She eased her legs farther apart for his questing fingers. He inserted his finger inside of her, sliding it in and out through her moist, wet and hot heat. The sound she made at his touch totally mesmerized his brain, filled him with a need that made him continue to stroke her intimately. And then she was shaking uncontrollably and he knew why. He was giving her the pleasure she needed.
The rational part of his mind, the one trying to retain a level of decorum, was fighting for control, telling him that this wasn’t the time or the place to now take his own. But he knew without a doubt when the time came for his satisfaction that Rose was definitely the woman who could give it to him. She was the one who could not only light his fire but keep it burning.
Pulling his mouth away from her breast and his hand from between her thighs, he held her tight against him until her shudders subsided. Then he straightened and slowly eased her feet to the floor, holding on to her while she became adjusted to the movement. For a while his senses had gotten suspended, overridden with passion but now he had his wits back. He knew what he wanted. He knew just what he needed. Just what he had to have. The realization filled him with a gratifying sensation.
He swept her into his arms and crossed the room to sit at the kitchen table. It seemed the air surrounding him felt a little lighter. His mind felt free. He grinned, feeling the weight of something heavy lifted from his shoulders. He looked down at her, saw the satisfied smile she wore and felt somewhat giddy knowing he had placed it there.
“So, I guess that answers my concerns about our sleeping arrangements doesn’t it?” he said.
She reached up and traced a finger around his mouth. The dark eyes staring up at him were filled with a fulfillment that touched him to the core. “Yes,” she said softly. “Once we’re married I’ll have no problem sharing a bed with you,” she said quietly.
At one point, some weeks back, when she had first begun invading his dreams, he had thought that he would not want her that way, and doing so was disrespecting Becky’s memory. But he knew Becky. She would want him to move on with his life and to be happy.
And what would make him happy more so than anything else was Rose. He wanted her to be a part of his life, his girls’ life. He wanted her to be the woman he came home to each night, whether it was here in Alaska on some other part of the world. Wherever his job would take him, she would be there. To welcome him home and to warm his bed. He was not ashamed to admit that he wanted her. And he wanted her in a way he hadn’t ever wanted anyone else - not even Becky. His desire for his wife had been strong, but never this keen, sharp and obsessive. Never would he have considered taking her right here on the table, entering her body without ever coming out until the both of them had been totally and completely satisfied. Then he would want them to start all over again.
That thought, the harsh, brutal realization as to the extent of his desire for her no longer bothered him. He wasn’t sure why it didn’t; he just knew he had to acknowledge that it didn’t. Just like he had to acknowledge that Rose was the woman he wanted. They would be intimate friends; as sensuously connected as any two humans could get. He, she and the girls would be a family.
“I want to give you your baby,” he said softly, knowing down deep that he did. For some reason, he felt making a baby with her would be the connection they would need in the absence of love. He looked down and saw pure joy line her pupils. “Would you want that?” he asked, although he knew that she did.
“Yes. I want that. That would make me very happy.”
He nodded then leaned down and kissed her lips. When he pulled his mouth back, he said, “And what will make me happy is for us to get married. This weekend.”
He saw her blink as surprise shone in her eyes. She hadn’t figured he would want to move ahead quickly. But the way he saw it, when he made love to her, he wanted it to be done as husband and wife.
“This weekend?” she repeated, as if to make sure she had heard him correctly.
“Yes. I checked on things today, after I left here for lunch. There’s a three-day waiting period. If we apply for a license tomorrow then we can get married on Saturday. It won’t give my parents time to get here but that’s fine. What about yours?”
“I don’t have anyone, other than Sage and a few other girlfriends who are scattered across the country, so that’s fine with me too.”
“Good. I prefer a private affair. Just me, you, and whoever we get to serve as our witnesses, and the girls. We can do it here or the pastor’s study at the church.”
“I want to do it at the church.”
“Okay.” He stood with her in his arms and then placed her on her feet. “So I guess this will be a busy week for us then.”
“Yes, it seems that it will. Sage will be returning tomorrow. I’ll ask that she be a witness.”
