Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  He slid into her, taking his time at first, then moving faster as she began to moan. She wrapped her arms around the smooth rail, holding on as he thrust into her. Large hands wrapped around her hips and pulled her closer to him, shoving deeper into her.

  “That feels good,” she said, arching her back so that he hit all the right spots.

  “You feel good. I love you, Lilly.”

  He didn’t expect a response, he never had. But this time was different.

  “I love you, Jason.”

  His breath caught and he stopped moving for just a moment. Lilly moved against him, spurring him on. She was close to climaxing. He followed her lead, pounding into her almost roughly until she began to pant, her pulse racing suddenly as the orgasm overtook her.

  “I love you, Jason,” she said again before she let herself fall into the abyss.

  He cried out in pleasure, joining her, soaring with pleasure as he moved inside her heat. Slowly, they came back to earth, both struggling to catch their breath, Lilly still bent over the tie rail with her skirt gathered around her hips.

  ***

  There was the slamming of a truck door just outside the barn, and Jason quickly dropped her skirt back over her ass and pulled her up and back into the aisle.

  “There’s that excitement you were looking for,” he said, zipping up his pants just before a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.

  Lilly was blushing furiously, but it didn’t matter. She was still flushed from orgasming moments before, and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what they’d been doing.

  The man was looking towards the office when he noticed the two of them.

  “There you are,” he called out down the aisle. “I have a delivery for Jason Hathaway and The Hathaway House.”

  “I’ll sign for that,” Jason said, scooping up Lilly’s panties and shoving them into his pocket when the delivery man looked down at his clipboard to double-check his delivery.

  “I have fifty bales each of alfalfa and coastal hay, ten bags of all stock, and twenty bags of senior horse feed.”

  Another man came through the door, looking at the loft above the center aisle, and checking out the feed room by the barn’s office.

  “Thank you,” Jason said to the first man, signing for the order and taking his receipt.

  “I brought help, so if you’ll just tell me where you want it, we’ll get out of your hair.”

  The man smiled at Lilly and she wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment.

  Jason showed the man where everything needed to go and grabbed Lilly’s hand, leading her towards the house.

  “My panties are in your pocket,” she hissed when they were out of earshot.

  “I know.”

  He didn’t move to give them back.

  “Are you going to make me beg?”

  “You can beg, but I’m holding onto them.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  Jason just laughed, grabbing her hand and leading her up the freshly painted porch steps. He opened the door for her with a flourish, stepping back so that she could take in the family room.

  The house still had the basic layout of his childhood, but that was where the similarities ended. The family room was larger than before, the contractors having knocked down a wall to a utility room that was unused even when Dave and Susan had been alive.

  There were several places to sit on upholstered couches that were grouped loosely around the room. The alcove that was once the utility room served as a play area, already filled with new toys.

  The plush carpet was a deep chocolate, giving the room a very warm and welcoming feel to it.

  “Jason, this is awesome.”

  “Wait until you see the rest of the house. They added two rooms and completely renovated the upstairs.”

  Jason was excited, practically dragging Lilly from room to room, showing her how the furniture transformed from crib to toddler bed to a twin bed.

  “I can’t believe the thought you put into some of this stuff. Jason, you are really going to make a difference in this world.”

  “Not me,” he said, “we. Remember, you dreamed up part of this too. This isn’t complete without you.”

  “You’re right, but I don’t think the state is going to let me adopt a child with my line of work and being unmarried.”

  Jason wrapped his arms around her.

  “I have to ask you something,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “Did you mean what you said, in the barn?”

  “Give me back my panties? Yeah, I meant that.”

  “Stop joking, Lilly. I’m being serious.”

  She sighed. She did mean what she said. Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

  “I have been waiting to hear those words,” he said. “I knew that when you said them, you would be ready.”

  “Ready for what?” she asked, but he was already on one knee, pulling a small box out of his pocket. “Have you been carrying that around all day?”

  She wanted to kick herself. Of all the times to ask a stupid question.

  “I’ve been carrying it around for two months.” He grabbed her hand, pulling it to his lips and looking into her eyes. “Lilly Bruce. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  He waited for her answer, kissing her hand again when she burst into tears instead of responding right away. When she finally nodded, he slid the ring on her finger, standing up and pulling her into his arms.

  “This is beautiful,” she said, looking at the ring in awe.

  It wasn’t too big, but it was stunning, the stone a perfect princess cut set in white gold.

  “We don’t have to get married right away. I’ve waited this long to hear I love you. I can wait a little longer to hear I do.”

  “What about next month?” she asked.

  They were both surprised by her outburst. Impulsive wasn’t really her thing.

  “Next month sounds perfect. Now come on, let me show you the rest of the house and then we can talk about the social worker coming tomorrow.”

  “I’m dreading that. I hate rejection.”

