Chapter Twenty-Nine #3
“I would like that,” she whispered. “To fall asleep with you, I mean.”
Garrett’s fingers tightened around her jaw, just enough to tilt her face back up to his, and her heart fluttered as she saw his handsome yet soft smile.
She leaned up a little on her tiptoes, and as if knowing what she wanted, Garrett dipped his head toward her and they shared a soft, slow, intimate kiss.
After they parted, Garrett turned around and faced the wall, giving her privacy to change out of her dress and into her nightgown, and only when she tapped his shoulder once she was finished did he turn back around and move toward her bed.
He sat down there, taking a moment to remove his boots and socks, then stood again.
Another blush stole across her cheeks as he reached for the buttons on his trousers. She could have looked, she supposed. They were married after all. However, Garrett had given her privacy to change, so she paid the same to him and looked away.
“I’ve never done this before,” Garrett said, his husky voice snapping Hannah out of her deep inspection of his spectacular form. Her gaze shot up to his face, and her heart ebbed with affection as she saw that an adorable, sheepish blush had colored his cheeks.
“I…” Hannah’s mind faltered, still dazed by how handsome he looked. “I haven’t either,” she finally finished.
Warmth shone in Garrett’s eyes as his gaze slowly drew down her body, then back up to her eyes. His careful inspection had a blush of her own filling her cheeks, and she bashfully crossed her arms over her midsection.
“Don’t do that,” Garrett whispered, reaching for her hand from across the bed. “Don’t hide. You look… beautiful.”
Hannah’s breath caught in her throat as her nervousness fluctuated between frenzied and relaxation.
“I do?” She asked hopefully.
Garrett nodded, a soft, encouraging smile forming on his face.
“Breathtaking,” he clarified.
Hannah’s blush deepened, but she fought the urge to cross her arms again and keep her hand in Garrett’s.
Her nightgown was one of simple linen, draping down her body loosely.
There were no frills, no ribbons, no little things about the design to catch a man’s eye, yet even so, Garrett said she was breathtaking.
The word, the way he said it, so calmly, so truthfully, had her nerves finally resting.
“Thank you,” she whispered back, letting her fingertips slide from his grasp, “But um… but I’m still not—”
“I know,” Garrett promised, sounding patient as ever as he walked to the oil lamps and snuffed them out, sending the room into a peaceful darkness.
For a moment Hannah looked around the blackened space, wondering where Garrett had gone, and then she felt his strong, muscular arms wrap around her behind.
“Don’t worry about that,” he whispered into her ear, then placed a tender kiss there that made her shiver and her blood sing.
“Come now, let’s get some rest.” He gently urged, giving her a small squeeze before letting go.
Hannah stayed still as she heard the rustling of covers being drawn back, then the creak of the bed as Garrett climbed into it.
A moment later she felt his hand find hers, and she let him guide her in the darkness into the bed.
As she laid down against the cool sheets and softness of the feather-stuffed mattress, she expected Garrett to reach for her again and pull her back into his arms. When she didn’t, she realized that she wanted him to.
To be held close all night with no threat of pressure was something she very much craved, she realized, yet she didn’t move from her pillow.
Instead she kept her fingers clasped around Garrett’s, their joined hands lying between them as they each rested on their respective pillows.
Silence settled into the room. Soft and peaceful and inviting, and Hannah, despite her earlier worries of sharing her bed with Garrett, closed her eyes and let her body relax.
“Would you pray with me?” Garrett whispered, “Before we sleep?”
A smile formed on Hannah’s lips as she kept her eyes closed.
Praying with Garrett was becoming one of her favorite things.
It helped her feel not just close to him, but close to God.
She wasn’t sure why it felt so different than praying in Church with others, or even praying on her own, but in Garrett’s presence, under his guidance, she felt the prayers; not just listened to them.
“I would like that,” she answered softly, and a moment later Garrett’s deep voice filled the room.
Hope and faith washed over Hannah as Garrett prayed for their family.
For Louis’s arm to heal, for Jacob’s anger to fade.
He prayed for the future of their ranch; for the safety of all the children.
Then he prayed for their marriage; asking God to fill their union with love, trust, and respect, and to wipe out their fears and anxieties.
Hannah fell asleep listening to Garrett’s prayers, letting his deep, calm voice and reverent words carry her off to dreams of a brighter, happier future.