Ten Years Later
Holt
My woodshop used to be quiet. A place where I could go to escape my life for a few hours and clear my mind.
Those days are long gone.
But I’m not mad about it.
And I don’t often need to escape my life for a few hours, or even a few minutes. At least, not for the last ten years or so since Tessa arrived on the mountain.
She brought joy and peace with her. Together, we’ve made the most beautiful family. But with that family, there is no such thing as quiet anymore.
Not that I’m complaining, because I most certainly am not.
Now, the woodshop is an extension of that happy chaos.
There are smaller tools, designed for little hands, scattered on a workbench in the corner.
A half-finished birdhouse that our oldest insisted on building last week.
Six mismatched drawings tacked up over my desk in the corner.
Crayon sketches of the mountains, trees, and, of course, a stick figure family of eight.
Eight.
That number still gets me. I can hardly believe that Tessa and I have been blessed with six children in the last ten years. The time has flown.
My eyes land on a hand-lettered sign, pinned over my workbench.
Dad’s Shop
The furniture business has grown more than I’d ever intended it to.
What started as something to keep my hands busy and as an outlet for some of my pent-up energy and stress all those years ago has turned into a viable business that has a waiting list. I have two part-timers who work for me on weekends, doing sanding and staining, leaving all the actual construction to me.
Luke likes to joke that I’ve accidentally built an empire.
I never fail to tell him to shut up. But he’s not wrong.
Today, though, the shop is quiet—just me and a half-finished table. I’m sanding down the edge of it when I hear the cabin door open and close, followed by the soft sound of boots on the path.
The oldest four are at school, and the twins are down for a nap. Which means I know exactly who that is.
I don’t look up, letting her come to me.
A few minutes later, she steps up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. My cock twitches to life, the way it always does when she’s near.
“Busy?”
I turn and pull her into my arms. She’s wearing one of my old flannels—not the original one, not anymore—a pair of leggings, and her hair twisted into a long braid. She’s gorgeous. “No,” I lie. “How are things inside?”
“Quiet.”
“That’s unusual.”
She laughs. There’s nothing quiet about life with six kids. “I’ll take it while I can get it,” she says. “And I’ll take you, too. If I can get you.” She hooks a finger in the collar of my shirt.
“You’ve always got me, you know that.”
I kiss her deeply, and she melts into my arms.
Ten years and six kids later, I want this woman more with every day that passes.
I lift her easily in my arms and carry her across the shop to the workbench. With one hand, I swipe the tools and scattered papers to one side before setting her down where I can worship my wife properly.
Join Holt and Tessa in the woodshop while they squeeze in some alone time in this exclusive bonus scene HERE.
Get ready for another trip to the mountain. Luke’s story is next in Mountain Grump Boss.
For more mountain men, be sure to check out the Wolf brothers in Rock Creek.