Chapter 8
Hanna hurried into the house, hands full of grocery bags after her Saturday morning shopping trip. “I need help bringing things in.”
From around the kitchen corner, Drew appeared, running full tilt. “I help you, Mama.”
“Help Mama,” Ethan agreed, a little farther behind as his legs were shorter.
Latching firmly onto the back of Ethan’s shorts, Crissy lifted him in the air, a grin on her face as she met Hanna’s gaze. “Hang on, short stuff. You need boots to go outside. It’s still wintry out there.”
Hanna glanced down. “Bare feet? Aren’t you cold, Ethan?”
“It’s spring,” he announced firmly. Crissy deposited him on the ground beside the shoe rack, and he scrambled to grab his boots. “Spring, spring, spring,” he sang as he shoved his sockless feet into them.
“It’s April. In Alberta. It’s not going to be warm enough for bare feet for a bit,” Hanna warned him as everyone pulled on footwear and coats.
Having her boys involved was more work than true help, but seeing Drew determinedly wrangle the package of toilet paper toward the house was worth the trouble, Hanna decided. Some lessons required patience. Family worked together.
Crissy paced slowly behind Ethan as he all but bounced his way to the door, the bag of oranges in his arms falling to the ground three or four times. “You making orange juice, kiddo?”
“Yum,” Ethan announced as he hoisted up the package again. “I like juice.”
“The oranges need to stay unsqueezed until tomorrow morning,” Hanna suggested before turning to Crissy. “Spring?”
“We were reading a book of poems,” Crissy explained. “You know, April showers bring May flowers.”
“Ha.” Inside the house, Hanna took the oranges from Ethan and laid them on the counter. She’d wash them before putting them away. “Okay, I get it.”
Crissy caught her brothers by the hands. “Come on guys. One more trip will do it if you help me.”
Hanna’s heart was in her throat as she watched the three of them head out the door into the spring sunshine. Her children. Her beautiful, precious children who turned every day and every activity into memories in the making.
A while later, she had her hands in the sink, the children tucked into the living room playing a game with Grandpa Patrick, when a very warm, tall presence slid in behind her.
Brad’s sleep-warmed body pressed against hers as he wrapped his hands around her waist and nibbled on her ear. “Morning.”
“Morning. I didn’t expect you up until noon.” She twisted, drying her hand on a towel quickly so she could hug him back. “Everything go okay during your night shift?”
“Yeah.” He lifted her in his arms, kissing her thoroughly. Minty fresh toothpaste and one hundred percent intoxicating man slid into her system.
Another hit of happiness struck.
She broke the connection between their lips to whisper. “Sneak back to our bedroom?”
His eyes lit up. He didn’t say anything, but they both held their breath as they all but tiptoed their way back up the hall.
When he successfully closed and locked the door without being caught, Hanna allowed herself a contented hum. “The kids don’t expect to see you for a while,” she explained as he laid her on the still-warm mattress. “We should take advantage of that.”
For a guy who was usually grumpy until his first cup of coffee, Brad wore a Cheshire cat grin. “Good idea.”
Then her amusement at his lack of morning conversation vanished into pleasure as he stripped away her clothes.
Her husband was a big man. Big hands, solid torso, very well proportioned in other areas as well. Hanna pulled in a deep breath as he cupped her breast and covered her nipple with his mouth. Teasing with his tongue for a moment before he sucked, and tingles shot down her spine into her core.
Those big hands roamed her body, stroking and heating her up with every caress. Slicking through the folds of her sex, teasing her clit until she squirmed. Followed by his mouth, with wet kisses and lazy licks that made her blood boil.
It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t what she wanted to give right now.
“Brad,” she whispered. “Roll over.”
He lifted his head, eyes snapping with heat.
She smiled at him. “My turn,” she insisted.
The hand she put on his shoulder couldn’t have moved him unless he wanted to be moved. Her gentle giant.
When she had him where she wanted, Hanna returned the favour. She kissed and licked, hand wrapped around his cock. As she slowly pumped, she covered him with her mouth, her own pleasure rising as he groaned softly.
He stroked her skin where he could reach, his body quivering as she worked him. And when he caught her by the hair and pulled her off him, Hanna rose quickly before he could take control again.
She straddled him, sinking onto his length with a sigh.
Hips rolling in an easy pace planned to drive them both wild, Hanna covered her breasts with her hands. Brad watched briefly, expression fire and want, before easing his fingertips up her torso until he’d covered her hands with his own.
