Natalie and Seth decided that inviting both sets of parents to dinner at a nice restaurant would be the best way to announce their engagement to them.

“They will be less likely to overreact in a public setting,” Seth said.

Nat chuckled. “I agree.”

“How’s the head today?” he asked, cupping her face with his hands.

“It’s days like these that I could forget that I have a terminal brain tumor. Thanks to the pain medications, I feel normal. There is a part of me that needs attention, though.”

“Oh?” Seth asked, his pants growing suddenly tight from his burgeoning arousal. “What did you have in mind?”

“Make love to me, Seth. Take my mind off of everything except you and me.”

“There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

Guiding her to the bed, he lifted her skirt and relieved her of her lacy panties. Though he wanted to devour her, he summoned his patience and planted soft, wet kisses on her inner thighs. She moaned as he kept getting closer to her engorged little nub, whimpering when he finally ran his tongue along her glistening labia.

“Oh, God, Seth!”

“Not God, baby. Just a man who needs you like I’ve never needed anyone before. You take my breath away, Natalie.”

He returned his attention to her delicate, pink folds and felt her hips rocking as her arousal grew more intense. He teased and taunted, edging her relentlessly.

“Dear God, Seth! Please! I need release!”

He grinned at her and then continued driving her wild with his oral expertise. His teeth and tongue had her hanging on the brink of orgasm for what seemed like an eternity. When he inserted a finger inside her, he felt her wet heat gripping it fiercely as he discovered her G-spot. He slipped a second digit inside her and pushed her right over the edge.

“Oh, God! Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!” Natalie screamed as her climax nearly ripped her in two.

Seth enjoyed her sweet nectar, thrilled that he’d taken her mind off their worries. He moved into position to enter her with his fully erect manhood. But Natalie surprised him by flipping him on the bed, looking devilishly into his eyes, and stating, “I want a turn to make you feel that good.”

Without waiting for his reply, Nat put her long, red hair in a messy ponytail and took Seth’s stiff shaft in hand. She licked its length from base to tip, delighting in how her moves made him shiver with arousal.

Just when he thought he couldn’t take any more teasing, she guided him into her mouth and sucked on him with erotic fervor. Her fingers played with his sac and, occasionally, brushed his puckered star. It felt so decadent every time she teased him. He wasn’t sure where she’d learned this, but it was extremely pleasurable. Then she surprised him by inserting a finger into his ass while she took him deep in her throat.

“Oh, God! Nat! I’m gonna cum, baby!”

Natalie thrust her finger in and out while squeezing his balls. She felt them constrict in her hand, then let go as he growled and exploded down her throat.

“Agghh! God, yes! You’re so amazing, baby!”

Moments later, when they were snuggled up together, Seth said, “I know that wasn’t what you asked for, but...”

“I enjoyed every single second. It was so exciting to make you cum like that.”

Seth pulled his arms tighter around Natalie. He silently wished they could elope. He didn’t want to waste any more time before making her his wife. But he remembered that the whole purpose of the wedding was to help make her wish come true. He’d be patient. She was worth it.

“We should call our parents and get that settled. How about that new Italian place on Fourth Street?”

“Sounds perfect.”

So, plans were made to dine at La Trattoria on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Then, they spent the week deciding on a venue, date, and where to go on a honeymoon. Seth tried to get Natalie to look at wedding dresses, but she insisted she could wear a lovely cocktail dress. He let it go for the moment. They could revisit the topic later.

When Saturday night arrived, Nat had butterflies in her stomach. “I’m so nervous. What if our parents are against the idea of us getting married?”

“Sweetheart, you and I are not children; we are not financially dependent on our folks. We don’t need their permission to become husband and wife,” Seth reassured her. “We are simply sharing good news.”

“You’re right. I’m just worried they will think we are moving too fast.”

“They think we were already dating for a while, remember?”

Natalie nodded and sipped her wine, hoping to feel settled by the time the parents arrived.

It was Seth’s mother who noticed the ring first. When Mrs. Travis reached the table, she exclaimed, “Oh, my God! You’re engaged!”

Natalie’s parents were behind them, so the surprise of their announcement was blown. Mrs. Benson's response was a bit classier, however.

“Oh, Natalie, Seth, how wonderful! Congratulations! I must admit, I hoped this dinner was meant to share such exciting news.”

