Chapter 36 #4
“Tell me all the things you want to try, wife.”
I ducked my head, grinning into his neck. “I want a family.”
“What does that mean to you?”
I lifted my shoulders. “It means you and me and Gennie, and Twin Tulip and this weird town that I love to hate but also kind of love.”
“And Jaime,” he added.
“Oh my god, Jaime. Yes. Don’t tell her I forgot to include her in that list.”
“Never,” he whispered into my hair.
“I want to try making plans beyond the next few weeks, few months. I want to stay at Hope Elementary next year and I want us to make this wedding venue thing happen. And I want us to try being married. For real.”
“I was wondering when you’d start taking this marriage seriously.”
“I drove an ATV through a storm for you. At night,” I added. “How’s that for serious?”
“Sounds more like you need to be taken out to the barn again where I’ll—”
“All right! It looks like someone here needs a few X-rays.” We glanced up to find a nurse waiting in the doorway. He motioned to the wheelchair in front of him. “We’re going for a ride,” he said.
“I can walk,” Noah said.
“No need when we’ve got wheels.” Another pointed gesture to the chair. “Let’s get this over with, big guy. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can get you patched up and out of here.”
“Go on,” I said to him. “I’ll be right here.”
He brushed a kiss over my lips. “I love you, wife.”
“I love you too, husband.” A smile forced its way across my face and tears pricked at my eyes as I spoke those words. I pressed my fingers to my mouth. “Wow. That’s what it feels like.”
Leaning close to my ear, he whispered, “Just imagine how much better it will feel when I’m inside you.”
* * *
It was almost midnight when we returned home with a cast on Noah’s arm and four stitches on his forehead.
No concussion but a stern warning to take it easy for the next week.
He was tired and sore all over, and even more grumbly than usual.
I didn’t think I’d ever loved his growling more than I did at that moment.
It served as a fine distraction from the fact this accident could’ve been much, much worse.
When we stepped inside, we found Gennie seated at the kitchen table, her iPad playing Pirates of the Caribbean and every marker and colored pencil in the house spread out in front of her. “What happened? Are you okay?” she asked. “Did they have to amputate anything?”
“No amputations necessary,” Noah said. “Just this boring old cast for a little while and these stitches.”
Gennie beamed. “You’re gonna have a badass scar.”
“I guess that’s the bright side of wrecking an ATV.” He glanced around. “Wait. Why are you awake? And where’s Bones?”
“I’m not tired and Mr. Bones is asleep,” she said, still focused on her coloring.
“Isn’t that wonderful,” Noah said. “I’m going to kill that guy tomorrow. And then I’m going to fire him.”
“No, you’re not,” I said. “None of those things are happening.”
“And no dismemberment,” Gennie added.
“Debatable,” he muttered.
Gennie looked up from her coloring, glancing between us expectantly. “While you were gone, I decided we need some house rules.”
“Is that so?” Noah asked as he opened the freezer.
“I made a list,” she went on. “Do you want to hear it?”
As I retrieved Noah’s prescriptions from my bag, I said, “Yeah, since we’re all awake, go ahead and read it to us.”
She held the paper up in front of her. “Number one, no more ATV driving at night.”
“That lesson has been pounded into my head,” Noah said. He grabbed a spoon before ducking into the pantry. “Actually and truly pounded. Won’t make that mistake again.”
“Number two, Shay and Noah have one date night every week.” She looked up from the paper. “And I promise not to get into any trouble when you leave me with a babysitter.”
“An important clause.” Noah sat down at the table and made a small clearing in the art supplies. “Thank you for that addition.”
“Adults are supposed to go on dates and do romantic shit so they can like each other,” Gennie continued. “I think it’s important for you and Shay to like each other.”
I sat down between them and pressed a hand to Gennie’s wrist. “We do like each other. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“But I want you to love each other and be happy.” With a nod, she said, “One date night every week. No exceptions. I wrote a letter to Mrs. Castro to tell her I’m very sorry about scaring the shit out of her when I ran away with Bernie Sanders.”
Noah wedged the pint of ice cream between his cast and his chest to wrench open the lid. I raised a brow. “I could’ve done that for you.”
“I’m not so feeble that I need my wife to open my ice cream. Not yet.” He wagged the spoon at Gennie. “Is there anything on your list about chores or kids not swearing all the time? Because that would be great.”
She read over the page carefully. “Number three, we should have a pirate ship tree house.” She glanced up. “That’s all.”
Noah shoved a large bite of coffee Oreo ice cream in his mouth as he studied Gennie. “I’m going to need some time to review these documents. Can we conference in a few days to negotiate terms?”
After a moment of consideration, she bobbed her head. “I’ll agree to that.”
“Can you also agree that it’s far past your bedtime?”
Gennie shot a wide-eyed glance at the clock. “Maybe.”
“It’s time for me and Noah to go to bed,” I said. “Why don’t you come upstairs with us? Change into some jammies, brush your teeth, maybe hop into bed. What do you think?”
“What about Mr. Bones?” she asked.
“We’re ignoring Mr. Bones right now,” Noah said between bites of ice cream. Apparently, this was the effect painkillers had on him. “And he’ll be out until dawn.”
It took a few minutes and a lot of discussion but I got them both upstairs and into their bedrooms. Noah brought the ice cream along with him and I didn’t protest. Despite her insistence that she wasn’t tired, Gennie fell asleep sitting on her bed with her toothbrush in her mouth.
I took care of that situation and tucked her in before making my way to Noah’s room.
Was I supposed to call it our room? Was this our house? That would take me some time. Some adjustment. Some talking myself down every time I felt the doubt creeping back in.
I found him struggling to get out of his t-shirt.
“It’s a good thing I made you change out of all those wet, muddy clothes before going to the ER,” I said as I freed his arm from the sleeve.
I passed a hand over the scrapes and bruises dotting his torso.
He needed a long, hot shower but it could wait until morning.
“This would’ve been much worse with dried mud in the mix. ”
“You’re sleeping in here now,” he said, his arm around my shoulders.
I dropped my hands to his waist. “Is that a question?”
“I hope not.” His gaze moved between my lips and my eyes. “But we can go as slow as you want. Just as long as we’re going. That’s all I need.”
I unlatched his belt and drew down his zipper.
His jeans hit the floor. “I think that all I need,” I said, the words strange and unsteady as I formed them, “is you.” I dragged my gaze up to meet his.
“But you were in a rollover accident tonight and have multiple injuries. The only thing we’re doing in this bed is sleeping. ”
He scowled with his whole face. “Can I lick your tits and tell you I love you when I wake up tomorrow?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“And the next day? Will you be here then?”
I grinned up at him, my chest feeling full and light at the same time. “The next day. The day after that. And the one after that too. Feel free to pencil me in through the new year.”
That scowl broke when he laughed and I had no choice but to laugh along with him.
“How do you feel about eating ice cream in bed and watching some reruns?” He dragged a finger along the neck of my sweater.
“It’s not nearly as interesting as what I’d like to do to you tonight, wife, but I have a feeling I’m going to crash pretty soon. ”
“Sounds great.” I arched up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “I guess that makes us an old married couple.”
“There’s nothing I’d rather be.”