The long and winding roa.., p.22
The Long and Winding Road, page 22
OMG. LOL.
Still looking forward to it?
I can’t wait for all of it. Love you so much, Max Abbott.
Love you, too, Lex. So much. Looking forward to everything.
Call me when you can tomorrow.
Will do. Merry Christmas.
She responded with all the Christmas emojis, and Max fell asleep smiling, full of excitement for the week ahead.
* * *
In a bedroom upstairs, Colton Abbott was trying to make love to his gorgeous wife, but she wasn’t having it.
“If you wake them up,” Lucy said in a harsh whisper, “I’ll kill you, and I’ll make it hurt.”
His low chuckle came out louder than he’d intended. But how was that his fault? She was funny.
She elbowed him in the gut. “You think I’m joking?”
“I know you’re dead serious,” he whispered. “Ha. I made a joke.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Not yet. You’ve got me all worked up.”
“You did that to yourself.”
“No, you did it by crawling in bed with me wearing flannel. You know what that does to me.”
“The passing breeze does the same thing to you.”
“Only when you’re the one causing the breeze to pass.” His hands slid under her pajama top and up to play with breasts that were lush and full after having given birth to their three sons. He kept thinking the fiery attraction between them would eventually fade, but instead, it only grew more intense the longer they were together. “I love you so, so, so much, my Lucy in the sky with diamonds. You have no idea how much.”
“I can feel just how much.”
“That’s just a fraction of the total.”
“Are you calling your precious manhood a fraction of anything?”
“Allow me to rephrase that.”
Her silent laughter made the bed shake.
Colton played with her nipple. “I want to love you, Luce. I want you so bad.”
“Tomorrow, when we’re home and the hellions aren’t sleeping two feet from us.”
“I can’t wait that long.”
“Honestly, Colton…”
“Honestly, Luce.”
“Fine. Make it quick.”
“I’m so good at quick.”
“You’re good at all of it.”
He stopped short. “You think so?”
“Yes, Colton, I think so. That’s why I married you.”
“Is that the only reason you married me?”
Though the room was dark, he could imagine her rolling her eyes at him, as she did many times in an average day. He loved driving her crazy. “Time’s a-wasting, my friend. Your spawn will be up in a couple of hours, and if their mother doesn’t sleep, it’s not going to be a merry Christmas for anyone.”
“Hey, Luce?”
“Yes, Colton?”
“Just so you know… You’re the best thing in my whole life. You and the devils. I love you so, so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“Even when I’m driving you bonkers?”
She ran her fingers though his hair. “Even then.”
Colton kissed her and loved her to a quiet orgasm that had them gasping from the power of what they created together. As it had been from the start, sex with Lucy was almost a religious experience. As he came down from the incredible high, he kissed her and rubbed his nose against hers. “Love you forever and ever.”
“I’ll love you longer.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Sleep, Colton. I need sleep.”
He withdrew and made his chest available to her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close, thankful for every second he got to spend with the incomparable Lucy Mulvaney Abbott.
* * *
Hunter was about to go looking for Megan when she snuck into the bedroom, where their kids, Carson, Cory and Claire, were asleep on an air mattress. It’d taken Hunter more than an hour to get them to sleep, as they were not used to sleeping together and had been full of beans at bedtime.
“Where’ve you been?” he asked her in a whisper.
“I had to run home for a minute.”
“I would’ve done that for you.”
“It was something I had to do myself so I wouldn’t spoil the surprise.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“Can you come to the kitchen for a minute?” That was the one room in the house where no one was sleeping.
“Yep.” He got out of bed and followed her to the kitchen, stepping over Charley and Tyler’s girls, who were asleep on air mattresses in the dining room.
“How were the kids at bedtime?”
“Terrible, but funny. We knew the sleepover would be dicey. Claire wanted to sleep between the boys, but they didn’t want her touching them, which hurt her feelings.”
Megan stifled a laugh. “Business as usual, huh?”
“Poor Claire can’t catch a break with those boys. I’m working on getting them to be nicer to her, but it’s a long-term project.”
“They’ll get there.”
“It’s just so strange for me because I was always so close with my sisters.”
“They will be, too. They’ll be so protective of her. I’m sure of it.”