“And I’ll ask that Gabe be one as well.”
And then he pulled her into his arms believing in his heart that things would work out for them.
Nine
“By the powers invested in me. I now pronounced you man and wife. You may kiss your bride, Parnell.”
Rose blinked back her tears and looked up into Parnell’s face, searching his eyes for any sign that he regretted asking her to be his wife. She didn’t see anything to cause her worry and when he reached out for her, she went willingly into his arms. The kiss was brief but effective. It held promises of what to expect later.
No sooner had Parnell released her from his arms, her friend Sage – who had stood in as her maid of honor - came forward to give her a hug. Next, Gabe hugged her and then Rose stooped down at the girls’ level for hugs from them as well.
She and Parnell had talked to Joya and LaToya on Wednesday to make sure they understood what their marriage would mean. According to Parnell, his daughters didn’t remember their mother, so to their way of thinking, Rose was the mother they never had. She had wondered if that would bother Parnell but he didn’t give her any indication that it did. And when the girls asked if they could call her mommy, he hadn’t seemed bothered by that either. So, now on this beautiful day in April she officially became Rose Cabot, wife to Parnell and mother to Joya and LaToya and she couldn’t be more than happy.
She couldn’t even begin to digest how fast things got moving when Sage had returned to town and she had told her that she and Parnell would be getting married that weekend. Sage had taken things under control, deciding she wanted to make this a special wedding for her and Parnell; one they would always remember.
With Gabe’s help, Parnell’s parents had arrived yesterday along with Gabe’s parents, on the company jet. Christopher Chandler and his wife Maxi had also flown in with the group. Another couple, friends of Christopher and Maxi by the name of Garrett and Mya Rivers, had also come. Rose recognized Garrett as a professional football player with the Dallas Cowboys.
Gabe and Christopher had declared that yesterday was a holiday for the men so that Parnell could get things ready for the honeymoon – a honeymoon that neither Rose nor Parnell had planned for. As a gift from The Regency Group, they had been presented a four–day stay in a cabin at Glacier Bay. Everyone figured due to the time restraints the couple had in going on a lengthy honeymoon, the get-away to the resort that was near the Glacier Bay National Park was just the place. It was known as the best place for fishing in the Pacific Northwest and their trophy halibut and salmon sport fishing there was second to none. The guys had relentlessly teased Parnell about not sending him to Glacier Bay to do any fishing.
Rose had liked Parnell’s parents immediately and they seemed truly happy for their son. They had agreed to keep the girls while Rose and Parnell were on their honeymoon. Rose was grateful for that because she didn’t want Parnell to worry about anything while they were away.
Gabe’s mother, Joella Blackwell, and Sage had gotten together and planned a nice reception at one of the country clubs and had invited every single one of Parnell’s men. Parnell had told Rose that a lot of them had been surprised by his announcement that the two of them were getting married since no one knew they had been dating.
An few hours later, while she was talking to Garrett and Mya Rivers and Sage and Gabe, Parnell came up, slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Sorry to butt in, however, its time for me and my bride to leave and we want to say goodbye to our girls before we do.”
Joya and LaToya, excited about their grandparents’ visit, gave Parnell and Rose hugs and asked them to bring them something back. And then under a shower of rice Parnell and Rose raced to their car. Ignoring the “Just Married” window banner that some of Parnell’s men had placed on the car, they drove off, heading for their destination.
* * *
It was a clear night with starts dotting the sky. While waiting for Rose to come out of the bathroom, Parnell moved away from the window to stand before the fireplace to watch the way the logs were burning and thinking how well their special day had gone.
His parents liked her, he could tell. But then he had known they would. And he couldn’t help but see the huge smile that had been on Joella Blackwell’s face most of the day and couldn’t help wondering what that was about. Gabe’s mother was a known matchmaker and Parnell wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she had somehow played a hand in bringing him to the altar. He was well aware that she had called his house at least once or twice a week to check on the girls and would talk to Rose. She would always mention it to him whenever Joella called.