  “Trust me. When she hears what we have planned, there’s no way they’re going to tell us no.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “This is a good and righteous cause,” he said emphatically. “She’ll see that we believe in Hathaway House and she’ll know that this place will be amazing.”

  “I know you’re right, but I just don’t want to set myself up for disappointment.”

  “You won’t. You’ll see.”

  He led her through the rest of the house, stopping finally in the master bedroom in the back of the first story.

  “I didn’t decorate this room. I wanted you to put your mark on it, since it’s going to be your room too. And the bathroom is fit for my queen. It has a huge tub, complete with jets and heated water.”

  “That sounds divine.”

  “Do you want to see how it works?” he asked, winking.

  He didn’t wait for her answer. He was already pushing her towards the door, taking her clothes off then his own as they went.

  ***

  Lilly sat on the couch across from Viola Bathrick. In her late forties with a kind face and a boisterous laugh, the woman was nothing like Lilly had feared.

  They’d been talking for almost an hour, giving Viola a tour of the house and the barn, and explaining what they were wanting to do.

  “You know that our foster care system is overloaded, and it’s likely that you’ll end up keeping many of these children for more than a few months, right?”

  “We’re alright with that,” Lilly said, and Jason nodded.

  “I’ve retired from football to farm and to put my effort into this full time, and Lilly has a pretty flexible schedule when she’s not on a case.”

  “Are you willing to take troubled children?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Jason said. “Everyone wants babies, and we wo
uldn’t turn a baby away. But we want to help the children that have the cards stacked against them.”

  “And you’re hoping to do that here, on the farm?”

  “We got the animals for kids to bond with. And for them to learn responsibility. They don’t have to pick an animal to care for, but we’re going to encourage it, and hopefully, life on the farm without constant reminders of the hell that they once called daily life will help their little hearts heal.”

  Viola nodded.

  “You certainly have a good setup, and I think you both are well-equipped for this journey.”

  She looked around, taking a deep breath before she spoke again.

  “When can you start, because I already have a few kids in mind that need a home immediately.”

  “We can start immediately,” Lilly said.

  Her heart was in her throat, but it was excitement more than anything. They’d worked so hard and now everything was falling into place.

  “Good. You’ll need three car seats.”

  “Three?” Lilly and Jason said in unison.

  “Yes. Three-year-old triplets. They’re good kids, but they’re quite a handful.”

  “I have seats for them, and toddler beds.”

  “Good. They’re at another social worker’s home because the third foster family in as many months couldn’t handle them. I was about to have to split them up.”

  Viola gathered her things and started heading for the door.

  “If you’ll point me in the direction of your car seats, I’ll help you install them.”

  “Are we picking them up now?” Lilly asked.

  “I wasn’t being dramatic when I said immediately,” Viola laughed.

  Jason was already opening the door to the large closet where he had stored a few things. He handed Viola one seat and the other to Lilly.

  “These are the ones that go from birth to ten years old,” Viola said. “I wish we could buy these, but they’re so expensive.”

  “How many do you need?” Jason asked.

  “At least six so that we all have one.”

  “Done. I have four, so you can take one today and I’ll send over five more this week.”

  Viola’s eyes lit up.

  “I knew there was something I loved about you two,” she joked.

  ***

  Lilly’s hands were shaking when they pulled up to the house a few hours later. Her adrenaline was still rushing through her after they’d transferred the toddlers into the car. It hadn’t gone smoothly, but Viola insisted that it was normal and not an indication of how well the children would settle into life on the farm. It was dark, and the triplets were fast asleep in their seats, two girls and one boy. Three little blond heads tilted to the side, perfect mouths scrunched up in worry. Constantly moving over the last few months had been rough on them, and even now, one little girl still had a single tear clinging to her lashes.

  “They’re going to be alright,” Jason said.

  “I know. I just wish we could take it all away.”

  “We can, and we will. I can guarantee you, when they wake up tomorrow and they’re on a huge farm with acres of open space, their own playground and a menagerie of animals to play with, they’re going to push everything bad to the back of their minds. They won’t remember much about the past year, if they remember anything.”

  He carefully unhooked one child, slinging him onto his shoulder gently and holding out his arm for Lilly to hand him one of the girls. She put the second girl on her shoulder, tiny tears rubbing off onto her shirt.

  They took them into the room closest to the master bedroom, laying them together on a large bed and putting up rails so that they wouldn’t fall out if they moved in the night.

  Lilly plugged in the nightlight and pulled an extra blanket out of the closet.

  “Are you sleeping in the rocking chair tonight?”

  “I don’t want them to wake up alone.”

  “Good idea. If you get tired and want to take shifts, come wake me up.”

  “No way. You get some rest. You’re taking first shift in the morning.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

  “They’re still in diapers,” she laughed.

  Jason rolled his eyes.

  “Fun times,” he said, kissing her one more time before he padded off to bed.