Hunter put his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. “Since you’re the wisest person I know, I’m going to believe you’re right and hope for the best.” He lifted his head to kiss her. “Now, about this surprise…”
She retrieved a gift bag off one of the chairs in the kitchen and handed it to him.
Hunter was surprised by how heavy it was. He pulled the tissue paper out and found three inches of paper held together by a big binder clip. Glancing at her, he said, “Is this what I think it is?”
As she nodded, her smile was so big it could probably be seen from space.
“You finished it?”
“Earlier today. I had to go home to print out the last three chapters.”
“Oh my God, Meggie. You did it! You wrote your book while running a business and raising three kids and being the best wife and mom ever.” His heart was so full of love for her, he could barely contain it all. He set the bag on the table and reached for her. “I’m so, so proud of you, and I can’t wait to read it.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you and the info you gave me about search and rescue and the story ideas. I’ve already got three more books planned.”
Hunter hugged her tightly. “Best Christmas present ever.”
“I also want to thank you for all the times you took care of the kids so I could write. When I say I couldn’t have done this without you, I mean it.”
“We’re a team, babe. Whatever you want is what I want.”
“Not every author has a husband like you. Some of the women in my writing group talk about how their husbands don’t take their writing seriously. I never have anything to add to those conversations, because my husband is amazing.”
“Watching this dream come true for you has been one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced.”
“Look,” she said, flipping to the second page where the dedication said, “For my husband, Hunter, the love of my life who makes everything possible.”
Hunter’s eyes filled with tears as he kissed her. “Thank you for that. I’m so honored. What happens next?”
“I find an editor and a cover designer and make a plan to publish it in the next few months.”
“You decided to pursue the indie path?”
She nodded. “I’m too busy to be beholden to someone else’s deadlines. I don’t want it to turn into another chore that has to get done every day, which it will if I chase the traditional route.”
“We’ll have the biggest party ever when your book is published.”
She kissed him and hugged him. “I can’t wait for that.”
“Me either. Merry Christmas, my sweet love, the soon-to-be published author.”
“Merry Christmas, best husband ever.”
* * *
Nolan entered the barn through the mudroom, bringing Dexter and his massive dog/moose bed with him. He tossed the bed on the floor and pointed to it. “Go to bed. Right now, or I’ll make a stew out of you.”
“No, you will not! Don’t say that to him!” Hannah joined them, wearing her favorite flannel Christmas pajamas, with her long, dark hair down around her shoulders. She went to Dexter, who nuzzled her while giving Nolan a “fuck you” look over Hannah’s shoulder.
Nolan had never imagined he’d be competing with a moose for his wife’s affection, but by now, he shouldn’t be surprised.
“Was someone making a ruckus because his family left him alone on Christmas?” Hannah asked as she hugged and kissed Dexter.
The neighbors had called to tell them something was wrong with Dex, which had sent Nolan out into the frigid darkness to retrieve their “family member,” as Hannah referred to him. As if it wasn’t enough to have more than forty humans and twenty dogs sleeping in the barn, now they had a moose, too.
“You felt left out, didn’t you, sweetie?” Hannah asked, cooing at him.
Dex was blissed out with love for her.
Nolan certainly understood that, not that he’d ever cop to having anything in common with that GD moose.
“Did Daddy bring your food and water bowls?”
“All his crap is in that bag,” Nolan said.
“His things are not crap,” she said, with a glare for Nolan.
“I went and got him, Hannah. Now, can we please go to bed before our human animals wake up at the butt crack of dawn?”
“Let me get him settled first.” She sweet-talked Dexter until he was stretched out on his bed, receiving the sweet loving Nolan had hoped to get some of before Dex ruined his evening. This wasn’t the first time Dexter had cock-blocked him, and it most definitely wouldn’t be the last.
When Hannah was satisfied that Dex was settled in for the night, she followed Nolan out of the mudroom, closing the door to the kitchen. “I need to leave a note on the door that he’s in there, so he doesn’t scare anyone.”
After she’d done that, Nolan put his hands on her hips from behind and steered her upstairs to her childhood bedroom, where their kids, Callie and Colby, were asleep.
