of pink roses and baby’s breath and after smiling at Justus, who beamed as he waited for her at the bottom of the staircase, she slowly began to descend the stairs, looking every bit as regal as she felt.

Halfway down, her eyes met and held A.J.’s, who smiled and nodded encouragingly that she was doing fine, and she knew she had never been happier.  She couldn’t wait to be by his side to exchange sacred vows and rings.  Everything was perfect.

Once Keesha reached her groom, she knew this was really happening, and she couldn’t contain her happiness.  She knew it showed on her face, and she didn’t care.  She would be spending the rest of her life with the man she loved.  With all of her heart.  One look into his hazel eyes told her he felt the exact same way.  And he did.

When they joined hands to recite their vows, they both knew this would be one of the most important moments in their lives.

After they slipped the matching gold bands onto each other’s fingers, A.J. told the minister he had something he needed to say to his bride.

Keesha gazed at him with love in her sable eyes that shone so brightly as she waited to hear what her beloved had to say.

“Keesha, almost everyone in this room,” he began, gently massaging her fingers with the pads of his, “knows that I have worn two previous wedding rings and that I had never been so miserable in my entire life.  You were out there, Keesha, raising our daughter to be the kind and loving person she is today while I was wallowing in self-pity and drinking myself into the gutter.  Literally.  When I finally got my act together, I was in a much better place, but I knew I still wasn’t complete.  Your letter, Keesha, asking me to come see you is what truly changed my life.  Meeting and getting to know our daughter and being loved by both of you is what has made my life complete.

“Yes, Keesha, I have worn a wedding ring before, but only now, because of you, do I understand and truly appreciate what it means to be a husband and a father.  I adore you, Keesha Ward Quartermaine, and I will spend the remainder of my life showing you and telling you just how much you mean to me.  Thank you for giving me this chance, my darling wife, and for loving me.”

“Thank you, baby,” Keesha said, her eyes glistening with tears of happiness.  “I love you so much.  And I need you, A.J.  I need the man you are today to be in my life.  Forever and always.  We’ll always be together.  Remember our daughter’s words:  we were so meant to be.”

“I love you, Keesha.  So much.”

After the minister pronounced them husband and wife, A.J. took an emotional but ecstatic Keesha into his strong arms where they shared a passionate lingering kiss, not caring who was watching them.  The guests applauded when they finally came up for air.

*~*

During the reception, Dara and Brooke Lynn finally coerced Julianna into singing with them in a tribute to her parents.  She and Michael spent as much time alone as they could.

“I’ll be staying here all week,” she told him.  “Let’s plan to see each other a lot while I’m here.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, right before Lesley Lu came by and grabbed his hand for a dance.

Julianna laughed at his forlorn look at being taken away from her.  She was sure her parents had something to do with it.  They had not been able to spend as much time together as they would have liked, but she knew, someday, they would be together.  And no one would be able to stand in their way.

*~*

Ready to leave the reception to begin their wedding night, Keesha threw her bouquet high into the air towards all the single ladies who had gathered.  Serena Baldwin caught it and on Christmas Day, 2014, Lucas Jones proposed to her.  The following October they were married.

*~*

Amid good wishes and cheers, Reginald drove Keesha and A.J. to the Quartermaine cabin where they would spend the next few days.  Alone.  They thought about staying at the Port Charles Hotel or even somewhere else close by, but when Alan mentioned the cabin, A.J. and Keesha knew that’s where they wanted to spend their time.

When they entered the cabin and turned on the lights, they realized a lot of prep work had gone into making this a special place for them.  Bouquets of flowers sat in various parts of the area, along with candles of all different sizes and shapes.  The cupboards and refrigerator had been stocked with food, and chopped wood and kindling had been placed inside the hearth with a ready supply sitting nearby.

“We owe some people heartfelt thanks,” Keesha said as she unbuttoned her coat.

“I agree.  Let me start the fire so we can warm up.”

