He grabbed hold of her hips and drove his shaft into her harder and faster. The frenzy had her moaning until she called out his name again and groaned as her climax sent her over the edge. He followed her moments later as he buried himself deep within her one final time.
“Shit, Em.” He dipped his head to her neck, planting soft kisses along the curve before working his way up to her ear. “It was too quick. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t.” She pressed her finger to his lips. “We both needed that, we’ve waited so long for this moment. We’ve got the rest of our lives.”
Chapter Twenty-Four: Welcome Home
After spending three additional days in Colorado, snowbound, Emily wasn’t sure how she felt about arriving home in Blessing. Eventually they needed to arrive there but, now that they were nearing town she was apprehensive. Everything had been going so well between Daniel and her. Now with them being back home would things change? Hazel had played matchmaker, setting them up, but had she considered what it would be like for her friend and brother to be in a relationship? Was she ready for that?
There were so many questions and none of them had easy answers. The one that was weighing on her was, what next? They had been inseparable for more than a week as they made their way across country. Now their time together was coming to an end. At least their exclusive time together was coming to an end. There were plenty of people waiting in town to spend time with Daniel.
The holidays were nearly upon them and school was out for the winter break, which meant her time would be free. Daniel, on the other hand, wouldn’t be. Between Hazel, the townsfolk, the start of his new job, and house hunting, she wasn’t sure she’d have much time with him.
“I’ve booked a hotel room for tonight…”
So it starts. Daniel’s words started to fade into the background as the dark cloud settled over her. She knew things couldn’t stay the way they were but knowing it was over was disappointing.
“Are you sure about this?” Daniel’s words pulled her back from her thoughts.
“Huh? Sure about what?”
“Zoned out on me, huh?” Daniel reached over and took her hand in his. “It’s one night, Em. One night and then we can do whatever you want. That is unless you want to forgo our plans for revenge against Hazel?”
“No.” She shifted in her seat, so she could get a better view of him. “Hazel deserves a little payback. But I don’t understand what you mean by one night. Where are you going next?”
“That’s what I was saying when you zoned out. If the offer still stands, I want to stay with you. I can find my own place, or we can find a place together. Whatever you’re more comfortable with, but I want to see you, and I mean I want to see a lot of you. If I had it my way I’d wake up next to you every morning. The thought of spending one night away from you is depressing, let alone thinking about doing it all the time.”
“Then…” She took a deep breath and let it out again. It was a huge jump for her, but she was willing to take it with him. “Stay with me. The cabin isn’t much but it’s home. I thought about adding on when I bought it, but never got around to it. If we’re going to…”
“What?”
“I don’t know…make it our home? Is it too soon to be thinking like that?” Her stomach twisted, waiting for him to back out of the whole thing. Or for him to at least tell her they were moving too fast.
“No, it’s not. I can’t think of a night without holding you in my arms, or a morning not waking up next to you. I want the future that I’m building to be with you.” He squeezed her hand reassuring her. “The cabin means a lot to you, and I know in your heart you want to stay there. We’ll make it work. If you want to add on, we can, but we don’t have to. I’m not bringing furniture or anything big. Just my clothes and a few pictures. Everything I have is in the back of this truck.”
“How did you manage to live off base and not gather more?” She had too much when she ended up moving to Blessing, most of which she ended up selling rather than transporting it.
“My apartment was furnished. Plus, it’s not like I was ever there. I was either working or deployed. The apartment was a place to sleep.”
“Sad, but I understand. It wasn’t until I found this cabin I felt like I was home. Maybe it has more to do with Blessing. It’s such an amazing small town.”
“Where your word still means something.” He nodded. “I know what you mean. I actually had a conversation similar to this with Lawrence Barrett. I think I convinced him to visit our town and give it a try. He has a year left on his contract with the Marines. After that who knows. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett are pressuring him to get out, find a woman, and start a family.”
“He could have a family and the Marines if he wants that.” She reasoned. “His brother, Christopher, talked about getting married. Though since then the woman broke up with him. Right before he shipped out too.”
“Military life is hard on families.” He turned onto the main street running through Blessing. “Before we deployed, the Barrett parents were visiting Lawrence and I happened to overhear some of the conversation. Lawrence wants to be there to see his child grow up and the military makes it harder. I know too many guys who missed important moments because of a deployment. One of my guys missed the birth of his twins. He was crushed. Those are moments you can’t get back.”
“Is that why you never settled down?” During her time in the Marines she hadn’t thought about having a family. Not realistically at least. It was in the back of her mind as a someday kind of thing. If starting a family had been realistic she’d have wanted it to happen after her contract. That way she would be there, instead of halfway around the globe if her child needed her.
“Partially maybe.” He glanced over at her. “The rest of it is, I never found the right one. A woman I could see myself settling down with and raising a family never found me. Now I’m almost forty, I’m not even sure children are in my future. Maybe I waited too long.”