When he’d closed the door behind them, Hannah turned to him and put her arms around his neck. “My hero. Thank you for going after him.”
“You’re welcome.” He had much more he’d like to say about how that freaking moose would be the death of him, but he’d learned to keep his comments about Dexter to himself.
She tugged on a handful of his hair. “I’d better never hear you tell him you’re going to make stew out of him again, you got me?”
“I thought I was your hero?”
“You were until the stew threat.”
“I’m very sorry about that,” he said, even though he wasn’t one bit sorry.
“You need to tell him that.”
“I’ll take care of that first thing in the morning. Now, can we talk about something else besides that moose?”
She raised the brow that got his motor running every time she used it to get her way with him, which was daily. “You mean my baby Dexter?”
“Yes, him, the bull moose you’ve turned into the biggest lapdog in the history of lapdogs.”
“He’s one of the best things to ever happen to me in my entire life.”
“I know that, Hannah, which is why I left a warm bed on Christmas Eve to go get him for you. I deeply regret the stew comment. Now, can we please go to bed?”
“A, you do not regret the stew comment. And B, yes, we can.”
“It’s a good thing I love you so much,” Nolan muttered under his breath.
“What was that you said?”
“Love you so much, Hannah, and Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Nolan, and I love you so much, too, except for when you’re threatening to turn my baby into a stew.”
He climbed into bed after her and put his arm around her. “You caught me in a weak moment.”
“No, I didn’t. We all know how you feel about Dex, especially since he bit you on the bum. Callie asked the other day why Daddy doesn’t like Dexter.”
“I do like him. I even love him a tiny little bit, although less since he bit me. He’s just a gigantic pain in my ass, even when he’s not biting me there.”
“Then you must think I’m a gigantic pain in your ass, too, then.”
“No, I don’t. You’re just a tiny, little pain in my ass.”
Hannah poked his chest. “That’s not funny.”
Laughing softly, he grabbed her finger and brought it to his mouth to nibble on. “Yes, it is.”
“No, it isn’t. If you love me, you love Dexter. That’s all there is to it.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Did my father tell you to say that any time you need to pacify me?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” he said on a yawn. “Go to sleep, my sweet moose-whispering baby mama. Tomorrow is your favorite day of the year, and you’ve got your whole family here.”
Homer Junior let out a snore on the other side of Hannah, making his presence known.
Nolan had failed miserably in getting him to sleep in his own bed. Thank goodness Dexter had gotten the message that he wasn’t sleeping with them.
“Nolan?”
“Hmmm?”
“There was a time,” she whispered, “not that long ago, when I honestly thought I’d never be truly happy again. I was okay with that because I figured I’d had my great love with Caleb, and I needed to be satisfied with the peace of mind that had been a long time coming after he died.”
Nolan held his breath, waiting to hear what else she would say.
“But with you and our kids and Dex and Fred and Homer Junior… I’ve never been as happy as I am with our little family, so thank you for putting up with me and Dex and everything else I do that drives you crazy.”
He hugged her tighter. “Hannah, sweet, sweet Hannah… I had no life at all until I had you and look at me now. A husband to the most gorgeous woman in Butler, father of two beautiful kids, a dog and a moose. You drive me crazy in all the best ways, and in case you didn’t know this already, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, even fetch your GD moose on Christmas Eve.”
He felt her lips curve into a smile against his neck. “Thank you, Nolan.”
“You’re welcome, Hannah.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Come live in my heart, and pay no rent.”
—Samuel Lover
“Chase is finally asleep,” Cam whispered to Will, yawning as she joined him in bed after checking on their kids. “He’s so excited, I thought he’d never sleep.”
“I’m just so thankful to have him back to full health,” Will said, yawning right along with her, “that I don’t care if he’s up all night.”
“Shhh, don’t say that, or he will be.”
Murphy and Molly had been asleep for hours, but Chase had been a holdout.
“He’s so excited to see your dad tomorrow,” Will said.
“My dad is equally excited to see them all.”
The man who had once been an absent, remote father was a devoted, hands-on grandfather to their children.
“He wants to know how long he has to wait until he can pick them up in the chopper and take them to New York for a weekend.”
“A few more years,” Will said. “I’m not ready for that yet.”