While A.J. worked on starting the fire, Keesha took their bags into the spacious room.  After removing her coat, she noticed more flowers decorated the dresser, candles sat on either nightstand just waiting to be lit, and the blankets and comforter had been turned down, making the bed look so inviting and ready for them.  Keesha stared at the comfortable bed, knowing she was ready for her wedding night to begin.

She could feel the heat from the fire as soon as she returned to the rustic living room.

“This is so perfect,” she said, sitting on the throw rug near the fireplace where her husband was.  “What a wonderful wedding day we have had.”

“And just think,” he said, his hazel eyes twinkling as they reflected off the amber flames, “the best is yet to come.”

“I know,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close for a kiss.  “I can’t wait.”

As the fire crackled, so did their kisses.  Growing warm from the heat that wasn’t all because of the nearby flames, husband and wife stood as one, their lips still locked together, and made their way to the couch where they could get more comfortable.

As they allowed their hands to roam and reacquaint themselves with each other’s bodies, the urgency to come together increased and soon Keesha found herself lying on her back with A.J. on top of her.  His hands had begun to raise her dress past her thighs and towards her waist while she began to lift his shirt out of his pants so she could run her fingers along his well-muscled back.

He trailed smooth hands along her shapely thighs and legs and when he began to nip and tease the soft pliant dark flesh of her inner thighs with his teeth, Keesha writhed in pleasure and pulled him closer.  Her insides were turning to jelly, and she knew soon she would be wet and begging for him to take her.  But she wanted their first time in sixteen years to be in their bed.

When A.J. finally slowed his movements, she asked him to let her sit up.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” he immediately asked.

“No, sweetheart.  This all feels so wonderful.  But again, don’t laugh at me, but I want our first time as husband and wife to be in our bed.  I also want to change into something I bought especially for this occasion.”

“Of course,” A.J. said.  “Take all the time you need, sweetheart.”

“I won’t be long,” she said, already missing his touches and his kisses.  “Meet me in the bedroom.”

A.J. waited impatiently until he heard movement in the room and then he entered and stopped in his tracks when he saw how beautiful his wife looked dressed in a bright red negligee that accented her curves perfectly.

“Oh, Keesha.”

He could barely catch his breath.

“I take it you like?” she teased, seeing how he was already moistening his lips and that his eyes had become hooded.

“I love it.  You look beautiful.  Absolutely amazing.  Come here, my darling.”

She walked into his arms and let him hold her and caress her and kiss her while she ran her fingers through his hair and captured his lips in a pulsating kiss that had her tingling to her toes. 

“Make love to me, A.J.,” she finally said.

She felt as though she were going to burst; she knew he had to be feeling the same.

“With pleasure,” he said, leading her to the king-size mattress where she sat and immediately reached for his shirt to remove it.

Once it had been discarded, she allowed herself the opportunity to appreciate how he had kept himself in shape.  She knew his upper body strength was the result of a lot of hours spent at the gym.

“You look as magnificent as I remember,” she said.

She had no doubt his lower body would be just as magnificent as she remembered, too.  Not wanting to be kept waiting, she reached for his belt to unbuckle it.  He chuckled softly at how anxious she seemed and decided to make her wait.  Just a little bit longer.

He swiftly removed her hands and held them in his own as he pushed her back onto the bed and placed himself on top of her.  When she would have protested his action, he silenced her with kisses that had her almost forgetting her name.  He slowly began to move his mouth towards her throat and her neck, loving the feel of her satiny skin against his lips.  He trailed kisses until he reached the cut of her negligee and began to remove the thin straps from her shoulders so he could see and feel and taste more of her luscious skin. 

Keesha emitted a soft gasp of pleasure when A.J. finally exposed her full ebony breasts.  He took a moment just to admire their beauty before he began to fondle and caress one breast and then the other.  He then used his mouth and his tongue to tease and cajole the nipples into hardening while Keesha pulled his head closer so he could continue to pleasure her. 

