He chuckled at the sight of his son clinging to Mina’s neck. Sam liked to swim out past his head, he just didn’t care much to stay there without someone to latch onto. Scott made sure he kept Peyton’s wildly kicking legs in the water as he made his way to Mina. “Swap me. It’s time to go anyway. Maggie said she wanted us there early so she’d have time to see her babies before dinner.” He handed Peyton to Mina with one hand while reaching for Sam with the other.
Mina showered kisses on Peyton’s face as they waded back in, making the little girl giggle hysterically. She smiled at the death grip Sam had on Scott’s neck and the contented grin on her husband’s face. Both their children had dark hair and had inherited their father’s blue eyes, not to mention his hot temper. Scott leaned down to grab the picnic basket while she scooped up the blanket they’d been sitting on. After she’d bathed the children and put them down for a short nap, Mina went to their own room to shower and found Scott on the deck outside the bedroom still dressed in his swim trunks.
“I thought you’d be done with your shower by now,” she said, moving into his arms.
“I was waiting for you.”
“Well, at least I won’t have to worry about getting pregnant.”
“How do you think your Dad would feel about us naming our new son after him?”
She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss. “He’d love it.”
“Is he managing okay now that we’ve stolen Chris and George from the farm?”
“He’ll have Will for another year, and of course Waylon’s taking over the farm as soon as he get his degree in agriculture.” Mina smiled adoringly at her husband. “Dad says with the farm grants you’ve lined up for him, they’ll be able to hire two men to help out for the harvest season. He also said with the improvements Waylon’s made, it’ll be the most profitable year the farm has ever had.”
“I didn’t do anything he couldn’t have done himself if he’d had the resources.”
“And the scholarships the boys have received over the past six years?”
“They wouldn’t have gotten them if their grades hadn’t been so good. They wrote the essays themselves, honey. All I did was provide them with the contacts to send them to.”
“Okay, here’s one you have to take credit for.” She took his hand and moved it to her belly.
Scott stroked the slightly extended bump lovingly. “I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have done it without you, sweetheart.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Come on, we’d better get that shower taken before the kids wake up.”
Mina took his hand and let him lead her back to the bedroom. “We have plenty of time. The kids will be down for at least an hour.”
Scott just smiled as he reached in and turned the water on. Their love making sessions weren’t nearly as spontaneous as they’d been before the children were born, but they were just as heated and every bit as satisfying. Her eyes followed him as he closed the door then giggled when he turned off the light.
“What in the world are you doing?” She couldn’t see a thing, but she certainly felt the heat of his body as he pressed into her.
“Just keeping the adventure in our love life,” he said as he divested Mina of her swim suit then took her hand and pulled her along behind him into the shower.
“Isn’t this dangerous? We could slip and fall.” Mina sucked in air when he pinned her between the wall and his broad chest, then gripped the back of her thighs and lifted her in his arms.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ve got you,” he whispered.
She moaned softly, wrapping her legs firmly around him as he lowered her onto his heated flesh. Maybe it was because of the darkness or the spray of the warm water over them as they made love, but Mina’s body seemed much more sensitive to his touch. In all the years they’d been married, their desire for each other had never waned and she thought it was times like this that kept the fire within them burning so hot and wild. It was the stolen moments, the secret glances, and the soft kisses that promised so much more when the lights went out and they were alone.
With their passion spent and the tingling afterglow of love still with them, Scott and Mina moved to the bed to share a few more minutes in the comfort of each other’s arms. Scott idly stroked her belly, fascinated as he always was with the idea that his baby was growing inside the warmth of his wife’s body.
“I love watching your body change when you’re pregnant.”
“You just like the idea you’re so fertile you plant a baby inside of me one day after I go off the pill.”
“That too,” he smiled and pulled her into his arms.
She snuggled closer. “I’d like to take a trip to see Mom and Dad before I get too big. They’ve been nagging me to bring their grandchildren to the farm.”
Scott wrapped his arms tighter around her. “I’ll arrange for some time off next month.”
Mina tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. “You’re still afraid to let me go alone, aren’t you?”
“I just feel better knowing you got there safely.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “You’ve been keeping me safe since the day we met, I guess I can’t ask you to change now.”
“No, you can’t. We are who we are.”
“Why do I get the feeling I know what you’re going to say next?”
Scott grinned. “Because you’re a very smart woman. We still have fifteen minutes, that’s plenty of time.”
Mina sighed in resignation. “Don’t you ever get tired of doing it?”
“No, I love it.”
“Okay, but make it a short one.”
He thought about all the wonderful memories they’d made together over the years and chose one of his favorites. As Mina nestled her head back on his shoulder, he closed his eyes and let the sound of her soft voice take him back in time.
“We were top of the ladders painting,” she said in a dreamy voice, “and you’d just wiped a speck of paint off my nose. My sweet Mina, you whispered, give me a reason not to kiss you…”
THE END
INNOCENCE AND ARROGANCE Page 20