Cameron cuddled up to him, arranging herself the way she did every night, with an arm and leg sprawled over him. “Neither am I. I’d miss them too much.”
“Funny, isn’t it, that there are days when we’d do anything for a break from the madness, but when someone who loves them as much as we do offers to take them off our hands, we’re like, no, not yet.”
“I know,” Cam said with a little laugh. “We’re silly to say no to that.”
“How about if we let him and Mary stay with them at our house for a few days and we run away together after Christmas?”
“That I could get on board with, as long as we don’t go far.”
“I might’ve already arranged this with your dad, Mary and a lovely bed-and-breakfast in Stowe. We’re leaving on the twenty-eighth, so we don’t miss game night, and we’ll be back on the first.”
Will anticipated Cameron’s squeal of excitement and kissed her to drown out the noise. “Good surprise?”
“The very best surprise ever. I can’t wait for some time alone with you.”
“And maybe after four nights with the hooligans, your dad will stop asking when he can take them to New York for a while.”
“No doubt,” she said with a grunt of laughter. “Mary will save his ass.”
“As she always does.”
“Remember when you saved my ass?” she asked, pressing against him suggestively.
He cupped his favorite ass and gave it a squeeze. “Best night of my whole life, except for every night since then.”
“Me, too. Best night ever. I still have those suede boots you rescued.”
“I know. Remember when I suggested you get a new pair?”
“That didn’t go over well. I’ll never part with them—or you.”
“And I’ll never part with you, love of my life, mother of my children, maker of magic.”
“This is my favorite night of the whole year, being here with our whole family. Thank you for giving me that, Will.”
“Thank you for giving me everything.”
She moved so she was fully on top of him and kissed him. “Definitely my pleasure.”
* * *
Lucas and Landon snuck into the barn shortly after one a.m. A fire department colleague had dropped them off after the holiday party at the fire barn. They’d had such a busy December that they’d had no choice but to have the party late on Christmas Eve, after everyone had spent the earlier part of the evening with their families.
“What the actual fuck?” Landon asked when he tripped over something in the mudroom.
Lucas turned on the light and gasped when he saw Dexter sleeping on a gigantic bed.
Still looking forward to it?
I can’t wait for all of it. Love you so much, Max Abbott.
Love you, too, Lex. So much. Looking forward to everything.
Call me when you can tomorrow.
Will do. Merry Christmas.
She responded with all the Christmas emojis, and Max fell asleep smiling, full of excitement for the week ahead.
* * *
In a bedroom upstairs, Colton Abbott was trying to make love to his gorgeous wife, but she wasn’t having it.
“If you wake them up,” Lucy said in a harsh whisper, “I’ll kill you, and I’ll make it hurt.”
His low chuckle came out louder than he’d intended. But how was that his fault? She was funny.
She elbowed him in the gut. “You think I’m joking?”
“I know you’re dead serious,” he whispered. “Ha. I made a joke.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Not yet. You’ve got me all worked up.”
“You did that to yourself.”
“No, you did it by crawling in bed with me wearing flannel. You know what that does to me.”
“The passing breeze does the same thing to you.”
“Only when you’re the one causing the breeze to pass.” His hands slid under her pajama top and up to play with breasts that were lush and full after having given birth to their three sons. He kept thinking the fiery attraction between them would eventually fade, but instead, it only grew more intense the longer they were together. “I love you so, so, so much, my Lucy in the sky with diamonds. You have no idea how much.”
“I can feel just how much.”
“That’s just a fraction of the total.”
“Are you calling your precious manhood a fraction of anything?”
“Allow me to rephrase that.”
Her silent laughter made the bed shake.
Colton played with her nipple. “I want to love you, Luce. I want you so bad.”
“Tomorrow, when we’re home and the hellions aren’t sleeping two feet from us.”
“I can’t wait that long.”
“Honestly, Colton…”
“Honestly, Luce.”
“Fine. Make it quick.”
“I’m so good at quick.”
“You’re good at all of it.”
He stopped short. “You think so?”
“Yes, Colton, I think so. That’s why I married you.”
“Is that the only reason you married me?”