Needing to see and feel more of her soft skin, he swiftly lowered the negligee until she was only half covered.  He rained kisses along her rib cage and her abdomen until he reached her scar.  He stopped and took a moment to lightly touch it.

“I try not to dwell on my scar,” she said.

“Is it okay that I touched it?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“I think it only adds to your beauty, my darling wife.”

“Well, it’s definitely the reason I’m here today and that we are together.  I try to think of it that way.”

“Makes sense to me.”

A.J. continued to nip, tease and kiss Keesha’s skin while she enjoyed every second of it.  She let out a gasp of excitement when she felt her husband completely remove her nightgown.

“I need to see all of you,” he told her and then allowed himself to feast on her beauty.

“I was trying to do that earlier to you but you stopped me,” she said, running her fingers along his bare tanned back.

“Patience, my darling wife,” he teased and then worked his way back to her breasts that were aching for his touch.

Keesha shifted on the mattress when A.J.’s hands began to massage her shoulders and her arms and then moved to her back.  She bit into the skin of his shoulder and dug her fingers into his back when his hands deftly removed her red lace panties and immediately cupped her well-shaped bottom.  She felt him kneading and squeezing her bare cheeks and then teasing the sensitive flesh by making circular motions with the warm pads of his fingers.  As he continued his excruciating delectable torture, she found herself clinging closer to him, needing the release that only he could provide. 

When his hands moved to her core, he smiled to himself when he felt how wet she already was.  Using his fingers to explore her clit, he brought her to the brink time and time again until she was begging him and reaching for his belt buckle again so she could free him from the remainder of his clothes.

“I need you inside of me, A.J.,” she cried.  “Now!”

He finally let her remove his pants and throw them onto the floor next to his shirt and her negligee.  Keesha reached for the waistband of his briefs, knowing they were the last barrier between them and the climax she so desperately craved.

She saw his bulge through the fabric and knew satisfaction wouldn’t be long in coming.  But she took her time lowering his briefs past his lean waist and hips, wanting to enjoy and experience the moment when she would see her husband in all his magnificent glory.  With her pulses throbbing and juices flowing, she let her eyes drink in the sight of his fully erect manhood.  When she reached out to stroke his thick shaft, A.J. shuddered and barely held on as he lowered himself so she could have easier access.  When he slipped his hands behind her shoulder blades to pull her closer, she arched to meet him halfway.  She placed her hands on his well-rounded bottom and used the leverage to move him closer to the center of her being. 

“Enter me, A.J.,” she nearly screamed in his ear.  “I need to feel you inside of me, baby.”

A.J. complied.  When he moved to her core which was throbbing and soaking wet, she immediately parted her legs wide, so ready to receive him.  He teased her a little bit more and when she cried out for sweet release, he entered her with a force that shook them both.  She grabbed onto him as desire for each other continued to build until it finally consumed them and soon they found their rhythm.  The thrusts became deeper and bolder until Keesha’s body finally shuddered as she came while digging her fingers into A.J.’s pliant backside flesh, which nearly sent him reeling.  He began to remember just how enticing his lover’s touch could be.  His release came soon after, and then they both lay on the bed, their breathing labored and their hearts beating wildly but both feeling oh so very satisfied.

After taking time to savor being together and having come together as one, the touching and the kissing began again in earnest and before either of them knew it, their second round of lovemaking had begun.  Still getting used to each other’s moves and likes and pleasures, they took their time, knowing they had all night and the next few days to make sure they made up for sixteen years of not being together.

*~*

Late that night, exhausted but satiated for the moment and having taken the time to freshen up and eat a light meal, they sat by the fire, enjoying the warmth and each other’s company.

“I have something for you, Mrs. Quartermaine,” A.J. said with a wide grin.

“You do?  Are you going to tease me again that it’s a present but not a present?”

She laughed when he shook his head at her.  “What am I going to do with my saucy wife?”

“You’re going to love me, my darling.  And don’t you forget that.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and gave her a mock salute.

“That’s better,” she said and laughed.  “Now what do you have for me?”

