Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
ELLIS
“Mrs. Harriet says you should buy me acrylics,” Olive says with a mouthful of pancake.
“Did she now?” I grin, knowing my daughter’s powers of persuasion. How the hell else did I agree to getting a dog?
“Mm-hm,” Olive continues, shoving more pancake into her mouth before she’s even swallowed the last bite. “Like Iris says, Daddy, don’t think. Jump.”
“Uh-oh,” Iris smiles, walking into the kitchen, looking thoroughly fucked and adorable and sexy. “Whatever I said, I plead the fifth.”
“What’s the fif?” Olive mumbles around bacon.
“Morning.” I smile softly. “Sit,” I tip my head at the counter next to Olive.
“Sunday pancakes are the best,” Olive’s syrup-coated mouth smiles.
“Alright, kiddo,” Iris laughs, wiping Olive’s mouth. “Let’s try smaller bites, huh? Savor each delicious bite so the goodness lasts longer.”
Olive nods as if that’s the most sage advice she’s ever heard. “Daddy. Ginger.”
“She knows the rules. Humans get the human food first. She’s already eaten her food.”
Olive rolls her eyes playfully, shaking her head, then looks down at Ginger, patiently waiting next to her. “I tried.”
I set Iris’s plate in front of her. “You heading out later?” I ask, as it’s been her weekend routine.
“Oh. Yeah. I need to make sure things are ready for the week.”
“Where you always go, Iris?” Olive asks.
“I told you, love. I go visit my old home, say hi to my animal friends, and clean up a bit.”
“Do you have horses? Daddy is good with horses.”
Iris looks up and smiles at me. Fuck, I want to go over and kiss her good morning. Leaving her sleeping in bed was the hardest thing I had to do in a long time. But before the sun came up, I went to my room, in case Olive woke looking for me.
“I do. Not as many as the guest ranch, but a few. My favorite is Lilac. She’s a beautiful, light beige and white mare.”
I already ate, so I stand back, sip my coffee, and enjoy watching my daughter and this amazing woman laugh together and share breakfast.
This was your doing, wasn’t it, Gillian?
Look at our baby girl. I think we’re going to be alright.
“Can I ride Lilac?” Olive asks for the fifth time since we left the house.
“Kiddo?” I warn, eyeing her through the rearview.
“Not today, love, but maybe next week,” Iris answers.
“You sure this is okay?” I ask for her ears only.
Iris smiles, secretly hooking her pinkie to mine at the gear shift. “Definitely.”
I squeeze her finger and focus on the road.
I suggested that after breakfast, Olive and I tag along this time and see where she grew up. At first, she seemed conflicted, but the clouds cleared, and that smile I love aimed at me.
“You know what?” she had said. “Yes. I’d love for you and Olive to see the farm.”
Felt like a big step. Like, we’re really choosing to do this. Together.
Olive counts the cows she sees on the thirty-minute drive south. She and Iris try to one-up each other with jokes. I hum to the soft music on the radio.
I feel younger. Freer. Hopeful.
And desperately counting down the hours before I can get my wife alone and naked again.
We pull into a long, dirt driveway, winding past fields being harvested by farm hands throughout. The path leads to an old farmhouse, two stories, surrounded by overgrown trees.
“She needs some TLC, but she’s home. Or, well, was.” Iris puts on a brave face, but I see the tension she poorly hides.
“What’s TLC?” Olive asks.
“Tender, loving, care, kiddo,” I answer.
“Huh,” she says, pensive before saying, “CIRL?”
“What?” I fight a smile.
“I made words short too,” she says, feeling pretty damn proud of herself.
Iris breaks into laughter, turning in her seat to face my daughter. “Good one,” she smirks.
“What am I missing?” I ask, pulling up to the house.
“Can she ride Lilac?” Iris grins.
My brows furrow as I work that in my head. “Ah. Okay. I see. Cute,” I playfully narrow my eyes at my daughter through the mirror.
Her mischievous giggle is a balm to my sometimes weary soul.
Olive holds both of our hands, swinging them as we head toward the front door. Iris doesn’t unlock it, just opens it.
Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk about that. She needs to be locking that door.
She laughs at my daughter’s attempt to impersonate Mrs. Harriet when my gut tells me to look up.
Iris notices my pause and looks into the hallway. The smile bleeds to shock at the woman who was going to be my wife, standing wide-eyed.
“Rav?” she breaths out. “What…where the hell have you been?” she cries out, rushing over to hug her older sister.
“Who are you?”
“Olive.” I get her attention and shake my head.
Raven pulls away, not paying attention to the countless questions firing out of Iris. Her eyes are locked on Olive and me.
“What’s he doing here, Iris?” she asks.
Iris’s head jerks, taken aback by the shift in energy. The walls buzz with tension and curiosity.
Iris looks back at us. “Um…okay. Wow. There’s a lot to go over.”
Raven leans in and asks again quietly, but not quiet enough. “What is the man I was supposed to marry doing here? And with his kid?”
Olive releases my hand and stakes her claim. She determinedly marches and stands beside Iris, taking her hand. “Iris is my best friend and family. Who are you?”
Coming unglued from the foyer, I approach, keeping close to the two most important girls in my life now.
“Iris…tell me you didn’t.” Raven’s brown eyes widen at her sister.
Iris sighs. “Rav, how about we all sit in the living room. I can make us tea.” She kneels beside Olive. “Hey kiddo, would you like to play in my old room while your Daddy, my big sister and I chat adult things?”
Olive assesses Raven. “She’s your sister?”