Everyone hugged and kissed before sitting down at the table. The vibe felt celebratory, but Nat had a nagging feeling that Mrs. Travis was feigning her happiness. Seth caught the look on his mother’s face, too. He reached under the table and squeezed Nat’s hand. The gesture made her gaze into his eyes with love and appreciation.

The waiter came and took their orders, then left a breadbasket and some dipping oil before scurrying away.

“So, have you set a date?” Mr. Benson asked, smiling.

“You don’t seem very surprised, dear,” his wife commented.

He grinned. “You don’t think a fine young man like Seth would ask our little girl to marry him without receiving my blessing first, do you, Marie?”

“You knew?” Natalie and her mother asked in unison.

Seth and Mr. Benson nodded at each other.

“Of course. I needed to do things right, Nat,” Seth explained.

“You didn’t ask for our blessing, Seth,” Mrs. Travis said, a pained look on her face giving away her annoyance.

“That isn’t traditionally necessary, Mom,” he answered, mustering politeness to mask his irritation.

Mrs. Travis raised an eyebrow and said, “So, when is the wedding?”

“Next month,” Natalie answered, beaming. She was so in love with Seth and had no intention of letting his mother spoil this lovely evening.

But Seth’s mom was determined to do so anyway. “Next month! Are you pregnant? Did you let him knock you up so you could push him into marriage before he’s ready?”

Mr. Travis was utterly embarrassed by his wife’s rudeness. “Beverly! That’s enough!”

Seth was about to address his mother when Natalie touched his arm. It was time, she knew, to lay the cancer card on the table.

“No, Mrs. Travis. I’m not pregnant. I would never do something so heinous as to force your son to marry me. In fact, I was reluctant to say yes when he asked me.”

“Then why did you? And why do you need to rush this wedding?”

Nat looked at Seth, who nodded at her and took over the explanation. “Because Natalie and I have cancer. We love each other very much and don’t want to miss the chance to have her dad walk her down the aisle. We would wait if we could, but we don’t have the luxury of time.”

Mrs. Benson’s face fell. “Cancer? My baby has cancer? Your headaches? How long have you kept this from us? Why?”

“Son, you don’t need to marry her just because you are both sick. Live together and support each other, but why must you make it a legal contract?” Mr. Travis asked.

Mrs. Travis was crying. “I knew you were lying to me, Seth! Did she tell you to keep this from me?”

Natalie’s father slammed his hand on the table and said, “Enough! All of you! Seth came to me a few weeks ago and told me everything.”

Nat looked shocked. She turned to Seth and asked, “You did?”

“Yes, Nattie, he did,” her father said, his tone softening. “He told me that he loves you and that the most important thing to him was to give you your happily ever after. He offered me the chance to walk my little girl down the aisle. Honestly, after crying my eyes out over the realization that there wasn’t anything I could do about their diagnoses, I hugged this amazing boy and thanked him for loving my daughter so much.”

“But there are treatments. Surely, after the wedding, you’ll start chemo or radiation, right?” Natalie’s mom asked, her bottom lip quivering.

“No, Mom. The oncologist told me to get my affairs in order and to live my life to the fullest with the time I had left. Seth’s doctor said something along the same lines. So, we decided to move things up a bit.”

“I won’t allow it,” Seth’s mom said.

“You don’t have a say, Mother,” Seth responded. “We are grown adults and are paying for everything ourselves.”

Mrs. Benson sighed. “That isn’t necessary; your father and I have some money set aside for a wedding.”

“That’s very kind of you, Mom, but we’ve already made the plans and have paid for everything.”

“Except for a dress,” Seth offered quickly. “Natalie hasn’t selected a wedding dress yet. I think that’s something a mother and daughter should do together.”

“Seth, I told you, I don’t need a wedding dress.”

“Of course you do, baby. Let your mother shop for a dress with you.” Seth saw the gratitude in Mrs. Benson’s eyes.

Natalie was about to protest when she caught the look on her mom’s face. The woman was going to lose her only child in a matter of months. Why deny her the joy of wedding dress shopping with her daughter?

“I’d love that. Mrs. Travis, would you like to join us?” Natalie asked.

“You’ve all lost your minds. This wedding is a terrible idea. How could you lie to me, Seth? All that coughing—it’s been lung cancer all along. And some girl you barely know has convinced you not to try treatment so she can have her dreams come true. What about your dreams, Seth? This is madness!”