Though the room was dark, he could imagine her rolling her eyes at him, as she did many times in an average day. He loved driving her crazy. “Time’s a-wasting, my friend. Your spawn will be up in a couple of hours, and if their mother doesn’t sleep, it’s not going to be a merry Christmas for anyone.”
“Hey, Luce?”
“Yes, Colton?”
“Just so you know… You’re the best thing in my whole life. You and the devils. I love you so, so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“Even when I’m driving you bonkers?”
She ran her fingers though his hair. “Even then.”
Colton kissed her and loved her to a quiet orgasm that had them gasping from the power of what they created together. As it had been from the start, sex with Lucy was almost a religious experience. As he came down from the incredible high, he kissed her and rubbed his nose against hers. “Love you forever and ever.”
“I’ll love you longer.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Sleep, Colton. I need sleep.”
He withdrew and made his chest available to her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close, thankful for every second he got to spend with the incomparable Lucy Mulvaney Abbott.
* * *
Hunter was about to go looking for Megan when she snuck into the bedroom, where their kids, Carson, Cory and Claire, were asleep on an air mattress. It’d taken Hunter more than an hour to get them to sleep, as they were not used to sleeping together and had been full of beans at bedtime.
“Where’ve you been?” he asked her in a whisper.
“I had to run home for a minute.”
“I would’ve done that for you.”
“It was something I had to do myself so I wouldn’t spoil the surprise.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“Can you come to the kitchen for a minute?” That was the one room in the house where no one was sleeping.
“Yep.” He got out of bed and followed her to the kitchen, stepping over Charley and Tyler’s girls, who were asleep on air mattresses in the dining room.
“How were the kids at bedtime?”
“Terrible, but funny. We knew the sleepover would be dicey. Claire wanted to sleep between the boys, but they didn’t want her touching them, which hurt her feelings.”
Megan stifled a laugh. “Business as usual, huh?”
“Poor Claire can’t catch a break with those boys. I’m working on getting them to be nicer to her, but it’s a long-term project.”
“They’ll get there.”
“It’s just so strange for me because I was always so close with my sisters.”
“They will be, too. They’ll be so protective of her. I’m sure of it.”
Hunter put his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. “Since you’re the wisest person I know, I’m going to believe you’re right and hope for the best.” He lifted his head to kiss her. “Now, about this surprise…”
She retrieved a gift bag off one of the chairs in the kitchen and handed it to him.
Hunter was surprised by how heavy it was. He pulled the tissue paper out and found three inches of paper held together by a big binder clip. Glancing at her, he said, “Is this what I think it is?”
As she nodded, her smile was so big it could probably be seen from space.
“You finished it?”
“Earlier today. I had to go home to print out the last three chapters.”
“Oh my God, Meggie. You did it! You wrote your book while running a business and raising three kids and being the best wife and mom ever.” His heart was so full of love for her, he could barely contain it all. He set the bag on the table and reached for her. “I’m so, so proud of you, and I can’t wait to read it.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you and the info you gave me about search and rescue and the story ideas. I’ve already got three more books planned.”
Hunter hugged her tightly. “Best Christmas present ever.”
“I also want to thank you for all the times you took care of the kids so I could write. When I say I couldn’t have done this without you, I mean it.”
“We’re a team, babe. Whatever you want is what I want.”
“Not every author has a husband like you. Some of the women in my writing group talk about how their husbands don’t take their writing seriously. I never have anything to add to those conversations, because my husband is amazing.”
“Watching this dream come true for you has been one of the most exciting things I’ve ever experienced.”
“Look,” she said, flipping to the second page where the dedication said, “For my husband, Hunter, the love of my life who makes everything possible.”
Hunter’s eyes filled with tears as he kissed her. “Thank you for that. I’m so honored. What happens next?”
“I find an editor and a cover designer and make a plan to publish it in the next few months.”
“You decided to pursue the indie path?”
She nodded. “I’m too busy to be beholden to someone else’s deadlines. I don’t want it to turn into another chore that has to get done every day, which it will if I chase the traditional route.”
“We’ll have the biggest party ever when your book is published.”
She kissed him and hugged him. “I can’t wait for that.”
“Me either. Merry Christmas, my sweet love, the soon-to-be published author.”
“Merry Christmas, best husband ever.”