“Yup. She’s been away for a while. I want to catch up with her.”
Olive’s face grows concerned. “Are you going to stay with her and leave us now?”
Fuck.
I kneel. “Kiddo.” I take her shoulders and turn her.
“Oh, Olive. No,” Iris reassures her. “No more goodbyes,” she says gently, knowing how monumental those words are for us.
“Only see you later?” Olive asks, and my heart breaks for my daughter, who shouldn’t know what grief is at this age.
Iris’s gentle, soothing smile eases the tension I felt a moment ago in my daughter’s shoulders. “Okay. I want to see your room now.”
Chuckling softly, she stands and takes Olive’s hand. “We’ll be right back. Ellis, mind waiting for me in the living room? Rav, can you put the kettle on?”
She doesn’t wait for confirmation, just takes Olive up the stairs. Her sister is stunned, her expression pinched.
“Right this way,” she says dryly, leading me to the living room.
Twenty minutes later, it’s like watching a ping-pong match of wits as Iris and Raven argue. I sip my tea on the couch, ready to support Iris if she needs me and hoping she left Olive with distractions.
“You’re twenty-two, Iris!”
“I’m well aware, Raven! And yet, you’re the older sister and ran off like some solemn teenager. Consequences be damned?”
“You were asking too much!” Raven cries out.
The room ices over as the echo of her statement lingers.
“Me?” Iris asks more calmly. “This was your idea, remember?”
Raven scoffs, slapping her hands at her sides, and paces the living space.
“And I was supposed to get matched up with a rich businessman, Iris, not another struggling mountain man. It would be this,” she spreads her arms out, “all over again, and I can’t,” her voice breaks.
“I can’t live this same life without him. ”
Shit.
The dam breaks. Iris takes her sobbing sister into her arms.
“I don’t want to run a farm,” Raven hiccups between sobs. “Jeb wanted that. Not me.”
Deeply exhaling, Iris pulls her sister down on the adjacent couch. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“Because I’m the big sister. I take care of you. I was supposed to figure out this mess,” she sniffles. “But—”
Iris cups her sister’s wet cheeks. “Rav, I’m not seventeen anymore. I’ve been helping manage this place for years now.”
“God. And you’re so much better at it,” Raven grimaces.
A beat of silence, and Iris laughs. Raven’s tear-stained lips perk up.
“Yeah. This never came naturally to ya,” she laughs.
“No,” Raven exclaims, laughing before sobering her expression. “I wasn’t supposed to become this. This wasn’t the plan. The dream.”
Iris nods. “Becoming orphans shifted the trajectory.”
As if the sisters remember I’m in the same room, Raven eyes me.
“You seriously married him,” she states.
Iris stands and joins me on the couch. I take her hand, and we interlock fingers. “Raven, this is my husband, Ellis Michaels. That precocious little girl upstairs is Olive. Your new niece.”
“Holy shit, Iris.” Raven shakes her head.
“Do either of you actually want this farm? The house?” I ask, seeing the bigger picture revealing itself here.
Iris’ mouth parts move to speak, but then she looks over at Raven. Both expressions, weary.
“Iris,” Raven whispers.
“Will they hate us for giving away their life’s work?” my wife asks.
“I honestly can’t say, sis. But…they’re no longer here. We have to decide,” Raven wisely states, her armor slowly piling back on.
Warm, naked skin tucks itself into my back. Sleep fades as soft lips pepper kisses against my skin.
Smiling, eyes still closed, I reach down for her hand at my stomach. In a swift move, I pull that hand as I turn onto my back, taking her with me until she’s on top.
Her husky laugh is even sexier from sleep.
“Well, good morning to you too, husband.”
“You started it,” my morning voice rasps as I kiss her neck.
Every morning. I get to wake up and make love to my wife. Some days it’s us waking up slow, our bodies finding the other naturally and insisting on connecting.
Three months of insurmountable joy.
The sisters agreed that their next chapters in life were their own to figure out. Laura works in real estate and helped us sell the farm and guarantee employment for those who already worked the land.
The moment the sale was solidified, both of their shoulders carried less weight. I struck a deal with Caleb Jackson. I made sure my wife’s horse, Lilac, could join the guest ranch. Olive has laid claim to Lilac now.
Raven’s still figuring out her next chapter, but she visits often. Olive loves having an aunt.
Wild how life could have looked very different had the correct sister shown up at my door all those months ago. Two timelines. Thankfully, fate rigged this path in our favor.
Thanks, Gillian.
Iris sits at the dining room table, helping Olive with her kindergarten homework. She stands, running her hand over Olive’s hair before pressing a kiss to her temple.
Fuck. I love that woman.
I haven’t said it yet. Almost did a thousand times. I see she wants to but holds back for my sake.
“Hey,” she smiles as we wrap each other in an embrace.
“I love you,” I blurt out.
Her hazel green eyes brighten. “Ellis,” she whispers as emotion fills her eyes.
“I’m sorry it took so—”
“Shh.” Iris pulls me in for a kiss. “I love you.”
I smile. “I know, Wildflower. Thank you. For loving us.”
We look over at Olive, who’s smiling wildly at us. “About time, Daddy. I mean, she’s your wife. Duh!”
“You’re right, kiddo,” I laugh.
Olive turns back, adults already forgotten.
My family. Our new beginning. Sometimes, the next best thing is waiting for you in the most unexpected ways and places.
Loved ones come and go. Some suddenly before you’re ready for them to. But the last thing they want is for us to stop living, frozen in a time when they were once here, letting life’s new gifts pass us by.
Our chapter is just beginning.