  Lilly curled up on the rocking glider, putting her feet up on the stool and wrapping the blanket around herself. They’d been thrown right into the fire, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. The triplets had needed them, and Lilly was more than happy to open her heart to them. She just hoped that they didn’t inadvertently mess everything up in spite of their good intentions.

  She pushed those thoughts away, reminding herself that most people weren’t like Jacob. He’d been born broken, and Lilly believed with all her heart that no amount of love could have cured that. They would do their best with every child that made their way to the Hathaway House, no matter how brief their time here was, and they would give all the love they had to give.

  And that would be more than enough.

  ***

  One Month Later

  Lilly stood in the shade of the large cottonwood that stood in the center of the open field. Her dress flowed in the warm autumn breeze, her long hair pinned up off her neck with jeweled bobby pins.

  Rowan, Ellen, and Caitlyn stood between Silas and Hattie, waiting as patiently as three-year-olds could wait as the violinist began to play. When it was finally their turn, the girls flung rose petals willy-nilly into the crowd, with only a few making it onto the aisle between the rows of folding chairs.

  Rowan, who was always serious, stood looking cross, holding the pillow with their rings tied to it. Hattie hurried after the girls while Silas and Rowan waited until Lilly passed them before stepping into the aisle.

  Jason was standing at the front, looking handsome in his tuxedo and polished boots. Lilly had begged him for a courthouse wedding, wanting to avoid being the center of attention at all costs, but he’d talked her into this.

  She was glad.

  Looking around at the faces in the small audience, she was glad that everyone was there. Silas handed her off to Jason, taking his place as Jason’s best man and helping Rowan wait for the preacher to ask for the rings.

  Tiny little hands gripped Lilly’s dress on either side, and she let go of Jason’s hand to put her hands on the shoulders of the two girls clinging to her. The last month with them had been heaven, and they’d gotten word the day before that the triplets were available for adoption if Lilly and Jason were up for the challenge.

  They had accepted without a second thought.

  In a few short months, the triplets would officially be Hathaways. And they would never again know the pain of being shipped off to yet another family.

  The preacher began talking, but Lilly hardly heard a word that he said. She was lost in Jason’s eyes, her heart swelling when she saw Rowan’s tiny little hand in Jason’s, the pillow held under his other arm like a football. Thank goodness the rings were tied to it.

  The ceremony was almost over when the first clap of thunder crashed in the distance. The preacher smiled at Jason and Jason nodded.

  “Since mother nature is on a schedule,” he said, chuckling at his own joke, “let’s get down to it. Do you, Jason, take Lilly to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

  “I do,” Jason said, smiling at Lilly, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

  “Do you, Lilly, take Jason to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

  “I do.”

  “Hey, what about us?” a tiny voice queried from behind Lilly’s skirts.

  Lilly was about to tell Caitlyn to be patient when the preacher squatted down, ignoring the second clap of thunder and motioning all three tiny tots towards him.

  “Do you, Rowan, Caitlyn and Ellen, take Lilly and Jason to be your Mommy and Daddy forever and ever?” he asked, knowing full well that the Hathaways had recei
ved news that the triplets would be staying with them.

  “I do,” they said in staggered unison.

  “Perfect.” He turned to Jason and Lilly. “Do you, Jason and Lilly, take Rowan, Caitlyn and Ellen to be your children forever and ever?”

  Lilly struggled through tears, but managed to say “I do” as the first raindrop fell from the sky.

  The preacher looked up, smiling at the sky.

  “It’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day,” he said

  “We don’t need luck,” Jason said. “We have everything we need.”

  The sky opened up and the children squealed in delight. Jason scooped the girls up, leaving Lilly to grab Rowan and the rings and head into the barn with the rest of the guests.

  Lilly set them down, laughing with them as they stomped around and watched their wet boots make prints on the cement.

  Hattie rushed forward, holding Lilly’s phone and smiling.

  “It’s Viola. She called to wish you a happy wedding day.”

  Hattie gathered up the kids and ushered them away from the door as the storm picked up. Jason and Silas slid the massive barn door shut, closing the storm out and shutting the wedding party in. They’d already planned on the reception being in the barn, so the spread of food was set up in the office, and the guests had had the foresight to grab their chairs when they’d rushed into the barn at the first sign of a storm.

  “Hi Viola. I’m so sorry you couldn’t make it.”

  “Congratulations, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

  Lilly’s heart sank. Were the triplets not up for adoption after all? She couldn’t give them back. She already loved them like her own.

  “Lilly? Hello?”

  “I’m here. Tell me that it’s not bad news.”

  “What? No. It’s not about the triplets.”

  “Oh. Then what is it?”

  “Do you guys have room for two more?”

  Lilly motioned to Jason, motioning again to get him to hurry.

  “Let me ask Jason.”

  She covered the phone with her hand.

  “She has two more kids that need a place.”

  “We have room. Are you ready for that?”