Before saying anything, she let his words sink in. Children were such a big part of her life. If she considered the future, she always pictured having children of her own. It hadn’t been something she was firm on. There were plenty of children who needed a good home. Adoption wasn’t off the table if she couldn’t have a child of her own with Daniel. Even if it was, she wasn’t going to give up her relationship with Daniel for the possibility one day she could have a child of her own. She had faith it would work out if it was meant to be.
“Age doesn’t matter as much for the man as for the women. You’re…swimmers…” She shifted slightly in her seat causing him to glance in her direction.
“Swimmers? Really now? Good thing you’re not a sex education teacher.” His lips curled into a cocky smile.
“Absolutely not. I still remember the birds and the bees talk with my at the time foster mother. She caught me in the treehouse outback with one of the boys I went to school with and thought…” She shook her head, sending a strand of her blonde hair into her face. “Well you know what she thought.”
“Inquiring minds want to know, were you?”
“Heavens no!” Her jaw dropped open in surprise. “I was sixteen, but I was set on getting out of there. I wasn’t interested in starting something with anyone when I was catching the first bus out of town the minute I turned eighteen. It’s not like any of my foster families actually cared what I did. All they saw in me was another check.”
“That’s screwed up.” He slid his hand down her leg. “Have you considered going through the process to be a foster parent? There’s some shitty people involved in the system but a home like the one I think you could give them could make all the difference in a child’s life.”
Shifting her gaze away from him and back to the streets of Blessing she took in the small town she now called home. Nothing much had changed since she left town a few days ago. This was home, this is where she was meant to be. As she watched the shops along main street go through their nightly rituals to close
up for the day she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about Daniel’s statement. It had been something she wanted, something she tried to do only to be shot down.
“I tried.” Unable to look at him she kept her glued to the outside world. “They prefer families. A husband and wife. As single woman with no family support and, at the time, few ties to the community I didn’t make the cut. Plus, as much as I love my cabin, it’s small. Too small to open it”
“That part sounds like an excuse.” He squeezed her thigh as they headed out of town and toward the mountain and her cabin. “Maybe we can change that.”
“We’ll see.” She didn’t want to get her hopes up. Their relationship was still too new to be focused on all the things they discussed. Instead she wanted a lighter topic. “Welcome home. Has town changed much since you lived here?”
“Didn’t look like it.” As they made their way up the snowy mountain side, snow started to fall heavier, covering the road before them. “I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve seen snow like this. Let alone driven through it.”
“You mean besides the blizzard in Colorado?” She let out a light chuckle. “You better get used to snow like this if you’re going to stick around. I’m pretty sure winter lasts twice as long here as the rest of the world. While it’s beautiful, I still hate driving in it.”
“Living way out here I hope you have four-wheel drive and not some little car.” Pulling his hand back from hers he put it on the wheel.
“Don’t worry, I learned my first year here that four-wheel drive is a must. Even if we get a lot of school snow days, I still need to make it into town if an emergency happens.” The snow fell in thick flakes, coating the road quickly. “I know you made hotel reservations but maybe you should stay at my place tonight. It’s getting pretty bad out and I wouldn’t want anything to happen.”
“Sounds like another excuse, but I like the idea. We can push off our night apart one more night. Hell, if we time this right, we can skip the separation all together. We just have to get Hazel convinced we hate each other before night falls tomorrow night.”
“I’ve never been a very good actor. Are you sure we can pull this off?” She wasn’t getting cold feet because Hazel deserved a little payback for the stunt she pulled sending Emily to South Carolina without even telling Daniel.
“I have faith in you and”
“This is my driveway coming up on the right.” She cut him off, so he didn’t miss the cabin. “And what?”
“You convince Hazel and I promise to make it worth it for you.” He steered the truck between the reflectors she had sat up near the end of the road. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s been back this road lately.”
“That’s good.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced over at him. “It’s a private road, leading back to my place. No one else around for miles. Drive up about a quarter of a mile and you’ll see my place. You can’t miss it.”
“When you said secluded I hadn’t expected this isolated.” His eyes widened as he took in the surroundings. “Hazel’s idea of secluded is a cabin in the woods where you can still see your neighbor. I doubt she even comes up here to see you much. I bet you have to go into town to her place, don’t you?”
“She doesn’t come out here much, but she refuses to be anywhere near this place after dark. Did you know she’s afraid of bears? She’s positive if she’s here after the sun goes down she’s going to be eaten by a bear.” She reached for her purse on the floorboard and fished out her key. “I’m just glad we arrived before it got too dark, so you can see the place. I told you it’s not spectacular, but it’s home.”
“Hazel is afraid of more than just bears.” He leaned forward in his seat, his gaze focused on the cabin coming into view. “She’s afraid of the dark.”
“The dark?” She wanted to argue but sudden some of Hazel’s comments made sense. The night Hazel talked her into flying to South Carolina, they’d drank too much, forcing Emily to stay over. That night should have been her first clue, but it slipped past her until now. “That’s why she had so many nightlights at her condo. She said it was for me, so I didn’t stumble into anything if I got up in the middle of the night.”