“Beverly, stop. You’re making a scene,” Mr. Travis said crossly to his wife.

“Mom, Dad,” Seth began, “I found the love of my life on the very day that the doctor told me I had lung cancer that had metastasized. It was as though I’d been given a reason to keep living each day to the fullest. Natalie had nothing to do with my decision not to try chemo. The doctor said it would only give me a few extra months at best.

“I don’t want to live the remainder of my life in a hospital bed. I want to marry Natalie and dance at my wedding, and I want you both to share in our joy.”

Tears streamed down Beverly Travis’ face. “I can’t stand the idea of losing you. You’re my son. Parents aren’t supposed to bury their children.”

Seth took his mom’s hands into his own and said, “I know. So, please, allow me to live as normal a life as possible before you have to do the unthinkable.”

“I guess I can’t stop you. But I can’t put on a happy face and go dress shopping. Thank you for the offer to include me, but I’ll pass if it’s all the same to you.”

“I understand,” Natalie said quietly.

The rest of the dinner was awkward and tense. Still, by the end of the evening, Seth’s parents were willing to attend the wedding, even if they didn’t want to be involved in any way. Natalie agreed to let her mother help her select a wedding dress and made plans to visit several bridal shops the following week.

That night, Seth sought comfort in Natalie’s arms.

“I wish my mother could have reacted more like your parents,” he said as he nuzzled her breasts.

“To be fair, my dad already knew, and my mom was too shocked to say much. Your dad seemed pretty calm about the whole thing.”

“He’s not into public scenes. When my mom went off on you, he looked like he wanted to slide under the table. I’m sorry about that.”

“Shhh, she can hardly be faulted for being upset that her son is marrying some woman she barely knows with cancer and that we won’t ever be able to give them grandkids. It’s a very bitter pill to swallow.”

Seth felt his heart squeeze when Natalie mentioned grandkids. “I wish we had more time, Nat. I wish we could have a baby together.”

Nat’s eyes welled up. “I wish we could, too. But that would be selfish. Even if I had that much time left, bringing a child into the world wouldn't be fair, knowing we won’t be here to raise it.”

“You’re right,” Seth said sadly.

“I love you, Seth. I thought my life was over. In fact, I contemplated ending it so I wouldn’t have to deal with what’s to come down the road. Then I almost hit your car with mine. Thanks to our chance meeting, I will be a bride and spend the rest of my days as your wife. It’s more than I ever hoped for, so please don’t be sad.”

“I love you so much, Natalie. I can’t wait to call you my wife.”

“I can’t wait to call you my husband.”

“You’re my whole world, baby.”

“Show me. I need you inside me.”

Seth kissed Natalie passionately, then gently traveled down her neck, nibbling at it playfully. His mouth moved to her breasts, where he teased each tender nipple until she was begging for him to enter her.

His erect shaft opened her slowly, gliding through her sweet honey until her soft, wet walls engulfed him. He moved slowly and deliberately at first, working her into a frenzy with his thumb as it made stimulating, circular motions on her clit.

“Oh, God! Yes! More, please! Don’t stop!” she cried.

Seth quickened his pace until she was cumming in waves of intense pleasure. He felt the contractions of her climax squeeze his cock, creating a sudden urge to thrust into her with wild abandon.

“Yes! Please, take all of me inside you! Feel me open you up as I move deep inside you.”

“Oh, God, yes!”

“Take my cock, baby! Cum on it again. Cum for me, Natalie; coat me with your juices!”

Panting and writhing, she arched her back and came hard once again. Seth pumped into her relentlessly and filled her with his seed. They collapsed on the bed together as their hearts pounded louder than drums.

But, while Nat’s breathing returned to normal, Seth began to wheeze and cough, unable to catch his breath. She grabbed his albuterol inhaler, but that didn’t help much.

“I’m calling for an ambulance!” Natalie shouted as she ran to grab her phone; that he didn’t argue frightened her.

While waiting for the EMTs to arrive, Natalie held Seth’s hand and prayed, “Please, God. Don’t let him die like this. Don’t take him before we’ve had the chance to dance at our wedding.”

She smiled encouragingly at her fiancé and tried to hide her fear, grateful when she heard the siren’s blare.

To be continued...