“Just this,” he said, handing her a wrapped square box that he had earlier hidden behind the chopped wood.

Keesha smiled as she carefully unwrapped the present.  Her smile grew wider when she saw the gray velvet jewelry box.

“What did you do, Mr. Quartermaine?”

“Open and see,” he encouraged, loving how appreciative and excited she was whenever she received a gift from him and knowing this would not be the last present he bestowed upon her.

If he had his way, he would shower her with gifts every day, but he knew that wasn’t what she would want.  But he wanted to give her this special wedding gift.

She slowly cracked open the top of the case and gasped with awe and pleasure when her eyes beheld the gorgeous diamond necklace and matching earrings twinkling at her.

“Oh, A.J.  This is too much.  These are so beautiful, so exquisite.  Oh my.  I love them so much.  Thank you, darling.  Thank you so much!”

A.J. laughed as she tried to contain her pleasure at receiving such a stunning gift, but she couldn’t.  She had to try them on.  She just had to.  Her husband told her he understood and clasped the necklace for her.  She rushed to the mirror in the bedroom where she replaced her pearl stud earrings with the diamond teardrops.  She truly felt like royalty even though she wore an old pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt. 

A few moments later, her husband entered the room and stood behind as she admired her gift in the mirror.  He wrapped his arms around her small waist and rested his chin on her left shoulder.

“They were meant for you, my darling wife.  You definitely wear diamonds well.”

She turned so she could face him and kiss him and thank him for the loveliest gift she had ever received.  Well, aside from him giving himself to her, she amended.

When A.J. would have led her to the bed once more, she stopped him.

“Just for a minute.  I have something I want to give to you.”

“You’ve already given me everything I need,” he told her honestly.

“I think, at least I hope, you’ll like this.”

From her bag in the closet, she pulled out a neatly wrapped gift and handed it to him as he took a seat on the mattress.

“What could you have done, Mrs. Quartermaine?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with delight.

“Open it and find out, Mr. Quartermaine.”

He laughed at her feistiness.  She loved that she could totally be herself with him.

“Okay, I will,” he said and tore into the wrapping while she shook her head at his messiness.

He removed the lid from the box and when he pulled back the tissue, his eyes lit up with surprise and pleasure.

“You little tease,” he said, removing the framed photograph so he could look at it more closely.

Keesha laughed outright as she threw the box onto the bed and settled herself on his lap.

“You were so gullible,” she said, trailing the pad of her tapered index finger along his cheek.

A few weeks ago, he, Keesha and Julianna had posed for a family portrait, but Keesha had told him the photographer called and told her something had been wrong with his camera, and the photos didn’t turn out.  A.J. was disappointed but said they would take another family portrait some other time.

“I believed you,” he said and laughed.  “Honey, this is such a nice surprise and a wonderful gift.  Thank you so much.  I’m actually relieved we don’t have to go through another sitting.  But it would have been worth it,” he quickly added when she looked ready to chastise him, “so I could have this beautiful photo.”

“I think it turned out rather well,” she said, looking at it with him.

“It did.  This will sit nicely on my desk, along with a present I received from my parents.”

“What did they give you?”

“They gave me a silver frame, knowing that I would want to have our wedding photo on my desk in Philadelphia.  Those two pictures will help me get through anything.”

“Looks like we’ll probably have matching photos on our desks, then, unless I choose a different wedding pose.”

A.J. looked at his wife and smiled.  “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“What do you think it means?” she asked and smiled.

“You’ve decided to work at the Center?”

“Yes, sweetheart.  I’ve decided your Center would be a great place for me to work.”

“This is wonderful,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer once he had returned the frame safely to its box.  “We are going to do such great work together.”

“I agree.  I can’t think of any place else I’d rather be and who better to help than my very own husband.  I think it’s going to be a very rewarding experience.  I can’t wait.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” he said and then ended any further conversation with a searing kiss that set the tone for the remainder of their wedding night and the next three days as they hid themselves from the world and made passionate love to each other in almost every room in the cabin.