“Wow…” Daniel stopped the truck his gaze scanning the area before glancing back at her. “You make it sound so much less appealing, but I see why you love this place. The view, the privacy, everything. This is incredible.”
“It is pretty special, but it still needs some work. It was an old hunting cabin and sat for years before I purchased it. I’ve put a lot of work into it myself to make it a home, but it’s not finished.” She reached over and placed her hand on top of his, on the steering wheel. “It means a lot to me that you like it. I only hope you’ll be as happy here as I am. I mean if…”
“Don’t start doubting this now. We’re in this together, remember?”
“Together.” Just the thought of that had her on cloud nine. It was more than she could have ever hoped for yet everything she wanted.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Matchmaker Payback
“What were you thinking Hazel? That trip was unbelievable. You threw us into a situation that was doomed. You couldn’t even tell him I was coming in your place?” Emily stood in Hazel’s living room, her arms crossed over her chest. “I thought we were friends.”
“I…oh Emily, I never…” Hazel stumbled over her words. “I thought you two were getting along…I just wanted”
“To play matchmaker?” Emily questioned.
The question left Hazel stunned, her mouth slightly agape. “It’s not like that.”
“He said this wasn’t the first time you’ve tried to set him up with someone. You’ve done it to me too. The last blind date was a disaster. But sending someone across the country and forcing them to drive back together. Isn’t that a little much? What if we” The doorbell rang, cutting her off. Emily threw her hands in the air and let out a grunt. “Now I bet that’s him. I need to go.” Knowing it was Daniel, she grabbed her purse off the sofa. He was right on time, just as they worked out before they left her cabin.
“Wait, Emily.” Hazel glanced over her shoulder at the door, before turning back to Emily. “You can’t just take off. We have to talk.”
“I don’t think this is the time.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “While he might set my blood on fire, he’s your brother and just got back into town. We can talk later.”
“We’re not done, so just sit down.” Hazel shook her head and stepped back to open the door. The moment she did, Daniel stepped through.
“Of all the low-down dirty tricks you’ve played on me over the years this must have” Daniel stormed into the condo, his gaze landing on Emily before turning back to Hazel. “What is she doing here?”
“She’s my best friend.” Hazel glanced out into the hall before shutting the door.
“I was just leaving.” Emily stepped around the sofa, stalking toward the door.
“Emily, wait.” Hazel stepped into her path.
“Fine, then I’m leaving.” Daniel snapped.
“Both of you stop.” Hazel pressed her back against the door, blocking their paths. “What the hell happened? Everything was going fine and then”
“My sister decided to pay matchmaker.” Daniel shook his head. “You couldn’t let us figure it out on our own, could you? Instead of giving us the chance to see how things went, you send her to South Carolina to drive back with me. Did you think of what would happen if we hated each other?”
“I…” Uncertainty filled Hazel’s gaze for a moment before she shook her head. “If? What do you mean if? Emily said…” Her gaze shifted to Emily. “He sets your blood on fire?”
“You shoved us together, forcing us to drive more than thirty hours together. Not to mention the days we were stuck in Colorado because of the snowstorm.” Emily reminded her.
“Now you’re telling me what? You hate each other?” Hazel shook her head. “I’m not buying it.”
“I think she’s suspicious. I screwed up on the wording.” Daniel let out a lighthearted chuckle. “Good thing because I don’t think I could have handled another minute of that.”
“You?” Emily came around the sofa and slapped his arm. “Seeing you storm through the door, yelling at Hazel, made it hard to suppress the grin.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You did good, sweetheart.” His arm slipped around her waist, securing her to his side.
“What heck is going on here?” Hazel stepped away from the door, her hands on her hips. “Do you guys love or hate each other? I’m so confused. I need a drink.”
“It’s not even ten o’clock.” Emily shouted to her friend as she moved toward the kitchen. “Think she’ll forgive us when she realizes this was payback for her stunt?”
“Never!” Hazel called, grabbing a soda from the fridge before turning back to them. “I’d love something stronger, but I have a lot to get done for the town’s Christmas party. Now what was all of that about?”
“Payback for sending me to South Carolina without telling Daniel I was coming. We could have hated each other.”
“You don’t, and I knew you wouldn’t.” Hazel popped the can of soda and took a long drink. “You’re both stubborn and needed a little push. Otherwise it would have taken you months to get where you are.”
“It’s our lives, Hazel. You can’t play around with people’s lives like this.” Daniel arm his hand along Emily’s back. “Things might have worked out for us, but you had no way of knowing. If we would have hated each other…let’s just say the trip would have been miserable, and we would have both been angry with you for it. Would it have been worth it then?”
“No, but it didn’t.” Hazel leaned against the white kitchen cabinet, watching them.
“You’re missing the point.” Emily argued. “You betrayed us and risked the relationship Daniel and I started. You also risked our friendship and the relationship you have with your brother. He’s finally coming back to Blessing like you wanted and you risked ruining it all for this matchmaking. You can’t do that.”
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