* * *
Nolan entered the barn through the mudroom, bringing Dexter and his massive dog/moose bed with him. He tossed the bed on the floor and pointed to it. “Go to bed. Right now, or I’ll make a stew out of you.”
“No, you will not! Don’t say that to him!” Hannah joined them, wearing her favorite flannel Christmas pajamas, with her long, dark hair down around her shoulders. She went to Dexter, who nuzzled her while giving Nolan a “fuck you” look over Hannah’s shoulder.
Nolan had never imagined he’d be competing with a moose for his wife’s affection, but by now, he shouldn’t be surprised.
“Was someone making a ruckus because his family left him alone on Christmas?” Hannah asked as she hugged and kissed Dexter.
The neighbors had called to tell them something was wrong with Dex, which had sent Nolan out into the frigid darkness to retrieve their “family member,” as Hannah referred to him. As if it wasn’t enough to have more than forty humans and twenty dogs sleeping in the barn, now they had a moose, too.
“You felt left out, didn’t you, sweetie?” Hannah asked, cooing at him.
Dex was blissed out with love for her.
Nolan certainly understood that, not that he’d ever cop to having anything in common with that GD moose.
“Did Daddy bring your food and water bowls?”
“All his crap is in that bag,” Nolan said.
“His things are not crap,” she said, with a glare for Nolan.
“I went and got him, Hannah. Now, can we please go to bed before our human animals wake up at the butt crack of dawn?”
“Let me get him settled first.” She sweet-talked Dexter until he was stretched out on his bed, receiving the sweet loving Nolan had hoped to get some of before Dex ruined his evening. This wasn’t the first time Dexter had cock-blocked him, and it most definitely wouldn’t be the last.
When Hannah was satisfied that Dex was settled in for the night, she followed Nolan out of the mudroom, closing the door to the kitchen. “I need to leave a note on the door that he’s in there, so he doesn’t scare anyone.”
After she’d done that, Nolan put his hands on her hips from behind and steered her upstairs to her childhood bedroom, where their kids, Callie and Colby, were asleep.
When he’d closed the door behind them, Hannah turned to him and put her arms around his neck. “My hero. Thank you for going after him.”
“You’re welcome.” He had much more he’d like to say about how that freaking moose would be the death of him, but he’d learned to keep his comments about Dexter to himself.
She tugged on a handful of his hair. “I’d better never hear you tell him you’re going to make stew out of him again, you got me?”
“I thought I was your hero?”
“You were until the stew threat.”
“I’m very sorry about that,” he said, even though he wasn’t one bit sorry.
“You need to tell him that.”
“I’ll take care of that first thing in the morning. Now, can we talk about something else besides that moose?”
She raised the brow that got his motor running every time she used it to get her way with him, which was daily. “You mean my baby Dexter?”
“Yes, him, the bull moose you’ve turned into the biggest lapdog in the history of lapdogs.”
“He’s one of the best things to ever happen to me in my entire life.”
“I know that, Hannah, which is why I left a warm bed on Christmas Eve to go get him for you. I deeply regret the stew comment. Now, can we please go to bed?”
“A, you do not regret the stew comment. And B, yes, we can.”
“It’s a good thing I love you so much,” Nolan muttered under his breath.
“What was that you said?”
“Love you so much, Hannah, and Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Nolan, and I love you so much, too, except for when you’re threatening to turn my baby into a stew.”
He climbed into bed after her and put his arm around her. “You caught me in a weak moment.”
“No, I didn’t. We all know how you feel about Dex, especially since he bit you on the bum. Callie asked the other day why Daddy doesn’t like Dexter.”
“I do like him. I even love him a tiny little bit, although less since he bit me. He’s just a gigantic pain in my ass, even when he’s not biting me there.”
“Then you must think I’m a gigantic pain in your ass, too, then.”
“No, I don’t. You’re just a tiny, little pain in my ass.”
Hannah poked his chest. “That’s not funny.”
Laughing softly, he grabbed her finger and brought it to his mouth to nibble on. “Yes, it is.”
“No, it isn’t. If you love me, you love Dexter. That’s all there is to it.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Did my father tell you to say that any time you need to pacify me?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” he said on a yawn. “Go to sleep, my sweet moose-whispering baby mama. Tomorrow is your favorite day of the year, and you’ve got your whole family here.”