Connected. Joined. One body, one heart.
The thought made her tip over the edge, body tightening around him. Brad gasped and followed, muscles rigid with pleasure before they relaxed together into a puddle of satisfaction.
Hanna lay draped over him, their hearts still racing.
A soft chuckle escaped him, and Brad pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Now that’s a good morning.”
She grinned, propping up on her elbows. “Agreed. And it’s going to be a good afternoon too.”
He nodded, sighing as she reluctantly rolled off and reached for her clothes. “Wedding.”
Hanna pulled herself together and headed to the door. “Wedding. So get yourself together. I’ll have coffee ready for you once you’re dressed.”
Late breakfast for Brad was an early lunch for the rest of the family. Then with Patrick and Crissy happily in charge of the little guys, Hanna and Brad headed over to Yvette and Alex’s farm.
The wedding was small. Guests were mostly members of the fire hall crew and a few people from Silver Stone who Alex worked with. Yvette’s grandmother sat in a comfortable seat, smiling hugely as the others joined the gathering set up in the cozy barn area.
The other guest of honour was Creighton Reiner—now good friend to Yvette and Alex and previous owner of the farm. He sat beside Geraldine, chatting easily since they were both residents at the seniors home.
Hanna slipped her hand into Brad’s as Malachi Fields stepped forward. “Now that we’re all here, I welcome you to the wedding celebration for Yvette Wright and Alex Thorne. If you two could join me please.”
From the side of the barn, Yvette stepped forward, dressed in a pretty green dress with long sleeves. At her side Alex—
Whatever Alex wore for clothing, Hanna didn’t notice. She was too caught by the sight of the sling holding his arm to his body. “What?”
She wasn’t the only one expressing concern.
Alex grinned at the wedding guests as he caught Yvette’s fingers with his. “Had a bit of a run-in with another lady yesterday. Nothing’s broken, but it was a good reminder that I’ve got the perfect woman already.”
Yvette snorted. “Because I’ve never bucked you off into a water trough?”
“At least not yet,” Alex offered, lifting her fingers so he could kiss them. “Ready to get hitched? Even if there’s another woman in my life?”
“I’m aware of your other love. I’m glad she didn’t break you too hard before we did this up official.” Yvette turned to Malachi. “We’re ready.”
The tall man with silver at the temples of his black curly hair smiled contentedly. “You’re doing a great job. Keep rolling, and I’ll finish up.”
With a nod, Alex twisted Yvette to face him. “This is going to be quick and easy. I’ve said it for a long time now, but I love you. I’m more than ready to spend the rest of our lives together.”
She smiled. “You have said it, and you’ve lived it. I hope I’ve been saying it as loudly as you, but just in case…” Yvette reached into her pocket and pulled something out. “This is for you.”
Alex took it, his expression changing from amusement to curiosity as he opened the lid. “It’s a key. I don’t get a ring?”
“You get a ring too, but one thing I really wanted you to know is that I’ve learned forever comes one day at a time.” Yvette grinned. “Which means you need one more thing to unlock on a regular basis.”
Laughter rolled out, starting from Alex and sweeping through the guests. The moment was so them.
As Malachi finished up with the official words that made Alex and Yvette husband and wife, Hanna leaned into Brad’s side contentedly. No relationship flowed in exactly the same. No marriage followed the same pattern as another.
But when people loved with all their hearts, magic happened.
Caleb had gone back into silence mode. It had been a long time since Tamara had seen him this way, and even knowing the why of it, she didn’t like it.
Right after Dustin spoke with him, Caleb had shared with her what Uncle Frank hoped for. After Tamara’s own first sensations of shock had passed, she’d felt such a sense of pride that Caleb’s concerns weren’t based on a woman taking the reins, but not wanting his daughter to be farther from home.
“She’s smart, and she’s a hard worker, but she wouldn’t be here.”
Caleb had said it with his heart in his voice, which made it easier to agree to wait before approaching their daughter.
But now? It had been weeks, and he had begun to pace through each day, answering questions with nothing but monosyllables. He stared into the sky far more often than warranted for this time of year.
He clearly wasn’t himself.
Tamara wouldn’t have said anything yet, no matter how much it pained her to see him like this, but all the children were beginning to sense something was wrong, and that was not what Caleb would have wanted.
Emma tried her best to please him in small things. Tyler offered hugs but scurried out of the way quickly and then went and cuddled with his sisters instead of crawling into his papa's lap.
Sasha…