TWICE UPON A TIME
Page 23
She answered his smile with one of her own as he came down onto her. One arm slid underneath her hips, and as his chest touched hers, he slowly joined them.
Their gazes locked.
"Oh, my," she whispered. "I forgot."
He smiled. The most beautiful, loving smile. "So did I."
He moved slightly, allowing her to adjust to him, scattering light kisses on her face. It quickly became a teasing movement, and she arched up, wrapping her legs around him, feeling him tremble. That was all the encouragement he needed, and he took control, thrusting into her with a force that took her breath. Within moments they both cried out and held on to each other, finally one after so long.
* * *
Rico brushed the tear from her cheek, the two of them lying on their sides and catching their breath.
"Please tell me this is a tear of happiness."
She opened an eye to see apprehension knitting his brows, a sheen of sweat covering his face. "You know it is."
He exhaled in relief, and she smiled. "I love you, you know."
He stared at her, so serious. "Thank God."
She pulled his head to her for a soft kiss. After a couple of minutes he pulled away.
"Don't move," he said, swinging out of the bed and walking naked across the room.
All those scars and still he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen, naked or not. He reached into one of the bags sitting on a chair in the corner of her room.
"Close your eyes," he said with a smile.
She giggled. Why she didn't know, but the laugh felt completely natural as she closed her eyes. She heard him walk back to her.
"Open," he said.
He was kneeling by her bed in the candlelight from her nightstand. In his hand was a diamond ring.
She gasped from shock and the sheer beauty of it. It twinkled at her, balanced so delicately between his two fingers.
"I love you more than anything in this world. Will you marry me, Anna, and make me complete?"
She laughed and cried at the same time. "Yes!" she said as she pushed herself into a sitting position.
He slid the ring onto her shaking finger. It fit perfectly. "I bought this for you the night I came home before reenlisting, right before I took Mama to dinner."
Her head jerked up to look at him. "You've had the ring this long?"
He nodded. "At first I didn't know what to do with it, but I carried it everywhere with me. When I came to terms with what had happened, I vowed I was going to put it on your finger one day."
"I love you so much," she whispered, her tears starting again although her wide smile remained.
"Thank you," he whispered, and pulled her into his arms.
* * *
Epilogue
«^
The sun beat down on everyone gathered in Anna's backyard, although a lake breeze relieved them of the Indian summer's heat. Four days after the kidnapping, and anyone walking in would see a party of mostly men and two happy, screeching children playing tag.
"Anna?" Aunt Clare called her name, pulling her attention from her ring. She found herself looking at it constantly, especially when Rico was out of sight.
Reminding herself it wasn't a dream.
"Sorry, Aunt Clare," Anna said with a grin.
Her aunt just smiled and shook her head.
"Brooke's been trying to get your attention."
Anna turned to see Brooke at one of the picnic tables, surrounded by the unshakable Irish, Lucky and Cal. She walked off the deck, dodging Rafe, who squealed past her with Runt in pursuit.
Rico hadn't been kidding about Runt's love of children. The big man spent most of his time entertaining the twins, and they adored him.
"Anna, did you know why Mike and Rico don't have nicknames like the rest of these guys?"
"No, come to think of it, I didn't realize it," she answered, looking for Mike. He had disappeared a few hours earlier to pick up his wife at the Spokane airport.
Brooke smiled, her hair glowing vivid red in the sunlight. "Mike's real name is Michaelangelo, so they figured Mike was enough of a nickname!"
Lucky chimed in with, "And every time we called Rico by his full name we felt like we were calling him America."
Anna laughed along with them and then glanced at the healthy-looking Cal. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine," he assured her, his arm in a sling and his free hand holding a beer.
The men spent most of their time at Anna's house, which Rico loved. Anna did, too. Between the men, her cousin, Aunt Clare and Lina, the children were surrounded by loving adults who talked about the kidnapping whenever they had a question. So far Rebecca had suffered a nightmare and was never too far from her grandmother, and Rafe constantly checked on Cal. He had more difficulty remembering details than Rebecca did, but the doctors said it could still be shock and he'd remember when ready.
Lina sat under the table umbrella on the porch, arguing with Aunt Clare about helping. Aunt Clare, of course, won again, giving Lina more cheese to slice instead of allowing her to do dishes.
The back door opened, and Rico stepped onto the porch with a present in his arms.
"There you are!" Anna said, running to him for a kiss and ignoring the groans of the men. They always made a show of groaning, laughing and other sound effects whenever they kissed, and she tuned them out. She wouldn't stop kissing Rico for anything. "You said you'd be right back!"
"Sorry, took me a bit longer to find the one I wanted," he grinned, and handed her the present.
She smiled and decided against telling him he didn't have to get her anything. It hadn't made a difference every other day when he'd bought her something small or picked her flowers.
Lina said he was wooing his fiancée.
She unwrapped the box with the help of the twins and gasped.
A video recorder.
"I don't want to miss one more thing," he said, pulling her into his arms for another kiss.
Everyone joined them on the porch to ooh and ahh over the gift. Just then the back door opened again, and Mike stepped out, an enormous smile on his face. He stopped, his hand still on the door handle but his body blocking anyone's access.
"About time!" Irish yelled, his hand playing with a blushing Brooke's hair. "Where's that bonny wife and child of yers?"
If possible, Mike's grin spread wider. "They're inside with my gift for Rico."
All the guys quieted their teasing, and Rico looked at them. Anna picked up on their sudden seriousness, but couldn't get nervous because of Mike's grin. Whatever his surprise, it was a good one.
"Rico, you gave up so much for me when you made me go that night." He looked down and cleared his throat before finishing. "Since then you've asked only one thing of me, and I've finally succeeded."
He opened the door and a beautiful girl stepped out, her long curling black hair in a ponytail and her face free of makeup. In jean shorts and a black cotton top, she looked anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five years old.
Anna looked up at Rico. Pale, his eyes wide as if seeing a ghost, he whispered, "Carmen?"
Carmen's gaze darted through the group of people on the deck, chin high, lips pressed tight and expression unsure. Finally she caught sight of the man who'd called her name, but her expression looked more confused.
She glanced back at Mike, who nodded and smiled. She took a step closer, then her heavily lashed brown eyes widened. "Rico?"
He nodded again, and she burst into tears, unleashing a torrent of Spanish and throwing herself into his arms like a child seeking comfort. Anna's throat tightened at the relief on Rico's face and the tears in Mike's eyes.
Carmen reached out a hand to Anna, gripping it tightly, although she still burrowed deep in Rico's arms. She asked him something, and he answered in English, the two of them staring at Anna.
"Sí, Carmen, this is my angel."
* * * *
UPON A TIME