Homer Junior let out a snore on the other side of Hannah, making his presence known.
Nolan had failed miserably in getting him to sleep in his own bed. Thank goodness Dexter had gotten the message that he wasn’t sleeping with them.
“Nolan?”
“Hmmm?”
“There was a time,” she whispered, “not that long ago, when I honestly thought I’d never be truly happy again. I was okay with that because I figured I’d had my great love with Caleb, and I needed to be satisfied with the peace of mind that had been a long time coming after he died.”
Nolan held his breath, waiting to hear what else she would say.
“But with you and our kids and Dex and Fred and Homer Junior… I’ve never been as happy as I am with our little family, so thank you for putting up with me and Dex and everything else I do that drives you crazy.”
He hugged her tighter. “Hannah, sweet, sweet Hannah… I had no life at all until I had you and look at me now. A husband to the most gorgeous woman in Butler, father of two beautiful kids, a dog and a moose. You drive me crazy in all the best ways, and in case you didn’t know this already, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, even fetch your GD moose on Christmas Eve.”
He felt her lips curve into a smile against his neck. “Thank you, Nolan.”
“You’re welcome, Hannah.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Come live in my heart, and pay no rent.”
—Samuel Lover
“Chase is finally asleep,” Cam whispered to Will, yawning as she joined him in bed after checking on their kids. “He’s so excited, I thought he’d never sleep.”
“I’m just so thankful to have him back to full health,” Will said, yawning right along with her, “that I don’t care if he’s up all night.”
“Shhh, don’t say that, or he will be.”
Murphy and Molly had been asleep for hours, but Chase had been a holdout.
“He’s so excited to see your dad tomorrow,” Will said.
“My dad is equally excited to see them all.”
The man who had once been an absent, remote father was a devoted, hands-on grandfather to their children.
“He wants to know how long he has to wait until he can pick them up in the chopper and take them to New York for a weekend.”
“A few more years,” Will said. “I’m not ready for that yet.”
Cameron cuddled up to him, arranging herself the way she did every night, with an arm and leg sprawled over him. “Neither am I. I’d miss them too much.”
“Funny, isn’t it, that there are days when we’d do anything for a break from the madness, but when someone who loves them as much as we do offers to take them off our hands, we’re like, no, not yet.”
“I know,” Cam said with a little laugh. “We’re silly to say no to that.”
“How about if we let him and Mary stay with them at our house for a few days and we run away together after Christmas?”
“That I could get on board with, as long as we don’t go far.”
“I might’ve already arranged this with your dad, Mary and a lovely bed-and-breakfast in Stowe. We’re leaving on the twenty-eighth, so we don’t miss game night, and we’ll be back on the first.”
Will anticipated Cameron’s squeal of excitement and kissed her to drown out the noise. “Good surprise?”
“The very best surprise ever. I can’t wait for some time alone with you.”
“And maybe after four nights with the hooligans, your dad will stop asking when he can take them to New York for a while.”
“No doubt,” she said with a grunt of laughter. “Mary will save his ass.”
“As she always does.”
“Remember when you saved my ass?” she asked, pressing against him suggestively.
He cupped his favorite ass and gave it a squeeze. “Best night of my whole life, except for every night since then.”
“Me, too. Best night ever. I still have those suede boots you rescued.”
“I know. Remember when I suggested you get a new pair?”
“That didn’t go over well. I’ll never part with them—or you.”
“And I’ll never part with you, love of my life, mother of my children, maker of magic.”
“This is my favorite night of the whole year, being here with our whole family. Thank you for giving me that, Will.”
“Thank you for giving me everything.”
She moved so she was fully on top of him and kissed him. “Definitely my pleasure.”
* * *
Lucas and Landon snuck into the barn shortly after one a.m. A fire department colleague had dropped them off after the holiday party at the fire barn. They’d had such a busy December that they’d had no choice but to have the party late on Christmas Eve, after everyone had spent the earlier part of the evening with their families.
“What the actual fuck?” Landon asked when he tripped over something in the mudroom.
Lucas turned on the light and gasped when he saw Dexter sleeping on a gigantic bed.
